Monday, February 23, 2009

Some new things

I have been busily beading, and have a few things to share! First, earlier this month was my nieces birthday (she turned 9 on February 11Th), so I thought I would make her something. After searching the web for awhile, I found the cutest pattern for a hello kitty pendant done in right angle weave! This is just a quick picture I snapped while it was in the box before I wrapped it up and sent it to the birthday party, but I think it turned out VERY cute, and the birthday girl was quite pleased! The necklace also has beaded beads (done in RAW), and I made some earrings to go along with it.
This other necklace is something I am donating to my mothers church for a charity auction they are having. We got these new beads at work, and they spoke to me! This is what they said...
I am also very happy with how this turned out. I cant remember where I saw the inspiration for this piece, but through my searching of beaded pictures(1000's of them!) the pearly part is similar to some of Laura McCabes work. The necklace is constructed with herringbone stitch, and the little beaded slide (but it doesnt actually move) is done in right angle weave. The pearls at the bottom are just fringe attached to the herringbone base.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The entries for the challenge are in and yet again, they are simply beautiful, creative and amazing! Imagine that all of these entrants took the time and talent to create these inspiring challenge pieces! You can click on the item in the text list below the mosaic which links to the Etsy Shop listing of each entrant where you will see more detail of each piece! Be sure to go to the Etsy-Beadweaver blog on the 9th when the poll will be available for you to cast your vote, February 9th thru the 15th!
1. Caribbean Surf Collar by: nemeton
2. Scorpion Fish by: njema
3. Dreaming of Hawaii by: randomcreative
4. A Walk on the Beach by: beadsandblooms
5. Peace on the beach by: PFordCustomJewelry
6. Orchid Beauty by: ArtfulAr
7. Rainforest Necklace by: charmingthings
8. Blue lagoon necklace N961 by: FleurDeIrk
9. Paradise by: beadsforever
10.Pink Flamingo Fantasy Necklace by: gypsyeyesjewelry
11. Sultry Salty Sand and Surf by: janetkemp88
12. hawaii '09 necklace by: thebeadedlily
13. Tropical Sunset Garden Necklace (1384) by: clairecreations
14. The Lively Sea by: farfrumplainjane
15. Tropical Holiday bracelet by: 6Carmen6
16. Beachcombing the Sea of Cortez - A Tropical Holiday by: dreambeadweaver
17. What if I'm a Mermaid by: ThesePreciousThings
18. Tropical Breezes by: RegalBeads
19. Tropical Chic - Choker by: Triz
20. Spinny Girl on the Beach by: BeadArtbyShari
21. Tropical Garden by: SpringColors
22. Tropical Paradise Necklace by: CieloDesign
23. Coral Reef Cuff Bracelet by: FrancescasFancy
24. TORTUGA by: caraway
25. CRYSTAL LEI by: fashionsfrome
26. Tropical Nights by: SmadarsTreasure
27. Tropical Flower Brooch by: enchantedbeads
28. Tropical Dream Cuff by: arosebyname
29. Calypso Necklace by: DeepSeaBeads
30. Tropical Whale Tails Bracelet by: SalamanderHouse
31. Tropical Holiday by: veroque
32. Caribbean Sunset by: totallytwisted
33. Bougainvillea Bouquet by: KerrieSlade
34. Tropical greenwood by: beadshead
35. Beachcomber by: vanishingpearl
36. Island Treasure Chest by: BeadazzledofOregon
37. Mayan Sun by: ThreeFatesDesign
38. Girlie Drinks and Sunsets by: HannahRachel
39. MAUI WEDDING by: Chrisbeads
40. Strelitzia by: MadeByOlga
41. ti leaf and orchid lei by: beadwoman3
42. Sunset in the Islands by: 1965angelika
43. Tropical Treasures by: BeadCatcher
44. On The Beach by: SilverDragon
45. Loopy Lei Necklace by: beadworkbyamanda
46. Tropical Rainforest Getaway by: Bead4you
47. Sea and Sand Necklace by: Beadmatrix

Voting begins on Monday, February 9th and ends midnight February 15th. The best way to show your appreciation for the efforts of these amazing artists is by taking on the difficult task of voting for your favorite. This month there are so many exquisite entries it will be even more difficult to choose just one! (The ballot will appear on the side bar at right on February 9th.) Thank you, enjoy and be sure to go to the Etsy-Beadweavers blog to vote between February 9th and 15th!
Many thanks to Ann of Francesca's Fancy for compiling the information and creating the Mosaic.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

My first EBW Challenge entry ever!


I finally completed my challenge entry for the Etsy-beadweavers February challenge "Tropical Holiday". I decided to make a flower lei after thinking about lots of beautiful tropical flora. This is fashioned after a ti leaf and orchid lei that I saw online. It is 46 inches long, and felt like it took forever to make! The whole piece is constructed using herringbone/ndebele stitch.
Now on to the next project!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

My first collar!

