October Submission

Well, my escape wasn't entirely successful. I have made some more artisan jewellery. I used seed beads, and bugle beads and a bunch of techniques and what I created is another addition to my line of glass bead artisan jewellery.

So I have spent some days in bed and other days gallavanting with my sister who took her birthday week off of work. Now I am trying to catch up and regulate my activities.

So!! I wish I could show you what I did for October. You will have to wait until tomorrow for the picture. My camera battery discharges too quickly and it is on the recharge thingy today. I'm sorry about that: I'm hoping a magic elf will give me a new, back up battery for Christmas. It's just that they are so darn expensive.

But I really did something: a brooch. It's a combination of techniques all jumbled together. I am thinking about making a kit from it.

It measures 1 1/2in (3cm) across and the techniques used are ladder stitch variation, brick stitch (just 1 row and it goes around in circles, too), and spiral variation. The colours are muted bronze, yellow gilt and silver gilt. The spiral variation makes it look like a wee ballerina's tutu.

It's round, like a wreath. And if it were done in Christmas reds and greens, golds and silvers, it would look very festive. A perfect giftie for Auntie Lee.

There are only 2 problems: while it doesn't look flimsy, it feels like it in the hand ~ its 'hand' is very fluid; and I don't like the pin finding.

I want to try adding a 2nd row of the ladder stitch variation to stiffen it a bit. And, if I add it to the backside, it might be just be the trick that hides the ugly pin finding. I'll add a pic of the backside, too, so you can see what I mean. Tomorrow.

I guess I have to blame a chum of mine, Jenny. She made a ladder stitch garden bracelet and gave the instructions without a picture: probably the same problem with her camera as with mine today. I made the 'garden on a ladder' just following her steps and it looked entirely different when finished than hers. I went back to the instructions and could follow it now that I had a picture in my mind. So my bracelet is entirely my own work.

But, doing the ladder stitch and playing with it and trying different add-ons giave me my October brooch. It's the combination of techniques that makes it my design. And it did allow me to play a bit. Thank you Jenny.

I want to make some more of these pins as gifts for my family. Each pin need not be expensive: the design would be great for using up some of the bead soup we all manage to collect.

I am reminded of Wimpy, Popeye's friend, who often said "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." So, you'll see my wonderful pin pictures tomorrow.

Oh, I almost forgot, I made earrings to go with it. Something I set myself to do to go with whatever I make for each month.

Yours in Bead Heaven ~Helene ~Glass 0 Beads

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Notes to Self - Spanish Bracelet and Serendipity

I made a cuff bracelet - actually many cuff bracelets. It's artisan jewellery and that is what I do. I submitted a bracelet using beads on memory wire. I struggled with the memory wire and it cost me a flare up of arthritis. I threw it out - well figuratively speaking I threw it out. It landed in such a way that it looked pretty cool on the wrist. My sister was the inspiration and now she wears both bracelets.
Well the falling of the memory wire bracelet was serendipitous: it saved its life and sent my mind off in search of a new memory wire technique.
The next serendipitous happening occurred just about a week ago. My sister and I were watching TV and she suddenly noticed an incomplete cuff bracelet on the table. The only reason it was still in existence is that I hadn't cannibalized it (cut apart and beads and salvageable wire returned to my bead wall). She expressed her delight. Now I have to finish the piece.
Sometimes a failure in your eyes is a success in another's. When you are unhappy with your work and it is not technically flawed, put it down for a day or two. If your attitude doesn't change, stand it in front of a mirror and look at its reflection in the mirror. Pretty good, isn't it!? If your attitude still doesn't change, ask the opinion of somebody else.
Except when the work is technically flawed, don't automatically do the frog stitch (rippit, rippit) when you make a 'mistake.' Is there some way of salvaging what you have done? Maybe you didn't make a 'mistake' at all. Why are self-taught people inspired and inspiring? They had nobody telling them they did something the wrong way.
Take care of your ego, it gets you up in the morning, ready to face the world. Don't tell yourself you are a failure, or you can't do __X__. There are enough people out there who are happy to tear you down - don't you be one of them. Look for the serendipity angel - she exists.
Helene Glass0Beads

Beads Patterns Theme

Hiya, everybody. I read some of the greetings of fellow designers, artisans and felt terribly out of the loop.
What will my theme be? Do I need a theme? Can I wing it?
Well, inspiration comes from the oddest places. I was struck like lightning while sitting in the cancer clinic's waiting room (my sister, not me, and all seems well).
Jewellery of course!! I make and sell my own designs of jewellery.So that is my theme. The patterns will depend on the technique I'll be using.
Fortunately my sketches - made last night after we got home and before I could forget - are such that I can do stumpwork and beaded cross stitch or other stitch with beads, stringing, bead weaving, wirework. Lots of scope in just those few sketches.

Stumpwork - a style of embroidery popular in the 1800's. It is a raised embroidery technique where parts of the embroidery, like butterfly wings or strawberries, are embroidered on a wire framework and attached for a 3D affect.

People living in Australia have a stumpworking genius among them: Jane Nicholas. She has written several books on Stumpwork Embroidery and they are still available at Amazon.com. And her work is beautiful. Her artwork is well photographed and certainly helpful when figuring out how to do the stitches. Her instructions and artwork are detailed and moderately easy if you are a fairly competent embroiderer. Those of us who were born with a needle and thread in our hand will have no trouble following her instructions. You can design your own stumpwork pictures and use the elements Jane has given instructions for.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I now have my theme, and even some of the techniques I want to use. The patterns will come in the nick of time: especially as now I am so much more relaxed.
Take a look at my shops: http://www.lampworkandbeads.com and http://www.glass0beads.etsy.com and when you have some free (!?!) time, visit my other blog: http://baublebabble.wordpress.com and add your comments and observations.