So.....more work on the Pineapple bead lace....the second draft addressed many of the issues and only required a little tweaking...though I'm not 100% on the connections. This single motif would make for a great earring...and that's why the title of this blog post is "Pineapple Salsa", it seemed like a great name for the earrings :)
The photo is crap, had a hard time getting a non-glare shot this morning but maybe that's a good thing (given there are people who count beads to avoid paying for a pattern).
The center bead is a black and bronze three-facet round...it was all I had that matched the little bronze fire-polished and plain black was just too flat. I really like a black/bronze combination....possibly my favorite classic mix.
The more I work on this the more design possibilities I see. In fact, the five section ring I was working on (and having trouble with) may turn into a ring version. There's something about black lace, the way it was worn to hide and highlight, that is just so sexy and yet demure.
It will definitely be fun seeing where this goes.
I woke this morning to a bunch of orders for the Urchin Wings Pendant Mirror/Brooch which made me happy, as I always worry something won't be a seller. And the sales pushed me over my monthly goal in my store so there will be a $50 gift certificate raffled off at the end of the month....if you bought/buy from my Artfire store this month you are automatically entered....one ticket for each day you shopped :)
And this tutorial does include MY instructions for the Gothic Butterfly bracelet that was featured in Beadwork Magazine.
Today will see me taking Mom shopping, doing some packing, dropping things at Goodwill and after all that there should be time for beading.
I have a couple of books I want to do a review on....Jamie Cloud Eakin's "Dimensional Bead Embroidery" and Helen Winthorpe Kendrick's "Stitch-opedia" which is a book about all kinds of embroidery. I bought "Stitch-opedia" because my previous book on embroidery stitches fell apart after years of use and this is a definite upgrade. So watch for these reviews...I hope to get them done sometime this week :)
Have a great weekend!
I love the lace motif. I wish I was surprised by your comment about people bead counting to avoid paying for the pattern. It makes me sad. From a practical perspective, I would rather spend my time beading with a clear, detailed pattern than analyzing a picture for hours on end. Plus, I would rather support an artists and allow her to create more patterns for me to enjoy. :) Speaking of which, the urchin wings brooch is an amazing application of the bracelet. I would never have thought of something like that. I can't wait to see your book reviews. I have never gotten into bead embroidery, so I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI haven't really done any bead embroidery myself....not as we see it today. I started my bead life adding beads to my knitwear designs either knitted in or embellished on top. Then someone brough me some antique Victorian lace beaded collars to repair and I learned a LOT! I have embroidered quite a bit and what I haven't seen much of in the bead world is beaded embroidery stitches...there is a little book out that shows you exactly how to do this, can't find it on Amazon or B&N...I'll have to swing by the store. My version of bead embroidery will be more a fusion of bead weaving, bead embroidery, embroidery techniques and quilting as I'd love to see all these techniques pulled together. You know me...I'm an over achiever :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds awesome. I can't even imagine pulling those things together. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
ReplyDelete