Flashback Friday - Victorian Ornaments

Ornament covers are always popular. Back in December 2004 this design appeared in Bead and Button magazine. I loved the swags and the crystals. I changed the larger bi-cones with cubes.

There were a few challenges with these ornaments. The first was understanding the instructions and correcting the number of crystals listed in the supply list. With this cover completely encasing the ornament I needed to figure out a way to hold it for the finishing. I rigged a way to hang in from my desk light.

Here are two that I have in my collection.

 

Here is the one I gave Maria, as hanging on her tree.

Celtic Vision Necklace

This morning I finally finished this chain maille project from Gardiner Designs. I started the necklace in a class at Creativ Festival last month. I love the copper rings and the lampwork beads by Kirsty Naray. The challenge with this piece was working with a new pair of pliers and doing the wrapped loops on the pendant.

Flashback Friday - Holiday Bookmark

I have made diagonal weave bands into rings, bracelets and necklaces. Back in 2007, I decided to try using size 15 beads to make a fine ribbon-like band for a holiday bookmark. Each end of the band is embellished with a cluster of colour light bulb charms.

Flashback Friday - Ribbon Bracelets

Six years ago the October/November issue of Beadwork magazine included Kathleen Kimball-Baker's ribbon bracelet. It uses ndebele (herringbone) stitch. It become a favourite project as it was quick and fun. Here are a few of the many I made since then.

Flashback Friday - Loomwork

Two week ago I posted about an artist trading card I made. It was my most recent loomwork piece. I looked back and found this picture of my second loomwork piece. I used a needle work pattern for the celtic knot medallion. The other section are modified patterns from Maria Rypan's loomwork class. This was a piece that I made without thinking about how it would wear. It is great to look at but I don't wear it.

 

My third piece I did a couple of years later to refresh my skills so I could help Maria teach loomwork to a new group of beaders. This time I did not want to worry about pattern, just technique. I used a seed bead mix which I embellished with pressed glass flowers. 

For added texture on the fringe I added some of the flowers using coralling. This is a much more wearable piece.

Calendar Girl

As usual it is a few days into the new month before I get calendars turned to the new month. I turned my TBS calendar over to November this morning and there were my Sea Anemone Boxes.

I had forgotten that I was Miss November in the 2010 calendar.

The calendar for 2011 will be on sale at Bead Fair this weekend at the CNIB on Bayview. I am one of the beaders, who have been in over the last few years, included on a bonus page at the end of the calendar.  This year's charity is the Native Women's Resource Centre.

I will be at the bead fair at the Rypan Designs booth, stop by and say hello.

Flashback Friday - Spiral Rope

Recently someone asked me if I had a favourite beadweaving stitch. Of course it was a hard question to answer as it would depend on what I had been doing recently.

Over the last 2 years peyote stitched box have been by current obession.

Here are some pieces for a time when spiral rope was the stitch I loved to do.

These are from another Bag of Beads challenge. The pastel colour combined with coral was fun to work with.

Assorted bracelets

I am sure that somewhere in my stash of beads there is an unfinished spiral rope lariat. Maybe I should dig it out this weekend and play with this fun stitch again.