Beader's Block: Holiday Procrastination

Yesterday was a lazy day. I was suppose to be starting on a massive turquoise project, and I do mean massive. Someone has asked for the mother-load. Complete with multi-layered necklace, multi-strand bracelet and of course earrings. My only advice is, for god's sake please don't wear it all at once.


So while I pushed my beads around the table, and pulled out a focal or two to consider, I set it all aside and went off for some mommy-daughter time. All those beads were giving me a serious headache.


I let my 9-year-old pick the nail color, and pick she did! It seems to be the color of the season ... somewhere between Dior's waterlily and Essie's mojito. Just for fun, I checked out toes on my way in to the office this morning, and sure enough this minty sea green seems to be the color of choice. At least at this point for the summer.  


My youngest is a veteran nail salon patron. She wasn't shy about asking to add a few flowers to her nails. She has likely been to the salon as many times as I have in my life (almost). Frankly, I never went before I had girls. But I admit it, as much as I'm not girly ... my girls are. And so we go and get our nails done. Flanked with a daughter on either side of me, I confess, I do love my 'girl time' with them. 


I'll get back to the turquoise tomorrow. 

Do Overs: Upcycling Old Projects

Just finished reading a fun post from Crafty Hope on digging up some of those old projects. Got me thinking. 

Its been about 5 years now since I took a wire wrap class on a whim. I had never done anything other then simple bead strings. But my sister-in-law was visiting (along with my Brother) for Christmas and I decided it would be fun to take a class while she was here. She is a classically trained artist who specializes in encaustic painting, an ancient Egyptian technique, and so I knew I had to up the game a bit and pick a class that might challenge her.

Funny thing is, that class jump-started my beading after many, many years. I used to bead when I was a kid. Could not get enough of it, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I was any good. Just your simple bead strings. I lost interest when I hit my teen years and tucked the box of beads away in the attic. I did keep a few of the necklaces, and gave them to my girls without much of a thought. Only one survived all the dress up outfits and tea parties. A tad worse for wear, but I managed to save the beads. I keep it in a bead tube as the last artifact of my early work. This one I think I'll leave just as it is.

There is something soothing to me to just sit and string beads. I have a lot of people ask me why I make jewelry, and so much of it. I always answer "because I don't knit."

Anniversaries: Silver and Pearls

I remember my sister returning from her semester abroad like it was yesterday. That's us right after she came home. She was giddy when recounting the stories of her travels, the people she met, the countries she'd seen .... and the shopping. Man I wanted to have been there with her while she was drifting through the streets of Spain or Paris. I still have the Damascene bracelet she gave me; it's what piqued my interested in antique jewelry.  

After college, and I mean the week she graduated, she packed up and moved to New Zealand ... lock, stock and barrel. She had met a great guy from NZ while she was abroad and that was it. 25 years later, she's still there. Married, two beautiful, grown boys, and some 8,800+ miles away. Sigh. I miss my sister.

I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks with her this past February. It was heaven. Lots of chit-chatting, shopping and just general 'sister stuff.' On one of those shopping excursions she pointed out a string of fresh water pearls she liked. I brought the pearls home with me to make something special for her. 
I later realized that what she wanted was similar to a necklace I had restrung last summer with my mom's pearls (above center). I added a sweet little marcasite and pearl charm that I pulled off another necklace from mom. I decided she should have them both. One from mom, and a new one just for her.  


The new one is a double strand necklace set with a large pearl clasp, and pearl coins. I used small onyx rounds to space the pearls in the necklaces. It's a classic Cartier style that I love with pearls. Sometimes just a simple, elegant stringing style is best. I hope she likes these and wears them often. Happy 25th Anniversary Sis!

BTW: My Turkish Designer

I've talked a lot about My Turkish friend that I ride the train with every day into Manhattan. She loves to take me shopping at the bead stores in the Garment District. We meet up for lunch and shop away! And well, what beader doesn't LOVE that? 


