2 Bracelets - some sort of sea theme

Some resin beads inspired me to some kind of sea theme in these two bracelets. Or at least that is what I myself come to think of.

In the first one those very large oval flat ones make me think of the kind of large grass that often grows right on the edge of water and land. I haven't managed to find out what it is called in English. But in Swedish it is called "vass".

Art Beads:
Turquoise and yellow ceramic porcelain barrel bead - Round Rabbit
Green irregular oval ceramic bead - Gaea
Turquoise flower ceramic bead - xxxx (the name has just slipped me as I write this, let me get back to you very soon)

Other ingredients:
Very large transparent with pale yellow grass like strands inside resin beads
Transparent with gold round melon resin bead
15/0 seed beads
6/0 seed beads
Brass findings
Beading wire, 49 strand super flexible
Brass magnetic ball clasp


In the this one the round shells filled with orange resin makes me think of something you could find on the sea floor. And the rustic chain could belong to an old ships anchor.

Art Beads:
Pale blue facetted polymer clay bead - Something To Do With Your Hands
Violet patinated rustic copper chain - MissFickleMedia

Other ingredients:
Large round shell filled with orange resin beads
Brass heishi beads
15/0 seed beads
Brasss findings
Copper findings
Large copper lobster clasp
Beading wire, 49 strand super flexible



All my best,
Malin

Bracelets - 2 new and 2 somewhat older

Bracelet 1 - ClippityClop

• Horse in polymer clay - TreeWingsStudio
• Red Agate Facetted Tube
• Bright red matte surface lucite rounds
• Tiger ebony flat wood circle ring
• Vintaj brass leaf toggle bar
• Newsprint Jaspis Heishi beads
• Clear glass nuggets
• Metallic Galvanized Berry 8/0 seed beads
• Orange-Red waxed linen cord
• Brass wire and head pin

Bracelet 2 - Earth & Fire

• Dotted lampwork glass bead - Gardanne
• Dimpled brown ceramic bead - ChelleV2
• Round beige ceramic bead - Elaine Ray
• Bone bead
• Brass heishi rings
• Red Agate Facetted Rondelle
• Brass magnetic ball clasp
• Red Agate Facetted Tubes, (they are so beautiful, shifting in color and pattern and translucent)
• Natural color waxed linen cord

Bracelet 3 - Over There

• Polymer clay disc in greens, gold, white and black - Pam Wynn
• Green glass rounds
• Matte black vintage facetted lucite beads
• Pyrite facetted small rondelles
• Pointing hand box clasp - Amanda Davie
• Brass chain circular links
• Beading wire
• Brass findings

Bracelet 4 - In Black Luxury

• Polymer clay discs in greens, gold, white and black - Pam Wynn
• Hyperstene AAA coins, (absolutely high class and so beautifully shimmering)
• Black Diamond 6/0 seed beads
• Green lined 6/0 seed beads
• Matte galvanized golden 11/0 seed beads
• Grey mother of pearl shimmering button for clasp 
• Black facetted glass rice beads
• Beading wire
• Brass findings

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All my jewelry pieces are available for purchasing, even though I might not yet have listed them in my Etsy Shop. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them. Contact me at: malindekoning[at]hotmail.com

All my best,

Malin

Oakidoki ;-)

I am involuntarily spending the weekend on my own. I was supposed to go with my family to Solvesborg in the south of Sweden. But I couldn't come along, due to a small stupid cold which totally has knocked me out. Spent yesterday mostly in bed sleeping. Envious of them who got away to a nice place, meeting lots of nice people. In the evening I took a pill for the fever, and could sit up for a couple of hours. I made these earrings, and laid out the ideas for a few more that I hopefully will get around to assemble over the coming days. 

Anyway, later in the evening I got a question from a lovely lady in the international beading community: "Do you have or use any rules for how you combine colors in you jewelry, or do you go by what you think look good?" (possibly not totally correctly quoted). The answer is simple. I go only by gut feeling. If I have any rule, it is that it musn't be boring, or expected. I try to go against the obvious choices a lot of the times. It is almost like a compulsory need for me to be opposing conventions. And so I came to think that these earrings I had just completed, very well illustrate that. Or what do you think? At least they were great fun to make.

