More beadwork and a Helper

I finished a few more brooches today. I've loaded them all on Etsy for now, but will take a few off later next week to restock one of my local stores who sells them. I like this little Cuppa brooch.



This is another favorite. I love labyrinths. This one is a replica of Chartres Cathedral's labyrinth.

A perfect little Spring Bee reminds us that Winter will not last forever.

And this pink Lock and Key Pendant Brooch is just waiting to unlock your keen fashion sense.

This is Arachne (on an infrequent outdoor foray) who sits on my bead table and offers her critiques.

Busy Bee

I've been busy at my bead table, working up the cabs I got from Nan. I LOVE bees. This one reminds me of the fat Queen Bumble bees that come out in the spring and fly lazily along like little B-52's.



And it won't be long efore the butterflies are here too.

This one called "Printemps" (Spring) has a little Sterling Silver honeybee.

Just in time for Valentine's Day - The Winged Heart.

And a Buffalo head for all the Buffalo Girls out there.

And finally, a little Sand Dollar and Sea Horse for all of the Mermaids.

Buidhe, my crazy-eyed cat, kept me company while I photographed the new brooches. His purr sounds like rusty machinery. We call him our Steampunk cat.

New Beadwork

I wanted to share some of the new beadwork I've been working on. The first is one of my most favorite brooches I've ever made. I used this beautiful cabochon from Spirited Earth and wrapped her in bronze netting. I call her the Empress because she reminds me of the Empress in the Tarot deck. The matte cream beads at top suggest a tiara.

The other brooch I just finished is this little Steampunk Claw Clock. I love the brass bird claws.

I just glued up a new batch of Nan's cabs to bead around, so keep an eye out for more brooches. In adition, I'm beading some small framed pieces. Busy, busy. Both of these brooches are now in my Etsy shop.

A Winner!

Cathryn from Chili Cats is the Winner of January's Give-Away.  She get to recieve this fun Cat Brooch.

Congrats Cathryn, and send me your mailing info so I can get this in the post to you.

I do a monthly Give-Away and it's easy to win. Pop over any time this month  - Leave a comment and follow my blog for a chance to win this Flying Heart Brooch with German glass center.

I've been beading some new brooches and will take some pictures in the next few days to show you what's new in my studio. I do have to admit though, that I haven't been doing as much as I should since I am on my seasonal obsession with the family tree again. I have traced one branch of my family tree back to the year 980! That's 32 generations. I have also found a wonderful new cousin in Georgia. I started working on my family tree many years ago (before internet!) to find out more about my Mother's Swiss family. Since then I have traced family to Russia, Germany, England and Scotland.What a melting pot I am! I realized why I love England so much. Some of my avorite places I visited were homes of my ancestors. And Ididn't even know at the time I traveled there.

Imagine Gallery Beadwork

I showed you some of the beautiful glass paintings that my friend Tym did recently and I've finished the beadwork around the last of them.

I love the crab (I'm a Cancer). I hung this sweet little starfish and some orange beads for accent.

I like the frog much more now that he has a beaded frame.

This one reminds me of Italy.

The dragonfly is a delicate necklace now.

I love the grapes. I was originally going to make it a brooch, but it was too heavy.

So now it is a necklace for those wine tasting tours.

Collaboration

My friend Tym owns a local gallery and I sell some of my bead work there. Last time I was in there, she showed me these beautiful glass paintings she did and asked if I'd like to make them into jewelry. So I'm beading her little vignettes and having a grand time doing it.

Here are some of the glass paintings Tym has made.

And here's a couple more that I have started to work on.

And here are two that I've finished the bead work on. The Seahorse is a brooch and the City Scene is a pendant that I will make into a necklace. These will be for sale in her Gallery - Imagine Gallery in Eugene. If you are interested in any of them, drop a line through my profile and I'll forward your inquiry to her. Check out the photos on the gallery facebook page here.

Going back to a previous blog where I showed you the baby caps I was knitting for charity....I have now made 30 of them and continue knitting one or two each evening. It's very cathartic and makes me feel a little productive while I watch the tube.

A Winner...

Congratulations to Gaby Bee for winning December's Give-Away, The Dragonfly Brooch, above. Gaby is the author of the blog, Colorful Adventures and a new friend from Germany. The brooch is winging it's way to her now and a new Give-Away is up for grabs for January.

I'm a cat lover (I have 9 of them!) and I fell in love with Nan Emmett's cat cab from her Etsy Shop, Spirited Earth. So here is a kitty I'd like to share with some lucky cat lover. The brooch is medium-large sized, perfect for a coat, shawl or handbag or pinned to hold back a light curtain.
All you have to do is add your name to my follower's list in the sidebar and leave a comment anytime in the month of January.
And as a gentle reminder for all my friends in the north, please remember to give any outdoor cats (even the wild, feral ones) thawed water and extra food during the freezing cold days and nights of winter. The animal gods will bless you.
I've been busy knitting and beading. I finished a necklace that was a collaborative piece between Nan and myself for our mutual friend, Jana in Kaui. Here it is below.

Jana is an outrageous artist herself. She sculpts beautiful forms in clay, with her inspirations coming from the nature around her. Here is a recent scupture she created.

You can see some of Jana's clay plaques at Banana Patch Studio,  here.