Sunday, 27 May 2012

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

Friday, 25 May 2012

Echo Creative Club May

Echo Creative Club May. This is the second time I'm in. I got these lovely beautiful White Painted Peels Beads from Jeannie Dukic this month. And I have used them in two pieces.

First in a bracelet together with Olive Serpentine Faceted Rounds 10mm and Blue Lace Agate Teardrops 9mm.

And then a pair of earrings with Copper Paddle/Head Pins that I twisted.

Also check out the other participants for this month:

Cindy Cima Edwards http://www.cindycima.com

Courtney Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com

Dagi http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com

Jeannie K Dukic http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog

Keri Lee Sereika http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com

Kristen Stevens http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com

Malin de Koning http://beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

Molly Alexander http://www.beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com

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

All my best,

Malin

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Designer of the Week :-)

What a treat! Heather Powers has picked my necklace for this week's feature on Art Bead Scene. I am proud to say the least.

She made that nice photo montage you see above. And she wrote so very nicely about my design:

"I love how Malin color blocked the beads, it leads the eye around the necklace like a little stroll through the French neighborhood in our inspiration painting. The art beads/focals off to the side add interest and movement. I love that while the design seems simple Malin managed to use three art beads paired with glass and stones that sets the necklace apart."

It's a bit funny with this necklace, and how the design happened. It was one of those times you know, when you afterwards really can't remember how it went as you were making it, or how you were thinking. It just worked out by itself ... coz it was obviously meant to be. It seems your body, limbs, fingers are moving all by themselves. And when it's finished and done, you take a step back and look at your creation sort of as for the first time. It's almost uncomfortable in a sense. Like you weren't there during the process. But at the same time it's a great feeling. Especially when you are pleased with the final result. And I must admit I really am with this necklace.

It's called "flow"I believe. When you enter that stage of out-of-your-body-feeling whilst in the middle of something. You completely loose sense of space and time. And when you "wake up" again, you notice you are super hungry, and really need the toilet. But you didn't know that for at least a couple of hours or so.

Anyway,
here's the link to my original post about this necklace.
Here's the link to the post on Designer of the Week on Art Bead Scene, ABS.
Here's the link to the Art Bead Scene, ABS flickr group.

All my best,
Malin

Sunday, 20 May 2012

Two new bracelets

Two new bracelets. For the coming summer season maybe?

PeaceLoveFaithHope

Sterling Silver word charm by HipChic, FusionBeads

Round Charm in white bronze from Objects and Elements

Sterling Silver heart charm by CathyDaily
Waxed cotton cords
Findings

Dragonfly Love

Green ceramic heart by Gaea

Brass wire

Dragonfly charm

Glass beads

Memory wire

All my best,

Malin

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Stringing Summer issue digital version is out

... and I am in it! YAY!

First time I am published as a contributor in a beading magazine. YAY!

I've got three pieces in it, two bracelets and one pair of earrings. All in the gallery section. YAY!

It's a really good issue all in all, with lots of really cool designs by lots of great artists. YAY!

You can buy and download the digital version now from the Interweave store. YAY! (The printed one will arrive very soon).

I hope you will like it as much as I do!

All my best,

Malin

Thursday, 17 May 2012

Seaside life

We have booked our holidays in Cornwall, England in July. I don't know if that has anything to do with the fact that a few of my pieces recently seems to have a seaside feel. I just have had this longing for sea life themed objects in my jewelry lately. I bought a wonderful Mr Fish from Barbara Bechtel of Floridity for instance. I thought he would sit on my chest and guard me on days when I feel a bit fragile. I have not put him into work yet though.

Bracelet

Here's a bracelet I made. It has a green resin shell made by HumbleBeads. She didn't make many of that kind, and I am so glad I got my hands on one (about 2-3 years ago), and that it finally has found a place alongside another silvery shell charm and some pretty briolettes, drops and beads. All strung on memory wire with shell shaped pearly glass beads in between.

Necklace

There isn't actually anything seaside motif in this necklace. But the color scheme and those absolutely gorgeous large rustic pearls makes me feel it is anyway. I had ordered 6 of them from a bead shop in the UK, and when they arrived I just went directly and ordered all the ones they still had left in the shop at the time. 17 more arrived the other day :-) . I love them!

And finally here's one for getting in the mood for seaside life, with the Queen:

Please enjoy!

All my best,

Malin

Wednesday, 16 May 2012

My trials and errors with DeCoRé Clay

FusionBeads sent me some DeCoRé Clay to play around with for the month of April. But hey, its May now! What happened? Why didn't I blog before? Oh, I am sorry, but I have to admit that me and DeCoRé clay are not best friends. I have really tried. I really have! First I just thought I would try it out to see how it works, and so on. I already had these two ring bases with square bezels in my stash. So I thought I could use them. My first attempt is the pale ring to the right. I was only testing and experimenting with the material there. And I put all sorts of beads in it. Bugles, drops, seed beads. AND a few of the crystal chatons I was given together with the clay.

