Two new bracelets

I have started working again. It was not easy to concentrate on that bloody DNA-stuff after being at home for seven months. It would be certainly easier if my head would not be filled with all those craze bead-design ideas ;) But I am getting there and learning to set up correct priorities again.

Here are couple of my latest "creations". It was a while after I have tried free form brickstitch, and it was about time to pick it up again. Guess it is not difficult to figure out why did I call it My Funny Valentine... Besides colors, my brain was actually playing that jazz composition while I was making it ;) It's on display on Etsy.



After the tribute to St. Valentine's, I've made another bracelet, The Polar Night 2.0, by order of the same friend of mine who got the necklace with black stones from the previous post.

I just love those Jablonex seed beads! The golden ones - permanent finish Tohos.

And now - two tiny sneak-peeks. The first one was inspired by a fabulous necklace I've seen on one of the Russian beading forums. I have contacted the author and asked if I can use her idea, but got no reply whatsoever. Pity. Anyhow, I have no intentions to repeat somebody else's design. Right now I cannot decide what do I want to do with this... Is it going to be a part of a necklace or a bracelet, or perhaps a pendant. I am also meditating on its final shape, style and type of backing and the complementing beadwork, of course ;)


And this is my second sneak-peek - a view of my working table at the moment. This is the materials for my entry for one of the Swedish beading contests that cannot be published before the competition is over. But I am allowed to tease the audience a bit ;)


That's all for now. Stay well!

Back from Holland!

Hi ppl, I'm back. And what I see? Still no comments to my posts! And I know FOR FACT that many of my friends and family members are visiting the blog regularly. Grmf on you! ;)

I've spent four days in Utrecht and Amsterdam on Fungi and Health symposium, and fell in love with the country. People are NICE, weather is warmer than in Sweden (no wonder, heh), asian food is just great. ;) If you go there, beware of stroopwafels - they are as addictive as the magic mushrooms...

But back to business - I have finished two more beaded things.
This time I learnt how to make beaded crochet rope. The Swedish Bead Crocheting Guru Stinta has kindly helped with some useful advices.

The first thingie is called Frosty Blues. There was no great thought behind it, I just happened to have size 9/0 rocailles at home (Gutermann).


I really love this Orange lariat, actually. I got so inspired by work of Yvonne Stark (see link to the left), that made this one. Think Valencia, think oranges, think sun, freshness, juice, vitamines, etc... The flower on the one end in made in brickstitch (inner petals) and peyote (outer ones) - klick on the image for better view on the details. The stones on the fringes are dyed red agats - leftovers from my October project. This one is going straight road to Etsy.



And finally, a little sneak-peek on one of my new projects ;)


Stay tuned and do not forget to comment! ;)
Peace.

Seed beads got me :(

I have discovered FiremountainGems and their gallery of designs. Disaster. Have surfed Russian seed beading sites. Big Fat Disaster. Surely enough, I just had to try embroidery with seed beads as well as some weaving techniques. Here is the result!

This bracelet got a romantic name "Aqua". Freeform peyote with 11, 8 and 6° rocaillies (Toho and Ornela), square Toho, and 5mm crystal bicones.




This is my first trial of beading around cabochons and embroidery with seed beads. These ones are Toho size 15-6° and Gutterman size 9. I called this piece "Ural", let me explain why.

My mother is born in a small (by Russian standards) city in the Ural mountains (Nizhniy Tagil for the curious readers). Among other things, the mines around that city are known for their semi precious gems, and malachite is one of them. Without any doubt, malachite is one of my absolute favorite gems. I just love the magic of its shades of dark green mixed with ribbons of black. I learnt about it from the fairytales that my grandparents used to tell me. People say that malachite protects its bearer from "evil eye" and "negative energies". Well, even if it does - it is just a plus. It is a truly magical stone!


Well, this is really my very first trial of the technique. In some places, the base of embroidery shows through the rows of beads, and some rows are not perfectly lined up. But I promise to work on it! ;)


And this is one of the last pieces, I called it "Celestial Chaos". It is made in freeform brick stitch, using the "Rich" mix of seed-beads in all possible sizes and shapes, to which I have added golden buggles and copper squares.




BEADING IS FUN!