A Sky Full Of Stars

(Looking for my BSBP reveal ? go here ! <3)

'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars
I think I see you
I think I see you

This piece is a bit personal for a few reasons, the first of which being because it features a bead by my very talented lampwork artist friend, Donna Millard. I remember her making this bead a few days after she saw an aurora. I fell in love with that bead, but I did not have the money. And so that bead was gone, slipping in between my fingers.

Some time later, Donna made another. Again, I did not have the money. But that one bead, for some reason, sat there.It sat there and it waited, for months, until Donna had a sale. Then, I was able to bring my little dream of a bead home.

And I could not have been happier. There are no photos that can give that bead any justice. It is breathtaking. A sky full of stars, indeed. I had a really fun time trying to replicate the glow and iridescence with the shattered fire opal from the iced enamels line. It's far from the same, but it is still such a lovely effect ! I did the bowl of the two spoons as well as the round part of the handles, then poured resin on top. They all just glow ! I fear I am even more addicted to the medium than I once was... Please send help more of it, yes. I will have most of the new colors soon, minus one - they're still a bit hard to get !

The beads are blue goldstone, which is actually a man-made material rather than an actual stone. I always thought it looked like a starry sky to me, so adding a few was a given.Then I made a tassel with my star chain. The tassel addiction continues, ever and ever <<;

So I had the focal part done. I had no idea what to do the neckline with. I thought about just using more star chain, but it didn't seem to fit for some reason. This is the proof that an idea can happen everywhere and nothing is laughable... I was at the bakery, getting a tart for dessert. It was being boxed, and that box was then being wrapped in lengths of black ribbon. That was my AHA moment. As you can see this is not cheap plastic ribbon. This is a very nice fabric ribbon that worked perfectly for this purpose and provided the final touch.

Bead Soup Blog Party 8 :: REVEAL !

“I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.” 

― Terry Tempest Williams

2012 | 2013

Hi, and welcome to my reveal of the 8th Bead Soup Blog Party ! Enjoy your stay !

As a reminder, the soup the lovely Sandra sent me is here. Sandra set me a challenge - to use yellow, a color which, along with orange, just isn't a color I... dig. Or use. Or think about most of the time. She provided me with a few yellow beads for this purpose, and early on I ran into a setback. Not so much because of the color, but because most of the yellow beads she sent me, along with the pearls and the lovely coral I was so looking forward to using, had holes too small to be strung on 20 gauge wire. 22 would have compromised the strength of the pieces, so I pulled out what little yellow that I do own from my own stash and set out to work, finding creative ways to use the small yellow beads and the pearls in a different way.

This bracelet contains one of the focals Sandra sent me. I wanted to keep the top hole to hang from, as well as keep the bird straight, so rather than hook from the provided bails, I mounted (of sorts) the lovely bird focal on a round mother of pearl doughnut that another good friend of mine (also, aptly, named Sandra, but she will be represented as her online handle of Efte for purposes of clarity). The MOP links came with copper links that covers the inside of the inner hole, so it was easy to punch an hole though the decorative element, afix a wire to the back of the bird, then wire everything up neatly. To make sure nothing came undone, I poured resin on the backside. This bird isn't flying away ! The heart with kanji came from Efte as well, though I used ice enamels to color it. Sandra sent me the flower bead caps separately upon realizing she forgot to send me some, and they worked perfectly in this lovely little bracelet !

The clasp is handmade by the lovely Lisa of Metal Me This, painted with lumiere paints and adorned with a tiny wire nest. Sandra sent me a trio of lovely egg beads, but they were a little big for this purpose, so I painted this smaller trio to match them. The bird spacers are from Sandra as well, but are guarding tiny nests of pearls and hearts rather than spacing anything ! Most of the gemstones on this bracelet were part of my soup, with exceptions of the smaller agate round, the wooden beads, and the round yellow stones, that came from my stash. The three strands were made separately and then I wired them together with jump rings to keep things tidy. this is a substantial piece, as per my usual, and a nice weight on one's wrist. I made this within a week of getting my soup, and have been wearing it nearly constantly since !

But, Audrey, you mentioned three big egg beads, where are they ? Well...

There they are ! I first made this to be an element in the bracelet, but it was much too big to work well. Rather than cut the whole thing apart, I thought to make a ring with a spare bit of bookchain much like I've seen Harry of Oscarcrow do. This is very similar to how I mounted the bird on the bracelet - I used apoxie sculpt to fill the hole, then pressed the focal. I found that it wasn't strong enough in the nest's case, thanks to all the irregularities of the wire wrapping, but it left me an impression that made it easy to simply glue it back in place once the clay had cured. Bookchain is expensive, and having a good way to use up small bits and bobs is very handy !

