Native Beading - Beaded Strawberry

Today I was lucky to attend An Introduction to Native Beading at the ROM. This full day event was tied to the Anishinaabeg: Art & Power exhibit. As a group we were able to view the exhibit with our instructor, Naomi Smith of Black Tulip Designs. She was able to give us more details about some of the amazing beaded pieces on display.

Here are some pictures I took during our visit.

Details of a bandolier bag

Love the maple leaf on this bandolier bag

Beaded woman's hood

Beautiful beaded baby moccasins

Beaded Octopus Bag

Details of tentacles on octopus bag

Detail of the octopus bag

After our visit to the exhibit we returned to the class to start our beaded strawberries. Naomi's kits included all the needed beads and fabric. She had sewn together the fabric pieces for the body of the strawberry. We had to fill it with emery sand and sawdust and sew it close.

Empty Body of the Strawberry

Filled and Sewn Strawberry Body

Then it was lunchtime, yum!!

After lunch we learn how to attached the velveteen cap and embellish with beads.

Halfway around the cap with beaded embellishment

Once the embellishment was completed we learned to secure thread for the hanging loop.

Hanging loop added

 Secured a new length of thread and started to add the seeds to the body of the strawberry.

Halfway done seeding my strawberry with seed beads

 The last step is adding the tassels. Our kit included three antique basket beads for the tassels.

My finished beaded strawberry

 Here are some pictures of all the strawberries created during the class.

Overhead view of our strawberries

Another view of our class of strawberries

Thanks once again to Naomi, her helpers and the ROM.

Beading with Elizabeth

This past weekend I got to spend the weekend with my youngest niece Elizabeth.

It started with our sleepover at the ROM. We made masks with feathers and explore our favourite part of the museum, the Shad Gallery.

Once we were back at my place on Saturday, Elizabeth decided that we should make something to put in this box we had bought for her grandmother's birthday.

Earrings were the perfect choice. Looking in my drawer of Swarovski she found beautiful little butterflies. Here are the earrings that she designed.

We selected these earrings made with furnace glass from my inventory of earrings.

In the Swarovski drawer she found some Palace Green Opal round crystals which she wanted to use to make a bracelet for her mom. We decided to use some of the butterflies leftover from Grandma's earrings.

She then decided that it need a box. So Sandra gets the Grandma Fifi box.

On Sunday morning, after a good night's sleep in my bed, she selected a necklace from my inventory. I shortened it the perfect length, with an extender chain so she could grow into it.

Of course her next question was did I have a box for it. Luckily I had the perfect blue box.

I decided that we could not leave out making something for Elizabeth's dad and brother. I thought that keychains would be great. I pulled out the raku beads from my Tucson Treasures that Maria had given me.

Elizabeth selected the lizard for her brother, Mackenzie and a fish for her dad, Les. We found some fire polished rondelles to accent each.

She then wanted to make one for herself and her mom. Using the round celtic knots we designed these.

Here is the whole family of keychains.

Elizabeth, it was so much fun the spend the weekend together. We made some beautiful things as a team.

Mineral inspiration

As I have noted before I love going to the ROM and looking for inspiration. This piece is inspired by a mineral sample in the Teck Gallery.

Azurite Box

Azurite samples as the ROM

Azurite is a deep blue copper mineral. I was attracted to the middle sample with its contrasting coppery orange.

Ancient Inspiration

I love to work with some of the amazing lampwork beads created by local and international glasswork artists. The challenge that can arise is how to create a piece that showcases the lampwork but is wearable and stylish.

If there are enough beads in the set you can just add an accent and create a simple strung necklace like this piece.

Copper plated dragon necklace

Here I added the Swarovski crystals, copper rectangles and spacers to the lampwork. There were enough beads to make a complete necklace.

There are times thou when the set is smaller or you want to keep the beads as a centre focus. I was inspired by this ancient Greek necklet. I imagine that the ends could be connected to lengths of chain to create a full length neck piece.

Gold and blue glass paste, Cypro-Classical, 450-400 B.C. (ROM)

Here are few of my pieces using this design idea.

Circle around my heart

Owl Babies

Elizabeth's necklace

Aqua Dots

Blue Galaxy

Purple Galaxy

Inspiration sources

I am always amazed at what inspires artists, designers and crafters. I am going to try posting regularly about some of my current and past inspiration sources. Along with the pieces I created from them.

One of my current favourite places to go for an inspirational boast is the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). Here are a few recent pictures I took that are now in my inspiration folder.

From the Teck Galleries -














From the Asian galleries -










From the Art of Collecting exhibit -









Next Friday I will look at one of my inspirations and the piece that it inspired.

Have a great weekend!!