My current obsession – SATeam Blog Carnival

Some of the artists of the Starving Artists Team (SATeam) blog on the same topic once a month.  This month’s topic is “my current obsession”.

A couple of months ago, the manager at my local bead store asked if I would be interested in a challenge.  She wanted some finished jewelry utilizing some of the new Chinese glass beads they had in stock, and the price had to be reasonable.  Of course the glass is not that expensive, but it is really very pretty, great sparkle and shine, and the store has been selling it for several years and we haven’t had complaints about breakage, which is the big risk with this type of glass.  So I gathered up some coordinating glass pearls and other items and wandered off with it.  Here’s a sample of the glass:

Chinese glass and pearls

My first thought was that there had to be an element of uniqueness to the pieces.  The components are sold right there in the store, so I had to come up with something additional that would make a customer want to buy it, instead of trying to make it herself.

At first I thought of adding polymer clay beads.  I spent an afternoon making up sample colors, but decided that it wouldn’t work out.  Then I thought of beaded flowers.  I make a very easy and quick beaded flower.  You can see samples in my purple bracelet and my chili pepper necklace.  But for some reason, the ones I made to go with the Chinese glass just didn’t.

Chiii Pepper necklace (aka Poinsetta Leaf necklace)

Then I hit on it!  Beaded beads!  the company that supplies the glass also produces beaded beads, but they didn’t have the colors I wanted.  Theirs are made with wire, but I was sure I could do it with Fireline.  I’ve included a picture of the wired beads.

Wire Beaded Beads

A group of us sat down yesterday to work on it.   Unfortunately, I can’t show you the results here, because I failed miserably at this task!  Mind you, I don’t generally do much beadweaving, although I am familiar with peyote and a couple of other stitches.  But here is where my main failings were:  1. I didn’t have enough tension.   2. I kept trying to put in extra beads, ruining the pattern.  and 3. I couldn’t for the life of me see the doggone pentagons.

However, my daughter Liz made six of them in the time it took me to butcher three, and hers are all pretty and perfect, so I’m hoping that she will  give me a few pointers this evening.  I will persevere!

Check out the links below for my fellow team members take on this topic.

http://www.galadryl….g-carnival.html

http://amdesignsbyan…-obsession.html
My link

My Current Obsession Blog Post