But, Audrey, those who know me might say. Two whole pieces, and nary a necklace in sight ? Are you well ?

Worry not, my dears.

There's a necklace, as one could expect from me :P The base is assemblage of three different brass pieces - the backplate with the holes, the winged cartouche, and the heart. The heart was painted with vintaj inks in a mix of garnet and black, then had iced enamels applied on. I painted the little bird with lumière paint for the golden, and the leftover red from the heart. I used crystal clay to fix the heart of the winged cartouche, and then went around it with the pearls Sandra sent me to hide how raised up it was. They worked perfectly for this purpose !

The base itself had some red painted onto, then I used tissue decoupage on top of it. Once the two parts were together, I put resin on everything, making sure to not cover the pearls. Then I put the backplate on.

I made the neckline while keeping in mind that the piece was going to be relatively bottom heavy - the sari ribbon on the back keeps the necklace from being harsh on the neck, where the beaded segments offer decoration on the sides. The clasp is the clasp Sandra sent me, though it gained a little birdy friend who made a nest upon it.

The lower part is definitively kitchen sinky. The sari ribbon adds a lot of volume to the bottom part while not adding too much weight. A lot of the gemstone beads that Sandra sent me ended up here, along with a little bottle full of coral. I made yet another little nest for the center tassel part, with a cloisonne bead Efte sent me. The rest came from my own stash. Here's a better look of the whole bottom part pulled out :

And, as a finale, something a little more unusual (well, for me...)

These earrings all use the bead caps and the yellow beads Sandra sent me, as well as some scrap bits of sari and chain. These were actually really fun to do, and I plan to do more of them ! I love to use the little brass spoon Brenda sells as elements like this. They work very well for earrings, or elements in assemblage. Im sure to make a bunch more !

Well, that's about it for me for this year ! Please make sure to visit my partner, Sandra, as well as everyone else involved in the party ! Have fun !

The Color of Dreams Blog Hop :: Reveal !

((Feel free to skip the tl;dr bullshit and go right to the pretty. I won't blame ya.))

Dreams are a bit of a... slippery subject for me, to be honest. I've struggled with self-esteem issues all my life, and am still struggling with them now. I will probably be struggling with them all my life.

Every time I have reached out for my dreams, I have failed. Sometimes a little harder than other times. It just seems that whatever I do is never good enough, and I'll never go anywhere. It's easy to wonder 'why me' and go down that slippery slope, so I try to do my best not to go there at all.

I think my dreams right now are simple - I want to be happy. Yet that seems just as unattainable as the rest of them. Maybe one day I'll get there.

Maybe.

This piece came about really quickly and basically on it's own. The cameo was tinted from blue to purple with the help of Lisa's lovely color me this line, allowing me to tint the cameo without losing too much details or staining the white. The cameo is also a reference to my mother, who has left us seven years ago now. She loved cameos very much. The bead I have gotten as part of the blog hop sits nestled safely in it's little frame, surrounded by flowers. I think that's what I want. I want to feel safe, surrounded by things that I love.

The frame and the back plate was first darkened then built up in a very subtle patina. It's a hard to see on the photo, but in real life it's quite visible.

The leaves are brass stampings that I painted with lumiere paints then sealed. And the flowers, as easily seen here, are inverted bead caps with the inside painted, wired with spectra glass beads. I've always thought these little bead caps looked like flowers. I think I've used them more as flowers than as their actual purpose !

This piece is also my entry for B'Sue April challenge, a pop of color. So don't get confused if you see it floating around a bit !

Thanks for visiting me. Please go take a look at everyone else as well~

Honorary Artist: Patricia Handschuh
Patricia's blog:            The Color of Dreams        
Patricias Etsy:             The Color of Dreams

Hostess: TJ                Jewel School Friends
Kay Thomerson           KayzKreationz
Audrey Belanger          Toki No Hourousha <=== You are here

