Wrapped, Stacked & Layered Bracelets

I do love a good challenge. I find it hard to resist them. And now this one. All about many many many bracelets being worn at the same time. Yes, I do agree with Tracy Statler of Make Bracelets Blog who came up with the idea of this challenge, it looks awesome. Go to her blog to find lots of inspiration on nice bracelets just in general.

Now - Wrapped, Stacked & Layered Bracelets - here's what I have made:

I started off with a bracelet that I actually made a few weeks before I entered the challenge. I call it Travelling by Hot Air Balloon. He he, don't you agree it gives you that feeling. (Or perhaps it's just me?). Glass and ceramic beads and a big brass colored button for closure.

Then I made this multi strand one with seed beads of many different colors and large white pearls.

Seeing those two together, and the color scheme, I came to think of a piece I put together at the end of last year. With MissFickleMedia's purple chain and Mary Harding's ceramic clasp. I haven't yet decided on if it's enough as it is, or if I want to add more things to it. But here, and with the other bracelets it works perfect just as it is.

Finally, I decided to also add another previous piece of mine, The Little Bird. Here's my blog post on that.

Here they are together again, and layed out.

Now have fun checking out everyone else's stacked bracelets:

makebraceletsblog.com (our hostess Tracy Statler)
ahteesblog.blogspot.com
songbeads.blogspot.com
sadafulee.blogspot.com
beadlolabead.blogspot.com
stringsattachedcindi.blogspot.com
carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
cathiecarroll.blogspot.com
pinterest.com/chrisdeweerd
beatnheart.blogspot.com

storiestheytell.blogspot.com
tellyourgirlfriends.com
mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com
copperdiem.blogspot.com
copperpennydesigns.blogspot.com
greenshoot.blogspot.com
twentytwelve-mmxii.blogspot.com
delle56.blogspot.com
elizabeth-marengoalhajas.blogspot.com
treasures-found.blogspot.com

erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com
ferrarioriginalsyahoocom.blogspot.com
facebook.com/handcraftedserenity
PaisleyDesignStudios.com
pixiloo.blogspot.com
hintjewelry.blogspot.com
silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com
daisychaindesignsjewellery.blogspot.com
jazzierich.blogspot.com
site.jkdjewelry.com/blog

jeanetteblix.com
glassaddictions.com
jerrisjems.com
howienjoylife7997.blogspot.com
overthemoon-design.com
katerichbourg.com
pinterest.com/kk0725/stack-it-up-bracelets/
kimmykats.com
kymhunterdesigns.blogspot.com
lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com

lelamccracken.blogspot.com
etsy.com/shop/goingtribal
inspiredadonments.blogspot.com
lorelei1141.blogspot.com
freshbakeddesigns.wordpress.com
lindysdesigns.blogspot.com
maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com
maureenmeanswell.blogspot.com
maybejustperhaps.blogspot.com
beadrecipes.wordpress.com

tekaandzoe.blogspot.com
miri100.blogspot.com
melissameman.blogspot.com
kenshostudio.com
beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com (you are here)
havanabeads.blogspot.com
eclecticteaenshrinements.blogspot.com
roxidesigns.blogspot.com
stefaniessammelsurium.blogspot.com
thestudiosublime.com

sandivolpe.com
sharondriscoll.blogspot.com
sedillohillstudio.blogspot.com
sunshinebliss.com
sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com
MiShelDesigns.com
aujourlejour-shelly.blogspot.com
blueberrycrazy.deviantart.com/gallery
uniqueboutique-creativetouch.blogspot.com
starhitchedwagon.blogspot.com

terrabeadworks.com
theresestreasures59.blogspot.com
sweetbeadstudio.com
missyrappaport.blogspot.com
mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com
fredbeansnook.com/blog

My Tortoise Escaped And Ran Away Into The Woods

When I made this bracelet the other day I had a story playing up in my head. I've never had a tortoise. But I couldn't help imagining we had one, by the name of Mr Tortoise :-), and that he escaped, and "ran" into the little wood next to our garden. I felt he had a good time roaming around in there among the branches, stones and blueberries. He was gone for about half a day. Eventually we would of course find him, and bring him home to the safety of our care. But he got a great adventure for a while there. And he was happy.

