Happy February to you all! If you’re anything like me, you’ll be glad to see the back of January. It’s such a looooong month – cold, dark, dreary, wet – and with February to follow! And although February is similar weather-wise, it is short, and is followed by March. Which is still a bit chilly, but it does have the promise of Spring. There is light at the end of February’s tunnel! Hope for sunnier weather, longer days and light! LIGHT is what I am missing more than anything right now.
In keeping with the peek of light that February brings, this month’s theme is birds. Here’s one of my favourite poems that I come back to again and again, which perfectly captures the imagery of birds and hope – their fragility and yet their tenacity.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
Emily Dickinson
Here are some bird beads I find particularly inspiring:
And another from The Glass Bunny – too sweet not to also share!
– like me, based in Northern Ireland! Very happy to discover this seller 🙂
Now, before I wrap up this post, I want to share some beads from last month’s RED theme. Monique of A Half-Baked Notion linked to some beautiful mosaic polymer pendants she had created for a blog hop. She mentioned that because she does not sell her beads, they might not be appropriate to share here on Art Bead Scene. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Please, please please – share what you have created with us! We want to see where you are going in your art bead journey – whether you buy from others, or create your own, or both. Here are Monique’s pendants – aren’t you glad that she shared them?
And now for the BeadBlogger Links ~
Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, currently living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 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
February 3, 2014 at 1:04 pmSlate Studios Supply make some of my favourites – I've goy about six but can't bring myself to use them…
https://www.etsy.com/listing/120325457/terra-bird-handmade-ceramic-bird-bead?ref=shop_home_active_5&ga_search_query=bird
Claire Lockwood
February 3, 2014 at 1:08 pmAlso, I've had this wee bird in my shop for an age and he's rather sad that no one will home him.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/126704342/handmade-bird-bead-hand-painted-bead?ref=shop_home_active_14
Oh, and here's a fitting poem about a bird and winter – pretty well known, but never mind!
The Darkling Thrush
BY THOMAS HARDY
I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-grey,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.
The land's sharp features seemed to be
The Century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.
At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.
So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.
Monique (A Half-Baked Notion)
February 3, 2014 at 3:22 pmI love these little bird charms, Rebecca… this time of year in northern climes, we especially need that promise of exuberant new beginnings 🙂
Thank you for sharing my little faux mosaic hearts! This is the correct link to my post:
http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/2014/01/leather-and-lace-cc7a-january-reveal.html)
The "mosaic" method is by Canadian polymer clayer Cindy Lietz, who teaches wonderful video tutorials. Her blog:
http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/micro-mosaic-pins-polymer-clay-tutorials-vol-062/17344/
Here are some bird beads I love (and one tutorial for the talented lampworkers):
MenagerieStudio (polymer clay): https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/177400052
Divine Spark Designs (lampwork):
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/150255287
tooaquarius (polymer clay):
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/106061229
Jane Perala Designs (a lampwork tutorial):
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/169780129
Rebecca
February 3, 2014 at 5:27 pmMonique – SOOO sorry that I put the wrong link in! I'd lose my head if it weren't screwed on 😉 Altered now! And thank you so much for your links 🙂
Liona (Blue Merlin Creations)
February 4, 2014 at 4:48 amWhat lovely birdie beads! It's dangerous following this blog….I keep finding new beads that must land in my mailbox! Here are a few bird beads that I like –
http://www.tesoritrovati.com/product/winter-snowflake-bird-limited-edition?tid=26
http://www.humblebeads.com/product/winter-bird?tid=11
https://www.etsy.com/listing/98300438/bird-beads-turquoise-blue-bird-polymer?ref=shop_home_active_1
You can see what I've done with the first two here, on my blog (which I just started in January) – http://bluemerlincreations.blogspot.ca/
I have some of the pretty blue birds in my stash as well, but haven't yet made up my mind as to what I will do with them! They're such fun, and Elaine of tooaquarius makes versions of these birds in different colours, too.
Caroline Dewison
February 4, 2014 at 9:08 pmI love bird beads, they're such a cute subject… here's my favourite ever https://www.etsy.com/listing/130193124/artisan-made-glass-beadredwing-lampwork?utm_campaign=Share&share_id=5544241&utm_medium=PageTools&hmac=3a05afafe2cfb23e7b84c97d94429159e951ec15&utm_source=Pinterest
Thank you for featuring my birds along with all these other lovelies!
A Polymer Penchant
February 13, 2014 at 10:25 pmOh yay! Love seeing Monique's heart here, I'm very lucky to have one all to myself!