Alicia Marinache          All the Pretty Things
Terry Carter                TappingFlamingo
Lori Schneider             Bead Addict
Jenny Kyrlach             Wonder and Whimsy
Asri Wahyuingsih         Asri's Beadwork
Dini Bruinsma              Angaza by Changes
Karla Morgan              Texas Pepper Jams
Debbie Rasmussen        A Little of This, A Little of That
Veralynne Malone          Designed by Vera
Kathy Stemke               Vintage Memories Jewelry Design
Mowse Doyle               Mowse Made This
Heather Richter             Desert Jewelry Designs
Lori Poppe                   Adventures in Creativity with LorilliJean
Jayne Capps                Mama's Got To Doodle
Andrea Glick                Zenith Jade Creations
Kathleen Breeding         99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall
Becky Pancake             Becky Pancake Bead Designs
Karin Martinez              Fairies Market
Miranda Ackerley          Mirandack
Penny Houghton           Smelly Nelly
Carolyn Lawson           Carolyn's Creations
Chris Eisenberg            Wanderware
Christie Murrow          Charis Designs Jewelry
Monique Urquhart        A Half-Baked Notion
Eve Shelby                  Raindrop Creations Jewelry by Evelyn
Cryss Thain                 Here Bead Dragons
Jasvanti Patel               Jewelry By Jasvanti
Nan Smith                   NanMade Handmade Jewelry
Sue Kennedy               SueBeads
Jean Yates                   Snap Out of It, Jean! There's Beading to be Done!
Debbie Rogers             Debbies Treasures
Marybeth Rich             A Few Words From Within the Pines
Shirley Moore              Beads and Bread
Shaia Williams             Shaiha's Ramblings
Kathy Lindemer           Bay Moon Design
Linda Anderson           From the Bead Board
Judy Turner               Silver Rains
Gloria Allen                Gloria Allen Designs
Regina Wood              Ginas-Design
Robin Reed                Artistry HCBD
Mary Goovars            MLH Jewelry Designs
Marlene Cupo             Amazing Designs
CJ Bauschka              4 His Glory Creations
Robin Showstack        The Crazy Bead Hoarder
Cynthia O'Toole          Sparkles and Sweets
Jael Thorp                 Jael's Art Jewels
Renetha Stanziano      Lamplight Crafts

The Secret-Seeker

This is my first cuff, inspired by the lovely cuff that Cathy Trummer Buckley made in the B'Sue Creative group. :)

The Secret-Seeker, for Febuary's challenge - such as it can be a called a challenge for me << Someone should tell me NOT to use Vintaj patinas or Lumiere paints, now that would be a challenge ! 

All components are B'Sue's beside the key, the bead caps, and the mood beads. I actually made the focal part of this last year (see second picture) but couldn't really make up my mind on how to use it - it seemed cumbersome for a necklace focal, even by my standards. Seeing Cathy's owl on that cuff was kind of the AHA moment.

The actual owl started life as brass ox, I believe, which I painted first with the nouveau silver vintaj patina, then with a layer of glazed down black to tone down the bright shiny silver a bit and have it match the silverplated wings. The very first attempt at this owl had eyes in mixed beads resin, which... in retrospect, was not the best idea ! So I filed and cracked all the beads out and made him crystal clay eyes instead.

When I picked the focal up yesterday, I knew I wanted a different feel, so I went over it with pearl white lumière paint. I thought blueish would be best for the eyes so I repainted over the crystal clay. The cuff itself was, I believe, rusty black - I went over it with emerald green lumière paint, just one layer so that some peeks of the plating underneath still showed up, then sealed it. The filigree was painted purple similarly, but split in two so that the owl would not cover it completely and I could move and overlap the two halves as needed. The flowers are simply spectra beads inside bead caps, I do believe this is a B'Sue technique that is in one of the older videos. Punched an hole in the key, strung it up with chain, glued the bead in, glued the whole thing to the cuff, and VOILA ! You have a birthday gift for your friend ! Who will probably see this and know who she is ! Ah well, can't win them all. ;)

Bead Hoarders Blog Hop - REVEAL !

Me ? A bead hoarding problem ? What would you be talking about ? *cough*

Yeah, yeah... This hop was meant for me. I hoard things, all sort of things. It was high time I finally hoarded them in a way other people could see them !

But I decided to go big or go home. I decided to use one of my most precious treasures. What is that treasure, you ask ?

Why, it would be this amazing lampwork bead by Jennifer Cameron ! This bead also has a bit of history, see... Last yeah, Jennifer held a sale / party over on her blog in which there was much chatting, many shinies, and a good time to be had by all. I brought two beads from said sale, so when this one came out my heart broke. I didn't have the money to snag this beauty ! So I counted my losses and moved on, certain that someone would snag this beauty.

Jenn said the beads who didn't sell in the blog party would end up on etsy... And what do I spy on etsy a few weeks later ? This very beauty, waiting for me. It was as if it was simply meant to be mine and that was that. I didn't let it slip away twice ! But I could never convince myself that I could make this lovely bead any justice. So I hoarded it, as a dragon hoards treasure.

What stuck me was how differently two artists can perceive something. This is what Jenn said in her etsy description...

Bridal Jewelry. That's how I picture this focal with the something blue (and sparkly). Or maybe just a beautiful, elegant, and sparkly focal bead for a special piece of jewelry for yourself just because you are special and deserve it.

 I saw water. Clear, pristine, beautiful water sparkling under the sun. Raindrops glimmering as they streak down a window.

With that in mind, I got to work.

I used blue dragon's vein agate, and a lot of opalite. Predictable ? Perhaps. But the opalite's glow work so well with the focal bead's sparkle. The bead caps were painted with a mix of lumiere paint then sealed. It gives them just that extra little something. The clasp is a pretty little heart and key that I felt counterbalanced the focal well.

The necklace itself was quite easy to so, but this part in particular was a pain in the ass ! I wanted the feel of rain, so I wrapped these tiny tiny little opalite rounds... Carefully cut the chain... Wire-wrapped briolettes ?! (Wat). This has been the bane of my existence since... Well, since I started making jewelry. I could never wire-wrap a briolette and not make it into a complete disaster. Im not even gonna get into how many of them I broke (too many). But I finished got to this end result. 

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this post ! Please give everyone else a visit, too !

1.  Lori Anderson, Pretty Things
2. Nancy Dale, NEDBeads
3. Roxanne Mendoza, Roxi Designs
4.  Melissa Trudinger, beadrecipes
5.  Rana Lea, Rana Lea Designs
6.  Perri Jackson, Shaktipaj Designs
7.  Rita Avila, Jewel School Friends
8.  Linda Anderson, From the Bead Board
9.  Sharon Palac, Sharon's Jewelry Garden
10.  Erin Guest, Renlish

11.  Joan Williams, lilruby jewelry
12. Diane Hawkey, Diane Hawkey
13.  Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation
14.  Sue Kennedy, SueBeads
15.  Lisa Cone, Inspired Adornments
16.  Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design
17.  Nichole Byers, Nichole Byers
18.  Lori Jean Poppe, Adventures in Creativity
19.  Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings
20.  Lori Schneider, Bead Addict

21.  Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me
22. Cece Cormier, The Beading Yogini
23.  Niki Sayers, Silver Nik Nats
24.  Elsie Deliz-Fonseca, Eliz-Eliz and All That Craft
25.  Amber Dawn, Inventive Soul
26.  Heather Powers, Humblebeads
27.  Sarah Goode, Pookledo
28.  Monique Urquhart, A Half-Baked Notion
29.  JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions
30.  Cheri Reed, Creative Designs by Cheri

31.  Robyn, Museiddity
32.  Catherine King, Catherine's Musings
33.  Jacquie, Bead Gypsy
34.  Janet McDonald, Singing Woods
35. Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreations
36.  Tanty Sri Hartanti, TJewellicious by Tanti
37.  Hannah Rosner, Good River Valley
38.  Rochelle Brisson, A Creative Chelle
39.  Nelly May, Smelly Nelly
40.  Skylar Bre'z, Brising Beads

41.  Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool
42.  Christie Murrow, Charis Designs
43.  Leanne Loftus, First Impression Design
44.  Valerie Norton, Hot Art
45.  Judy Riggs, Rigglettes
46.  Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons
47.  Terry Carter,  Tapping Flamingo
48.  Sue, Mid-Life Great Expectations
49.  Nan Smith, Wired Nan
50.  Miranda Ackerley, MirandAck Arts

51.  Marie Covert, Creating Interest
52.  D'Arsie Manzella, This Here Now, Mamacita
53.  Stephanie Haussler, Pixybug Designs
54.  Lori Bergmann, Lori Bergmann Design
55.  Johanna Nunez, The Lovely One Design
56.  Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs
57.  Becky Pancake, Becky Pancake Bead Designs
58.  Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things
59.  Debbie Rasmussen, A Little of This, A Little of That
60.  Nat, Grubbi Ceramics

61.  Marjorie Savill Linthwaite, Bennu Bird Rising
62.  Cheryl McCloud, One Thing Leads to Another
63.  Heather Otto, The Crafthopper
64.  Candida Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks
65.  Tracie Dean, Dean Designs
66.  JuLee Wolfe, The Polymer Penguin
67.  Ginger Bishop, Lil Mummy Likes
68.  Karen Mitchell, Over the Moon Design
69.  Jeannie Dukic, Jeannie's Blog
70.  Dini Bruinsma, Angaza by Changes

71.  Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit
72.  Shalini Austin, Jewellery by Shalini
73.  Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle
74.  Ile Ruzza, Ilenia's Unique Beaded Jewelry
75.  Jackie Marchant, Fiddledeedee Jewelry
76.  Annita Wilson, AW Jewelry 
77.  Sherri Stokey, Knot Just Macrame
78.  Hannah Trost, PZ Designs
79.  Linda Inhelder, Must Haves Jewelry
80.  Miri Agassi, Beadwork

