AnotherCountry BeadWorks

Containment No. 5 Complete

2009-07-14T08:40:00.004-06:00

Finished this one last night. I've planned a series of three using yellow quartzite cabochons - I'm going to use different gemstone chips with each one. The next one will be accented with freshwater champagne heart pearls and peridot chips. The contrast in colors bring out different qualities in the quartzite that fascinate me.

The Wake-Up Call

2009-07-11T20:29:00.005-06:00

Asa couldn't wait for me to wake up on my own. After looking at our email this morning, he decided there was something I needed to see. He shook my foot. Bleary, half dreaming, and desperate for coffee I stumbled to the table.

An Etsy order from a repeat customer. My most recent customer, actually.

Remember these?

Industrial Femme

The Dreamtime

They, along with my last two Paiute cab treasure boxes (Containments 3 & 4), sold this morning.

I really didn't need any coffee to get going after I read that.

Containment No. 4 Complete

2009-07-05T08:07:00.004-06:00

The first photo is just a tad dark. I received an early birthday present - Photoshop Elements 7 - once I learn how it works, I hope to improve my pictures more easily.

I have the next few boxes roughly sketched - I can't wait to get to work on the next one - it's yellow quartz with garnet chips.

And away I go -

Containment No. 3 Completed

2009-06-28T19:28:00.004-06:00

I'm delighted and stunned to report that Containments 1 & 2 have sold - as well as "Georgia O'Keeffe and the Three Bears."
It's been a very strange week.

Contaiment No. 3 Work In Progress

2009-06-23T09:34:00.003-06:00

And the crazy thing is, even as I come to the end of the Paiute stones, I've already found the theme for the next four boxes . . . and I can't wait to get going with them!

Containment Continues

2009-06-22T21:58:00.002-06:00

Containment No. 2 is finished and available at my Etsy shop. I'm enjoying working on this series so much - it's addictive.

I start with my focal beads, then work everything else in an improvisational way - so my final product is as much a surprise to me as I hope it's a delight to view.

Summer Clearance

2009-06-18T13:29:00.008-06:00

These and much. much more can be seen here at my 'Buy One Get One Half Off SALE!' in my Etsy shop right now. 50 items are being offered, so check it out!! If you're in the neighborhood, you can see them in person at Bird Song Used Books - come on down!

P.S. I've added almost 4 dozen more items that won't be offered through Etsy!

Containment Begins

2009-06-17T08:58:00.004-06:00

Having some trouble with my camera - this is a not-too-great scan of the first in my series of beaded containers. Better pictures and more info are up at the Etsy listing HERE.

AeroAsa In For A Landing

2009-06-10T11:41:00.004-06:00

I don't know how close I came to the Steam Punk aesthetic, but Asa likes it and that's what counts.

Now - on to the next project, working title:

Slooooooow Goin'

2009-06-08T10:11:00.005-06:00

I have covered over half of this wristband with beads no less than 4 times, being very unhappy with the overall look. I had to get my head in the game and knuckle down - one more rip-out and the interfacing would disintegrate.

So I did.

Getting the feel of steam punk is much harder than you think, for when someone does it wrong, it's usually horridly wrong - just google steampunk jewelry to find multiple examples of the bad stuff. But when they get it right, it is elegance itself - check out Aranwen on Etsy to see what I mean.

But I digress. I should have Asa's wristband completed by the end of the day tomorrow; then the Next Big Project begins.

Slowly I am coming to an understanding of the Secrets of Rusty Things.

One Ends, Another Begins

2009-06-02T10:04:00.007-06:00

Desert Study No. 2 is now complete. I backed it with cream colored Ultrasuede and gave it a bright copper slide closure.

That being done, Asa (my partner-turned-husband) asked me to make a cuff for him. He particularly liked some gorgeous ceramic beads I found at Mama's Minerals last month. He's developed a deep admiration for the look and feel of all things steampunk so my problem was this: How to adapt the steampunk aesthetic to bead embroidery. Here's what I've come up with so far:

AeroAsa Stage 1

AeroAsa Stage 2

I'm not sure where this is going just yet, but I like it.

Ooo - BTW, today's guest post over at the Colour Lover's Blog is so good, I'm printing it out and pasting it in my workbook. Great advice.

Odds, Ends, and Progress

2009-05-27T16:10:00.013-06:00

First off, thanks to The Jade Dog for the great Mother's Day presents! FOUR tubes of those fabulous new gold-fumed seed beads - yum! If you've got a minute, check out her blog and see if you can answer the question she poses in this post HERE.

Now here's an odd little aside: If you live near an Einstein Bros. Bagels, I can highly recommend two of their gourmet bagels - the Dutch Apple and the Spinach Florentine. Even on a diet, I manage to work them in. Too good to miss.

Took new photos of my beaded bead necklaces. Since they are so lovely AND affordable, the only reason I still haven't sold them all from Etsy must be the photos. These are a serious improvement.

I've made a good deal of progress on my next embroidered cuff, but rather than wait until it's finished, I thought I'd post what I've done up to now:

Phase One

Phase Two

Phase Three

Oh! And I was cleaning out some bead trays and found two rings I made a few months ago. Pretty things, too.

