Bracelet Stalking

I have a couple of main "styles" of jewelry I like to work with.  One one hand, I like collagey, art bead goodness and on the other hand I love to do modern recreations of vintage pieces.  There's a bracelet worn by Grace Kelly in Rear Window and I simply love it.  I want to do my own version of it one day soon, but I can't seem to find a good (ie: clear) picture of it.

I'll take that top too!

The bracelet is not only beautiful as well as substantial, but it has little charms hanging off of it and makes the most WONDERFUL sounds.  It's almost like wearing a subtle wind chime on your wrist.

Here's the section of the film with the bracelet (it's also where she open up her TINY Mark Cross bag and her voluminous night gown pops out. (pardon the commercial interruption)

One day, all of this lusting will result in a Grace Kelly Inspired Bracelet.

Challenge of Travel Blog Hop

It seems the only way I can get myself to actually PHOTOGRAPH and POST pics of my work is to participate in a blog hop.  So, when Erin of Tesori Trovati Jewelry  posted on her blog, Treasures Found - Inspiration is Everywhere about the upcoming Challenge of Travel Blog Hop, I signed myself up.  We got to choose our region and country.  I immediately choose Japan.

Now, those of you that know my style or have seen my house don't think of traditional Japan.  But, I wasn't thinking of traditional Japanese style.  I went right to contemporary Japanese Pop Culture.

I visited Tokyo for 10 days in 2005.  While we visited some historical sites, the most memorable parts of our trip were focused on pop culture and food (oh the glorious food!).  We spent days (and nights) at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Seas, The Ghibli Museum, shopping in Shibuya and Shinjuku, spotting Harajuku girls, seeing underground pop bands, shopping at places like Tokyu Hands, the Kitchen District and the amazing and wondrous department stores.  Oh, and the vending machines!  I put many a coin in those vending machines.

(Photo from 8Tokyo.com)

No one, no where, does pop culture like the Japanese.....and I adore it all.  The odd thing about my love of Japanese Pop Culture is that I am pretty much CLUELESS about American Pop Culture.  But, I find all things "Kawaii" (ie" Super Cute in Japanese) to be amazing.  The bold (and extravagant) use of color and pattern is way out of my comfort zone (and I'm not shy) and minimalism is an unknown commodity.   Harajuku Cosplay has gotten quite popular in the US recently and it is amazing and inspiring to see in person.  There's a whole Flickr Group devoted to Harajuku fashion.

So, that's where I started - with Japanese Pop Culture and a bunch of stuff from my stash.    Luckily, i have a ton of vintage lucite, lots of plastic, some toys from Japan and lots of other beads to work with from my ever-growing vintage (ie: hoarder) collection.  It didn't start out to be as easy as I thought it would be, however.  I've been working mostly with art beads, fibers, leather and other more "earthy" elements lately. Apparently, I've toned down my style!  I made, tore apart, re-made, tore apart my first piece several times - and it is still my least favorite piece of the trio I ended up with.  But then, I got my groove back and I went a little nuts.  So, yes, there are 3 pieces here (and I really could have made more).  Oh, and I'm still futzing with photography.  And by futzing, I mean cussing.

Here's my first (and more sedate) piece.  The colors are so not me.  I must have been channeling Martha Stewart here.  But, the vintage lucite, the plastic flowers, the My Elements rubber rings and the sweet blue owls are lots of fun.

Then I went nuts.  Plastic dinosaurs from earrings I used to wear in 1984, more plastic flowers, a string devil doll, a Gloomy Bear from a Japanese vending machine capsule, more vintage lucite, random glass flowers, more My Elements stash, and - oh look - a couple of Elaine Ray art beads.

My last piece was more gothic inspired with a Disney twist.  I seem to have quite a collection of Little Green Men (from Toy Story).  I got most of these in Japan and, while I haven't been wearing them lately, I seem to never trow anything out.  So, these guys got mixed with vintage American vending machine baubles, more vintage lucite, My Elements plastics and rubber and some (almost eatable) vintage glass beads.

I'm just crazy enough that I will wear 2 our of 3 of these.  Martha Stewart can have the pastel bracelet. ;)


There are 59!!! bloggers on this blog hop.  It may take be a few days but I will visit each and ever one of these sites.  Enjoy your own journey!

