Blog Carnival – work mat chaos

Each month some of the members of the Starving Artist Etsy street team blog on the same topic.  This month we were asked to talk about what’s on our work mat.

My creative process, if you can call it that, includes planning multiple projects at the same time.  I developed this habit early on in my beading career once I started making pieces that were complex enough that I would not necessarily find all the beads I needed at one time for a particular project.

The fact that I like to flit from project to project as each one takes my fancy is just a bonus.

Wednesday night I started choosing beads for this project:

Gorgeous sardonyx beads

I started with these sardonyx beads, then ran around pawing through my stash until I came up with the selection below.  I won’t necessarily use all of these beads in the final project, but this is where I will start.

Sardonyx project selection

Today I started two new projects.  The first one is based on a sample I put together for a beginner stringing class.

  Class samples at the store where I teach are expected to include as many items from the store as possible.  I was asked to include some Czech glass also, but I couldn’t make it work with the black Chinese glass.  I love the colors, though – reminds me of the beach.  (Not the black.  The other beads.)

Then while I was at the store today, I saw some absolutely yummy green glass, which I thought would be perfect for Christmas jewelry.  So of course I added some red, and then what the heck, some gold too.

Christmas goodies

After reading a blog post about “nougat”, one of Pantone’s colors of the year on the Starving Artist team blog, I was delighted to find a strand of beads that I thought definitely qualified as “nougat” at the store today.  However, it took me hours to find beads to go with it.  I couldn’t believe how hard it was to find something that would work.  I believe I could very well have been described as obsessed!  I finally put the strand of beads back, and then as I was getting ready to leave, I spotted the perfect bead to go with it.  Have a look; the finish on the toffee-colored beads is called peacock.

Nougat

Although I don’t usually name my pieces, I might have to call this one some kind of candy name.

Read what other members of the team are working on below:

http://beadsire.blogspot.com/2011/09/september-blog-carnival-whats-on-your.html

http://www.thefamile…ts-on-your.html

http://thisnortherng…n-my-workspace/