Monday 4 May 2015

bits 'n' pieces

My sister prodded me recently (it's OK, I don't bruise too easily) to add some more items I have made to my blog.  She wants to show them to her friends, so here I am.

These are in no particular order.  Some are made as a result of attending classes, and some from kits.  I've given what details I can, but the patterns aren't mine, so I can't share those.

SHINEY ROCKS (My local shop in Bristol.  I do lots of classes here, and they do kits.)


This first one is Swarovski pearls, in a netted overlay.

















I call this one my Cleopatra bracelet, because the first time I did it, it was antique gold and blue colourway!  I have since done it in lots of colours.  It always looks great.  This one in purple and black went to a school chum.

















 This was a kit, but I embellished it differently to the instructions.... Not that unexpected, I am told...

This one was made in a class.  A brooch, with two elements, Swarovski rivolis at the centre, with bezels built up in seed beads, and bicones.













This is a fantastic art deco style bracelet, and I have done it in a couple of colours.  The blue and green version is being worn around Scotland...







A class - wire wrapping beads, with a wire clasp (made, not bought!)

Gunmetal wire looks great against the green beads.





 
 
 
 
Another kit, a bit tricky this one!  Swarovski pearls, with seed beads, and a little extra embellishment to highlight the décolletage!
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
This one started as a class. However, with apologies to Amanda, I went a bit off piste.  the central motifs were as instructed, but I didn't want to join them up in the same way, so I went 'free form' - basically, mad netting!
 
 
 

This was another class.  Using O beads, and what has become my favourite colour seed beads - Matte black AB - oh dear, I need more!!
 
I have made earrings to match this.



 
 
 

And finally, the Popcorn bracelet.  A class at Shiney, originally.  I have now done this in so many colours, with so many different types of drops.
 
Here are two I did recently for some chums at work.  You can't quite see, but the top one has some lovely green magatama drops.  It is much more pronounced in real life!!

  
 
Fire and Ice (online shop)
 
 
This pattern is called the trellis bracelet.  I loved the blue one (below) - and lost it!  So I made this crystal AB and haematite version to replace it.  I'll need to make the earrings too, I think!
 


 
















This pattern is called Caterpillar.  The original colourway in the kit was in really amazing petrol colours.  I have redone it in blue/silver 2-hole lentils, with a variety of blue (ish) super duos, and sapphire/emerald seed beads.  It sparkles sooooo nicely.










From Magazines





Same pattern, using pyramid beads, Swarovski pearls. One monochrome, one iridescent greens and purples.





All my own work!

My sister (she features a lot!) wanted a slave bracelet.  It took a while to get my head around where to start. 

Plenty of silver chain, with tiny pearls as charms, with a single topaz in the central position.







A wire bangle, with matching earrings, and black findings.  The bangle needed to be a slightly heavier gauge I think, but I wear it a lot.




















Semi precious rondelles - amethyst, iolite, tanzanite and ...and... the other one!

Aquamarine! That's it!

A set of earrings, bracelet, and two necklaces.


















So...if you have made it to here, well done!  I will try and keep to shorter posts, but doing the beading is so much more fun than writing about doing the beading.  But, to keep my sister happy...

Tuesday 24 February 2015

The return of the scarlet pimpernel...

Well, hello...

Yes, I have been away, but now I am back.  And I have a new passion, which means that I'll be giving the blog a bit of a face lift, as all that paint and stuff... well it has to go... in favour of...beads, and crystals and gemstones, and metal... Bright Shiny Sparkly in fact!

Here are some of the things I have been making recently...





St Petersburg stitch bracelet and earrings, with Swarovski crystals, antique gold seed beads




I call this a Cleopatra bracelet, because the first time I made it, it looks like antique bronze and lapis.  Here (left) it's made with antique gold seed beads, crystal briolettes, and sapphire blue seed beads. On the right, it's pale petrol/amethyst seed beads, black briolettes, and crystal seed beads




A special commission for a special lady...  the tiniest wrist ever!!  Matt black, with Swarovski crystals, in an art deco style.

The pendant is Swarovski pearls and crystals, in shades of green, purple and teal.  And it is now on a necklet of leather and ribbon, in shades of purple and green.
Netting - I just love netting!  Antique bronze, with Astral pink Swarovski crystals, earrings and brooch.
 I made these from a bead soup I received.  Carnelian, agate wood and antique brass beads, and antique brass charms and findings, with waxed cotton and ribbons for threading.  As soon as I saw the colours, I had a model in mind.  And yes, she's wearing them!!



A special request from my sister, for a slave bracelet!
This takes me back to the old days of being a punk.  Not that I ever wore a studded dog collar, but... and certainly never pearl encrusted!
More netting, more Swarovski crystals and pearls embellishments.  (you can never have too many embellishments....)
Possibly the piece de resistance... Peyote, around Swarovski rivolis... delish! Good enough to eat... 

 So from here on in, I'll add a bit more detail about how I make them.  But this just catches you up!

Hope you like!

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Late again - July's Calendar Challenge

Oh dear, story of my life, late again...  And I even started this 2 weeks ago!  So, it's Kate's monthly calendar challenge, for July, and I have gone with flowers.  For summer.






















