Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
Congratulations to Despina Veneti!
You have won a gift certificate to spend at either Songbead or The Curious Bead Shop!
Send Rebecca an email to claim your gift certificate.
———————————————————————————————————
Hoooooooo…. I feel like I’m coming to the end of a marathon. After days and days of photo-editing and listing drafting, I’m finally in a position to add new things to both my shops – new beads, new jewellery. I added lots of new beads to my Etsy shop last night. Here’s just a selection.
(Apologies for the grey tinge to some of the photos – terrible photography weather here recently!)
I’ve been doing lots of slip-decorating of porcelain…
…and trying to master forming a cone cap:
More porcelain here. I just love it with cobalt oxide:
As ever, I’ve made plenty of earring pairs…
…and I’m still loving lilies and leaves:
These bead sets are a new thing. I spent ages building up layers of different colours and marks, subtle variations in shades, and a range of textures.
Here are a few more bead sets.
What else? Headpins:
Naive / primitive face cubes
And also these big ol’ thorn focals:
They were inspired by some wooden beads I bought recently from Pine Needles Sweet Grass.
Cool, hey? They’re so wonderful. However, I had imagined they’d be bigger and chunkier and might work as focal in a big necklace. (I always forget to look at measurements when I order things!) The thorns I bought will be great in earrings and more delicate necklaces but I was set on having some big thorn-like necklace focals. So, I tried making some. I hope my ceramic pieces diverge from their inspiration enough not to seem like a rip off!
And finally, on the bead front, some more of these old favourites –
Some of these pieces have sold but there’s still lots to be snapped up in the shop.
But, I also mentioned new jewellery. Here are just a few of the new pieces I’ve made – there are many, many more. Of course, they feature lots of art beads.
hand-painted wood – Graceful Willow
feather rounds – Blueberribeads; faceted round – Something to do Beads
ceramic building – Jubilee; ceramic cog and spike – Marsha Neal; ceramic stick pendant – Scorched Earth
ceramic drop – Scorched Earth
Now I’ve bombarded you with visuals, it’s time for the giveaway. Up for grabs today? A $15 of credit to spend in either my bead shop or my jewellery shop. The question? What new things are you going to be working on this weekend? – or next week? – or when you first have opportunity? Just answer in a comment and you’ll be in with a chance of winning!
Bye for now, Claire
Jess Green
May 8, 2015 at 12:31 pmOoooo… Lovely lovely beads! My buy-it button finger is itching…
I'm hoping to try riveting this weekend! Just got a selection of tools through for it and really want to have a go at building up some interesting pendants 🙂
Saraccino
May 8, 2015 at 6:36 pmOkay, your beads are a temptation to write! 🙂
I bought a ring and bracelet mandrel this week (or rather they arrived this week) so I hope I get some time to play with them! 🙂
Kathy Lindemer
May 8, 2015 at 8:35 pmI love your bead selection. I love them all and want them all!
I have some new ceramic beads that I am dying to make into earrings this weekend,
sequana
May 8, 2015 at 10:27 pmI'm attempting to learn some easy wire weaving and finding that none of it is "easy" after all.
Lovely beads up above.
Renetha Stanziano
May 9, 2015 at 10:02 amLove those headpins! This weekend I will be working on a few bead challenges, looking after my son (he has a cold), and might even get in some quilting/sewing time this weekend.
Kristina
May 9, 2015 at 10:28 amI'm going to be making ear cuffs for myself, my mother and my sister. But my sister doesn't know yet because it's part of a surprise so shhh.
Also, I LOVE the way you used the chain on those first earrings. That would be a perfect way to use up extra chain that you can't just fix or attach a jump ring to.
Mary Harding
May 9, 2015 at 10:41 amGreat new work Claire!! So original and so suited to cool jewelry making!!
Kristen
May 9, 2015 at 11:05 amI have been make beads from copper tubing whenever I get a fee minutes and next week I hope to flame enamel them. I really love how your beads are different from one another. You have diverse looks and done so well!
Carol Briody
May 9, 2015 at 3:10 pmI purchased some wonderful artbead headpins from Genea recently with the intention to enter last month's ABS Challenge. Then, life got crazy and I missed the boat. So, I'm really anxious to create with those ASAP!! Claire, your new beads and jewelry are awesome!
Shaiha
May 10, 2015 at 4:55 amI got to spend today in the studio working on making some jewelry from a challenge kit with lots of sea glass and glass pearls. I feel really productive because I made more then one design.
fulgorine
May 10, 2015 at 8:18 amI'm moving house so I will be packing boxes, but the carrot at the end is my own studio once the dust settles.
bairozan
May 11, 2015 at 12:04 pmI'll try to wireweave a piece of raw sea glass 🙂 And if it doesn't work (I guess I will find out in 3-4 hours from the start, ha-ha), I'll try wirecaged beads 🙂