Meredith the Sea Fairy

After months of beading inactivity, this is a necklace I just finished. The inspiration came from one of my lovely beading friends Meredith (Mezz). I've always wanted to do a fairy pendant, so a few months ago, I sculpted a fairy head with polymer clay, then made a mould out of it and turned it into a bronze clay pendant. I was looking for some stones to set in the pendant, and went to a lapidary show with Mezz in our local area. We saw some ammonite fossils (the metallic looking ones), and Mezz suggested that I used a small and a large one in the same piece. The fossils were apparently from Volga River in Saratov, Russia, from the Jurassic period, about 175 million years ago. Added another ammonite fossil that I had at home, and a couple of small fish and turtle charms to tie in with the sea theme.

What have I been doing in the last few months? Well, I've done some soul searching and a lot of thinking. I have walked on a beach and touched the Indian Ocean. I've been walking with Mezz every Friday morning for several months, chatting all the way, and she's given me so many good advice about life. I am happy to say that I now feel re-energised, content and inspired. I am ready to get back into beading.

Thank you for the friendship, Mezz.

A few of my faux lampwork polymer clay beads

Have been really busy with work and family in the last few weeks, and didn't have time to do much beading, although I'm still actively designing in my mind. Anyhow, thought I would show you, for a change, some of my polymer clay beads. A little while ago, on the Clay Play section of the Australian Beading Forum, we had a challenge on faux techniques. I decided to try my hands on faux lampwork beads using polymer clay and various other materials. It took quite a bit of experimentation, and here are a few that I'm quite happy with. Whilst the little owl is definitely my favorite (in case you don't know, I LOVE owls), I think the frog is rather cute too. Thanks for looking and hope you like.

Mama, we lub you, XOXO, from Julia and Laura - my Designer Quest entry

On the Australian Beading Forum where I'm a member, every few months, we have a challenge called the Designer Quest. All the participants would buy one of two different coloured bead packs prepared by a sponsor, and we would all create a piece using the same sets of beads. The closing date for the current DQ was midnight yesterday. I decided to go with the orange pack to challenge myself, as those were not my usual colours. The inspiration of the piece came from the dagger beads in the pack, which reminded me of feathers, and this is what I've come up with.

The names of the two little owlets, Julia and Laura, came from my best friend’s daughters. A little while ago, I made a necklace using some scrap fabrics I got from my friend’s tailor, and named the piece after her. When her daughters saw the pictures on my blog, Laura sent me this cute email:

“To Auntie Caroline (godmother),
Why does Mommy get to be called a jewellery Celina? Mommy gets to have her name in your website too and for me and Julia get to be DAUGHTERS it is not fair and please pretty please be in your website called Julia and Laura?
Love Laura
P.S see u soon.”

To make it up to them, I promised that I would soon make a necklace in their names. With this in mind, I made the owls with bronze clay, and hand dyed a piece of white lace in matching colours to use as a base. Have used most of the beads in the pack except for some seedies, and didn’t add any extra beads. Am quite happy with how this turns out. Hopefully it will get the seal of approval from the two darling princesses. Thanks for looking, and please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Madame Butterfly

A few weeks ago, I bought some miniature cookie cutters in the shapes of butterflies. As soon as I got home, I used one of them to make a couple of bronze clay butterflies. The first one I added to the necklace I made for Marcie, shown in my previous post. The second one, well, was used here. I have always loved butterflies. When I was 5 or 6, I didn't want to be a fairy, princess or ballerina, but rather, I wanted to be a butterfly. I would put my Mom's long lacy petticoat on, and hold one of her colourful silk scarves, flap my arms around and pretend to be a butterfly. Anyhow, I decided to make a necklace with a butterfly theme. I painted the lady's face on washi paper on a polymer clay base, and covered it with resin. The lace motif was white originally, and I dyed it manually to match the cabochon. Am quite happy with how this turns out. Interestingly, when I showed the necklace to my husband, he said that the bronze butterfly looked just like one of those butterfly shurikens that a Ninja would use. Guess men and women do look at things differently, LOL. The picture below shows the back of the necklace - I used ribbon in matching colour to finish it off.

Hope you like the piece. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Marcie - a thank you necklace

As some of you may know, a few months ago, one of my favorite bead artists Marcie Abney had a project published in Beadwork magazine. In a question to the contributors about whom them would like to take a private lesson with, she was very kind to mention me. I didn't know about it until Mezz (a buddy of mine) saw it in the magazine and mentioned it on the Australian Beading Forum. It came as such a great surprise! Anyhow, to show my appreciation, I decided to make something for her. I asked her what her favorite colours were, and used them all in this piece. I painted the cab on a white polymer clay base, and coated it with resin. The girl is my interpretation of her in my mind's eye. One new technique I have used in this piece is hand dyeing - the lace in the base was white originally, and I dyed it manually in various colours to match the cab and the rest of the necklace. The butterfly was made with bronze clay, in which I set a couple of cubic zirconium to add some extra sparkle, then aged it with liver of sulphur. The orange rose was a resin one which I bought, and I added some highlite with gold Gilder's paste. The necklace is a little longer in real life - I tucked it up slightly at the back for photo purpose. I sent the piece off about a week ago, and today I received an email from Marcie to say that she had receive it. I'm really pleased that she likes it!

Thank you, my friend!

If you haven't visited Marcie's blog, you should! I LOVE her work. And here is the link to her blog: www.labellajoya.blogspot.com

I'm so excited!

Just have to share this with you all. A little while back I did an online interview with the lovely Arantxa from Beads Perles. Yesterday, it was published on her blog, and she was so kind to arrange for it to be the 600th interview she's published (600! What a milestone!). I've received some very positive comments, and I feel both honored and humbled, as well as a little warm and fuzzy inside.

Thank you, Arantxa dear!!!

If you haven't visited her blog - you must! The interviews and posts are both informative and very interesting to read. They have definitely broadened my horizon and introduced me to many incredibly talented bead/jewelry artists. And here is the link: http://beads-perles.blogspot.com

Greta - a necklace made for auction

I was asked a few months ago to donate a piece of jewelry for a silent auction at a fund raising event. At the time I was going away on holiday soon, so I planned to bring some beads with me, but did I remember to pack them the last minute? Anyhow, the event will be on this Saturday evening, so I started this piece two weeks ago, and finished it last night, just in time to send it in. Originally I was going to make a smaller, simpler and more wearable necklace, but I wasn't happy with how it looked, so I added a little more.... and a little more.... and a little more.... The main stones are Swarovski crystal AB, which I beaded around and set on a base of black lace. Added some diamantes, Swarovski pearls, glass pearls, seed beads, and a filigree metal stamping which was originally bright silver in colour (I painted it with acrylics, alcohol inks and Gilder's paste, and varnished it with DG3). Also made a pair of matching earrings, which I haven't included in the photos. I think it looks rather Art deco, and I'm quite happy with how it turns out. It's very sparkly in real life. Apparently this will be the only jewelry item in the auction. Must admit I'm feeling a little nervous now. Hopefully someone will bid for it on the night. Thanks for looking, and please click on the photos if you would like a larger view.

PS. Just a quick update - the necklace was sold at auction for a fantastic price. I was so relieved that someone bought it, and that I didn't have to bid for it myself, LOL.