Sometimes I need a push..............

When Jen Cameron of Art Elements posted this months Bead of the Month, and it was one of her glass sugar skulls, you know I commented on that blog in hopes to win one.  

I mean, looks at how fun these are!

Each month, one of their artists make a bead, and each member, plus a couple lucky readers, get one of the beads, and then they create something with them.

I haven't really had a chance to do that in awhile (to create with something that I did not purchase), and you know what, once in awhile I need that push.

Now, I buy and use a lot of different components.  But when I am making and / or hand picking my components, they are all very much my style, and something I can see right away in my jewelry.  Once in awhile, I like to have something given to me, something that challenges me to think a little more about the design.

It's no secret I love sugar skulls- and Jen sent me a delightful one.  It is however, bright.  Like sugar skulls usually are.  And I didn't really want a bright finished piece.  So it took me some time to figure out how to maintain the color pops, but tone it down, so it still looks like something I'd make- old and a bit gritty.

I love a good challenge and push now and again.

I began to pick beads that matched the colors in the skull, but were earthy.  At first the layout had some polymer beads in it, but it quickly changed to all / mostly gemstones.

I decided to wrap the skull in wire.  Putting antiqued copper wire around something bright immediately tones down the brightness.  So I started there.  

Since the hole is vertical, I could not do one of my chunky classic chokers.  So, it needed to be the dangle, or part of a dangle.  I kinda saw that would have to be the layout from the start.

Well, after much fiddling and doing and un-doing, I am so freakin happy with how it turned out.  I honestly didn't think I'd love it.  As I added elements, I wasn't sure they would work (like those seed beads).........but they did.  It all came together quite nicely.  It is heavy with all those large gemstones and heavy wire (16-18g) and the extra chain, but it lays perfect and is oh so comfy to wear.

I think I need to make some more like this, one one art bead shown off among many large gemstones.  

I am so thankful I got to be a part of this challenge.  I needed that little push.  Something a little different and fun came out of it- and that is what it is all about.

Now hop over to these other blogs and see what everyone else made with their pieces!

Guest Designers

Staci Louise SmithKarin Grosset GrangeSolange Collin

Art Elements Team

Caroline DewisonSusan KennedyLaney MeadClaire FabianDiana PtaszynskiJenny Davies-ReazorCathy Spivey MendolaLindsay StarrNiky SayersLesley WattCooky SchockJen Cameron 

Bead Fest 2016 Here and Gone in a Flash

Bead Fest was so much prep- weeks of making beads, and painting beads and sealing beads and pricing beads...................

Prepping for my class.................


and getting the house ready to leave the family for 4 days................

And then, this:

(settling into my room)

all the beads................all set up!

And then friends started rolling in.

Barb B. and Diana P. showing off their Staci Louise Luna Moth bags- great for bead show shopping !!

Suze Weinburg stopped by (blurry pic by my son!!) and bought some fun and unique beads to play with

Kristie of Artisan Clay stopped by to chat and fondle beads- we even got to shop a bit together

(one of my helpers)

Yvonne of My Elements whose personality is as bright and colorful as her beads

Tracey Donoughe who's matte ceramic beads beg to be touched.  I ended up scoring a ton of beach stones from her this time around, see below in the "booty" portion of the blog

Nikki of Thornburg Bead Studio- who always has some amazing color combinations and textures- her new large urchin beads are a must have

Marsha of Marsha Neal Studio - who had not just beads, but fun ring holders, felted art and other miniatures that are just divine

Diane Hawkey with her ceramic beads, and her house sculptures and pot heads.  I love her sense of modern art and whimsy!

And you will never believe who I ran into at Yvonne's booth!  My high school art teacher!!!!  We had so many smiles catching up.  I loved our art program at our high school and took it as a major, so I got to have art twice a day!  I learned as much there as I did my first year of art in college.  This was such an awesome surprise (what a small world it is!!!)

Marsha wore a necklace I made her using her beads, my beads and Nikki's beads all weekend.  I love keeping her adorned with jewelry to wear!!!!