Lisa

Name	Blog	Region Chosen	Inspiration Nation
Monique Urquhart	http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.ca/	Africa	Burkina Faso
Niky Sayers	http://silverniknats.blogspot.co.uk/	Africa	Egypt
Therese Frank	http://www.theresestreasures59.blogspot.com	Africa	Kenya
Raychelle Heath	http://abeadloveaffair.blogspot.com/	Africa	Lesotho
Joan Williams	www.lilrubyjewelry.wordpress.com	Africa	Mauritania
Sherri Stokey	http://www.KnotJustMacrame.com	Africa	Senegal
Regina Santerre	http://reginaswritings.blogspot.com	Africa	Seychelles
Raida Disbrow	http://havanabeads.blogspot.com	Africa	Tanzania
Kristi Wodek	http://livedinlife.blogspot.com	Africa	Zimbabwe
Sally Russick	http://www.thestudiosublime.com	Americas	Brazil
Melissa Trudinger	http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com	Americas	Mexico
Tracy Stillman	http://www.tracystillmandesigns.com	Americas	USA
Sandra Wolberg	http://city-of-brass-stories.blogspot.de	Asia	India
Tanya Goodwin	http://pixiloo.blogspot.com	Asia	Japan
Susan Kennedy	http://suebeads.blogspot.com	Asia	Japan
Beth Emery	http://storiesbyindigoheart.blogspot.com	Asia	Japan
Lisa Cone	http://inspiredadornments.blogspot.com/	Asia	Japan < Here U R!
Tanya Boden	http://fusionmusebangkok.blogspot.com/	Asia	Japan
Inge von Roos	http://ingetraud.wordpress.com	Asia	Laos
Erin Prais-Hintz	http://treasures-found.blogspot.com	Asia	Nepal
Dee Elgie	http://cherryobsidia.blogspot.com	Asia	Phillipines
Carolyn Lawson	http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com	Asia	South Korea
Lisa Stukel	http://carefreejewelrybylisa.blogspot.com	Asia	Sri Lanka
Elly Snare	http://themagicsquarefoundation.wordpress.com	Asia	Thailand
Shelley Graham Turner	http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com	Europe	Austria
Mallory Hoffman	http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com/	Europe	Bosnia Herzegovina
Paige Maxim	http://www.pmaximdesigns.blogspot.com	Europe	France
Jenny Davies-Reazor	http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog	Europe	Germany
Sharyl McMillian-Nelson	http://sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com	Europe	Greece
Evelyn Shelby	http://raindropcreationsbyevelyn.blogspot.com/	Europe	Iceland
Holly Westfall	http://silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com/	Europe	Ireland
Rebecca Siervaag	http://www.godsartistinresidence.blogspot.com	Europe	Ireland
Toltec Jewels	http://toltecjewels.blogspot.com	Europe	Ireland
Lee Koopman	http://StregaJewellry.wordpress.com	Europe	Ireland
Laren Dee Barton	http://larendeedesigns.blogspot.com	Europe	Italy
Cindy Wilson	http://www.mommysdreamcreations.blogspot.com	Europe	Norway
Kathleen Lange Klik	http://ModernNatureStudio.blogspot.com	Europe	Poland
Shaiha Williams	http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/	Europe	Portugal
Jennifer Justman	http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/	Europe	Romania
Elsie Deliz-Fonseca	http://ladelizchica.blogspot.com	Europe	Spain
Lola Surwillo	http://www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com	Europe	Sweden
Kim Hora	http://www.kimmykats.com	Europe	Switzerland
Leanne Loftus	http://firstimpressiondesign.blogspot.com	Europe	The Netherlands
Patti Vanderbloemen	http://myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com	Europe	The Netherlands
Marcie Carroll	http://labellajoya.blogspot.com	Europe	Turkey
Marlene Cupo	http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com	Oceania	Federated States of Micronesia
Ine Vande Cappelle	http://jewelsbyine.blogspot.com	Oceania	Fiji
Tammie Everly	http://ttedesigns.blogspot.com/	Oceania	Guam
Alice Peterson	http://www.alice-dreaming.blogspot.com	Oceania	Kiribati
Elisabeth Auld	http://www.beadsforbusygals.com	Oceania	Nauru
Susan McClelland	http://mistheword12.wordpress.com/	Oceania	New Zealand
D Lynne Bowland	http://islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.com	Oceania	New Zealand
Denielle Hagerman	http://somebeadsandotherthings.com	Oceania	New Zeland
Rebecca Anderson	http://songbeads.blogspot.com	Oceania	Papua New Guinea
Mischelle Fanucchi	http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com/	Oceania	Samoa
Kari Asbury	http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com	Oceania	Solomon Islands
Cece Cormier	http://www.thebeadingyogini.com/	Oceania	Tonga
Emma Todd	http://www.apolymerpenchant.com	Oceania	Tuvalu
Debbie Price	http://greenshoot.blogspot.com	Oceania	Vanuatu

