Blue Ornament D

The second in the series of blue ornaments for my tree has more silver rounds on it than the first. The back is particularly reflective and sparkly.

The dangles are frosted barrel beads.

12-08 >>MPK

New Photo Coming Soon!

Blue Ornament C

A blue and silver ornament for my tree - the first of several. A porcelain cabochon surrounded by silver plated cubes, bugles, and blue cat's eye glass beads. On the back side are silvery bead caps with the cat's eye beads inside - like little flowers.

12-08 >>MPK

New Photo Coming Soon!

Golden Ornament B

This is the second beaded ornament I have made. They're not what you thought they'd look like, huh?
They were scanned and they are rather thick, so the detail isn't there, but they're shiny and reflective anyway. I'm rather pleased with the way these came out. 11-08 >>MPK

New Photo Coming Soon!

Golden Ornament A

This is the first ornament I have made with bead embroidery and one of my porcelain Rhomb cabochons. I surrounded it withsilver-lined beads of gold, red, and green.
11-08 >>MPK
New Photo Coming Soon!

Buying Beads Part 1

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been buying beads. Not a real binge, actually, just perusing my stash and seeing what I have used and what I "need". Seed beads are always in the "need" column because that constitutes the bulk of my work. I have enough cabochons to see me through a bit, especially counting the porcelain ones. And yet I continue to look for those which I don't have. At a show recently I was talking to a couple of other beaders and the question was posed: do we need what we buy or we just hoarding?
Having experienced the "aha!" moment in designing beading projects several times recently I remembered some advice I saw in a home decorating how-to book in which the designer advised that if you are careful and decorate your home only with the best of what you pick out - it will all "go together" because it will be "yours". He insisted that everyone has a style that is personal and comfortable. The trick, if there is one, is to be choosy about what you use.
Buying beads for me is like that decorating advice. I buy the best of what I like. I know that if I continue to do this, things will fall together and a design will be born in a tray somewhere.

A Pause

Hi! I am taking a little break and catching up on some other projects which have been accumulating on my work table. I have been making Holiday Ornaments which don't scan well; so don't think these hands and those beads have been idle!!
There will be more as soon as I can do them!
10-08
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Round Dance

And now, for something completely different: no embroidery, only stitching!

This bracelet is round brick stitch with faceted Czech fire-polished and AB treated 10mm blue beads in the center of each circle. There are a variety of beads in here - from matte and shiny Japanese and Czech #11s to some purple lined aqua cubes and fluorescent 1971 vintage hot pink 3mm rounds. The color of those isn't nearly as bright as they really are - the fault of the scanner. ( I know they're 1971 beads because they're from the oldest part of my stash!) There are cat's eye rounds too, blue and aqua. The bracelet is fastened cuff style with a sew-on snap so that the circles do not overlap. I enjoyed making this bracelet and will design other pieces using these brick-stitch circles. 9-08 >>MPK

New Photo Coming Soon!

Imperial Cream

A beautiful green cabochon of Imperial Jasper from Mexico is the centerpiece of this bracelet. It is surrounded by natural fossil stone round beads and selected Ocean Jasper pebbles. There are some tiny AB beige Czech #15 beads scattered around the center stone and the remainder paved with matte cream #11 beads. The pale green stone cabochon is so highly polished that it reflects the sky in the photo, The clasp is an Ocean Jasper bead. When laying out the design, I opted for not wanting competing color in the remainder of the bracelet. I find pastel colors difficult: it is too easy to turn them into baby rainbows or something The Easter Bunny would drool over. I think I avoided that with this bracelet, though. 9-08 >>MPK

Rainbow Fest

Inevitably, I would have done a rainbow bracelet - in fact now that I have, there might be more! The central tile is one I made in porcelain with a very glossy red glaze. It is surrounded by matte #11 beads from Shipwreck. It is a holiday in colors!!

