ornaments ornaments

Got ALL of the ornaments -- those that didn't sell at DHS -- up on Etsy, and showed several on Facebook. Lots of views and compliments. No Etsy sales though.  Now that they are all photographed anew, and organized, I should perhaps make a few more and then offer them in a timely fashion, like JULY, to Central Square Emporium.
   

back to beads

Recently (after my ornament-beading marathon) I have been spending a good deal of time making beaded pictures (sort of miniature tapestries). Before Christmas I did two, a peyote-stitch cardinal and a woven-on-the-frame abstract star.





















These two are currently at Oxide. They are in matching white made-in-China frames from Hobby Lobby, though I think I have figured out what I need to do to make more satisfactory frames myself. Here Alabaster gives some scale for them.






I am now making a heavy-gauge silver neckwire ornamented with a circular peyote-stitch wild violet adapted from a photo I took at Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center. I finished the beading last night; still have wire-bending, hammering, and fabricating to do. But at any rate I am pleased with the flower, after two false starts. I tried to do it in brick stitch, but finally had the sense to just quit and start over in peyote. MUCH more satisfactory.

older beadwork

I've been putting up on Etsy a number of the pieces I did 2 or 3 years ago. Since I migrate through different phases, this means these are media I'm not doing so much now. Right-angle-weave beadwork, for example, with those red, red recycled beads, On a red, white, and blue three-strand necklace with fiber optic accents. I think I made that one soon after the Beads 'n' Things trunk show with the sleet-storm. That was way back when - 2004? '03??? That's when I discovered the faceted fiber optic beads.
These blue striped barrel beads are one of the nicer ones that Hobby Lobby carries. I made a double-row-of-squares bracelet for Shanna on her birthday a few years ago, and then finished up the package with this single one.

So far none have sold, but they are getting views, especially the Red, Red Bracelet. Need to search the stash for other older pieces that are good workmanship, not the experiments that didn't quite work ;-)