Beading Away

Let me introduce my new friend,

Mimi/Hero

of

http://lascreacionesdeboricua.blogspot.com/

She wore this lovely necklace for the Southern Belle. 

(She taught herself how to bead.) 

She is a seamstress and embroider plus being absolutely gorgeous.  She made the outfit she is wearing with lovely embroidered cuffs and sleeves to match this beautiful necklace!  Incrediable!

Anyway she encouraged me to try the same pattern.

Here are my results....

As you can see I made mine in shades of rose and burgundy and made the rope in a variation of the bead colors. 

The "clasp" catches right at the top of the purse. 

I put a cotton ball inside with my favorite cologne

so I not only look good I smell good too!

Hero had sent me some acrylic flowers awhile back.

  I have been wanting to use in a project so I finished this bracelet  tonight and wanted to share it with you also.

My name for it is "wooly worm" but

it actually looks like a caterpillar. 

I added the lovely flowers to the center of it that Mimi had given me.  (See a couple of posts back.)

I added some gold glass leaves, some beautiful purple crystals in the center of the flowers and a large variety of sizes and textures of beads in shades of purple.

It was a fun piece to design and even more fun to finish.

Thank you so much, Hero, for your lovely gift of the flowers and for the idea of the purse necklace. 

You are such a pleasure to know!

We were working on burning logs and limbs today so I am one tired puppy.  It was a gorgeous spring day with very little wind so we started burning around 10:00AM until 8:00PM.  We have a wooded lot and have not done any clean up in the woods for a couple of years so today was "the day". 

It looks so much nicer, neater, cleaner.  (even the butterflies came by to say they approve!)

Spring has sprung here in Georgia and I am so blessed to have so many lovely flowers to enjoy.  God is so good to me!

Blessings to each and everyone today!

Sharon

p.s. again I want to thank Hero for her encouragement and her sweet spirit!

I have been VERY busy beading!

FIRST OFF!

I found a bead store going out of business! 
Whooops! 

 Big mistake. 

 I put off going until the last day it was open....

my hubby told me to take my credit card....

BIGGER MISTAKE!

(When hubby okays it and even gives me the credit card, ya' know

I am NOT going to come home empty handed!)

Okay, I know I have gone pink nuts! 

I found this beautiful antique rose metallic galvanized bead. 

 (I can not show or tell you how lovely this bead is.) 

It is SOOOOO Victorian and so ME! 

This necklace is done with a right angle weave with four size 11's/three rows wide and

a tiny size 15 light gold bead in between each bead. 

Pearls just had to be added! 

It just fell together just like it was always "supposed to be made" into something this beautiful.

NEXT

Actually this bracelet was the first thing I made. 

I started with a metal ear ring and added pearls with the size 15 tiny gold bead. 

The "flower" just needed more punch so I began to add leaves from a rosey gold delica. 

You can see the larger veins that I made with tiny gold beads but I actually added veins with several darker shades when I originally made the leaves but they just did not show up as good as I would like.  So I topped it off with the size 15 lighter bead.  I then added pearls and Swarvoski crystals to the center of the bracelet, then added another four rows to complete the base form. 

What do you think?  It is so very comfortable and unique.

NEXT

Again I used the same beautiful pink galvanized beads!  This bracelet is made with a larger  twisted "bugle" bead and accented with the

pink bead on the sides and a peyote in the center. 

Then I began to add a variety of sizes, shapes and colors of pearls and crystals

until I was satisfied with the shape of the "flower" cluster. 

LASTLY!

I told you I had been busy beading!

One more piece to show you.....

For quite a while, I have had this pin bar that wanted my attention.

(I am a jewelry collector of sorts...lol) 

The pin has a lovely tiny china rose in the center. 

From the center bar I hung this gentle cameo.  I did a bead embroidery around the cameo. 

Did you notice that the side with the curtain is a different color and

texture of bead than the right hand side?  

I used a stunning stone like multi colored pink finish bead for the right side and a

soft matte rose on the left where the curtain hangs. 

Now I have a broach to wear or sell that is unique and very pretty/feminine.

(This is the only piece I have made recently that I did not use that galvanized pink. ....)

Well, that is it for now. 

I'm tired so I am headed for bed.

Tomorrow I will try to get a post to you about the Easter Basket Swap that I participated in.

Blessings to all,

Sharon

Going Going Gone! Jacque #24 Is the winner of my beaded bracelet

Jacque

http://jacque4u2c.blogspot.com/

was number 24 on the number generator! 

(I KNOW I am a little early but circimstances here made it necessary.)

Over 510 wonderful bloggers left a comment

on my original post

 "The One World One Heart"

giveaway and

84 others left a comment on my beaded hearts which I decided to include in the drawing! 

I was overwhelmed/thrilled by the response! 

(My Momma always taught me to return a note

so I went by to see each and everyone who left a comment!) 

