S for Small Serpents

"S for Small Serpents" Bracelet

Things don't always come easy... The initial idea for this design had popped in my mind a while ago, and I was sure I could easily stitch the bracelet as envisioned.

Well, as simple as it may have looked at first, it wasn't so. It took me quite a few trials before I have found the way to maintain the repetitive curving pattern the way I wanted it, and more time and trials to find the shortest thread path for stitching it.
Who said that designer's work is always fun?...I had the initial image of the bracelet stuck in mind all the time, and the more I tried and it didn't work, the more annoying the whole process became... It eventually came out a little different from how I envisioned it, but I had to either compromise on a few minor details, or give up on it all together.

But when the designing process was over and everything worked smoothly, I had much fun working on the bracelet. I was also pleased to realize that a few other possibilities for playing with the basic design were born thanks to the compromises I had to make. So I guess that sometimes being stubborn pays off... :)

"S for Small Serpents" Bracelet - Version 2

A tutorial is available (for the two versions shown)

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New Necklaces & EBW Challenge

The embroidered medallions in these two necklaces were made to be used as parts of a larger necklace that I intended to create for the February EBW challenge "A Touch of Royalty". Jumping from one project to another, I realized that I would not be able to make all the parts I needed for the necklace in time to submit it to the challenge, so I decided to use the ones I already made in two separate necklaces. Time is the most precious thing.... ;)

Check out the EBW blog to see all 62 (!) entries. I am sure, that like myself, you will find it hard to pick just one to vote for from all the beautiful and original works created for this challenge!

BAO Color Challenge

This geometric net bracelet was created for the new Bead Art Originals Color Challenge. We had to pick any three colors from the beautiful image below for inspiration. I picked fuchsia, violet and light blue (there is light blue in the seed beads - fuchsia lined light blue AB, although the photo doesn't show it much..). Check out the BAO blog to see what other members of the team created for this challenge.

A tutorial for this bracelet is available

Crystal Flower Cuff

Mixed Media Necklace

This simple necklace is the only work I have managed to create in the last couple of days. I have this terrible back ache again, which also badly influence my arm functioning and makes it feel numb. Despite all the pain, I enjoyed playing with the different materials and techniques, and I like the simple look of it. The beautiful large disc beads are made from nut tree nutshell. "Nuts" is pretty much how I go now...;) I have a lot of work to do, and this backache is ruining all my plans! ;(

BAO September Challenge

Bead Art Originals September challenge was to create something inspired by Bones show and the jewelry worn by the main actress. I don't watch the show, but the ethnic/tribal style necklaces were sure a great source of inspiration to me.

Check out the BAO blog to see all other entries and cast your vote (comment on post).

BAO Color Challenge

The latest Color Challenge for the Bead Art Originals team was copper, deep red and gold. Thank you, Katie of Texas U.S for your suggestion! I love this warm combination of colors! Check out the BAO blog and see what other members of the group created for this challenge.

Mumbai Masala - Bollywood EBWC

Those of you who read my blog often can probably guess how fun it was for me to create Mumbai Masala bracelet - my entry (#33) for this month EBW Challenge, themed Bollywood.

Not only did I enjoy every minute of designing and working on it, but I also got inspired from it and more ideas and possibilities popped up while I was working. The photo might not show it, but this bracelet has Bling! I used a lot of crystals, and I really like the way it turned out.
I want to continue working on Bollywood inspired designs, as I feel I did not have enough of it yet... :)

Please visit the EBW blog to view all GORGEOUS, colorful entries between now and Sep. 15, and vote for your favorite. Also, if you find this bracelet interesting, a tutorial for it is available.

BAO Color Inspiration

This is my "Toss the Feathers" bracelet, created especially for the Bead Art Originals Color Inspiration challenge - copper, green and black. I have to admit that at first I didn't like this color combination so much, but after I put some beads together and started to play with them, I found that it is a lovely, sophisticated combination. So thanks to Nancy of NEDbeads, I had the opportunity to work with this color combo I wouldn't have thought of myself.

