Set: Cassiopeia

Yeh, I actually liked the palette and the theme I created for my previous post; the Cassiopeia cuff and ring and I decided to create a matching necklace for it. Nothing too complicated, but nothing too simple either, so I decided to create only a pendant that would hang from a delicate gold chain.

I used almost the same beads as I used on the other two creations for this set; the gemstone is the same, just with a different shape. 11/0 and 15/0 seed beads by Toho (gold ones here are also in a permanent finish), 11/0 seed beads and 3mm bugles by Miyuki, 2x 12mm Swarovski rivolis in two different green shades (the same as for the cuff), 2x freshwater pearls and one 4mm glass pearl by Gütermann. The only thing I didn't incorporate, which was in the previous two design was the 3mm Swarovski bicones.

For the finish of the pendant I was first planning on creating a fringe for it, but after observing the piece when I had cut it out from the Lacy's I though that a fringe might make it way too much for the piece itself to handle. Who knows? That is just how I felt at that point and that is still the was I feel today as well.
The bail I just decided to keep simple; ladder stitch, without any embellishing at all. I didn't want to take too much attention away from the pendant itself.

Cuff & Ring: Cassiopeia

Yesterday I managed to do the last finishing touches on my bead embroidery cuff that I posted a preview picture on, in my last Bead Table Wednesday post.

I stuck to the promise I made myself and actually kept on going in free-form style to create it. First I finished up one side, until that one was completely covered, then I moved on to the opposite side to cover that.
The cuff is 28mm wide.

Two weeks ago I received my copy of "Sensational Bead Embroidery" by Sherry Serafini, and I was thrilled! She has a lot of nice tips on how to add certain elements into bead embroidery. And one section that really interested me was how she incorporates rivolies. I decided to test this technique out myself and added two 12mm Swarovski rivolies to one side of this cuff. The trick is to attach the rivoli to a separate piece of beading foundation (Lacy's Stiff Stuff in this case), and cut a circular hole in it which the rivoli will fit in, without falling out. Then you simply sew that beading foundation onto the part where you want the rivoli to sit. Sherry explains it much better then me, plus there're nice illustrations in the book to help you understand.

Next to the two rivolies I also decided to add a bit of a "fun" touch to the cuff; I added some leaves I made with beadweaving, and it looks sorta cute to be honest, heh.

Today I decided, just for fun, to create a matching ring to go with the cuff, since I have exactly the same type of gemstone cabochon as the one I used for the cuff - I actually have to rest my case in my thoughts of those being Zoisite gemstones since I'm not really sure anymore!
The ring is adjustable, so to add.

Besides the materials I've already mentioned, I also used: 11/0 and 15/0 seed beads by Toho (the gold ones are in permanent finish), 11/0 seed beads by Miyuki, 3mm bugles by Miyuki, 4mm round glass pearls by Gütermann, 3mm Swarovski bicones and 2x freshwater pearls.

Jewlelry Design Star

I decided to participate again, this month in Artbead.com's "Jewelry Design Star" with my "Hecate Necklace".

♥ All support is most, and very appreciated :) ♥

http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/239344/voteable_entries/53185387#

BTW - 20th of June 2012

This Wednesday I have a couple of resin project laying around, and yet another bead embroidery piece...

I was so happy this Monday when the order I had placed with Beadaholique arrived in the mail. I ordered from their Amazon site, as always...
What I had bought was 8oz of Ice Resin, which I've been wanting to tryout for over a year now, but the time to order it haven't really been right. I ordered the basic 8oz kit, which contains small measurement cups and some stir-sticks. With the resin I also ordered a couple of molds which contained different shapes; round in 20mm and 38mm, squares in different sizes and another round with four different sizes in it.

For my first try I decided to experiment with some pearlx powder that I normally apply to polymer clay, but I've read somewhere that they should work with almost anything to get a metallic like effect. Actually, they worked out perfectly for the project I did and I'm very happy with the lavender ones. The bluish ones, are... Okay. I should have waited for the resin to dry a bit before adding the items in there since they went directly to the bottom, lol. At least it's a learning process :P

Besides the resin journey, I'm also working on a bead embroidery cuff. The center piece is a Zoisite gemstone. I've actually been doing this cuff with free-form; adding as I go without any real design, only a color palette in my mind. So far there are Toho seed beads in sizes 11/0 and 15/0, glass pearls from Gütermann, 3mm bugles by Miyuki and some dyed freshwater pearls.
With this cuff I'm kinda stepping out of my comfort zone; I'm such a symmetrical control freak and I become really annoyed with myself as I've noticed in my previous projects that I always try to get everything 100% symmetric. I decided this time, that no matter how much my brain struggles with tis urge, I'm gonna do everything to deny it! lol...

Earrings:Ouran

Yesterday I was playing around with circular peyote stitch and some 8mm "round" wooden beads that I bought last week. 

About half a year ago I made a couple of earrings with circular peyote stitch, and then covered 8mm round glass beads with it.
The wooden beads I got last week aren't really 100% round, but they are a little flat on each side of the hole, which gave me a little bit of a problem...

I used the same pattern I did half a year ago. What I did then was to make two separate halves of circular peyote stitch and then joined them together around the 8mm round bead. However, when I tried to do the same thing on these wooden ones, it didn't really work out. First of all; the pieces of the circular peyote stitch were too small and wouldn't cover the wooden one so I had to add one more row to each one of the circles.
Well, they fitted around the wooden bead, however their form wasn't really round anymore. Instead they ended up looking like pillows.

Even if I didn't get entirely what I wanted, I kinda ended up liking the shape of these little cute pillows and decided to go through with the plan of making a pair of earrings.

The beads I used are 11/0 seed beads by Toho and 6mm Swarovski bicones, to give the earrings some more shape rather then a flat little "pillow" dangling down the ear tip.