Touch-Stones

"Touch-Stones" is definitely a statement necklace and is my latest beaded piece. Even better, it's actually for me, not for sale.

Each of the three pendants is a stone collected on significant journeys in my life: Isle Royale, Montreal and Gloucester.

I used several beading techniques, including twisted tubular herringbone, right-angle weave and peyote stitch.

Winter Berry

"Winter Berry" is my submission for the final 2012 Art Bead Scene monthly challenge. Here's the inspiration image,"Sleeping Beauty" by Erté, circa 1983:

Erté is perhaps most famous for his elegant fashion designs which capture the art deco period in which he worked. One of his earliest successes was designing apparel for the French dancer Gaby Deslys who died in 1920. His delicate figures and sophisticated, glamorous designs are instantly recognisable, and his ideas and art still influence fashion into the 21st century. 

This particular design reminded me of bright red berries, topped with snow, against a bright blue sky - a familiar winter scene here on Mackinac.

I was most inspired by Beauty's skirt - swirls of red, white, black and grey. I created a very long "beaded bead" in twisted tubular herringbone; the swirls are also present in the trio of hollow glass beads.

I found the clasp on Etsy, created by McDaddio. It's made of anodized aluminum and is the perfect complement to my beadwork - it's also very lightweight.

This is the second month in a row that I've ended up creating rather modern, somewhat stark (for me) necklaces - is it the start of a trend?

Available for purchase here.

Orange Sherbet

Do you remember orange push up pops?

They were my favorite purchase as a kid when the ice cream truck made it's way through the neighborhood - are ice cream trucks still around? Certainly not on Mackinac!

The cool sweetness or orange push ups was what I kept in mind as I worked on my latest beading project, "Orange Sherbet" a coordinating necklace and bracelet.

They were a bit of an experiment: I used just a single beading technique, tubular herringbone, and a single type of bead, seed beads only.

The visual interest comes in the interplay between the differing sizes, colors and finishes of the seed beads themselves - no flashy focal bead needed!

I worked with tight tension, resulting in a tube that will support itself.

I think they're a success - simple but visually interesting.

What do you think?