Art Bead Scene January Challenge

Here is my entry to this month's Art Bead Scene Challenge...

African Green Opal, Carnelian & Copper Necklace

I used African Green Opal and orange Carnelian, along with a mini Ampelos clasp in Copper from ORRTEC as my interpretation of William Morris' wallpaper design. I like the way it turned out, how about you?

Artists Helping Artists Auction

Frosted Berries, anyone?

If you have been blog hopping these last few days you would have read about how some artisans have got together and are having an auction in order to help a fellow artisan and her family who have literally  had the rug pulled from under their feet.

Many of you visited my blog during the Challenge of Color Blog Hop and commented on how much you liked my Frosted Berries bracelet. Now you have a chance to bid to own it for yourself and also help a family in need. Check it out at Treasures-Found blogspot. The auction lasts all weekend and ends midnight on Sunday.

Please visit the following blogs to check out the items being auctioned and how you can be of help.

Heidi Post http://expostfactojewelry.blogspot.com/

Marie Cramp & Lori Anderson http://skyejewels.blogspot.com/

Barbara Bechtel http://secondsurf.com/

Erin Fickert-Rowland http://elysianstudiosart.com/

Keirsten Giles http://www.cerebraldilettante.blogspot.com/

Andrew Thornton http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

Karen Totten http://starryroadstudio.blogspot.com/

Kristi Bowman-Gruel http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/

Nan Emmett http://spiritrattles.blogspot.com/

Maire Dodd http://mairedodd.blogspot.com/

Amanda Cargill Austin http://www.seashoreglassgirl.com/

Janice Everett http://jlynnjewels.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com/

Shannon Iko Chomanczuk http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Justman http://mysoulsfire.blogspot.com/

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/ Go here for Frosted Berries
Kerry Bogert http://kabsconcepts.blogspot.com

Erin Seigel http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/ 
Courtney Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com/

Have a great weekend!

The Mother of All Giveaways!

You have got to check out this giveaway sponsored by Art Bead Scene Blog, the place to go to find out all you ever wanted to know about Art Beads, but was afraid to ask!

Erin of Treasures Found is organizing this giveaway with goodies from many of the artists featured in the 2011 Buyer's Guide to BEADS.  What a collection!

Here is a selection of some the gorgeous beads that are part of the grand giveaway!

Congratulations to all the talented artists whose beads are featured in this issue. If you are the lucky winner you also get a free copy of the hot issue. Good Luck!

Another Wonderful Giveaway and finding my groove...

After being away for so long from the beading and blogging scene, I am trying to get back in my groove by blog-hopping and checking out what my fellow beaders have been up to these past two months...

I find that posting about current giveaways is a good way to get back into the blogging groove...

Check out these beautiful pastel spring colors. This wonderful selection of beads and findings from Beadaholique are there for you to win. Andrew Thornton is giving them away to some lucky blogger who stops by to post a comment on his giveaway blog posting.
Hurry you only have till Monday the 9th to enter to win.

And how about this idea... Jennifer Jangles talks about getting back into the beading groove in her post at the Art Bead Scene Blog. I really like her idea of picking up half-done projects and getting to work on them right away when you return to the bead table. That way, while I am completing the job in my hand, my brain can get to work on the next project, or the next half-done project. This might also motivate me to complete the many half-done projects I have strewn across my work table.

Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow beaders and bloggers! 

Happy Weekend, look at what I won!

Photograph coutesy of Birgitta

I wake up this Saturday morning, get the coffee brewing and sit down to check my blog... and I have news from Sweden, that I won! Yes, Birgitta picked my name as the lucky winner of nine of her colorful ceramic goodies... Thank you, Birgitta!

Birgitta's artistic talents caught my eye when she was picked as the Designer of the Week in the January Challenge sponsored by Art Bead Scene . Her entry, her bracelet ... filled with good vibrations!

Read about Birgitta's ceramics and colorful jewelry creations in her blog and check out her Boho Chic Etsy shop.

Yes, I Know It's Not July! But It Is Calder Inspired!

