A few new pieces

Hi,
I am very much behind with taking photographs of my pieces since a couple or more months. I go through these patches at times. Perhaps it's related to the darkness of this time of the year. So now I have a lot of catching up to do. Anyway, here are three previously not shown pieces. (No the bracelet I mentioned on FaceBook the other day is not here, just in case you wonder.)

Necklace - Peace & Camping

• Happy Camper, ceramic pendant - Gaea ceramics
• Heart charm, hammered oxidized silver - DaisyChainExtra
• Peace-Love-Hope-Faith sterling silver charm - HipChick
• Dark pink ceramic round - Gaea
• Green ceramic round - Gaea
• Stoneware Espresso ceramic beads - Barbara Hanselman of BHClaySmith
• Matte dark grey 6/0 seed beads
• Charcoal grey waxed linen cord
• Chain

Bracelet - Magenta Copper Grey

• Copper rice beads
• Ruby Moonstone AB irregular facetted
• Clear glass tubes
• Matte dark pink 8/0 seed beads
• Natural Aquamarine AB square facetted
• Amazon bluegreen ceramic round - Elaine Ray
• Dark bronze ceramic round - Gaea
• Grey india glass bulky drops
• Grey AB glass rectangulars
• Waxed linen cord in pink and magenta
• Copper double stranded clasp

Bracelet - Pineapple Express

• Poppy oxidized copper clasp - DaisyChainExtra
• Lampwork glass bead - CheekyCherub
• Peach ceramic round - Gaea
• Smoky Teal AB facetted rondelles 
• Pineapple copper bead
• Coral buri seeds beads
• Copper heishi rings
• Tassel from copper leaf chain
• Coral waxed linen cord 7-ply

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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

Two necklaces

Necklace - Snow

• Gorgeous gorgeous shadow box porcelain pendant - Round Rabbit
• Milky white 6-sided long glass beads
• Sea foam/light topaz 6/0 seed beads
• Pale yellow 15/0 seed beads
• Opal white gilt lined 6/0 seed beads
• Lobster clasp and findings in antiqued silver
• Copper heart (hidden inside the shadow box) - DaisyChainExtra
• Flexible beading wire

Necklace - TriColor

This is a super long necklace strung on waxed cotton cord. Using 6/0 seed beads, small pale blue wooden rounds and a variation of lucite, resin and glass beads. A magnetic ball clasp in silver color, and a silvery oval bead also. Bead colors are ivory, dark orange and turquoise blue.

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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

4 more bracelets of June 2013

I am going through a very productive period when it comes to making jewelry. It seems the designs comes to me so easily, and with such pleasure and joy. I just love it, and it is fun fun fun all the time. Very satisfying. If anything holds me back it is a lack of time and mainly an ability to work undisturbed during the day. It is just one of those periods. And I AM frustrated about it.  But still, I find I am very much into the actual designing and making of the jewelry pieces, whereas the rest of it I find quite a bit less fun. I am talking about taking photos, blogging, listing on Etsy and such things. It's like once I have finished one piece all I want to do is to make a new other one. I really wish I could have an assistant that could take care of the rest of the work on my behalf. I constantly miss the deadline dates for submissions to various magazines. So hence I hardly take part in any such things since a little while back. I do wish to be more active in that field of course, but it is like it is at the moment. Anyway, today I show you 4 new bracelets that I made during June. Hope you enjoy! :-)

Bracelet - For the Love Of Daisies
Copper Daisy clasp - Joanne Tinley of DaisyChainExtra
Verdigris green patinated chain - Shannon LeVart of MissFickleMedia
Copper Leaf Chain
Orange-red large somewhat irregular seed beads
Orange waxed linen cording

Bracelet - Blue Lace

Ceramic focal in pale yellow and with a blue flower pattern - Nancy Schindler of RoundRabbit

Blue glass nuggets
Dark brown wooden ring

Brass toggle bar from Vintaj
Seed beads and brass findings
Blue waxed linen cording

