I am so excited because I haven’t had a Bead Fiesta (or any shows) for several months! YAY!!! This weekends show is in W. Springfield MA at the Clarion Hotel. The cool part is that it is a 2 day show this year. The last few years have been at The Big E Fairgrounds. Honestly, I am glad they went to a hotel!

I have accomplished some collaborations that have been hanging over my head for a few months now! YAY! (again)

This is a collaboration with Kim V. I had wanted to do a lot more with this piece, but every attempt failed, so I figured sometimes simplicity is indeed the best policy! This is one of her gorgeous lampworked cabs!

Next up is a collaboration with Laura from TorchSongs Glassworks and a trio of her diamond shaped dichroic cabs. She had asked for a cuff, so here it is:

I just got in the mail, moments ago, THE most stunning cab!!! I will be buying from Sheila again from Tradewinds Studios out of NM!! (She even sent me an extra ‘goodie’ (cab)!!! )

I was in a Treasury this past week! Thank you Little Stone Design!!

I just finished a duplicate of ‘Sophronia’ (Sophronia 2) for another vendor friend of mine, Deb of Kandu Beads. She is almost done doing a major overhaul of her website, I have seen previews and it looks awesome!

Also a reminder that my Haute Couture Beading Contest is reaching its end! I do have another entry to post, but it has been an insanely crazy week, so I will share that and hopefully more next week! Hope to see some entries in my inbox over the weekend while I am out of town!

Everyone have a terrific weekend!! Getting colder and colder..brrr! Stop by my table and say hi (and/or buy something LOL) this weekend!  Ta-ta for now

I have a new piece to share and thanks to give for a Treasury this week! First, my new choker called ‘Into The Darkness’

It is for sale here:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33587305

Ileana from Enchanted Beads put me in a Treasury this week! Thanks Ileana!

Hope you all have a terrific and fun Halloween!!

My new piece is finished! I love it!

This morning when I got on the computer, I found out I was in a Treasury!! It has been quite a while, so that sure made my day! Thank you SFBeads.etsy.com !!!!

CONTEST REMINDER!!!! Can’t wait to see more submissions! You can send them in any time you like!

One of the latest topics in the Etsy Beadweavers Yahoo Group is about ‘Beaded Flowers’.  From what I have researched,  the French Beaded Flowers were the original ‘beaded flowers’ saying here:

According to references of beaded decorations, it is estimated that the art was practiced across Europe and England as early as the 1500’s. In an effort to support themselves, French and Italian peasants used to collect defective or discarded beads. The beads were then strung on wire and shaped in to flowers designs. The finished flowers were used in bouquets, alter displays and memorial wreaths.

Taken from here: http://www.beadedflowerpatterns.com/

The more avid seed beaders I know are looking for more woven beaded flowers these days, as am I.  These flowers offer more in detail, depth and dimension. There have been several books written on this subject. Here is a list of what I have found: (Click on image to take to website)

FREE ONLINE PATTERNS—

http://livingwiththreemoonbabies.blogspot.com/2008/11/and-its-free.html

http://beadwork.about.com/library/weekly/bl3-d.htm

http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/projects/archive/2005/02/15/flower-earrings.aspx

http://www.beading-arts.com/2009/10/beaded-flowers.html

http://beadibulle.over-blog.com/article-19461402.html

http://flyblog.canalblog.com/archives/p90-10.html

http://www.michelleskobel.com/id18.html

http://beadwork.about.com/od/otherbeadedjewelry/ss/Russian_Style_Netted_Flower.htm

Dimensional flowers in bead weaving seem to be far and few between. As I find more, I will add pages to this post!

There are also Kerrie Slade’s beautiful flowers:

http://kerrieslade.blogspot.com/

and I even have a flower tutorial with a rivoli center that I put out this year (unpublished of course):

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28897177

Here are some of the images of what I have made with my pattern ( I have made variations from my pattern in a few of these pics. The topaz flower is the same exact as the pattern. The close-ups will show you how I ’spun off’ from the original pattern)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

I snagged this pattern online from http://andegyongy.blogspot.com I have seen many Europeans do this cuff and it is super pretty! So, I finally made one! I named it ‘Centehua’, that is an Aztec name meaning ‘the only one’…seemed appropriate!