It's better late than never!

As many of you know the Art Bead Scene Challenge for July was based on this painting 'Blue Feather' by Alexander Calder. This was to be my entry! But I had problems with my photography system and could not get these pictures done last month. For now, it seems my problems are temporarily solved and I was finally able to get some pictures taken of the jewelry I made in the last many weeks. 

The Calder painting inspired these earrings, and I was going for the three dimensional mobile effect. I used Swarovski 'Mystic Black' pearls, each pair larger than the next, with the single orange Carnelian rondelle. Each bead is wire-wrapped so that it rotates independent of the others. The earrings are lightweight, but long.

I think it captures the spirit of the painting, don't you?

For my Art Bead I chose a pair of blue enameled butterflies from Anne of GardanneBeads.

I would love to hear what you think of my interpretation of the painting.


Have a great week!

I have arrived! It is official!

Back in November I submitted an entry to the 'Inspired by Art' challenge conducted by Stringing Magazine. The necklace was originally made in response to the September challenge by Art Bead Scene based on a painting by Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky was a Russian-born artist, one of the first creators of pure abstraction in modern painting and is regarded as one of the originators of abstract painting.

Collection of Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Museum of Art, Utica, NY 56.42

http://www.mwpai.org/museum-of-art/

But as I could not figure out 'Flickr' in time to meet the deadline it was not officially entered. Then came along the Stringing Magazine challenge and since I had a piece that was 'Inspired by Art' I decided to enter my necklace.

In January I received an email from Stringing Magazine telling me that my entry was selected as the Editors' Choice winner! Wow! How about that! I was honored, thrilled and excited to say the least and then I waited patiently for the issue to be published.  Yesterday, I received my Spring 2010 issue of the Stringing Magazine and there was my necklace on page 9!

The focal piece of my necklace is a lampwork bead made by Mona at Monaslampwork. I chose Mona's bead because it contained pretty much the same colors used in the artwork by Kandinsky. To capture the splashes of color on the canvas, I used Mandarin Jasper rondelles, red Jasper rounds, black Onyx rings, Lapis Lazuli coins, faceted drops of Imperial Jasper, branches of black Coral and tiny Mookaite Jasper rounds. The clasp is a round black Onyx toggle.

Congratulations go out to Joy Masters (1st Place), and also to Angela Glascock and Alyce Shepardson, who tied for 2nd place.

If you would like to take part in similar challenges, the next one by Stringing Magazine is titled 'Night and Day' and the deadline for entries is March 1, 2010. So get your entries to them, I have already sent in mine.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone, Enjoy your day!

January Art Beads Challenge

Today I completed my entry to the January Art Bead Scene challenge. The challenge was based on interpreting Claude Monet's painting ' The Magpie' or ' La Pie'.

For my necklace I used white cultured freshwater pearls, along with faceted nuggets of Rock Crystal Quartz and grey agate with its patterns of waves and swirls. The necklace closes with a sterling silver toggle at the front from which hangs by little snowbird, a Pewter charms from Green Girl Studios and a grey lampwork bead made by Rosemarie Hanus of Spawnofflame.

Art Bead Scene November Challenge

Today I completed my entry to the Art Bead Scene November challenge. I have been a long time unofficial follower of the ABS blog by Cindy Gimbrone http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/. (Today I became official) They are an important part of my weekend with the Saturday Giveaway and the Sunday Blog Roundup. Not only have come to appreciate art beads and art beaders, but I have developed an appreciation for art, a subject that I have no formal education in! I hope my entry will be accepted. The necklace and earrings are based on the painting 'The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke by Richard Dadd. You can read all about this artist and his painting by clicking on the title to this post.

For my Art Bead I have chosen a Flower Fairy bead from Green Girl Studios http://www.greengirlstudios.com/index.html and added Pietersite, Red Tiger Eye, Lemon Quartz, Garnet, Freshwater Keishi Pearls and Blue Corundum to complete the necklace. Take a look at the painting and I would love to hear your comments.