First the Earrings...and Then..the Rope

It all began with making a triangle. When the triangle was "finished" I wondered what I'd do with it and decided to try extending one side for a different shape. Then it became the earring. At that point, I'd made several triangles in a row and wanted to do something different. Out came the beading magazines and I came across a bracelet that was based on the spiral rope design. I was referred to the back of the magazine to a 2 stage graphic to teach me the basic stitch. I began in the beads that I'd been using in the earring and at first thought I'd make two one inch ropes for a pair of earrings. But I wanted to see more of the pattern so I continued, thinking bracelet, while I stitched. It just kept growing and now it's a 17" piece of spiral rope that I suppose is a necklace. But now it needs a pendant. And I don't feel like it goes with the earring. I'm going to "live with it" a bit before I make a decision. It needs to "season".

Celebrating 100!

I've been watching the number climb steadily for a while now and this evening, I happened to check and discovered that today I reached 100 Hearts in my Etsy Shop!

A Treasury Appearance

I found myself included in this beautiful treasury!



Thank you to Smadar's Treasure for including my Amber and Gold Peyote Bracelet.

Triangles...A New Compulsion

Carol Dean of SandFibers shared a website address with a Triangle Tutorial a few days ago and I went over, bought it and have started making triangles. This may be my newest addiction. Since I'm away from home, I took a few beads with me and in my very limited free time have been beading away.

I made this pair of earrings first (before I left home) from #11 Delicas.



Then I tried Toho #11 triangles. They are interesting but I'm not sure that I love them.



And finally, these are the beginning of what I think is going to be a bracelet. We'll see.



Please excuse the quality of the photos. I had to make do in my hotel room.

I WON, I WON!!

And I'm absolutely tickled.

"The "Arte y Pico" award was created and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents, whether it be writing, artwork in all media's. When you receive this award it is considered a "special honor". Once you have received this award, you are to pass it on to at least 5 others."

Here it is!!



Please visit the site of my co-winner, I Do Things.

I discovered I Do Things' blog via EntreCard, and I'll bet that’s how they found me. There are lots of great blogs out there that I've come across by dropping my Card, so I’m going to nominate some of the blogs I would never have found without EntreCard. So thank you I Do Things and thank you EntreCard.

Etsy BeadWeavers Blog - I love visiting here because it's an endless source of inspiration! You can't go there and not want to bead!

Skwiggazine - Another source of endless "eyecandy" for all types of creative folk. You must check it out!

Forced Green - This blog reminds me to think about what I'm leaving behind for my grandchildren. Lots of creative ways to live greener.

The Grey Yogi - A thoughtful blog that I've been enjoyiing.

Happy Steps - This one inspires me to travel!

On Hiatus

I'm going to be gone for a few days and most likely won't have an opportunity to bead or update my blog. Life sometimes gets in the way of what we'd rather be doing.

Pebbly Sand Bracelet

This bracelet reminds me of the kind of sandy beach that has a lot of pebbles in it. It has a lot of texture to it so that when it's on your arm, you want to touch it. I wasn't happy all of the way through creating it but I think it's because the beads are Toho 8's and 11's and I've been using Delica 11's a lot lately so it felt strange working with the different dimensions. It's 2-drop peyote stitch and the difference in the bead sizes makes it interesting to work. Overall, it's fragile and delicate because the beads are glass, but it has a nice cool slinky weight to it when it's on your arm.

Etsy BeadWeavers Monthly Challenge Winner Announced

Check it out! It's an amazing piece and we had over 700 votes this time! Broke a record!

Okay, Something Got Finished

I've actually been working on this for a few days and finally finished it tonight. It's much like another bracelet I made a little while back. This one. Though they are very similiar in colour and design, the last one was single drop Peyote and this one is 2-drop. Eight different colours were used and the design was developed spontaneously and intuitively as I stitched.

Treasury or Two on Etsy

In this treasury, I'm bottom left corner. I've only been in three treasuries and never on the front page of Etsy. It's kind of the curator Ann Burke (myfairladyvt4) to have included me in some beautiful company. Check out her Etsy shop here.



And in this treasury, I'm in the top left corner. My earrings look more lovely because of the company they're in.


Of course both items are for sale in my Etsy shop.

What? No New Pieces Done?

I can't believe that I haven't completed anything in several days now. I'm finding that the beads I have on hand are not thrilling or inspiring me. I keep ordering more though so hopefully soon something will click. My second reason for not getting something new happening here is that I've been dedicating more of my time to marketing my blog. And my third and final reason is that the weather here has been improving so I've been out walking my little dog more. Here he is...Willie...hoping to go for a ride in the laundry basket!

Take Me To The Forest - Green Bracelet

This bracelet was fun to work and very relaxing. It's got three different shades of green in it and the pattern is completely random. I seem to have an aversion to following a chart or pattern and I love the spontaneity of just deciding, one bead at a time. Seems that I've become addicted to Delicas and the smooth sleek surface they create. I'm thinking the next piece I need to step outside of this box.





I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to write me a comment here. I really appreciate that you do it. It's nice to know that I'm not blogging in a vacuum!

GIMME THE GARNETS...and no one gets hurt Bracelet

I'm still feeling a bit ambivalent about this bracelet. When I started it, it was to be an experiment in 3-drop peyote stitch and when the base was finished I contemplated cutting it up and starting again. Instead, I decided to embellish it with some beautiful garnet stones I have. Once that was done again, I was still feeling like cutting it up. Instead, I decided to leave it overnight before I made a decision. As it turned out, after a few hours of 'living with it', I decided I like it. It's unique and for someone who loves garnets like I do...would be a wonderful addition to a bling wardrobe. It's listed for sale in my Etsy shop.

It's Voting Time on the EBW Blog!!

If you haven't already been there to do it, do it now! It's not going to be easy...there are so many beautiful things to see there.

Click here to go vote!

Turquoise and Sparkle Bracelet

The design of this bracelet is quite simple and the sparkle is in the gold, silver and turquoise beads used. It was inspired by the comments on the Value Play Bracelet referring to the interlocking design between colours. I thought...why not make that interlocking a design feature? This one is going to be listed for sale in my Etsy store.

Treasury Makes Etsy Front Page

I created a Treasury on Etsy yesterday, sitting by my computer for about an hour waiting for the opportunity. I'm told that this Treasury has broken a record for the highest number of Etsy BeadWeavers Team in a single Treasury on the front page. It was so much fun to make and I've received so many nice notes back from artists featured in it. As the Treasury will expire, I've added links to the Etsy stores of the artists so that you can check them out!



They are arranged from top right across to the left and then down to the next row.

Blue Bell Tassel Lariat
Divine Sacred Emerald
Surly Wrap Around Chain
Crazy About Green Pottery Tea Cup
OOAK Bead Embroidered Pendant NATIVE SPIRIT
Amitty Vineyard III
Embellished Green Arrowhead Necklace
Kaleidoscope Fine Art Print on Canvas
Irish Springtime Necklace
budanArt 8.5 x 11 Print - Summer Birches
Dragonfly Envy
Whimsical Bella Hand Painted Lead Free Wine Glasses

Value Play Bracelet

Never did get to my beads while I was away from home! This bracelet is the one that was almost finished before I left. It's made with only Delicas and shades through light to dark and back again. Unfortunately, the photos do not show the soft shimmer that it has.