dreamy snowflake , soutache and fur necklace

 

this challenge was so much fun

i had so many ideas , it was hard to be limited to just one

fortunately the box of mixed beads was

 more than enough to create several projects

(see my northern lights wire necklace here)

i was so excited to work with fur for the first time

and the soutache cord was a wonderful way to feature these lovely beads

they come in a variety of color

see all the artists work here

northern lights beaded and wire necklace

i always love a challenge

my friend carmi  sent me these fabulous mixed beads

from john bead

12 artists where give a different color and asked to create something

see all the fabulous creations here

there are a variety of beads and i had tons leftover

so i worked on second set

and then some!

japanese porcelain and soutache set

another challenge from my friend carmi

using vintage porcelain beads and cabochons from john bead 

its been awhile since creating something with soutache cord by dazzle it

it took a while to get back into the rhythm

once i did , i really enjoyed letting the cord help create the design 



powertex, wire and beads, oh my

 

working on a special project

using powertex, beads and wire

I usually cover the wings with cheesecloth but for some reason

 I just didn't like how it was looking

after a few days of wondering what to do it hit me

why should they have to be covered, so I painted the wire wings

and looked at it for a few days , I liked it but thought it could use

a bit of sparkle

so out came the beads and wire !

wild wire project

another challenge from my friend carmi

I was given a small flower maker component from John Bead

I knew I wanted to use wire and found some seed beads to match

I used 18 gauge wire from dazzle it to make the base

 and 24 gauge wire for the rest

i just started with the "branches", 10 of green , 10 blue

then doubled them up to make 10 branches

 to fill in the gaps

it looked a bit busy but i didn't want to waste all that work so

i hit the "point of no return" and took it over the top

 

 

going global---global chic that is

 having a bit of fun with my friend carmi

getting to work with john beads  newest product line

global chic

featuring fabric cords

metal findings

beads and semi precious stones

marker rendering

best birthday present ever!!

thanks to my friend carmi

back in January at the CHA convention

carmi introduced our friend Jennifer and I

to the crafter companion booth featuring

spectrum markers 

we sat and played for a while

( it reminded me of a course I took at george brown college some 30 years ago)

it got me thinking, i really enjoyed the class so i went digging through my old

portfolio and found my art and some old design markers)

 

 

with 168 colors to choose from it will be fun

to try my hand again

 

tropical punch

 

i love getting mail

especially  when its from my friend carmi

another fun challenge

tropical punch from dazzle-it

see all the wonderful creations on the blog hop here

 

starting top left alma stoller

cindy godrick
me

tammy powley

laura weed

tenia nelson

suze weinberg

lisa kettell

wendy price 

 

the collection includes a luscious assortment of Lucite flowers and chain,

round and tear drop beads, three dimensional flowers, filigree components,

 sliders, a unique metal flower maker, retro flower components and polyester pipe

 

using some dazzle-it gold aluminum wire

i created this fun necklace above

and i love the retro color palette below

 

 

macrame jewelry

another challenge from my friend carmi

featuring cotton wax cord from dazzle it

i was inspired by some fabulous jewelry found on pinterest

i loved working with this wonderful cord

(so many great colors to choose from)

using some traditional knots and ladhaki beads

i created this necklace and matching bracelet in no time

tropical punch

back in January at the CHA mega show i was excited to see the launch of a new product

from John Bead and Dazzle-it called TROPICAL PUNCH

finally I got a chance to work with the product

creative director Fernando DaSilva  asked my friend Carmi and I to create

a few pieces for the  Catwalk Show at the Craft Hobby & Stitch International in Birmingham-UK

I worked on a pendant incorporating soutache cord with some of the tropical punch components

and once that was finished I just  had to create the matching earings

 

 