Do you get stories in your head like that when you make your jewelry? I do most often actually. I've never thought about it before, I guess it is just a natural part of my creating process. But this story was so strong and specific, so it stuck. I care for that Mr Tortoise, and I wish for anyone who would wear this bracelet in the future to know of his story. Doesn't he look very very content now? :-)

• Content Mr Tortoise by TreeWingsStudio
• Ivory polymer clay "swirls" by Floridity
• Rustic etched lampwork bead by Outwest
• Forest polymer disc bead by HumbleBeads
• Small Ceramic brownish round by Gaea
• Glass, prehnite, agate, coral sticks, lucite flower, seed beads, memory wire

Mark on the other hand had a tortoise when he was a child. And apparently it used to escape about once every year, when the mating season hormones struck. They do that he was told, and it is a strong strong need, so you can't stop them. Mark always found him again, but then one year he didn't. So sad! Now, Mark really liked this bracelet when he saw it yesterday as I was taking the pictures above. Stories inter-tangling :-).

All my best,

Malin

A bracelet

I made this bracelet back in February. It's been away on a transatlantic journey since. But today it came back, so now I can show it to you :-). Don't you find it difficult to not directly share designs that you are particularly happy with? I do! But I guess the more times I submit my pieces the less of an issue that will actually be for me.

Materials and resources:

1 Multi Hole Green Earthy Triangle Connector - RoundRabbit

1 Wine Red Wing Ding bead - Genea

2 10mm Burgundy Facetted Pearls - they were a gift from Heidi Post, she bought them at a show

30 4-5mm Garnet mini coins - StarEyes

55 Size 8 Burgundy Lined Transparent Peridot Triangle Seed Beads - FusionBeads

38 Size 6 Olivine with Frosted Silver and Pink Lining Seed Beads - LimaBeads

1 Antiqued Brass Old Timer Lobster Clasp - PatinaQueen

3 10mm Etched Brass Jump Rings Vintaj - FusionBeads

1 10mm 16G Brass Jump Ring - BeadAholique

Ca 600mm Size 6 Jade Green Silk Cord with needle - Ornamentea

All my best,

Malin

Breaking my blog silence

Hi there,

So, I've been awfully quiet here on my blog for a couple of weeks. There is really no reason at all for it. I am fine. Life goes on as usual, and so on. I simply haven't felt I have anything to blog about. I'm sure it happens to us all at times. My aim is to post here on my blog at least once a week, and hopefully more often. And now I haven't.

So I just thought I'd share with you some wonderful things I've bought over the last period. All of them apart from a couple have already arrived. However, none of them have yet ended up in a piece I have completed (apart from a bit of that Rayon Gimp which I used in a bracelet). Semi-finished yes, but not fully. And some of them will have to wait a little longer before I decide what I will do with them.

Please note that scale between each item is not correct

The suppliers are, from top left:

DaisyChainExtra

Lisa Peters (I got two of those lovelies)

GuldPaddan (they are super tiny)

MissFickleMedia

Jade Scott

HumbleBeads (I got two eggs)

Floridity

HappyMangoBeads

Kylie Parry

Birgitta Lejonklou - Angel Whisperer

Ornamentea

TreeWingsStudio

All my best,

Malin

FusionBeads - Chained #2

So, last week I showed you two pieces I made with chain I was sent from FusionBeads as a part of the FusionBeads Affiliate Blog Partner Program that they started a couple a months ago. Here's the link to that previous post of mine.

Now it's time for part 2 of this month's reveal. And I have made another necklace and a bracelet.

First the long necklace where I used the twisted chain, with wire wrapped large round beads distributed evenly along the chain and with large gaps. Two colors, and perfectly mirrored sides.

Green semi-translucent marbled lucite 18mm rounds. White carved 16mm rounds, that I can't remember what they are. I bought them ages ago before I had a good system for keeping track of all my purchases. The word jade pops upon in my head, but ... I don't know. Two ceramic pods for a pendant. The green one is by Marsha Neal and the white one by Birgitta Lejonklou. A brass colored ball with a hank sits at the back to balance the weight.

I didn't manage to take a good photo where you can see the whole necklace laid out, or one where it sits on, when I took the photos earlier today. I might give it a go again tomorrow just to give you an idea of the proportions and the length. It reaches all the way down to the tummy.

Now the bracelet.

I used green colored/patinated metal parts by MissFickleMedia. And Rayon gimp cording to tie everything together. A somewhat unusual solution maybe, but that I am very pleased with it. The rayon gimp knots creates a nice effect against all the metal, gives another texture softer and kind of satin feeling, and it adds just a little bit more color too. I've secured the knots with glue and the cord ends with fray check. Two strands of the etched chain from FusionBeads.

The chains used in the pieces above were provided as part of the FusionBeads Affiliate Blog Partner Program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author.

