CC7A March Challenge - Contrast - Sally Russick

Hi Y'all,

Welcome to The Creative Continuum of Seven Artists March Challenge.  March is Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime blog's month and the theme that she chose is Contrast.

For those of you that are not familiar with this challenge I will recap.  Back in the latter months of 2013 Alicia Marinache of All the Pretty Things blog asked seven of her blog friends if we would like to participate in a challenge that would cover 7 months, of course we all said yes.  So we were assigned months, we picked themes for our months, and shipped out packages with all sorts of little goodies to design with.

Sally sent out various beads to each of us from the following list:

• Czech glass beads from Arte Bella Surplus 
• crystals from Bead Haven 
•  super duos from Twisted Sistah Beads 
•  and the beautiful copper clay components are handcrafted from the lovely Kristi Bowman Design

Here is what I received

I had already started my design when I remembered I did not take a picture of what I had received.

What is the definition of contrast in art?

(taken from About.com)

Definition:

(noun) - Contrast is a principle of art. When defining it, art experts refer to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.

The colors white and black provide the greatest degree of contrast. Complementary colors also highly contrast with one another.

Contrasting colors are opposite each other on the color wheel, they are also known as complementary colors.

Now that you have an idea of what a contrast color is let me show you what I did with my contrasting color palette.

Juli Cannon of Studio Juls got a new cabochon mandrel and started making cabs.  I bought one and when the package came there was an extra one inside as a gift.  When I saw it I new it was perfect to go with the color palette that Sally sent to me.  I got stated on my project right away, you know when hot inspiration strikes you have to go with it before it goes cold.  I had also downloaded the Bead Me e-mag from iTunes with the Starburst Pendant tutorial that Tanya Goodwin of A Work In Progress blog created.  I kinda took one of her steps from the tutorial and used it in my piece.  I also liked the neck strap that she did with the super duo's and used that as well, thank you Tanya for also giving me inspiration.

I had several of the super duo's left so I started playing around and the above bracelet is the result.  I am in the process of writing up the tutorial for this bracelet, which is my very first tutorial.

I made a pair of matching earrings in the daisy pattern...

and with some of the remaining Czech beads.

Thank you Sally for the wonderful color palette that you sent I truly enjoyed working with it.  Also thank you Alicia for thinking up the challenge it is so much fun to create something each month with the palettes and themes that each of the CC7A participates have created.

Now please go and visit the others and see what they have created in this month's theme challenge and thank you for stopping by my blog.  The month of April is my month and the my theme is Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.

1. Monique

2. Christine

3. Sally

4. Therese (you are here)

5. Alicia

6. Cynthia

7. Emma

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Special February She Made/She Made

 

 

Hi Y'all,

 

 

Wow it is the reveal date for the special February She Made/ She Made challenge.  The four months since I stumbled upon these interesting clay faces has gone by so fast.  So let me tell y'all where I stumbled onto these clay faces.  Back in October of 2013 I went to the Kentuck Arts Festival in North Port, AL.  I was walking around looking at all the wonderful booths of beautifully crafted items after visiting Bobbie's booth, when I saw these interesting clay sculptures done by Susan C Clayton.  I was captivated by her sculptures and as I was looking at her work I saw a basket full of the little clay faces, pictured above, so I picked out two of the faces, paid for them, then ran back to Bobbie's booth and gave her one of the faces.  She had a bewildered look on her face and I told her to hold onto the face I have an idea for a challenge.  I then thought it would be more fun to invite more people to join in so I went back to Susan's booth and picked out several more faces.    When I got home I took the above picture and emailed Christine and some  more of my talented beady friends and asked if they would like to participate in a special February She Made/She Made.  They all said that they would so I sent them each a face.

 

Now the task of making something with my face.  I mulled over the possibilities for a few months and then the light bulb went off in January of an idea of doing a Jazz theme.  A lot of things happened in my life in January and this month so I did not get the work on my project the way I would have liked.  I started my project several times and each time I did not like the way it was going, or should I say my muse did not like the way it was going.  I was wanting to go with muter shades and not so flashy colors, but my muse was not having it she is a Bling lover my muse is. 

 

Before I show you what my muse allowed me to make with my face, let me tell you a little bit about my favorite form of musical entertainment Jazz.

 

Did you know that Jazz was born in the United States?  It sprang from the roots of the Blues which was also born in the United States back in the 1800's by Southern Blacks to sing about the pain of lost love and injustice.  Some famous Jazz performers are Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillispie, Wynton Marsails, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Miles Davis (my favorite), just to name a few.  There is a wonderful film done for PBS by Ken Burns all about the history of Jazz you can see this through Hulu Plus.

