Friday, October 26, 2007

October BJP done!

Yea! I'm ahead this month! Woo hoo! Got the BJP done for October. First I put a border of milky white beads around the edge.

Then I asked DH his opinion...we agreed it need something else...so I tried another row using beads & Swarovski crystals.


I liked it so finished it that way! And here it is:

That's all for this week...can't show anything else 'cuz I've been busy with Christmas gifts! And I wouldn't want to give away any hints! :)

Happy weekend, & Happy Halloween to those of you who Trick or Treat!

With aloha,
CC

P.S. Ooops...looks like I uploaded that first image HUGE! And I have no idea how to delete it & replace it. Can't find a "cut" option! Oh, well! :)
P.P.S. Thanks Robin for teaching me how to fix the picture!!! :)

Friday, October 19, 2007

Improv Unleashed!

Wow! I have no idea where I'm going, but it sure is fun!
After getting some wonderful advice, I let go. Decided, after all, it's just a piece of beadwork! (Thanks Robin & everyone!) I remember from art school being told "It's just paper!" This was the same connection I needed to make! So I started to walk from the kitchen toward my studio & happened upon 5 pieces of plain beach glass that were sitting on the ledge. Hmmm...guess I hadn't put them in the container. So I grabbed them & brought them with me. I had been thinking of the elements, Samhain, magick...well, I just stuck 'em down & went at it. Then it just felt right adding the big bead I got years ago...and lines just swirled from there! I really don't know what will happen next, but it's really alot more fun when you can let go! Yea!!!
Hope you all have a fun weekend! See you next Friday! Aloha!

Christmas Ornaments

So this year we're making some new ornaments for Huckleberry Hut. We take the bark from the Black Wattle tree, an invasive pest here, cut strips & form them into shapes. We let them dry. Meanwhile we gather the beach glass we've collected & do some wire wrapping around them. Add a colorful Christmas ribbon & you have an earth friendly ornament! Gosh! How many days to Christmas? Ack!

Finished Knotless Netting Amulet Pouch

So, just in time, I finished the amulet pouch for my pal visiting me from the mainland. Here's a pic of the finished pouch.

I didn't get alot of time to visit with her, but what time I had was a joy!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Stuck, Stumped & Stupefied!

OK...so I started out LOVING this month's BJP piece! I had my beautiful face cab & my base all RTG!!! I knew I'd have to use freeform peyote around the cab 'cuz it was really uneven. Got that done. Then I added the special sign. Finally added the border of gold. NOW WHAT??? I did the poem & wrote all the words for October, but I don't know where to go from here. Here's a pic of the beginning of the week:

And here's one after the border was added:

Now I don't know what to do! I know I want the owl feather hanging from it on the final board, but I'm just not getting any leading to a bead, charm, embellishment....nothing. So I think I'll take a break over the weekend & start anew on Monday! Going to the Pow Wow tomorrow...maybe I'll get some inspiration there!

Just an FYI, here's where I got the face cab mold! http://www.theenchantedgallery.com/ I just love her molds!!!

Knotless Netting & Finishing Minerva

Needlelace, knotless netting, buttonhole stitch...it's something that seems to be used the world over. And I love how many different ways it's used. I use it to make pouches. Here's one I've worked on this week:

I've made a 4 thread braided neck strap for it & just have to finish adding some embellishments.
I also finished my Minerva top. Now I just need to find out where to get some ultra suede! We just don't have everything here in the middle of the Pacific ocean! Here's a pic:

Swaps Galore

OK...so some other things I've been involved in are swaps. All kinds of different swaps. Here's just a few that I've recently finished, or am almost finished.
First, my pal Jo and I, just finished an almost 2 year journal swap...hey, we like to take our time! :)
Here's a pic of my finished journal:


Then I did an ATC swap with my pal Azlina in Malaysia. Her country's flower is the hibiscus, & it's our state flower. It's the first time I beaded on a preprinted fabric instead of one of my own photos:



And 3 of us are just finishing up a Bendi doll swap! This is what they looked like when they started awhile back. I wonder what they'll look like when they're all done?! Mine is the middle one. I tinted her using bogolan fini...a mud cloth technique from Africa.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Harvest Moon

So...I decided I REALLY wanted to do a witch's hat for this month...got all my sketches done...BUT...when I went to add the face cab I'd made, it was all too big for the hat & the boards I will be putting all of these on! DANG~! So, I decided to make a harvest moon for the symbol of the month. OK, so it didn't take alot of art expertise, but I have a feeling I'm gonna like this one.
Here's a pic of the painted circle, the face cab & some other items I may use.

She's gonna be kinda heavy to work with, but I do want to put her on first & add the rest later.