Beading Babes ~ Project 4 update

How is everyone doing with their pieces for Project 4?

I have made one pair of Paisley Drop earrings.

I have to admit I struggled with the pattern at the start. The use of the words "picot" really threw me as I have never heard that phrase being used in peyote so it took me a few goes to figure out what they were referring to.

After that little hurdle I didn't have any dramas with the pattern at all and these earrings really do come together quite quickly and nicely too I might add.

I found my second earring was much better than the first...not a big enough difference to unpick the first but I could see that my tension was better.

It's a really lovely pattern and I think I will be making more pairs in the future, if not for the reveal.

~*~

I ordered my beads for the Ruffled Chain Bracelet but unfortunately the beads I received didn't quite exactly match the beads pictured on the supplier's website...therefore didn't match the crystal bicones I ordered...ughhh!

So I am back to the drawing board.

I have two sets of 8mm beads sitting in a shopping cart.

Completely different to my original choice.

My first colour choice was black, red, green and gold.

The beads that arrived were black, gold and an awful shade of purple. 

My second choice are orange beads...my third multi coloured!

The new colour choices couldn't be further apart from each other let alone even further away from my original colour choice.

So I guess you could say I am in a bit of a conundrum as to what colourway I am going to go with.

~*~

So....onto the Trellis Necklace.

I don't know if the moon is in a funny spot right now but it seems I am in a bit of a rut with my colour choice for this piece too.

I had a colourway in mind but I also have these colours in mind for another piece so I am trying to decide whether to do two pieces in the same colours or choose new beads for the Trellis Necklace.

This of course would involve me buying more beads...hmmmm....it's a tough decision!

Reflecting back on similar situations in the past buying new beads has always won the battle...but will they win this time?

Don't forget to post your progress on your blogs!

Happy Beading!

♥

Inspiration is everywhere - the finer things in life!

How has your week been since my last Inspiratation is everywhere post?

Have you tried to slow down a little and focus on some of the smaller, finer things in our daily rut that is life?

This week I have this gorgeous fella to share with you.

What a beautiful colour palette he creates!

Thinking about the psychology of colour...how do these colours make you feel? Would you feel the same way if this fella was grey?

I took this photo when we visited Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in December last year.

This sanctuary has been opened since 1947 when the owner began feeding the local rainbow lorikeets to prevent them from ruining his prized flowers! The feeding of the birds daily then attracted the curiosity of the public which then became a popular tourist attraction!

The park still has two daily feeds where you can feed the lorikeets and they will even sit (and poop!!) on your head. The feeding part is fun...the pooping not so fun!

Here's a shot of me at Currumbin a few years ago...clearly concerned about the poop!!!

This photo still makes me giggle!

Remember...
...inspiration is everywhere!

♥

Psychology of colour...

Lately I've been speaking to a few people about the finer things in life and asking them what they find beautiful.

It was interesting to see that a lot of the things that people considered beautiful were full of colour.

It got me thinking as to whether people find colourful things beautiful because of the effect the colour has on their mood, their emotional state.

Generally bright, vibrant colours tend to makes us happy.

Dark colours such as brown and black can make us feel low. 

But have you looked more deeply into the psychological effects certain colours are supposed to have on us?

Let's take a look at a few...with each colour being able to be broken down into
positive and negative qualities.

RED

Positive: Strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', masculine, fast!
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.

Red is known as a strong and powerful colour. Although not technically the most visible of colours, it has the effect of attracting our attention - perhaps why it is used as the universal colour for stop!
Interesting we also associate red with speed, therefore thinking that red cars always go faster!

Red is stimulating, lively and friendly but at the same time it can be seen as angry!

