"Celebration" ~ Bead Embroidered Cuff Bracelet

"Celebration"

Many times my bead embroidery projects begin with a color choice.  Other times it's a special gemstone cabochon that I want to feature, and then I pick colors to enhance that particular piece.

With "Celebration" I turned to two printed artworks that I have saved for a few years because I loved the color combinations in both paintings.  One painting is by Thomas Cooper Gotch and it is called "The Child Enthroned." This artwork features a young girl wearing an elaborate robe and sitting on a throne with a halo behind her head. (Seen below on the bottom of the photo on the diagonal.)  The other painting is of a mother holding her sleeping infant.  This was a Christmas card, and unfortunately, I do not know the name of the artist or the title of the painting itself. [If you know, please tell me, as I'd love to know the name of the artist or the title of the painting!]

What these two paintings have in common is their similar "colorway."  Both paintings utilize the complementary colors of green and red - and in these two cases, the green leans towards turquoise, and the red leans toward orange.  The addition of a golden yellow and a creamy oyster color add to the harmony.

click on any photo to enlarge

Turquoise-green and red-orange (coral) are my two most favorite colors, so it's no surprise when I choose them for my bead embroidery.  As complementary colors, they sing in the presence of each other.  

The above photo shows the bead embroidered cuff bracelet flat on the beading foundation before it is attached to the brass cuff bracelet.  

Above photo and below photo show the finished cuff bracelet.

The central focal piece is a Jasper gemstone.  It is bezeled with turquoise colored cut crystals, topaz-gold colored cut Czech crystals, and 8 mm golden fossil beads. 

In addition, there are red glass faceted beads in a few sizes, Japanese glass Toho beads, four oval green glass cabochons, ivory luster fossil beads, two vintage green buttons, and four red-dyed Mother of Pearl buttons.

The inside of the cuff is green UltraSuede, and the outer edges of the cuff bracelet are finished off with a decorative picot edge.  

As in my other bead embroidery jewelry pieces, the backing I favor is by Nicole Campanella, and is called NBB.  Here, I used the Green Leaf color.  

For 13 additional colors of NBB, please check out her Web site at 

www.Beadwright.com

"Wandering Path" ~ Turquoise and Gold Bead Embroidered Bracelet

 "Wandering Path"

*Click photo once or twice for larger image.

"ARTiCREATE"  is a focus on my artwork that is created in originality - which is everything I do: original.  Originality is key with me ~ it's something that artists of all media should strive for and make their ultimate goal.  This is where the JOY is to be found, as well.  If you are an artist or a crafter, I encourage you to seek your own original style for the greatest satisfaction.  Learn what you need to from others who have shared their work (either in books, classes, or on-line tutorials) then spread your wings and fly solo!

Here are some photos of my recent beaded embroidered pieces, which is a current direction (and obsession) for me - as working with colorful glass beads, gemstones, and other small jewels is very much like painting, only on a very small scale.  The sewing part is not only meditative, but challenging as well.  There are no pre-set patterns or diagrams that inform my bead embroidery;  instead, my designs are chosen and evolve organically, and my favorite colors direct the whole process.  With bead embroidery, the beads are adhered to the foundation base one at a time, or at the most, two at a time.  Then a specialty thread is sent back through the beads once or twice for added strength, and to align the beads so that they are arranged in an attractive and unique construction.

The above photograph shows a beaded embroidered bracelet with glass toggle that includes turquoise gemstones, crystals glass beads, buttons, and cabochons all hand-sewn onto a foundation.  The process is addictive and very enjoyable, despite the fact that it takes days to create something this intricate. 

I hope you'll be inspired by my posts to try some of these bead embroidered projects yourself!

"Altered Vintage Watercolor Set"

This is a bit of a departure from my usual Altered Art Books, but for some time now, I've wanted to alter an old watercolor paint set.  I contacted Trina at The Paper Flea Market and she just happened to have what I was looking for!  My lucky day! 

The first two photos show what the set looked like when it arrived from Trina.

The final two photos show the set after I altered it.

As always, click on the image to enlarge it so that you can see it better.

This was a VERY fun project!

This is the outside of the vintage watercolor set from Trina at www.thepaperfleamarket.com  (Check out her Web site for some really wonderful goodies at very reasonable prices!) 
I left the outside of the set unaltered, as it wouldn't show anyway when opened - and besides, I think the real thing is pretty charming all by itself.

This photo is of the vintage watercolor set as it appeared before altering.  The round pans of watercolor slide in and out on the tin tracks.  Whomever owned this set really used it, as watercolor paint was pretty much everywhere.  I cleaned it up a bit so the paint colors wouldn't detract too much.  Still, some staining remained, but it added to the authenticity.

Pictured here is the inside of the watercolor set that was used as a palette.  I've added vintage ephemera from old advertising that depicts drawing and painting. "Learn To Draw From Home" was a popular ad back in the day. 

Here is the final altering of the vintage watercolor set.  Included are tiny tubes of watercolors that I've collected over the years that were dried up, but I couldn't bear to part with them.  Other old items include an old eraser, pencil sharpener, watercolor brush, and miniature pencil.