Art Bead Scene March challenge

If it is one thing I’m really good at it is coming up with the perfect design a couple months too late.  Still working on turning that around and increasing my studio “action” time borrowing from my dreaming, rearranging and blank staring studio time.  I come by it honestly.  I remember many occasions when my dad would head down to the basement workshop after dinner and them come up for the 11 o’clock news and my mum would look at me “did you hear the saw at all?” I’d shake my head knowing we were about to hear “still in design phase”.

Today, a wee step forward.



My entry for the Art Bead Scene’s March challenge  - during the month of March!

This bracelet was inspired by Adolf Dietrich’s Birds On Riser, 1944. (and the huge spring snow banks outside my door)



Thinking on that springtime snow, I imagined the base of this little feeder and all the little circling footprint of birds and squirrels you would see in that snow, eating up all that fell.  I knew I had just the beads from many years gone by to represent this idea.



I made these little polymer coins at least five years ago.  They are sanded super smooth and feel like silk, harvested from a simple necklace that never quite had “it”.  The wood window bead and little blue bird, from blueberribeads were quick to fall in line. Some teeny pearls pretending to be bird seed and some little pink flowers trying to poke out from the snow finish off my literal interpretation.



Oh, I glossed over the part where I took forever to actually make the bracelet since I couldn’t quite decide how I would have this little guy stand up this way, perpendicular to the polymer coins rather than in line.  In the end I’m pleased with the result, just wish I could move the process a bit quicker.

Back in February the ABS challenge featured the work of Paul Klee with The Rose Garden, 1920.  I had just created a series of long tassel necklaces in this same palette and the whole month managed to pass on by without me photographing them to share.



True to form, here they are a couple months later.  They also feature the darling birds of blueberribeads each sitting on a little crystal “egg”.  I created a polymer nest and polymer adorned tassel, along with my little wood burned beads. 

Bead Soup has arrived!

I posted this teaser pic the other day of the soup I was sending out.  Not too hard to see it had plenty of blue.



Now I know that it is safely in the hands of my partner, Cindy Boissonneault, I can unswirl the photo to share what I sent for this 8th BSBP.



Heavy on the blue indeed, as I decided my aim would be some of my favourite things. A polymer focal made from my favourite antique button, and the flame painted copper toggle in front are the principal ingredients.  I added a selection of polymer headpins, connectors, faceted pebbles,a coin and the little flower pair.  Waxed linen and sari silk I love to work with had to be there too. Then I turned to my gems to see what would go with the scheme.  It was slim pickings of my beloved kyanite and I think that’s called antique agate and a few freshwater pearls.  All of which I really need to re-hoard!  I was relieved to hear that Cindy was excited to get to work with these elements and that it was outside her comfort zone.

Now for the lovely soup I received from Cindy!



Isn’t it beautiful in all its blue and silver glory?  That clasp sure is the star, and I had to angle it just so, so that you could see the brilliant blue flash in the stone.  What the photo hides is that the clasp is for five strands, something I’ve never worked with before so will be a wonderful challenge.  Would you believe I also don’t own a single dagger bead – well until now.  All sorts of ideas with spikes are coming to mind.  I’m not sure the correct names of all these gems so I’m just going to go with “ooooh pretty blue stones” for now.  So you can see the colour scheme is wonderful for me but there is still plenty challenge with these new-to-me forms.  Ah, the magic of bead soup!

May 3rd is the reveal day, and one thing is for sure, Cindy and I will have plenty of blue jewelry to show that day.

Grow your blog!

Welcome blogging friends!  It’s likely you’ve arrived at this post since you also have a blog you want to share (cool me too!…wait you know that).  Ok, at this point you know the address but what the heck goes on here? That’s what I’m about to fill you in on. 

My name is Emma, I make things.  It’s the way it has always been.  In April 2012 I started this blog and here is what I pitched in that inaugural post:

“There will be handmade polymer beads and jewelry, inspiration and process. There will likely be pics of my almost 2 year old girl, since who can resist? There will be lots of me trying to learn how to use all those fabulous online tools. I've been watching everyone else growing their online businesses for so many years now from the sidelines. I love watching the success, don't get me wrong, I just really need to join in the fun. I've had a case of the "if I can't do it perfectly, I don't do it at all" - it is time to outgrow that thinking.”

As it turns out, that has been pretty accurate.  I live in beautiful Ottawa, Canada with my husband, our daughter Averleigh and three cats.  I take part in a weekly photo challenge each Saturday called Focus on Life and this has probably tipped the scales towards more and more Averleigh photos.  However, If you scroll down to last week’s focus on life you will see my (rare) photo of me.



Here’s Averleigh chatting with some Hissing Madagascar Cockroaches this week at our Museum of Nature.  One of the many ways I use my iPhone is as a “baby book” of sorts.  The video I took was her encouraging the “guys” not to be shy but hiss loud for her, it’s hilarious but probably only to me, so I’ll spare you that.

I also take part in a variety of other blog hops and challenges as the mood strikes.  I’ve often said that the case with polymer, when it can be almost anything and you have the whole rainbow at your disposal, it can be hard to know where to start.  That’s the joy of taking on a certain inspiration point or limiting parameter to drive the creative process.  Here’s an idea of what I’m talking about.



You can read all the nitty gritty in the full post from the 6th Bead Soup Blog Hop reveal but in essence I would have never dreamed up those floral wing like polymer pieces, nor this design, had I not been gifted such a gorgeous pendant as a starting point.  Thank you blogging!

Tomorrow, right here, will be the first post of the CC7A series.  A group of seven ladies, who have all met through blogging, and we will have jewelry to share with you!  You can have a sneak peek at my starting point for this month’s challenge right here.  I have shocked myself by already having my piece complete a full day before the deadline, now just to catch the light for some photos tomorrow and I’ll be all set.

Sometimes I use this blog to think out loud and I always welcome conversation.  Perhaps you have had the “how long does it take you to make that” question yourself – do you have an answer?

There is so much I could share but I will restrain myself today as we have all been invited to view a whole big bunch of wonderful blogs.  Many thanks to Vicki of 2 Bags Full for gathering creative souls together on this occasion for one heck of a party!

Thank YOU for stopping by today for a little taste.  I’d love to have you follow along by any way you enjoy, find all the options on the right-hand sidebar.