Playing with Tutorials

I've only taken a few actual jewelry-making workshops.  Most of those have involved elements of fire that I don't feel comfortable just experimenting without the watchful eye of someone who knows what they are doing.  When I started making jewelry, I relied on books and on-line tutorials to learn new skills and techniques.  Of course, being one that doesn't follow directions very well, I'd often end up learning something totally new along with the skill I had set out to learn.  (This is why I don't bake, folks.)

I ran across two great tutorials recently and thought I'd try them out.  Both tutorials are fantastic and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to expand their skill set.  

The first one is from The Gossiping Goddess.  It is for a Double Strand Seed Bead and Jump Ring Bracelet.  It is an easy technique and an incredibly BRILLIANT idea.  I absolutely LOVE the way the double strand of beads interlock and look almost woven - but there's no bead weaving involved here (or else I wouldn't be doing it - I also have no patience).

I took the concept and did a partial strand using small Czech glass Picasso beads (a favorite of mine), added a few vintage lucide beads and some czech glass, a pretty focal by Round Rabbit Extra, then finished off with the same bead series on the other end.  I love it and I can't wait to play with this concept even more.

I also watched a couple of video tutorials from Lorelei Eurto.  Lorelei make fun video tutes and I suggest you take a look on her blog for more of her fun tutes.  There's lots to learn here and her blog is inspiring as well.  (And, OH, the eye candy!!!)

Lorelei did 3 tutes - 2 on basic knotting of linen cord and one on stringing and knotting lampwork disks.  I just happened to buy some lovely lampwork disks from Veda's Beads and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them yet.  I watched the tute and, voila, I had my answer.  I ended up making 2 very different pieces.  This technique is so versatile that I'll be using it quite a bit in my future, I'm sure.

The blue disks are from Veda's Beads as it the glass bead on top of the focal, the pendant is from Jade Scott and the adorable lampwork owl is something I got at the Pasadena Bead Show and (I'll be damned if I can find the name of the artist.  I used a deep red linen cord and included some indonesian glass beads and some lucite flowers.  

The second piece I made is completely different and I totally love it.  The beautiful glass poppy is from Tanya McGuire, a lovely bunch of Orange Chalcodony gemstones and some Lumpy Bumpy beads from Tanya.  I used the same red waxed linen and strung the whole thing on a soft suede cord.  

And, just for kicks, here's another little piece I made the other day with a lovely little house from Elukka who makes the most charming ceramic houses, owls and other adorable goodness.  That lovely red matt glass bead is from Veda's Beads and there's lot of other goodies involved including My Elements Pixies, some Indonesian Glass, some dyed coral (I think) and red leather.  After I made this piece, I decided this was a little boat house on the ocean and I wanted to go there immediately.

That's all for now!  But, look for the Challenge of Travel tomorrow.  There are 3 pieces that are COMPLETELY different from these.

Lisa

Jewelry Designs from Nature Challenge

A month or so ago, I was lucky enough to be chosen to an Art Bead Scene blog challenge.  The reveal date is today and I have my pretty necklace to share with you.  But first, a bit about this challenge and my inspiration.

The concept of the challenge was inspired by Heather Powers' awesome book Jewelry Designs from Nature and to celebrate now that it's out making its way into the big craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. .  (You can buy the book from one of my favorite stores - Ornamentea.)

