Voting for the Etsy Beadweaver Challenge "Nest"

Last week I blogged about my Honeycomb Bracelet - my entry in the Etsy Beadweaver Challenge "Nest".

I want to let you know that voting has begun and will continue through the 15th.  Anyone can vote for their favorite by stopping by the Etsy Beadweaver Blog.  I really encourage you to stop by and see the amazing entries. 

Here are a few of my favorites from my talented teammates.  I love the creativity and skill these entries demonstrate.

First Out of the Nest from The Bead Beach

Cocoon Beadwoven Bracelet by Bliss Works Studio

The Nest of A Beaded Bead by Boonie Beads

Loreng the Goblin's Nest by Flagrant Designs

Beaded Cuff Bracelet - Skinny Wrapped - Nest by Random Creative

Driftwood Carnelian Nest Necklace by annamei

These are just a few of the fabulous entries - please stop by and choose your own favorite!

Voting for the Picasso Challenge

A few weeks ago, I posted about my progress on my entry in the Etsy Beadweavers Picasso Challenge.  At the time, I was not quite finished.  I was worried about what kind of clasp I would put on the bracelet.  As it turns out, a box clasp worked quite well.  I was able to finish the Dance of Veils and enter the Challenge.

The entries in this Challenge are amazing!  I would really like to encourage you to stop by and see for yourself.  You can vote for your favorite on the Etsy Beadweavers Blog.  Please stop by and participate - anyone can vote!

Picasso Challenge

I've decided to participate in the Etsy Beadweavers Team October Challenge "Inspired by Picasso".  I started out by doing a Google search for Picasso images.  When I found one I liked, I threw that image into the search bar to find more like it (up to that time, I hadn't realized it was possible to search and image that way).  The painting I chose to inspire my beadwork piece is Dance of the Veils, from Picasso's African period.

 I like this painting because of the sense of motion Picasso was able to convey with geometric shapes.  I especially liked the curving triangles with the heavy black outlines and the cross-hatching.  I decided that this outlined, curved triangle was the shape I wanted to feature in my beadwork piece.

I made my first attempts during my recent camping trip.  After I came home, I continued to work on it.  It took me many tries to get the shape to look the way I wanted it to.

Attempt 1:  Not technically feasible

Attempt 2:  Too suggestive

Attempt 3:  Too Rounded

Attempt 4:  Too curly

Finally I managed to make some curving triangles that had just a little bit of curl (I like the 3-D curl, attempt 4 just had a bit too much curl).  I sewed my new triangles together into a bracelet.

Now I need to attach a clasp that won't detract from the bracelet.  I like the clean lines that the triangles make.  I don't want to attach the clasp to the tips of the triangles because I think that will obscure their pointiness (is that a word?).  I will probably attach the clasp to the long side of the two ending triangles.

So if you were going to do a Picasso-inspired project, which painting or period would you choose?  Or would you want to choose a different artist all together?

There is one day left to vote for the Etsy Beadweavers Team Challenge this month. The theme is "Sizzling Sunshine and "Soothing Water".

One of our team members, beadn4fun, made some treasuries of the entries. Here is a quick preview of the fabulous work our team produced. But you need to go to the team blog to vote.

Click here to vote!

Simon and Garfunkel Challenge

These earrings are my entry in the Etsy Beadweavers Challenge "Simon and Garfunkel - The Songs of Inspiration". I initially felt really challenged by this theme... but then I remembered what I love most about Simon and Garfunkel songs - the vivid descriptions of the lyrics and music.

One of the things I've always found compelling about their music is the way they could set a scene in my mind with only a few words and measures of music.

The song I chose is Patterns. I was especially inspired by the first verse.

The night sets softly
With the hush of falling leaves
Casting shivering shadows
On the houses through the trees
And the light from a street lamp
Paints a pattern on my wall
Like the pieces of a puzzle
Or a child's uneven scrawl

In these earrings, I used black and white to try to capture the starkness of the song. I love the phrase "shivering shadows". I wanted the patterns on the earrings to move, so I made two layers that can swing independently. I tried to give the patterns in the earrings a random look (though I did not really pick up the beads randomly). I was thinking of the shadows that might be cast by leafless trees in winter.

The last picture is my favorite because the earring looks fractured. My youngest son (7 yrs old) set that photo up :)

Please visit our team blog, (http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com) between the 9th and 15th and vote for your favorite entry. You will see some wonderful works of art!

The Etsy Beadweavers October Challenge is out! The theme is "autumn falling of leaves".

There are 59 entries - stop by to vote for your favorite. Voting is open until September 15.

Even if you choose not to vote, please stop by to see the entries. This is some fabulous beadwork!

The Sky's The Limit

Have you ever walked outside, looked up at the sky, and thought "Wow!"... This happens to me all the time. The sky is full of light and always changing. It is a real source of inspiration. The photos to the left are of clouds in the Willamette Valley. They often look like this in spring and fall, when the weather is alternating between sunny and rainy. Clouds like this always make me want to run home, pull out my silver-lined matte grey beads, and make something cool.

The sky can have incredible variety, though. Years ago, I went to graduate school in Alabama. Sometimes the sky down there became so dramatic it looked otherworldly. Sadly, as a poor graduate student I didn't have a camera, so I don't have any pictures to post for you.

I've put together my first treasury - a collection of Etsy Beadweavers Team pieces with the theme "sky inspired". I encourage you to click on the link below to take a look and enjoy these artist's vision. If you like what you see, you can even leave them a comment.

>>> Click here to see "The Sky's The Limit"

Snowflakes

This weekend I wanted to make some beaded snowflakes. I have made beaded flowers and stars before, but never snowflakes. I had to experiment to come up with a pattern with the look I wanted.

I started with a six pointed star in the center:Then I added branched structures to represent ice crystals. My first branches were a little bit floppy, so I added more branching to add to the "iciness" of the snowflake and also to help stablize the whole shape. The end result looks like this:

Featured

I am so flattered! I have been featured in a blog. The entry features a collection of leaf-themed beadwork in honor of the season.

The other items alongside mine are beautiful examples of beadwork by the Etsy Beadweavers Team. You can search Etsy for "EBW Team" plus any keyword that interests you to find more stunning beadwork from talented artists.

>> Click Here to See

My item is the amulet bag.

Etsy Beadweavers Team

I just joined the Etsy Beadweavers Team. I am pretty excited - this is a very talented group that focuses on the same style of beadwork that I love. I have a link to the team's blog on my sidebar. Check it out to see some excellent examples of beadwork.