Cliantha Necklace

In this necklace I wanted to incorporate beaded beads with a mandala and decided sections of silver chain and wire wrapping would be the perfect way to connect everything.  This was also an exercise with color and bead finishes to unite the piece. The AB finish on the blue drop beads helps to do this.  Margie Deeb's books are excellent references on how to use color in your designs.  She also offer's online classes at CraftEdu.

Salvaging Garish Beads

I have beads in my stash that I've acquired over the years that have garish finishes or colors.  I read an article (can't remember where...) about salvaging some of those gaudy beads.  It suggested using fingernail polish remover to change a color or finish and then giving them a good rinse under running water.  For this to work, the finish/color has to be non-permanent.  You can test the permanence just by dropping a few beads into the remover; the color or finish should begin to come off with in a few minutes.  I decided to try this with some peach bugle beads of which I wasn't too fond.  I soaked them in the remover for a couple of hours and they went from being a pastel peach to a beautiful pearly, satin white.  I'm very happy with the results and will try this on other beads that could use a color/finish boost!

Native Orchids

Some of our native orchids, not to mention pitcher plants, are blooming right now in south Mississippi. I love this time of year!

Rose Pogonia Orchid

Grass Pink Orchid

Purple and Yellow Trumpet Pitcher Plants

Some beaded flowers I did a couple of years ago of Grass Pink, Rose Pogonia, and Upland Spreading Pogonia Orchids.  I really need to write patterns for these! They are made with a combination of French and Victorian beaded flower techniques.

Pattern - Victorian Filigree Bracelet

I've been working on a bunch of patterns for various pieces of jewelery lately and I just finished the pattern for the Victorian Filigree Bracelet.  It is available for purchase in my etsy shop.  I hope to have more patterns finished very soon.

The patterns includes both illustrations and photographs along with a very detailed narrative. I am more than willing to give help to those who need it, if any problems arise when the piece is being made!  Just drop me a line through email.

Serpentine Bracelet: Golden Seashell

Another colorway of the Serpentine Bracelet: Golden Seashell

Bead Class!

Exciting news!  I get to teach a bead class!  I haven't taught one since Hurricane Katrina flooded the local shop where I used to teach in Gulfport, MS.  Gerry of ClayDesignsbyglee is the organizer of this class and I am very happy she has given me this opportunity.

Details:

Jeweled Honeycomb Bracelet Workshop
Date: June 12, Saturday
Location:
June Bugs Checkered Cupboard
120 W Canal St, #B
39466- 4508 Picayune, MS
(601) 798-2226
Time: 11-3pm
Cost: $30 plus supplies*

Another version of the Jeweled Honeycomb Bracelet: Vineyard:

 

I haven't managed a post in the last 2 weeks due to a hectic work schedule resulting from the Deepwater Horizan oil spill.  I've been doing tons of field work and have been completely worn out in the evenings.  As of today, we have small tar balls washing up on MS beaches and barrier islands.  We don't have an oil slick in the area, which, for the moment, is very lucky.

Victorian Filigree Bracelet - Blue Green

Victorian Filigree Bracelet - Blue Green: 11/o and 15/o seed beads, firepolished beads, sterling silver findings

Victorian Filigree Bracelet - Soft Pink

Victorian Filigree Bracelet - Soft Pink: 11/o and 15/o seed beads, firepolished beads, sterling silver findings

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

My regular day job is as a fish ecologist at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.  It is a really neat place to work and I enjoy my job very much.  The Deepwater Horizon oil spill could have terrible effects on the reserve and surrounding marshlands in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Over this last week, our staff has been working very diligently to gather as much data as we possibly could before we are impacted by the oil. Many agencies in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama have been doing the same thing.  Today we can smell oil fumes at our home in Ocean Springs. If you are interested in more information, NOAA keeps an updated website with forecasts and trajectories of the spill.

I want to share photos of our beautiful reserve prior to this environmental disaster.  Now we are just waiting to see how bad it will actually be.