She has an eye for design, and pushes me to think differently about mine.  This project is not a combo I would have come up with, but well that is the fun of it all. She originally wanted lapis, but when I pointed out these pretty little midnight blue sandstone rounds she said YES! that's it.  But then she wanted a large charm attached. 


I was just asking her yesterday what it was about something large hanging off her bracelets that she likes so much? She says it adds just that little bit of (insert Turkish word). And our fellow Turkish friend is shaking her head violently in agreement. I'm still a bit in the dark on this topic, but I play along.


She has managed to grab my entire stash of left over tassels that come with my semi-precious stones. You know the ones you clip and throw aside?  She loves them, and begs me to attach them to her jewelry. But in this case she went for an ambulance cross in powder blue that she picked up on our bead shopping. She also asked for matching earrings. I have to say when she was showing off her new ensemble yesterday on the train she did look great in her design!

Button Swap-Blog Hop: Dreaming of the Aegean

Cindy over at sweet bead studio is hosting a button swap extravaganza this weekend with over 90 people participating. When I saw her post I knew that this was just the hop for me! I have a large jar full of buttons (left) that people have tossed my way through the years. I have one or two of each button, and while that isn't enough for sewing it is perfect for a beader.  
    I have to thank Cindy for paring me with Julia at beautifully whimsical who sent me jewel tone buttons, which I love. But ooooh, then I saw the gorgeous blue one. Julia had stacked the deck with this amazing button. I knew that I could not do my usual 'button clasp bracelet' with this baby. Oh no, this screamed ... put me up front. And so I did. Right up front in yet one more ribbon choker. 
   For those of you who saw my piece from last weekend (blog post below), you might think this is my thing. But these are the only two ribbon chokers I've ever made - I swear! Thing is; once I finished the piece I felt like it would be better hanging all the beads vertically and giving a little room to the necklace. But, I'll let you guys be the judge. Let me know what your vote is .... choker or vertical? 
   Recently I signed up for Pinterest just to check it out. My first couple of times on the site I was thinking ... really, so people 'pin' pictures sort of like on a bulletin board? How, um, boring. Yeah, well 4 months in and I'm addicted. 4,600+ pins later, completely addicted. I create mood boards for my beading inspiration. This piece was inspired from my Mediterranean board. I also decided to throw in a couple of quick wire-wrap earrings in that same gorgeous color. I couldn't help it with pictures of all that blue water around Santorini; it's just so very dreamy.

BTW: Aegean Blue

This is my first Bead Table Wednesday. I love to see what everyone is working on, and so I thought I'd join in. 

My table has been a disaster lately with back-to-back blog hops! Each hop I've wanted to create more than one item, but I ran out of time and needed to move on to the next hop! And so, I have half finished projects pretty much everywhere, which is driving me nuts.

This week's project is a focus on buttons for the upcoming button swap hosted by Cindy from sweet bead studio. I can't wait to see how everyone incorporated buttons into their projects. Not always an easy element! It can be tricky to get it to lay flat and show off its pattern or style. 

I was lucky enough for my partner, Julia over at beautifully whimsical, to send me 5 buttons work with. I zeroed in pretty quickly on this over-sized, gorgeous sea blue one.  

I pulled out all my various canisters of beads to see what color combinations were going to draw out the colors in the button.  I do (generally) organize the bead canisters by color, although I tend to mix them by tones, or colors that I like grouped together. It sometimes makes for a bit of hunt and peck, but it is always a jump start on pulling in color groupings for my projects. I'm still working on it, and I'll reveal the final piece this weekend, but expect a splash of blue ... the color of the Aegean Sea!

One Crayon Color Blog Hop: Green

Sally at the studio sublime is hosting a blog hop this weekend encouraging a group of us to create with monochromatic colors by choosing one color and designing in shades & tones within that single color.

I chose green.  Green has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. Yes, that is me (right) in the 1970s. I've never wavered.  It's always been green.  And as I've gotten older it has spilled into my jewelry choices using stones like emeralds, jade, peridot, green amethyst and green chalcedony.


