heart trees and totem poles

painting by emily carr

sketch by emily carr

heart trees

Being that its a while since I last wrote anything for this blog and I can't begin to write about everything I've done, I'll start with this. Heart Trees and totem poles are the same! Heart trees are the heavily spirited weir wood trees in  the Game of Thrones. Totem poles are the heavily spirit-inhabited carved trees from our own world. My first memory of the image that would haunt me, until I discovered that the artist, Jack Gaughan,  had taken some of his ideas from Emily Carr. When I first saw her pictures I was amazed. Her work is so full of archetypes that it goes straight into the deep corners of your brain. Yet, when you can compare her pictures to photographs of the same scene you realize that while she had this amazing eye for color and composition, her paintings were often intensely realistic at the same time.

At this time of the year my thoughts turn to totem poles and I stuff my brain with images, spend some time sketching and coloring them and, yes, try to bead them. Right now, I'm using purple and light blue, trying to get the effect I see in those painted animal heads. It is so hard. Realizing heart trees with their strange bloody faces, both symbols and old gods in their own right were simply another expression of totem poles has been a real mind-opener for me. I feel rejuvenated and ready to bead another

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop 2015 SEED BEAD EDITION!!

UPDATE!! Susanne Stelljes is not feeling well. Let us hope she is able to hop! Here is her blog

http://pearlify.blogspot.de

wonderful, so full of colr

                                                                    earrings to delight

components

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Still working

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

    Linda Anderson did us all proud on this blog hop. As you all know she put in a lot of work selecting our partners, getting us all ready for this big day and taking on,is it two, is it three partners on top of that. I’ve been folowing her adventures in her blog.

    My partner was Susanna Stelljes. WE can’t even speak each others languages but we managed to communicate. Ok we communicated in English, its me that can’t speak her language. Here is a link to her blog, which is managed in a completely different way than mine, and maybe yours. she chose to organize her blog with pictures, so you get the ig picture right away and then you can go in and look at all the little pictures

queek ever helpful

    I organized mine around words. words mean more to me that pictures. Although I write daily, I’m never as good with them as I want to be. One of my other social media delights is playing words with friends. 

    Here are the jewelries I made for the blog hop. Thanks to the bright ,opalescent colors Susanne sent they are more exuberant than my usual. First up are the earrings. I so enjoyed making them. I sat down and made them the day I received my beads. I think they are the best earrings I have ever made. 

    Next is the curvy pearly bracelet. Such lovely colors. This bracelet has already found a home.

    Then I made a bugle bead bracelet with a knotted clasp. I cannot say this idea was mine, I saw someone else make  a bracelet this way. but I did not get who they were. However the idea stayed with me as I am always looking for good new ideas for bugle beads. Bugle beads are surprisingly useful and right now they are my favorite bead.I also started a  but haven’t finished it. The same for the little beaded bead. I just enjoyed all those colors and beads so much.

    Last is a celadon bracelet, a bangle with no clasp. Here I used a trick I have seen used in commercial jewelry. Stretchy thread. I made an inch of beadwork with it so the bracelet will slide over your hand. I toyed with ideas of various sorts of embellishment but the supreme simplicity of the monotone effect was so pleasing I left it simple.

    As you can tell from everything I had a wonderful time with this blog hop. Now I’m off to the hopping part to check out what everyone else made. By the way, I'm recommending you start with the seed beaders. That's where all the excitement is!

