Newest Project -Midnight

My second bead embroidery project before the embellishments are added.  The cabochons are 6 glass buttons. Three of one kind and three of another. The center cab is oval black onyx.  The embroidery base is like lacy stiffy.  The beads are both matte and glossy black 11 delica. There are also size 15 rounds of each color.  The back is black suede. The ribbon closure is new for me.





The final look.

What's on Your Plate???

Ah, not that plate...







Your beading plate or crafting plate!

 

Yes I am doing more rings and there are some from before on my plate.  The rings at about 10, 5 and 6 and a half on the plate all three have the same colored rivoli as the center.  It is called Peacock eye and it is beautiful.  The crystal takes on the colors or the surrounding beads and bicone crystals and look totally different.  Love it!

 

Also on my plate is a decorating project to make a new piece of luggage match the rest.  I decorate them all the same and they are certainly easy to pick out in a crowd of black luggage on a conveyor belt at the airport!

The day I was putting on the first coat in my cowgirl boots made me laugh.  As cars passed and people rode by on bikes and walked by I realized the picture I was...Oh well the suitcase is ready to go to Vegas now!

Fringed Flamingos

Really finished this time.

I tried to do the bracelet with fringe on the top and the peyote band plan about two inches each side of the snap closure.  It looked okay.  The problem arose however when I wore it.  You guessed it.  It rotated around so all that was visible on my wrist was the plain black band and the decorated part was on the bottom of my wrist.  Lots of work to be hidden.

 I probably should have made the white diamond a little larger on the underside but it matched the size of the other two white diamonds.

The bracelet base was made in peyote stitch with matte black size 11 delicas and a bezelled acrylic cabachon.  The fringe was created with size 15 matte black and white rounds.  I used fireline in original for the white beads and fireline in crystal for the black so you see the contrast at the ends of each fringe. There are a few silver lined 15's on the bezel to accent the cab.
A special thank you to my niece Amy for the thoughful gift of the cabachon. 

Rings done...Pendant Started!

 

 

Finished the two rings I was working on. Really like them both but one I like better than the other.

 

Which do you like the best?  The peacock eye or the purple?

Next project is this larimar piece that I want as a pendant to hang on a silver necklace.

 

Flash!

 

Finished!

Rings and Things

 

 

Started this first ring and did not have enough crystals to complete it...bought them today so it is being completed except for the band and I think I will save that to do at crafts on Tuesday.

 

 

The rivoli looks blue in the picture however it is a purple blue and really looks more purple in real life.  It needs its crystals and band but it won't be long.

 

Bought another hand today to hold more rings...I love rings.

For Carol

Still Seedbeading

Guess I needed someone to encourage me just a little. Thank you Carol for asking if I am still beading. I am indeed beading. I do not vary my work as much perhaps as I once did, but I still am plugging away.

This particular fringed bracelet "Tiger Tiger" spent a year before I added the fringe around the cabachon.  I never felt it was how I wanted it. I do now!

 

In the last year and a half or so I have created about 30 crystal and beaded rings. The center of most have a Swarovski rivoli. The rest is 4mm Swarovski bicones and seed beads in 11 and 15

 

The black and white flamingo bracelet is partially fringed on a peyote black base. The cabachon was a gift from Amy, my niece.  She knows that my whole house is decorated in flamingos and I love them. 

I will have to finish fringing the bracelet as the weight of the cab and fringe make the heavy part turn under and all that is seen is the plain bracelet with the snap closure

 

Thank you again Carol for getting me busy blogging.

TigerTiger

Finally finished this bracelet on the trip to and from PA.  After a false start I now like the outcome.  As with all the big bracelet projects it earns a name...Tigertiger.

The stone is bezelled with cream 11 and bronze 15 seed beads.  The band is peyote in the cream 11's and the fringe is done with 15's. Several thousand beads later it is done!

Check out earlier posts for the "starts" on this one!

Ring Bling

Women's Club Auction

This years contribution to the women's club auction.

The rings are made with 14mm Swarovski Rivolis.  They are bezelled with Miyuki delicas and size 15/0 seed beads.  The embellishments are Swarovski 4mm bicone crystals and seed beads.  The bands are with the  miyukis and seed beads.  Each ring takes approximately 4 hours without any glitches.

Along with the two rings for Women's Club are several other rings with Rivolis and stones. 

The topaz and jet rivoli rings on the right of this picture were made as Christmas gifts for the two sales ladies in the community where I live.  It is a little early for Christmas gift giving but I gave them yesterday.  It all started when the one asked to buy a ring she saw me making.  "I do not sell the projects I make." I told her. However, I said that I would make her one for Christmas.  I could not just give to one or the ladies.

