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

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 



soutache earings

i finally got a chance to finish these matching earrings

using the new thumbnail earing post from dazzle-it

( plus soutache cord, rhinestones and vintage beads )

they will look great with the feature necklace i made for john bead

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 

soutache statement necklace

"midnight leaves"

(statement necklace made with soutache cord, tilapia leather ,

vintage  cabochons, beads, pearls and rhinestone chain, all from john bead )

 

last summer my friend carmi gave me a preview copy of

 Fernando DaSilva's soutache book

asking me to create a few small samples

well little did she know that I would become addicted!!

a few months ago I was commissioned to create the a showcase piece for John Bead

using their  fabulous line of soutache cords

The necklace was displayed in their “New Innovations” booth at the

 Craft and Hobby show earlier this month

it was a pleasure to work with Fernando, 

at our first meeting I presented my ideas and

 with his guidance and materials selections i immediately got to work

  with his  full confidence in my artist abilities it was easy to get carried away

"the bigger the better"

I started out creating individual pieces, once I had about 20 components made

I started "collaging" them into groups

moving them around constantly until I found a combination I liked

every day I would work on a few pieces and whenever I walked by

my work table I would stop and rearrange

it took me a month to complete using over 50 yards of soutache cord!!

 

i am so grateful to John Bead for giving me this opportunity

( I would have never made anything this big)

thanks carmi for introducing me to Fernando and soutache!

 



back from the CHA show in Anaheim

 what a whirlwind!!

it was an amazing time at the craft and hobby show in California

 (more than 3,000 buyers and 400 exhibitors from 55 plus countries 

 for 5 days of education, networking and trade)

it was a mix of business, demoing soutache at the John Bead booth

and pleasure, taking classes and seminars plus meeting tons of people

 a visit from wendy russell and carmi cimicata

above my demo table and

below a sneak peek at some of the elements from

my showcase necklace

using dazzle-it soutache cord , metal complex fish leather

and a mix of new and vintage beads

all supplied by John Bead

i'm still trying to process it all

as soon as i can i will post more on the show and my necklace

this is the swag bag the delegates attending the CHA Canada Chapter meeting received

a special thank you to

CHA Canada Chapter Members Who Contributed

Amazenwords

BeadFX

Brother International Corporation (Canada)

Coats and Clark

Easy Peasy Patchs

H.A.Kidd

John Bead Corp

Eucalan

Northcott Fabrics

Westcott & C-Thru brands | Acme United Limited

Westminster Fabric

Designer Members:

Carmi Cimicata

Emma Ivemey

    Elizabeth Weait Glenday

extra thanks to Northcott for the fabric bag used to haul all the goodies home!

soutache tie, cuff and earings set

ive been busy getting ready for the CHA convention

one of my projects was this set of soutache

it started with the necklace, which turned into a tie

which lead to buying a men's white shirt

( perry ellis , on sale for $20)

which gave me the idea for the cuffs

( i substituted beads for the buttons)

  and the earing's just finished it off

although the earing's matched they seemed a bit formal for me

so I worked on a few alternatives (below)

soutache necklace and matching braclet

it's just like doodling but with cord

and very zen

i received a package of mixed beads from my friend

not a color i would have chosen for myself but once i added

some gold, clear and white i began to like it

cameo and soutache necklace

 

something a little different than my usual soutache work

this commissioned piece was a bit of a challenge

but in the end it worked out and my client was extremely happy

 

 

matching soutache necklace and bracelet

i've been so busy the past few months

 that i totally forgot about these wonderful projects i made this summer

a great way to use all your leftover beads

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!

 

 

soutache for sadie

I love buying clothes for my goddaughter Sadie

and if I get a chance to add my own touch , it's a lot of fun

a little soutache cord from dazzle-it , some beads and wooden buttons,

 even a hair clip transformed in no time into this cute outfit

and the smile on Sadie's face , priceless!!!

 

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

 

 

 

inspired by summer

finally, a soutache project that didn't take 15 hours!!

soutache in red

I love this color palette 

vintage chic necklace

my collage of found objects really come together after a weekend of

designing, sewing and a bit of fun

it all started a few weeks ago when I found some antique lace while visiting Beaumont mills

my friend carmi offered me this beautiful white cameo and some "bling" by dazzle-it

the fabric flower from steam trunk I found at the quilt show in st. catherines last month

a little bit of soutache cord and a supply of mixed beads

 everything fell into place

all I needed was a  something to balance the left side

luckily I found a mason jar of old buttons that worked out perfect

 

 

 

country craft time part 2

my weekend project consisted of several items found in my stash

some vintage lace, fabric flower (from the steam trunk) cameo (from my friend carmi)

pearls, beads and crystal chandelier pieces

for the background a little felt and soutache cord to tie it all together 

(I'm almost finished, I will post it soon)



driving around the county roads we found a wool shop in shelborne

woollys yarns who where having a great sale

12 balls of yarn for under $60

a barn sale and antique market was a great spot for buttons, doilies and beads

plus a few good photos for instagram

 

 

soutache addiction

for my first project i did something symmetrical

which is a lot harder than it looks

for my second project i just let it evolve

with a little inspiration from pinterest

i think this will make a really nice pin

 



 

 



for my third project i went totally zentangle

doodling with cord

so much fun