The Beading Yogini

A rare, quick peek at one of my non-bead, non-jewelry related activities.

As my brother once said, “if a person loved you this much it would suffocate you.”

Once in a while I give myself permission to play and drag out almost every type of material that I can think of to create a beautiful mess. I holed up in my art studio and hunkered down for a few hours of sheer bliss and created some metal pendants using cold connection techniques. The hotter it gets outside, the more cold connecting I do. The more tools I get to use, the better I enjoy the whole process (until clean up time.) When I get into this state, there is barely room to walk around and every surface is covered with some type of supplies. I tend to be a hunter and gatherer of potential projects and then let them sit until I either :

1. Finish them

2. Procrastinate about them

3. Rework them

4. Deconstruct them

5. Rinse

6. And repeat...

Never one to just sit idle, even when I’m really busy, I can’t not fuss with some project. The buttons for this challenge were no exception. I had to pull out the drill and add a few more holes for the earrings and then I decided to alter the large royal blue button. I used some  embossing powders, green and bronze, so just a hint of the royal blue  from the original color is still showing. Again, my standby of knots and some turquoise seed beads to complete this macrame and button necklace/wrap around bracelet. I love things that have added value and dual function. Wear it as a necklace or wear it as a bracelet. Thanks to Cindy Wimmer at Sweet Bead Studio for hosting this blog hop and swap. And thanks to my partner Jeannie Dukic for some great buttons.

Here is the Button Swap participant list:

Alice Peterson  and Kim Bender

Angie Blasingame and Billi R.S. Rothove

 Billi R.S. Rothove and Angie Blasingame

 Birgitta Lejonklou and Pam Farren

 Bonnie Coursolle and Tania Hagen

 Brenda Salzano and Hope Smitherman

 Cat Kerr and Heather Powers

 Cece Cornier and Jeannie Dukic

 Celeste Thurston and Christine Damm

 Christine Damm and Celeste Thurston

 Christine Stonefield and Dana James

 Cilla Watkins and Lori Bowring Michaud

 Cindy Wimmer and Mimi Gardner

 Cynthia Machata and Julia Johnson

 Cynthia Riggs and Lori Finney

 Dana James and Christine Stonefield

Diana Ptaszynski and Erin Prais-Hintz

 Emma Thomas and Rebecca Anderson

 Erin Prais-Hintz and Diana Ptaszynski

 Erin Siegel and Sharon Borsavage

 Heather Powers and Cat Kerr

 Holly Westfall and Sally Russick

 Hope Smitherman and Brenda Salzano

 Jayne Capps and Kim Dworak

 Jeannie Dukic and Cece Cornier

 Jenna Meyers and Kristi Harrison

 Jenna Tomalka and Karen McKillip

 Jenny Davies Reazor and Sandi Volpe

 Julia Johnson and Cynthia Machata

 Kalaya Steede and Kylie Dickman

 Karen McKillip and Jenna Tomalka

 Karen Mitchell and Renetha Stanziano

 Karla Morgen and Mary Govaars

Kay Thomerson and Shannon Chomanczuk

 Kim Ballor and Laurel Steven

 Kim Bender and Alice Peterson

 Kim Dworak and Jayne Capps

 Kim Roberts and Partner unable to participate at this time.

 Kristi Harrison and Jenna Meyers

 Kylie Dickman and Kalaya Steede

 Kym Hunter and Lynda Moseley

 Laurel Steven and Kim Ballor

 Linda Djokic and Patty Gasparino

 Line Labrecque and Teri Baskett

 Liz DeLuca and Lorelei Eurto

 Lorelei Eurto and Liz DeLuca

 Lori Anderson and Niky Sayers

 Lori Bowring Michaud and Cilla Watkins

 Lori Finney and Cynthia Riggs

 Lynda Moseley and Kym Hunter

 Marianna Boylan and Tracy Statler

 Mary Govaars and Karla Morgen

 Mary Harding and Stacie Florer 

 Maureen Baranov and Tracy Bell

 Melissa Martin and Theresa Fosdick

 Michelle Hardy and Peggy Johnson

 Mimi Gardner and Cindy Wimmer

 Nicole Valentine Rimmer and Niki Meiners

 Niki Meiners and Nicole Valentine Rimmer

 Niky Sayers and Lori Anderson

 Pam Farren and Birgitta Lejonklou

* Pam Ferarri and Stefanie Teufel (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Patty Gasparino and Linda Djokic

 Peggy Johnson and Michelle Hardy

 Rebecca Anderson and Emma Thomas

 Rebekah Payne and Sue Kennedy

 Renetha Stanziano and Karen Mitchell

 Rose Binoya and Shanti Johnson

 Sally Russick and Holly Westfall

 Sandi Volpe and Jenny Davies Reazor

 Shannon Chomanczuk and Kay Thomerson

 Shanti Johnson and Rose Binoya

 Sharon Borsavage and Erin Siegel

 Shirley Moore and Veralynne Malone

 Stacie Florer and Mary Harding

* Stefanie Teufel and Pam Ferarri (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Sue Hamel and Terry Carter

 Sue Kennedy and Rebekah Payne

 Tania Hagen and Bonnie Coursolle

 Tania Spivey and Teresa Gagne

 Teresa Gagne and Tania Spivey

 Teri Baskett and Line Labrecque

 Terry Carter and Sue Hamel

 Theresa Fosdick and Melissa Martin

 Tracy Bell and Maureen Baranov

 Tracy Statler and Marianna Boylan

 Veralynne Malone and Shirley Moore

Italian’s House at Monmarte by Maurice Utrillo

Oil on panel, 53 x 76 cm

(color palette courtesy of Brandi Hussey)

Apparently Mr. Utrillo liked to paint ordinary houses, so I took that as my cue for my design for the May Art Bead Scene Challenge. If you’ve stopped by here before, you may be aware of my fondness for repurposing found objects. I decided to build a house for my focal bead using old metal storage tins, a flat metal spacer, lampwork glass head pin, wire, jump rings and tiny nuts and bolts. Since my own ordinary home is my sanctuary and holds my heart and soul safely, I decided to finish this necklace off with a heart shaped clasp. I also had to make a simple pair of glass lampwork earrings to complete the set. See what others have created for this challenge at the flickr group and thanks for stopping by.

Here’s the reveal day for the One Crayon Color Challenge. Thanks to Sally Russick for hosting the hop.

I’m not sure why I selected the color orange. I’m really fond of certain shades and tones of orange, mainly rust colors, but flat out orange always seems a bit too bright and obnoxious to me. While scouting out some information about the color orange, here’s what I found out:

Orange is a power color. It is one of the healing colors. 

Put some orange in your life when you want:

• to spice things up when you feel time is dragging

• to become more involved in something

• to increase creativity

• relief from things becoming too serious    

Wearing orange during times of stress, or shock can help to balance your emotions. It can bring about the willingness to embrace new ideas with enjoyment and a sense of exploration and creative play (excerpted from http://crystal-cure.com/orange.html.)

My interpretation of the April Monthly Art Bead Scene Challenge. 

The real challenge these days is trying to find some time to create. The shortage of time does seems to help me focus and hone down the design process. Nothing too elaborate here with this necklace, but I think it captures the theme of the painting.

Boreas by John William Waterhouse, 1903

Called Boreas after the north wind in Greek mythology, the work shows a young girl in a windswept landscape. In 1904 the Royal Academy notes described the subject as: “In wind-blown draperies of slate-colour and blue, a girl passes through a spring landscape accented by pink blossom and daffodils”.

Materials used, jump rings, C-Lon cord, silk sari ribbon, lampwork glass beads, recycled metal tin, head pins, mesh chain, seed beads and toggle clasp.

Take a peek at other designs on the flickr group.

A quick update and a peek at the buttons that I received from my Button Swap partner Jeannie at jkdjewelry

What can I say, gorgeous packaging…

and beautiful polymer clay buttons to work with…

Now, what to create with these buttons?

Thanks to Cindy, host of the Button Swap Blog Hop at  Sweet Bead Studio.

I can’t believe that it’s almost Easter and I’ve only had time to create one necklace since early March. No time to melt glass, play, or even read very much. On the flip side, I get to be outside everyday, enjoy nature, meet people from around the globe, and on most days my puppies can accompany me to work. I also have the nicest boss and co-workers on the planet. And did I mention the short commute? Approximately a three minute walk… that is if the puppies and I don’t get distracted chasing rabbits out of the cactus patches.

I do love to blog hop and am participating in yet another blog hop swap. This time around it’s a button swap, and the ring leader is Cindy Wimmer from Sweet Bead Studio. My partner for this round is Jeannie from jkdjewelry. Stay tuned for future posts.

The Art Bead Scene Challenge for the month of March was painted by one of my favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh. I admit, I’ve never been to France, but I did have a pen pal from Paris when I was a youngster. The correspondence didn’t last very long. I didn’t know French and she didn’t know English. So it goes. Later on, I did study French in high school and I remember certain phrases, but I’m far from conversational with it. I do like the sound of it and would travel to France if the opportunity ever presents itself. Meanwhile, I’ll just travel vicariously via art and paintings and hang out in the Mojave eating bonbons and sipping french wine.

Street Scene in Montmartre: Le Moulin a Poivre by Vincent Van Gogh

Oil on canvas

34.5 x 64.5 cm.

Paris: February-March, 1887