CONTEST REMINDER!!

HAUTE COUTURE BEADING CONTEST!!

Over a month left to go! Plenty of time to create a WINNER!!

I finished this piece yesterday with one of Sandy’s beautiful beads. She is a lamp worker and her website is: The Bead’s Nest. She makes very gorgeous beads! I snagged this one from her at the Cape Cod Bead Show and planned on trading her a finished piece for more of her beads, that way she could put it on her table to sell and show people what can be done with her work besides stringing.  I really enjoy doing that, it’s a win-win that way!

In any event, this piece is named ‘Trip Like I Do’. I named it after a song from The Crystal Method because it is so colorful and ‘psychedelic’ LOL Hope you like it! ( I might add, I am particularly fond of the images my new camera is taking!)

it is posted on my Etsy and Artfire, just in case someone wants it

Dave happened across this show last night. I was totally enthralled! This show hit a very personal spot for me. In each segment I was able to relate on a very personal level. The pottery reminded me of my 2nd cousin, Catherine. She went to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts here in Maine when I was young. I remember driving to her school one evening to visit her and it was dark out and we went through many winding and twisting roads to get there. She was going to school for pottery. The segment on beading, of course, relates to me and my influence from Native American workmanship and style. The lamp working reminds me of the weekend we spent with Bev and Mike, from MacArts and watching them show Dave how to do this type of work. The weaving reminds me of my Mom. I grew up with a barn loom within a few feet of me in the full size dormer between my bedroom and my sisters.  My Mom always loved to dye fibers with natural elements.  I was also taught how to spin my own wool and somewhere in this house I have some antique carders! (not that I could do it now though LOL) The wrought iron reminds me of Dave. We have spoken many times about him doing this work and wishing we had the tools he needed (and the space). Dave was a welder for many years and he really enjoyed this type of work, so wrought iron is right up his alley! So, watch this show, or watch a segment or two (they have it portioned out to do that!) It is an hour very well spent!!

http://video.pbs.org/video/1275403936/program/1235387271

I would like to send formal congrats to Carol D. for winning my earrings!! I have to make them today so I can send them out tomorrow. I will post a pic when I finish them!! I have ‘free reign’ on making them too…hmmm what will I come up with??

I decided today was a great day to make another Etsy Mini. I thought I would feature some of the fabulous Artists from an Etsy group I belong to:: SATeam (aka Starving Jewelry Artists) LOVE their work!! I think I am one of a very small handful of seed beaders in that group. I have been with their fabulous forum since the beginning!

From left to right::

JewlieBeads
tinahdee
Jewelry24Seven

I have a large piece underway and have run into a few ’stumbling blocks’, so I am going to set that aside for now because I have tons of other mandatory work to do!! I posted a WIP pic the other day on Facebook, so anyone that saw that, that is the one I am referring to.

I have a few pieces I am going to work on this week in preparation for the upcoming Bead Fiesta show in Nov. Some of it is collaboration work and I have one custom order to produce for it as well (especially since she already paid me!! LOL HI Deb J from KanduBeads!!)  Today I am doing a freeform cuff bracelet for Sandy from The Bead’s Nest!!

Have a wonderful Thursday!!

Just a reminder that I am giving away a pair of my quill earrings tomorrow night.  See previous post for details!!

8 New Etsy Listings!

The other day Dave and I were going to the movies and decided to kill some time in Target. So we poked around just looking at stuff and finally ended up in the electronics department.  There we saw a camera that was perfectly priced for us! So we bought it! A brand new Nikon D4o (last years model). We robbed ‘Peter to pay Paul’, but it is ours and it is a Godsend! So, I have been feverishly listing my new photos and jewelry I have never put on Etsy and retook some other pics so far. I am totally in love with how the photos are coming out! I welcome feedback!

Yesterday I hooked up with Mona, at ‘The Jewelry Connection‘. Dec 6th she would like to host a show about the Winner and all the entries of my Haute Couture Contest! You can see the details HERE.

Happy beading!