My first Muse post in over a month….poor show Rebecca, poor show! In fairness to myself, I have had a CRAZY 6 weeks, as you’ll know if you follow me on Facebook – moving from Northern Ireland to Scotland, where I’m originally from, at the end of July, moving in with my Mum as a temporary stop gap as we get settled which meant a whole week of solid sorting, charity shop donating, trips to the recycling centre/tip, painting, cleaning and reorganising…..and then a huge craft fair that lasted for the first 3.5 weeks of August (and you can read about that here too, if you’re interested). It’s also been (probably not unsurprisingly!) a bit of an emotional upheaval, leaving somewhere we loved for somewhere that we do also love, but is my hometown. Wonderful, but there’s not that neutral feeling of potential and discovery that you get in a brand new city – and country, as we discovered last year! – and it will probably take some work to make this move a journey of rediscovery, which it needs to be. SO, I’m sure you can understand, both time and mental space have been at a premium for me these past few weeks! And whilst they continue to be so, I know I will be sliding into a routine soon, and before I know it, it’ll be November and the holiday craft fair season will be upon us. Phew! It really is non-stop in the handmade world.
Anyway, I hope you are ready for some new beady finds. I certainly am. It’s September and the beginning of the favourite season for many – although not for me though – sorry! Autumn is just too soggy for me over here in the UK. Having said that, I do love a good crisp Autumnal day, with the crunch of fallen leaves under my feet, the sun low in the sky and perhaps the smell of a log fire in the air…..nothing can beat it! So this month’s theme is….Autumnal beads. Didn’t see that coming, did you?!
I adore adding textural elements to my work, and I know I’m not the only one. Aren’t these felt beads simply delicious?
Sometimes a really stunning focal bead can really dictate the way a piece of jewellery goes. I have a feeling that this would be the case with this beautiful lampwork tree…
I am so entranced by Bo Hulley’s handmade leaf pendants and buttons. Each one is created using a real leaf from her garden – amazing or what?
I have a strange aversion to square and rectangular beads….but not when it comes to Sue’s gorgeous chiclets! I have a set of these in beautiful summery shades, but I may well be tempted into these warm Autumnal colours….delicious!
Another ceramicist who uses real leaves from her garden is Kylie Parry. Seriously, if I ever win the lottery (sadly unlikely as I don’t often play!), I will employ her to be my personal bead artist. Really. She doesn’t know this, but Kylie, if you’re reading this, I will pay you well – I promise!
My co-editor Claire has returned to her ceramic roots recently, and turned her very talented hands to making clay beads. Wow! I have a bunch on the way. CANNOT WAIT for them to arrive! There are still some left in her shop so do hop over and have a peek!
How magical are these beads? Donna Millard always astounds me with her incredibly beautiful lampwork designs and this Autumnal set is no exception.
Another lampwork set to die for….just look at the textures! The petals! The silver decor! Yum….
Lastly, this ‘moon glow’ pair of tree beads….I can just imagine the beautiful moon-lit setting that these beads capture. Perfect for the season.
So, please leave your Autumnal bead links in the comments! I can’t wait to see what you will share for next week.
And now for the BeadBlogger Links. Have a great week!
Carmi’s Art
I have a sweet resin project on Scrapbooking.com’s blog this week. Paper Embellishments with Jewelry Resin featuring vintage postcards.http://scrapbooking.com/article/82235
I have a sweet resin project on Scrapbooking.com’s blog this week. Paper Embellishments with Jewelry Resin featuring vintage postcards.http://scrapbooking.com/article/82235
Resin Crafts Blog
A good experiment in resin layering results in some one-of-a-kind “cubes of resin.”
A good experiment in resin layering results in some one-of-a-kind “cubes of resin.”
Guitar String Jewelry
Video podcast episode 4 including some “rockin” jewelry and a little fiber too.
Video podcast episode 4 including some “rockin” jewelry and a little fiber too.
Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, based in her country’s capital, Edinburgh. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.
Claire Lockwood
September 8, 2014 at 5:59 pmThanks for including my newbies amongst all these wonders. I'm loving these:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/154498486/fall-leaves-lampwork-leaf-beads?ref=sr_gallery_29&ga_search_query=leaf%2Bbead+handmade&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery
Claire Lockwood
September 8, 2014 at 6:00 pmAnd these!:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/202228953/lampwork-glass-leaves-for-jewelry-making?ref=sr_gallery_11&ga_search_query=leaf%2Bbead+handmade&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery
Kristen
September 9, 2014 at 10:39 amI love Autumn, it is a gorgeous time of year here in Vermont!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/198246547/red-yellow-and-green-enameled-leaf?ref=shop_home_active_15
Kristen
September 9, 2014 at 10:43 amHere's another:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/197891563/orange-enameled-bead-with-silver-foil?ref=shop_home_active_19
Kylie Parry Studios
September 9, 2014 at 11:12 amhehe….too bad we aren't on the same continent- I would trade beads for babysitting 😉 Thanks for including me in this great autumn post!
Claire Lockwood
September 9, 2014 at 10:31 pmOh also: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/201671815/forest-floor-handmade-ceramic-leaf?ref=shop_home_active_23