Red Berry summer bracelet

I love bright colors of the summer: red as a berry, blue as the sky or the ocean, yellow as a sunflower. They bring so much positive energy and create a happy attitude. Besides we usually wear bright and airy dresses in the summer and it's always nice to complement them with equally vivid accessories. Bracelets are wonderful additions to any outfit as they are non-distractive and easy to wear. One can put a few of them to experiment and mix of colors.

I usually make my bracelets of wire and Czech glass beads. I should admit the Czech beads are the best as they are of very good quality and come in huge selection of shapes and colors. This time I created bright red berry bracelet that looks fantastic on one's hand. It's not flashy but stylish, elegant and fits one's hand just perfectly. It could be a great wedding accessory or something a woman or a girl could wear every day.

Clear glass beads summer bracelet

I went shopping the other day and bought a string of beautiful clear glass beads. Beads were so shiny and perfectly cut that I couldn't stop myself. Since I ended up buying these beads I had to create something out of them. It didn't take long to come up with a design of a summer bracelet.

Beads are of medium size. They are beautifully cut and sun light just shines through them. I wire wrapped glass beads adding some small dark gray ones to accent the color. The combination of clear glass and dark dots looks very stylish.

The bracelet I eventually created is simple yet elegant. It locks easily on one's hand and its size could be adjusted. The neutral color will go well with any summer dress or business casual outfit. The bracelet is of that clear color that will look perfect on a bride's hand. The combination of a beautiful white dress and transparent, pure beads should work very well!

Felted Acorns wind chime

Spring is a rather windy season. Some people get irritated by strong winds but some actually try to take advantage of them. It is not only wind turbines I have in mind when I think about wind. Don't you like the sound of wind chimes or the sight of flags flapping happily on one's house? The felted acorns home decor item I created was inspired by wind chimes that make out back yards look so welcoming and peaceful! My wind chime is different though. It is not made to hang outside but rather inside adding color and style to any space in your home.

The acorns could be of bright yellow, orange and red colors reminding us about upcoming spring and summer seasons with their vivid hues and shades. Knowing that acorns are eco-friendly and natural adds to the pleasure of decorating my or anyone's house with a set of acorns wind chimes.

Bright canary brooch hand crocheted from jude

I'm currently experimenting with different materials and techniques. The new material I recently discovered is jute which is a yarn made of natural and vegetable fibers. It's pretty sturdy and rough but looks great when combined with elegant and light lace or soft and cozy wool.

The neutral color of jute works well with bright and vivid yellow, orange and blue colors. The brooch I created is an ideal accessory for spring and summer so I'll definitely keep experimenting with combining jute with other materials.

Spring post cards exchange

I've recently received four amazing post cards from my Russian Artists fellow team members. The original idea of the post cards exchange belongs to Albina from AroundBeads. Albina came up with a great idea of writing a few with warm words about spring to a few members of our team. I got beautiful cards from Albina AroundBeads, Lena SFBeads, Lena Lazo, Natalia HansHolzkopf and it was a surprise. Although I expected to get post cards I didn't know where they would come from. Thank you so much for wonderful cards and your sincere and kind words!!!

Bright green spring pendant

I recently went shopping for new art supplies and came across those beautiful large clear glass beads. They are of that beautiful spring green color that radiates positive energy and makes one feel happy. The nature is still recovering from winter and our early March color palette is mostly grey and dull yet. A vivid green clear glass bead immediately attracted my attention!
I thought the bead will look great on a simple mercerized cotton thread of a neutral light beige color. I crocheted the thread and turned the whole thing into a pendant. The pendant looks simple yet elegant and will go well with pretty much anything. The beautiful green color will remind us all that spring is around the corner!

How to hand dye a flower felted brooch

I continue experimenting with hand dyeing and food coloring. The results are always beautiful and rewarding. To hand dye a felted wool brooch we will need one pack of KoolAid or a similar powder and white hand felted brooch layers. You can read about creating hand felted brooches in my post on How to make felted wool flower brooch
To prepare coloring I mix one tea spoon of powder with a little bit of water in a plastic container. It sometimes makes sense to prepare a few containers with slightly different coloring. You may go with strawberry and cherry for example.

When the coloring solution is ready gently apply color to each layer of the brooch puring it from a tea spoon. I usually start in the middle leaving the edges of the layer intact. It makes sense to use a plastic tray to protect your surfaces and the coloring is quite intense. When all three layers are dyed it's time to put them into a microwave. I normally microwave the whole set for a few minutes. The goal is not to burn the wool. Microwaving helps the wool to absorb the dye. The color will now stay on the fiber.

When the layers are ready I let them dry over night. With hand dyeing one has so much freedom! It's up to you how to apply the color and where to apply it. One can make the brooch bright and vivid by applying concentrated coloring or pale and light by applying just a few drops of color.
The final stage of our process is to actually assmeble the brooch. You can use a hand felted bead, a button or a glass bead to attach in the missle of the brooch. I personally like large felted beads as they make my brooches look more like flowers!

I will definitely continue experimenting with food coloring. My next project is to start mixing different colors! Stay tuned!