I'm back, maybe!

Hello on this dreary Sunday morning on the East Coast of the US!  I may finally be back to creating and blogging!  I say "maybe" because there is a lot going  on in my world.  We are doing some upgrades in our kitchen and family room.  You know how they always say that once you start something like this you find that the job grows bigger!  Well, this has lived up to that saying and it's gotten a little more involved than we thought it would.  And, being the kitchen and family room it's been rather disruptive.  But, I'm excited about the changes we're making and it all should be done by the beginning of December, just in time for me to turn into the Christmas elf and decorate to my heart's content!  Since I can't really do much in the rest of the house I'm hoping that now that the major decisions have been made I can get down to my studio and finish projects that have been around in various states of completion all summer.   We expanded our garden this year and the weather wasn't too hot so I was able to spend more time out there which is why not many projects were finished, or even started.  Hopefully that will start to change now.  I really miss the creative process even though I consider gardening creative. 

Having said all that, I did manage to finish one beading project.  It wasn't terribly involved and didn't take long to do!  But, I love it and I wanted to share it with you.  It's another geometric beadwork project inspired by Kate McKinnon.  I kind of teased it in my last post on who inspires me.  You can read that here.   Here is the completed pendant. 

 

 

It starts with a warped square which I love stitching.  I made an  entire bracelet in warped squares last Fall.  You can see that one here.   The directions for stitching a warped square are in Kate's first book on geometric beadwork, Contemporary Geometric Beadwork.  Early in August Kate sent out an email with the idea for a new project, create a warped square and then work and exploding round and keep going until you had the number of rounds you desired.  The exploding round is one of the innovative concepts that Kate came up with while working on the book.  It's difficult for me to explain it so that it makes sense but Kate has a wonderful YouTube video that makes it all clear and you can also find the instructions in her book.  I admit that I wasn't sure how it worked when I read the printed instructions but once I watched the video it was easy to do. 

 

I started with the warped square that I turned into the bail for this pendant and from there stitched the largest square. On the final round I added drops for the corner beads.   I did 2 more squares, the medium and small, and then stitched the smaller squares.  Then I played with how I wanted them to be arranged and the pendant you see is what I came up with.  I love it and it's light weight and fun to wear. 

 

Here are a few details.  

 

 

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

As I said, it was fun to do and didn't take very long at all.  Which is probably why I finished it!!!   I chose the colors for a vineyard feel.  I'm in love with geometric beadwork and I'm working on a cuff bracelet that is coming along slowly. 

 

 

I want to thank all of you for visiting me especially after such a long break from blogging.  I really appreciate your visits and all your wonderfully kind comments.  Have a wonderful day!





And, finally some beadwork!

Hi, everyone!  It's been a while and even longer since I posted any beadwork.  As I keep saying, the time goes so quickly and this year is quicker than most for some reason.  I haven't been in the studio much and beading has been very slow.  But, I finally finished a project I started at the beginning of September.  It's another geometric beadwork bracelet.  I can't seem to get enough of working from Kate McKinnon's and Jean Power's books.  Both artists came out with second volumes of geometric beadwork recently and I'm just captivated by what they and other artists are coming up with.

Here is what has taken me so long to finish.

The components are called Warped Squares in Kate's books, but the bracelet design comes from Jean Power.  And, while I keep saying it took a long time to complete because I haven't been beading much, it's not a quick project!!  All those beaded squares are connected by 6 rows of circular peyote, and there are a lot of squares even for my small wrist!  But, I love it and I loved working on it!  From the colors you can see why I wanted to finish it before Fall was over.   I used my favorite bronze Delicas for a repeating color and then was inspired by the changing leaves for the other Delica colors. 

As I said, each square is connected to the previous one by circular peyote worked at the center of the square that you just finished.  You work your way back to the center and peyote a short connector and then start the next square. It's finished with a magnetic closure.   Not quick beadwork, but I think it's worth it!  I've worn it already and I love it! 

Here are some close ups! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was so happy that my friend Kathy had some antique copper magnetic clasps in the store.  It really becomes invisible when I'm wearing the bracelet.  Since I have so much trouble sizing bangles that fit me well I'm always delighted when I can make a bracelet look like a bangle!  I adore bangle bracelets but can rarely find one or make one that fits!

