I promised to deliver

and delivered I have!!!

After working for what seemed like hours (of course it seemed that way.. it WAS hours) I finally came up with my first necklace using the Venetian pendants from last post.

 

This necklace was woven using bronze size 11 seed beads in herringbone rope. I then added a freeform 'vine' around the rope using size 15 beige charlotte beads. Luckily, this was the point of time when I realised "Omg, I need to put the pendant on!" Otherwise we would have had some problems.. Then using delica beads in bronze and pink to match the pendant, I wove little flowers onto the rope at random sections to make it look like a flowering vine woven around a tree branch. 

All in all, it probably took me about 8 hours to make.

Then I thought (at 8.00 at night) I still have time to at least START another one.. and that I did!

Choosing to create a simpler, but just as pretty necklace, I decided to take the dusty pink and purple heart and add it to a spiral rope.

The spiral rope is woven with delica beads with a silver magnetic clasp at the end.

Believe it or not, I actually forgot to put the pendant on this necklace too and started sewing on the second half of the clasp. I noticed just as I started weaving my thread back through my work to end it off. Luckily I hadn't gone too far OR made any half hitch knots, so I was able to unpick it with ease.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my eyecandy for now.. Not going to disappoint my facebook fans any further, so once I get home from work.. NECKLACE #3!!!

Emma
xXx

Pendants Galore

I love the beauty and the uniqueness of Venetian Glass Pendants.. No two are ever going to be the same!

I have worked up quite a collection of these stunning little beauties! Some were brought back from Italy for me by my sister Jess, another was found in amongst a collection of random objects at a flea market, whilst others were simply bought out of passion at my local bead shop. Nevertheless, even though I have this collection, I am yet to create something from them.. I think only about 2 or 3 have only successfully made it into a fully wearable piece of artwork, but the rest have simply lay dormant in an empty ferrero rocher container for safe keeping..

BUT NO MORE!!!  

After having a conversation with Trent about Venetian glass, he was saying how much he admired them and I thought to myself "Hey, I have some of those" So I went back to my bedroom/beading studio and rummaged through my treasure trove until I finally found them.

I took a photo of the collection of them and posted on my facebook 'For each like I will make one necklace using one of the pendants'..

Well silly me got 7 likes now didn't I?!?! (Probably should have said for every 3 likes..) But what's done is done. And so - not to disappointment my facebook fans - I am now venturing onwards to create 7 necklaces using one of these pendants, each one more beautiful than the next.

Even as I type, thoughts are flying through my head of the different sorts of projects I can do with these pendants. Stay tuned folks, I shall return with sparklies to show!

Emma
xXx

Finding Inspiration

I have seen many a person talk/post about where they find their inspiration and what around them suddenly sparks a surge of creativity.. One of the most popular one I have seen is 'nature'. I love nature and I think that the outside world if gorgeous and don't get me wrong, I do find inspiration there, but I have a rather different means for most of it..

I LOOOOVE music.. I mainly like my heavy metal music and industrial (the heavier, the better ;) lol) and I love to get alot of my inspiration from music videos.

I'm sure that most of you will be familiar with Katy Perry.. She obviously, is a mainstream singer but I really enjoy alot of her songs and I am currently obsessed with her music video to the song ET. The colours and the images in this clip is amazing and if you have not seen it, I suggest you get onto youtube right now and watch it, because it is amazing!!

These are some screenshots that I got from the film clip, because I want to create a piece based on these images:

She has 3 different costume changes in this film clip, all of them just as stunning as the next.

I love the colour combination of red, purple and blue together.. I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea but there is just something so vibrant about it that captures me.

Then there is the stunning combination of white, silver, light blue and fuschia. There seems to be such a touch of elegance in these combinations.

Then there are the earthy tones in the last costume change with ever the so slightest touch of blue.

I don't know what it is but I just find so much inspiration in something that I am so passionate about. And I have never been more inspired to bead 3 items as much as I have with these 3 seperate scenes in a 4 minute clip.

So now to ask the ultimate question.. What is it that inspires you?

Emma
xXx

A friend in need..

Is a friend indeed..

I received a facebook notification from one of my friends the other day saying "Emma can you help her out" with a link attached to it. And I thought 'Oooh, I wonder what all this is about'. I went and had a long and - long story short - A lady up in Queensland who was making this outfit for a client to wear next week that was being ADORNED in swarovski crystals had the corset in the back of her mums car.. and some #*^$*@!!! broke into the car and stole the corset..

It amazes me how truely disgusting some human beings can be..