BLUE Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm. Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness. Blue is known as "the colour of the mind". Perhaps because it resembles the ocean it is thought to be calming and serene. Many research studies reveal that blue is the world's favourite colour. Although calming it can also be thought of as a cold colour. Baby boys traditionally wear blue however blue is considered to be the least "gender specific" colour having equal appeal to both men and women.
YELLOW Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity. Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide. Yellow is considered to be the strongest colour, psychologically. It is considered to be stimulating and for this reason some classrooms are now painted yellow to stimulate the students! Yellow is the most fatiguing colour to the eye due to the high levels of light that are reflected. When using yellow as a background on paper or a computer monitor it can lead to eye strain. The right shade of yellow can lift our spirits and our self-esteem however too much yellow can cause self-esteem to decreasing increasing levels of fear and anxiety.
GREEN Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace. Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation. Green, related to nature, is considered tranquil and refreshing. Perhaps due to the Irish it is also considered lucky. Being in the centre of the colour spectrum, it is the colour of balance. Green is thought to relieve stress and studies have shown when used in a work environment workers suffer less stomach aches! Green is also often used for it's calming effects when decorating. With this in mind is it interesting to think of television guests waiting in the "green room" to relax
VIOLET Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality. Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority. Purple is considered to take awareness to a higher level of thought and therefore is related to imagination and spirituality. Violet however appears in the visible light spectrum, or rainbow, with purple simply being a mix of blue and red. Violet is thought to provoke harmony of the mind and emotions. It is also thought to encourage creativity,  unique and individual.  It is highly introvertive and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation. It has associations with royalty and usually communicates the finest possible quality. Think rich, violet velvet!
ORANGE Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun. Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity. Being a combination of red and yellow, orange is considered to be an energetic colour provoking feelings of excitement, warmth and enthusiasm. It encourages our minds to focus on issues of physical comfort - food and warmth for example as well as sensuality. From a negative perspective, orange can focus on deprivation. This is particularly likely when warm orange is used with black. Interestingly there tends to be strong positive or negative association with the colour orange with true orange resulting in a "love it" or "hate it" response than any other colour.
PINK Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species. Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness. Pink is essentially a shade of red and therefore represents love and romance.  It represents the feminine principle, is soothing and nurturing. Studies have shown that too much pink can be physically draining and can be somewhat emasculating. When used in prisons, inmates often become even more agitated once they become accustomed to the soothing effects of the colour.
GREY Positive: Psychological neutrality. Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy. Pure grey is the only colour that has no direct psychological properties. It is, however, quite suppressive. The colour grey is usually associated with depression. People rarely name grey as their favourite colour - perhaps due to the colour so often being associated with depression. It is generally not considered a "happy" colour. When the sky turns grey our mood tends to turn grey resulting in a desire to hibernate. How does a grey sky make you feel compared to a vibrant blue sky? Unless the precise tone is right, grey has a dampening effect on other colours used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of confidence and fear of exposure.
BLACK Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance. Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness. Black is all colours, totally absorbed. Black is essentially an absence of light with no wavelengths being reflected. Black can be thought of as dark, mysterious and scary. It is also associated with death, hence people traditionally wearing black to funerals. Black is also considered to be slimming resulting in the colour being a popular choice in clothing.

What's you favourite colour?

Do you think colours can have a huge impact on the way you feel?

Do you consider the effects of colour when choosing colours for your jewellery?

Psychology of colour...something to think about!

♥

Beading Babes - Project 4 ~ March/April 2012

Welcome to Project 4
of
Beading Babes!

~*~

This month there is no need to vote on which pieces you would like to create.

We have 3 on offer!

I am so happy to announce that the lovely and ever so talented, Nancy Dale, has kindly offered her gorgeous pattern as one of our choices.

Nancy is an incredibly talented, self-taught bead artist with around 20 years experience.

She has won many beading competitions including a finalist in the very famous Bead Dreams and one of her necklaces will be showcased in the upcoming book,
Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry:
Photographs of Beautiful Contemporary Beadwork (500 Series)
so we are indeed in fine company!

Thank you Nancy.

So without furtherado here are the choices for Project 4.

~*~

1. Trellis Necklace by Nancy Dale

Look at this gorgeous example of how you can showcase this stunning rope...WOW!

Ohhh how I do love ammonite.

Materials

10g size 11/0 seed beads (main colour)

1g size 11/0 seed beads (flower colour)

1g size 11/0 seed beads (accent colour)

10-12g size 15/0 seed beads (netting colour)

2g size 15/0 seed beads (accent)

5-7 x 8-12mm crystal rounds or rondelles

30-42 x 3mm crystals

If you choose to create Nancy's gorgeous Trellis Necklace then please let me know and the pattern will be emailed to you.

Please check out Nancy's other gorgeous patterns available through her Etsy store, NedBeads.

~*~

2. Ruffled Chain Bracelet by Laina Goodman

(Beadwork - February/March 2011 - page 68)

Please click on image for larger view

Materials

5g size 15/0 seed beads (A)

5g size 15/0 seed beads (B)

2g size 11/0 cylinder beads (C)

30 x 3mm crystal bicones (D)

13 x 3mm crystal bicones (E)

6 x 8mm rounds (F)

1 x 15mm glass button

~*~

3. Paisley Drops by Jane Lock

(Beadwork - August/September 2010 - page 68)

Please click on image for larger view

Materials

8g size 15/0 seed beads 

2g size 11/0 cylinder beads (A)

1g size 11/0 cylinder beads (B)

2 x 6mm crystal bicones

6 x 4mm crystal bicones

1 pair of ear wires

~*~

I've covered all bases this month...necklace, earrings and a bracelet with the Ruffled Chain Bracelet including instructions to make a matching pair of earrings!

Remember there is no pressure to create all three projects but if you feel you can then 

by all means please do!

Most importantly don't forget to share your progress on your own blogs, via my blog as I post updates on my own progress/any issues that may arise whilst creating the pieces or on Facebook.

The reveal date will be

Sunday 29 April

so that gives us around 7 weeks.

As in the past I will wait until most of you have posted pictures of your pieces and then I will showcase them here together.