As much as I enjoy making the Bling Rings, do you think I should start selling them? 

Cab Bracelet Progress Report

 Fringe Is In!

After much thought, I have decided that my favorite "fancy" bracelet is the fringed one.  So I have decided that for sure the Cab bracelet should become the Brown Frnged Bracelet.  It really needs a name but that will no doubt happen as the hours pile up. 

The cab is about an inch and a quarter in diameter.  The 3/4 inch band is 12 beads wide. (#11's)  The band is done in even number peyote stitch.  The fringe is thirteen beads long.(#15's)  There are three diagonal rows of fringe in each of four or five main colors (four for sure and I just may have to add a fifth color when I get done with four) that will alternate across the bracelet.  There are approximately 8 fringes across in each of the three rows.  It will be closed with a snap.

Two colors have been added so far.

I am guessing that it will take about 25 to 30 hours total not counting the first attempt that I scrapped as shown it a prior blog.

Wasting Time and Wishing I Were Shopping!

Sitting here playing games on the computer and Harv is napping on the sofa.   That is not what I wanted to do today.

Harv already biked for 3 hours / 30 miles around Victoria Gardens.  I imagine the neighbors think he is stalking them as he does the same ride 5 days a week.  He has a pattern that takes him around the community streets 3 or 4 times a day.  He came home and did the floors.  He dusted yesterday.  Yes you heard right.  He is the house cleaner.  I am the cook and laundress and other chores as they arise.

We did not have any other obligations today so I decided that we should do something fun.  I suggested the Outlet Malls in St. Augustine,  the Pavillon Mall at Port Orange and the beach in Ponce.  I Guess they did not attract Harv's attention as he did not answer and then laid down on the sofa and is softly snoring.

The other possiblity is that Harv is tired and done for the day,   I cannot help it if he leaves for his  biking at 5:15 in the morning to avoid the worse of the heat.  I guess his day is about over when I am thinking of doing something. 

Darn still did not get me out and I am sitting here wasting time.  Why am I not beading? Lazy would be the best answer to that one.  Oh forgot, Harv did offer to take us to get hair cuts; that is not a fun thing to do, right?  I should have said yes, as I would not be sitting here doing nothing!

Peyote and Cab Bracelet

Here I Go Again

The beginning of a new concept for the cab in the last blog.  I am not certain but I think it may get fringe much like the Flamethrower Bracelet from a long time ago.

A closer look at the peyote stitch.  I actually added 6 beads to the existing peyote bezel.  On the second row of the bezel peyote I added between the beads so the band grew out of the bezel so to speak.  The band then became a even numbered twelve bead band.

I continue to plan and re plan how I will finish the bracelet.  I could make it a base band with embellishments to give it a freeform look.  Or I could do another fringed band like I mentioned.  The fringed would be more like the one I made for the Hospice Auction last year. 

 It would be narrower as it is 3/4 inch and the Flamethrower is 1 3/8 inch, much wider.

(FlameThrower)

                                            I will have to let you see what I decide later.  

Totally off the beading subject!  Do you ever photograph your meals?  Weird right?  Well based on my FaceBook friends not as weird as I first thought.  Others have posted meal pictures too.  The other night I had made dinner salads for Harv and I with some grilled hot peppers for a little pizazz!  Harv remarked that they were pretty as a picture and soooo!

Yes, they were good!

Finished Purple Project Today

Yeah

This is the purple pendant necklace that started out as a ring.  It is difficult to see how thick the stone and bezel area are but it measures 5/8 inch.  Meanwhile do you notice how the beads of the necklace get a little larger toward the back?  That was the mistake of replacing the 10's with 11's.  The Purple beads are also 11's.  The stitch, for those of you who do not follow me, is Russian Spiral.  The loop is circle peyote.  The toggle is a flat peyote that has been zippered together.

Now I have to think about getting busy on the multi-cab blue and ? necklace.  Oh and then there is the Freeform Peyote bracelet in brown tones with a big cab that is getting torn apart and restarted.  Hate to hear the rip rip sound.  I bet I have 6 hours in it and aside from the bezelled cab it is all getting ripped!

Can you hear the sound?

What Keeps Me Busy

Gazing out the Window

 

Views From My Backyard

This beautiful Sandhill Crane is part of a family of 3. He/She liked the looks of this plant in the neighbors backyard so was eating bugs from it and throwing dirt everywhere to get to them. The males and females look identical so I do not know if this is Dad or Mom but the baby does not have the red on the head yet.

