Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
Congratulations to Despina Veneti!
You have won a gift certificate to spend at either Songbead or The Curious Bead Shop!
Send Rebecca an email to claim your gift certificate.
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Hoooooooo.... I feel like I'm coming to the end of a marathon. After days and days of photo-editing and listing drafting, I'm finally in a position to add new things to both my shops - new beads, new jewellery. I added lots of new beads to my Etsy shop last night. Here's just a selection.
(Apologies for the grey tinge to some of the photos - terrible photography weather here recently!)
I've been doing lots of slip-decorating of porcelain...
...and trying to master forming a cone cap:
More porcelain here. I just love it with cobalt oxide:
As ever, I've made plenty of earring pairs...
...and I'm still loving lilies and leaves:
These bead sets are a new thing. I spent ages building up layers of different colours and marks, subtle variations in shades, and a range of textures.
Here are a few more bead sets.
What else? Headpins:
Naive / primitive face cubes
And also these big ol' thorn focals:
They were inspired by some wooden beads I bought recently from Pine Needles Sweet Grass.
Cool, hey? They're so wonderful. However, I had imagined they'd be bigger and chunkier and might work as focal in a big necklace. (I always forget to look at measurements when I order things!) The thorns I bought will be great in earrings and more delicate necklaces but I was set on having some big thorn-like necklace focals. So, I tried making some. I hope my ceramic pieces diverge from their inspiration enough not to seem like a rip off!
And finally, on the bead front, some more of these old favourites -
Some of these pieces have sold but there's still lots to be snapped up in the shop.
But, I also mentioned new jewellery. Here are just a few of the new pieces I've made - there are many, many more. Of course, they feature lots of art beads.
hand-painted wood - Graceful Willow
feather rounds - Blueberribeads; faceted round - Something to do Beads
ceramic building - Jubilee; ceramic cog and spike - Marsha Neal; ceramic stick pendant - Scorched Earth
ceramic drop - Scorched Earth
Now I've bombarded you with visuals, it's time for the giveaway. Up for grabs today? A $15 of credit to spend in either my bead shop or my jewellery shop. The question? What new things are you going to be working on this weekend? - or next week? - or when you first have opportunity? Just answer in a comment and you'll be in with a chance of winning!
Bye for now, Claire
12 comments:
Ooooo... Lovely lovely beads! My buy-it button finger is itching...
I'm hoping to try riveting this weekend! Just got a selection of tools through for it and really want to have a go at building up some interesting pendants :)
Okay, your beads are a temptation to write! :)
I bought a ring and bracelet mandrel this week (or rather they arrived this week) so I hope I get some time to play with them! :)
I love your bead selection. I love them all and want them all!
I have some new ceramic beads that I am dying to make into earrings this weekend,
I'm attempting to learn some easy wire weaving and finding that none of it is "easy" after all.
Lovely beads up above.
Love those headpins! This weekend I will be working on a few bead challenges, looking after my son (he has a cold), and might even get in some quilting/sewing time this weekend.
I'm going to be making ear cuffs for myself, my mother and my sister. But my sister doesn't know yet because it's part of a surprise so shhh.
Also, I LOVE the way you used the chain on those first earrings. That would be a perfect way to use up extra chain that you can't just fix or attach a jump ring to.
Great new work Claire!! So original and so suited to cool jewelry making!!
I have been make beads from copper tubing whenever I get a fee minutes and next week I hope to flame enamel them. I really love how your beads are different from one another. You have diverse looks and done so well!
I purchased some wonderful artbead headpins from Genea recently with the intention to enter last month's ABS Challenge. Then, life got crazy and I missed the boat. So, I'm really anxious to create with those ASAP!! Claire, your new beads and jewelry are awesome!
I got to spend today in the studio working on making some jewelry from a challenge kit with lots of sea glass and glass pearls. I feel really productive because I made more then one design.
I'm moving house so I will be packing boxes, but the carrot at the end is my own studio once the dust settles.
I'll try to wireweave a piece of raw sea glass :) And if it doesn't work (I guess I will find out in 3-4 hours from the start, ha-ha), I'll try wirecaged beads :)
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