You are invited to suggest your colors for the next challenge to the team by leaving your comment on this blog post. It's really fun and interesting to see how each member used the colors suggested.

These are another two bracelet of the same design I created in different colors for testing the tutorial I made for this bracelet.

Cube Delight Bracelet in Bead and Button Magazine

My cubes and little flowers bracelet (Cube Delight) project is published in the latest issue of Bead& Button magazine. Just got my contributor's copy in the mail today and I am delighted to see three of them on the cover! :)
Thanks to the B&B editors and assistants, it was a pleasure working with you again, and the editor's bracelets look great! Thank you!

Multi Layered Necklace

I love it when it happens to me, that while working on one design, (as simple as it may be, like in this case, this necklace from the lazy week ago), an idea for a completely different design pops up and then I feel back on track again. The feeling of bursting creativity and being busy with good stuff is so great! :)

So I was enthusiastically working on the third sample of a new bracelet (I'm going to write a tutorial for it and I needed to test various ways of creating the bracelet, otherwise I wouldn't have made 3 of the same in a row... it's boring me...), when I suddenly realized that I completely forgot about the three deadlines of challenges I wanted to create items for!.

I didn't want to stop working on the tutorial (you know the feeling when you are in a "shvoong"?), so I decided to create another sample (the forth!) of the new design for the closest deadline (Aug. 30), in copper, black and dark green - the colors of BAO team Color Inspiration challenge (you can suggest your own colors to the team by posting on the 'color suggestion thread' on the BAO Facebook page). I'm glad I can check this entry 'done!', and the tutorial is almost finished as well. Now I only hope that soon my photographer will not be too tired from his day work to be able to take pics of the bracelet before the dead line... The poor man is working all day outside in this horrible heat+humidity, and I'd hate to nag him about this...(my photographer, if you are reading this...pretty please?... ;))

The other two entries are for the EBW "Bollywood" challenge and the BAO "Bones" themed challenge. I already have ideas for these themes, which fit two of the styles I love to work the most. I just hope I'll be able to finish everything on time... One week you spend doing almost nothing, and the next one is working on the fast lane.. ;)

Happy Beading, everyone!

EBW Challenge - Secret Garden

Voting on the Etsy BeadWeavers July Challenge, themed Secret Garden, has begun and will last until July 15th. Please visit the EBW blog to view all 24 beautiful entries and vote for your favorite.

My entry, number 3 on the poll, is the necklace shown in my previous post. My inspiration for this necklace came from the mysterious gardens of Pandora, as seen in the movie Avatar, and from the beautiful, unusual shapes and colors of the plants in this garden.

Bermuda Blue Bling

I am in love with this Swarovski color Bermuda Blue! Cobalt blue, sapphire blue, a hint of emerald green, blue zircon and gorgeous purple - all these beautiful colors are iridescently dancing in the light, mesmerizing... Outrageously beautiful! ;D

I created the pendant first and working on it went fluently and quite quick. But then I got stuck on the necklace design. After a few experiments (read: irritating construction failure designs; over 10 hours of work and half a spool of fireline wasted), I decided that 'simple', like in many other cases, will work the best for me... ;) So, embellished RAW necklace it is, made with just seed beads.

Dangling Drop Earrings in Perlen Poesie Magazine

These drop earrings are published as a project in the latest issue of Perlen Poesie German magazine. They are quite simple, easy and fast to make, so they can make a great project for beginners.

I haven't received my contributor's copy of the latest Perlen Poesei magazine (No. 5) , but I think it's on the market already... I am curious to see this European version of bead magazine and also to see the editor's take on my design. Hope it gets here sooner or later...

Anna Karenina Necklace - BAO Challenge

Bead Art Originals first ever Challenge was "A Novel Idea" - we had to create a work inspired by a written work or fiction. I chose Anna Karenina by Tolstoy and created this necklace for the challenge. I was inspired by a painting of Anna Karenina, wearing a heavy dress with high ruffled collar, which was very fashionable back at that time. I used plum purple beads and burgundy crystals and highlighted the necklace with gorgeous 3-cut rose gold seed beads. These 3-cut s/b really sparkle!