 

Ok I am done stalling so here is what my muse allowed me to make with my clay face.  I call her my Jazz/ Blues Torch singer Lulu Belle.

 

I apologize for the bad picture it was late last night when I finished her and I do not have my photo tent at my new house yet.

 





 

 



Thank you for stopping by and now please go and visit the other participants in this challenge.

 

Therese  (you are here)

Christine

Bobbie

Hope

Shirley

Tanya

Cynthia

Alicia

 

 

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

The Creative Continuum of Seven Artists Round Two

Today is the second reveal date of The Creative Continuum of Seven Artists.  A few months ago Alicia of All Pretty Things blog contacted me and five other wonderfully talented creative Ladies and asked us if we would like to be a part of an idea she had for a blog hop, so of course we all said yes.  So after a few emails we ironed out the details.  Each of us was given a month for our blog hop. We each picked a theme for our month and then sent out to each member a package of beads to represent our theme.  Christine's month is February and her theme is Round and Round.  Here is what I received from Christine:

Christine sent me a beautiful brick stitched fresh water pearl along with two extra pearls and some extra copper colored size 8 seed beads.

Here is what I created with what Christine sent to me:

I looked through my stash and came up with similar beads and seed beads to make two of my own versions of Christine's brick stitched beaded pearl.  Then I peyote stitched a band using blue iris size 8 seed beads and added the beaded pearls and Ta Da a "Here She Goes Round in Circles" bracelet.  Although the whole time I was stitching this bracelet Reanna's song "I Want You To Stay" kept going round and round in my head.

Next month is Sally Russick's turn.  Come on back and see what is created with the components that Sally sent to us.

Please go by and visit the rest of the CC7A participants.

1. Monique

2. Christine

3. Sally

4. Therese (you are here)

5. Alicia

6. Cynthia

7. Emma

The Creative Continuum of Seven Artist January's Reveal

Hi Y'all,

Today is the first reveal date of The Creative Continuum of Seven Artists.  A few months ago Alicia of All Pretty Things blog contacted me and five other wonderfully talented creative Ladies and asked us if we would like to be a part of an idea she had for a blog hop, so of course we all said yes.  So after a few emails we ironed out the details.  Each of us was given a month for our blog hop. We each picked a theme for our month and then sent out to each member a package of beads to represent our theme.   Monique's month is January and her theme is National Gallery of Canada click on the link to read more about the National Gallery of Canada.  Here is what I received from Monique:

Monique is a polymer clay artist and here work is awesome, so is the pretty bag she sent her items in.

I chose to use the polymer clay flower and the wooden beads.  The first piece I made is a bead embroidered cuff.

I love the focal for this cuff it is beautiful.  I chose to use glass pearls in brown, gold, blue, and gold crystal roundels.  I did an asymmetrical band with some of the wooden beads.  I have had the clasp for a long time and felt that it was the perfect clasp for this piece.

I wanted to use more of the beads that Monique sent in her package so I made this bracelet that I call Square Peg in a Round Hole.

Thank you Monique for the wonderful package you sent to create with I hope I did it justice.

Thank you Alicia for inviting me to be a part of this group.  I am looking forward to the next 6 months of creating.

Here is a list of the other members of The Creative Continuum of Seven Artists, please go by their blogs and see what they created with Monique's theme package.

1. Monique

2. Christine

3. Sally

4. Therese (you are here)

5. Alicia

6. Cynthia

7. Emma

Next month is Christine her theme is Round and Round so come back and see what we all have created with Christine's package.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

A Time To Stitch 4 Hosted by Therese Frank and Christine Altmiller

Hi Y'all,

It has been a while since I have posted and I apologize for the absence.  Life has been a little topsy turvy for me lately, but I am getting my balance back and on the right track again.  

I can not believe that three months have gone by so fast it seems like just yesterday, that Christine and I put out the call for participants in the 4th A Time To Stitch Challenge.  This time Christine and I decided that we would let those that are participating to have a say in the other three stitches that they could choose from, the one stitch that had to be done was the net stitch.  During sign ups we asked that a stitch suggestion be made and after the sign ups were closed we would tally up and pick the three most suggested stitches.  Those stitch are 1. Chenille Stitch, 2. Chevron Stitch, and 3. Spiral Rope.  Along with the net stitch the participants could pick one or more of the three other stitches for this challenge.

For those of you visiting for the first time to the A Time To Stitch Challenge, here is a little bit about why Christine and I are doing this challenge.  I had this idea for a challenge to get more people to try bead weaving.  So I contacted Christine with the idea and asked her if she would partner with me in this challenge.
Of course she said that it was a wonderful idea and that she would be my partner in this challenge.  So every three months or so we have been doing the A Time To Stitch Challenge. We get some experienced bead weavers and not so experienced bead weavers, it is always so much fun to see what everyone creates with the challenge stitches, and to see how far those not so experienced bead weavers are progressing. 

