29.6.08 Fixing Annie's Swarovski Ring

Before:

Before (side view):
After (front view):
After (side view):
This fixing elevated highly my Adrenalin level. I suggested myself to fix this ring and started by reproducing the motif with simple 11 and 8 seed beads (not shown here). To my surprise, it was very easy to figure it out. I then took the scissors, cut all the ring to pieces and made it denovo, with black 11 Japanese SB, after thorough cleaning of the crystals and multicuts (with smoked Fireline thread). I also changed the pattern of the ring sides using the originals materials of the ring. Now, I like the way it shines again ...

:-]

29.6.08 Recent Presents from Mom and Dad

Masada lampwork amphores.

Tiny Japaneese Charlottes from Paris ("Tout A Loisirs") and some delicas.

27.6.08 Filigree flower Ring for Raffaella (Variation 3)

Oggi, era l'ultima lezione d'Italiano di quest'anno e mi sentito di scrivere in Italiano. Ho regalato questo violetto anello a mia cara insegnante d'Italiano, Raffaella. Penso che era felice, perfino se non sono stata sicura se gli piace queste colori. Adesso, fa tre anni che impariamo l'Italiano con lei (Le due primi anni, una volta per settimana e quest'anno una volta ogni due settimane). Spero continuare e mi miglioramentare insieme miei amici.
La schema del fiore apparisce nel libro "The Beader's Floral" pagina 38-40, variazione 3.

Ciao e buon weekend a tutti,
Judith

26.6.08 Filigree Flower Ring for Mom (Variation 1)

The flower was done according to the "Peyote Stitch Filigree flower (Variation 1)" from The Beader's Floral Book (p.38-39). I also added some embellishments to the flower and I think the final result looks quiet good. Hope it will suit mom since I did it a bit large this time, maybe even too large. Let's see...

25.6.08 Orchid Ring

The orchid was done following a scheme from the Beader's floral book by Liz Thornton and Jill Devon (p.74-75).

24.6.08 Veres Zsuzsi' s Triangle

Reproduced based on Veres Zsuzsi's Triangle

22.6.08 Blue & Gold Pinwheel Earrings for Lior

18.6.08 Orange Pinwheel Earrings

13.6.08 Evolution of Flat Circular Pinwheel Earrings

A dear friend kindly taught me the technique of the flat circular pinwheel inspired by June Huber's Peyote Pinwheel Earrings.

I started the first pink pinwheel with 11/0 JP SB, 11/0 JP triangles, 6/0 CZ SB and 6/0 CH SB. Though I made some mistakes I was curious to see how this pinwheel evolves. I finished the pink pinwheel and started a new one with different sizes and colors. This time, I took turquoise SB; 15/0 JP SB, 11/0 CZ SB, 11/0 JP SB and 8/0 JP SB. It looked good and I kept on beading another pinwheel for the second earring. When I saw that 2 pinwheels together gives also a very nice result for an earring , I just sewed them together to these new earrings with a shape that reminds me of an arabesque motive.

Thank you very much my dear friend for the motivation, inspiration and explanations!

12.6.08 Apricot Jam with Lavender...

Looking for a refreshing Jam recipe for plenty of ripen apricots, I found on the net a recipe of an apricot jam with lavender. Sounds interesting. I asked Omer to lead me to some lavender bushes in the Faculty of Agriculture and the jam was on its way.

If you are interested to try, it has a French version and English one.

To tell the truth, my jam is not a big success, it has a soapy taste and it came out too liquid and too sour. Though I tried for the first time the frozen plate test, it apparently went wrong somewhere... Too much lemon, too much lavender flowers, too little sugar and cooking???

5.6.08 Oothecal Bede - Designed by Rachel Nelson Smith

:-) one year ago, I did a ring to suit Rachel Nelson Smith's Ootheca cuff I made, I then took a picture on the same plant, which was in blossom at the same period...
This time, I tried Rachel's Oothecal Bede beaded bead, I think the result is quiet similar and just to get a sense of its proportions, here is how it looks on my fingers...

2.6.08 The ugly red hair lady who put too much lipstick

I was trying to make one of Valerie Hector's tubular polygons ( the triangular cube, p.108-109 in her book "The Art of Beadwork") when it became a beaded bead that I didn't know what to do with. So I just kept on and one end of the beaded bead became a skirt, then a ball dress and finally an ugly red hair lady with too much lipstick on her lips (French 18/0 vintage rocaille seed beads). Ugly work, the white thread is sticking out, but a good study on 3D sculptural beadwork (my first freeform sculpture).

After making this lady, I recalled that Svetlana has written a post on that subject recently ("Beading with Humor"). Few days ago, I just ran through that post and didn't have time to indepth the subject properly. But now, I was curious to check it out to see if there was in common between my lady and those 3D beaded persons.

I put below links to fantastic 3D beaded characters, I recommend you to visit:

Liz Manfredini - "Naked Angel"

Theresa Biagioli - "Fairy Day Dreams"

Joyce J. Scott - "The Gatherer"

Joyce J. Scott - "Oh Hell No!" also here

Joyce J. Scott - "Mama Loves Green"
Joyce J. Scott - "Spirit Twins"

Joyce J. Scott - " I left my life for you"

Joyce J. Scott - "You have to get new jokes because black aren't the largest minority anymore"

Joyce J. scott - "Vaulted" and see more of Joyce J. Scott's in the same gallery and also this man with this watermelon. There is surely much more, but I unfortunately don't know about one place/book that gathers Joyce J. Scott fabulous and genius work that I wish I could see one day.

David K. Chatt - "Confrontation in the Green Room" Woow! I wish I can see in reality this supreme masterpiece one day!

Sig Wynne Evans - Collectibles - 5 gallery pages with plenty of funny peyote beaded persons, go check it out!

Killing two birds with one stone, I had today a visit of a nice Turtle Dove bird (Streptopelia turtur) תור מצוי. Isn't it pretty?