Well, okay. I'm not going to the Philly Bead Fest (much as I'd love to be able to attend), but the five pieces I created using Kristie Roeder's wonderful beads and cabs are winging their way to her so they can be at Bead Fest.
There was just a bit of a panic this morning after I finished photographing the last of the pieces (just completed yesterday) and then couldn't find the first four! Waaaaaaah! I scurried around the house for a few minutes, looking in places I thought I might have placed them; and they were nowhere to be found. Finally I settled in a chair and gave it some thought... and figured out where they were. Whew. Our mail carrier can appear at the mailbox anytime between noon and 5:00pm, and it was approaching noon when I went into the initial panic. Thankfully, I was able to wrap everything and get it out to the mailbox before the carrier's arrival.
So here's the last of the pieces I created: a funky, earthy, unusual necklace that I named Terra. I used three of Kristie's smoke-fired clay beads in this one - one for the focal (it's about 2" long), a smaller tube-shaped one, and another smaller flattened oval one. They're all so beautiful and earthy. The other larger beads I used for this piece are a mixture of glass (root beer colored), wood, and bone. Everything's connected with little bits of peyote or ndebele rope; and there's a section of ndebele rope almost as long as the section of larger beads.
When I pictured this in my mind, I always thought of it as being worn with the focal inserted through the loop in the ndebele rope and hanging in front almost like a pendant; but after it was finished I realized that it looked pretty cool with the ndebele rope at the back of the neck and the focal hanging on the side.
It's great fun being able to collaborate with bead artists. I've always loved beads anyway, even though my addiction to them just began a few years ago; but over the past couple of years I've gained a whole new appreciation for the art form.
I still have some collaborating to do, too... I have a wonderful lampwork bead that was made by Lori Engle. She gave it to me at the Bead and Button Show, and we talked about my making something to complement it; but I haven't had a chance yet to use it. It's been on my beading board, just sitting there and talking to me about what it wants to become...
I also have some wonderful polymer clay beads from Jeannie Dukic. They're called Goddess Beads, and because each of the beads has a meaning of its own I have to make sure to incorporate that meaning into whatever I create.
As much as I'd like to dig through my own stash of beads and start to work on these collaborative pieces, I need to focus right now on the task at hand... packing boxes. Lots and lots of boxes, so we're ready for our move to North Carolina. I'm glad I'm able to take some time to sort through all the stuff we've collected while we've lived in this house - but I'm also a little alarmed at just how much of it there is! The Cancer Federation and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore are going to get some mighty big donations this week.
I'm finished packing for the day (enough is enough, after all), so I'll get to do a little beadweaving tonight. But first things first... I need a latte!
:-)
When you're getting ready to move, it's easy to let some things slide while you're wrapped up in making sure you're getting everything related to the move finished.
So that's my excuse... er... reason. The reason I haven't posted to this blog in about three weeks! Good grief.
I've posted here before about the Bead Art Originals Items of the Week (although I don't do that as regularly as I should -- did I mention that it's a weekly event?!?!). This week we're altering the schedule of the items of the week, so this is a short week. Rather than ending on Sunday, the Items of the Week will now run from Friday through Thursday. That means that my special for the item of the week for this week ends tonight at midnight!
This week's special offering for me is Cybele, the collaborative necklace I made using one of Lisa Peters' gorgeous raku cabochons and some driftwood I culled from the shores of Lake Michigan. The special deal on it is pretty good: 10% off the regular price of $179, PLUS a 10% coupon good on your next purchase! Check out the BAO Blog to see the rest of the items of the week offered by the participating members - all of them end tonight at midnight, so grab 'em while you can!
Even though I've been quite busy with packing and trying to eliminate a substantial amount of stuff before we move, I have managed to spend some time working on more collaborative pieces using Kristie Roeder's (aka artisanclay) beautiful beads and cabochons (you can see the first two I finished in this post).
I decided to do something relatively simple with one of Kristie's smoke-fired clay beads. I've had a piece of bead crochet done for a long time, but I had never found the right finishing touch for it; and as I was looking for something to do with this beautiful focal bead of Kristie's I realized it was the perfect match! I also had some recently-purchased agate beads (from the Bead and Button Show) that coordinated with the focal bead and with the bead crochet. All those things combined to make Earthenwear, a very earthy-looking bangle. Isn't Kristie's bead gorgeous?!
The other piece I finished is a necklace using one of Kristie's clay and glass cabochons. I've been ogling these cabs for a long time, but this is the first opportunity I had to work with one of them. The lime green in this is so deep and beautiful, and I decided to pair it with the brightest red violet delicas I could find. I'm strangely attracted to green and purple together...
This piece is named Lilavati, which means "playful, amusing, or charming" in Sanskrit. It's definitely playful!
I'm in the middle of working on one more piece which should be finished tonight. I have to get these all packaged and shipped off to Kristie so she can display them at the Philly Bead Fest next week!
I've done some other pieces too, but you'll just have to wait to see them. I have to get some more packing done. Now's a good time... my husband's gone fishing!! Isn't it amazing how you can get more done when your significant other isn't around to provide commentary??? :-)