August, 08. >>MPK

Mares in Motion

From ancient times, the horse has symbolized strength, freedom, and grace in motion. It was often used to evoke the power and beauty of the sea, as some legends say that the horse was born of the sea. This triple horse design is Celtic in origin, echoed by the oceanic lines of the beadwork, and surrounded by knotwork. The twisted bugles and the #11 beads are Czech. To either side of the central porcelain tile, made by me, are beads of azurite/malachite and dark blue dyed pearls. Separating these are green iridescent cubes. Both the color and texture are watery in nature. Completed August 08. >>MPK

Stormy North

Nothing says "winter" to me quite like Howlite. This beautiful cabochon was picked up in an Ohio rockshop several years ago. It is surrounded with howlite pebbles and rectangle logs, as well as frosted white and gunmetal grey #11 beads. The clasp is a howlite bead. Since I made it in August 08, this was just a little mental air conditioning! >>MPK

Mentha Latte

This bracelet features one of my porcelain cabochons in a fabulous glaze called "Cappuchino Mint". The companion pebbles are Ocean Jasper, selected to bring out the minty green of the glaze. The body of the bracelet is paved with matte #11 beads and is meant to recall the creamy froth of a smooth hot drink. Mmm; have a sip... >>MPK

Flamingo Teal

This uniquely shaped bracelet features one of my porcelain cabochons. Surrounding it are salmon colored round dyed coral beads and blue dyed coral nuggets. The matte teal #11 beads come from Shipwreck Beads. The clasp is a magnetic square set on a point. At first, the idea was to "capture" the cabochon in a netting of #15 beads but I didn't want to obscure the tiny splashes of blue and tan. Perhaps I'll try that concept on another bracelet. 8-08 >>MPK

Cream of the Prom

Cream silk, and Swarovski crystals; a special dress for a special lady and some special jewels to compliment. The center cabochon is Osmina shell, surrounded by #15 cream Czech beads. The radiant design is with cream rice-shaped pearls and clear Swarovski Crystals. Nuggets of Mother-of-pearl are to either side of center. and the movement and sparkle are from short fringes of beads with one crystal on each end. The clasp is a golden toggle and ring. Completed 4/08 >>MPK

Ancient Spirit

On a recent trip to Ohio I visited a flea market and spied a broken and badly treated silver bracelet in a box. The price was very reasonable, so, "Mexico Sterling" treasure in hand, I planned what I would do with it. My original plan was to use the small turquoise cabochons in an embroidery. Upon closer observation, I realized that what I had wasn't a bracelet, but a watch band; sans watch and including a functioning adjustable clasp. I planned to use the Mexican Turquoise cabochon in the center, it was cut by D. Aikman. I wanted the color to stand out, since polishing the silver up seemed to be hopeless without damaging either the little cabs or their fragile settings. The #11 beads and the bugle beads are Czech. Since I already had a working clasp, I didn't need to add any metallic beads; indeed didn't want to, since I probably couldn't match up the old silver color anyway. The sections were held together by hinged pins, some of which were broken. I removed the remainder, and began to lay out the design. The sections with the coil-like tubes for the watch spring rods proved problematic. I couldn't cleanly cut the coils off them without possibly damaging the settings, and they stuck out. Also, all the sections were curved and I had to flatten them. Very gently. Once I laid out the design and had the major parts attached, my son commented that it reminded him of a Thunderbird motif. So I went with that idea, adding "wings" to either side of the large cabochon. An Ancient Spirit and a favorite souvenir was born. Completed 7/08 >>MPK

A Sense of Place

The central cabochon in this wide bracelet is a rare piece of

Pennsylvania Agate cut by MacNeil. It is accented by beads and chips of Baltic Amber from Poland. The clasp bead is Black Jasper from India. In the black areas of the design are matte black bugle hexs and shiny black Czech hexs. The overall design is accented by silver beads.The bracelet sits on the wrist such that the stone is centered, but the swirl design calls to mind something in constant motion. Very dramatic!! Completed 7/08 >>MPK

Royal Mosaic

This bracelet started with the beads rather than the central element. The #11 Frosted Russet Multi beads have fascinated me since I first laid eyes on them years ago, especially in combination with natural materials. I find them subtle, but always changing: never boring! The central cabochon is Fancy Jasper from India with a few red specks. I surrounded it with Fancy Jasper nuggets and Tiger Eye cubes. The clasp button is a Fancy Jasper bead. I built up the #11 beads into little fringes for texture and movement. Completed 7/08. >>MPK

Katie Didn't, But She Often Thought About It

This fresh bracelet features one of my porcelain faces; a dreamy creature quite the subject of the insect gossip on hot August nights. The green/brown bead mix is layered and speckled with various chips of stone. The button clasp is a green-dyed shell button. If Katie did or didn't while hiding in the forest, we may never know. Completed 7/08. >>MPK

Autumn Bounty

In February of 07, I wanted to make myself a necklace using the strip panel technique. The central element is a moss agate slice with an interesting shape that looked to me like an opening hand. So the motif is the smaller stones "tumbling out of" that piece. Here again, as is so common with purples, the scanner does not do the colors justice. The color is more toward the rosy-red, especially the area just below the opening of the moss agate piece. That section is actually a matte golden red. There are agate and jasper beads of golden, brown and vasilene green as well as several bronze colored pearls. I love wearing this piece. >>MPK