 

 

Well, now I can start on a beaded Christmas gift for the librarian I work with.  And, then start on my next geometric project!! I'm addicted!

 

Now it's on to Thanksgiving (already?!) and then the hustle of the Christmas season!  I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season and getting  a lot inspiration from it.  Have a wonderful day and if you live in most of the U. S., stay warm!  Thank you so much for visiting with me.    I'll be back soon with my next entry into The Twelve Tags of Christmas Funkie Junkie Style! 





A Different Kind of Bezel

Hi, everyone.  Welcome to my little corner of the world.  I'm so happy you could join me.  Today I'm back to beading stuff!  I'm still obsessed with Contemporary Geometric Beadwork.  Kate McKinnon has announced that the second volume has gone to print and I can't wait to get my copy of it!   One thing I have learned about this process and the idea behind Kate's approach to it in the books is that once you have figured it out and know the method you can use it in many different ways.  Which brings me to the pendant I'm going to share with you today. 

Jo Ray, who designs and teaches at Bead Soup in Savage, Maryland, has been experimenting with the belly band.  That is the starting point for many of the bracelets in CGB.  It's a modified RAW technique that is really quite simple but brilliant.  Jo decided to try using it to bezel around a marble.  You could also use a large bead.  One thing led to another and she came up with a 4 sided bezel which intrigued me.  So, I took her class and after the class was over she and I were talking about the versatility of the whole concept of using the band and creating wings and horns.  As we were talking I had a light bulb moment when I knew what I was going to do with what I just learned.  I don't have a picture of the class project because it was put aside when I got home.  It will become a future experiment!  I started over and changed a few things and ended up with this.



I started the bezel the way Jo taught it, but I used a single needle instead of the double needle that she used.  My process for stitching the four bands around the marble was changed and at that point the whole thing took on a life of it's own!  What I ended up with wasn't what I had thought I would end up with!!  But, I love what happened and I'll go back to the class project and see what that becomes and if I can stick more to the vision I had.  Anyway, back to this one.  Once the bezel was finished and the marble was in place I peyote along the band and increased in one space to begin the wing.  As I worked each band I moved the increase down the peyote so that the wings would be stepped down away from each other.  Once the bands were finished I did a herringbone finial at the bottom and placed a crystal drop inside.  For the bail I used peyote stitch to create a loop and hung the pendant from a ball chain.  Here are some close up photos.



 

 

 

I feel this method of working geometric beadwork is only inhibited by imagination.  It's a very freeing sort of process, one where one idea grows out of another.  Right now I've moved on to the Rick-Rack bracelets section of the book and I'm having a great time working on my first version of that idea!  Once again, horns (because I can't get enough of horns and wings) are making an appearance!  Stay tuned. 

 

Along with all this wonderful beady fun I'm having this summer, my daughter and I decided to add to our ever growing list of things to do and take a beginners Zentangle class from our friend Patti at The Queen's Ink.  Patti is a certified Zentangle teacher and her work is so beautiful.  So, I've been working on tangling as much as possible.  You'll see some of those results soon,  I'm sure! 

 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I hope you are having a wonderful summer.  It's going by so quickly and I'm trying to enjoy and savor it.  Hopefully you are too! 



More Geometric Beadwork

Hi everyone!  I hope you're having a great day!  I wanted to share with you my continuing obsession with Contemporary Geometric Beadwork.  Developed by Kate McKinnon and some other fabulous beaders, the method has me completely engrossed!  When I think of beading now I think of the geometric piece I'm working on or the next piece I'm going to start.  I started at the beginning and I'm working my way through the process and inventing as I go along.  And, that's the idea of Kate's book.  To take the basic instructions and fly off in your own direction.  When I last blogged about this subject (which you can see here) I mentioned that you would be seeing horns and wings next.  Well, here they are in my newest bracelet.