FusionBeads did send a cool roll pendant from Nunn Designs also (see next image), that I was supposed to use the clay on. After my first attempt, with the first ring I was thinking and considering and trying different angles on what I could do with the roll pendant. I had many ideas I tell you. And then when I was about to give it a go again some days later (well it was weeks actually ... hrm), I thought I should make another ring again, first, just to get used to the clay a bit more before putting it on the roll. But I realized after having done that, that I would never be able to put the clay on the roll even. All the way around and evenly. And I did search for all possible tips and tricks and instructions I could find on the internet. It didn't help. Not me. It looks so easy for everyone else. But it wasn't for me. :-(

So after having made the second ring, I decided I didn't want to ruin the nice Nunn roll with my clumsy work. So I have saved it for a better day :-).

DeCoRé Clay is a two component epoxy clay, which starts to harden when you mix the two components together. It also works as a glue in itself, and that is why you can attach it as it is to different kinds of bezels, and also attach things to it, like the crystal chatons. You have about 1-2 hours to work with it once mixed. And then it will take about 24 hours before it is completely hardened.

Since I didn't manage to show you anything nice I've done, I thought I'd share with you some examples by other people of what you can do. See below.

There are many places online where you can find info about DeCoRé Clay. Check out these two:

http://fusionbeadsblog.com/2011/11/14/i-love-new-decore-clay-with-swarovski-crystal-chatons/

http://www.fusionbeads.com/shop/category/363/Jewelry%20Clay/

I certainly hope you will be more successful with this material than I was. Anyway I am glad I got the chance to try it out at least. Thank you FusionBeads!

All my best,

Malin

Saturday, 12 May 2012

The Echo Creative Club - May

As some of you might already know I am in the Echo Creative Club which is hosted by Jeannie Dukic. What is it? Well, Jeannie is not only a jewelry designer, she also creates her own beads in polymer clay. As a member of her club you have signed up to join her challenge for a number of months. The number and which months, you have chosen yourself. I myself picked four months spread out over a year. So those months I get some beads made by Jeannie. For free! What does she get in return then? In short you could say that I am supposed to make a piece of jewelry with them. And blog about what I made.

We shall also show an image on our blog when we have received the beads. And here is what I got for May.

I got some lovely white "peeled paints" beads, 10mm with copper and gold. Very beautiful. I think I already have an idea what I will make with them. But you will not get to see that until the 25th my friends. But let's just say that I am attending a wedding in England in July, and I believe I will wear them then ... ;-)

Thank you so much Jeannie! I love to get "challenges" like this. And I love the beads you sent me this month.

Stay tuned. All my best,

Malin

Friday, 11 May 2012

A necklace for the Italian living in Montmartre

The May Challenge from Art Bead Scene is this painting. The Italian's House at Monmarte by Maurice Utrillo. Oil on panel, 53 x 76 cm.

I made a necklace. For art beads I was using a lovely and perfectly suitable rustic stoneware green house by Jubilee, and another two dark raku beads also by Jubilee. The big copper and leafs link is by Jade Scott. The clasp is by former Higher Chakra, nowadays MetalFuze. Other beads are Unicorne glass teardrops, facetted czech glass, glass rounds, citrine faceted rounds and a copper chain.

I don't have so much to say about the design. It just came together so naturally and easily because I just happened to have all the suitable and perfect beads and components in my stash. :-)

But I am particularly happy about the green house and the leafs link coming together like that. It would only happen because of the inspiration from Art Bead Scene. I don't think I would have ever thought of it otherwise. And the two Unicorne beads on top of the house too. Cute. :-) So now I really want to go and visit an italian living in Montmartre, Paris. Just anyone would do I think. ;-)

Please also take the opportunity to check the other entries on the ABS group on flickr. There will keep showing up new ones all through the month. I always really love to check out everyones different interpretations of the same piece of art. It is just so inspiring.

All my best,

Malin

Sunday, 6 May 2012

One Crayon Color Challenge - My reveal

Finally, after a slight delay, here is what I made for the One Crayon Color Challenge, arranged and hosted by the lovely Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime.

So, when I signed up I first thought I should pick green. It is by far my most favorite color, and the one I probably have the most beads of in my stash. But then I had a second thought. Why a challenge if it isn't a challenge? I asked myself "Which color would be the one most difficult for me to create something monochromatic in?". The answer came directly: RED! So that's what I wrote in the form on Sally's blog. Godness me, why do I have to make things so difficult for myself? I tell you - it is because I love it. It is just too boring to walk on the safe road. That's who I am.

But the funny thing was, that I had purchased two absolutely gorgeous red stoneware beads from Lisa Peters only a couple of weeks before. And they hadn't arrived yet, and I actually had completely forgotten about them when I signed up for Sally's challenge. But when they arrived I just knew directly that I was going to use them in my piece.

The necklace

I have made a long lariat necklace. I really like lariats. Even so I have not made many in my life. Hope this will be a beginning of something new. Above each stoneware bead by Lisa sits a round red ceramic bead by Gaea.