Carmi worked on these fantastic flowers

(see how on her blog)

and together we worked on design, assembling and a few extra accessories

what a fun collaboration

see the fashion show details here 

resin clay ring

 

 inspired by my friend carmi and her new I love resin blog

this coffee break ring is a fun and easy project

 a little resin clay, a metal complex ring bezel and

a few miniature items supplied by carmi

five minutes later and one ring finished , so cute I had to make a second

seed bead ring

 another challenge from my friend carmi

which is always fun to try new things

and it was  a really simple and easy project

it has been a while since ive used seed beads

and now i realize that my eyes are not what they used to be

 in  this wonderful kit from dazzle-it

instruction booklet --Rings by Giovanna

tons of Czech seed beads and beading needles

and thermally bonded bead weaving thread

which i have never used (not sure why)

and totally love!

 

 

check out the dazzle-it blog hop

and all the participants

Cyndi Lavin Post linked here.

Marissa Decipeda-Wong linked here.

Tammy Powley linked here.

Jennifer Tryon linked here.

Lisa Pace linked here.
Eileen Bergen linked here



i love resin

 my friend Carmi has launched her new resin blog

I love resin

Carmi is the queen of resin and her blog is filled tons of inspirations

 

 in November , carmi purchased one of paintings and

 asked if she could use the image for a special project

of course i said yes and couldn't wait to see what she was up to 

 

 

see all the details on her post here

and join her facebook page here

KLIK collaboration

klik© - A New Metal Complex

DIY Program Featuring the 
Ideal Blank Bezel for Resin Crafters!

featuring 50 artist and there creations

check them out on the resin crafts blog

and all the components at metal complex

 

 

for one of my submissions i knew i was going to use wire

but needed todrill some holes in the KLIK bezel first

using 3 8 inch pieces of 12 gauge aluminum wire

 it was easy to weave the wire through the holes

looping and interlocking along the way

adding gold beads with  18 gauge wire

i filled the bezel with resin clay and added gold micro beads

and a metal bee on top

 



and of course i had to try out a few more ideas

the next thought was to get out the soutache cord  beads and pearls

 



soutache challange

i love how some things just evolve

my friend carmi gave me some glass beads by dazzle-it

not really my color scheme but I was up for the challenge

I finally decided on black, grey and hot pink

after encasing 3 beads in soutache cord i took a break

when i came back all the cords where pushed to one side

and i though "why not do something asymmetrical?"

when i finished one side i was liking how it was turning out

but stumped on what to do for the other side

it would look to busy if i matched the otherside

so i went looking for inspiration on pinterest

something there will help me problem solve

and sure enough i found a fiber necklace that was sectioned into

3 different colors, left side, middle and right side

that got me thinking,  i don't have to use all three colors

so i picked black

and added a few gold beads

i love how it turned out!

 

 

abalone and soutache necklace

 

ever since my friend carmi introduced me to soutache cord by dazzle-it

I'm totally addicted!!

while searching through my stash I came across some

abalone shells I purchased a few years ago

they worked perfectly with the taupe and beige cord

a few pearls and beads and I was on my way to creating these 2 necklaces

 

 

 

helping out

my friend carmi made this instant glam bezel with vintage image a few weeks ago

i got the chance to help out and finish it for her

the green rhinestone's determined my color choice

(using flat leather from metal complex and eyelet and rivet setter)

and of course i got carried away and made a matching

bracelet and earrings

nappa leather necklace

i love creating for my friend carmi

usually my table looks like a bomb when off, everything has to be at arms length

but i always know where every little bit is

when i'm in  carmi's studio i sit at a very clean, organized and limited table

its a great challenge to come up with ideas using only a few supplies

but after 30 minutes or so i get into a groove and before you know it i have several pieces

(above supplies from metal complex)

sometimes less is more

 

pretty in pink

i've been influenced by spring and my friend carmi

to create some pink jewelry

working with products from dazzle-it

i created this faux suede bracelet and earrings

 



manipulating flat leather from metal complex

neo chain from dazzle-it

you can find all these products at john bead