New Beads & Some Felt Pieces

The March meeting for our little Island Fireflies group is today, and the challenge given out at the last meeting was "owls".  These little guys are my contribution.  Yes, they are for sale, so if you are interested in any of them let me know - they are $15.00 each plus postage of $2.50. (They are focal size.)

Owl group for challenge.

I also wanted to show you what I made in my felting class.  I took the ferry over to Saltspring Island a couple of weeks ago (one of the local gulf islands here off the west coast of British Columbia), and had a one day felting class with Laurie Steffler.  We had a loads of fun and learned a lot.  Unfortunately, we didn't manage to finish felting our pieces so had to bring them home to finish.  For some reason mine hasn't felted properly, and I think I will probably have to re-wet it and do some more rolling.  I love the colours and the style so don't want to give up just yet.

Lime green "Leaves & Rivers" nuno felted scarf.

I also purchased a kit from Laurie while I was there, and tried something different with it when I got home.  I was quite disappointed, because the crinkle chiffon silk base was initially a beautiful bright turquoise, and once I put water on it, the colour all ran out - and it just doesn't have the same punch with a white background. (pout)

Nuno felted plaid scarf.

In my last post, I showed you a pile of roving, silk and pre-felt.  Well here is the result.  It was an experiment, and I am really pleased with the colour combination and how it turned out.  I don't know what I am going to do with it at this point, but will figure something out.  It is too short for a regular scarf - but maybe a short button up neck warmer or book cover, we'll just have to see.

Purple and teal nuno felted piece.

Have a great weekend!

Goodbye my Friend.

It was a very tough day yesterday, and will be for a while yet.

Alley, Feb 26, 2000 - March 11, 2013

Floral and Ocean beads

I was amazed to see that I had last blogged on Feb 25th - how did we get to March 10th so quickly?

Anyway here are some beads for you to look at.  They are for a customer who takes my beads to her friends and relatives each year when she goes for a visit - works for me!  Thanks Marianne.

I have to wire wrap them into pendants, and let her have her pick.  The rest will be going into stock for the May long weekend show I participate in each year.

Floral implosion beads

Ocean Gems beads

I thought you might also like to see the beginning of the next felting project I am going to tackle - actually it is more of an experiment.

Counter clockwise from the top:  aubergine coloured pre-felt, 2nd hand silk scarf
in purple, blue and teal, merino and silk purple tones sliver, and dark teal
coloured merino teal.  I also added some other bits and pieces that  went with the
 colour theme.   You will have to wait a bit for the end result.  Sorry to be putting all my
comments under the picture, but Blogger won't let me out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you all had a great weekend.

Felted purses

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have started doing a bit of wet felting in my spare time (what spare time???).   Anyway, I am really enjoying it - except for the part when I wake up next day and can hardly move because my back is so sore.  All the rolling of the pieces to get them to felt is taking it's toll on my already fragile back.  I think I will have to break it up into stages and not try to finish a piece in one day.  Maybe I should do 2 days torching, and 1 day felting, and only do a couple of hours felting at one time?

Here are a couple of pictures of the purses that passed muster.  Still too thin in some areas and thick in other spots, and lots to learn yet.  I have yet to put in a lining, add a strap and a button closure.  I think one of my lampwork buttons made to match will be just the ticket.

A grouping of simple sack style, wet felted purses before the lining, strap
and closure have been added.

This is my favourite so far - the decoration is made by adding silk "hankies"
to the base - I think it looks like sweet peas, especially with the addition of
the tendrils.

Kind of silly to make it on a white base (it will get dirty so quickly), but the colour of the decoration changes so much with the colour of the base.  I think next time I will try making the purse in a darker colour and then add a square of light coloured "pre-felt" to the face and then add the floral motif on top of that.  It's all a learning process, but that is half the fun.

Back to the torch tomorrow!

New Hearts

The challenge for our glass bead makers group for February was "of course", hearts.

These beads can be found  in my Etsy shop.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Arbutus Beach beads

I made these Arbutus Beach beads on special order for a couple of my customers.  They take a lot of preparation and a steady hand - so no coffee before I start!

I am sooo far behind with my orders - being sick for January and part of February has really put a dent in what I had planned for this year!  I think I am going to have to stop taking orders for a while.   At least until I am caught up.

