What's on my bead mat - October edition!

I thought that it was time to give you an update, on my beady activities! Well, my bead mat is actually a disgrace right now, so I decided to do my bead mat update, off the bead mat this time!! But the good news, is that I finished off a couple of projects this month.

First, my “Silly Goose” doll is now complete. Isn't she adorable? All the beading was finished in September, but I still needed to work out her hair. I normally add it right after I bezel the face, but this time the doll was telling me to mix up her media, and give her some needle felted hair. I had the needles, I had the hair…..all I needed to do, was…..wait for it…….actually do it!!!! I anticipated a lot of down time, at the recent BeadFX, Artisan Trunk show, so I used that free time, to do the deed. I’m not sure why I waited so long, but I did, so no excuses! As a freeform diva, I’m thinking that this doll is my favourite! I’ve been told that she doesn’t really look like a goose, but I’m committed to that name, and am not able to think of her in any other way. So much so, that I’m thinking that a wire nest is in order! What do you think? Although not green, I’m thinking that her riotous hair reminds me of someone else’s hair. I wonder who that could be? Giggle!

Next, I worked on a leaf shape, that I had hanging about. I quickly sketched a flower shape, that I’ve been doodling since I was a teenager, and then proceeded to bead it. This flower would normally have five petals, but there just wasn’t room for all five on this piece, so I elected to go with just four (although it doesn't follow my rule of one, three or five!). As a side note, I’ve drawn, painted, collaged, and free motion stitched this shape in the past, so I just had to bead it! The stitches used are a combination of beaded back stitch, and boucle or moss stitch (I also know it as the bocce stitch, but as I’ve never seen anything about that stitch in writing, I’m going to ignore that name). I’ll let the piece rest for a while, but I think my muse is trying to persuade me to incorporate it into a freeform necklace. Hmm, we’ll see!

Last, but not least, the little bead embroidered pendant, is something I finished off in my Nature’s Mood: Bead Embroidered pendant workshop, this past Saturday. It’s a class sample I started the last time I ran the class. My students were absorbed by their stitching, and the quiet was almost deafening! I hadn’t planned it that way, but It did give me time to get some stitching of my own done. Lucky me! After I initially planned the piece, I thought the stone/shell combination, reminded me of a rickety fence. However, now all I can see are sailboats! I'm not sure how I'll finish it off, but I suspect that leather might be part of the solution! It's not scheduled yet, but if you're interested in taking the class, I do plan to run it again in the spring.

Where will I go next? I have some ideas percolating, about the driftwood I picked up a couple of weeks ago, or perhaps my muse will let me start working on the naked purple doll! Or better still, I should clean off my bead mat! Sheesh! What are you working on, and what does your bead mat look like today?

What's on my bead mat - June edition!

June has been an interesting month! The Canadian crew is back (exhausted) from the big Bead & Button show, but what have I been doing lately? Surprisingly, not all that much in the beading line! Other things kept distracting me, thus keeping me from my normal state of beaded bliss! Sigh!

I did work on a couple of potential BeadFX “Inspirations”, and added wire to a Freeform Peyote beaded bead. I’m not that happy with the wire or accent beads, so I expect to make a few changes and/or modifications in the future. After abandoning her for a couple of weeks, I’ve made another start on my “Silly Goose” doll. A little more stacked stitch around her neck/chest, joined by a couple of lines of Peyote (stitch) on her belly. These will probably morph into Freeform Peyote, as I’m itching to go a little crazy!!! The regular Peyote stitch sections are being used to stabilize the looser stitches (freeform right angle weave), and anchor the piece. Who knows where I will go from there?

You might also notice a silver bezel, with a turquoise coloured background. I originally started working on this piece, in one of my Mixed Media: Open Studio Evenings (the next one is this Thursday). The painted background was attached to the bezel, and then I glued on a rough, diagonal line of gold glass glitter. Well, I really didn’t like the results, so the piece didn’t progress any further. Last night, I decided to partially cover up the glitter, with a couple of layers of Iced Enamels (German Silver first, topped by a touch of Ivory). Better! Then I dipped the end of a bamboo skewer into the Iced Enamel Medium, and dotted spots onto the watery background (sometimes simple tools are the best). Then I sprinkled more German Silver, tapped it to get rid of the excess, applied heat (via my trusty heat gun), and my bubbles were born!!! But it still needed something! I rummaged my stash, to find the miniature starfish I made earlier in the year. Recipe – One itty-bitty starfish (borrowed from a friend), plus two-part epoxy silicone putty (to make a mold), plus polymer clay, plus an oven for curing the clay, equals a perfect focal piece! The colour is perfect, and only needed a little Gilders Paste for accent. What’s next, you say? Well, if I can wait that long, I will use this piece as a demo in my July Resin workshop. I plan to half-fill the bezel with clear resin, wait for it to cure (12 hours), and then add another shallow layer of resin, topped by the starfish (which will not be completely covered in resin).