For this challenge, I focused on jade variations (rounds, diamonds and a jade pendant) with mutli-green seed beads. I used grosgrain sage-colored ribbon to tie the multi-length choker. The central seed bead pattern is a Russian spiral.  What fun! Crazy and eclectic, but came together in the end.

THE MEANING OF THE STONE: JADE  the stone of serenity, longevity and warmth

Energy: soothing color helps with healing
Amulet: worn to promote wisdom and long life
Egypt: ancient tailsman used to attract friendship
China: promotes 5 virtues of humanity (wisdom, compassion, justice, modesty & courage)
Zodiac: Pisces (open to new ideas and a lover of freedom: many artists, musicians are Pisces)
Chakra: heart (love, kindness & affection) compassionate and harmonious in relationships

Yin Yang: Soggy Weather

Just back from a lovely week in London and weekend in Brighton. It's a good thing that I like the rain.  I find it a guilt-free excuse to curl up by the fire with a book (or beads as is the case for me). 


I managed to snap this gorgeous picture at the beach; however, it proved to be simply a moment in time. We had just tucked in to a little beach cubby to grab a bite, and to shelter our lunch from the vulturous seagulls that dive bomb at sandwiches up and down the boardwalk. We were there less than 30 minutes when I noticed my friend start to scamper: packing up, grabbing her coat.  My view was still blue skies ahead, but I turned behind me and saw the wall of grey that was coming our way. Right. Duck and cover.


I spent most of my time in England dashing indoors out of the rain.  It went from rain, to pouring rain, to thunder and lightening to hail over the couple of days I was there.  Thank God for my husband who reminded me to slip an umbrella in the suitcase. Too bad the umbrella wasn't large enough to shelter the rolling suitcase as I dragged it through the streets of London!


I started my weekend by meeting an old friend in Victoria Station and heading down to her place in Brighton. That began our 24-hour whirlwind catch-up session.  We haven't seen each other in a year, and there was just so much to talk about. We did manage to get in a lot of shopping. Honestly, the rain gave us an excuse to shop. 



She brought me into COS a new shop that appears to be sweeping the nation in the UK.  I can see why.  Cute styles, great colors, nice fabric, reasonably priced ... we managed to try on half the store, and sit out yet another downpour.  By the time we emerged the sky was blue once again and we were off to the bead store to find colors that would bring out the blue in the dress she just picked up. 


We stopped in Kerrie Berrie beads and found the perfect combo of blues. She packed up enough for a necklace and earrings.
What fun to pick beads specifically for a new outfit.  I confess I've never done that before.  I finished up this matching pair of earrings and necklace yesterday. Off to the post to get these into the mail so she has her matching jewels for the new dress.


She sent me a note yesterday to tell me that the rain continues on her 'side of the pond.' I do find rain to be very yin-yang. It isn't as 'cozy' by the fire without the soft sound of rain outside, in my opinion.  When the dark skies of rain clear; the sky just never looks so blue. And every now and again you get a rainbow.  We did. Just as we emerged from Victoria station we caught a rare glimpse of a huge rainbow over London.  You can't have a rainbow without the rain. 

Flap Your Wings Blog Hop: Double Rainbow

A fellow blogger over at Moobie Grace Designs has organized this Blog Hop in honor of Judy who recently lost her battle with cancer. Many of us are planning to sell and donate our proceeds to charities. I will be donating the proceeds of this bracelet, and 4 more below, to breast cancer research.

When I was trying to decide what to create for Judy, the first thing that came to mind was a double rainbow. I decided to use a double pattern with multi-color Swarovski for that sparkle rain has on a rainbow. A double rainbow is thought to be about transformation in your life: the material world is represented by the first rainbow while the second is the spiritual world. No matter your beliefs, I thought this was a perfect way to honor Judy. 

I have been working on a collection of bracelets to donate with Lyne who creates these fabric buttons, and who donates a portion of her sales to breast cancer research. She too lost her mother to cancer, and this is her way of honoring her mother. 

