Little Tiny Beads

The new name and address!

2006-08-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've moved. I'll be bead blogging at Born Under a Bead Sign. Hope to see you there!

Drooling on jewels. Ahem. I mean, work in progress.

2006-06-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

Blue chalcedony with fabulous inclusions…iron and some green & yellow unknowns, Honey Calcite, Yellow Jade, a little glass and some crystals, a consider-this spread of beads…and I’m waiting for BeadFX to send me grey opal and deep purple crystals. Click to enlarge!

Now. If I can just perfect the pattern, we’re all set!

And by the way folks. Anyone out there know about lapidary? I have a great source for tumbled stones, really gorgeous big chunky ones, all kinds of exotic stone – and I keep thinking that if they only had holes drilled through them, they’d be fantastic focal beads.

2006-05-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I started working out projects for one of the classes. It's a beginner's spiral class and I want to give the students choices of embellished pieces or pieces with a main focal. I always follow my nose when I bead, so weighing, counting and measuring was an interesting proposition. I did one small bracelet - and plan to do several different styles, necklaces and earrings for display. AND today, I finished the very last of all the paperwork: teaching outlines, class handouts, photos of work, CV and covering letter.
The project shown is a modest start but I like the colors. The larger bead is silver lined dark topaz and the 11s are copper lined ruby. The two bead-wide loop is the Bead Babe's - and I'm grateful for it. I hate sloppy finishing.
No doubt, now that I have basic grams per inch figured, I'll go loony and start adding details like crazy.
All this during a flu day.
Beads and bathrooms 'r' us.

Spiralsssssss

2006-05-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

I’ve been taking shots of my work for the Mary Black Gallery, where I’ll teaching in the Fall. One of the workshop projects will be a spiral stitch necklace or three-rope bracelet. I’m on a deadline for photo submission and haven’t had time to work the project up – weighed and measured, so I snapped a photo of some of my own spiral necklaces. I adore this stitch. It is the racehorse of off-loom stitches (ok – it’s the fastest turtle in the race. There is no such thing as speedy seed bead work.)

Turns out that natural light falling on a table under my living room window, late afternoon, is about the best lighting you can find for beadwork – short of nabbing a pro with a shadow box and actual skills! (Click to enlarge)

"Sleepscape"

2006-05-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

The closer I get to the finish line with this piece, the bigger it gets. I keep thinking, one last row, one last little bank of trees. And then I go right on beading. Click to enlarge!

Eye feasts

2006-05-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful blog. Meet Jewel – The Jewellery Goddess. All manner of beaded gorgeousness resides here! (And a link to the blog at right, too).
And I've discovered a wonderful bead artist who does fabulous mixed media. Check here for The Lone Beader.

Spiral R&R

2006-05-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

This was my R&R in the middle of working on "Sleepscape."(Click to enlarge.) The core beads are Czech 11s and the spiral is composed of 10, 11 & 6 Czech beads. The larger beads and catch are copper. The two bead wide loops around the jump rings are inspired by Bobbi. See Beading at the Beach.

This is also one of my first pictures with a new digital camera - taken on a cloudy day, in natural light. Straight point & shoot.

I've been battling the camera for hours. Which menu do I use? WHERE is the menu? What the heck is that icon supposed to mean? And finally, the ultimate in intelligent questions: "Huh?"

To be fair (to me) - the stupid thing did tell me the batteries were dead. I ran to the store, replaced them. And it flashed, "replace batteries." In desperation, I finally put the old batteries in and Voila! No problem. Tell me what technical wizard came up with that one, please?

"Radiant"

2006-05-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Began in December and Finished Jan. 31, 2006.

The figure is water color pencil on silk, quilted and sewn on stiff backing.
Materials: size 10 & 11 Czech beads, pressed glass leaves, garnet beads.
The beaded area is three and a half by five and a half inches.
The piece is sewn like a thin pillow - with the entire beaded area backed with a second piece of quilt stuffing material and sewn around the edges to a backing. This gives the picture a curved, 3 dimensional look.
This was really fun to do - especially in the sense of solving creative problems. Click to enlarge

Klimt Cuff

2006-05-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is very recent addition. The juicy purple/blue crystals are 3mm from newish stock at BeadFX. The rest of the piece is done in Czech size 11s. Unfortunately, a scan can't quite capture the graduation of color - which was a major focus in this piece. Size 3" x 7" - working time: you don't want to know.

This is my favorite cuff. The last thing I made is always my favorite.

Next project will be a framed piece. I'm going to drag myself away from the imperative to create only functional art.

Cheers

Sweet Prosperity

2006-05-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

For the fabulous Miz T.
Size 11 & 10 Czech seed beads, garnet & hematite stone beads, two-tone fire polished crystals, pressed glass leaves.
Worked on Lacy's Stiff Stuff and backed with ultrasuede light.

The catastrophe that is my studio

2006-05-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

Suppliers with possibilities!