Bracelet to Necklace

This piece was completed in 10/07. I had purchased several small cabochons at a mineral show and was thinking that I wanted something autumnal in color and nature. Since I had completed the felt bracelets, my idea was to try some commercial beading felt and make a strip bracelet in the same manner as those. I cut a strip and laid out the cabs. I was thinking in terms of a vine with the cabs being fruits. I glued down and then bezeled the cabs with #15 black beads, one by one. Then I used amazonite chips to create "vines" in between them. Building on those elements, I added strips or rows of the brown and copper beads, adding carnelian chips to fill in the inconvenient gaps. When I was done with the strip, I discovered that it was a bit too long for a bracelet and besides, I thought the design screamed out for a fringe somewhere. I showed it to Mom and she looked at it and put it up to her neck and commented that it would make a nice necklace - sorta like a tie.

That was it.

The chain is a coppery mesh men's neck chain added from something else. The dark color is perfect with the piece. >>MPK

Merino 1 & 2

These are bracelets that I made in June, 07. During one afternoon, Annie L. conducted a class on felting in her home. The black and color felted bracelet bases are what I made there. I held on to the strips for a couple of weeks, trying to decide what to do with them. After I found some matte black #15s, I decided to embroider onto #1. The color of the felt is actually dyed wool roving that is applied onto black roving and then felted, basically shrunk, onto it using a combination of soap, hot water, and manipulation. #1 is a wrap-around-type cuff with a round magnetic purse clasp to close it. #2 bracelet is styled to be a true cuff - the clasp is sewn onto the back of the bracelet. The bracelets have no lining. The soft wool is very comfortable against the skin, although warm. >>MPK

Falling for Flowers

Another foray into the realm of Brown, this bracelet presented a special challenge because of the recurved cabochons which had to be back-padded and then beaded only at the very edge. This was accomplished with #15 beads. This bracelet is full of vintage Czech beads and carnelian nuggets. The antique-looking daisy button is new, however. The overall shape is graceful and feminine. >>MPK

Terra Strata

I ran away from my usual color palette with this bracelet. I wanted to see what I could accomplish in the Brown family. Also, the wavy horizontal form is a departure. It reminded someone of rock strata, thus the name. The central stone is a cabochon of Fancy Jasper from India. The bracelet also contains cranberry-colored and bronze pearls. One stratum is made up of Carnelian nuggets and another Picasso Jasper. Bronze bugles and Unakite chips make up others. June, 08.

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Joy of Blue

So far as I can determine by decidedly un-scientific methods; everybody loves blue. This bracelet elicited such a wave of compliments that it seemed joyous! The central cabochon is a cat's eye glass from Newtique. To either side of center are two heart-shaped beads. Lighter blue cat's eye beads surround the cabochon and dangle between the heart beads. For extra interest, I ruffled the light blue beads near the ends. The button is a pearl finish cylinder. Early June, 08. >>MPK

Lady Mondegreen

This magnificent stone was purchased from a seller in the city. He wasn't certain of the origin or even the type of stone. It looks like white quartz included with one of the copper secondaries - malachite or greenish turquoise. It could also possibly be "mariposite". I was digging through an old jewelry stash and came across a sectioned bracelet with the silver leafy rectangles and the slide-box clasp. The small greenish barrels went perfectly with the cabochon. After taking apart the bracelet to use the barrel beads, I realized that the rest of the bracelet would be useful on the felt, too. Then it was a matter of filling in with the AB matte blue-green beads and dark green matte beads as well. The 4mm white cubes are AB matte coated, too. Early June, 08 >>MPK

Silent Movie

This bracelet surrounds an interesting cabochon of Tourmalinated Quartz. The tourmaline crystals are very striking and remind me of a sort of "black lightning". In fact that was the original title for this piece. But when I completed the hematite and silvery remainder,it just spoke to me of the Silver Screen and the elegance of the fantasies of the early age of Cinematography. I used an interesting technique for the #15 gunmetal beads where I stitched them over each other to create texture in the tiny beads. There are also clear and black drop beads as well as gunmetal dagger bead accents on the edges. Supporting the circle of clear drop beads are pearly white #15 two-cut Czech beads for just a little sparkle.>>MPK

