Another Bead Buddy

A week ago I went to another Beadwork Meetup and saw fellow seed-beader Doreen. She does exquisite work and inspires me. (She has beaded miniature teapots and wedding cakes, among other things!)

I scooped up the items she had brought to show that day and took a quick picture. Here they are.

She made the bracelet that you see in the magazine picture (green, center), and several others using seed beads. You can also see a little vessel she made (above the bangle), and there were two 3-dimensional pendants, too. I was in awe.

Here she is.

Doreen

Instant Fashion

I did something this weekend that I used to do all the time but have not been in the habit for a while. I bought a new shirt and came home and made jewelry to match, the same day. That used to be the norm for me. Shop. Bead. Wear proudly. But not lately. So, maybe this is the beginning of a new trend for me. (I hope.)

It is a sunwashed tee, with a graphic and little copper studs on the front. I was showing my hubby a different necklace I had made last week and he suggested I make one to match this shirt. So here it is! Yellow jade nugget, copper chain, assorted glass beads dangling from the lower chains, and a springy pair of earrings to match. I think I'll wear them tomorrow. :-)

Snakeskin jasper

I got out the snakeskin jasper beads from the Tucson trip this weekend and got inspired. I ended up with a pretty multi-strand necklace, a bracelet and a pair of earrings.

The jasper is deep teal with brownish, creamy mottled patterns. I bought only one strand of oval beads and one strand of rectangle beads, so was limited to whatever they would make. I filled out the necklace with coordinating colors of crystal rondelles (teal, gold and clear) and for spacers between the jasper I used irregular-shaped bronzy-brown seed beads.

Then I decided to add a removeable piece consisting of four strands of those same seed beads. I like the idea of being able to wear the necklace as just two strands of the jasper, or adding the 4-strand seed bead component to it.

Let me know what you think! Comments welcome.

Bead Buddies

I still have a little trouble with the layouts and uploads and other details about this blog thing, so yesterday when I was writing about the Beadwork Meetup, I actually had more photos to include. I uploaded them multiple times but must have been doing something wrong because they didn't stick. Hmph. Never give up. Here they are today: my beading buddies!

This is Theresa, the organizer of the San Diego Beadwork Meetups. She is a busy mom, but makes time to get together with the many other beadaholics in the group to have fun. She never seems to run out of energy.

This is Michelle. I have watched her skills progress over the past year or two, and am impressed at the projects she tackles. I think I rubbed off on her a little, too, as she has been working in seed beads lately.

This is Debbie. She is a transplant from Chicago. We understand each other because we know what wind chill factors are, and never ever want to experience them again!

The lady on the left is a newer member, so I don't know her too well, but she is picking up skills very fast.

That's Kristene on the right -- the Swarovsky Queen. She is a fast seed beader, and has a little Yorkie named Harley. She also knows exactly which drawer I keep my Swaro crystals in and peeks at them each time she is here to see if I have any new colors.

And finally, this is Linda. She is taking on beadwork like a storm and even brought her tools and beads with her when she went back to India on holiday last fall. She wore traditional Indian clothing for me on Sunday because I am a fan of that fashion.

So there are a few of my Bead Buddies. I have lots more and will introduce them over time. :-)

Beadwork Meetup Feb 28, 2010

I hostessed another Beadwork Meetup at my house this past Sunday. We crammed seven of us into my studio and had a wonderful afternoon of beading and chatting.

Everyone brought food and it was a sunny day so there was good light too.

Teresa worked on a necklace that featured a pendant made by our friend Kimberly. Michelle used seed beads to make a circular medallion. She wasn't sure if it would become part of a bracelet, or half of a pair of earrings.

I finished up another cube and delica seed bead bracelet. Kristene worked on a necklace using Swarovsky crystals and seed beads. I think we all made progress on our projects, but can't be sure because there sure was a lot of yakking going on at the same time.

I really enjoy hosting these events at my house. There is a severe lack of bead buddies in Escondido and I truly appreciate these gals driving all the way up here to visit.