Detail from bracelet, a la Diane Fitzgerald

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop 2015 

Partner List  
 Our Hostess: Linda Anderson from http//:fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Linda Anderson http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Marica Zammit http://www.beadlovelies.com
Linda Anderson http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Jessica Hocutt https://faithfamilyandadventure.wordpress.com
Kristina Hahn Eleniakhttp://www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com
Debbie Jeffries http://wordpress/debrasdivinedesigns/blog.com
Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.com/
Shalini Austin http://jewellerybyshalini.co.uk/my-blog/
Catherine La Vite http://drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com
Annica Larsson http://zestyfrog.wordpress.com/
Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com/
Divya N http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com
Mowse Doyle http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com
Fay Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com
Kathy Lindemer http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
Claire Fabian http://saraccino.blogspot.de/
Janice Warden Bergeron http://thejewelryroom.blogspot.ca
Natalie Davidson http://www.northshoredays.com
Deb Fortin http://www.studiok24.blogspot.ca
Inge von Roos http://ingetraud.wordpress.com
Karen Mitchell http://overthemoon-design.com
Robin Reed http://willowdragon.blogspot.com
Marie Covert http://thistledown-and-swaddlings.blogspot.com/
Alicia Marinache http://www.allprettythings.ca
Nan Smith http://www.wirednan.blogspot.ca
Johana Nunez http://artincendi.com
Kelly Hosford Patterson http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/
Lori Blanchard http://alainnjewelry.WordPress.com
Sue Kennedy http://suebeads.blogspot.com
Shai Williams http://shaihasramblings.com
Niky Sayers http://silverniknats.blogspot.co.uk
Melissa Trudinger http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Candida Castleberry http://www.spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com
Erin Guest http://www.renlish.com
Nicole Rennell http://nicolerennell.com/blog
Ien Temaluru http://ienmaginationsjewelry.wordpress.com
Robin Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/
Sam Waghorn http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk
Marianne Baxter http://www.simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com
Elsie Deliz-Fonseca http://ladelizchica.blogspot.com
Shai Williams http://shaihasramblings.com
Lee Koopman http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Jayne Capps http://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com
Marti Conrad http://marticsclay.blogspot.com
Tina Bosh http://bookbug-somanybookssolittletime.blogspot.com/
Eleanor Thomas http://woolywireetc.blogspot.com
Jeanne Steck http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com
Gloria Allen http://www.wingsandbeads.blogspot.com
Rachel Mallis http://www.mintmonarch.com/#!blog/c1jlz
Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Stamper http://skwds.blogspot.com
Chris Haussler http://pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com
Betony Maiden http://www.beadwenches.blogspot.com/
Kari Asbury http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog/
Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/
Colleen Foley http://colleenfoleycreations.blogspot.com
Marybeth Rich http://forestofjewels.blogspot.com/
Marcy Lamberson http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com
Dyanne Everett-Cantrell http://www.deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com
Ginny Lones http://www.Skippingintotheunknown.blogspot.com
Maria Rosa Sharrow http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com
Loretta Carstensen http://designsbyloretta.blogspot.com
Dolores Raml http://craftydscreations.wordpress.com
Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Louise McCormick-Glazier http://jewelrytreasuresbylouise.blogspot.com/
Heather Richter http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
Tammy Adams http://www.paisleylizard.com/blog/
Shirley Moore http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com


Seed Beaders
Susanne Stelljes http://pearlify.blogspot.de
Sheila Prosterman http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com
Pallavi Asher http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/
Jami Shipp http://celebratinglifewithdamamashipp.blogspot.com
Peggy Kosier http://www.kosydesigns.blogspot.ca/
Andra Weber http://andrasjoyfuljourney.blogspot.com
Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com
Krafty Max http://kraftymax.com
Sierra Barrett http://giraffecanhas.wordpress.com
Lois Sherwood http://thiznthat5454blog.wordpress.com
Katy Heider http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com
Rebecca Robertson   (White) http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/
Heather Richter http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
Brandy Collier http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com
Stephanie Haussler http://www.pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com
Lori Blanchard http://alainnjewelry.WordPress.com
Kathleen Breeding http://99bobotw.blogspot.com
Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com
Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/
Tami Norris https://jewelrybytami.wordpress.com/
Ginger Bishop http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com/
Peggy Johnson http://charmbarn.blogspot.com


Labels: Bead Peeps, Swap N Hop 

Celedaon simplicity

BUTTERFLIES

T

this is the butterfly and flower necklace I am collaborating on  with a friend

butterfly wings

    Today is Pepitas butterfly hop.She is a beader who lives in Secovlje, Slovenia, but maintains contact with the big world of beaders through the internet and she is now a friend to all of us.

I made a couple of things. One is a necklace with two butterflies on it but you can’t see them very well.  And in my list of disasters I’ve misplaced my butterfly bracelet I was working on.  But, lucily, I have the second butterfly for the necklace just sitting there, unattached.  And even better, I have a big butterfly I made some time ago. Now I’ve found my bracelet but I can’t find my big butterfly. Tommorow, during the blog hop I will try to make sense of everything.

    Just remembered I took lots of pictures of the big butterfly. While I constantly see people making perfect beaded butterflies in my beading groups, I am not one of those people. My butterfly looks as if she's made of splotches of bright butterfly color Now he has a lot of little butterflies for company

1. Alenka (Pepita) - hostess --> http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com/
2. Monique (A Half-Baked Notion) --> http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/
3. Beti Horvath -->http://stringingfool.blogspot.com/
4. Kathy Lindemer --> http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
5. Kepi --> http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/
6. Christine Altmiller --> http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/
7. Amy S. --> http://blogspot.amybeads.com/
8. Dini Bruinsma --> http://angazabychanges.blogspot.com/
9. Cynthia (Antiquity Travelers) --> http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/
10. Alicia --> http://www.allprettythings.ca/
11. sheilaposter --> http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com/
12. Therese Frank --> http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com/
13. Rebecca White --> http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/
14. Rachel Mallis --> http://www.mintmonarch.com/#!blog/c1jlz
15. Liz E --> http://beadcontagion.blogspot.com/
16. Ana (ACBeads) --> http://acbeads.blogspot.com/
17. Jasvanti Patel --> http://jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com/
18. Carolyn --> http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com/
19. Nan Smith --> http://wirednan.blogspot.com/

