2015 Creative Continuum of Seven Artists - Pictures

April is 

"Pastel Spring"

Hi Ya'll

Welcome to the first month of the 2015 Creative Continuum of Seven Artists. Our theme for this year is Pictures.  Alicia is our coordinator, it was her brain child to bring seven artist together to create a piece of wearable art based on a monthly theme.  This year Alicia suggested that we each pick a picture (preferably one of our own to avoid copy right laws) and do a color pallet.  Alicia put our names in a bowl and drew out a name for each month of this challenge.  Alicia got April, she chose a photo of Easter eggs from a past Easter. 

Here are Alicia's own words for choosing this photo:

Since April will bring Easter for all of us (our Easter will arrive a week later than yours, but it will still be April), I chose a picture to symbolize that :) Our own basket of (mostly) naturally colored eggs. The palette is all over the place, as the colors are scattered (and I used one of the pastel baskets, I have one hat will go very well with a gypsy theme - really all over the spectrum!) For April the theme will be 'Pastel Spring' 

I went to my stash of beads and I found a polymer clay cross that my bestie Crystie gave to me.  I then went to my seed bead stash and pulled out 15/0 seeds in orange, blue, pink, green, and black. I decided to do a Chenille stitch rope for the cross.  Here is my version of Pastel Spring...

Oops I just noticed that the jump ring is not closed well, I need to fix that.  

 Doing a Chenille stitched rope in 15/0 seed beads can be a little daunting, so when I got 10 inches stitched I decided to do the rest with leather.  I just so happened to have a dark olive green in my stash.  I beaded loops on the ends of the Chenille rope and wire wrapped the leather to the beaded rope and then wire wrapped a toggle clasp to the other ends of the leather and called it done. 

Thank you for stopping by and thank you to Alicia for bringing us all together again in 2015 to continue the Creative Continuum of Seven Artist, speaking of which, please go and visit their blogs and see what they created for "Pastel Spring".

April: Alicia

May: Therese  (you are here)

June: Sally

August: Monique

September: Cynthia

October: Emma

November: Christine

Next month is mine, so I hope that you will come back on May 26th to see what we all have created with my pallet "Tutti Fruity" 

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Butterfly Birthday Blog Hop and Giveaway Hosted by Alenka (Pepita)

Hi Y'all,

Back on February 28, 2015 Alenka of Pepeita Homemade blog announced a Birthday Blog Hop and Giveaway. The rules in her words:

BLOG HOP RULES:

Every participant has to:

- create something on the theme of butterflies - it can be a piece of jewelry, an ornament or something else;

- write a blog post about the final creation and publish it on the blog hop date with the link to my blog and the list of all the participants. 

Well fortunately for me, because I missed the first sign up date, Alenka, changed the blog hop date from March 28th to April 11th and extended the sign up date to March 21st. Yay!!!

I have been seeing a lot of bead embroidered bugs and butterflies lately on Pinterest they are all so beautiful, so yeah you guessed it I had to do one for this blog hop challenge.

Okay I am not that great of a drawer, so I was a little intimidated about getting started, also I just could not decide on what I wanted to used as the focal element on the butterfly. I was looking at my precious (my stone cabochons tee-hee) and reluctantly chose to use the Mushroom Rhyolite and the Rose Quartz cabs. Then I started pulling other items from my stash to use to fill in around the cabs.

Here is the results:

Pink and Gray Butterfly front:

Back:

My first choice was to make this into a pin, but then when I was finished with the embroidering I decided to make it where the wearer could wear it as a pin or a pendant.

Happy Birthday and Thank you Alenka, for thinking up such a great challenge, to not only to celebrate your birthday, but the awakening of Spring.

Thank you for stopping by please leave a comment I love hearing from Y'all.  Now please go and visit the other participants in this Butterfly Birthday Blog Hop - Giveaway.  Oh yeah I forgot, you too can have a chance in the giveaway.  Here are the rules in Alenka's words:

 GIVEAWAY:

On 13th of April I will randomly chose:

a) between all the participants at the blog hop  

5 persons 

that will receive one of beads or cabochons made by me from polymer clay;

b) between all that will comment on my reveal blog post  

1 person 

that will receive a pair of earrings made by me.

Now for the list of participants:

1. Alenka (Pepita) --> me, the hostess

2. Monique (A Half-Baked Notion)

3. Beti Horvath

4. Kathy Lindemer

5. Kepi

6. Christine Altmiller

7. Amy S.

8. Dini Bruinsma

9. Cynthia (Antiquity Travelers)

10. Alicia

11. sheilaposter

12. Therese Frank (you are here)

13. Rebecca White

14. Rachel Mallis

15. Liz E

16. Ana (ACBeads)

17. Jasvanti Patel

18. Carolyn

19. Nan Smith

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Jasper Intrigue Blog Hop and Challenge - Hosted by Lisa Lodge

Jasper Intrigue 

April 4, 2015

Hi Y'all,

Sometime last year Lisa Lodge put out the call for those that would be interested in participating in Jasper Intrigue Blog Hop and Challenge.  I was intrigued about this challenge since Jasper is one my favorite gemstones so I signed up and paid my fee and a month or so later I got my package of beautiful Jasper of honey and lemon color tones along with some glass pearls, 4 mm bicones, toggle clasps and a few other findings. I forgot to take a picture of my package before I started creating, but I can tell you that Lisa was more then generous with the goodies she sent.

Here is what I created with the yummy Jasper and other tidbits in the package.  

First up a necklace and bracelet set.

I wanted to stay true to my bead weaving, but these beads were just not having it no matter what pattern or stitch I used, they just wanted to be in a simple strung necklace and bracelet.

Second a bracelet.

These rice glass pearls did not mind being in a bead weave I used RAW to make this simple bracelet.  The bracelet is embellished with 4 mm bicone crystals and Jasper squares.  I could not find a button to fit through the circle of beads so I made a toggle from a piece of copper wire.

The third and last a pair of earrings.

In the baggie of finding there were angle wings and with the Jasper a small string of drops perfect to make angel earrings.

Thank you Lisa for hosting this wonderful Blog Hop and Challenge.

Thank you for stopping by now please go by and visit the other blogs in this hop.

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Susan Anderson, La Main Tresor

Karin Grosset Grange (France), Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha’s Ramblings

Sheila Prose, Cheap Charms

Terri Wlaschin, Baking Beads in the Keys

You are here Therese Frank, Therese's Treasures

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese