Shh... Completed Christmas Gift

I've finished the bracelet/cuff that I've been working on for my sister's Christmas present, and I just couldn't wait to post the pictures.  You saw other photos of this earlier in my blog when I was in the early stages of making it.  I finally finished it after many, many hours of work and agonizing over it.  Honestly, there were times when I was afraid to approach it, as I feared making a mistake or not liking the final product.

Turns out that I'm pretty satisfied.  I don't think my sister reads this blog, so she's not likely to see it before Christmas.  Nobody better tell her... Dennis, that means you!

Dia de Los Muertos Final

Just a couple more skulls to end my Day of the Dead/Halloween count down.  Here is a handsome lampworked bead from Susan Lambert on Etsy:

I found this beautiful pillow by eklektick on flickr:

She is quite the artist.  Check out her other work at the flickr link above.

More Skulls - because you can never eat just one.

Here are some Day of the Dead Sugar(less) Skulls that I made from polymer clay and painted:

Happy Halloween!

Just in time for Halloween

Thought I'd post some delightful Day of the Dead skulls over the next few days, both mine and those of other artists.  Here's one from Etsy artist Ladybug9753:






And another by blogger Lampwork Diva:

That's all for now folks.  Some more in the next few days.

Works in Progress

I've been doing a lot of bead embroidery lately and have several works in progress.  At left is a doll I've been working on for about a month.  She will be a long term project, as I plan to cover the body entirely with beads.  So far about one-quarter finished.  She is symbolic of  the process of turning 50, rebirthing, and making a decision to change direction in my life.

 












Meanwhile, I'm working on a bracelet, shown below.  It's the second one I've done of this type.  The first didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, so hopefully I've learned from my errors on that one and this will be better.  It features an Olivene Swarovski Rivoli in the center, as well as other Swarovski crystals and Czech pressed glass beads.  I will eventually cut it out around the marked line and attach it to a metal cuff.

That's all for today, folks.  See you soon!

Hairy, Hairy Krishna

Here's another favorite doll from the cobwebs of my computer files.

His name is Hairy Krishna, based on the Hindu god.  He looks wise and compassionate, which is how I picture Krishna, and Krishna (among other Hindu gods) is often depicted with blue skin.  And of course the Hairy part is obvious.  He's one of my favorite creations.

Here's a close-up of his face and upper body:

The beading along his sides was a labor intensive project, as was his hair. His face is made as a mask, which fits over a head shaped out of polymer clay.  I drilled many, many holes in his head, took bundles of raffia and glued them into the holes, then laboriously combed through the raffia to make it finer in texture and make it stand out like it does.  It was a fun project and I'm really fond of this doll.

Favorite Bead of the Day (BOTD): This beauty on Etsy by Glass Addictions.  Too beautiful.  Feel free if you want to buy it for me. It's called Patterned Snakeskin Smooshed Focal Bead, but it looks like pure water to me.

Hidden Juiciness

Well, I was lamenting not having photos to share with you, dear reader, when I remembered a whole bunch of photos of work I've done that were just lurking around in the dustier corners of my computer.  Here's one of a doll I did last spring titled Our Lady of Slumber:

She has wet-felted and beaded hair, and her arms are rows of beads.  I found her a comforting doll to work with.  Her body is soft, but she is weighted at the base with shot so she can stand on her own.

















Here is a doll I call "Call to Yemanja".  She is a tribute to the Yoruban orisha Yemanja, who is a mother goddess and protector of women.  I originally had no name for this doll until a friend who saw her exclaimed "Yemanja, Yemanja!" upon seeing her.  Well, the name stuck.  Her button says "Sing", and that thing by her side, if you haven't figured it out, is a drum.  It's a bit heavy - she tends to tilt to the left.  Kinda like me.

See you soon, gentle reader.

For Starters...

Ok, it's a new blog and I have no pretty pictures yet to post.  I have been beading furiously on a doll and a bracelet, but haven't got my photo-studio-in-a-box set up to take decent pics.  And I dread to  post indecent pics ;).  So be patient - my next post will definitely include some photos of what I've been working on.  Meanwhile, thanks for visiting.

Oh, wait a minute - I have this big skull I did earlier this year with beads to look like a Day of the Dead sugar skull.  It's not my best work, but hopefully it will keep you amused. More Sugar Skulls to come (it is the season), but not like this.

Take care!