Apologies for my jasper intrigue

     This is a small blog hop sponsered by Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures. It gave me a lot of trouble. I had all the colors right but the design just wouldn't come. I took it apart and redid it and it came back easier. But when I attempted to pull it together it fell apart. Somehow I can make bracelets, wonderful bracelets but my necklaces seldom work.
      Here are some of what I did manage to make. The bracelet has a touch of whimsey because the oval beads resembled olives. I made it soon after attending a class by Joyce Scott. The other big pieces of jasper I bezeled around. And that was as far as my experiment with the jasper went.

cocktail olives

funky bezels

Here is the list of blogs, but I couldn't link them, so you'll have to visit someone else on the list to continue on your way

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist
Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations
Susan Anderson, La Main Tresor
Karin Grosset Grange (France), Ginkgo et Coquelicot
Shaiha Williams, Shaiha’s Ramblings
Sheila Prose, Cheap Charms
Terri Wlaschin, Baking Beads in the Keys
Therese Frank, Therese's Treasures
Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera
Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, Li Raysa Designs

                                                               

Round Round and Rounder

These beads I got from Lori Anderson.

my first art bracelet

bugle bead bracelet

This just photographs ugly!

bezels of my own design

Lately I've been in a ferment of creativity. I've made designs, I've made my own designs, I've made other peoples designs. I make a lot of samples and I cut half of them apart and make them over.  I am very pleased with this. Its what I was hoping for. To have it happening is so very rewarding. My freindship with April is taking off too, she is teaching me more and we have even begun collaborating. She has taken my ugly duckling and is convinced she can make a swan out of it.

On entering a contest

Theres a contest I entered, a quite surprising one. The theme was the Kolam, a ephemeral work of art, created from a grid into complex designs and colored red ochre and white,or four very bright colors;  Divya’s contest, the Kolom or Kolongol. Whan Divya first proposed the contest I was intrigued by the images she posted and while I liked the brightly colored palettes, I found myself drawn to the simple red ochre and white color scheme. I ordered some delicas in these colors.  Because I am so very literal  I saw a simple design of knots which I made using the Easy Bead program. Then Divya posted more pictures and directed us to look at Kamala’s website(which by the way has an amazing selection of vegetarian Indian recipes as well as an elucidation of kalongals and many examples along with instructions on how to draw them. I immediately saw that my comprehension of kalongal was flawed. They were designed from a grid of dots, in the number 3,4,15, etcetera, and then the lines were drawn around, or to the dots. color was added last. It is an elaborate process, yet way the dots morphed into the designs was , besides being a good design technique and maybe related to pentangle, just fascinating to me. But it wasn’t so easy to translate these designs to the 22 bead wide peyote base I was using. I developed another design and then using Kamala designs, made a thisrd in the three dot kolongol. SoI went for a traditional interpretation with a learning curve thrown in.
A number of Indian designers joined in on this contest. There were many good designs. Some of my favorites were earrings that match my bracelet and a bead in four bright colors.

Kolam bracelet

Bead Peeps Interview

1. Why or how did you get started making jewelry?
2. What style(s) of jewelry do you like to make?
3. What materials do you prefer to use (and which ones do you avoid)?
4. What techniques do you prefer (and are there any you don't like)?
5. What colors do you use most, and which do you run screaming from?

Starting out on the Bead Peeps Swap and Hop, this promises to be a grand occasion and I really want to get it right. Linda posted some questions for us to answer and I'm so didactic that I'm going to answer them. Jewelry making  was the first pursuit I started at the senior center where a friend was teaching a class in jewelry making and I realized I was old enough to go to it. Soon I discovered I was fascinated by seed beading I taught myself through a collection of books. Last week I went to a bead retreat, Beading in Paradise down in Key West

what I learned at the bead retreat was that my work is sloppy. It got that way because I have learned from books and not people, when something was too hard or I didn’t understand it, I attempted to fudge. There was no one to offer criticism or to point out the importance of thread paths. It seems like these are little things but it add s up and this way makes the bead stand up correctly while that way makes it floppy. Having Kim Strathis to myself for 3 hours at the bead retreat while she helped me through every part of a not so tricky once you’d done it part, that was eye-opening to me.