...........................and there were so many more.  I am just happy I got the pictures I did.  Between gabbing, and selling and shopping its amazing I remembered to take any pictures!

I should have gotten a nice shot of my booth / class helpers together, Barb Bechtel and Amanda Leonhart.  They were priceless.  I could count on them to jump in and help customers when I was not there or got too gabby.
Here is a pic I stole from Amanda's page.  She could often be found covering for me when I wasn't there.

And here is a pic of Barb and I at a late night dinner after teaching class.  She was an excellent class helper and I couldn't have done it without her!

Our back corner, Diane Hawkey, Marsha Neal Studio, Nikki Thornburg Studio and me, have so much fun.  Great laughs, and our beads all go well together too.  

Diane Hawkey called us the "best bead squad ever"!  I could not agree more.

Thank you to everyone who stops by each year to support my business and allow me to make new and exciting things.  I look forward to the familiar faces, laughs and bead chat.

I did my own share of bead shopping of course.

Here is the score of beads I came home with.  I tried to be good, really!  but I really do go through the gemstones, and I needed some more colors of certain shapes.

ammonites and carnelian

Turquoise, amazonite, and lots of appatite

some more of these electroplated stone beads!!!  can't get enough of them- they go great with my gold rush beads

citrine nuggets with decent size holes, amazonite and pink opal- these are chunky and gorgeous

star bone beads, and dino-bone beads- i cannot keep these in stock

Golem Studio Beads- my first batch from them- excited to play

Antique brass beads from Hands of the Hills- these have such an amazing patina of time on them

Marsha Neal Studio Beads (I can never get enough of them)- love love love her colors and textures

Lucet's for weaving from Cooky Schock- haven't tried it yet, but plan to take them to the shore with me next weekend

gorgeous glass beads from Thornburg Bead Studio- do you think I like that yellow green????  So glad to get some of those gorgeous urchins!

I managed to steal some of Barb Bechtel's beads while she had them out at our bead swap!

These are gifts and I love them - cards of paintings by Shelley Graham Turner (aren't they great?  I love her work)

It was so nice to see Andrew Thorton and William working the Green Girl Studio booth.  I got my hands on some of Andrew's beads

I pawed through Diane Hawkey's beads until I found the "must have's"  That blue cat and the devil dog are my favorites!

I got double this amount of natural holey stones from Tracey Donoughe- I cannot wait to use them.  They all have natural holes in them

So, it was good shopping and I am really happy with my haul.  I can't wait to start playing with them!

In the meantime, I came home with lots of beautiful beautiful beads to share with all of you who didn't make it to Bead Fest.  I plan to have an online sale, on facebook here.  I will list some Monday night (August 29th) for those of you who work days, and I will list some Tuesday afternoon (August 30th) for those of you who work nights.  So stay tuned on my Facebook page for details!!!!!

My Painting on Polymer class went well, the students all made really cool pieces they can be proud of!  More on that in another post!

For now, I leave you with what they made!

Hooters Challenge

Owls, people, talking about owls.  I entered a cool design challenge on the new Artisan Whimsy site.  We were challenged to either create a component or piece of jewelry- that included an owl.  I chose to use a Lisa Peters Art focal for mine.

 

The focal just spoke to me.  I think, he kinda reminded me of Bubo- the Mechanical Owl from Clash of the Titans.

Bubo in Clash of the Titans (1981 film)

 

Lisa Peters Cab that I used

 

 

Bubo, in Greek Mythology, was a mechanical owl created to replicated Athena's magical owl- also named Bubo. 

 

So, if Bubo was a good enough name for Athena's Magical Owl, then it's good enough for the name of my piece.  I tried to capture the metal and magic in this piece, using nickle silver, chain, pearls, gemstones, and a textured disc bead by Marsha Neal Studio, and a glass headpin drop by Genea Beads.

 

Here is Bubo!  My Magical Owl Necklace.

 

 

If you like it, you can vote for me here.  Please vote (I never do these things, and really want to nail this!!!).  You do have to join the site, but let me tell you, its free, and there is so much information, that no matter what your medium, you will find something new and interesting on here.

 

Thanks!