Alice In Wonderland

Last month Artbeads.com gave their blogging team their choice of CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements to blog about. I'm a bit late with this, but I hope it's worth the wait! Artbeads.com made it real easy to design 'In My Mind' just by browsing their offering of jewerly artist supplies.

I came up with an idea and was able to flow through ordering this-n-that components to satisfy my initial design ideas. When I received my order, I laid out the 'bounty' and started lining up patterns, mixing in beads and findings from my own supply. Feeling good about the patterns and colors came quickly. Once Alice came together, I could not have been happier!

Like many others my love for the charismatic Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass started with the Disney animated classic film. Enamored with Alice's Adventures, when in high school, I choose to read the book/s for an oral book report where I studied the 'backwardness' in Through the Looking Glass. My new line of Jewelry Wardrobes reflect my jeweled interpretation of Alice's Adventures.

In this phase of my Alice in Wonderland line (many more are in various stages of completion and planning) I have used Swarovski Red Magma crystals, Pearls in Bordeaux, Black and White, a Lilly Pilly pendant (I am so in love with these! see Use The Muse posts), and the key to making this Jewelry Wardrobe work - silk ribbon! To round it out I used various beads and findings from my personal stash.

Each necklace is different length and can be adjusted however you like.

The smallest necklace can also be wrapped around your wrist for a stunning bracelet!
Earrings made with Woodland Brass Fleur de Lis are also included in the Wardrobe.


So - luxury designs - worn however you wish! Comment and let me know what you think about Alice & this Jewerly Wardrobe!

-Blanche

Use The Muse II Big Reveal Here at Last!

"Mermaid's Discovery"

Scarlett Lanson's Use The Muse II Beading Contest Big Reveal is here! "Mermaid's Discovery" was my take on the Muse. I didn't win any prizes but you can see all the Winners and the Participant's designs in Gallery A-M and N-Z.

Amazing designs! It's such great fun to see what everyone created with the Lilly Pilly Muse, beads, and crystals from Artbeads.com and Rainbows of Light.

Apparently I did not provide my links or follow directions - eeps! So I don't have a link back to my blog or my site, but the other half of the fun for me has been to check out the participant's sites and see their other work as well!

You can sign up for Use The Muse III already, so join in on the next go-round of fun! Then check out Dawno's Interview with Steve Groenier, VP of Research Marketing and Customer Service at Artbeads (a sponsor of Use The Muse).

Lately ...

...the work that pays the bills has consumed me. Yes, I managed a week off and a few long travel weekends here and there, but the truth is, I have been working 4/10s all summer and I for one will be glad when school starts! Not that I have a child in school, oh no! (I am way too old for that :) ) I work at our local school district in Human Resources and it's pretty much a non-stop job. I hit the door running each morning and when I get home at night it's still run time - which means cooking, cleaning, shopping etc that all has to be done no matter what. If I am lucky, I can string some beads. For me Designing In My Head is the way to go...

Granted I have some outlandish designs rolling around up there - not all of them pan out, but for the most part they do. As a teaser I will let ya'll know that I have used every one of my Artbeads.com CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements in a new concept & theme and even went back and ordered more beads! I can't wait to show you the results, but I still need a few more supplies and photo session in order to so.

Keep on beadin,

-Blanche

Winter Rose Designs Contest

My Beloved
Winter Rose Designs had a short, but sweet contest going for using their Woodland Brass pieces.

My entry was my interpretation of Victorian mourning jewelry - jewelry worn after a loved one has passed and typically is comprised of materials such as jet, gutta-percha, vulcanite, pressed horn, crepe stone, black glass (French Jet), black enamel, hair work, bog oak, pinchbeck, and gold. * I used Crystalized Swarovski Elements as my 'black' beads - Cosmic beads, Rounds and Pearls.
The picture used with permission is from Missing Branches Ltd. .

I won second place and couldn't be more thrilled! Here's the lovely stash of beads Connie sent me - Thank you Winter Rose Designs!

Coneflower and Bouquets of Flower Brooches

Lisa at A Bead A Day had a post a while back about using the beads from shell bracelets in a design. I love to make flower brooches - kinda of like a bead collage! So that's what I started out doing with this - my coneflower, except the center bead is not much of a cone!

For the coneflower or Echinacea, I wired the long shell beads along with the sguilly(sp) ones in a circle, then wired the flat shell bead on top.



The circle is pretty tight, but I wove Hemp cord from Artbeads.com around in a circle on top of the wiring because I changed my mind and thought this will make a great pendant. I haven't figured out how to attach a bail at this point, but I would love to use some golden horn beads I have as the necklace. Will post a final pic when it's done.

My inspiration came from my mom's free flowing garden and this special patch of purple cone flowers just a hop, skip, and jump from the Blue Ridge Parkway!



Here's some of my brooches- the two with little flowers next to them are the most recent ones I made in the last week or so using mother of pearl shell beads and buttons.