Cantankerous

Got a treasury last night! It was down to 333 with 8 minutes left when I logged in, so I didn't have a chance to pick anything out before snagging one, and therefore titling it. :p So what do I come up with on the spur of the moment? cantankerous. Not sure these items fit that word, but hey.

Holiday Sale!

The Beadweaving Emporium on 1000 Markets is having a holiday sale! Merchants are providing discounts, free shipping, gift wrap, or other promotions. You can find all the offerings here!

My participation is with free shipping on select beadwoven items. That's right, folks, free shipping here!

Some of the items I'm offering free shipping on are:

Turquoise Triangle Earrings

Linked Triangles Bangle

Turquoise Curls Cuff

Branching out...

Okay, not really. I've actually been crocheting WAY longer than beading, but I haven't tried selling any of it yet. Lots of friends and family have blankets I've made down through the years, and I keep my own head warm in the winter with a hat I made. It has earflaps and a poofball, I should share a picture sometime. There have also been scarves, sweaters, slippers, and even a sock in my crocheting past. (Yes, just one sock. And the toe of the second, but that's it.)

Last winter, I started using some leftover bits of yarn, plus some that was given to me a while back, to make hats. I was just having a ball crocheting hats in my spare time, thinking maybe I should try to sell them. But then, it was summer. And who wants to buy a nice warm crocheted hat in the summer? So these hats have been sitting around all lonely until NOW, when I finally pulled them out again and did a little photoshoot. They're all listed on 1000 Markets, just waiting for a cold head to wander by and find them.

In progress

Of course I have multiple pieces in progress at any given time! Who doesn't? Here's a little glimpse into that world....

First, some polymer clay cabs that I just worked up to bead around for a necklace. Some beads are even on the way to go with them... BRIGHT!

Then, a WIDE cuff. Once I finish the blue base, I still need to figure out what colors and pattern to add to the top of it... I bet it'll turn out pretty fun. You can see some bits of polymer clay in the background - colors I mixed for the cabs shown above, now leftover to be used for more fun things!

These, I've had in progress for several months. They'll end up side by side as a cuff. I could have sworn I've beaded more of the beige ones... hmmm, I'll have to have a look around for those.

...and then, a shot of my workspace for good measure. :) This 2x2 ft table is where the magic happens! And yes, there is rarely a square inch to be found clear. All around the table in various shoe boxes and other containers you can find my bead stash. That is, whatever's not on the table at the time....
What do YOU have in progress?

Beachcombing the Indian Ocean

Are you guys getting sick of hearing about my travels this summer? ;)

Too bad, 'cause here we go again!

While on the coast in Kenya, I went out to the beach with a bag to do a little collecting. NOTHING live, of course! I only collect empty shells that have washed up onto the beach. Well, this one type of shell caught my attention. The shell is some sort of spiral, and most pieces you find on the beach have broken in such a way that you have a small cupped shape with a bridge from one side to another, creating a large hole. Of course, everything with a hole can become a bead, so I collected several of these.

It just so happened that, a couple months after returning, it was announced that the November challenge theme for the Beadweaving Emporium on 1000 Markets is "Beachcombing Memories."

What a perfect use for these shells! I found a mix of beads to match the colors in the speckled shells, created 14 lengths of tubular peyote, and added a shell to the base of each. I used some wooden beads from South Africa to connect each tube to the small length of tubular herringbone.

Two lengths of faux suede cord are strung through the tubular peyote, and tied off with two sliding knots to make the necklace fully adjustable.

AND I finally received my display bust in the mail yesterday, just in time to photograph my entry! I'm pleased, but I do need to find another background to photograph in front of... My go-to white cloth wrinkles too easily, and I can't see myself ironing it every time I need to do a photoshoot. Maybe a large piece of white paper would help... Any suggestions?

Check out the Beadweaving Emporium blog from November 9th - 15th to vote for your favorite entry!

You can find my "Beachcombing the Indian Ocean" in my 1000 Markets store.

Kanga

While in Kenya this summer, I was inspired by kangas, a cloth used for anything and everything in many parts of East Africa. Kangas are all comprised of a border and an inner section with different patters, and a Swahili phrase at the bottom of the inner section. Apart from the basic structure, kangas vary widely in colors and patterns. Their uses are multiple, from clothing to baby slings to tablecloths, and more.

photo borrow from http://eyes4mwanza.blogspot.com/2009/02/kanga-fabrics.html

In this picture, I'm wearing a kanga for a skirt.

So far, I've designed two bracelets based on the basic structure of kangas - minus the Swahili phrase. I haven't yet figured out a way to write something in one row of beads. ;)

If you like, you can imagine this says "Haraka, haraka, haina baraka." - one of my favorite Swahili proverbs, which roughly translates into "hurrying brings no blessings." (haraka: hurry, baraka: blessing, haina: there is no)

This one I've kept for myself. I miscounted the squares while working up the pattern, and I ended up with an odd number of beads for the width. Since I was planning to work in herringbone, this was slightly problematic. I did find a work-around that makes it look more like square stitch than herringbone, but there's a number of places in the red section where you can see some of the crystal fireline showing through. Okay, so it's not terrible, but I had to have some excuse to keep it, right?

I've finally gotten the beads to work up the second kanga pattern I created, so once I have a little time, I'll work on that next project!

Power Goblet

It's been a while (think May) since I last submitted a piece to the Etsy Beadweaver's monthly challenge. What with travelling and inconsistent internet access, it just didn't happen this summer.

When this month's challenge rolled around, though, I decided it was time to enter again. The October theme is "Super Powers" and I decided to bead around a goblet to make it worthy for any superhero.

Here's a snippet from my item description:

"A white streak splits through a background of purple fading to blue and then green. The streak is lined with a bold red, and this all comes together to create a POWER GOBLET. You want super powers? Then drink from THIS goblet. Okay, okay, I know it's all make-believe (and I do not recommend using the goblet for beverages), but if I were a superhero, I would darn better have a goblet like this one! And you can feel like a superhero with this goblet on display, possibly even as a candleholder."

Voting is open for the October challenge, and we'd love to have you help choose a winner! Head on over to http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com to vote for your favorite by the 16th.