Purple Moon

This is a piece I just finished for an Australian competition (the creative challenge category of the Swarovski competition organised by Crystal Park and the Creative Beading Magazine). The rule of this particular category is that the entrants can use only up to 200 Swarovski bicone beads to make a piece, and no other shapes/beads are allowed. I made the leaves and the base of the posy with bronze clay, and assembled the whole piece with wire. The image I have in mind is that of a beautiful fairy wearing this necklace and a shimmering purple dress, walking slowly in a deep, moonlit forest. Initially I had problems picking a name for this piece, and the moon theme was suggested to me by a lovely beady friend Beverly Jane. I have an idea for another piece for the open category of the competition, but it's rather elaborate and I won't have enough time to do it, hence I'm saving the idea for next year. Anyhow, hope you like. (Please click on the pictures if you would like a larger view.)

PS: I've just found out before I went on holiday a couple of weeks ago that this piece has won first prize in the Creative Challenge Category of this year's Swarovski competition (please see above for details). A picture of it and a little write up about me have been published in the January 2011 issue of Creative Beading magazine. I'm so excited!!!

Saucy Molly and the Poster Girl

I have had a strong urge to make these two pieces for quite a few weeks, but with everything else going on, have only just managed to finish them yesterday. The story goes something like this:

Ever since she was a wee owlet, Molly has always dreamt of becoming a poster girl, those beautiful girls in glamorous shots, with perfectly styled hair, meticulously made up faces, pearly white teeth and slim toned bodies, admired by everyone. But what is a girl to do given life’s circumstances? Molly is, after all, an owl! Well, our Molly didn’t let that deter her. She coloured her feathers, put on her red lipstick, glitzy sun glasses and jewellery, and a flower above her ear, and transformed herself from the owl next door to a glamour queen. She sang, danced and performed, running from auditions to auditions. What she lacked in certain departments, she more than made up for with her talents, attitude, wits and enthusiasm. Today, Molly (affectionately nicknamed “Saucy Molly” by her fans and the tabloid) is not just a poster girl, she is one of the most successful entertainers in the whole owls’ world. To all those aspiring owlets wanting to know the secret of her success, Molly said: “Follow your heart, sweetie, chase your dream, and give it your best shot. Don’t worry about the outcome as long as you’ve done your best, the recognition will come in due course. Be true to yourself, and break free. Remember, you only live once.”

So, here is the poster girl that inspired Molly. The picture is a copy of a vintage Chinese poster which I made into a cabochon with polymer clay, acrylic media and resin (couldn't resist adding a few steampunky bits). Some of the brass stampings were bright golden originally, and I patinaed them with ammonia and a verdigris solution. Added a few vintage buttons. Some of the rounded side pendants were made with a variation of a pattern from the current issue of Beadwork magazine.

The next is a picture of Molly from way back, before her transformation, with her favourite pillow given to her by Aunty Hel.

And this is Molly now, posting for an upcoming concert. (Molly was made with polymer clay coloured with alcohol ink, and decorated with bits and pieces. Some of the side pendants are also from the same pattern from Beadwork.)

Wattle and Cherries - wire wrapped enamel pendant

I made this pendant quite sometime ago, using various enamel techniques including cloisonne and painting enamels, on a rectangular copper blank. Decided that it didn't really need a fancy setting, so I just wrapped it with gold-filled wire, added a few beads and pearls, and kept the design simple. I used to wear this quite often, but somehow had forgotten about it in the last year or so, until I was looking for something in my jewelry drawers the other day and saw it sitting there (poor thing!). I love the look of wattles but am allergic to them and would sneeze if I get close to one. I have done an oil painting of a wattle with a couple of sparrows in front of it, and it's now hanging in my family room. I also have a floral arrangement on my dining table, with some fake but quite realistic wattles, and dried eucalyptus leaves. Those pearls dangling from the pendant remind me of cherries - one of my favourite fruits, speaking of which, I feel like some cherry ripe chocolate......yum......better go and search the pantry......

My Larimar princess pendant

The first time I heard of Larimar was about 5 years ago when I went to a local lapidary show. I had just joined a lapidary club then, and I saw these beautiful blue cabochons on sale at the show. One senior member of the club went by and gave me a little education session about Larimar. At the time I was a novice and had no idea how to set stones, but I bought a couple anyway because they're just so pretty. Anyhow, a couple of years ago, I wrapped one with sterling silver wire and added a few tiny pearls, silver beads, and Swarovski beads and stones, and kept it for myself. The pendant reminds me of a princess in a fairy tale, with its delicate colours and sparkles. The colours are closer to real life in the second photo, but the wirework shows up better on the darker background of the first photo. I still have a few cabs in my stash but haven't decided what to do with them.

Another steampunk pendant - Time Fairy

Finished this pendant necklace a few days ago, and named it "Time Fairy". Some of you may remember a mixed media collage I did recently, with the same name, which I posted on May 14th. I took a picture of it, reduced it in size, printed it out, and turned it into an oblong cabochon using polymer clay and resin. Added bits and pieces and made it into a pendant. It's really difficult to photograph the cab because of its highly reflective surface. In real life, the picture in the cab actually looks a lot clearer, and the piece is also quite sparkly because of all the crystals. The little key at the top of the pendant was bright golden in colour when I bought it, and I used a combination of ammonia and a Verdigris solution to give it this lovely patina, which I'm really pleased with. The style is obviously quite different from my other steampunk pendant "Cheshire Cat", as I wanted to experiment and see which I like better. What do you think? I really enjoy making these and have another design in mind which I will get to when I have time. Again, please click on the pictures for larger views. Hope you like!

Madam Rose of Shanghai

Well, as the Bead & Button Show is well on its way and the winners of Bead Dreams 2010 have been announced, I guess I can now post pictures of my entry "Madam Rose", which has been accepted as a finalist in the wirework category of this year's competition. I made the enamel pendant last year, and the story behind the piece was posted in my blog a little while back (see post 3rd August 2009). It took me several months to collect all the stones and beads, and another couple of months to assemble the piece. The necklace was constructed with wire wrapping techniques using sterling silver wire, patinaed with liver of sulphur then polished again. It didn't receive a ribbon in the competition, but I'm happy to have got through as a finalist and had the opportunity to have the piece exhibited at the Bead & Button Show. Just wish I could be there! Please click on the pictures if you'd like a larger view.

Cheshire Cat - my first steampunk pendant

This is my first ever steampunk pendant, inspired by the recent Steampunk Alice in Wonderland beading challenge on the Australian Beading Forum. The cat's face was a small cabochon I made with white polymer clay, then painted with acrylics and watercolours, and sealed with a thin layer of resin. I used a fair bit of pearlescent watercolours (Twinkling H2O) so it's quite shimmering in real life. There are stripes on the cat's face which are difficult to see in the photos. The whole pendant is actually quite small, with the head and body measuring about 4.5cm in total length. The ears were made from cut out sections of a flattened bead cap, and the components were secured with beaded bezels using mainly size 11 and 15 seedies. I stuck a few Swarovski flatbacks on the watch movement to give it some extra sparkles. I even "sacrifice" a couple of my vintage Swarovski beads for the necklace part to tie in with the vintage theme. I really enjoyed making this and will no doubt make more, maybe a more serious one next time? Please click on the photos if you would like a larger view. Hope you like him!