I am kind of doublely picked by Heather Powers on Art Bead Scene

Heather Powers has written a new post on Art Bead Scene. About her favourite soups so far in the Bead Soup Party. She picked six of them - and two of the photos are mine!!! Number 4 and 5. Hurray!!! Both the soup I sent to Joanne Tinley and the soup that Joanne sent to me. How cool is that. Now we only have to produce one or two masterpieces each. Don't we Joanne!?!!!!

http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2010/05/bead-soup-favorites.html

Bead Soup Party ... parcel arrived from Joanne

The Soup has arrived from Joanne! Just look at it! There are loads of Swarowskis, two colors of Pony-beads, 12 really really nice vintage buttons from Great Britain, hammered copper Circles, a hammered copper Toggle clasp, a clay Pendant with copper lining around the craters. I suspect the copper things are made by Joanne herself. Lovely! This soup is really exciting, and a fun challenge for me. Just what I wished. I can't wait to get started creating with these things. Thank you so much Joanne!

The Bead Soup Party is arranged by Lori Andersson at Pretty Things Blog.

Joanne Tinley can be found at Daisy Chain Design.

The story of Alice, Charlie & the Wood Adventure

I went for a walk in the woods behind our house today. And my cats decided to come along, as they often do. It is very cozy to have their company.

We decided to stop by the big rocks and just hang out there for a little while. Listening to the birds tweeting and just enjoying the sites.But then suddenly just after I took this last picture Charlie shot off. Something was going on, but what? I started filming. And you should see the film to find out what happened. I think you will enjoy watching it! It is a three-part film. About 3 1/2 minutes alltogether.The link should take you to a playlist for all three films. In the end I speak Swedish if you wonder. I get so 'excited' that I kind of forget the english ...

Please excuse the bad quality of the film, it is the first time ever I upload something to YouTube.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

Andrew has a giveaway with these absolutely lovely beads. Totally my style, I see those facetted ones in the middle, yummie! I wish to win them all of course!

Go to his blog and check what you need to do if you want to be in the draft too.
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

Patterns coinciding

Bead by Heather Powers of HumbleBeads. Placed on a long skirt of mine. I made it myself about ten years ago from a fabric I found in a sale basket in a fabric shop. That skirt is still one of my favourites and I still get compliments for it.

Now and then. Two continents. Different materials. But still the same feel. The colours. Of course I didn't think of that when I bought the bead from HumbleBeads. But now it's getting warmer and that skirt has come out from the cupboard. And the connection is obvious, don't you agree.

What is it that makes us fall for the same patterns again and again? I still haven't made a piece with that bead in. But soon maybe. I think probably a bracelet.

And check these ones out. Bead/pendant by Tracee Dock of Classic Bead. I bought it about a month ago. The fabric belongs to one of my summer tops bought 3 or 4 years ago here in Sweden, from a shop called Indiska. Would I wear that top with a necklace with that pendant? Probably not! But I love them both on their own. I think the pendant would look great in a necklace worn with a plain white shirt or blouse.

New bracelet and other activities

My latest design is a bracelet again. I named it "Heather" as a tribute to Heather Powers of HumbleBeads who design and made the absolutely beautiful clasp. Other materials are brass, chain, glassbeads with foil, trade glass beads, waxed linen cord and bone.Above you can see my two mini-, but maxi- and multi rascals. In the backgarden on the porch. And below is the main rascal of the family, the one it all emerges from. I have nothing to do with it at all as you very well can understand ...

Surfing for inspiring beauty

Just thought I would share my favourites on flickr. A lot of C-Urchin, Mairie Dodd and Lorelei Eurto. But also others. All very yummie, beautiful and inspiring in different ways.

Clicking the image takes you there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/malindekoning/favorites/

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ok, it is like this. I want to change the layout on my blog. And I am going to do it little by little. So you will just have to endure it looking awkward during a few days. My style of doing things is to just jump right in, and learn as I go along. Today I created this header image from a photograph of one of my first beadstitching attepts last fall/autumn. I am not shure yet I will stick with that one, I guess we will see.

And the next step will be to change that green background colour and to get rid of the green chequered "line" under the header image. I want the whole site to be more pale greyish-beige so that the images will stand out more. And headers and links should be easily seen. Another thing I wish is to have a line between each post and also between the main column and the right one where all the extras are.

Wish me luck!

And please give me some hints or tips if you have any.

Here is David Bowie for you:

Bead Soup Party ... what I sent ... the lot

Bead Soup Party Teaser #1

I am participating for the first time. And here is just a tiny little teasing glimpse of what I have sent to Joanne in England. She is my Bead Soup Party Swap Partner (BSP-SP). I plan to reveal a little more over the following days. And I am soooooo excited to see what she has sent to me. She does the most beautiful things in silver, and also in other materials.

So Britain rules again

I want to go to Shanghai NOOOOWWWW!

Some links:

UK Shanghai Expo

Expo 2010

Heatherwick Studio

Design by accident

I was gonna do this necklace in herringbone stitch from the latest issue of BeadMagazine (UK). It looks so colourful and yummie and has a nice versatile design principle where you can play around yourself with colour combinations and bead sizes. Suits me perfectly! What doesn't suit me though, is to follow instructions ... even if they are as free as these ones it seems ...

You are supposed to go up in beadsizes gradually when you are doing the "bulges". But I of course was too eager and chose a too big bead too early, with the result I couldn't come back to the smaller size again the way I was supposed too. But I decided to not care - I just continued - and I think a rather interesting structure came out of that "accident". You could use it in many ways if you continue to experiment with it. Flowers of course, and with more petals than four. And architectural or engineering structures would be fun to also experiment with. Kind of interlocking maybee. Hands ... Trees ...

Do you get any ideas? I would like to know.

C-Urchin (SeaUrchin) is Lisa Stevens

I am in love with Lisa's work! How can you not be? She makes these absolutely gorgeaus porcelein and ceramic things inspired by sealife. Very often they are parts to be used in jewellery, but sometimes also wall decorations or urns. She mixes unglazed white porcelein with glass-glazed (don't know if that is what it is called) areas which creates a very appetizing effect of different structures working together. The white unglazed porcelein feels very sea-like. Also she has this amazing talent to form the porcelein or ceramic in beautiful ways, and that itself creates just beautiful structures and surfaces.

I find it rather difficult to pick just a few images to illustrate all of Lisa's work, since she is very productive. So I recommend you also go and check out her shop on Etsy and her page on flickr.

I am lucky to have become friends with Lisa via flickr. And I recently bought my first piece from her. This one below!

Lisa lives in England very near my parents-in-law in Somerset. So I of course hope to be able to go and visit her studio next time I am in the area. Here you can see her drinking a good old cup of tea. And if you didn't know it already - 'A cup of tea solves everything' - if you are Brittish. And this is absolutely true! I have proof of this almost every day being married to an Englishman myself. (There is even a facebook group you can join.)

I also have to mention that Lisa used to work for Aardman Animations! How cool is that! I am a big fan of them. They are based in Bristol, Somerset, England. She was involved in films like for instance Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run and Creature Comforts.

Last image shows a large flat "bowl" inspired by a mushroom. Soooooooo nice!

Check out her sites now:

Lisa Stevens, C-Urchin, SeaUrchin

C-Urchin on on flickr

C-Urchin on Etsy