I managed to survive through the holidays, and have to share a few pictures now that they are done. I wasn't sure how it would all look when I was done, since I didn't have a plan, but it turned out pretty good I think. Way back in September last year, I did some bead artist trading cards for a swap. All of them were monochromatic, and my Mom flipped over the white one(her favorite color is white). She wanted something done in white like that, and we decided she needed a collar. I have never actually done a collar before, so I got out some old Bead and Button magazines, and some bead embroidery books I have and went to work. I don't think it turned out half bad for a first try. All in all, Mom was impressed and it was a very Merry Christmas!




Monday, December 8, 2008

Etsy Beadweavers' December Challenge - Snow Queen

The entries for the challenge are in and yet again, they are simply beautiful, creative and amazing! Imagine that all of these entrants took the time and talent to create these inspiring challenge pieces! You can click on the item in the text list below the mosaic which links to the Etsy Shop listing of each entrant where you will see more detail of each piece! Be sure to stop by http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ on the 9th when the poll will be available for you to cast your vote, December 9th thru the 15th!




1. mirka collar - thebeadedlily
2. Snow Queen Musical Box - enchanted beads
3. winter's court necklace - AmethystRavenstar
4. A Royal Affair - beadsforever
5. Snow Blind - artzilla
7. Snow Queen necklace - CieloDesign
8. Jadis , Beadwoven Cuff - RegalBeads
10. Snow Queen Choker - njema
13. Snowdrop - ErtheFae
14. Ice Dream - nemeton
15. Queen of the Frozen Tundra - gypsyeyesjewelry
16. Snow Queen Beaded Cuff - celestialfoundations
17. Snowflake - ArtfulAr
18. Yuki Onna - Japanese Snow Woman - SmadarsTreasure
19. Anastasia choker - MCDdesigns
20. For the White Witch of Narnia - ThesePreciousThings
21. Snowflake Fairy - BeadazzledofOregon
22. Snow Queen - cigarboxbeads
23. Snow princess necklace - FleurDeIrk
24. Snow Queen Collar - LiciaBeads
25. Royal Crystal Necklace - SpringColors
26. Snowfall - beadsandblooms
27. Queen of the Snow - savoystudio
28. Snow Queen amulet bag - PFordCustomJewelry
29. Snow Queen Paisley Bracelet - myfairladyvt4
30. Victorian Icicles Necklace - FrancescasFancy

Voting begins on Tuesday, December 9th and ends midnight December 15th. The best way to show your appreciation for the efforts of these amazing artists is by taking on the difficult task of voting for your favorite. (The ballot will appear on the side bar on the right on December 9th at http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/.) Again, the individual pieces are listed below the mosaic where you can visit each entry for more information by following the link. Thank you, enjoy and be sure to go to the website to vote between December 9th and 15th!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Jewels of the Sea drawing

Sunday, November 30, 2008 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving) will be the drawing date for
"Jewels of the Sea" 2008 "Pink Ribbon Turtles" Project

If you haven't made your donation to put your name in the hat, now is the time to do it!
You can make your donation at www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm
Don't miss your chance to own this beautiful beaded artwork,
Or your chance to make a donation to the
American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research.
At this site you can make donations to win our two other
2008 "Pink Ribbon Turtles" for Breast Cancer Research.
The drawing date for those will be Friday, December 12th...
WOW...what a great Christmas present any of these would be!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Ive been MEME'ed!

Boy, I have never been MEME'ed before. I am supposed to now tell you 7 things about myself that most people don't know...Ive been giving this a lot of thought, and boy is this hard.

1. In high school I loved to dye my hair different colors, and shaved parts of my head. I liked blue and purple the most.
2. I have multiple tattoos, all of them turtles.
3. No matter what my Mother thinks, I pierced my tongue as a dare by a friend, not the "other reason" she assumes it was for...
4. I am not Amish, like people keep asking me about. Just because I have long hair in a ponytail and wear long skirts all the time doesn't mean anything except I am to lazy to cut or style my hair, and skirts are much more comfortable than pants.
5. I am addicted to playing World of WarCraft. It started as a good way to spend time with my husband(who is a video game freak) and turned into a full fledged addiction (Ive even found myself playing it when he is not at home!).
6. Cheese is my most favorite food in the world! It is my comfort food, and I would eat it for every meal of the day if I could. I like it even more then chocolate!
7. And last but not least, I am a vegetarian, but don't like a lot of vegetables(weird, huh?)

Well, that was really hard to do, not because I have anything to hide, but because I cant think of anything interesting someone might want to know about me that they don't know already! So I guess now I'm supposed to MEME some people (7 to be exact), and that might prove to be even harder then telling the 7 facts about myself. I might need to think about this for a little longer, because most of the bloggers I know have already been MEME'ed.

On another note, I just wanted to share some pictures that aren't bead related...My boys dressed up for Halloween(they are old enough the don't do cute anymore :( . Without the face paint, they are cute as can be (I'm a Mom, I'm allowed to say that, right?).

And a loaf of sourdough bread that my Dad got me from San Francisco while he was there for my brothers wedding...how cool is this?

I never thought of making turtle bread before. I must say it was difficult to cut into, sawing him in half was almost a shame. I thought about trying to save him by putting a few coats of shellac on him, but Brian thought it would still get "funky" on the inside of the loaf, and that wouldn't be a good thing. He tasted great though, I dipped him in a homemade stew yesterday. Mmmmm....good!