2006-04-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

A little sharing here! In my compulsive searching for all things beady and bright, for backings, good sterling silver catches etc., I have discovered the following sites. I’ve only dealt, so far, with Linda’s, but these are worth a look. A few words on each…

Rishashay – Bali silver beads and catches. Member of the Fair Trade Federation. Reasonable prices,and some of the most beautiful catches and findings I’ve seen anywhere. Their minimum order is $50.00 but you’d be hard-pressed to keep it down to that. US company? The beads, of course, are made in Bali.
http://www.rishashay.com/index.html

Linda’s (Ultrasuede) – Ultrasuede and nothin’ but! Linda’s prices are high for yardage, but she features great small cuts and bags of pieces at really affordable prices. Canadian Company.
http://www.oxford.net/~lindas/index.html

Denver Fabrics – Haven’t shopped there yet, but prices on …the ultrasuede, the African prints, the faux fur, the velvets and silks, oh MY!
http://www.denverfabrics.com/

Honey Beads – Don’t think I’ve ever seen a store carrying Czech cut GLASS beads. Found this site during a search for 12MM beads. Hard to tell them from crystal and I’m thinking they’d make nice fillers when you’re doing something huge – if you mixed them in with the pricey beads. They carry all kinds of Czech glass and crystal, as well as Swarovski and nifty little Czech bead fruits.
http://www.honeybeads.com/

Vitabeads – Stonesssss. BIG stones. Big reasonably priced stones! Some eat them up beautiful stuff. I suspect they may increase saturation in their photos, but even if that’s true, still worth looking at.
http://www.vitabeads.com/

Discovery!

2006-03-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

I'd like to recommend Bobbi Kirk's website for those of you who would like to see some stunning mixed media (fibre and beads) work. For future reference, the link is included at the right: KirkWorks
Fine Arts.

Rain Forest Cuff

2006-03-25T04:35:00.000-08:00

This was the free form piece that started interesting me in wave-like movement. Usually I'll start with one drawn line and follow that...the rest goes in without an drawn pattern. Some of the shading on on the transparent greens was achieved by switching from black to light green thread. Eight different shades of green are used in the piece. Czech beads, sizes 10, 11 and 15...with a few black firepolished crystals. Working time about 45 hours.

Festival cuff

2006-03-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

Another free form embroidery piece. Pressed glass flowers and leaves, black 3mm fire polished crystals, size 10, 11 & 15 Czech beads. 40 hour working time.

Lotuses for W.

2006-03-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

When my oldest friend asked me if I could find something like the beaded leaf I threw in with last year’s Christmas present, I knew I was sunk. It was a pretty piece, but one of those third-world produced novelty items that never repeats. So I started hunting for a suitable design for an ornament to sit on her glass top coffee table and found this copyright – free Art Nouveau design for stained glass in an old book published by Dover. I liked the idea of the flowers breaking the edge of the circle and the space between one stem and the center. This is done in size 10 & 11 beads, outlined in matte black size 15s and backed on Lacy’s Stiff Stuff, lined with Ultrasuede light. From my very own third-world sweatshop.

Pin for Koru's Daughter

2005-10-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

KD has received this pin, so I can post the picture now. My first attempt at a smaller piece, done in size 15 & 11 czech beads and delicas, backed with ultra-suede light.

I'm about cuffed out for the time-being! Next few projects will be embellished objects or framed work. Stay tuned.

Emilee's Wedding Necklace

2005-10-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

A variation on African Helix stitch with square stitch where the ties join. There are fresh pearls in the center and at the ends of the ties. This piece drapes softly, almost like fabric. About 25 hours working time. Size 11 Czech beads.

Big Wheels Rolling Cuff

2005-10-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

I had flat-back glass left over from years ago and decided to make a big honkin' bright cuff. This is one of the few pieces that started with a drawn pattern. Size 11 Czech beads.

Drum bead necklace #1

2005-10-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

I made several of these. This is from a series called Brand New Box of Crayons. The drum beads are done in uneven count Peyote stitch over different sizes of vinyl tubing (bought at the hardware store). The center bead is a whopper. Beads are all size 10 Czech. These are strung on sterling silver wire and with Bali silver beads, onyx beads and Bali silver hook. The working time is? Longer than I care to remind myself if I recall correctly.

What stitch was that?

2005-10-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

This piece was experimental. I was learning a new stitch - who knows what on earth it was - and it seemed flimsy, so I altered it and can't say what it would be called now. It's a mixture of size 10 and 11 Czech beads. The part that clasps the fringe is square stitch, which I like because of its' strength. Working time was about 27 hours. And the fun part was graduating the colors.

Phoenix Cuff

2005-10-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

This was a difficult scan. There are a lot of size 15 beads in there - including charlottes...which give off a glitter that scatters light. This was made as a healing bracelet for a friend - the Phoenix symbolizing resurrection.

Some older work

2005-10-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Spiral lariat "Autumn"

Spiral dyed howlite & metallic copper set

Peyote stitch "Africa"

Floral

2005-10-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

Square stitch with fringe. I'm a great fan of loomed beadwork but weaving off loom threads makes me crazy. Square stitch has much of the look of loom work, (the beads sit one under another) without the weaving off - and with incredible strength because of the number of times the thread goes through each bead. This piece was done with #10 Czech beads with terrible irregular holes.
I got half-way through an earlier attempt and had to give up and start again. The ends are going to be redone and shortened, so there is no closure showing at the moment.

Seabed Cuff

2005-10-01T04:45:00.000-07:00

The cuff is embroidered with size 10, 11 & 15 Czech and Japanese beads, fresh water pearls, bali silver, tourmaline stones, shells and the stones are peacock ore (unfortunately the iridescence...purples & blues) doesn't show. The usual working time - 40 to 45 hours.