I chose to do the Chenille Stitch and the Chevron Stitch this time, because I have never done either one of these stitches.  Here is what I created with these three different stitches.

For those of you that visited my Birthday Challenge on November 16th, you will recall that I only had the pendant made with my glass cab as the focal and said that you will see the pendant again soon.  Well I knew then that I was going to use the Chenille Stitch to do the neck rope for my pendant.  This stitch is super easy and sews up fast, although it took me a little while to finish my rope, because I chose to use all size 11 seed beads.  

I came across this pattern for the Chevron Stitch on Pintrest designed by Cecilia Rooke  .  I did not use the same embellishments that were suggested in the pattern.  I had these green with gold highlights drops and the green roundels and gold round crystals, so I chose to use these in my necklace.  Also the pattern that I found did not have the top embellishment around the inside perimeter of the necklace, that is something I added because it just was too plan looking to me without the added embellishment.  I really love how this one turned out. 

At the end of last October I opened my big mouth at work and said that I was going to bead everyone in the Communications Unit an ornament.  Well I managed to get at least 9 out of 22 beaded for this past Christmas here are the ones that I used the net stitch on. I will be working on a few at a time through out the year until I have everyone an ornament for Christmas this year.

Tubular Net Stitch is a stitch I really enjoy making it is so fast and easy I had this bracelet made in two hours from start to finish.  I gave it to my friend Demetree, as a thank you gift.  Crystie, I am going to have to get one of those thread zappers as you can see I have thread ends showing.

Well there you have it my contributions to this go around of A Time To Stitch challenge.

Please go by and visit and comment on the rest of the participants in this challenge.

Hosted by Therese Frank and Christine Altmiller

1.  Amy Severino

2.  Janet Bocciardi

3.  Cynthia Machata

4.  Alicia Marinache

5.  Paula Kramer

6.  Kim Hora

7.  Dee Alcalde

8.  Dagi (Kokopelli)

9   Maryanne Gross

10. LizE

11. Sally Russick

12. Becky Pancake

13. Jasvanti Patel

14. Karin Slaton

15. Alenka

16. Sarah Sequins

17. Tanya Goodwin

18. Debbie Rasmussen

19. Shirley Moore

20. Crystie Willard

21.  Nelly May

22. Ana Cravidao

Happy beading Y'all,
Therese

3rd Annual Handmade Ornament Swap & Hop - Hosted by Sally Russick

Merry Christmas Y'all,

It is time for me to show you the ornament that I received from Veralynne Malone of Designed by Vera .

First just let me say a few things about my swap partner Veralynne.  She is a very talented lady that lives in the mostly sunny state of Florida my neighbor to the southeast of Alabama.  I first became familiar with Veralynne when Sally did the Black and White challenge you can read about it here.   Veralynne also participated in Sally's Cabochon challenge and this was the first time she did a beaded bezel and in my opinion she did a wonderful job for being her first time.  You can read about her adventure with a beaded bezel here.  Veralynne was also in Jeannie's Do Over challenge where she did another beaded bezel.  I must say she did another wonderful job.  I believe she is getting hooked you can read about it here.

So I bet you want to see what Veralynne created for my tree. Well okay here it is...

   Veralynne started out with a beautiful frosty glass ornament and covered it in a crocheted lace and toped it with a pine cone decoration and at the bottom she hung a manger scene that yes, she beaded a bezel around.  I love the ornament and can not wait till the tree is up so I can hang it where I can see it everyday.

Thank you so much Veralynne for the beautiful ornament.  Thank you Sally for yet another wonderful blog hop to where I was able to make a new friend.

Now hop on over to see what the other participant partners made and received.

List of Holiday Ornament Swappers

Sally Russick and Beth and Evie McCord

Erin Prais-Hintz and Melissa Trudinger

Karen Williams and Shirley Moore

Lori Finney and Alicia Marinache

D Lynne Bowland and Paula Kramer

Kim Bender Hora and Jenny Davies Reazor

Becky Pancake and Lori Anderson

Veralynne Malone and Therese Frank

Tanya Goodwin and Sandi Volpe

Jeanette Ryan and Rochelle Brisson

Patti Vanderbloemen and Susan Kennedy

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Rolling Blog Hop - Hosted by Christine of One Kiss Creations

Hi Y'all,

A short while back, Christine of On Kiss Creations blog asked some creative and inspiring women if they would like to participate in a loose kind of blog hop, I was one of those women.  Instead of everyone posting on the same day, we would post as we got our projects done, with an end of November deadline. As you can see I did not meet that deadline, but Christine is a very polite and understanding person and allowed me and Erin a little more time.  She sent each of us a package containing vintage wooden spools like you see on the above badge (badge compliments of Hope's wonderful photography and Janet's tweaking...thanks ladies~it looks great!) and a few more goodies, that we could use or not, but the spools must be used.  Christine found the spools while antiquing in New Jersey.

