C Koop "Book" Challenge story

As part of the C Koop "Book" Challenge (see my most previous post about my process for creating my challenge piece), we were to write a story that would accompany our piece.

My book focal was created in memory of my dog, Reggie, and I tied various components of my accompanying necklace into that theme.  I am really happy with how it turned out and when I'm not wearing it, it is displayed on a bust next to my computer.  So, I'm gazing at it now ...

Here is the story that I wrote to accompany my "Reggie" book.

The Little Brown Dog

Reggie, the Border Terrier, was a little brown dog who was part of my life for far too short of a time.

He was my third dog and even though I loved my other two dogs, Reggie was my first dog in many ways.  He was, as those who are in the dog world know, my heart dog.   He and I learned so many things together.

Reggie earned his American Kennel Club Championship before he was 2 years old and then we went to Canada and earned a Canadian Championship too.

Wondering what to do next, we started to train for other events.  Agility was not his first love.  But Reggie was still a great team-mate with patience for the most part, although he did like to do things his way.  He earned Novice, Open, and Excellent titles in agility.  And then we started all over again in the Preferred classes.  Any mistakes in our runs were typically my fault, but he didn’t mind as long as there were treats and a “good boy!” after he finished his run.

We also participated in Rally Obedience events.  That was a little harder for us because I think training for obedience is boring, but Rally is more fun and it reminds me of agility with the courses.  Together, Reggie and I earned a Rally Advanced title with the help of my friends.

Earthdog was Reggie’s passion.  He absolutely loved going to earthdog tests and participating at each level.  He easily earned his Junior, Senior and Master titles and we continued to participate because he loved it so much.

When Halo (and I) had our first litter of puppies, Reggie showed me his gentle side as he was the best Uncle to the babies that you could ask for.  When I brought the puppies out to the living room for the first time, Reggie pulled one of his toys out of the toy box and dropped it on the floor next to the puppies inviting them to play even though the pups at the time just learning how to walk.  When the pups got old enough to play, he would roll over on the ground and let them crawl all over him or he would play tug and drag them all over the living room.

Along the way, he also earned a Certificate of Gameness title and passed the Canine Good Citizen test.  I was so proud of him on the day I received his Border Terrier Club “Versatility Excellent” certificate in the mail.  But the best times of all were sitting on the sofa with my companion by my side.

I lost my best friend to cancer in December 2011.  Even though I still shed tears over his loss, I know his spirit is with me and we will see each other again one day.

Am/Can CH Meadowlake No Regrets RA AX OAJ AXP AJP ME CG CGC VX

♥ Reggie ♥

C-Koop "Book" Challenge

I have always loved participating in challenges.  For one, it gets me to think outside of my comfort zone and it seems to give me that spark of creativity that I feel I lose sometimes because I'm making the 'same old thing'.  I got the opportunity to participate in a new challenge when Lorelei Eurto recently hosted a C-Koop 'book' challenge on her blog.  I have taken several bookbinding and mixed media classes at European Papers, a local shop for me, and have been wanting to combine my love for beading with bookbinding/mixed media.  Participating in this challenge was the perfect way to dip my toes in the water so to speak.  Fortunately for me, I was one of the 11 participants chosen out of 67 plus who commented!

The requirements for the challenge were:

1. To purchase at least three items (and identify them) from our local bead shops.
2. To write a story to go with our 'book'.
3. To use the completed book in a piece of jewelry.

Item number 1 is a non-issue for me as I purchase almost all of my bead supplies from Gahanna Bead Studio, except for some specific findings, vintage beads, and stones that I purchase from my favorite online bead shops.


 
For my book, I decided to write a story about my dog, Reggie, who passed away in December 2010.  Even though there were times when living with him could be a challenge, he truly was my heart dog, and I still miss him to this day.

I loved, loved, loved the book component I received in the mail.  The colors couldn't have been more perfect for me!  I used a picture of Reggie that I took when I first brought him home and collaged the front of the book cover with it and his name.  The wings and stars symbolized his place in heaven.  Adding the bone shaped 'bail' was the perfect way to attach the finished book to my pendant and tie in with my Reggie theme.

After I was happy with my Reggie 'book', then it was time to move on to the pendant components.  The 'word bar' is one of the items purchased from Gahanna Bead Studio and I thought the message and attached heart charm were a great tie in to my theme. 

I knew I wanted to use some vintage bone shaped beads that had started my beading career.  I found them in a quilt shop and bought them because they were related to dogs and realized I needed to learn how to use them in a piece of jewelry.  For Reggie's pendant, I decided to make them into a beaded chain so added the topaz Swarovski bicones on each side of the bone shaped bead and then made several to become the beaded chain on one side of the pendant.

I also went through my stash and felt fortunate to find a mouse charm that I had purchased many, many years ago (I really need to get my beading supplies organized!).  The mouse symbolizes Reggie's love for the earthdog activities so I used resin to attach it to a Tierra Cast connector frame.

Everything was coming together, but the brass stars looked a little plain to me, so I added some Swarovski bling by using crystals that tied into the colors in my book cover.  Just like Border Terriers are little brown dogs (and not fancy), I didn't want to overpower my Reggie book as the focal piece to my necklace.

I just love my finished book and pendant.  When I'm not wearing it, it's 'stored' on a bust next to my computer so I can see it every day.

Which Creative Type Are You?

I like to borrow various bead / mixed-media books from the library because it gives me an opportunity to see the book content without having to purchase the book.  Some books I really, really like and I'll extend my borrow time frame or reserve it to read again.  And a lot of times, I will purchase books that I think I can't live without.

I recently brought Margot Potter's "Beyond The Bead" book home from the library and have already reread it twice now.   Margo starts her book introduction by saying "Creative types tend to be extremists.  Either they zero in on one art form with an unrelenting focus or they endlessly seek new materials and techniques to add to their repertoire."  Wow, I really felt like she was talking to me as I am definitely in the latter category.

When I first started working at DesignGroup (my day job), I was competing in ballroom dance competitions and did well in the Pro-Am Competitions that my dance instructor and I participated in, we actually won the first one that we entered.  Then I started cake decorating and ended up teaching cake decorating classes at JoAnn Fabrics for a period of time.  While taking my classes and later teaching, I also entered the state fair over a couple of years time and came home with Best in Show ribbons for my decorating level and also received the People's Choice award the last time I entered.  My co-workers all joked that they wondered what I was going to take up next.  Beadwork, of course!

I have taken many beadwork classes over the last couple of years, learning new beading techniques and was fortunate to place as a finalist the first year I entered Bead Dreams.  The following two years after that, I was teamed with two fantastic lampwork bead artists and those collaborations were accepted for juried traveling shows.  But the last year or so, I've been wanting to do more.  So I've taken bookbinding classes, lampwork glass classes, a steampunk art class, and collage classes to name just a few.  And, I keep trying to figure out a way to incorporate any and all of those with beadwork.

Maybe I'm really in the first category mentioned in Margot's introduction and I simply haven't found my niche yet.  I guess only time will tell ...

Laura Mears Challenge (Beyond Beads Gallery)

I love Laura Mears porcelain pieces and have bought a couple of her pieces in the past.  When I saw that Beyond Beads Gallery was going to have a bead challenge with a kit that included a Laura Mears totem piece, I had to participate.

The rules of the challenge were that all beads provided in the kit had to be used in the finished piece (or at least enough that they could tell each bead had been used).  The Laura Mears totem was selected at random and everyone received a unique piece (no duplicates).  And, participants could add up to 5 additional components.  The kit provided included a teal 11/0 seed bead, a cream lined clear 11/0 seed bead, green peanut beads, matte bronze drops, and a blue/green bicone crystal.  We could also use more of the beads included in the kit so I added more drops and bicone crystals to my design.

The totem I received was the elephant.  At first, all I could think of was how in the world was I going to be able to come up with something that incorporated an elephant head.  But, as I kept looking at it, I remembered how the elephant is treated like royalty in India.  And, I really wanted to do something that honored the majesty of the elephants.  So I started to google images of Indian jewelry and got a couple of books from the library to research.

I actually started off imagining a different design for the bead embroidered pendant part, but as I started working my design evolved to become the star flower shape instead.  The head dress for the elephant was to help incorporate the elephant into the design (plus it covered the hole that runs from top to bottom). And I ended up coming up with my own version of right angle weave for the chain portion of the piece.  Because I wanted to use as few additional components as I could, I also made the toggle clasp.  In the end, I added three additional components; a brown 15/0 seed bead, the burgundy pearls, and the brass filigree piece.

In Honor of His Majestic Wisdom

I really like participating in challenges because, in a lot of instances, it forces me to work outside of my comfort zone.  I LOVED how my elephant turned out.

In the end, my elephant pendant ended up receiving the most votes for a first place finish and I was extremely honored to learn that it also received the Artist Award from Laura Mears.

My friend, Helen O'Donnell was gracious and took a photograph of the pendant before I shipped it (and I need to get it off my computer but click the link above and you can see the overall picture that Beyond Beads took for the website and the online voting).  The link below will take you to the announcement page of the three finalists on the Bead Beads Gallery website.

Laura Mears Bead Challenge

Copper Tulip Pendant Class at Gahanna Bead Studio

I originally intended to use this Czech glass button in a steampunk theme bracelet, but you know how that goes ... when you finally sit down to start working on a project, it sometimes takes you to a completely different place.

The Copper Tulip Pendant will be offered as a class at the Gahanna Bead Studio on Saturday, May 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  This is a good class to get your feet wet for basic bead embroidery ... or if you are an experienced bead embroidery whiz, a quick but spectacular pendant project that you can finish up in a day.  And, as noted below, all materials to make the pendant are included in the class price.

Magatama Spiral Bracelet Class at Gahanna Bead Studio

The new longer style magatamas are so much fun to work with and what better way to create a spectacular look than to use them in a basic spiral bracelet.

I will be teaching the spiral rope bracelet with the new longer magatamas at the Gahanna Bead Studio on Saturday, April 30, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.  Gahanna carries a variety of colors for this new bead so various colorways are available if you want to use something other than the spring green or AB purple color used in the samples.  Color preferences should be noted when registering for the class so the materials can be gathered beforehand.

Spiral rope is a fun stitch to learn and use in your beading projects as there are so many different variations that can be used, making each project uniquely yours.

Upcoming Bling Button Bracelet Class at Gahanna Bead Studio

The Bling Button Bracelet (shown right) was originally published in the August 2009 Bead & Button magazine and was also included in Bead & Button's 2010 Creative Beading Volume published in the summer of 2010.

This particular bracelet uses a Czech glass button as the focal point and incorporates a lot of Swarovski bicones for the bling.

Offered as a two session class at the Gahanna Bead Studio, the first session will be held on Saturday, April 30 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The second session will be held on Saturday, May 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  All materials to make this beautiful bracelet are included in the class price.

Columbus DIY

An article about various do it yourself type shops in the Columbus area.  My Bling Button Braceket is shown with the shout out for the Gahanna Bead Studio.

http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2011/01/27/style-diy-fashion.html

Copper Tulip Pendant

Been trying to get some half started projects finished up so I can start a big project.  Just finished this past Saturday, a bead embroidered pendant featuring a glass Czech button.  I originally was going to use the button in a bracelet but decided a pendant would be a better way to feature it instead.  This pendant will be offered as class at Gahanna Bead Studio on Saturday, April 2, 2011.

Convergence II - Currently on exhibit in Houston!

The Convergence II traveling exhibit is currently at the Houston Center for Contemporary Art and will remain there through November 28.

To read more about the exhibit, please see the following link to ISGB's website.

ISGB - Convergence II Exhibit at the Houston Center for Contemporary Art

Creative Beading - Volume 5

I am tickled pink to announce that my 'Bling Button Bracelet' (aka Button Fan as named by Bead & Button and originally published in the August 2009 Bead & Button magazine) is being included in the Creative Beading - Volume 5 annual publication available by pre-order through Kalmbach at the present time.  I know Borders carries the Creative Beading series as I purchased two of the earlier volumes at the Borders store close to my home.

Convergence II: Adorning the Past, Present and Pretend

Terri McGill, a glass beadmaker from Dayton, OH and I collaborated for an ISGB Competition called "Convergence II:  Adorning the Past, Present and Pretend".  We got the email late last night that our neck piece was accepted for the traveling competition!!!  The tour starts in Rochester in May 2010 and ends in Ohio in 2011. Other than a stop at the Bead & Button show in June 2011, I don’t know yet where the other exhibition locations are scheduled.

The competition theme this year was to choose a person (real or fictional) and create a piece of jewelry inspired by them.  Terri  (The Rabbit Hutch) and I chose Marie Tharp, a cartographer at Cambridge University in the 40's who used sonar readings gather by the university to map the ocean floor. Marie co-discovered the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which then gave credence to the theory of continental drift. The map of the ocean floor she created in the 40's is still in use today!

To read more about Marie and learn what a true pioneer she was ... http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/06/08/tharp.html

"Marie's Ridge" (Photograph taken by Helen O'Donnell)

Bead Embroidery ... on a small scale

After getting my work table cleaned off from my last big project (a competition piece, but more on that in a later post!), I decided I wanted to try my hand at something small.  And new.

Going through my sewing basket, I came across some of the button frames that you can cover with fabric to match an outfit and decided to try my hand at making a bead embroidered button. I went through my stash of hand dyed fabrics left over from a myriad of quilting projects and pulled three different colorways and have made two different buttons so far.  The first button was a combination of gold and matte olive/apple green beads and the second was a combination of blues with brass/gold accents.   After completing my beautiful buttons, I knew I had to incorporate them into something ...

The Gahanna Bead Studio has just recently started stocking a very cute little cube bead (1.8 mm) that I just had to have and I have bought quite a few tubes in several different colors.  Using those to create a peyote band, I made two different styles of a cuff bracelet.

The blue bead embroidered bracelet has the peyote running length-wise on the long side of the band and I created a button hole at the end of one side.  With the rotation of the peyote stitch, this bracelet is very stiff and much more like a bangle type bracelet.  I actually liked the sawtooth appearance on the edges so decided to leave them 'as is'.  The only additional accent was the 15/0 bronze seed beads that I used to finish the ends of the band and to accent the button hole.


The green/gold bead embroidered bracelet has the peyote running width-wise across the band with a peyote loop to form the second half of the toggle. Since I don't like to see exposed thread on my work, I used the 15/0 bronze seed beads to add a picot edging length-wise on the bracelet and to fill in the 'gaps' on the bracelet ends.  I really like how they looked in the peyote toggle too.  This bracelet is very fluid and fabric-like.

How did you spend the week between Christmas and New Years - Part 2

Since it sure looks like Christmas outside, I figured this was as good a time as any to post the second half of what I was able to get completed and off my work table between Christmas and New Years.  (Clicking on any photo will bring up a larger version.)

The lovely stone in the pendant on the right is a Morrisonite Jasper from Designer Cabochons in England, as are all of the stone cabochons that I use.  I stumbled on their website several years ago and LOVE their cabochons.  They always have unique stones and fossils, with quite a few from vintage slabs.  Vintage and stone, two of my most favorite things!

I used a combination of seed beads to create the bezel and pendant embellishment because I wanted to keep the setting on the simple side.  I like the combination of the 11/0s and 15/0s in the bail too.  I'm an admitted pearl lover so seem to include pearls in almost all of my pieces.  In this case, I used the pearl coins as separators in the tubular Ndebele necklace and top drilled pearls as accents to the fringe.

The final pendant that I finished during my holiday week is pictured on the left.  Even though I am more of a 'green' person, I loved the colors in this Ocean Wave Jasper and how much it looks like a beach scene.

The surrounding fringe is a little on the wild side, but the colors are muted and don't (in my opinion anyway) take away or over power the beauty of this stone.  I used a combination of seed beads and a couple of different colors of faceted Czech glass beads.  I had exactly 12 of the little mottled red glass squares so used them to accent the red band in the stone and as highlights in the strung necklace.

How did you spend the week between Christmas and New Years? Part 1

I vowed that I would finish up all of the half started projects sitting on my work table, in anticipation of getting started on a larger project.  Some of the final results, I loved, and some were just okay ... I very rarely sketch designs out so am working from a picture in my head most of the time.  In a couple of cases, I was able to use up some small amounts of beads that would have otherwise gone to the bottom of my bead drawers so even better!  Here's Part 1 of how I spent my week ... (clicking on any picture will bring up an enlarged view).

The inspiration for this bracelet came while driving home from the eastern shore of Maryland and Philadelphia the first week of October.  Both the drive to the east coast and the drive back home were highlighted by the autumn colors of the trees up and down the hills/mountains of Pennsylvania.  Driving home, I was especially struck by a couple of areas that were just absolutely brilliant with red and yellow intermingled with a touch of green and was sad when darkness fell as I was driving because it meant that I couldn't see the trees anymore!

I couldn't wait to get back home so I could create my own personal autumn!

The green high fire ceramic cabochon pictured on the right has been sitting on my work table, glued to Stiff Stuff, for longer than I want to admit.  I knew I wanted to make something with it, but just couldn't figure out what.

As I was going through my bead stash looking for beads for a completely different project, I came across these lovely green Czech glass leaves and pulled them out to audition with the cab.  I liked how the shape of the leaves mimicked the imprinted teardrop shapes at the top (or what I made the top) of the cab!  The green ceramic cabochon is made by my friend, Helen O'Donnell, Embroidered Soul.  Helen's cabochons are some of my favorite pieces to use in my beadwork.

Let It Snow Earrings

Square stitch is a handy little stitch.  What I love about it is that you can take any loom pattern and create it 'off loom' using the square stitch instead ... and none of those pesky multiple threads to weave in at the end!  Plus, you can take almost any cross stitch pattern and duplicate it in beads using square stitch.  About the only part of cross stitch that doesn't work in a square stitch pattern is the half stitch.  It's also super easy to create your own pattern by using grid paper and some colored pencils.  I charted my own pattern for both the Let It Snow earrings and a Halloween patch bracelet and Jack-O-Lantern earrings that I've taught as a class.

I will be teaching Let It Snow square stitch earrings at the Gahanna Bead Studio on Saturday, January 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Classes

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and start to the new year ...and new decade for that matter!  What does the new year bring for me?  Some upcoming classes featuring various beadweaving stitch techniques that I will be teaching at the Gahanna Bead Studio.

I will be teaching the Button Bling class in January.  This class was originally scheduled to start this upcoming Sunday, but the decision was made today to postpone it for two weeks due to the anticipated weather for the weekend, so the first class will be held on Sunday, January 24 and the second class will be held on February 7.  This is a two session class, held from 12:30 to 4:30 both days and includes both the peyote stitch and bead embroidery.  The bracelet project was originally published in the August issue of Bead & Button magazine and it will be included in the Creative Beading, Volume 5 publication to be released this summer.  The Gahanna Bead Studio has gotten in some wonderful Czech glass buttons specifically for this class and I can't wait to see how they look in the student's bracelets.

I also will be teaching a right angle weave bracelet class on Saturday, January 16, using Czech glass as the base of the bracelet accented with druks and Swarovski bicones, and featuring a Unicorne glass toggle.  I like right angle weave projects because the stitch is so versatile and your pattern can have a completely different look, depending on the combination of beads that are used.  The larger Czech glass beads allow the base to work up fairly quickly and then it's a matter of finishing with the accent beads.  The result is a very elegant and beautiful bracelet.  I made two samples, one with a little more muted palette and a second with a more vivid colorway ... the photo here is of the more muted bracelet.  I'm not normally a 'heart' person, but this Unicorne glass heart bead was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't wait to find a project that I could use it in.

In case you want to create your very own snowflakes (that won't melt when the temperatures reach above freezing), I will also be teaching a square stitch snowflake class on Saturday, January 30.  Reading charts and creating your own charted patterns will be covered as part of this class. (Cand't find my photo, but will post when I do.)

Happy Friday!

Short North Holiday Hop!

I am happy to say that Marianne Lannan, owner of The Lamp Shade, has invited me back to be her featured artist for the Short North's Holiday Hop on Saturday, December 5.  The Short North Gallery Hop is celebrating 25 years this year and I know a lot of shops will be having special events during the month of December.

I stopped in to set up my display on the day after Thanksgiving and it will be up for a week or two after the Hop on December 5.

I'd love to see you if you plan to attend the Holiday Hop, stop in at The Lamp Shade during your stroll along High Street to say 'hi'!

Button Fan Update

I am so excited!

I received an email late last week from Bead & Button telling me that my Button Fan bracelet project, published in the August Bead & Button magazine, has been selected to be part of Bead & Button's Annual "Creative Beading", Volume 5, to be published next summer!!!

My bracelet (center detail shown left) was included to illustrate a color option in the article and the bracelet made by the B&B Editor for the step-by-step illustrations featured a very striking gold-green colored Czech button.

Convergence Exhibit at Bead & Button

For those of you unable to attend the Convergence Exhibit at the Ohio Glass Museum or the recent Bead & Button show, Sara Hardin has made a video showing all of the pieces that are part of the traveling exhibit. Thank you, Sarah, for sharing via Youtube!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHGdGHgqHq4


The exhibit is now on it's way to Florida where it will be a feature exhibit at the Windisch-Hunt Fine Arts Gallery in Coconut Grove, Florida from June 20 until the ISGB Gathering ends on July 24, 2009.