Crazy for colour!

Ok, so I’m absolutely crazy about colour!!! Does that make me a bad person? No of course not, it just makes me a colourful one! Colour lights up my life, and has the power to chase away, any possible threats of grayer tomorrows!

Although I’ve worshipped colour for years, it’s only now that I’m finally recognizing the fact that it’s totally necessary in my life. My uniform was heavy on basic black, during my corporate years, but my art has always been colour focused. Sure, I still wear the remnants of that uniform (it’s oh so practical, and hides a whole lot of sins), but as you can see from the photo above; colour still plays a strong role! Despite the fact that I’m not a huge lover of orange, it still needed to be the main focus of this book cover, work in progress. It has been needle felted onto a mono-printed background, and is being embellished with hand embroidery, beads and a resin filled bezel. Does it say me? Definitely! Do I know when it will be finished? Heck no! It doesn't matter though, because it's a joy to work on!

Over the years, I have participated in many different mail swaps and trades, and am proud to own a very colourful and eclectic collection. Wouldn’t it be fun if I gave you a peek into my journey? Warning, all names have been deleted, to protect the innocent. LOL! Some I made myself, and others were gifted or swapped. All include colour, and some even include beads!

As you can see from the above, I’ve included quite a variety, including hand spun art yarn, a felted cone ornament, postcards (sent naked, through the mail), houses, Inchies, and even an original quilt block. What a diverse group! Memories are oh so sweet, and I’m grinning, even as I type this blog post! But what about the future, you say? I'm playing with the idea of transforming leather with colour, but you'll need to wait to see the results! A blog post, an "Inspiration", or perhaps even a workshop? Only time will tell!!

Don’t be afraid to let colour into your life! It won’t really make you crazy, and will definitely end up enriching your life. The pursuit of colour is a lifelong journey, and one that shouldn’t be missed! Hop aboard, and don’t you dare let that train leave without you!!

Bodacious surfaces to bead!

Have you ever dreamt about beading on alternative types of surfaces? Sure, it’s easy enough to purchase bead backing, but why leave it at that? This post will be an exploration of sorts, but then again, what else would you expect?

In my early Fibre Art Days, beads often added the sparkle needed, to ‘tart’ up a quilted piece. I certainly didn’t use beads on every piece, but here are some shots of a few of my favourites!

I’ve beaded on cotton, silk, wool, velvet, paper, and even on fabric paper! The “silk” category alone, is chock full of sumptuous possibilities! Silk velvet is a dream to stitch, but then again, you can’t beat the glowing colours of Dupioni silk! For some silks (like Dupioni), you will need to back them with a light, fusible interfacing, as it cuts down on the fraying. Raw silk can simply be used as is, and Sari silk is simply to die for! There’s even the fabulous, hand-dyed and textured beauty of Shibori silk (I confess that I was gifted a piece, but haven’t found occasion to use it yet!). You could stretch your silk on a hoop before beading (not the Shibori though), but then again you may just need to add some type of stiffer backing. I’ve used both methods, but as I really don’t like the confines of a hoop, the second is often my choice. All you need to do is baste your silk, onto one or two layers of cotton fabric, and then bead away! It feels nicer in your hands, and it just works! Sorry, I looked for photos of a couple of my silk pieces, but they seem to be mysteriously missing. Instead, how about a photo of a bowl I made out of bathing suit scraps, from the garment district? Is that bodacious enough?

Wool is a luxurious fabric to stitch! Beads seem to sink right in, and they give an interesting dimpled effect on the surface! I’ve beaded on wet felted pieces, free motion machine embroidered pieces (using wool roving and a water-soluble stabilizer), and even on old thrift store sweaters (after felting them in the washing machine)! Right now, my plan is to hand embroider, and then bead on a needle-felted piece, originally intended to be a book cover. Who knows if it will ever make it that far, but it’s certainly fun to dream about the end result? The stitching is now in progress, but so far, not one bead has been added!

Have you ever heard about fabric paper? It’s a messy process (protect your surface with either a green or black garbage bag), but you lay down a thin piece of cotton (think cheap muslin), saturate it with watered down white glue (the consistency of milk), add torn paper pieces (tissue paper, thin book pages, wrapping paper, etc.), then more of the glue mixture, and let dry. The resulting fabric is very strong, flexible, has a slightly shiny surface, and can be beaded, as well as hand and machine stitched (be careful though, as holes are left, if you need to rip something out). It’s perfect for ‘artsy’ postcards, book covers, bookmarks, and even purses (so I’ve been told). Why not use it for jewellery (see my charm bracelet-I used both fabric paper, and collaged fabric scraps)? Another idea would be to laminate used fabric softener sheets the same way! I’ve used them sparingly in the past, because even the leftover scent, makes me itch and sneeze! Achoo!! But if you’re not allergic, why not recycle?

