28.7.09 PentArum Flower inspired from "mpetit" Arum

The back side:

I composed this flower with 5 "Arum" units and a small peyote bell in its center.
Thanks to Varda for addressing my attention to this interesting scheme that I would have completely skipped otherwise, thanks to Ronit for bringing the links and thank you Monique/mpetit for your kind sharing of your design for this interesting Arum in HDPS forum.

Each Arum takes about 15 mn to complete.

25.7.09 A WE with Tamar & Sarah in Jerusalem

Tamar and Sarah were so happy to be with their grandma. When I first saw them, they were jangling in the small swimming pool on the flowering balcony, inviting me to join.
I preferred not too, its not exactly my size... Anyway, after this refreshing afternoon they looked so cute for Shabat, that I decided I must take some pictures of them. So... I want to show off :-)

Sarah and her adopted "dubonet" (female teddy bear):

Sarah and Tamar posing to the camera:

Tamar found the camera a very attractive toy. To be honest, I was surprised of the very good pictures she took (look below at one of them). That was so fun seeing her so enthusiastic, trying to catch in her scoop all the street flowers. She even mentioned later a flower she recognized as the same as a pair of flower earrings I made to mom, but to be honest, I am not sure what this cute girl calling me the "Queen of beads" was talking about :-[

23.7.09 Flower Focal designed by Julia Gerlach

Originally, this flower was supposed to be designed as a columbine flower. However, Julia Gerlach came out with another beautiful design based on the flat RAW (pp.74-76 in Bead and Button special issue: Beading Basics: Right-Angle Weave). I really like this design and shape, but I didn't keep on with the spurs and prefered to leave it this way. If you are experienced with RAW, each petal takes about 10-15 mn.
Now that I looked at it, it reminds of the filigree flower I did a year ago, but I think this one is much more impressing and beautiful in its shape, proportion and design .

22.7.09 BluemenToggle designed by Holle Randy

I encountered this design of Holle Randy in her blog post and shop and had to try it. I like very much the shape and colors. However, during the work I felt that beadweaving it required a lot of tension - or maybe I used a different way which made it like this...
I like the idea it can become a toggle/earring/pendant, but I haven't decided yet what to do with it.

21.7.09 Nasturtium Flower designed by Sandra D. Halpenny

You will find the instructions for this nice and small flower at this link.
I realized that the way I have tried this Nasturtium flower a few months ago, is far from the elegant way Sandra D. Halpenny designed it. I really like the way Sandra designs her creations and would say they present for me an intellectual challenge. Additionally I admire the way she always find the shortest and heuristic pathway with the thread. I feel as if there is a lot of mathematics behind it and a good knowledge of the beading techniques.
The flower looks simple but it takes a while (around an hr, but it also depends on the type of beads you are using, in respect of their hole size).
How did Svetlana have the patience to do so many of them?????

20.7.09 Beaded Flower designed by Sandra D. Halpenny

Together with my friend, I made this small variant of Sandras' cool and flowing Beaded Flower.

18-20.7.09 Papilio machaon syriacus פרפר זנב סנונית נאה

18.7.09

We were in Bat Shlomo, when Omer noticed these beautiful pupa and caterpillars on the same bush. When we came back home, we read that it was a Papilio machaon syriacus.

Look at this belt!19.7.09The caterpillar is preparing the "belt" and checking well that it can bear him for the time he will become a pupa:
20.7.09: Now he is waiting and wondering... soon he will become a pupa.

There it is! Unfortunately I missed this step, it happened very quickly while I was beading with my friend.
and this is the leftovers of his caterpillar period:

Here are some more pictures from Omer's parent garden:

Ciao!

7.7.09 Iris Earrings based on Emily Hackbarth Design

Woow, now I realize that I started beading 2 years and 9 months ago. Time flies! Help!
Anyway, in December 2006, I tried the Iris free project from this link, designed by Emily Hackbarth. However, at that time I was using chinese seed beads and that made things quiet impossible. I struggled then to make one earring but it was not even close to what it should have been. There was even another attempt somewhere, sometime, but it got stuck somewhere.

These days I am trying to convince myself that if I have no special idea to bead, than I had better try to finish some of my zillion unfinished projects. So....... I took this project and I made it! Two earrings (even if you don't see them in the picture ;-) )! Well, it took me three full afternoon-evenings to accomplish that from zero (~12 hrs?) and Omer had the great idea that I should take it one step further and make some green parts. YEPI, I am glad.

By the way, does anyone know if Emily has a gallery or blog? Her designs are so nice and I am curious to see her creations.

5.7.09 A second variation on ILDES Yasmine Ring

This time the diameter of the Rivoli was 14mm and I used 36 11/0 delicas to start the cabochon. I wanted to reproduce Ildes' Yasmine Ring with 6 bumps, following the 5 bumps ring I have already made. However, I found the cabochon too "gold" and had to add some decoration in the center to smooth the gradient of brown and gold. I also replaced the back swarovski crystals with ~8/0 Czech seed beads since they are not seen anyway.
From some distance I can imagine a brown turtle, but this is only my imagination hmm...

4.7.09 The Brainstorming Kite Spiral

This Peyote spiral is a fruit of an interesting brainstorming we had in our Israeli Beading Commune around a Russian scheme of a Spiral done with a "French Flower Beading Technique" (2 needles crossovers). RuthyK addressed our attention to this spiral scheme which is very unclear to my opinion and it is nice how it pushed us to create beautiful variations around the same final shape.
Trying to decipher this unclear scheme, Ronit Florence came out with a beautiful increase/decrease RAW Spiral, using a peyote design by Ginger Ausband as the central motif:

I later on reproduced a module of such a RAW spiral in order to experience this technique of increase/decrease in Right Angle Wave:

Whereas Iris also did an interesting work while trying to experience the increase/decrease RAW Spiral. Since she found it a bit too long, she thought that maybe using peyote would give a very similar effect ,but would be much quicker.
I like this thought :-)

and when I saw these 2 variations one next to the other, I also decided to try the peyote way.

Since I got bored after the first module, I kept on with the modules, each time increasing it a bit more. From then on, the spiral went quiet quickly and I finished it during a weekend. I think it would have taken me a month if I had to do Ronit's spiral in RAW ;-)
It took some time till I accomplished the project since I had to obtain magnetic clasps.

Finally, if you ask why did I call it "The Brainstorming Kite Spiral"? You will surely guess it's because of the kites and deltoid shapes of which it reminds me...
Though I don't know what will I do with this spiral, since I am not so fond of it. I have no clothes to which it can suit and no idea what can go on well with it, I still want to Thank you warmly girls for the interesting process you lead me through. Hugzzzz....