Along a Path of Wine Dark Tears

2009-05-17T10:02:00.003-06:00

Phase One

Phase Two

Phase Three

Phase Four

Along a Path of Wine Dark Tears

The cabochon and large disk beads are Wild Horse Mountain Stone; the wine dark path is made of garnet chips; the accents are potato pearls and tiny pewter stars. The background is worked in Japanese and Czech seed beads. The clasp is an antique silver finish slide, the backing is black UltraSuede.

Beadwork Magazine

2009-05-10T16:21:00.007-06:00

The June/July issue will have the print version with, I hope, more details about the competition - like how many entries there were and who were the judges.

EDIT: Just got a call from Roger at the Newsland - he just unpacked his most recent arrivals and there was Beadwork! He's holding three copies for me!! WOOHOO!!

Now it's time to respond to the comments on the previous post(because when I respond down in the comments section, they tend to get overlooked - besides, I can't figure out how to post a picture there):

Lynn said...I love the subtle shadings of the colors. Just beautiful!

AuntieAnnie said...Beautiful. I really like the branching effect that you used.

Dulcey said...I love that! It's very calm, love the soft colors and the variety of texture.

Thanks, guys! You know, when I started this piece I had no idea what I was going to do beyond putting those two pieces of agate in the middle.

sweetpea_path said...oooooh, this one's SWEEEEET!! Agree too, as someone else said, the branching effect is beautiful -- and it really adds another dimension (for lack of a better word). Morwyn, what are your thoughts on why this piece is drawing more attention, etc.???

I've wondered about this - and I'm just not sure - maybe the strength of the contrast?

beadbabe49 said...Another fabulous piece, morwyn! You've got me looking for stone cabs now, although I haven't found "the one" yet, lol!

My problem is the stones find ME. I spent about four hours yesterday getting them all rounded up from their various hiding places. I have so many ideas I can only hope I live long enough to work them all up -

Dave Robertson said...Nice blend of symmetry & organic forms, Morwyn. I'd also love to see a photo of it on your wrist... :)

Okay, Dave - here ya go:

I took these shots with the webcam in my little Acer netbook, so they aren't as clear as I'd like but you get the idea.

Hi, Honey! I'm Home!

2009-05-08T08:59:00.005-06:00

I've been working on a few things. This is my latest bead embroidered cuff.

Stage One

Stage Two

Stage Three

Stage Four

The Road Behind, The Road Ahead

I've worn this several times and it has drawn more attention and provoked more compliments than anything I've made to date.

On The Fly

2009-04-19T09:59:00.003-06:00

Taking a Break

2009-04-13T21:05:00.002-06:00

Sunday Edition #15

2009-04-13T08:36:00.005-06:00

I've been obsessing over color lately, and during my last treasury search I came across the Etsy shop of Indigo Flameworks:
The artists' inspired choices of metalwork and enameling married with gorgeous gemstones or pearls are brilliant - you can read all about them on their website HERE.
Not to drop too heavy a hint, but Mother's Day IS coming . . .
Isn't this fabulous? Every time I look at this, I get lost in the depths of the colors, the intricate patterning . . .

*sigh*

Moving Right Along

2009-04-09T15:18:00.004-06:00

It really is moving right along.

Day Job Notwithstanding

2009-04-08T13:49:00.003-06:00

I managed a bit of progress here.

I Just Had To Listen Harder

2009-04-07T13:06:00.005-06:00

I needed to hear what the beads were telling me to do.

I had just finished this set of bangles when they started talking:

Jeanne's Kitchen

Sunday Edition #14

2009-04-05T08:55:00.004-06:00

This week's Etsy find is eye-popping glass artist in Israel, Michal Silberberg. The screen cap is from his website, and from there you can get to his Etsy shop, Michal.S:

I love his color sense - great way to jumpstart a sleepy Sunday morning, eh?

Another Treasury? So Soon?

2009-04-03T16:25:00.003-06:00

I've been a little jammed up, computer-wise, and so I'm a little late with my thanks to JanEleven for showcasing my Magical Fish in her treasury, Beware A Yellow Sky (ends tonight). Check out her shop if you get a chance - there are some interesting things in there.

Heidi's Kitchen

2009-03-31T10:18:00.006-06:00

My latest set of bangles - this time using the little ''practice' lampwork beads I mentioned a while back. I'm working on several more sets using those 'practice' beads. I'm in a kind of rhythm now, crocheting these bangles. I can't seem to get the block of time I need to work on those sculptural peyote cuffs . . . soon, I promise myself.

I'm trying out some different settings on my old HP ScanJet. I like the sage background - cuts down on the rebounding shine.
I've increased the resolution as well - doubled it from 150 t0 300.
I like the effect - and I've been using Picasa 3 for the fine tuning. You know, for a free program it's very, very good.

I'm in a Treasury! & Sunday Edition #13

2009-03-29T10:28:00.007-06:00

Good grief. We're 13 weeks into the new year already. Urk.
Check it out! I finally figured out how to do a screen capture of a treasury! Georgia sure is popular - I think this cuff was featured the last two or three times I was in a treasury . . .

Speaking of which, it happens so seldom that I get put into a treasury (or find out I'm in one) I just gotta make a big deal out of it. And the curator of this treasury, Barb Suess, is also the proprietor of the Etsy shop, JapaneseTemari. I lived in Japan for two years, and I fell in love with the arts and crafts there.

Washi eggs in particular. Give her a peek if you have a minute.