Bracelet - Ivory and Purple disks
Copper swirly clasp with glass detail - Genea
Copper jump ring
Ivory and Purple glass disks
Purple waxed linen cording

Bracelet - A Heart Of Green
Brass Heart charm - Lesley Watt of Thea Too
Purple enameled Head Pin - Barbara Lewis of PaintingWith Fire
Verdigris green patinated Leaves Bead cap - Patina Queen
Ivory Glass Round
Brass Heishi ring bead
Matte Green Irregular large seed beads
Orange-red large somewhat irregular seed beads
Golden colored cocoanut heishi beads
Matte ivory white irregular glass
Memory wire

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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

Art Bead Scene Challenge February 2013

Art Bead Scene's Monthly Challenge for February:

Heijinja, 1941

Tōshi Yoshida

Woodblock Print

(Please note this art is copyrighted and is to be used only as inspiration.)

What first caught my attention was of course the beautiful and striking color scheme with the orange-red buildings and all the subtle hues of beiges, pinks and greys. Secondly I was attracted to the people in the picture, and particularly the lady and the child feeding the birds, and also the beautiful blooming tree. And in fact I started there, and I have a few more sketches laid out for two or three more bracelets that I don't yet know if will end up completing.



But then I somehow ended up with this bracelet. It came about because I one night, as I so often do whilst sitting in front of the TV in the evenings, was making beaded beads. I thought I could maybe make one especially inspired by this challenge. And so, after a few attempts, a new design was born. One that I am very pleased with, and I believe I will end up making many of, but in different color constellations.



I saw the beaded beads inevitably combined with the round opal pink beads in a bracelet. And as a final celebration to the bloomy-ness in the inspiration picture I added one of Joanne Tinley of DaisyChainExtra's absolutely beautiful handmade copper clasps.

On a final note:
I have given myself the task of making at least one piece for every month of Art Bead Scene challenges this year. And I did indeed also make one for January. But for some reason I was never pleased with the photos I took, and the month went by and I had missed my chance to present it on Art Bead Scene. Never mind, it is still sitting here on my table, and when I have the photos I find good enough I will show it to you.

I was inspired to give myself this task by the always inspiring Cece Cormier of The Beading Yogini. She did it last year you see. And I find that for myself I always stretch a bit further for these challenges when I participate. So, there you go. I hope I will be able to live up to my task for all twelve months of the year.


All my best,
Malin

Love, passion and thrill (and a necklace and a bracelet)

It feels to me like I haven't been all that productive with my jewelry making over the last couple of months. That is not all true, I know, because I HAVE made pieces here and there, but I haven't been at all as productive as I would have been if I hadn't had a few distractions going on around me in my life. I have missed my jewelry making. Big time actually. I have still had my hands occupied with making beaded beads, tons of them actually ... but more about that in another post coming up soon(-ish).

I have missed my beads, I have missed to just be looking at them, fondling them, combining them and so on. Communicating with them, and via them. You know what I mean, don't you. I realize what an extraordinary strong love affair I have with my beads. Serious serious love. And an addiction. Now again I feel so content, so stimulated and so lustful. Passionate. And still lusting for more.

Over the last few days I have been finding myself spending more and more time in my beading studio again. I mean not just popping in there every now and then, but sessions going on for many hours. I made a smaller clean up of my messy work area, and I sorted a lot of the beads just laying around in different piles previously created as a result of how my ideas processes work.

I have so many wonderful wonderful beads in my stash. And I guess it in a way sometimes might be good to not hang with them for a while, because when you meet up again, you sort of re-discover them with a clean mind. That is how I feel now at least.

Look at those large shell beads in the necklace below! They are about 22 mm across, but not heavy at all. I bought them about 6 months ago. From HappyMangoBeads. I thought they were a bit on the expensive side for me to be honest, I mean for what you get. And I hesitated for more than a week before I finally made up my mind. Oh, how glad I am that they ended up with me. They are simply absolutely gorgeous, worth every penny. My idea at the time was that they would end up in a chunky and summery bracelet. But look at that necklace I made the other day instead. It was one of those you know, that sort of designs itself and your hands seem to be simply just a tool for some higher power. May I say myself that I adore it? It looks absolutely fantastic on (sorry I don't have a good picture of that yet.) And it is also packed with a bunch of art beads and components from some of my favorite bead artisans. I think it has a strong wintery holiday feel to it. What do you think?

