Happy Blogoversary :: Pepita Handmade

Happy one year Blogoversary Alenka! In June Alenka let us know that she was coming up on her one year blog anniversary and asked if anyone wanted to join in on a hop to celebrate. The theme is focused around using her handmade components of course!

But if I back up just a little, back to April, Alenka was hosting a give away on her blog. I was one of three winners and I got the 'surprise' package. It was a bead soup of her handmade clay components including beads, headpins, a cabachon and a toggle. Cute stuff! So when I saw Alenka's post to celebrate her anniversary I thought ... "well, I already have a bead soup from her sitting right here on my bead table, so why not just use this and join in?"  And so I did.

Let's get to it then. First up were the beads which I turned into a stacked and wrapped cuff. Beaded on memory wire and then ladder stitched together. I just keep finding more, and more ways to use that ladder stitch! I kinda love how this one turned out.

Next up I pulled out these lovely flower pieces. I used bead embroidery on a fabric swatch. I've been reading about Native American beadwork this summer, and well I sort of have that on my mind. This almost has the look of a beaded breastplate. I think that might be a style that stays in my repertoire! 

Then there was the heart cabachon. I beaded the backside (in peyote) and then attached it to the cabachon with reinforcement stinging along the cross-hatched pattern. I wanted to keep this whimsical, so I added some colored suede and ribbon and then included the toggle Alenka sent as well.

One last little piece. I just love these headpins! This translucent green just shouts spring to me. I didn't want to overwhelm or lose the feel of the headpins, so I just added some simple Chinese crystals (from Znetshows) in an opaque green to accent the leaf pattern. A pair of my own earwires, and there you have it ... sweet, simple and fun. 

Be sure to check out Alenka's blog today as she will be giving away 2 of the items I've created above. And then hop on over to everyone else's blog to check out all the other creations:
Our host: Alenka Obid
Ginger Bishop                      Sue Kennedy 
BeckyPancake                      Debi (Kepi) Rasmussen
Evelyn Shelby                       Dini Bruinsma
Monique Urquhart                Jo-Ann Woolverton
Penny May                         Carolyn Lawson
Ana Cravidao                      Dolores Raml
Cynthia Machata (You Are Here)