Monday 27 June 2011

Art Bead Scene Blog: Muffin Tin Jewelry Challenge

Art Bead Scene Blog: Muffin Tin Jewelry Challenge

Muffin tin challenge reveal!

This was the most stretching challenge yet but I am so proud that I've managed to complete it on time. See the post below for my original muffin tin, I've changed some of the items along the way as inspiration struck and here are the finished pieces...





And some closer ups...

This necklace includes a limpet shell I found on the beach at St Ives and I've sprayed it with silver paint, very effective! The charms are sterling silver with labradorite coin beads and a swarovski mix.

The earrings are amazonite with antique brass wire and smokey quartz crystal beads.





This bracelet is made with lampwork beads from CeeGee designs and the focal is a piece of sea glass that my daughter and I found on the beach.




Some earrings to match the bracelet and some large hand wrapped kidney wires with lampwork beads from Anastasia Beads.




A bracelet made with pewter skull beads, Rose quartz rounds and a Rose quartz skull bead from Buffys Beads at Carnaby Street, London.




An amethyst bracelet stung on silver wire with a bling magnetic clasp.



And my daughter's favourite, crystal wrapped hair grips inspired by the lovely Rebecca Anderson of Songbeads.




Finally, a bracelet made with antiqued brass wire, pressed glass leaves and flowers with a beehive focal from Kylie Parry.





Thank you to Heather of Humble Beads, this challenge really focussed my mind!

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Muffin prep...

Ok, I'm feeling brave, I'm going to give this a go! I've spent the evening prepping my muffin tin and I'm pleased with the variety I have managed to put together. So without further ado, here it is...





I'm looking forward to cooking my muffins...!

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Muffin Tin Challenge....dare I?!






I've just read the most labour intensive challenge yet on Art Bead Scene!
A whole muffin tin of jewellery...that's 12 pieces just in case you don't do muffins! In a week?!

Do you feel lucky punk? I might just do this....!

Read more about the challenge here

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Swimming hairpins

A quick post to show some fish hairpins I just made for my little girl. I was inspired by an article in the latest issue of Beads & Beyond magazine by Rebecca of Songbeads blog. I love Rebecca's designs, they are fun, quirky and she always sources the most gorgeous components for her pieces.

These cute glass fish beads are hand wrapped with antique brass wire on standard hair pins.




My little one loves them, thanks to Rebecca for the inspiration!

Friday 10 June 2011

June ABS reveal!

Following on from yesterday's sneak preview, here is my entry for the Art Bead Scene June Challenge (see more detail on this in the posts below).

I have used a flower girl pendant which has been beautifully crafted by Gaea of Gaea Handmade. I have used an antique brass chain along with various crystal, sand blasted glass beads and little glass flowers to finish off. The inside chain is made of carnelian beads and a briolette, hand wrapped with gun metal coloured copper wire.













I apologise for the quality of the pictures, I think I need to buy a proper camera!

Have a great day!

Thursday 9 June 2011

June ABS Challenge - Sneak Preview

Just a quick post to say I've finished my necklace for this month's challenge! In the absence of some proper light, here is a sneak preview until I can take some better pics....






Monday 6 June 2011

I heart Heartsy

Thanks to Copper Diem I have discovered Heartsy. The best way to describe it is a kind of Groupon for handmade items! Great deals and I'm looking forward to seeing the daily featured offers!

Heartsy describes itself as follows...

Heartsy features exclusive daily deals on handmade items across the internet. Our mission is to introduce you to new & talented artisans every day via amazing deals.

For Sellers

Heartsy strives to be a champion for independent sellers by providing a platform in which our community of buyers helps us choose which artisans to feature.

Fun Facts

Heartsy was launched (appropriately) on Valentine’s Day in 2011.
The most vouchers ever sold by a single deal on Heartsy is 500.
Heartsy has driven 412 sellers more than 29k voucher sales and $380k+ to date.

If you click on the Heartsy button I have added on the right and join up through this link then we both earn $5 credit!


Have fun!

Friday 3 June 2011

June Art Bead Scene Challenge

Please see the post for this month's ABS challenge below, I've copied the original content but if you need to read more then follow this link


Ophelia by Odilon Redon


c. 1900-05; Pastel on paper mounted on board, 19 7/8 x 26 1/2 in; The Woodner Collection

About the Art

"The depiction of Ophelia seems not at all tragic, but rather an idyllic scene of a naked bather in a limpid pool of flowers. The design and colour scheme is masterly and original, being merely suggestive of the tragedy of death after rejection and madness." - Tony Thomas

About the Artist
Odilon Redon was born in Bordeaux, Aquitaine, to a prosperous family. The young Bertrand-Jean Redon acquired the nickname "Odilon" from his mother, Odile. Redon started drawing as a child, and at the age of ten he was awarded a drawing prize at school. Aged fifteen, he began the formal study of drawing, but on the insistence of his father he changed to architecture. His failure to pass the entrance exams at Paris’ École des Beaux-Arts ended any plans for a career as an architect, although he briefly studied painting there under Jean-Léon Gérôme in 1864. (His younger brother Gaston Redon would become a noted architect.)
Back home in his native Bordeaux, he took up sculpture, and Rodolphe Bresdin instructed him in etching and lithography. His artistic career was interrupted in 1870 when he joined the army to serve in the Franco-Prussian War.
At the end of the war, he moved to Paris, working almost exclusively in charcoal and lithography. He called his visionary works, conceived in shades of black, his noirs. It would not be until 1878 that his work gained any recognition with Guardian Spirit of the Waters, and he published his first album of lithographs, titled Dans le Rêve, in 1879. Still, Redon remained relatively unknown until the appearance in 1884 of a cult novel by Joris-Karl Huysmanstitled, À rebours (Against Nature). The story featured a decadent aristocrat who collected Redon's drawings.
In the 1890s, pastel and oils became his favored media, and he produced no more noirs after 1900. In 1899, he exhibited with the Nabis at Durand-Ruel's. In 1903 he was awarded the Legion of Honor. His popularity increased when a catalogue of etchings and lithographs was published by André Mellerio in 1913 and that same year, he was given the largest single representation at the New York Armory Show.

Color Palette




Blog Tour
The Blog Tour deadline is June 29th.
Links must be added to the monthly challenge post comments.
The Blog Tour will be on the 30th.

Monthly Challenge Winners
Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on June 1st.

Our Sponsors
Our sponsors this month are: Starry Road Studio, and Humblebeads please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!

Featured Designer of the Week:
From all the entries during the month, an editor is going to pick their favorite design to be featured every Monday here on the ABS. We want to give our participants more time in the spotlight! Our Featured Designer will be this Monday, so get those entries in soon.

How to enter the Monthly Challenge:
1. Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. We post the art to be used as your inspiration to create. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.
***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply wire or cord will not be accepted.***

2. Upload your photo to our flickr group. Detailed instructions can be found here and click here for a tutorial for sending your picture to the group.

Please add the tag or title JUNE ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.

Deadline is June 30th. Photos are approved by our moderators, if a photo hasn't followed the guidelines it will not be approved. You may upload 2 photos a day.

What is an Art Bead?
An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.

***A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.
Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***

p.s. If you have a blog, post your entry and a link to the ABS challenge to spread the beady goodness.


Be inspired......