My base colours are unusual for me, taupe and yellow. Not quite sure where that idea came from.  As I say done a couple of weeks ago, and allowed to dry (well!).  As seems to be usual, I added in some iridescent white to the lovely Paper Artsy paints, to give me some bling, all over the top of CLEAR gesso this time.  Not sure about this.  It saved me embarrassment (see last month's post!), but the type I had dried quite quickly.  It meant the colours of paint stayed truer, but...









Then, because I was late, and also because I felt like doing something freehand, I got out my Pitt pens.  They work beautifully on top of acrylics.  Fairly random 'squares', but it looked a bit bland.  So I added in some of the 'known knowns' in terms of dates, and yippee!!  JOFY at the end of the month...so out came the JOFY stamps.  A bit of colouring (with the tongue hanging out of the corner of my mouth, of course) and it all looked a little better.

(When the lovely Mr Skinner bring some more (rubber) stamps out, I shall, of course, use them...and the antiquing cream...ahem!).

Hope you like!

Resources

Paint and Ink
Archival Ink: Fern Green
PaperArtsy Fresco finish: Mud Splat, Haystack
Winsor and Newton: Iridescent white; clear gesso
Pitt pens: Various colours

Stamps
PaperArtsy, JOFY stamps: JM34 (flowers) JM35 (bay tree)

Bling and other stuff
Hmmmm, only the iridescent paint above!  Poor showing, Mooffie!

Sunday 15 June 2014

Kathryn Wheel - Calendar Challenge June

Yes, late again...ah well.  This month (since I have started a new job, really) I have felt like I am chasing my tail, so I went with an Alice in Wonderland theme, mostly

'I'm late, I'm late for a very important date, no time to say 'Hello' - 'Goodbye'....'  Here are my two pages:































On Kate's last session at the Stamp Attic she made a comment along the lines of 'you don't have to start with gesso on your page, but if you don't, it's a bit like going out without your knickers.  It'll probably be OK, but you just don't know...'  So I started with gesso. In honour of flaming June, I went with a yellow and blue theme.  I dragged a hotel key card through some black paint too, just for a contrast.






When it was dry, I used a clock face mask, and a selection of Alice related stamps.

I die cut loads of pocket watches from card, and randomly stamped more of the Alice stamps on them.

Stuck them all down, and hey presto!

Hope you like

Resources

Ink and Paint
Liquitex basics: Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Black
Winsor & Newton: Iridescent white
Distress Ink: Squeezed lemonade, Mustard Seed, Salty Ocean, Stormy Sky, Mowed Lawn
Archival: Cobalt

Stamps
TJ Design: Wonderland Silhouettes
Deep Red: Mat Hatter Tea Party

Bling and other stuff
Pebeo Gesso
Tim Holtz Collection Layering Stencil: Clockwork
Tim Holtz Alterations Movers and Shapers: Mini Clock Key & Pocket Watch

Saturday 14 June 2014

Craft Barn Q&L - Mountain

I guess most of us have songs that bring to mind specific events.  I can remember EXACTLY where I was when I first heard The Joshua Tree - in the bath in my boyfriend's flat in Yeovil!  The perfection of Bono's voice and the soaring music made me come running into the lounge, dripping everywhere!  March 1987.  It's still one of my favourite albums, and when I saw 'Mountain' was one of the words, I knew the song I would be choosing for this Craft Barn Challenge (which I am only making by the skin of my teeth!).  I saw U2 at Wembley, in August '93, the night Salman Rushdie came on stage.  Possibly not the best gig I have ever been to, but that doesn't change how much I love The Joshua Tree.  Hearing this song took me right back to Yeovil, and that flat.

 
 

So, as usual, I started with my Centura Pearl card, A3.  I created the mountains by scraping grunge paste and texture sand over a mask torn from card.  Whilst searching for those, I also found some texture glass, unopened.  Hmm....  Oh yes!  It has that distinctive ammonia smell, but once you get past that, it's lovely!  When dry it allows movement of paint nicely.  So I set that aside to dry - for about 2 hours!!  I spread it on quite thick.  This will be used through stencils more in the future, methinks.
 
 
 
 
The lyrics have been stamped onto card that has been coloured using Distress Inks, mixed with interference red Perfect Pearls spray.  Had to be bling somewhere!  Having stamped the words, I tore them out and edged each with more DI.
 
 
 
 
Paint - lots of colours, mainly PaperArtsy Fresco Finish, but with some added iridescent white, to give the mountain tops a bit of a shimmer. Plenty of dry brushing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
When I had assembled it, I added a frame using film edge stamps, which gives it closure - unlike my love of that song, and that album.
 
 
Hope you like!
 
Resources
 
 
Paint and Ink
PaperArtsy Fresco finish: Snowflake, Pea Coat, South Pacific, Hyde Park, Guacamole, Limelight, Mudsplat, Seaweed  (said there was a lot!!)
Winsor & Newton: Iridescent White
Distress ink: Tea Dye, Tumbled Glass, Wild Honey, Iced Spruce
Archival Ink: Jet Black, Potting Soil
Brilliance: Pearlescent Ivy
 
Stamps
KaiserCraft: Cursive Script Alphabet, Film Edges
 
Bling and Other Stuff
PaperArtsy: Grunge Paste
DecoArt: Texture Sand, Texture Glass
Perfect Pearls Mist: Interference Red