Earrings - Oakidoki.

Anne, Elaine and Me together in a happy, summery and mismatched combo. These earrings put me in such a good mood when I wear them. They are very light weight.

Handmade beads:

Green enameled oak leaves - Anne Gardanne

Ceramic macaroni shaped beads - Elaine Ray

Beaded Bead - Me, Malin de Koning

Copper earring hooks - JNicLoft

Waxed linen cording

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All my jewelry is available for purchasing, even though I might not yet have listed them in my Etsy Shop. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them. Contact me at: malindekoning[at]hotmail.com

All my best,

Malin

Earrings

Zanzibar - mismatched (semi-assymetrical) earring pair

Left earring:

Vintaj brass earring hook

Brass flower link

Sky blue dimpled ceramic bead - ChelleV2

Light blue edged ceramic raku heishi bead - Jubilee

Horn bead

Antiqued golden leaf

Oxidized brass wire

Right earring:

Vintaj brass earring hook

Brass flower link

Brass spacer disc bead

Vintage ivory with gold lucite bead

Light blue edged ceramic raku heishi bead - Jubilee

Skye blue and bronze lampwork glass - Gardanne

Antiqued golden flower

Oxidized brass wire

(Please note that the Zanzibar earrings are a bit on the slightly heavy side, and I would not recommend them for everyday casual use, but more for evening wear or special occasions.)

Black & Fun - two pairs of earrings (sold separately)

Handmade almond shaped rosey copper earring hooks - E2SSupplies

Enameled copper head pins - PaintingWithFire
Black tabular resin squares 7-8mm
Colored seed beads

(These on the other hand are very lightweight.)

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All my jewelry is available for purchasing, even though I might not yet have listed them in my Etsy Shop. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them. Contact me at:
malindekoning[at]hotmail.com
:-)

All my best
Malin

Recent rustic love ...

... it could almost be the name of a song. And perhaps it already is.

Anyway, here are some of my recent acquisitions. A lot of rustic goodness in there, don't you agree. I have always had a weakness for that quality in my beads. I seem to not be able to resist when a bead artist put them out on offer. Side drilled beads are another weakness of mine. If they are gemstones I am even happier, but they are not so easy to come across, so whenever I see them I hit the "buy now" button. And lately I have also found myself buying a number of different things in that wonderful cornflower blue color. That copper leaf chain is just adorable too. Rustic and carved and natural as in the two different kinds of wooden beads just have a plain irresistible power on me.

Most of these things have not arrived yet. Guess if I am longing. I am particularly happy to only in the past week have discovered the shop EarthButterStudio. It's run by a lady in South Africa who makes the beads in a kind of collaboration with women living in rural areas. You can read more about it on her blog and the website. Her name is Desiree Malan, and she is a very lovely lady.



Two ceramic large (huge) flower bead caps - RoundRabbit
Set of yellow raku houses - Jubilee
Set of yellow and green rustic ceramic beads - EarthButterStudio

Copper leaf chain - ValerVal
Set of ceramic beads in earthy blue colors - EarthButterStudio
Two different kinds of carved wooden beads - KanduBeads
Cornflower blue facetted czech rondelles - LimaBeads
Pale Pink Kunzite Pebbles Side Drilled - LimaBeads

All my best,
Malin

Random wishes

Since I spend so much time roaming around on the online bead shops from all over the world, but not always come to an actual purchase I have a huuuuuuuuuge wish list. Sometimes it is just random chance that makes me end up buying something or not. Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of my latest wishes. It's not likely I will get them in the nearest month or so. So maybe you also take a fancy, and decide to go for it. Please do, and then use them in your creations. That way I would get my satisfaction anyway.

• Deep Teal Blue Faceted Pearls - Beads On Sale
• Ceramic Swirl Beads - Gaea
• Black with White Stripes Lantern Glass Beads 21 mm - Happy Mango Beads
• 5 Matching Pairs Ceramic Washers in Greens and Turquoise - Joan Miller Porcelain
• Green Vaseline African Trade Beads - Bead Chest

Hope you enjoyed!

