19-20.6.12 Victoria's Earrings

I have recently bought a peach dress that reminds me of the 20ies (but since I am not a fashion expert, don't take me to the word).

I first thought this dress is really not me. The last thing I need now is a "good girl" dress look.

However, the shop seller really loved it on me and there was some charm in it, so I made an exception and took her. It was the first time I buy myself a garment in peach.

Now, I had to fit the dress an appropriate jewel because it was really missing.

Omer helped me to choose a fitting design and the lot felt on the beautiful fan-like Victoria earrings, originally designed by Marcia DeCoster (I, II). I really like her color combination with the metallic orange seed beads and the Fuchsia Swarovski. However, I also felt in love with the version that did Patrick Duggan and that was the one I wanted to wear.

So I tried to decipher the earrings based on the picture and it went on better than I thought, until I came to made the 2nd earring.

I don't know what was wrong with me while beading the 2nd earring, but I made so many mistakes and changes comparing to the 1st earring made. I was SO disappointed to have asymmetric earrings, but was SO lazy to make another one, like the 1st one. I consulted with Omer who told me we make mistakes, this is OK and sometimes we should live with this. Trying to correct all the mistakes is not always worth. Maybe yes and maybe no.

This time, I chose to listen to him, even if I feel very bad not having a perfect symmetric pair.

Front of Earrings

Back of Earrings

Back of Earrings

15.6.12 Glass workshop with Ana Gautier

I had a nice opportunity to assist in a personal glass workshop with the talented international Glass artist, Ana Gautier. I first encountered her work about 3.5 years ago with a beautiful exhibit of her "glass balls in balls" necklace in the TLV Yanir glass gallery. She also sold there beautiful glass netted earrings that I put an eye on.

It was refreshing to experience this medium for the first time. Though I learned this specific medium of art is not for me, because it requires good drawing skills, in the air! It also requires to be cautious working with the burner. I am happy though to have a small glance into this world and can even appreciate it better now.

Above are the creations I made with the guidance of Ana. There was also a rose that broke on the way home, which is done very similarly to some Russian beaded roses I have beaded in the past.

26.5-7.6.12 Coco's 2nd Lace Workhsop (May 2012)

Beadwoven with C-lon thread and Matsuno bronze 11/0 seed beads.

Ouch.... It costed me a full 25 needles package of John James needles size 15!!!

It took me 4 times to success beading the motif without mistake. After so long I haven't been beading, that is still not so logical, but that is a fact.

I am so grateful for Coco for her endless generosity sharing this workshop (part I, II, III) on the Perles & Dent'elles blog.. THANK YOU COCO! It happened that I had finally the time to catch up and go over this blog as well as part of Coco's blog. Such beauties can be found there! I love so much these princesses jewelry.

The lace was planned  to go with a new dress I bought. However, when I tried them together, it doesn't seem to fit, because the beauty of the dress is in its V shape decolletage. It can fit another dress I have, though. 

The Workshop's  participants laces appears here.

The earrings are based on motif #2 with some personal interpretation.

Coco's 2nd Lace Necklace and earrings

20-23.5.12 Reproduction trial of BeadMatrix Automn leaves Earrings

I don't remember how I came across these leaves earrings of Catherine Ross (BeadMatrix), but for sure I found them spectacular. Maybe it was through the Etsy beadweavers challenges.

Anyway, meantime that I am at home and I can rarely find the time to bead (yes, funny how in-obvious it became), I put them in my earrings wishlist to decipher.

They were more challenging than I thought and I still didn't solve how this beautiful creation was exactly beaded.

Here is my version, which is too curly to my opinion, but Omer loves it. There are several places which I didn't find the path to, such as the area next to the earwires. Still, I love the colors very much and just love this design!

Trying to reproduce a pair made me only appreciate more what a bright mind could design and create them.

19.5.12 Reproduction of Tamar (Pavie) Keny Very long Mandala Earrings

It's been some time that I have discovered Tamar's beadwork and Micromacrame jewelry.

Tamar is a friend of a good friend of mine, but I know her only virtually.

I found her tremendously talented and I remain speechless of the color combinations she has in mind!

Too tempted by her designs, I wanted to try her very long Mandala earrings.

I had a new shirt in black and pink dots that I wanted them to fit to.

The color combination I chose are very disappointing to my opinion, since they don't fit my skin color. They are really big as well. However, I like the presence look they give, but as I said, this is not the pair for me :-(
I should try another combo some day.

17.5.12 "Flame tree earrings" published in Kalmbach "Stitch Workshop: Herringbone Stitch, Basic techniques, advanced results"

This will be the third time now that the "Flame tree earrings" are published (1st, 2nd). Here on the cover page of the Kalmbach book I've just received "Stitch Workshop: Herringbone Stitch, Basic techniques, advanced results".

The article appears on pp. 45-47

3.5.12 Beautiful flowering cactus

I thought it was the 1st time I see this cactus flowering, but discovered that one year ago, it did the same.

The following ones were pictured on 10.6.12, one of the very few days in June this year where 4 of our cactuses were flowering at the same time, but not necessarily together. Some opened only in the afternoon. It makes a feeling of such a colorful summer!