Back in February, Lyne and I decided to create a series of bracelets with her buttons. This is the 5th and final bracelet in our collection. I wanted to do something to honor my mom (read here for our first blog post) who I lost in March 2011 when she lost her battle with PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy). Death always seems to be about the people you leave behind. I hope this tribute is heart warming to Judy's family.    
Materials:
1. Navajo: Miyuki seed beads, Beauty button
2. Elizabethan: black banded agate, onyx, Miyuki seed beads, Beauty Button
3. St Petersburg: Miyuki seed beads, Czech beads, Beauty Button
4. Neptune: coral, Miyuki seed beads, cowrie shells, Beauty Button 
5. Double Rainbow: Miyuki seed beads, Swaroviski crystals, Beauty Button

Beader's Block: Double Connection

One of my friends asked if she could bring someone over to meet me, and have a run through my jewelry designs. Apparently she had seen my work on Etsy and wanted to meet me. Wow. Sure! 


Her friend had a string of watermelon tourmaline already strung with the stones grouped by color. 'This is how I want the colors' she informed me. Well ok then. I guess she knows what she wants! Tourmaline is one of my favorite stones. I love how it looks (right) like a real slice of watermelon.  She wanted a necklace with a connector large enough to hang her glasses from, but also a second connector she could use if she wanted to doubled it up. That was a new one for me, and I really wasn't sure how I was going to do that?    

I pulled out a pile of my beading magazines to flip through. I stuffed a couple in my bag to study on my daily 1-hr train ride. I went searching online, but nothing was calling out to me.  I decided to put the project away. Several weeks went by before it hit me. Actually as silly as it sounds, it came to me in a dream. Yes I dream about beads. 

I realized that I wanted a pattern that could loop through from one connector to the next. I decided that my existing toggles, loops, connectors, etc ... just were not going to be what she was looking for. Sigh.
I decided to create my own out of hammered silver. I cut a few inches of 16 gauge silver and pulled out my Wiggig.  Love that thing.  Before I picked up this little device I was forever hunting through the house for a tube or pen that I could bend the wire around.  My designs always came out a little too 'free form' (yes the air quotes indicate the amateurish outcome). But now with my Wiggig I love to create silver charms. With just a couple of whacks with a chasing hammer, charms become a simple and fun way to customize a pattern.  She did really like the design, and the pattern gave her the versatility she was looking for. This time she showed up with another bag, and so I'm on to my next project for her. 

Blog Hop: Postcard Giveaway

Janice over at Bikbik and Roro is having a spectacular give away.  She is giving away postcards that you can use for your blog, your business ... and I guess if you just like sending postcards! All it takes is to leave your name and a comment on her blog. 

The specifics include:
1. PrintRunner provides one lucky reader 100 5x7 postcards!
2. Just click here to check it out and your chance to win.

Superstition: Maori and Paua Shells

Maori are a superstitious bunch. A warrior culture, where losing in battle was pretty rough. For those that didn't run off in shame, they were usually killed by the enemy. Not hard to understand why winning was all important. Several rituals were performed before a battle including abstinence, eating certain foods and a haka (dance). The haka included waving weapons around, sticking out tongues, bulging out eyes and grunting. 


They were practicing scaring the enemy.  If the haka wasn't performed correctly it was seen as a bad omen... which clearly had consequences. The afterlife crowd also kept a close eye on them. Carvings around the village included paua shells as eyes (to represent the stars); symbolic for the eyes of their ancestors that gaze down from the night sky. 

