Springtime is in the Air

Okay, even tho' the wind is blowing across the desert, colors are popping out everywhere. On cactus, blooms are just waiting for one more day of heat to bring forth all their glory. Our little cacti are showing signs of pink and fuchsia colored blooms so I thought a bracelet reflecting those colors would be perfect.
This was certainly an easy one to make, simple netting stitch and a few 3mm bicone swarovski crystals turned a springtime color palette into a beautiful finished product. The buttons on the ends are actually semi-precious stones, 10mm rounds of blue lace agate and chalcedony. A loop of bead offset into the body of the beadwork finishes the closure.

Welcome Spring

Another good reason to welcome Spring..lots of color! I had fun while working on this piece! Netting and more netting til you've got it done...This was a fun study in color shifting/blending, moving from one color to the next in a subtle way.

Tangerine Dream

Another beautiful piece for a Birthday Gal...This to coordinate with her lucious robe and gorgeous dress. It is comprised of Swarovski Crystals and loads of bicones, rondelles and other sparkly trinkets! Done in a monochromatic warm color theory, like many theories that can be found in Beverly Ash Gilberts Beading Colorways, an awesome display of color info.

The wirework was looped and secured and looped again...painstakingly placing the crystals...a joy in discovering the wonder for aspects of orange. See the little loops??? The wire was pulled as a thin ribbon would be, causing it to curl and wiggle. Fun!

This piece rests gently on the neck and lights up the room.. perhaps the birthday queen will send us a photo? This is perfect for showing off a glowing smile....Happy Birthday, La Terra!

Vanessa, The next generation of beader

What a wonderful time we had in Saturday's class! Several beaders were hard at work on projects and the youngest of the group was Vanessa, a delightful, talented young lady from Rancho Cucamonga. She had come out to the desert to join her Mother and Grandmother in a beading session at Monica's Quilt and Bead Creations. Lucky for us she was willing to help in a project called 'Beading to Beat Autism'... Vanessa just kept on beading and before long she had made not one, not two, but ten stretchy bracelets for the cause! It was marvelous to observe the diligence she had in class and to note that she represents the young girls of the next generation of beading..she already had a great sense of color theory and excitement for the craft...I think we're in good hands for the future.

So, speaking of the future, the Autism project is spearheaded by a another young lady, Michela Riggles..she's been on the Ellen Show and others promoting her goal of raising monies for a research and educational facility in Kentucky. Read about her journey on her website; www.beadingtobeatautism.org it's an amazing undertaking for one so young.

As I said, our future is in good hands.

Beading to Beat Autism...a Beading Girl's Night Out

What a fun night we had last night! To kick off the 2011 Bead Shop Hop, we introduced all attendees to the schedule of events upcoming in September. Wow, two weekends in a row seeking out all the great Bead Shops in SoCal...a beader's dream come true!
Tied into this evening was a worthy event as well, we all gathered around the beading table to create little stretchy bracelets that will in turn help a young girl's dream come to fruition! Check out www.beadingtobeatautism.com and read about Michala's story...she's only fourteen years old and has aspirations of building a center for education and research into the silent world of Autism. At age ten she raised over 250Thousand $$$ for her family and the treatment of her young brother, now four years later she desires funding for a Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Find out how to help her further this dream...
For some great pics of the night I'm sure we'll have some good photos on Monica's Quilt and Bead Creations web site, www.monicasquiltandbead.com. I bet we hold this event again so Monica herself can take part in the fun and others who were unable to attend can have another opportunity for fun , creativity and community service.
Above is my creation with Turquoise looking Magnasite and a Red Coral bead for contrast, remember your color theory?!? Lots of Silver spacers, nice chunks add a bit of panache! And then there is the puzzle Charm ( a symbol for autism)...given to me awhile ago by Deb, one of my Bead Chick friends. This Charm has some great words on the back as well...family, tradition, love, friends, charity...to remind us of what's important in our daily lives.
It was amazing to hear the stories of how many in attendance last night knew someone close to them who had Autism affecting a close personal friend or relative.

Granada Blossom

What a fun process this Blossom has been! Following a fabulous pattern by Sabine Lippert of Trytobead.com (Germany) this creation just looks better and better each time I work it in different color schemes. Since we're playing at the beach this week, I've been insipied by all sorts of colors, the base starts with the Coral Swarovski Pearl and then gets embellished with beautiful turquoise, lime and lavender Swarovski 4mm crystals. Some 3.4mm mini drops were also used in part of the accented parts. A delight in color theory, each placement of a new color changes the look of the piece. I created this piece in just about an hour...with ideas forming for a necklace of a different sort and perhaps a bracelet with a similar picot treatment.

Visit her website for an amazing look at a very talented artist. I think she is scheduled to teach at the Bead Fest Philly Show. Pattern and or kits are very reasonable, her detailed instructions are availiable in English and quite understandable.

Look for my Black and Silver version coming later this week!!!

Talk about Color!

As mentioned earlier we were the happy winners of a contest sponsored by Beverly Ash Gilbert...well, today our gorgeous prize arrived! Take a look at a color feast for your eyes! We received a beautiful color wheel system with overlays for developing different color theories...plus the incredible "naturals" color wheel in both warm and cool color palettes. What a treat!!! Look at the fun bead soup mixes that also came, like it was Christmas in July...but it's only April. The color mixes above are Cherry Cordial, which looks so much like the Pantone color of the year honeysuckle, and Blue Moon, which just looks perfect for my wardrobe. Hey, didn't I make a Twirly Skirt in that colorway? Next stop the necklaces they become...Thanks to Beverly! check out her site for wonderful color theory support, books and tools. www.gilbertdesigns.net