ABS February challenge

For February, the Art Bead Scene has chosen a beautiful painting by Paul Klee called "The Rose Garden". The painting is brimming with vibrant shades of purple, red, and orange. You can see the original painting here.

I chose to make my own art beads for this challenge.

To reflect the cubism in the painting, I made some faceted round beads from polymer clay. I painted each bead with gradients of ruby red, peach, orange, and dashes of purple.

 

I was going to make a pair of my Rustic Rose beads to use in the earrings, but I decided on something a bit more abstract. I made a pair of faceted cylinder beads with swirls on the face of the beads to represent the swirled roses in the paintings. The sides and back of the beads are faceted and painted in shades of dark purple, red, lilac, and dashes of white.

I combined the beads with organic swirls of copper wire work and tiny seed beads in pinks and orange hues. I patinated the copper with LOS for a bolder contrast against the bright colors.

I hope you like them! You can check out the other entries on the ABS Flickr pool.

 

Feb. 2014 issue of The Beading Glass

It's here! Your monthly dose of inspiration from The Beading Glass...

This month I interviewed some inspiring artists from the USA, UK, and France. And, of course, there are galleries packed with handmade beads and jewelry. Hope you enjoy it!

Click to view The Beading Glass on GLOSSI.COM

And the winner is...

It's time! I promised I would draw the winner of my wire wrapped pendant, and here she is. But first, a reminder photo...

Brass wire wrapped pendant with lampwpork by Laney Mead

And now, the winner...drum roll, please...

Shaiha!

Shaiha, you should have an email now about your prize. Congrats!

Thank you all for entering and commenting!

New beads and jewelry and a sale!

This week has turned out to be very productive on the creative side of things. Maybe it's all this awful weather keeping us cooped up...

Whatever it is, I'm glad it's kicked my beading mojo into gear! I've made a handful of new bracelets using gemstones, art beads, and a few of my other favorites. Want to see? (Pssst...info on my sale at the end!)

First up is one of my favorite bracelets: Treasure in the Rockpool. I love sea themes, and the gorgeous lampwork beads by Meital Plotnik were perfect for the job. I added rustic Czech glass, crystals, brass charms, and gemstones.

Next, in striking contrast, is Long Lost Love. This, of course, was made with Valentine's Day in mind. I used lampwork beads by UK artists, Keeley Kenyon and Brinkbeads. More Czech glass and vintage glass flower charms add to the mix. And check out those little textured heart charms I made. Aren't they cute?

Last but not least of the bracelets, another turquoise and brown combo. I love, love this bracelet. It's called My Home in the Meadow and has handmade beads by Elukka (the house), Ciel Creations, and Earthshine Beads (those yummy caramel lampwork). I made the wire wrapped nest with aquamarine gems to play off the colors on that sweet little blue bird and wrapped Czech glass flowers and leaves into it. Like the other bracelets, this one has a mix of little charms and gemstones dangling from between the larger beads.

 Now, let's talk beads. I've been a bit busy with custom orders on the bead front recently, but I did manage to squeeze in some time for new listings in my shop. More Rustic Roses, including a new bud shape, painted faceted beads, and more...

 

And this deliciously rustic set - faux bone/ivory nugget wheels. The smooth, chunky shapes feel great in the hand.

 

And they're all on SALE! Everything in my Etsy shop is on sale this weekend. The sale ends Sunday night, so be sure to have a peek. There are lots more photos and more items I didn't show you here. Enjoy!

Colours make me happy...

Or at least that's what Barney the dinosaur told me as a kid, but let's not talk about him. :)

I've been playing with colour in my beads recently. Well, today, actually. I have a love/fear relationship with colour. Is it too much? Gosh, that looks crazy. Ooh, rainbows! I love colour, but sometimes I shy away from going over the top. I usually decide on a nice mix of colour with a rustic influence. Not too much; not too little.

But every now and then you just have to go for it! So I did. Here are my recent vibrant beads and a few of my favourite colourful jewelry pieces from my shop. Hopefully they'll brighten up the day a bit from this dull weather we're having!

And there you have it. A nice dose of colour. I'm working on a bracelet that will be made from lampwork art beads and guess what? It'll be a rainbow! And, in contrast, I have a Gothic styled bracelet and a couple earthy designs to share with you soon. I just can't make my mind up!