There was no shortage of paua shell. Paua is New Zealand's version of abalone but with deeper, richer colors. It came in all shapes and sizes. I found it in bead stores, jewelry stores, souvenier shops ... and well pretty much everywhere we went. So I had to pick up some and bring it home. I really like the organic look of these natual chips. I saw them in the bead stores, but they were all undrilled. Undrilled? Really ... in the bead stores? I asked why and was told "you pick what you like and we drill them for you" (of course for a charge). Since I was only visiting, it didn't seem like the most expediant process. I ended up finding it -drilled- in New Zealand's equivalent to Michael's. Much more sensible for the traveler. The earrings (right) use a twist connector that make them look a bit like one of those twirly things my mom liked to hang in the wind.  Since I was visiting my sister on the first anniversary of my Mom's passing ... this one's for you Mom. It will help you keep an eye on me.

Shop Talk: Working with Polymer

For someone who says that they can't draw ... check out these designs! A friend and I started a dialogue many months back (someone I met on one of my many beading sites I regularly visit). I simply fell in love with the designs she creates.  


They are whimsical but thoughtful, play with fantasy but have such a natural look to them ... I just love them. She uses polymer clay and mixed media to create these pendants. The results are so unique and simply beautiful.
 
I bought one of her pieces from her Singing Cat Studio off of Etsy a few weeks ago (right). I wanted to try my hand at creating around one of her pendants.


I decided to use some stones a friend of mine handed me saying she didn't know what to do with them. They were natural aquamarine stones that ran in color from white, to pale blue to pale amber. I've never seen aquamarine in these colors, but I like that it is not the expected colors. I thought using these stones along with apatite rounds would create an interesting blend for the pendant.


In the spirit of mixed media, I added suede and a Mokuba ribbon. If you've ever been in the Mokuba show room in NY ... then you know it is like a candy store! It has rows, and rows, and rows of the most amazing, beautiful Japanese ribbon. I seriously had to restrain myself, and still I walked out with over $200 in ribbon!

The mixed media effect seemed to really pull out the complexity of the colors she used in the pendant.  If you'd like to see more of her work, or find out more about her check out the following links. I found a lovely interview of her from 2010 which talks about her hope of growing her Etsy shop, which I would say has become quite popular and successful. She also has a showcase of her work on flickr if you want to see more of her designs. 

Beader's Block: Finding Inspiration

Do you ever get beader's block? Where you have one element, but just can't think of how to design around it?


I was having trouble trying to figure out how I was going to design a bracelet around this red fabric button. The color red was stumping me. I don't seem to use much red in my patterns, which I find strange since I really love the color. I went digging through my stash only to find that I did have a string of coral, but I wasn't sure the reds were going to work together. The coral is such a deep color that I worried it would completely overpower the focal button.   


I stared at the pile of coral for awhile. Sorting it by size, matching it to various other beads .... then I realized I could look for inspiration from my recent New Zealand trip. I got to thinking about the beautiful view of Auckland's North Shore. Each morning my sister and I would walk along beach looking for shells and checking out the sea life in the little estuaries that sit in the volcanic rock. You can see Rangitoto out in the middle of the Auckland Bay -- a dormant volcano -- that left behind all kinds of nature along the shore.


I went back at my stash to rethink what I should pair the coral with and ran across an old string of cowrie shells. One of my daughters used to love this necklace, but had long since abandoned it to one of my many bead drawers. Perfect!  I had my beachcombing idea.  I had also picked up a new pattern on my trip that I thought was a fun. It's called Garden Bracelet by The Bead Hold which I altered to be more of an underwater garden theme.

So without further ado, I finally have my 4th installment of the bracelets I'm designing for a friend who makes these beautiful buttons.  I'll be back with the 5th and final design shortly ... once I find some more inspiration.


Materials:
1. Navajo: Miyuki seed beads, Beauty button
2. Elizabethan: black banded agate, onyx, Miyuki seed beads, Beauty Button
3. St Petersburg: Miyuki seed beads, Czech beads, Beauty Button
4. Neptune: coral, Miyuki seed beads, cowrie shells, Beauty Button 

Discovering New Zealand: Wearing Greenstone on St. Patrick's Day

Recently I was in New Zealand and stumbled upon an amazing spot called Cathedral Cove along the Coromandal Coast (just South of Auckland). 


