Other Unfinished Objects

Polymer is my primary focus, and even though my stash is overflowing with beads that I have made, that doesn't stop me from buying beads and focals elsewhere.  It is an addiction that Lord Opuson wishes I was cured of. Of course, we all know that once a beader always a beader ... give up Opuson and let me expand into the garage or maybe when we remodel that back bedroom that is just being used as a "junk room" already ...

But I stray ...

My beading buddy Karen and I visited Shipwreck Beads last week.  I just had to pick up some Preciosa Ripple beads. I have been lusting after them since I first saw them on the Shipwreck website. I started  this bracelet while watching Game of Thrones Sunday night.  

    Half way through the episode, one of Lord Opuson's old friends that we haven't seen in almost 9 years showed up on our doorstep.  What a blast it was catching up.  He had been living in Arizona but recently divorced and moved back into the area.  I am so happy for Opuson to reconnect after all this time.  

    As CJ had interrupted the episode, we got to watch it again later.  That gave me a chance to finish it all in one evening. It looked a bit sparse with only the ripple beads, so I added a few floral beads to plump it out.

I have had this ceramic focal for some time, the glaze reminded me of frosted window panes on winter nights in my childhood home. My folks had no central heat in those days and our upstairs bedrooms would get sooooo cold at night.  At the time, I did not appreciate beauty of the winter wonderland right outside my bedroom window (teenage ennui and all that growing up stuff ....).  Now I wish I could look out at night and see a ceiling of stars painted from one side of the sky to the other... too many lights in the city now.
    I finally found beads to pair with it.  The crackles really add the perfect touch.

Winter Frost

I also got some earrings finished, but that will wait till my next posting.  Have to finish the laundry, or there will be nothing to wear to work.

Sutton Slice

I was looking over some of the pieces I brought home from the PC cruise, wondering why I have not blogged about them before now.  I got very lucky during the door prize drawings to win not one, but two, of Lisa Pavelka's demo pieces.

 The first is a hollow bead she made as a demo of a foil and stamp technique.  The picture does not do it justice. It is soooo Shiny

 This focal is from her demo of the Sutton Slice.  She used a Skinner blend as the background and inserted a lovely crystal in the center.

 I tried my hand at a hollow focal, and made this shiny bead.  It has been a while since the cruise, so I don't remember if I used foil or mica powder to achieve the coloring.  From some of the smudgy coloring in the middle of the piece, it think it was mica powders.

I thought I would try my hand at the Sutton Slice Technique and just used a bit of left over clay I had sitting around on the table.  I wish I'd had more scrape, as I really like the look of these beads. Note the "bleeding" of the ecru into the purplish color on the second from the top bead. I LOVE that effect, have absolutely no idea why it happened and will probably never get it to happen again.

These beads were finished with wax rather than my usual Kato LC finish (unfortunately for me, I could smell the wax now that my cold is over)

Reminds me of Batik fabric

After this initial success, I tried another Sutton slice with different colors and texture sheet.  Again I used left over clay so these are all of this set. These I finished using Kato LC.

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I liked the purple beads so well, that I thought I would try the technique again with green. Since the original beads made me think of batik, I decided to put faux stitches around the tops of the bead. Again, it used wax to finish, since I like the softer shine it gives. Just wish it didn't smell so bad.

Hey, not bad.  Two blog entries in a week's time.  Maybe I am over my slump.

This Friday I am going to visit my favorite show of the year - RAGS.  I have found some of my favorite OOAK pieces there.  Last year I meet another PC artist and had a great time talking polymer. I hope she is back this year.  And RAGS supports a great cause ... the YWCA's shelter for abused women and their children.

I can be so forgetful at times

Yesterday I went to what I consider the best bead show held in our area each year, the Northwest Bead Society Bead Bazaar.  I just don't say that because in the past my Polymer Clay Guild has had a table there, but because it features local artists.  It is a joy to purchase a OOAK bead from the maker  ... I get a thrill from talking to them, finding common ground, comparing notes, delving into their thought processes and feeding a little off their energy and love for their art (in a good way, like a root beer float on a warm day).
   I work mostly in polymer, but that doesn't mean that I don't like, and to be truthful, some what crave other medias, esp. glass.  I was just starting to learn glasswork beads when I had what the Dr referred to as a venous occlusion in my right eye (in other words, a mini stroke).  That blew my depth perception as now I have a "bumpy" retina and I can no longer focus well enough to see where to add stringers, etc to the glass.  Big Bummer..... as I LOVED working in glass, and so I am reduced to admiring the work of others and bringing it home with me whenever I find anything I can't live without.
   And so it comes to the title of today's blog .... While at the NWBS show I found the table set up by Fire and Rain, a local glass bead group.  There were 17 artists represented and I spent quite some time talking and ohhing at all the pretties.  I bought a few but I totally SPACED on getting names or business cards of any of the artists.  All I have is their initials on the tags attached to the beads.  I went to their website hoping to find names to match the initials, but no luck there. Here is what I brought home, with apologies to the makers for not being able to give them credit

This reminds me of Van Gogh's Starry Night, even if.the
color's aren't the same. Bead by D.P.

The color of this glass is called Krytonite.  Reminds me of
Jade.  Beads by E.H.

These guys are just too cute for words.  By C.M,

But my favorite bead was by F.W.  I fell in love with the color, the texture and flow of the design.  After purchasing it, I had to find coordinating beads as I wanted to string it right away. That was another delightful hour going from table to table (like I really needed an excuse! ya, right).  I found the lovely Vera Wieland of Cave Dweller Beads who helped me pick the colors for the companion beads (this time I got a name ... still don't know why I spaced at Fire and Rain). Vera specializes in making well priced beads to compliment focals and does a great job at it.

I wish I knew who F.W. is.  I love her work.

Temporary stringing job,  just to see how they play out.
Don't Vera's beads go great, like they were made for it.

Leaf Bead Focals

Finally got around to finishing the Leaf Bead Focals I started a few weeks ago. Now that all the beads are made, I just need to figure out how to string them. This is not my strong suit but I am determined to finish the project, not let it linger as a UFO in my drawer.

Side 1

Side 2

Now off to finish packing for my Christi Friesen workshop weekend.  Meeting her at the airport tomorrow and driving her up to the San Juans. Hoody-Hoo! Am I ever excited. So far no signs of my hubbie's stomach flu so am crossing all fingers and toes that I don't get sick.