I have spent literally HOURS thumbing through this book resulting in loads of inspiration for jewelry projects.  Heather uses some of her own amazing Humblebeads as well as lots of art beads from other artists.  It is a book that is right up my own alley.

10 winners were  sent a packet and had a few weeks to create a piece of jewelry inspired by their packets.  There will also be a voting for your favorite challenge piece during the blog hop with a giveaway of beads from the book!

The Challenge Packet Contents:

1. A few Humblebeads featured in the book
2. A nature-inspired poem
3. A photo for color and design inspiration

The packets will be themed and I could have gotten a garden, woodlands or sea set!  I ended up with a woodlands packet.  Whoo hoo!!!

It included a lovely photo, a woodlands-themed Humblebead pendant and a poem by Robert Frost.  Here's the poem:

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold,

Her earl leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Next to the crepuscular blue of twilight, the golden light of morning is my favorite (even though I don't see it very often - I'm NOT a morning person).

But, I am all to familiar to that fleeting sense of light that goes quickly from a soft glow to a the bright blue and orange of morning.  I DO see a lot of this harsher, but still invigorating light.  

My piece was meant to invoke the feeling of waking up at the crack of dawn and seeing nature unfold before my eyes.  The pale blues of the sky only serve to contrast with the golden light (and the golden buds on the tree branches in the picture.

I used a lot of czech glass, some vintage chain, a few lucite flowers and a patina butterfly that I created.  I love the way it turned out!  It's a piece that is much "prettier" than the pieces I've made lately.  

I'll have to come back tomorrow and add in a list of other blogs where artists are going to be showing off their creations.  Or you can visit the ABS blog and see if the links are up there.  Meanwhile, enjoy the fleeting bits of gold - because it cannot stay for very long.

Enjoy this blog hop.  I'm sure looking forward to it!

Lisa

Here are the participants!

Lisa Cone
Cece Comier
Amy Severino
Shelby Foxwell 
Alicia Marinache 
Keirsten Giles 
Marlene Brady
Marlene Cupo
Sharon Palac - coming soon

  

Silk Color Palette - Marsha Neal Challenge

I should be dealing with the piles of papers I have just sorted, however seeing that Marsha Neal has this silk color challenge going on, I thought that would be MUCH more fun to do tonight than sort.

I've been obsessed with landscaping.  We've just ripped out our yucky front and side yard and will be installing a California Native (and water-wise) garden over the next few months.  My landscape color palette is Orange, Purple and Chartreuse with bits of grays and greens thrown in.  So, of COURSE that inspired my color palette for this challenge.

I LOVE this combination and it works so well with the style of my 1927 Spanish Revival Bungalow.  Now I want to hang long strands of these silk colors from the front porch to act as outdoor curtains!  What a wild idea (and not in any way practical).  

Oh, look at all those papers strewn over my bed.  I'd better get back to work!

Giveaway Alert

Giveaway alert!

Three, yes THREE beautiful sets of art beads are being given away over on Lorelei's Blog.

I've thrown my name in the hat to win.  You should too!

New Blog Challenge - Jewelry Designs from Nature

Just when I needed a reason to get back to my bead table, I get chosen for a fantastic challenge!  

One of my (almost) daily blog reads is the fantastic Art Bead Scene blog.  Heather Powers of Humblebeads has based this challenge he beautiful book Jewelry Designs from Nature.

Here's what the 10 participants will be doing (and YAY, I'm one of them!)

This is a creative blog challenge.  10 winners will be sent a packet and have a few weeks to create a piece of jewelry inspired by their packets.  On July 6th we'll have a blog hop featuring the results.  We'll also have voting for your favorite challenge piece during the blog hop and giveaway beads from the book!
The Challenge:
I'm going to pick 10 participants randomly from the comments below.  Each participant will receive a packet that contains:
1. A few Humblebeads featured in the book2. A nature-inspired poem3. A photo for color and design inspiration
The packets will be themed and you could get a garden, woodlands or sea set!

I'll take some photos of whatever I get in my packet.  I'm excited to see where this will take me!