Plus I went by Lisa's

 http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/one-world-one-heart.html

each day until I was able to look at each and everyone of the

1,088 links with 40 Countries represented!!!

I met some wonderful people,

added numerous blogs to my blog roll,

became a follower of so many that I lost count,

last but not the least,

I had so much fun!!! 

Thank you so much, Lisa!!!

What a pleasure to meet so many people from around the world.  There were so many lovely blogs but I promise I did not leave a comment (just to get something) I left an honest comment of

appreciation and admiration of each blog.

I find it hard to put into words but I was so humbled by the huge response for my beaded bracelet that I decided to add

a couple "runner ups" for my jewelry.

Marcie of The Rustic Victorian's

http://the-rustic-victorian.blogspot.com/

name was the second to be drawn!

And

Kathy of Vintage Catnip

http://vintagecatnip.blogspot.com/

are both receiving a piece of my jewelry!

(I wish I had enough to send something to each of you.

 Reality is, I would go broke just paying for the postage.) 

Speaking of Reality!

Let's go back to reality! 

 After almost 600 comments it will be hard to go back to

five to seventeen comments but what a joyful time had by all on

The Magic Carpet Ride!! 

I enjoyed the process and will do it again next year if Lisa is up to it!

I have nothing but high praise for such an adventure.

Again, I thank you, Lisa, for her generous spirit and for each one who came by to take a look and left a note.

  I hope you will come back again soon...

Blessings to all,

Sharon

A Penny & A Purse & Christmas

My first Christmas project complete! I had a lawn ornament ball that lost the little bird on top. I just could not leave well enough alone. I unscrewed the pole, glued an electric connector to the top (after drilling a hole through the top of the connector). Can you tell that the top is made from a electical connector? I began by stringing a copper chain through the hole to hang the ball from. Then started adding the smallest size 15 seed beads in a variety of sizes in golds and bronzes. Once I reached the top of the silver ball I started making a nettingof red to go all the way around the ball, in all directions. (I had to make up a pattern as I went along because the ball is 12 inches around.) I then added a ring around the center line with a delica gold herringbone stitch. I added loops in gold size 11 beads, then made the crystal drops with a silk thread and a muted gold bead for the accent dangle. ( I am thinking that I will add a tassel at the very bottom in a variety of golds.) But this is as far as I have gotten, for now.
A Penny & A Purse:

Yesterday, during the heavy storms, my daughter came over to show me a new idea! Do you like my new purse? It is so tiny is won't even hold the Penny laying next to it. Aren't these just the cutest? (The pennies are another project that I got the idea from "Just Something I Made".)I had just gotten in a patten leather look red from Artbeads.com and I had the black delicas in my stash. She got me started and I couldn't quit until I got the pair of earrings completed. (It is simply an octagon folded in half.)

I then hung them on 14K gold ear ring hoops. Now I am all dressed up and ready to go...somewhere.

My photography leaves a lot to be desired but maybe you can get an idea of how sweet these little ones are up close.

I know I will be making many more of these!

Thank you all for your lovely encouraging comments and your sweet emails to me. It is such a blessing to get to know each one of you better. It is so interesting how similar our lives are entwined.

Sharon

Flower Motif

This is another pattern I tried this week. It was a pleasure to see it come together. I went to a couple of bead stores in Wilmington, NC, a couple of times, and I was going to go to a beading get together on Sunday but I missed my hubby & each one of you, so I came home two days early, to him & to my computer access!

The "Floral Motif" pattern was in a book I purchased but I can not find the name of the author. (I am so sorry but when I find my book, in this mess, I will let you know the designer's name.) Anyway, I wanted to share this gorgeous necklace & ear rings with you. It is extremely comfortable & very light on the neck.

I also made the same pattern out of copper & bronze. It is certainly a different necklace all together. I used up all of my copper metallic delicas, (which I was so sad about. Now I have to go find a source for those lovely beads. I can not remember where I got them but will be out looking on the morrow.) There was not even enough to make a matching set of ear rings. The center of the flower motif is a cluster of bronze crystals to carry through the same bead as the ones that attach each "leaf" together. I closed this necklace with a beautiful hook & eye copper clasp.

See, I have been busy working while relaxing at the beach. Let me know what you think of this design.

Your sweet comments are what keeps me creating and I appreciate each one of you for taking the time to let me know what you like & what colors you appreciate. Thank you, dear friends, for all of your encouragement & kindnesses towards me.

Bless you,

Sharon

Refreshed & Ready to work

I did take a nice restful nap & enjoyed it very much, thank you. I worked on the letter box, the black box, and even covered a round tin. They are starting to take shape but I have to finish the trim work before I take pictures of them. Paper work is so different than beading but I do enjoy the results tremendously.

Tomorrow I hope to post the results of a long night of labor.
You all sleep well & I will go create...my favorite thing to do...Sharon