Dreams of Venice

They say that Venice is a golden city... The central cabochon is glass and has an interesting depth to its cream, green, and tan interior. The bracelet also has Jasper pebbles for accent as well as Baltic Amber chips. It is large without being heavy. The button is golden-toned and in the shape of a carved rose. Completed in Early June, 08. >>MPK

Midsummer in Moscow

I finished "Midsummer in Moscow" before the end of May, 08. The central cabochon is a painted lacquer piece I purchased a while ago. The pin on the back was less than safe, so I removed it with my flush-cut nippers. This pin was not signed, only had the number 29 painted on the back which probably means it was painted by an apprentice. The beaded flowers echo the small flowers in the painting. The clasp is a shell butterfly button with a tiny Swarovski red crystal nestled in the other hole. This bracelet is very textured.. >>MPK

Copper Caprice

Float copper from Michigan is the central piece in this no-nonsense bracelet. Across the center strand of beads is a single dark bronze pearl. The bracelet contains black crystals, pearls, copper-lined bugles, matte black and copper #11s from Jane's and a few Poppy Jasper chunks. The two side copper pieces are pure copper beads from Bead Mine. One of these days I'll have to get back there, get a couple more and make a pair of matching earrings. The button clasp is copper, too. Completed 5/08. >>MPK

Postscript - I guess I'll never make matching earrings - The Bead Mine is closed.

The Pennsy Project

The origin of this project was a cleaning-out binge. The center piece in this is a cast pewter belt buckle with the back projections sawed off. The buildings are made of sorted Picture Jasper cubes, and the mountains are of a plethora of mixed green beads including emeralds, coral, pressed beads, crystals, and bugles. The river is a layered mix of four different colored #11 beads. The very long silver and golden bugles are vintage Czech. The frame actually matches the central "cabochon", a soft pewter color.

I'm glad I didn't throw away that old broken belt buckle! This surprise project was completed and given to the recipient in late April, 08. Yes, he liked it! >>MPK

Rustic Celt

This is the first bracelet I made using porcelain tiles I created myself. The glaze was called Rustic Patina. The size 11 beads are from Jane's and Shipwreck, and the blue Czech bugles are from Talisman. I'm not sure where the turquoise nuggets are from: they are probably Chinese. This work was completed 4/08. >>MPK

Orange Prom

A dramatic, Look-At-Me dress for a special night of orange silk with pink sheen - what to wear with it?

A special orange and pink creation!

The central cabochon is dichroic glass courtesy of Annie L. and it is encrusted with Czech beads in hot pink and orange. It also features Czech bugle beads and heart shaped beads to either side of the cabochon, as well as the button clasp. This bracelet is smaller and narrower than others - I found that smaller cabochons tend to get swallowed up by the beadwork. >>MPK

Her Choice

My mother picked out a freeform glass cabochon at S&S when we were at a show last fall. This is the result of that choice. The accent stones are Tree Agate pebbles and the clasp button is a Tree Agate bead. Also included are biwa-style green pearls, emerald beads and Lemon Chrysoprase chips. This piece was completed in 4/08. >>MPK

The Purple Thing

Another bracelet from 3/08, this one was created for my sister. The central cabochon is porcelain with a gold drip purple finish. (Newtique) It is surrounded with purple and pink pearls and amethyst-colored crystals. The button shows green, but flashes purple. It is rather Victorian in flavor; very feminine. >>MPK

Shielded

This is my first completely embroidered bracelet, cir. 3/08. The central cabochon is dichroic glass from L. Smith. The long bugle beads are Czech, and I bought them 15 years ago. Unfortunately the shop no longer has any of those. When I saw the cabochon in the collection, I knew these beads would be the perfect compliment. The clasp is a silvery button, but if I find a red glass button with the right sheen, I will probably replace it. I love wearing this - it reminds me of a glowing, sparkling stained glass window.
Yes, it is heavy; nothing exceeds like excess!! >>MPK

Introduction and Welcome

Hello to Old Friends and New Friends!
Welcome to my Bead Designs Log, where I describe bead creations I have made and some backstory and inspirations where applicable.

I am creating this blog to have a place to show pictures of what I have made. At this time, a few of these pictures are scans. I explain this because sometimes the colors are not "true"; and I will say so in the accompanying captions. Many have been rephotographed.

It is also a place to solicit comments on my work. Please be kind. This is the closest I have ever come to having a gallery exhibition!

Enjoy!

All pictures, photos, scans, designs, and descriptions are copyrighted to the author!!

>>>>>MPK