There are stunning views from the cliffs that curve along the coastline, and equally stunning views just walking along the beach.  


New Zealand, like much of the pacific rim, was formed by volcanos and the landscape still reflects the cones left behind albeit now covered with giant ferns and native bush.


Some of these valcanos developed huge underground reservoirs of superheated water. There are a few fissures along this coast, one of which is a unique hot water spring that gushes right at the beach. A popular activity is to dig and create your own jacuzi-like pool for the day.  Not a bad way to spend a lazy afternoon.

I also found a wonderful local gallery called Moko that specializes in Maori designs. Moko is the Maori custom of tattooing, but with special meaning. The tattoos represent the individual's ancestral links, social structure and tribal affiliations. So each tattoo is unique to the wearer. I was told that New Zealand is the most tatooed nation in the world, which did not come as a surprise.


The gallery is full of art, jewelry and unique sculptures. The set below are large cement balls resembling tennis balls, or baseballs if you prefer, with an inlay of paua shells.  
These are roughly the size of exercise balls ... certainly one of the more unique sculptures I've ever seen. I spent most of my time looking through the jewelry, and specifically the greenstone. I just can't get enough of this stone! It is a jade, but it is unique to New Zealand with deposits of black flecks that I find striking. As you might image, I did plenty of shopping while in New Zealand for beads and carvings. What self-respecting beadaholic wouldn't?  I'm wearing my greenstone today to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, New Zealand style.

Discovering New Zealand: Bone, Stones and Shells

Several of you know that I've been traveling for a few weeks and have gone quiet on my blogging. All for good reason. I've been down in New Zealand visiting my sister who lives there. It's been 10 years since my last visit, so in some ways it was a whole new experience. 

I love exploring places, and nothing is better for me than starting at a local museum. It is a great way to ground youself in the culture, history and with any luck the jewelry. New Zealand is a jewelry jackpot. The native Maori are creative and prolific in their designs and use of symbols. The eternity twist design (pikorua) represents the lasting bond between two people in life. Even though people may move away, their paths will cross again --whether friendship, love or blood. 


I spent hours in the museum looking at the designs and various materials the Maori use to create jewelry. The large twist (above) is a natural New Zealand greenstone (similar to jade) and is simply stunning. It is scarce and expensive, so I didn't buy much of this stone. But I did pick up a few pieces. I couldn't help myself!


Over my few weeks there, I looked in local bead shops, galleries filled with original style and of course the Auckland Museum.  I was in search of materials to bring home with me to create a series of New Zealand inspired designs. There was no shortage of paua shell (left) which is New Zealand's version of abalone but with much deeper, richer colors. It came in all shapes and sizes. And I included a few simple shell beads to use as accents in patterns.  I also found bone carvings (above right) that I picked up with native New Zealand designs. The one above is called Hei-Matau (or fish hook), which means prosperity. Fish were so plentiful to the Maori that the simple ownership of a fish hook meant prosperity. 


I took lots of pictures, and have lots of ideas running through my mind about this stash. I'll post again soon to give more background and history on the meaning behind the symbols.  I can't wait to get started!

Do Overs: So What is Upcycling?

I have come across the term upcycling a number of times from my Etsy crowd. I see shops that sell upcycled products and blogs that talk about the things they make from upcycled materials.



So what exactly is upcycling? I set out to see how a product qualifies as being upcycled.



The concept was first talked about in 1994 by Reiner Pilz, a German who was upset that local demolition teams were not using reclaimed materials, but were instead smashing them for someone else to use in recycled products. He called recycling 'downcycling' because the materials are reprocessed, use a lot of energy to create and add to pollution. He noted that we should be 'upcycling' which reclaims existing materials in their current form - no manufacturing or process needed.



I went back through my items to see what I might classify as 'upcycling,' and found that I was upcycling some of my pieces.  I save earrings when I've lost one of the pair, I reuse charms from other pieces and I've recently starting including sea glass in settings.  One of my best tools is a silver polishing cloth.  Mine is black from use, but I have 'reclaimed' many a silver chain and pile of charms with this handy cloth.
Materials
1. Reclaimed silver chain, reclaimed silver cross in heart charm
2. Sea Glass with silver wire wrap on reclaimed silver chain
3. Reclaimed cat's eye earring, filigree, silver chain and clasp

Blog Hop: Bracelets for Hope

I'm participating in the Global Genes Project to help raise awareness of kids living with rare diseases, disorders or conditions.  The GGP is asking 7,000 jewelry designers and artists to volunteer and donate a 'blue-jean' inspired bracelet.  The bracelets go to the  families as our way to show our support for these families and their children. They asked us to use the color blue so it matches blue jeans. The collection below is my contribution:

1. Spring Flowers: blue glass bead flowers on a sterling silver chain
2. Beachcomber: handmade silver bead chain with aventurine and onyx
3. Evil Eye Wrap: Turkish evil eye glass beads and beach glass
4. Chevron: Swarovski crystals and Miyuki seed beads 
5. Sapphire: Miyuki seed beads with vintage button
6. Blue India: Swarovski crystals, lapis, Bali beads and silver with knot slide clasp

I hope the mothers of the children find some inspiration from our small gift to them. For all my fellow artists participating, check out the rest of the sites:                              Elysian Studios  

One Kiss Creations  

The Studio Sublime

Crafty Hope

The Gossiping Goddess

SilverRose Designs

Firefly Visions

Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Michelle Mach

Pine Ridge Treasures

Backstory Beads

Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

Carefree Jewelry by Lisa

Sue Beads

MiShel Designs

Created Treasures

Taralinda Muses

My Life Under The Bus

Elizabeth Creates

SilverNikNats

Erin Siegel Jewelry

Carolyn’s Creations

My Life…one bead at a time

Fresh Baked Designs

Songbeads

Sunshine Bliss

Lori Anderson

Rainy Days Designs

Pat Barden Jewelry

Tell Your Girlfriends

Therese's Treasures

Windrock Studio

Bead Lola Bead

Spice Box Designs

Antiquity Travelers

Vitamin C...A Daily Dose of Creativity

Beads and Bread

Sharyl's Jewelry and Reflections

Ahtee's Blog

Thoughtful-Notions

Beads for Brains:365

Wild Sally Road

All The Pretty Things

Skye's Creative Chaos

My Addictions...Handcrafted Jewelry by Patti

Lindy's Designs

Falling Into The Sky

Star Hitched Wagon

Mama's Got to Doodle

10KDgroup

Shop Talk: Russian Influence

When we were traveling in Finland and Estonia, I had hoped we'd be able to get over to St Petersburg in Russia. But we ran out of time, and so it will have to be on our next trip. We will absolutely be back to this part of the world. It is beautiful. Additionally, one place that draws me to return is wanting to visit the Hermitage Museum. I always find inspiration for jewelry designs wandering museums like this, and they have quite a collection of jewels at the Hermitage!



There is a lot of jewelry history in St Petersburg going back to Peter the Great who in 1719 organized a collection of the state-owned antique jewelry (back to the Byzantine time) within something called the Diamond Fund. The jewels were kept in a strong room in St Petersburg at his Winter Palace. Jewels, and jewelry seem to be deeply rooted in Russian heritage.  And one of my new favorite stitches is something called the St Petersburg chain (right).

The stitch has become popular in recent years. Many Western beaders taught themselves the stitch by studying the illustrations in Russian- language beading books. How cool is that!

The versatile pattern comes in a single chain, double chain, Russian eyelets or ladder. My version is a ladder stitch, but I've only just gotten started with this stitch. I have so many colors and pattern possibilities running through my head. I'm sure I'll be back.


So for the on-going bracelet project, bracelet #3 uses the St Petersburg stitch. Of course the highlight and focal point to the piece is a Beauty Button. We will add this one to our growing list of bracelets for the March auction, which we will donate to Breast Cancer Research.