Reversible ZigZag Cuff

I picked up the recent Bead & Button special issue Beading Basics Peyote Stitch. There are some interesting projects in it, including a reversible zigzag cuff.

I decided to take what I needed to start it to last week's Beading in the park. A looming summer storm threatened the gathering but I went anyways. Maria and I were the only ones who braved the threat. We each were able to work on our  projects.

I started the cuff, which uses a flattened tubular peyote stitch. It took a couple of restarts to get it working correctly. Here is what I got done that evening and over the next couple of evenings.

one side with silver and green

other side with copper and purple

I hope to have it finished before the next meetup in August.

Bead Soup on a hot summer day

It is a gorgeous hot summer day here is Toronto and I just received my Bead Soup for the Blog Party from Jelveh.

It includes one of her amazing lampwork Nutilus Focal bead with 5 matching golstone beads, pearls, stone and lava beads, sterling silver and ceramic beads. The closure is toggle with a little turtle charm.

Bead Soup

Detail of focal and matching lampwork beads

As I am adding the photos of the beads to this posting I am already thinking a necklace and bracelet to make with them. Watch here on August 11 for the reveal of my projects using these great beads.

Hexagonal Triangle Vase

I finally finished all the irises for my Paper Art entry in the Designer Style Challenge. The next challenge was to arrange them into stems of two or three flowers and a final arrangement within the Hexagonal Triangle Vase. Once I got it the way I liked, I had to create a photo studio to ensure that I had great photos to submit for the Challenge.

Here are the pictures that I entered.

Complete project

Vase

Flower detail

Lori's Bead & Button Giveaway!!!

Lori Anderson, the amazing organizer of the Bead Soup Blog Party, is having a giveaway on her blog. Of course everyone loves to win something, there you  have 5 chances to win something beady!!!

I would love to win this selection of items from Bead & Button

Lori's assortment of items from Bead & Button

There is also a book, ebook, tote bag and a fab bead soup mix.

Head on over, follow the instructions and good luck!!! Deadline is Friday July 13th!

Silver Paper Vase

This is not a beading project, but it does go with my recent Iris Twist Vase. I just sent in my artisan statement and pictures for my Beadwork entry in the Creativ Festival's Designer Style Challenge. Now it is time to finish my project for my Paper Arts entry.

I decided to continue with my vase and iris theme, only now it will be with origami. I have finished the vase, which is made with a combination of triangles, hexagrams and connectors.

Vase Components

This design is a variation of a Regular Hexagonal Flat Unit in Tomoko Fuse's book Unit Polyhedron Origami. I inverted the top section to make the vase a short, shallow vessel. This type of origami is like flat pack furniture. You need to connect to component in the correct place and in the correct order. And the instructions include pictures.

Silver Paper Vase with purple accents

Looking to the vase

Now that the vase is done, I need to work on the origami iris flowers that I want to make and arrange in it. The ones I made last weekend did not come out as I had hoped. 

Going to try some different papers to see which creates the flowers that I want.