 

 

 

Honestly, the choice of prop was unintentional.  I didn't realize how it mimicked the bracelet until I was editing the picture!   Anyway,  I used my favorite colors, turquoise, lime green and lavender, along with black and white.  The beads are Delicas and drops, along with some 15s to pull in the edges.  I started in the middle of the bracelet with Kate's technique of MRAW which stands for Modified Right Angle Weave, and took off from there.  In the beginning I was only going to do the horns in the middle and then put a plain peyote band on either side.  But, the pull of the wings caught me and wings there are!!!  The Horns are the dimensional peyote in the middle bands and the Wings are the lovely things on the edges. For the clasp I stitched two clear snaps to the ends and added triangles to hide the edges which I could see but probably no one else could!   I could do this kind of work all day!  Here are a few details.

 

 

 

A wing.

 

 

The Horns tipped with a drop bead.

 

The clasp hidden by added triangles.

 

 

I have another finished piece which grew out of a class I took with Jo Ray at Bead Soup.  Jo has started working with the bellyband, the name used for the MRAW starting band, and has done some wonderful bezels based on it.  I just finished my variation and I'll be taking some photos today, so stay tuned.  I've also just started a Rick-Rack bracelet which is another version in Kate's arsenal of great ideas! 

 

Thank you so much for joining me today.  I hope you have a wonderful week and create something you love!

 

 

 





A New Beading Obsession!

 

Hi everyone!  Thank you for visiting me today.  I really appreciate your visits.  I know it's been quiet around here lately.  Spring is always a busy, busy time and this year is no different.  In fact, it's been busier later in the season because the season was so long in coming.  But, I think  things are under control in the garden, the big chores for the year done and now I can tweak things here and there and sit back and do more enjoying than working! 

 

I haven't been entirely absent from my art life.  My daughter and I took a fabulous weekend of mixed media classes with Seth Apter at The Queen's Ink a few weeks ago and I've been obsessing over the book Contemporary Geometric Beadwork by Kate McKinnon!  I'll show you some of the things we did in Seth's class once I get them organized and ready for prime time!  This post is all about my new obsession, Contemporary Geometric Beadwork, or CGB, which is easier to type!

 

Without further ado, my first bangle...

 



 

 

The book that got this all started came out about 2 years ago.  I love geometric beadwork and so I immediately pre-ordered it and then, when it arrived, let it sit while I drooled over all the gorgeous pieces of art jewelry shown.  The book itself is beautiful which I love because I'm a book lover from childhood.  This book not only has beautiful art but quotes pertaining to art in all forms.  And, I'm a sucker for quotes.  I have a whole stack of quotes cut from magazines and other places sitting waiting to be used for some art project or another.  So, the book had me from the moment I opened the package.  It's a collaborative effort with several fabulous bead artists working on it.  And, the best news is that there is a second volume in the works.  Pre-ordered that one too!!!! That one won't sit idle for so long! 

 

Anyway, I finally got started using the book because my friend Kathy, the owner of Bead Soup, decided we should start a monthly group of beaders to come together and work on some geometric beadwork, primarily from Kate's book.  Perfect, just the push I needed!  So, I started from the beginning and decided to make a Power Puff bangle.  This particular design is a Jean Power creation.

Jean was one of the collaborators on the book.  Her work with triangular designs is well known in the bead world.  Once you get the triangle down you can really do anything in the CGB book.  The method of working is very architectural and structured around a few basic constructions, the triangle being one of the basics.

 

The Power Puff bangle is just a series of connected triangles.  I made mine as a bracelet bangle because I can't make a bangle to fit me!  Bangles must go over your knuckles and then onto your wrist.  My knuckles are bigger than my wrist and to fit over them the bangle then flops down onto my hand.  So, I decided to make it flat and use a concealed magnet for a closure.  It really looks like a regular bangle.  I sometimes have to look for the closure and people think it is a bangle. 

 

Here are a few pictures of the whole bracelet so you can see what the entire piece looks like.

 



 

 

 

Here you can see the magnetic closure

 

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I've worn it several times and it's very comfortable to wear.  The variations in color and color placement are unending and I already have a great idea for a Fall version.  But, right now I've moved on in the book to Wings and Horns!!  Yes, Wings and Horns!  They are the offspring of the triangle!  You'll be seeing that one soon! 

 

 

Now it's out to the garden to cut some flowers for the house.  Thank you so much for visiting today.  I love having you drop in and I love hearing from you!  Have a great weekend.