Dichroic Glass Pendant Necklaces

Wendy from Guru Creations has been changing her focus and therefore selling off a lot of her work. I have managed to buy quite a bit of stuff that I'm looking forward to using over time. Here are two necklaces I've made recently. Both are simple but still a little different.

This first one is an experiment. The circles of colour needed to be featured but I didn't want them to be over taken. What I decided to do, after attempts at Kumihimo and other braids, was a simple plait. Except that the amount of wires wouldn't fit through the holes of the beads. Hmmmm. So, ever the improviser, I made that a little feature too. I found tigertail in colours that were in the pendant, continued the circles in the round shapes of black glass beads, some faceted, some not, and this is the result. It's actually lovely and light and sits well on the neck.


The second one I attempted began with the black lines on the glass. I've always wanted to achieve a simple spiral rope. Every other time I've tried the thread is too thick, the needle too big, and I haven't been able to pass through the beads enough times to make the spiral. This time it worked. Again, I found some beads in the colours used in the pendant. These are scattered throughout the rope. The main part of the rope is in various types of black seed beads. There are delicas and myuki beads used and several sizes also. After all, making a rope all the one size gets boring! I decided to see what would happen if I increased the number of beads in the outer beads. Once I reached the pendant I changed the size of the inside bead and kept increasing. The asymmetry of the necklace is quite fun, I think and takes a simple piece just that little bit out of the norm.

I'd love to know what you think of these necklaces. Also, I played a little bit more with arranging my photos. What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas in comments.

Pattern and Colour

I have discovered over the years that I simply love pattern and colour. I love scrapbooking paper with all the patterns and different materials. I'm particularly fond of geometric shapes and muted colours.

You can imagine what I thought when I saw all the wonderful materials used by Melanie of Bags by Melanie. Melanie sews beautifully. Her work is simple yet eye catching. My aunt makes bags and is always looking for great material. She'd also love Melanie's taste.

Here are a couple of items she has for sale in her etsy shop.

Happy Childhoods and Inspiration for Creation

I ducked over to Rae Anne's blog today. She has a blog that is so fun to read. She is raising two kids who she's obviously adores buckets and the grins on the kids speak volumes. I loved the caption on this picture. It reminded me of the care free days out I used to have with family and friends. None of all that health and safety stuff that becomes so exhausting now-a-days. Just days in the sun with family doing fun things. She writes....

"Grandma is holding the chair so that Q doesn't fall off the slope. We are all about the safety. Not pictured? Open flames. And sharp sticks holding lots of ill-refrigerated processed meat. Parents of the year."
LOL

Full of pictures, this one caught my attention.

When I finally make it into my new house (could be as little as a month now) I want to get out mum's old slides of the orchard (before it became a nursery) and also of some of her travels to see if I can make them into beaded scenes. If I had a picture like this I'd be looking at bead colours immediately.

Experimentation

I have all these buttons at home. Some are from old sewing projects, some I bought simply because I liked the look of them. I want to make things with them but am often at a loss as to what to do. I make things and then just don't like them. Here is a ring that I made recently that is not too bad. It will need to be worn by an arty person being large and purple and orange (the colours I always associate with art teachers from school). So, tell me what you think.

The Importance of Little Things

Every now and then I remember to take some time out. After a tough couple of weeks I sat down on the porch in the sun with a cup of tea. As afternoon gradually became twilight I watched a couple of Kookaburras on the lawn in front of me having their dinner. As the shadows lengthened these two beautiful birds would sit in the tree branches waiting and then land on the ground and kill whatever it was they found. All was peaceful and quiet. I could hear their wings flap and their beaks snap. I brought me to a place of calm.

It's been ages since I've seen Kookaburras at home. When I was growing up they used to sit on the washing line and we'd see them almost every day, especially as mum would put out the scraps of meat from cooking dinner.

It really is the small things that make life worthwhile. Mum used to love the colours of the rain on the trees as the sun glittered through. She would have loved to sit and watch these two birds with me. And I thought of other small things that make life that much better. My friend Nifty spending ages finding just the right eyebrows for my mini-me on her Wii last night.

And then there are the beautiful illustrations and artworks of Gretchen of Chichiboulie. Earlier today, the childish fun and simplicity of her drawings made me smile. How can you not smile when faced with this?










Or this?

There is so much joy to be had on Gretchen's blog and in her shop. I can tell you, you'll enjoy the time you spend.