ABS June Challenge Necklace - Somewhere Down The Crazy River

My contribution for the June Challenge at Art Bead Scene became a necklace. It has undergone a few transformations on it's journey to the final piece. Started off as a bracelet with Gaea's green button as the clasp and center piece. 7 strands of waxed linen cord strung with Delica beads size 11/0. But I couldn't make the clasp solution look good. Gave up after trying about 10 different ways. Moody about it of course. I really like all those strands.
One of the first things I picked out from my stash when starting on the challenge piece was the multi-holed pendant from RoundRabbit. Hey, look at that. I can combine them! I like!!!!

Also tried quite a few different solutions for the chain/ribbon part. Ended up simplifying it more and more. Now it's only a chain and a leather ribbon. And I kept shortening it too. I generally don't make necklaces as short as this one. But with a pendant like this you want it to sit higher. And you want the fringy bit to hang by the clevage.
Here's another pathetic try by me to take a photograph with myself as the model. This was the least bad one anyway. I might have a new solution to this "show the piece on" problem. Will see tomorrow how it works. Now I must add a note to this paragraph. I just realized this particular photo wasn't taken by myself at all. My 7 year old daughter took it for me. I guess she didn't keep her hand all that steady either ... Sorry for being unclear.

Below is the art piece by Odilon Redon we are supposed to be inspired by. It's a lovely lovely painting/pastel. And it was very easy to be inspired by it. I do have some more things simmering on my bead table for more contributions. We'll see if I finish any more of them off.Here on flickr you can see some more contributions from other jewelry artists. More will be added through until the end of the month. So keep coming back if you are the curious kind.

All my best!

Malin

I have copied Gaea!

Hi,

I have participated in Gaeas challenge "Copy Me".

So this is what I made. I believe I have stayed rather true to the original, if I compare with what some of you others have done.

I got the idea almost immediately. To exchange the chain and the tag with a bent wire forming the words "dreams". And started scetching and then bending the wire.

Now you know why I HAD to buy an anvil recently.

If you look thouroughly at the pictures it is clear that at the first part of the bracelet I was a total rookie at hammering on wire, but that I gradually got better, and at the last letter I was a pro. :-)

Great fun it was! And I keep hammering whenever I get the chance.

Here is a list of some more people who has participated:

Lorelei

Michelle

Erin

For My Sweet Daughter

SueBeads

Spirited Earth

Malin de Koning

Imaginative Jewelry

Also check out Gaeas blog for more info.

More Gaea - Yes Please!

I have developed a new need.

It is just another one really.

This time it is Gaea!

Gaeas Lovely Heart

Perhaps you remember that I was the incredibly lucky winner of all the beads from the June monthly challenge on Art Bead Scene. Beads from Natural Touch, HumbleBeads & Gaea Cannaday, who all were sponsors that month.

About a week ago I recieved a really nice parcel from Gaea with a variety of handmade ceramic beads. I loved them all. But I have to admit that the big heart with the scull and the roses stood out as something I would most likely not have purchased myself. What on earth was I gonna do with that? I am not a "sculls person", you see.

But the funny thing is that if something bothers me I just can't leave it alone. So the heart has been laying on my work desk ever since I got it. And then my daughter, 7 years old Arabella, came in to my studio last night to say goodnight, directly picked up the heart and asked if she could have it. "Hm, I don't know darling, let me think about it. It is a valuable bead, you see." So after she had left I stared at the heart. Ok, it would have to be a necklace of course. How about a light blue silk ribbon? Wow, that looks really nice colour wise! I was really surprised, and suddenly really excited. That heart that I had had difficulty seeing in a piece of jewellery made by myself, was suddenly something very interesting and challenging.

I ended up sitting there for a couple of hours testing variations and putting the piece together.

So much FUN! I love it when things just happens like that. Unexpected inspiration. The three other beads are also made by Gaea. I started on a pair of really nice earrings too, that could go with necklace if you would like to. With some gemstone beads that arrived along with some other beauties from StarEyes yesterday. The end of the story is that my daughter will not get the heart after all. I will have to come up with something else for her. And the necklace will be listed for sale in my Etsy shop. I have named it "Gaeas Lovely Heart".

Thank you Gaea for a wonderful, unexpected and fun creating experience!

Links:

Gaea on Etsy

Gaea website