Saturday, August 3, 2013

Bohemian Leather :: 5 x 5 Test Group

I think Boho has got to be one of my favorite styles. It's comfortable to wear, and from a design standpoint there are very few rules. Leaving the artist to play. And boy did I have a lot of fun playing with the goodies Melinda Orr sent me! The leather is soft and easy to work with, and I used every last bit and piece of it! 

This first piece was a stamped pattern flat leather. I punched holes in it and then beaded on top of the pattern. I also learned how to create a button hole closure with a rivet that Melinda sent me. You can see the tutorial in this month's Bead Chat Magazine glossi (page 81-82) ... I can't even believe how big our little magazine is getting! I'm like a proud moma.

The next piece I decided to leave the beautiful pattern alone and add a beaded band. I recently saw something like this in one of the beading magazines, completely escaping me which one. But a simple enough concept!

I moved on to the thin leather cord which Melinda sent in 3 colors: blue, off white and natural. Might sound a little strange, but it is beautiful stuff! I tell you that this first one with the cross pendant, the second I finished my teenage daughter (also my model here) put it on and never took it off! 

She did the same with the next one I created with various wood beads. I had only just finished gluing all the cords into the end when she slipped it on! Popped out one side of the closure, so I had to reset everything. Guess who claimed this one as well?

Now this next one I tried a little something new. I'm calling it freeform chainmaille. I was pretty sure that there wasn't such a thing as chainmaille is a pretty organized sort of thing. But I decided to try. I used it to create a focal and pull the two leather bands together in the middle. Later I googled 'freeform chainmaille' and found that it is indeed a technique, who knew? There is even a book on it by Kalmbach

Ok, so at this point I have only a couple of scraps left on my bead table. And not wanting any of this gorgeous leather to go to waste ... I decide to create little leather loop earrings. The final two pieces include a Native American inspired beaded pair, and then a wood disc pair that I added a little flair to. If you haven't already clicked over to August Bead Chat Magazine issue ... then click here and check out what everyone else did with their leather from Orrtec.

15 comments:

  1. Love, love, love all the pieces!!! You never cease to amaze me :)

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  2. I love all these pieces! They are definitely my style. Simply beautiful.

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  3. I've always liked leather designs, Cynthia... but now I LOVE these! I can't get over how creative you have been with these gorgeous components.

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  4. EVery single piece in here is fantastic!!!!! Totally loving the beading on the leather, and that last pair...what IS it? Please tell me more!!

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  5. All those pieces are fabulous! Your talents are endless! I love everything!

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  6. Beautiful pieces Cynthia, you are so creatively talented. You always come up with the neatest designs. Keep up the wonderful work you are an inspiration to many.
    Therese

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  7. Wow, so many beautiful creations! Love them all! Hope you've had a great summer ;o)

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  8. Cynthia, you have been on a serious creative roll here! You sure made a wide range of beautiful pieces from the goodies you received from Melinda...everything from beadwork to leather. Some of my favorites are your beadwork Native-American inspired earrings and the leather bracelet with the beaded band. I can see why your daughter didn't want to take off what she was wearing - I'd want to wear each piece here too! The new magazine is stunning - I ooohed and aaahed over each page of this issue!

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  9. Fantastic work, I love the leather bracelet with the beaded band, looks very contemporary and I love the light, fresh designs of the earrings.

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  10. What beautiful pieces! I love the beaded detail on the first bracelet. And the gorgeous cross bracelet. And both pairs of earrings!

    And the magazine looks so awesome! You ladies really put a lot of work into the articles and they look wonderful. Thanks again for allowing me to participate in the 5x5!

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  11. Your first cuff is just fantastic...well, they all are, but embellishing the design with beads looks so cool. Love it! And those earrings are sensational.

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  12. Wow - you have been busy. Loving the variety in the designs and the various techniques you have used!

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  13. The leather looks so fun to play with! So many great techniques and concepts you can use. I love the simplicity of the bracelet using the freeform chainmaille!

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