Introducing BeadCrafty.com

Hi guys!

How are you today?

Today I wanted to tell you about BeadCrafty.com, a lovely web-shop located in the UK. As many of you know, having a beading blog pays back. Now and then many of us are getting requests from different companies/shops to review their products, test their service, etc. And we do so, gladly.

This time was no different. BeadCrafty has contacted me already before the Christmas, asking to write about them in exchange for their materials. Surely, I said yes! It was exactly at the time when I was writing a makramé tutorial for my beading class. So, naturally, I have immediately imagined a macramé project and picked beads and cords for it.

The webshop of BeadCrafty is easy to navigate. It is quite funky, refreshingly colorful and straight to the point. All beads are offered in small packs, which is perfect for people like myslef who is using tonns of different kinds of beads in the projects. Sometimes I find it expensive and unnecessary to buy a string of beads when you need just 5 or 10. If you are like me - this shop is for you! The package came just couple of days after ordering, safely and beautifully wrapped.

There were beads for two projects in my order. Both inspired by tropics: one was fuschsia-pink, and the other was aqua-teal. First was supposed to have this cool polymer bead as the focal, and the second would evolve around this paua-cab.

I got to work as soon as the beads have arrived, but blimey... The cord that I ordered did not fit the holes of the beads that I have ordered. This happens, right? It would only fit 8 mm agates and Swarovski crystals! Back to the drawing board. I thought I'd make a strung necklace. Soon I've realised that it was going to be boring. And not me. Then exhibition came, then Christmas orderes, then an "urgent" cooperation with the BeadSmith (which I will blog about a bit later), my camera went on strike... And the project was left behind. Until two days ago, when I got a very kind e-mail from BeadCrafty asking if I was still going to write the review.
OUPS! SORRY GUYS!!! :blushing:

So, I picked up the beads yesterday.
And from now on there will be just a very few words and many pictures.


I cut the necklace embryo and put it onto the foundation. Mind though - colour of the focal is WRONG in this light.


Totally unglamourously fixed it with scotch while stitching it to the foundation. Then scotch got removed.

After that, I added larger beads: agates, faux pearls, shell pearls and Swarovski, 3-12 mm in diameter (95% of beads are still from BeadCrafty!). At this point, I had to stop and go get kids from the daycare.

Now, these are fresh pictures of today's progress:

Yes, I cannot really live without seed beads. These are from my own stash (Jablonex).

Filling gaps between large beads with freeform peyote.

Adding texture and 3D-feel.


Well, there is circa 1/3 of the necklace left to be finished. Hope to get back to it next week - my weekend is going to be quite hectic.

All pictures were taken with my iPhone. MUCH better picks are promised: upon finishing the necklace will be taken for a real photo-session at my sister-in-law's.

Thank you BeadCrafty for patience. And wonderful beads. And this cool opportunity.

Disclamer: yes, I got beads in exchange for writing this review. No, I am not lying - their webshop IS good, at least in my humble opinion.

January back-log

Without too much talking, here are close-ups for some of my exhibition pieces.
Most of the pictures made by my sister in law, Margarita Judina.

First, the two with polymer clay focals:




And here the beaded ones:

Freshwater pearls, Swarovski, two different kind of agates and an Indian ruby (chunky, non-transparent, full of inclusions, but still a corundum ;) ). And 24K plated beads. Called this one Patricia.



"... I went down to the nut garden to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine had blossomed, the pomegranates were in bloom." ("Song of Songs")





HUGS, everyone!

My first exhibition!

Finally, I have matured for an exhibition. Since I am a complete noob in this branch, a friend of the family, calligraphy artist Marie Györi has kindly offered her helping hand. We made a common collection "Letters and Pearls" and exhibited it in the Gallery T in the Old City of Stockholm.
Gallery T has just one room: 32 square meters, three windows, white-washed walls and a wooden floor made of wood that used to be in the deck of an old sailing boat. It is situated in the Dragon House on Österlånggatan 3, just 100 meters from the Royal Castle. It is a very warm, peaceful and harmonic place.

The theme of our exhibition was love and nature. Marie used texts of ancient poets, Holy Bible, Shakespeare, modern authors and song writers in English, Swedish and Hungarian (as the latter is her mothertongue). And I made jewelry that was expired by the text of colors that she was using. Or vice versa, Marie chose the text and colors based on a piece that I made. We had a year to prepare the exposition.

This is one of examples, Divine Love.

I used white agate cab, polymer clay, seeds and Swarovski.

Here is a bit more:

The exhibition was a success! I sold three pieces, Marie - two. Both of us got many new contacts, commissions, etc.

And I would like to thank all my beady friends and blog readers for all the support you gave me during the past three years.
THANK YOU!!!

Chocolate passion

Today's piece of useless knowledge: did you know that the taste of chocolate partly depends on what sort of microbes were fermenting the beans before roasting? ;)

Anyhow, everybody knows that chocolate is the best remedy for depression. I looooove chocolate in all its expressions and forms. And with a cup of good, strong coffee.
Here is a Chocolate Passion - the necklace that came to life one beautiful sunny afternoon when I just had to make something chocolaty.


It's leaterwork with bead embroidery. Leather of four colors of chocolate + bronze seed beads and some picture jasper cabs and rounds. I backed with soft leather of reindeer.

It's made to fit a lady with a long neck and a perfect posture.

I sold it on the Bead fair in Hamburg in August, to a lovely girl from Sweden :) She looked totally fabulous in it and I am sure my necklace has found a loving home.




Chocolate, anyone? ;)

Brooches

Hi!

See, so far - so good, I am almost at the old speed of one post a week ;)
Wanted to show you some pics of the brooches I've made this summer for my beading class.

I get quite frequently asked if I make any brooches. And the honest answer is "yes, if you ask me to". I just almost never use them myself. But yes, I do make brooches and enjoy making them as well.

I thought I'd make a mini-collection, with one brooch for each Zodiak sign. Here are the first three, the rest is still on the paper :)

Black Lotus - Scorpio:
Martian - Aries:

Dreamy Cluster - Pisces:

Tutorials for Aries and Scorpio are available in Swedish (so far) via Beadmonsters.se. The English versions will appear in my Etsy store after the Christmas.

So long!

Echo of collaboration with Mona

This post will be about a necklace that I made for Mona Baroody, a glass artist from the U.S. who makes some really cool beads. To see some of her work, please visit her Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/monaraebeads. Do not forget to browse the "sold" section as well!
Anyhow, Mona and I have collaborated for the Fashion Colorworks contest this year. Neither of our two collaborative pieces came to finals, but nevertheless it was a great fun to work with her beads! We have decided to swap - I got some gorgeous lampwork beads, and promised to make a necklace to Mona in return.

While working on our project, Mona created a very unusual bead (by mistake, as she claims) :)


First, we planned to include it in the contest design, but then I realised that the aggressive mandatory colors of the contest would kill its beauty. And I made a separate piece, just around it.
Guess it's quite clear that it is one of my typical "ocean" pieces. :) All lampwork in this one are by Mona.

That jellyfish bead is awesome!


Just look at the color blend that Mona gave this focal!

Is it water or what? :)



It was fun and a great pleasure working with you, darling! Big Hug!

Visit Monas shop, buy her beads, you will not regret it.

Disclamer: I did not get any money/beads/commodities/royalty for writing this post. It is my own honest opinion.