81.  Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope
82.  Dyanne Cantrell, Dee-Liteful Jewelry Creations
83.  Susan Bowie, Susan Nelson Bowie
84.  Megan Milliken, MaeMaeMills
85.  Menka Gupta, Menka's Jewelry
86.  Ambra Gostoli, Chic and Frog
87.  Lori Lochner, Bloghner
88.  Gerda Jurimae, Gerda's Crafts Blog
89.  Susan, Mistheword
90.  MaryLou Holvenstot, MaryLou's time2cre8

91.  Mary Shannon Hicks, falling into the sky
92.  Karin King, The Sparklie Things Blog
93.  Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman
94.  Jenny Davie-Reazor, Jenny Davies-Reazor
95.  Donetta Farrington, Simply Gorgeous
96.  Mallory Hoffman, Rosebud 101 - For the Love of Beads
97.  Danielle Kelley, Imbue the Muse
98.  Kym Hunter, Kym Hunter Designs
99.  Dolores Rami, CraftyD's Creations
100.  Marcia Dunne, 13 Alternatives

101.  Marlene Cupo, Amazing Designs
102.  Emma Todd, A Polymer Penchant
103.  Wendy Holder, Jewelry by WendyLea
104.  Michelle Escano, The Cabby Crafter
105.  Louise Glazier, Lily and Jasmine Treasures
106.  Dana Hickey, Wind Dancer Studios
107.  Lennis Carter, windbent
108.  Anne Betenson, Crystal River Beads
109.  Audrey Belanger,  Dreams of an Absolution
110.  Lisa Stukel, Carefree Jewelry by Lisa

111.  Janine Lucas, Travel Stories
112.  Claire Lockwood, Something to Do With Your Hands
113.  Kathy Engstrom, Catherine's Dreams
114.  Paula Hisel, Simply Beadiful
115.  Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams
116.  Mischelle Fanucchi, Micheladas Musings
117.  Kim, Cianci Blue
118.  Linda Sadler, Ida Louise Jewelry
119.  Karen, Spokalulu
120.  Jennifer LaVite, Dry Gulch Bead and Jewelry

121.  Andrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations
122.  Karen Martinez, Fairies Market
123.  Robin Reed, Artistry HCBD
124.  Amy Bright, LABweorc
125.  Jasvanti Patel, Jewels by Jasvanti
126.  Tammie Everly, TTE Designs
127.  Karin Slaton, Backstory Beads
128.  Natalie Moten, Running Out of Thread
129.  Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections
130.  Jenny Kyrlach, Wonder and Whimsy

131.  LiliKrist, Handmade by LilK
132.  Jessica Klaaren, The Truth Space
133.  Cynthia Abner, Created Treasures
134.  Beth Emery, Stories by Indigo Heart
135.  Heather Davis, Blissful Garden Beads
136.  Jeanne, Gems by Jeanne Marie
137.  Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe
138.  Laren Dee Barton, Laren Dee Designs
139.  Steph, Confessions of a Bead Hoarder
140.  Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

141.  B. R. Kuhlman, Mixed Mayhem
142.  Patty Miller, Cabari Beads
143.  Elizabeth Bunn, Elizabeth Beads
144.  Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things
145.  Lizzie Clarke, The Need to Bead
146.  Christina Miles, Wings 'n' Scales
147.  Patricia, The Color of Dreams
148.  Marde Lowe, Fancimar
149.  Ev Shelby, Raindrop Creations
150.  Sarah Small, By Salla

151.  Perri Jackson, Shaktipaj Designs
152.  Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry
153.  Pam Traub, Klassy Joolz
154.  Lisa Harrison, Daisy Meadow Studio
155.  Anzia Parks, Anzi-Panzi's Work Shoppe
156.  Ingrid, Lilisgems Handcrafted Jewelry Inspirations
157.  Andra Weber, Andra's Joyful Journey
158.  Kelly Hosford Patterson, The Traveling Side Show
159.  Adlinah Kamsir, Dreamstruck Designs
160.  Marci, That Nothing Be Wasted

161.  Kris Lanae Binsfield,  Cherish Designs
162.  Stephanie Perry, Mustard Bead
163.  Birgit Klughardt, Gites Beads
164.  Inge von Roos, Inge's Blog
165.  Rebecca Sirevaag, Becca's Place
166.  Sandy Markley, Gypsy Spirit Designs
167.  Elena Adams, Lena's Beady Blog