By the pool

Here the Kummli-inspired thing I was writing about yesterday. It's a pin, not a pendant. The slab of agate has a side broken off, which I regretted when it happened but made it just right for this pin! The frog is an altered toy, it came out pretty well I think.

Hi there, hallo, bonjour!

200 pageviews! Wow, never thought anyone other than a few friends and acquaintances would ever look at my blog, but to my surprise I have readers in the USA (hi there!) and France (bonjour et bienvenu!) !
Working on something for my daughter, heavily inspired by something from Heidi Kummli (oh man, if you have never seen anything by her hand, google her up, she's really really awesome!) in the book she made with Sherry Serafini (and if you've never heard of her, google her up too. She and Heidi are somewhat the mothers of my generation of bead embroiderers, with Jamie Cloud Eakin as our grandmother. In the beading world they are Royalty). I hope to have it ready by tomorrow.

Aurora Borealis

Such colours in the sky, born from magnetic activity that can manifest because of the cold. The love of heaven and earth in winter.
Icicle, colour, stars and sky. There is no moon visible, only this enormous expanse of sky with streaks of luminous colour dancing. Cold, freezing cold, that cold that makes everything go silent and still, a holy frozen moment.

Pendant, quartz point, seed beads and glass pearls. Freeform peyote.

Midwinter

Midwinter necklace. I just had to have it finished before the longest night was out. I don't know what to think of it beautywise, but it was one hell of a meditation in beads. From the deepest of nights (and pretty cold too) the light is reborn. I made the birthing goddess as comfortable as I could in a bed of fur (recycled fur, very old mink) and last night I added the Sun son (like Catholics put the baby in the manger on christmas eve).

Materials: I wanted to use as many natural, organic materials as possible. I don't know what the stone is, but it's very lovely and transparent. I added shells, bone, mother of pearl. Underneath, not very clearly visible on the pics, is a shell pendant I won in a give away on Black Crow's forum, a cross/sun symbol that was perfect for this necklace. The fur is mink. Backside black suede leather. The straps are made with bone beads and mother of pearl spacers.

Oldies

Here are some things I made some time ago.
Thinking of spring, I called the wire necklace.

The green brooch is called 'Whisper in her ear', a fimo cab I made (Fimo and I are not friends, I can tell you. Alas.) surrounded by seed beads emulating Malachite.

Spring will come, it will, it will (clap your hands everybody, please!). The snake may whisper about immortality and knowledge, but let's hope Eve can deal with all that without losing her marbles, remembering the green of paradise.

Beaded beads

Somehow I can't get myself to start on a larger project. Beaded beads are in the air and all over internet, nice little projects that can carry a lot of energy. I made some. This is my latest, garnets and miyuki cubes with a lovely blue-ish gold finish that goes very well with the reds. With thanks to Natasha for inspiring me!