Chicken Beads!

I made a few little chicken beads yesterday - these little guys are so much fun to make.  Each one ends up with it's own personality.  They are up in my Etsy shop now.

Folk Art Style Chickens

Well, I am off to town to purchase a Tassimo coffee machine.  Have a great day!

Branching out? - maybe??

While I was sick with the flu I couldn't do any torching, but I was very tired of just reading and sleeping. (I couldn't sleep lying down anyway, but had to sleep sitting up).  Anyway when I was starting to feel a little impatient to get on with something I decided to take up wet felting again.  I had tried it several years ago when I was making teddy bears, and used to make felt flowers to decorate the said bears.  I thought this would be something that I could do while sitting at a table and could also leave at any time and rest.  I already had all the supplies, so that was perfect.  The flowers below are the result - they were lots of fun to make.  I also made some very small purses, but will leave those photos until I have finished up the purses - ie. putting in a lining, a strap, and a button closure.

Wet felted plum coloured poppy.

Wet felted pink coloured poppy.

Wet felted rust coloured poppy.

More bead pics coming soon!

Crawling out from "under".

Wow - that was the "worst sick" I have been for a very long time (excuse the bad grammar).  I lost most of January and the first week of February - next October I am definitely getting the flu shot!

Anyway, I finally started torching again last week - just a few hours a week, because I am tiring very quickly, and am still coughing quite a bit.
These two new sets are going in my Etsy shop shortly.

Guardians

Meditation Pools

If you are one of my many customers that are patiently waiting for orders, please bear with me a little longer.  I am working on my orders along with making items for the Etsy shop.  I find that if I only work on orders, my  mojo, inspiration, enthusiasm, or whatever it is called, gets very stultified and I just don't want to go out to the studio.  I guess it makes it more work than play - and I am at the age where I want to play more than I want to work, lol.  So thanks for being so patient.

Hopefully I will be able to blog more too!

Still sick

I have just crawled out of my bed to let you know that I am still so very sick, and I won't be able to get to the torch for about another week or two.  So I'm sorry, no new beads for a while.  I can't remember ever being quite this sick - definitely the nasty flu that is going around.  Next year I am getting a flu vaccine - I have already marked it on the calendar for next October!

A New Chicken focal

Front side with chicken head, ladybug and flower.

Back side with chicken body and grass.

Isn't she/he cute - although the little ladybug looks a little worried! LOL
It's in my Etsy shop.

I have a cold - AGAIN!!!!

I suspect that I don't get out often enough to charge up my immune system.  This is the second cold this season.  I think that working by myself in my "Little Hut in the Woods", as my father used to say, is not helping my health.

Came down with the dreaded sore throat, sniffles, sneezes, etc on Saturday, and it is well and truly entrenched now.  I just hope it is better by the weekend, as I have an Island Fireflies meeting to go to on Saturday - and I love those meetings.

Not much new to show you right now, but I will leave you with a couple of photos - the first one is a set of Folk Art Style Chicken beads for a customer, and the second and third photos are of more of the new flower head pins from my new press.

I hope you have a good week - and don't catch a cold!!

New bead press!

The mail man arrived the Friday before Christmas with a wonderful parcel - my new bellflower press.  I didn't get a chance to try it out until yesterday - I LOVE it!!
Here are a couple of photos of the press and the resulting beads/headpins.

Bellflower Press

Bellflower press close up.

Sweet little bellflowers on black steel wires with a few accenting leaves.

I think these would make fantastic earrings, with maybe a "cluster type" pendant to match.  Or perhaps a brooch . . . . or . . . .  I can't wait to see what people make with them.  They are approx 13.5mm - 14mm across.

They will be listed in my Etsy shop shortly.

Have a good day!

And the Winners are . . . .

The winners of the draw are:

Iesha K. for #1
KayzKreations for #2
EBBead & Metal Works for #3
and the bonus draw won by Crafty Hope

Congratulations everyone!  And for those that didn't win, please keep checking in, as I am planning to do lots of give aways this next year.

Congratulations Iesha K.

Congratulations Kayz Kreations.

Congratulations EB Beads & Metal Works - your choice of either tutorial.

Congratulations Crafty Hope.

I will get in touch with everyone sometime later today for addresses - sorry, I have to rush away right now.