Here is what I received from Christine...

In my design I used the large spool, the matte finished gray beads, the 1.5 mm cube beads, the blue iris and hematite size 11 delicas, and the Labradorite bead. 

I would like to dedicate this blog post to my Great Grandma Emma Prosser, Grandma Francis Prosser, Grandma Veronica Neuhalfen, and my Mom Alice Neuhalfen Prosser. All of these women have influenced me in one way or an other in my love of creating. 

As far back as I can remember my Mom has always sewed.  My first memories of this is when I was 5 years old sitting under the table with my dolls and picking up my Mom's material scraps as she cut out patterns. I would take the larger pieces wrap them around the doll's body and take a thin strip of material and use it as a belt.  At that age I still could not tie a bow, but I could tie a knot.When I got a little older my Mom would let me use scissors and a darning needle with embroidery floss. She showed me how to do a baste stitch and that was all it took I was hooked, and a crafter was born! 

My Mom's Mom, Grandma Veronica Neuhalfen, was a quilter.  I can remember sitting around a quilt wrack in the living room in her farm house, as a little girl watching about five or six women with little tiny needles, talking and rocking their hands up and down while they made tiny little stitches.  When I got into my young adult years I started making quilts, although I never got the hang of quilting by hand, I used the sewing machine.

When my Dad did his tour in Veit Nam we lived in his home town in Pennsylvania.  My Great Grandma Emma Prosser live up on the side of Hickory Mountain and I would go to her house all the time and sit on a little stool by her old Singer sewing machine.  She would sew and tell me stories of her life when she was a young girl.  I was so amazed with her sewing machine, because it was not like my Mom's Singer, her's was an old trundle machine.  She also did not use patterns she would take my measurements and make me little outfits.  I am so grateful that I had that time with my Great Grandma Emma.  When my Dad returned from Veit Nam we went to Germany and while we were in Germany my Great Grandma Emma passed away.

After returning from Germany and moving to Alabama back in 1970, I would go spend the summers in Pennsylvania with Grandma Francis Prosser, my Dad's Mom.  My Grandma Prosser crocheted and knitted.  I would love to watch her hands move so fast and the item she was making just appear in front of your eyes, it was so fascinating to me.  I would pull here pattern books out and look at them.  In one of the books there was a camisole that I fell in love with and I just had to have it, so I asked her if she would make it for me and she said well I could but I'm not, you are going to make it.  I was wide eyed and told her that I could not do it, she said sure you can I will teach you.  So my very first crocheting project was done with a size 00 needle and thread. Oh and no I never finished the project, but I never forgot the lessons I was taught, and went on to making many many afghans. 

I am so thankful to have and had all these amazing and talented women in my life to teach and nourish my natural abilities.

Here is what I created with one of the spools that Christine sent...

I have been wanting to etch metal, so I finely tried it.  I found a stamp that said smile.  Why smile, well because when I think back on those memories from above, they make me smile.  I measured the spool and cut a piece of copper sheeting to fit around the spool. Stamped it with StazOn ink using the smile stamp and a stamp with little hearts around the edges of the copper.  

I took the etched piece of copper over to my friend Morning's shop and used the torch to anneal the copper, so it would bend around the spool then I punched holes in the back and riveted the ends together.  I wanted the word smile to stand out so I used some blue patina ink to highlight the word and hearts.   I used the Zig Zag stitch in the tassel to represent the Zig Zag stitching from my Mom's sewing machine the best stitch to use with knit material.

The spool is hanging on my very first Viking knit it is not that good, but I thought it tied into my theme of this necklace.  I also used yarn to do a Kumihimo braid to represent the yarn crafts that my Grandma Prosser did. 

Well there you have it my creation "Smile".

Thank you Christine for your generosity and friendship.  This challenge really pushed me to do something different then what I would normally do. 

Here is the list of women that have already posted.

Janet  ~  Hope  ~  Tanya  ~  Maryanne  ~  Bobbie  ~  Cynthia  ~  Lisa  ~  Liz  ~  Kim  ~  Cynthia again  ~ Karin

Christine

Erin is the last to post and will be doing so soon.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese