Designer Style Challenge

Twice a year for many years I have been attending or working at a booth at Creativ Festival (formerly Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival). When I first started to attend I was mostly doing counted cross stitch as my crafting past time.

I remember going to the show when it was down at the Automotive Building at the CNE. Some class rooms had amazing views of Lake Ontario. I met fellow crafts from an online group to share finds and treasures during a Saturday evening dinner.

I tried many different crafts and started many different projects. I also got to meet and learn from some of my favourite designers, cross stitch designers; Teresa Wentzler and Jennifer Aiken-Smith, beadwork and  jewellry designers; Maria Rypan, Marilyn Gardiner and Vicki Green.

This fall marks the 25th anniversary of the fall show. To celebrate they are having a Designer Style Challenge. I have decided to enter both the Beadwork and Jewellery Design and Paper Arts categories. I have found my inspiration for colours and designs in this amazing watercolour painting of irises.

I first saw this image in a book about botanical painting. I have since found it on the painter, Vicky Mappin's website. I love the shape and colour of these irises. I also discovered during my research that the iris is the flower for a 25th anniversary.

I have started my beaded vase based of the techniques learned from my many little beaded boxes. I am playing with designs and ideas for my paper arts project. I hope a trip on Friday to the Paper Place on Queen West will help with some of my ideas.

Challenge of blogging

It has been almost a year since my last post. I have been working on and completing many projects. I just have not been driven to blog about them.

Writing has always been a challenge for me. I had hope that this blog would help me improve and be come more confident. It did work for awhile, but last year I lost the drive to continue.

Well thanks to my mom, who keeps asking me to start again. I am going to work on this again. So it is time to get back to sharing what I have done and will be doing.

Let the blogging begin!

Creativity, Productivity and a Deadline

I have not posted on my blog from quite awhile. I recently started a post about blocked creativity, but it did not get finished or posted.

I have been in a bit of a creative funk lately. I worked on a number of samples earlier in the spring for Maria over at Rypan Designs. But since then I have not been able to really work on and complete any significant piece of beadwork. I have done earrings and simple pendants but the drive and desire to do anything else is just not there.

This week thou I have a co-worker, Carrie, who is leaving my library to work at another branch. She loves pink and I decided that I would make something for her. Today was the last day we would be working together, so I had a deadline. I have also been going thru back issues of Bead & Button and Beadwork to see if I want to sell them at an upcoming garage sale.

I found the perfect design for Carrie's necklace. In the December 2008 Bead & Button magazine had a design by Donna Pagano Denny called Scalloped Lace. It combined Swarovski crystals with seed beads using a modified Right Angle Weave. It called for two colours of crystals but I decided to use just Rose Alabaster bicones.

As I was finishing the necklace I remembered a pattern the I had printed from Beadwork. It was for right angle weave earrings by Leslie Rogalski. They coordinated perfectly with the necklace. I used just Rose Alabaster bicones instead of the two colours suggested in the pattern.

A deadline help me get some of my creativity back. Hope that it is not just a spark but a blaze of creativity and productivity!

Complete set

Detail of Earrings

Detail of Necklace

Blissful Garden Earrings

I am back after 2 weeks. Earlier this month I signed up to participate in Blissful Garden Beads' April earring challenge. These two beautiful little beads arrived in the mail Tuesday and the earrings needed to be finished by today.

Challenge Beads

I spent Tuesday & Wednesday evening trying different ideas. I did not want to just put them on headpins and I only used supplies that I already had. It took about 12 attempt to find one that I liked.

Completed Earrings

These are shoulder dusters, made with three different lengths of chain. Each chain has a clear glass drop on the end.

It was challenging to make these within the time frame and going beyond the basic method of using just a headpin. I like the look of these, but they are not something that I would wear. I will likely donate them to the Corsage Project, so that they will be wore to a young lady's prom.

Bag of Beads Challenge

It is time again for the Toronto Bead Society's Bag of Beads Challenge. This year's bag included seed beads, bugles, pearls, faceted beads, chain, feathers and a butterfly. 

OMG! What am I going to make with these!

For a month I did not know what I was going to do. I had an idea for the butterfly based on a ring that Kelly Osborne wore on a red carpet show for the Grammys.

It was not until I was at the Thursday class with Diane Fitzgerald in March that I got an idea of what else to make. Fellow beader Colleen was wearing a beaded pendant that used bugles and seed beads. I played with the given beads and created this peyote stitch tube that holds three of the feathers.

Full view of pendant that will be worn on a length of the chain

Detail view of the pendant

Tonight was the presentation night for the bag of beads. As always it was an amazing night of inspiring beadwork.

Some favourites

Flashback Friday Flashback

It has been 6 months since I started this regular feature of looking back at some older beadwork. So today let's look back as some of my favourite flashbacks.

Here are those that featured Toronto Bead Society Bag of Beads Challenge - red, white and black & pastels and coral.

Stringing favourites - copper and pearls, celtic glass knots & hearts and crystals.

Rypan Designs projects - netted kilim, retro lariat, gothic drapes, twig chip cascade, cascading twigs &  loomwork.

It has been great to look back. I will photograph some more pieces to share during the next six months.

One of a Kind - Spring 2011

Today marks the end of the Spring One of a Kind show here in Toronto. I went down to the show twice this time. The first was on Thursday on my own. I was inspired by all the amazing creativity shown by the artisians.

I bought two lampwork bug beads from Leslie Winemaker at Dream Glass. I finished them with some wire to use as purse charms.

I also purchased a new leather bag from Andre Ouellet and some delicious cookies from Mad Batter Bakers.

Anna and I were back again on Saturday to take the embroidery workshop with Melissa McColl of Vintage Baby Revival. Workshop was fun. Anna and I hope to take another one in the fall.

To my Thursday purchases I added these cute hair elastics by from Liligo for my niece Elizabeth.

I also got a customized owl pendant by Lucie Kovarova-Weir from Lunacy Glass. I had a book replace the branch and mouse she had in other pendants.

I stopped by Leslie's booth to show her what I had done with the bug beads. I also bought these five beads which uses a reactive glass that makes each bead a one of a kind bead.

I have marked November 24-December 4 on my calendar for the Christmas show.