So she was calling out on facebook for some help getting some of the beads to make a replacement corset for next week for her client, and that she would be willing to pay for the beads. As she originally bought the beads in Thailand, it's not as if she could just go back there as she pleases to get some replacement ones.

I emailed her saying that I had some swarovski crystal beads that I could send her. They are mostly bicones, and a small amount of marguerites but it was better than nothing. So she sent me back a reply email saying that she would love them and sent her address. I rumaged through my stash to try and match some colours that I had to the corset. I sent up some Purple Velvet, Emerald, Blue Zircon, Violet, and Fuschia and Purple Velvert 2xAB in a variety of sizes via express post so that hopefully she gets them today.

I know that there is not much point to my telling this story, but I feel really good for trying to help out a follow artist in need.. I really hope that she gets this corset finished in time for her client. If you see anyone try to flog off this corset on Ebay or something, please let me know!!

Emma
xXx

The World Wide Web

Lately I have been trying to expand my horizons and look at new ways of getting myself out there and - in this day and age - where else better than to do it online??

Having that said.. I finally made up a facebook page!

I was a little bit unsure about whether to do it or not, but I thought 'what EXACTLY do I have to lose?' and so here we are and here I am and here is my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/EmmasBeadedCreations

It does look a little sparse and empty at the moment, but its very exciting that I already have 41 followers! XD I know that doesn't seem like much, but that was just over a 3 day period! hehehe. I tried to upload a whole bunch of photos onto it before inviting people to like my page so that I didn't fill up their notifications with "EmmasBeadedCreations added a new photo" "EmmasBeadedCreations added 7 more photos" "EmmasBeadedCreations just lost all her friends" lol

This will also (probably) get me to pull my finger out and actually get to work making some stuff. Motivation come to me!!!

Anywho, like my page, don't like it, invite your friends, whatever and I shall be updating soon!

Emma
xXx

A little bit bead-ist

I know some of you will be staring at the screen thinking "What is she on about? What is bead-ist?".. I guess I don't know the correct term for it, but what I am trying to say - as weird as it sounds - but I am the beading version of a racist.. (Man, that sounds terrible, but its not what it looks like!!!)

Verifying
I will only use really GOOD quality beads. For example: swarovski crystals and components, semi-precious gemstones, miyuki seed beads, sterling silver or gold filled findings, etc.

A Bead-ist...

I guess you could call be a bit of a bead snob - that certainly sounds alot better than 'the bead version of a racist'.. It is VERY rare that I will use plastic or acrylic beads, or dodgy japanese seed beads because I figure, these handmade items are things that I want to sell. When someone buys an item from me, I don't want them to wear it once or twice and then have the colour fade from the beads or have the findings start to tarnish because you can bet your money that that customer won't return for my services.

But this in itself presents another problem.. Expenses. I am not in the position to be buying BULK purchases of sterling silver findings to get the best price and hence, keep my prices low.. Wandering around my local markets I see stands that sell sterling silver earrings for like $3 a pair.. Nicely made earrings too and I keep thinking to myself "How can they keep their prices so low for such good quality materials" - which then made me question the authenticity of their findings..

That mid-rant aside, I do have quite a collection of growing piles of plastic and acrylic beads and the 'bead snob' in me is telling me not to sell bad quality items. Not they are all 'bad quality' but having a sign on your gorgeous handmade necklace at the markets that says "Blue and green handmade acrylic necklace - $45" doesn't look as impressive as one that says "Blue lace agate and Jade handmade necklace - $75".. Even though the price is uglier, it certainly sounds more expensive and worth its money!

*Exasperated sigh* I think it just might have to come down to telling my 'bead snob' to suck it up and start being more tolerant of other beads and try to work in some less wallet straining quality beads.

HMMMMMMM!!! decisions decisions...

Emma
xXx

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

I hope that no one gorged themselves TOO much on chocolate eggs and bunnies - I know I certainly did.. Luckily for me though, swimsuit seanson is WELL behind us (I am currently huddled under the heater at work with no jacket, this cold weather came out of nowhere!!) so, I'm not going to complain to much about my figure at the moment..

I spent the weekend down the South Coast with my family for easter. It was really fun spending time with them and being able to catch up with them.

While I was down that way, I thought I would pop into the bead store I used to work in to see Kerry and to grab some supplies for my UFOs. I was talking to her for a while and then a group of children came in to do a kids class, so Kerry went up the back to get them started. I was standing behind the counter, weighing out some beads and sorting myself out (as I usually do :P lol) and I had a lady approach me and say "Excuse me, can I ask you something? I am looking for these silicone earring backs but in the gold or the silver." I looked up and saw Kerry was still busy so I proceeded to show her where they were. I then rang up her order and kept with my shopping.

Another lady then came over and asked where the ear posts were. I asked if she wanted the stainless steel or sterliing and she said 'sterling' so I was showing her where abouts those were, next thing I know, Kerry calls from across the room "Emma, are you serving customers?!" I turned around and said "I am helping, you were busy and my services were required." She started laughing and proceeded to tell the mother of the children that I am an ex-employee who was just there to shop. Twas hilarious!

...I did however get all of the goodies I needed to complete at least 3 projects, and also got myself some needles.. that I left at one of my friends places when I went to visit him over the weekend too. So I am now without my freshly bought supplies!  I can be a real idiot sometimes... *sigh*

Ah well.. Hope everyone else's long weekend was as fun filled as mine! Shall be updateing soon with some new *hopefully* completed UFOs!

Emma
xXx

You learn something new every day..

And that certainly was the case the other day!

After flipping through endless beading magazines and books, trying to find something to bead (with my ever shrinking stash of beads) for what seemed like HOURS, I finally came across my next project.. It was the 'Haberdashery Bracelet' by Callie Mitchell as seen in the June/July 2011 issue of Beadwork magazine, page 60.

I dug through my collection of swarovski and delica beads, trying to image just how much 3 grams was in my unmarked baggies and how those swarovski colours would look against each other. In the end I finally got together the materials I needed to at least attempt the bracelet.

Now, when I am doing a project, VERY rarely is it that I actually read the instructions.. I can usually just go by the pictures. Then something caught my eye (dramatic drumroll please...) The base of the bracelet is beaded in odd count peyote stitch. I try and stay well and clear of odd count peyote just coz it is so fiddly trying to do the odd turn around.. I hate it! However, I was not about to abandon the project and go in search of another just because I don't like odd count peyote, so I went and did a little research..

I always knew that there were several ways to do the odd turn: There is the figure eight turn, the anchor turn, the 'no turn' turn..

The figure eight turn

The anchor turn

But I came across one that I hadn't seen before:

The under thread turn

This is the 'under thread' turn. On the very rare ccasion that I do use odd count peyote stitch for whatever reason, I have always used the anchor turn, but upon careful consideration, I thought that this would be the stitch for me to use.. As there is quite a bit of embellishment on this particular bracelet, I didn't want to clog up the beads with unnecessary thread..

Seemed logical at the time did it not?

After a few hours of working intermittently at this bracelet, I had finished it to my desired length and I was really, really pleased with how it turned out! I was a bit worried about the colours not matching or one throwing off the other, but I was really excited about this bracelet.

I lay the bracelet flat onto my bead mat to arrange the crystals on it for the embellishment, when I noticed something a little 'off'.. I called Trent in to have a look to see if he could pick it.

Can you see it?

Trent couldn't when I asked him if there was something about the bracelet that didn't quite look right. He was looking at things like the colours, or misplaced beads but he couldn't pick it up.

I didn't know if it was my eyesight or not, so I conducted a little experiment, just to see what would happen..

What happens, when we place something with a straight edge to the edge of the bracelet? 

Oh, you see it now don't you?

My tension had been a little TOO tight when doing my under thread turn and, as a result, slightly curved the entire band to that side.. I hadn't noticed until I had finished the entire length of it! *sigh*

Once I pointed it out to Trent - and then even after I took the page away from the edge - he said that he could notice it, and that's all he could, but only because I had pointed it out. I noticed it, because I made it and - lets face it - I'm a little anal (for want of a better phrasing...)

But what is to stop a potential customer from noticing...? Someone might pick up said bracelet and say "OMG! That is gorgeous!", only for the person next to them say "Oh, but its wonky, therefore defective..."

Oh the frustration!!! The hours of hard work that went into this bracelet, only to notice a slight oopsie that sends me straight to the verge of freak out mode! I know that it probably makes to difference to anyone else, and the majority of the people won't even notice (especially when it has the embellishments added to it) but its the little things! But I digress...

Ah, but all in a days work and hey.. I suppose that this is why I called my blog 'My Beading Journey'. Because it wouldn't be a journey without learning new things along the way..

It is now time for me to de-stress and try to force myself to go to sleep... First night of the end of daylight savings, so my body clock is all buggered up :( stoopid daylight savings... (someone remind me again, WHY we have it in the first place?!)

Emma
xXx