Bayou Heron

Pt. Aux Chenes Bay, northern portion

South Rigolets

Salt marsh at sunset

Serpentine Bracelet in Coral

Serpentine Bracelet:  Coral Swarovski pearls & crystals, 15/0 seed beads

What's On My Beading Table?

Bev of No Easy Beads asked the question "What's On Your Beading Table?".

Here's what I currently have on my table:

Multiple versions of Jeweled Honeycomb and a yet unnamed mesh-type bracelet.  I'm in the process of writing instructions for both of these.

The Art Deco inspired bracelet--trying to figure out a good closure for it

And where I have too many ideas at once and need to do a bit of cleaning!!

Jeweled Honeycomb: Golden Berries

Another version of the Jeweled Honeycomb bracelet: Golden Berries

 

Jeweled Honeycomb Blue-Green: Toggle

I decided to try a different toggle closure on this bracelet.  Now the piece is much more cohesive. 
Before:

 
Final:

Bead Shipment!

A shipment of beads I ordered has finally arrived!! Yippee!  Now I can finish some projects that have been on hold for a while. Can't wait to use the coral fire polished beads--they are the best color in a deep rich hue.

Beads and Hurricanes

I had to break down and clean up my studio area this weekend (or at least started to!).  I came across a bracelet I made during Hurricane Gustav 2 yrs ago.

It's made using two-needle right angle weave in a bargello inspired pattern. Gustav was a very mild hurricane compared to Katrina. There was some coastal flooding with minimal damage and we only lost power for a couple of hours.  I did get the day off of work so of course I needed a beading project to keep me occupied and this is what I came up with.  It has a pleasing colorway and overall shape but is very 2 dimensional. I haven't been able to come up with any really good ways to add more interest to it.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

I've been very wary of hurricanes since Katrina and have come to dread the start of every new hurricane season.  Hopefully we will be lucky again this year.  You can see the damage to our house from Katrina here:  devastation and repair--exterior and interior.  And to think we were LUCKY!

Components

Components for the art deco inspired design I've been working on. 
It continues to evolve ..............

 

 

And in adventures from this weekend: gorgeous weather and a local nature trail.  Yea for spring!!

Coastal Mississippi

 Scarlett on the nature trail

 A camellia flower-- beautiful winter blooming plant 

Nesting osprey

Spring Has Sprung!

This weekend was absolutely beautiful!  We (mostly my husband) planted an early garden and most everything has sprouted and is starting to grow.  Very exciting!!!!!  We put in spinach, lettuce, beets, Swiss chard, carrots, green onions, snow peas, and kohlrabi.  My husband thinned the lettuce this weekend and I got to eat the little sprouts-- first greens from the garden!

 Paul thinning the lettuce.

 Scarlett standing guard for squirrels.

 First salad of little sprouts. Yum!

On the beading front: I've been super busy at my work and haven't had as much time as I would have liked this last week for creativity.  I did manage to finally finish the bracelet made out of hexagonal components.  I've decided to call it "Jeweled Honeycomb".  Bees make perfect hexagonal compartments in their combs to store the honey and this bracelet reminds me of the richness of honey and perfection of natural structures. Hexagons fit together with out cracks and are quite common in nature: quartz crystals, basalt columns, wasp nets, snowflakes, the scutes on a turtles shell, etc.

Jeweled Honeycomb bracelet

Jeweled Honeycomb bracelet

I started a new project today that I'm really excited about.  It has a distinct Art Deco flare and is more architectural than my usual work.  Kind of a new direction for me!   Stay posted for photos : )

Disastrous Mess

My studio area has become a terrible disastrous mess!  I have too many ideas all at once that I just have to try and then forget to put things away............  And then of course it takes time to clean it up, which takes time away from being creative.  Oh, the vicious cycle!   

 One section of my studio. 

My husband made the neat wooden shelves for me on the left.  They are modular and he is making me another type to go underneath of them to hold a different type of container.

I am also lucky enough to have a beading friend who never gets tired of keeping me company.  My dachshund, Scarlett, is very much the lump on the bed and perfectly happy to stay that way!

Scarlett being one with the covers.