Our Resident Alligator "Stick"  lives in the pond behind our house.  He is fascinating to watch. When he first arrived he was about a foot long.  He is now about 4 feet but still young and cute...10 feet long he may not be so cute! 

Great Blue Heron stopped by to do some fishing recently and Harv caught him with his mouth full!  He had quit a time of eating his meal and I wonder if perhaps "Stick" did not get some of it!

View From the Front Porch














When we see a bright orange reflection in the livingroom coming from the front door window.  We know it is time to grab the camera and head out to the front porch.


When I settle down and stop looking at the outdoors I do bead a little!

These two necklace projects should be much further along at this point but...

This pendant started as a purple polished stone that I had wanted as a ring.  When it was finally bezelled it was like a ring on steroids.  A pendant was born. 

 The necklace is Russian Spiral but with a bit of a twist...I ran out of the clear AB and when I replaced them I realized they had been 10s and I purchased 11s.  I opened the starting side and added thread so that the larger look was on both sides and the pendant will hang on the smaller area.  Will look like I planned it that way in the end. 

Don't Tell!

I bought several blue cabs at the flea market recently and what was going to be a blue collar necklace may end up being a primary color collar!  Sometimes I change boats in the middle of the river! 

But it is fun!

Today we are volunteering at the Tour Center in our Community and so I need to go get ready!

BYE!

Where in the World Have I Been

Here!

Lots has been happening in my world but... I have been lazy about writing.

I decided today that I was playing too many FB games and doing too little constuctively. So here I am.

Beading has taken a back burner at times but I continue to bead. Still doing my Russian Spiral bracelets, Freeform Peyote bracelets, and have done a few rings lately for the bling of it!

This nugget ring was fun and I made another is blue coral for Jessica. I bezelled a marquis cut topaz and made it into a ring also. The stone came from an old ring of my mothers that the setting was distroyed somehow.

Hope this means I am back to blogging again. See you soon!

Beading to Bead Making

Ruffles and Lace---

I have discovered a new craft. Once a week, several of the crafters where I live get together and try our hand at making beads out of crafting clay. Some of the people in the group have quite a bit of experience, not me. I have been enjoying trying different types. Some are hand formed, some are made in a mold and some are a combination of each. Play with Clay we call ourselves!

Long Time NO SEE but not NO SEED

As you may have ascertained from the title, I have been beading but not blogging. I started a project in September as we traveled to PA for our annual Doctor visits. It has been taking a while and I have started a few in between projects when I needed a break. (I will blog them later)

Let me start at the beginning. To explain the project I need to give a little background. I belong to a "Club" that is called the "Divas". I believe the best way to explain Divas is to say we are a little too young at heart to be Red Hatters. Although some of our members are also Red Hatters and love that too. Each month one of the members is Queen Diva and she is responsible for the activity. The Queen can decide if we are staying in the Clubhouse or venturing to another location. She is also responsible for a snack if we are not going out to lunch. If we go out for lunch the cost is not covered by the Queen. We wear pink clothes and pink boas and carry a pink and green decorated bag to tote our boas...they tend to get itchy and so we can put them away when necessary.

I volunteered to be Queen for December. I am dressing in a long large pink dress...Mrs. Diva Claus. Instead of the members bringing a gift for exchange I am supplying the gifts for each member. They must however buy their gift for $5 which I will donate to our Relay For Life Team. Each gift will be wrapped differently in different size boxes and bags. However, each will be a pink beaded bracelet created by me with a Diva charm. Each of the bracelets will be a little different with a different combination of pink beads. The beads are size 11's and 15's in different combinations. The Diva Charm is attached a little differently, too. At present I have 14 completed bracelets. I am about 1/3 finished with number 15. I have decided that I will continue to make the bracelets so new members, as they join, may purchase one. The price will always be donated to Cancer charities.

Bracelets in Progress-

A little closer look!

When the members arrive at the December meeting they will get a number. According to their number they will have the chance to select their gift. During the selection process if a member wants a gift already selected she may take it and the person she took from will select another from under the tree. Once everyone has selected their package we will open the gifts at the same time. Each bracelet is about the same. There is a slight difference in size. Once everyone has opened their gift we will have an opportunity to trade. Anyone wanting to trade will have to negotiate to trade with another Diva.

Already for Wrapping

I am hoping that it works like I have it envisioned.

All wrapped and ready to take to the Party!

I will let you know if they liked them and if it worked like I expected- or NOT!