BAO Color Challenge

This is my entry for the Bead Art Originals June Color Challenge. Our source of inspiration was "A Gentle Notion" - a beautiful illustration by Jeannie L Paske of Obsolet World on Etsy. Check out the BAO blog and see other entries for this challenge.

The bracelet is made with tiny 1.8 mm Miyuki cube beads in gorgeous color of metallic green patina iris (#2008) and a beaded Swarovski crystal navette stone as the button clasp. I love how soft this bracelet came out, thanks to the small size of the cubes.
At first I wasn't sure if I had enough beads to finish it, but eventually the bracelet was completed and 3 (!!!) beads were left out of 30 grams... I always thought that it's better to have a little more beads than you think is needed. Missing just a few beads to finish a project would be a disaster!... ;))

A Gentle Notion by Jeannie L Paske 
of Obsolet World on Etsy 

Spiky Branch Bracelet

This is my new bracelet named Spiky Branch. I couldn't decide if its pattern reminds me of a pineapple with its leaves or a palm tree with wide branches... Anyway, everyone in my family said it definitely reminds them of some kind of a branch...so branch it is! :) It's a relatively narrow bracelet, which is made with Miyuki long magatama beads, seeds, crystals and fire polished beads.


I love the long magatama beads, as they are offering more possibilities for a play with different textures and shapes in a piece. But their large, diagonal hole makes them quite challenging to work with. I was challenged by their unique shape in the past and have created Sparkling Wreath pendant / beaded bead, but this time I wanted to design something with a bit more of them in the piece and that's what I came up with. 
I learned a few things about this special beads while I designed this bracelet and I still have more of them in other colors and finishes, so playing with them isn't over yet... ;)

A tutorial for this bracelet is already available. I am also happy to let you know that all my tutorials are now available for both personal only and personal & commercial uses. 

A New Pendant Design and Some Good News

 

I have finished working on Sparkling Wreath tutorial - a cabochon pendant with crystals and Miyuki long Magatama beads. Playing with the design, I came up with three versions of the pendant (two of them are included in the tutorial available).

Other ideas for using these beautiful Magatama beads, with their challenging diagonal hole, came up while working, but I had no time for trying them too, so they went straight into my 'ideas' notebook. I wonder if I will ever have the chance to try any of the ideas written in that notebook. It's either that I am working very slowly, or the time flies faster than before... but ok,....I will spare you the rest of my usual rant about the lack of time... ;P


My Star Pendant is published in the latest December issue of Bead & Button magazine (top right corner on the cover; project on p.48). A video instructing this project is also available for Registered Users on the Bead & Button website. Thanks to Anna Elizabeth Draeger for editing this project. It was a pleasure working with you, Anna!

More good news about publications came in yesterday - two of my projects are going to be published in the next (Vol. 6) Kalmbach publishing Creative Beading annual book. Also a project for a medallions bracelet - stitched in a new technique, is going to be published in the June/July 2011 issue of Beadwork Magazine. Double Yay!

My friends from Bead Art Originals group also have some Extra! news to tell, so check out our blog to read all about it.