Alas, the purple doll remains naked, and I haven’t even spared a thought for my pearls! Am I a bad doll momma and stash hoarder? In my defence, I seem to work in colour phases, and my current one is obviously green/blue. My prior one was purple, and I think I hit a purple “wall”! As for the pearls, I still have ideas roaming around my head, but nothing is really gelling right now. No more new pearls, until I use at least one string!!!

The message in this blog post is that you can’t spend all of your time on creativity. Sometimes other activities drift in to steal your time!! Deal with them, and then get right back on track! Better still (something I did not do, but wish I did), reward yourself with creativity breaks, to help you deal with all the stressors!

What's on my bead mat? May edition!

I just realized that I’m cheating a little, because I didn’t actually take photos of the pieces on my bead mat. I forgot!!! It doesn’t matter, because each has been on said bead mat, at least once during the month. You wouldn’t want to see it right now, because it’s very messy, full of beads, and just waiting for me to either cram them back into their tubes, or get frustrated and mix up some bead soup! You know how it goes!!

You’ll notice that while the purple doll is still naked, I’ve actually made progress on my green one, and am currently loving the process! The working title for this one is “Silly Goose”, because Erin (who also works in that beehive of activity called BeadFX), told me that the form looked like a goose from the back. Isn’t it funny how a connection is made, and names are born?

I took a fabulous class with Robyn Cornelius, at BeadFX last Saturday, and made her Silver Wave Bangle. Okay, I admit that it wasn’t really on my bead mat, but I love it so much, that I just had to show it off! It all started out with a flat piece of silver. I’ve taken a few classes, and puttered about with metal, but certainly nothing this ambitious! Robyn is a fabulous instructor, and you’d be lucky to take one of her workshops! Believe it or not, this was completed in a one-day class!

I purchased these commercial bangles at a thrift shop, several years ago. I wonder if Liver of Sulfur would work to change the colour? It might be fun to try, even though I’m not sure which type of metal it is. Are any of you experts, ready to weigh in with an opinion?

I’m not telling you what this is, but promise to show it to you next week (that is, if I remember!).

Pearls, did I say pearls? These were in a stray bag, in a place they should not be, and I did not even remember buying them! Oops! I wonder what I should make? Did I ever tell you that I’ve been hoarding pearls? Do you suppose there will ever be a worldwide shortage? If so, I’ll be well set! I admit that I do have a germ of an idea, just waiting for a few stray minutes......I wonder where I’ll find those minutes this month?

My bead mat is going to be busy during the month of May! It’s finally spring, and well past time for renewal and regeneration! Although creativity is always present, it does need a little tweaking from time to time. I guess that May is good time to take action! Are you tempted to join me?

Bead mat update - April!

In the last update, my bead mat was a fairly sorry sight. My muse had been on vacation, and I was just getting back into the swing of things. I'm happy to say that my batteries have been re-charged, and I'm now brimming with inspiration! Most (but not all) of my beading projects have been motoring along, and new ideas are coming at me faster than I can remember them. Don't you just hate when that happens? I really do need to write them down.

Despite not finding the original (started in my last class), I completed another freeform peyote, beaded bead to add to my collection (the green/dark raspberry one). I've now made a grand total of seven of these beads, and I'm not even close to finishing the series. I was once told that you couldn't call yourself an artist, until you learned how to develop a series of work. Do you believe that? I'm not sure that I do, but my work does seem to be leading me in that direction. I've been striding down that path for years, starting with the early fibre art days, and then moving to the Bead Journal Project. Who knows where I will go from here?

My freeform peyote ring count is now up to four, and I'm seriously contemplating the fifth. Somehow, somewhere I had the idea to include a shank button as the focal on my next ring. So, did I buy just one button to try it out? No, of course not, I purchased five of them! But don't look for a photograph, because I haven't taken one yet. Instead I'll just show you my fourth ring. This was constructed a little differently than the other three, and includes an 8 mm Lapis round as the focal. Do I need to tell you that I love blue? This one is sized just right! I even purchased a ring mandrel, so that it will be a lot easier to determine the correct sizing in the future. Stringing the beads, and then holding your tongue, and attempting to figure out if the sizing is correct, while trying not to drop the beads, is difficult to say the least! I guess I could have asked for help, but why the heck would I do that?

My poor purple doll is in the same naked state as she was in March! I added the hair, and then everything came to a full stop. Yes, I did decide on her colour scheme, but she hasn't even started talking to me yet! Doesn't she like the colours I chose (purple/turquoise)? I don't seem to be able to make a decision on either a theme, or where to stitch the first bead!!! Do you think if I give her a name, she will start whispering to me? What should I call her? Does she actually need a theme, or should I just start beading? Decisions are so difficult! Perhaps I should start working on the odd/shaped acid green doll in the next photo. Would that prompt my purple doll to cry out for attention?