All my best,

Malin

Barbara Bechtel on Polymer Clay

I just have to share this with you! Today I saw the first lesson/vlog in a coming series by my friend Barbara Bechtel. On the blog Love My Art Jewelry she will be sharing her knowledge and personal tips on good ways to work with polymer clay. Lesson one promises a great great general approach by Barbara. And further more great stuff to come with lots of good hints and advice.

"You have to get inside the head/the mind of the material you work with. Like a psychologist or therapist."

(Quoted freely by me)

I love that. It is so true.

Here's the direct link to the post with Barbara's first lesson.

Besides making great tutorials Barbara makes the most wonderful work in polymer clay. Beads I personally can't resist to buy. And beads that I love to use in my own work. Barbara is a true original artist. She has created many new styles and concepts. Styles I have seen copied by other bead makers at times. But Barbara is the original. And if you are looking for top quality you don't have to look further.

It is a good idea to go check her shop Floridity on Etsy often, because she updates with new beads and new styles kind of irregularly. I was lucky to get my hands on all of these beauties above just the other day. Oh, I am greedy, I know ;-). Now I am impatiently waiting for them to arrive in my mail box. All the way from Florida, over the Atlantic ocean they will travel. And end up in one of my jewelry pieces in a not too far future. And hopefully finally be sitting on some cool person walking the streets of Stockholm. Isn't that a truly beautiful collaboration over boundaries?

And here's another little tip from me to you. I like to look into the section of what's already been sold in a shop on Etsy. Because there you can get an idea of more things that might be available again in the future. It's not always what you see for sale in the shop, at the current time, that will show you the full capability of that particular artist. It's likely that the most unique or awesome pieces of a bead artist will sell quickly, because there is a fair bunch of people out there who are just as obsessive about art beads as I am. ;-)

Finally, here are a few of my own pieces that include beads by Barbara.

All my best,

Malin

Chained ...

A new parcel from FusionBeads arrived last week. Like an unexpected present :-). It was 4 different chains this time. Antiqued brass plated base metal. Chains ... how refreshing I thought ... I used to use chain in my jewelry all the time before, but lately over the last few months or so I have kind of gone away from it. You know how it can be, you are into certain things during different periods. So, yes, it was a little refreshing kick in my butt so to speak. Today I will present two pieces using two of the chains. I will come back and show you what I did with the other two in the coming week or so.

And hey, look at that one! The really chunky ball chain. 4mm each ball. You know what. I have never ever used ball chain. I have never ever bought it either. I have just never ever been keen on it before. But oooohhhh, this one, that's something different. I didn't know ball chain could come in this chunky-ness. I just had to start with this one. I played around putting together clusters of wire wrapped beads and art beads hanging from a larger ring sort of. Until ...

... until my eyes fell on this ceramic leaf that I have had in my stash for a good while now. By Tracee Dock of ClassicBead and ClassicElements. I adore this leaf, but have never known how make it justice, or how I would like to incorporate it in a jewelry piece. But look at this. Just hanging like that on a long chain. So simple, so perfect. The proportions work really well. A marriage made in heaven. :-) And now I am hooked on ball chain for the future. But I think, for me it has to be this chunky kind.

Next up, the 10 mm round links chain. Combined with a macrame knotted section with enameled beads by Barbara Lewis of PaintingWithFire. Waxed cotton cord and a magnetic ball clasp.

Finally I just thought I would share with you Charlie, my cat, who really likes to work as a prop when I take photos of my jewelry.

All my best,

Malin

The chains used in the pieces above were provided as part of the FusionBeads Blog Affiliate Program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author.

ABS March - Earrings

This month's inspiration painting on Art Bead Scene is one by Vincent van Gogh. He's a favorite artist of mine, and I even did a speech on him, his life and his art back in school when I was around 16. Read more about the challenge on Art Bead Scene's page here.

In fact these earrings are just a sort of coincidental accident. I have so many things laid out on my table to play around and work with for my challenge piece/-s. What I was looking for to create yesterday was something else, but suddenly these beads were just laying there next to each other, and VOILÁ , it just happened. I think they look really nice and very French ;-). But I'll keep working on one or two more pieces still. Hope to get them ready and present them here in the coming week.

I used:

• Pomegranate red with white heart lamp worked beads by BoulderGlassMonkey
• lucite marbled ivory and grey round and hexagonal beads
• blue large seed beads
• Rosey Copper head pins by E2SSupplies
• French Lily Copper ear hooks

All my best,

Malin

Swedish Lesson #8

Hi,

long longed for ... here is my 8th Swedish Lesson. The 8th! I am sorry I was confused in the making, and call it the 7th.