Please visit the BAO blog to see all other entries for our first challenge. You can leave a comment and place your vote until June 22. A random reader will be selected to win a prize.

You may also want to check out what some of BAO members created for the Color Inspiration - a color combination suggested by our blog readers - this time it was turquoise and brown.

The past week was crazy. Except these two BAO challenges, I also had to finish writing instructions for a necklace for B&B magazine, and another project for Beadwork magazine is still in the works. All these and the regular "challenges" of life, which makes me a crazy juggler... ;) The kids' vacation from school is only a few days away and I have to find a good way to keep them busy.. If they'll choose for themselves, spending long days on the computer and watching TV will be their favorite to pass the time, and I can't let it happen... Maybe we will do some beading together, or go biking again...we didn't do it for a long time. OK, now back to work!... ;)

Oriental Lace Bracelet

Thank you everyone who took the time to answer the poll on the right side bar here! I really appreciate it!

This is my new bracelet I named "Oriental Lace" . I was once asked how I got to think of my designs -  the idea and inspiration for this bracelet design came from a beautiful fabric pattern I saw in Interfilier article about fashion trends for Summer 2010.

Image from Interferier.com

I fell in love with the pattern and just had to create something similar in beadweaving.
It was time consuming, as always, when it comes to designing something new, but as much fun playing with different beads size in different stitches until I found the right way to stitch the desired pattern. I then spent some more time stitching a few samples in different colors, improving ans simplifying the beadwoven pattern until I found the one that worked best. I just love this process!

New Bracelet in Soft Spring Colors

I usually like to work with Fireline thread for most beadworks, but when a softer result or matching color is needed, like in this bracelet, I choose K.O. thread .
I like K.O. because it's already waxed and it's thinner than Nymo or C-lon. But, as I realized yesterday, it's not as strong enough as Fireline or Nymo.
I've put about 5 hours of work in this bracelet, but just when I finished hiding all the threads and thought to myself 'Done!' (at 4 AM in the morning), the thread broke in the middle and a few seed beads fell out. Probably one of the fire polished beads cut it.
I was mad! I wanted to take the scissors and cut the bracelet into pieces. I cried instead, like a baby... I then had to thread the needle with a new K.O. to stitch together the broken parts. Just to be on the safe side, I passed through all the beads again. So, it actually turned out like beading the bracelet again, and of course, like using doubled thread... Lesson learned.
I like the textured result, though.

Treasures By the Sea

EBW challenge theme for February was Ocean/Sea Inspired. What a great source of inspiration it was! No wonder there are 46 (!) entries this month. Voting is going to be very hard, as there is an abundance of great pieces!
My entry "Treasures by the Sea" necklace is # 5 on the list.

Voting lasts until the 15th, so don't miss out your chance to check out all entries and vote for your favorite!

Vintage Style Lacy Bracelet

How I wish that the nice way new year 2010 started would continue. The past few weeks have been so stressful for me. I have some unpleasant family and financial businesses I'm dealing with for quite a long time now, among other 'real life' regular stuff (two teenagers at home, to give you an idea of "regular"...;) , and this seem to take out a lot of energy from me. I try to find my mind & soul some rest by bead weaving, but this also doesn't work for me as it usually does. This reminds me of the say "muses are silent when the cannons are roaring"... I wish this period is over soon so I will be able to get back to my routine and concentrate more in my work.

I started working on this simple bracelet 4 days ago and it took me more than 10 hours to finish, would you believe it? I couldn't concentrate, kept mistaking the order of beads and couldn't complete one single row without unpicking it several times. Really annoying. If it wasn't my love for playing with different sizes, shapes and colors of beads in order to create texture in my work, I would have given up after just a few rows... I'm now glad I didn't because I love it!




I used one of Claspgarten clasps again - a gorgeous, sparkly, multi-strand rhodium plated clasp with Swarovski crystals set in it, and it fitted the bracelet's size perfectly. That was a relief - no need to struggle.. :)

I also used the same beads for this matching small pendant.




Let's hope the weekend will be peaceful, pleasant and fruitful! :)