To make things even more difficult, I'm teaching a BAD class (Beaded Art Doll) at BeadFX this Saturday. Have I stitched and stuffed all of my doll forms yet? No of course not, but I am working on it. Today's count is five dolls complete; two and a half stitched; and three more cut out, and ready to stitch. Will I finish by Saturday? You bet I will! Do I procrastinate? Not really, but I do think that I'm addicted to the adrenaline rush! Besides, I've been working on pieces for the Corsage Project over the last couple of weeks, and I've also been playing around with resin. I guess those are valid excuses, right? Don't get frustrated by a temporary slowdown in your creativity. Give it some time, ignore your muse, and she (or he) will sit up and pay attention! All will be well, despite our current sad, chilly temperatures!

What's on my bead mat today?

My muse has been a little ornery these days, but I seem to have put a little crimp in her snit! I can't really identify the problem, but I just didn't feel like doing anything creative. Does that happen to you? I filled my time with reading and such, and while I've always loved doing this, I'm afraid that it cannot always compete against a full on burst of creative energy! If the scientists studied this carefully (and I know they have), I'm sure that they'd find out that creativity stimulates either your endorphins, or some other chemical in your brain!! Seriously, it's the best drug there is! (Image courtesy of the internet - fractalpanda.com)

This week I've been either working on, or contemplating the following projects. A freeform peyote ring, my purple beaded art doll, another freeform beaded bead, and a few other projects not fully fleshed out yet. Let's start with the ring! I pulled most of the beads from my stash, but couldn't help buying a couple of tubes of orange and red Rizos, to use as an accent. The ring was terribly hard to photograph (red is just bad!), but I'm more than a little in love with the colour combination of red, orange and pink. Why did I choose this range? Are the bright colours a reaction to the dull, dreary weather? You'll be interested to know that I was able to start and finish the ring last Sunday. A quick and easy project! All that's left to do, is put away the mess of beads! Will I sort them back into their neat little tubes? No way!!! More luscious bead soup for me!

The purple doll has been patiently waiting for inspiration to strike! She's been sitting around for a couple of months, until I could decide what to do about her hair (I finally stitched on around 150 split rings). No hair ideas = a naked hairless doll! Unfortunately this doll's trials are far from over, as I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to bead her yet. Will I include some free form peyote, or just stick to intuitive bead embroidery? The main colours will be purple and turquoise, but as she's not talking to me yet, there's still lots of room for change.

My final project is another freeform peyote bead! This project will be ongoing, as I plan to continue making these beads until I have enough for a statement necklace. They're actually quite light, as the base is a wooden bead, so no worries about future neck pain!! Now what colour scheme should I choose this time? How about dark green? Although I haven't settled on the accent colour(s), I'll fondle the stash, and audition a few eager prospects. Do you have any ideas?

It seems like it's all or nothing for me! Weeks of frustration, followed by long periods of creativity! Doll and bead workshops have already been scheduled, and I'm currently designing another for the rings. More resin and collage (paper/fibre) projects are also in the works, so I guess that's another sign that spring is a time for renewal. Keep tuned!

All dolled up!

You're never too old to start playing with dolls!   You're also, never too old to start doing something you're not comfortable with.  I did play with dolls as a child, but never really dragged them around, the way the other girls did.  However, I remember the total joy of believing that Santa tucked a brand new doll (well actually three, as I have two sisters) under the tree at Christmas!  As I grew older, I also confess to spending an awful lot of time, focusing on new fashion statements for Barbie!   But did I bond with the dolls?  No!  They were just a pleasant way to exercise my creative spirit, and spend some quality time with my sisters.  I don't actually remember any particular doll, other than the original Barbie (that I wish I'd kept in the original packaging).  Is that sad?

Somewhere in the early 2000's, I discovered Internet groups, and started joining any and all that caught my eye.  Suddenly, I was flooded with emails, inspiration and colour!  While I won't list all of my groups, I did entertain a particular fascination with Beaded Art Dolls.  Luckily, the group was kind enough to let me lurk in the shadows, drooling over all the pretties.  I loved the look of the dolls, but wasn't excited about the construction phase, and in the interest of full disclosure, I absolutely hated the stuffing part!!

Okay, fast forward to a year or so ago, when I changed my mind!  I had participated in a mini-doll swap, without tearing my hair out, so in the interest of Intuitive Bead Embroidery, and 3-D forms, I decided to make a slightly larger doll, and use it as a teaching sample.   Not only that, but I had the brilliant idea to include faces (which I had never made before), and provide pre-stuffed forms, as part of the student kits. Sigh!  Little did I know that it would be a very popular class, and I would be making a colourful smorgasbord of little dolls.

Fast forward to today!  I'm re-running my Nature's Muse: Beaded Art Doll class this Saturday, and like usual, I'm scrambling to stitch and stuff the forms.  I quite enjoy the designing and stitching, but still hate the stuffing!  However the results are worth it! These dolls are perfectly addicting, and though similar in naked form, take on unique personalities, once they start talking to you.  Not one, turns out the same, and my students love them!

So, don't be afraid to face your fears or objections.   It's never too late to regain the wonder of childhood, try something new, or even revisit an old skill.  You might be pleasantly surprised by the results!