Explore the tactile beauty of these non-traditional beading surfaces! Yes, I know that people have been beading on some of them for centuries, but that doesn’t make them any less bold in our current times! Break away from the popular trends, and experiment with sumptuous and bodacious surfaces. You’ll be glad that you did!!

Reflections on an exploding stash!

Santa Baby, I've been a very bad girl this year!! I purchased tons of stuff, with absolutely no idea, what I was going to make! Sure, I whipped up some class samples, and made an Inspiration or two, but did I really need all of those pearls? I ask you, would you?

Then, let's chat about the paint I purchased. Yes, I absolutely needed the Pebeo Fantasy paints, Adirondack, Alcohol Inks, Ice Resin, Iced Enamels, Gilders Paste, Mica Powders, and Spectrum Noir markers, for workshops I was teaching, but did I need so darned many of them? Not to mention seed beads, shaped beads, stones, buttons, bezels, rusty objects, found items, and perhaps even a cabochon or two. Should I mention the findings, threads and tools? It doesn't matter, because they make me happy, and if that means that Santa is not going to slide down the chimney this year, then so be it!

Now, how about talking about the stash from my pre-beading life, when I fancied myself a fibre artist? I own piles, and piles of thread, paint, paper, embroidery floss, and even a bunch of yarn (despite the fact, that I don't knit). It's not like it suddenly disappears, in a puff of smoke, when I head off in a new direction! It's still there, and it's clogging up my studio, and if the truth be told, my living and dining room, and storage area. When will I ever learn? I'd be embarrassed to show a photo of said studio, so I won't....but believe me, you're not missing anything! Sign me up for hoarders anonymous!

So, in the interest of full disclosure, I've been participating in an international paper swap, for a couple of years. Do I need more paper? No, of course not (except as collage fodder for my altered dominos), but I still signed up for 2016 (if anyone is interested, it's www.paperswap.com). It's a fun way to add some unusual papers to your stash, and meet a bunch of lovely people, along the way. Should I mention the fact, that I also monoprint my own papers (mainly for collage, paper beads, and swaps), via a wonderful tool, called the Gelli Arts, Gelli Printing Plate? You'll need to look them up, because they're not sold in the store (but I do use the printed papers, in several of my workshops). There are tons of YouTube videos on the subject, and it's just waaay too much fun!

I'm not really one to make resolutions, but if I were, I'd vow to make a pile of pearl pieces, and perhaps a few mixed media projects, over the holidays. In addition, I would dust off my neglected sewing machine, and give my beads, a little dose of fibre, for good measure! You see, I love it all, and it saddens me, when my older treasures are neglected. But seriously, I really do need to purge and organize my stash!!!

It's an exciting time of the year, despite the fact that Toronto is having unseasonably mild temperatures (by contrast, the above photo was taking after the ice storm, on December 22nd, 2013). There is, no chance of a white Christmas, but that's not stopping us, from celebrating the spirit of the season. So with that, I'll wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and to those that do not celebrate, a happy and healthy holiday of your choice. Enjoy your time with family and friends, and if you get a chance, try to relax, with a few beads! You've earned it!

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!

HUGE CUBIC ZIRCONIA SALE!!!

CUBIC ZIRCONIA 

30% OFF

GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN!

WE ARE DISCONTINUING THEM AND WE WILL NOT BE RESTOCKING THEM.

What is a Cubic Zirconia? Many think "simulated diamond" when they think Cubic Zirconia (CZ). CZ's are used as simulated gemstones - and if you Google you'll get a variety of opinions as to how closely they mimic diamonds, largely based on just exactly what the site is trying to sell you - CZ's or diamonds. We think that these are lovely in their own right, much the same way the glass beads are. 
 

CZ is harder than glass, (at about 8.5 on the Mohs scale - nowhere near diamond, but much harder than most natural gems) and we tried the scratch test, and yes, they do scratch glass but are not scratched by it. It is dense - specific gravity between 5.6 - 6.0; refractive index is high at 2.15 - 2.18 (B-G interval) and its luster is subadamantine (Really! I have very little idea what that means - just nod and make knowedgeable noises). It's dispersion is very high at 0.058 - 0.066, exceeding that of diamond (0.044). 

(It's sparklier than diamonds). 

Cubic Zirconia has no cleavage and exhibits a conchoidal fracture (if it chips, you will see semicircular arcs - think of a big chip out of the bottom of one of those old thick-bottomed Coke bottles). It is considered brittle. (Don't smack it on things.)

Under shortwave UV cubic zirconia typically luminesces a yellow, greenish yellow or "beige." Under longwave UV the effect is greatly diminished, with sometimes a whitish glow being seen.

Naturally occurring CZ's are not commercially significant, and are manufactured in a laboratory as a gemstone. Really, really technical information is available here. (If the above wasn't technical enough for ya!) 

For CZ beads, click HERE

For double drilled CZ's, click HERE

 

For CZ Pendants and drops, click HERE

 

For other drilled CZ's, click HERE