Also don't forget to get your Beading Babes badge for your blog (if you haven't already done so) by simply clicking on the Beading Babes image at the top of this post and saving it to your computer as an image.

It's so lovely visiting your blogs and seeing the badge displayed!

I can't wait to hear what you think of the projects chosen for this month!

Happy Beading! 

 ♥

-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copyright Disclaimer
All patterns used within this group will be purchased by the beader, with the exception of Nancy Dale's pattern which she has kindly donated. All patterns will not be copied.

All credit will be given to the designer.

Inspiration is everywhere - the finer things in life!

I've decided to make Saturday the day for my new, regular post titled

"Inspiration is Everywhere - the finer things in life" 

Each Saturday I will be sharing a photo I have taken.

The subject will be something very simple, something we may see every day,
something we may never notice.

Along with the photo I will then share an accompanying colour palette.

I think these days we are all so busy with work, family, friends, rushing around not to mention trying to squeeze in a few things we personally enjoy doing.

I think more than often we don't take the time to slow down, to look at the finer things in life, something I know I am extremely guilty of.

Hopefully my weekly post will be a reminder to us all to take a step back, pause for a few minutes and smell the roses and enjoy

the finer things in life.

There's a world of beautiful out there you know!

So without furtherado here is my shot for this week.

~*~*~

A beautiful kite flying amongst a glorious blue sky at Southport on the Gold Coast (Queensland).

I actually took this picture last year but have it stashed in my inspirational folder so felt I had to share.

Isn't the kite glorious not to mention that beautiful blue sky.

Be sure to check out my first post last week which included a few feathered friends as well as some stunning flowers.

Remember...
...inspiration is everywhere!

♥

Beading Babes ~ Project 3 reveal

Welcome to Project 3 of Beading Babes!

 This month two projects were chosen

-

Runway of Pearls by Barbara Falkowitz

and

Ravishing Rosettes by Smadar Grossman.

It appears that both of these pieces presented us with many hurdles and proved to be quite a challenge for most of us.

In saying that, I am so pleased to see that we all persisted with the pieces with a few of us completing both projects.

Well done!

So without furtherado here are the finished pieces!

~*~*~

Runway of Pearls by Barbara Falkowitz

(Beadwork - December 2011/January 2012 - page 54)

Therese of Therese's Treasures

Tanya of A Work in Progress

 Amy of Amybeads

Christine of There and Back Again Studios

Siggi of Zora-Zauber

And here is what I created.

My piece was stitched using 2mm fire polished beads instead of the triangle beads. I've made mine reversable by using silver beads on one side and matte grey beads on the other.

I created a peyote toggle clasp which also acts as a feature of the bracelet.

Final Verdict

Overall I liked the design of Runway Pearls but like most RAW pieces I create I found the stitching a little repetitive...but the bonus of RAW is that it works up pretty fast. This is such a versatile piece and as you can see by how different it looks in the various colourways, not to mention using different beads, I think it's a great pattern!

~*~*~

Ravishing Rosettes by Smadar Grossman

(Bead and Button - December 2011 - page 38)

Therese of Therese's Treasures

Tanya of A Work in Progress

Vimala of of The Bead Diaries

Kristen of My Bead Journey

Ginger of Lilmummylikes

Siggi of Zora-Zauber

Christine of There and Back Again Studios

And here is what I created.

My piece has been stitched using matte red and turquoise beads along with galvanised silver beads.

I was originally going to create a peyote toggle for this bracelet too but a) I misjudged the length of the bracelet and therefore the addition of the toggle was going to make it too long and b) I felt that the fancy toggle would have distracted the eye from the lovely rosettes.

Final Verdict

As you all know I really struggled with this piece. I found it very repetitive, I struggled to understand the pattern and had to unpick it several times. With most repetitive pieces I find I usually don't have to continue looking at the pattern but with this one I continued to refer to the steps until it was finished.

But I am glad I persisted with it as I hate to give up on anything, especially a challenging beading piece, and I think the end result was well worth the frustration.

Overall I really love Ravishing Rosettes.

It's such a beautiful design but for me it was really tough going and a piece I probably won't attempt again...ok maybe I will, you know, just to see if I can improve on this one!

~*~*~

Once again thank you so much for being a part of Beading Babes.

I look forward to seeing you all in Project 4 so watch this space as I will be posting up the project choices in the next few days!

Happy Beading!

 ♥

-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copyright Disclaimer

All patterns used within this group will be purchased by the beader and will not be copied.

All credit will be given to the designer.

Beading Babes - reveal coming soon!

Just a quick note to let you know I haven't forgotten about the

Beading Babes project reveal

scheduled for
4 March.

I am just waiting for most of the Babes to post pictures of their pieces so I can post them

altogether here in one post.

In the mean time feel free to pop on over to some of the

Babes' blogs to check out some of the amazing pieces.

♥