It will be for sale in my Etsy shop in a not too far future. (Or you are very welcome to contact me already now if you are interested in buying it.)

• Verdigris Loop 'T' Loop by Staci Louise of SLArtisanAccents
• Kiwi green ceramic round by Elaine Ray
• Dark green erudite facetted polymer clay nuggets by Barbara Bechtel of SecondSurf
• White cylindrical ceramic bead from EarthButterStudio
• Aqua blue green crackle glaze large ceramic round from EarthButterStudio
• Green ceramic wheel disc by Round Rabbit
• Shell beads from Happy Mango Beads
• Round rosey copper link by E2SSupplies
• Orange waxed linen cord
• Chocolate brown silk ribbon

And a humble(-ish) bracelet with facetted oval glass beads with some sort of coating that make them sparkle a bit more and look a little milky too, and a copper leaf link by Joanne Tinley of DaisyChains. It also has a winter holiday feel to it, don't you think. This one will also turn up in my Etsy shop very soon.

• Oxidized copper leaf link from DaisyChainExtra
• Facetted oval glass bead crystal clear with a coating
• Round pearl coated white bead
• Green enameled bead caps
• Red round small glass bead
• Copper hook
• Pale cellery green waxed linen cord

All my best,Malin de Koning

2 New Bracelets & 1 "Older"

Howdy friends,

Lately I haven't been all that active in the online beading community as some of you might have noticed. I get like that sometimes, just need to keep to my self for a little while. However I do feel I have been in a very productive and creative period, even if I don't post here so very regularly. And I am keeping busy with jewelry making and making my beaded beads (I have quite a few more of them now to still list in my Etsy shop :-)). Today I'll show you two bracelets I made recently, and one bracelet I made back in April, which was published on a spread with instructions in the August issue of the great British beading magazine Beads & Beyond (my first spread with instructions ever, so I am mighty proud of that). 

I'd be very happy to read your opinions on all three of them, or just any.

1.

Lovely rustic indonesian glass beads made from recycled glass. Knotted on waxed cotton cord. Vintaj brass lobster clasp and etched jump ring for closure. I really like how it turned out with the three rings with the same colored beads sitting in the middle. This bracelet is super easy to wear.

2.

The clasp made by Amanda Davies I've had for ages, it was actually one of the first art bead components I ever bought. I have always loved it, but not been able to find a  suitable enough way of using it in a jewelry piece. The black large glass nugget beads I have also had for a long time without knowing how to do them justice. Knotted on teal waxed linen cord. I am very pleased with this combo. The bracelet looks so great on, I think.

3.

Lastly but not leastly a bracelet I made some time ago, which was one of the projects in Beads & Beyond August issue. It is packed with art beads, and it was the flower clasp in oxidized silver from DaisyChainExtra that sparked off the idea in the first place. I wanted to really enhance the flower aspect of it all, to get the feeling of walking around with my own pretty front garden as it looks in mid summer on my wrist. Remember it was April so I was longing with all my heart :-). 

I made a little flower group and combined the clasp with the two pink flowers I already had in my stash. I remember I was very happy to come up with that idea in the first place, because it felt quite different from what I normally do. Three flowers in three different materials, by three different artists. The ceramic flower bead cap from ChelleV2, and the polymer clay blossom from MissFickleMedia. Enameled head pin by PaintingWithFire, and all the larger ceramic beads by Gaea. Opal pale pink glass rounds, smaller blue green ceramic round beads, copper chain and findings, and one Swarovski bicone bead.

These three bracelets will be listed in my Etsy shop within the nearest few days.

All my best,

Malin