Bead Soup Party - Sneak Peek

Hm, my release date is the 23rd, on wednesday next week. But here is a little sneak peek of what's going on in my studio at the moment. Perhaps we could call it "the Round Theme". I guess we'll see when it is all released.

In case you haven't got a clue what I am talking about, it is the Bead Soup Party #2. Lori Andersson is the organizer, and people from all around the world are participating in the swapping of bead soups. The swapping has already happened and everyone is now creating things with the soup that was sent to them by their partner.

And the party will start on saturday the 19th. The day of the Royal Wedding here in Sweden. It was difficult for me to choose which one of the two parties I would go to, but I finally decided that Crown Princess Victoria and her husband to be, Daniel, will have to just live with the fact that I rather hang out with my beading buddies than royal people and other celebreties from all over the world.

There will be a cortege through the city on saturday, and my husband keeps asking my daughter Arabella if she wouldn't enjoys seeing that. I don't know, it kind of seems that HE really wants to see it since he has been asking several times now. Arabella doesn't seem too bothered at the moment. But I guess we will go and watch it anyway. But I simply can't make it to the wedding party in the evening. The Bead Soup Party feels faaaaar more important to me.

Read more about the party at Lori's blog "Pretty Things"

Drewling Time!!!!!

I have been struggling with that cube peyote bracelet and the button clasp for a few days now. The one I asked for advice for in my previous post. Have tried 2 versions of metal hook, which I by the way made both myself from wire and the look really good if I may say so myself. But the hook didn't work so well for me, so now I will look into some of the other suggestions I got from you.

And Mary Harding has posted about a bracelet in peyote and a shank button clasp. She had the sides overlapping so no skin will show. I am gonna look into that, although I am afraid it might become a bit thick with 4 mm cubes. I will let yoyu know when I have completed it, and show you.
So ... and I also have a few other semi-finished projects on my desktop. Will take photos tomorrow or day after. I AM gonna fullfill my task of "one-a-day"! I am just a little behind at the moment. Have been feeling rather bad from the MS the last few days, and that steals a lot of energy from me.

Hey!

What better way of cheering oneself up when a little down than doing some BEAD SHOPPING! All the photos in this post are of beads I purchased yesterday and now am waiting for to arrive in my mail. Am I happy about these purchases or what? Are you envious? I would be!

From top to bottom - all on ETSY:

Sedona spacers, lampworked, from Loupiac.

Pomegranate Seed Beads, lampworked, by BoulderGlassMonkey.

Large Hoops, Silver Circles, lampworked, by OutWest.

Wooden Carved vintage beads, from MissUFO.

Blue round fruit nut pit, Indonesia, from YukiDesigns.

Buttons, carved coconut, Indonesia, from YukiDesigns.

Sig-id wood tubes, Philippines, from YukiDesigns.

Discs/tubes, Tiger Ebony aka Camagong wood, from YukiDesigns.

Stuck, String and Treasury

Please help me, if you can! I am stuck on this one. As so often before I get stuck on a detail in the production/manufacturing of a piece. I hate when it happens and it is actually one of the main reasons why I gave myself this One-a-Day-Challenge. I wish to come over this barrier so that I get some tempo in my production. I have soooooooo many unfinished pieces laying around. This one I am very pleased with design-wise. I really like the cubes in peyote and the colours, and that button just lift the whole piece. The thing is that I want that button to work as a clasp, and after pondering about it for a few days I decided that the way of making it work would be this way that you can see in the picture (gosh what an awful sentance). But it doesn't work, coz there's a big gap. I will have to redo it. But how? Should it be some metal hook construction hidden under the button? Should it be magnets? Or what? Please please I need some experienced advice from you!

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One-a-Day-Challenge No 3 is a simple strung bracelet with dark coloured rustic trade beads in glass, a few small trade beads in white and some buttons. All strung on double black waxed linen cord with knots in between. The bracelet is worn two laps around the wrist. Casual and very easy to wear, I've been wearing it ever since I made it a few days ago, also together with other bracelets.

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And finally - another treasury on Etsy by me. I wanted to name it "The feeling of sitting on a fallen pine tree log on a cliff by the open sea on a sunny, warm but windy day". But it was a too long name, so I had to shorten it. All the picks are favourites of mine already, either the actual pice or the seller. I do wanna own all the things in this treasury.

Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

Andrew is giving away these extraordinary beads by Barbara Basha.

Check his blog to find out what you need to do to have a chance to win them:
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

They Were All Yellow

Treasury on Etsy ... wonder what that is really? Oh, I can make my own one! Excellent! Fun! I can pick from my already favourites then. Oh, there are quite a few yellow ones. So now it seems I got stuck with making a treasury instead of posting about my latest jewellery. I guess you will have to endure with me until tomorrow night. Hope you will enjoy "They Were All Yellow" in the meantime. But please don't buy that hat. Coz I looooove it. Unless you will give it to me as a present on my birthday on the 30th of june of course ... ;-)

Arrival

Crazy beautiful arrival from Happy Mango Beads. I am slowly becoming dependant of their large christmas beads strands. I wonder if I could subscribe on them. Regular delivery of two strands every other week ...

Happy Mango Beads - I just love the rustiqueness of a lot of their beads in general. Glass, gemstones or other natures materials. And just look at those pink resin-beads to the far left on the picture. Cute and summery enough, eh!?!!

I believe today's "One-a-Day" will contain some of these beads. How about those large rough facetted brown glass ones. They are just wonderful. Well the whole lot is gorgeaus really.

"One-a-Day" of yesterday and today will be posted tomorrow.

Until then - all my best!

ABSJune - Bracelet "Shannon" (One-A-Day no2)

This month's inspiration painting for the ABS monthly Challenge by Toulouse-Lautrec had me creating right away. I just couldn't hold myself back. Such marvellous colours! And forms. The whole composition. The dancing lady's pink fluffy underskirts, her red hair, the flower in it, the different shades of greens, the rusty colours, the ivory arches in the background, the white socks of the bystander, the lilac twins ...

Materials:

3 pink flowers by Shannon Levart/MissFickleMedia, mounted on headpins and with black swarowskis.

Enameled greenish flowers by Barbara Lewis/PaintingWithFire.

Green patinated chain by Shannon Levart/MissFickleMedia.

Rusty Dupioni silk ribbon from Ornamentea,

White tubular porcelain beads from Africa.

Black and ivory facetted bone beads.

Turquise e-beads.

Carnelian roundels.

Lilac matte glass beads.

Leather cord.

Ginger patterned button in plastic.

Links:

ArtBeadScene June-Monthly-Challenge

Barbara Lewis of PaintingWith Fire

Shannon Levart of MissFickleMedia

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I was invited to go sailing today, on a catamaran. I brought my friend Linda, and it was all marvellously nice and relaxing. We sat/laid on the net in the front most of the time just

relaxing in the sun. Sailing is very good for the soul Linda and I concluded.

"One-a-Day-Challenge" - No 1 - Bracelet "Lori"

I have given myself a new challenge. I shall complete one piece of jewellery every day. I call it my own " One-a-Day-Challenge". This is the first piece. Completed on friday the 4th of june 2010.

Coincidentally, (or perhaps not), I got very inspired yesterday when I saw Lorelei's latest jewellery using hard wire. So I was gonna try that style myself. But I got somewhat carried away during the process, so it ended up that you can't see any of the wire at all. But I am very pleased anyway. And I just had to name this bracelet "Lori", after Lorelei Eurto of course.

Materials:

Dandelion focal - Heather Powers of HumbleBeads

Patinated brass wire - Patina Queen

Two brass dangles - Objects & Elements

Creme roughly facetted glass beads

Turqouise e-beads

Etched brass round

Copper clasp

Brass rolo chain

My cat Charlie likes to squeeze into tiny spaces as I have mentioned before here on my blog. This is today's attempt. A shoebox for the new shoes we bought yesterday for my daughter Arabella. And ... he succeded very well, didn't he.

Bracelet in progress & Buttons

I am working on this wide bracelet at the moment. Width: 1 inch and 1/4 or 3,3 cm. Peyote stitch with 4 mm cubes. A huge shank button shall work as the clasp.

Look! I have expanded my button collection. From no buttons at all, to this bunch. A really lovely one in my own opinion. I am planning to start using a lot more buttons in my jewellery. Mainly as clasps, but also just incorporated instead of ordinary beads.

Sia Furler sings Buttons: