My Creative Space

Thanks to school holidays I am chilling out at home this week which means getting creative with my little man!

We saw this project on Art Attack last week and Spencer was keen to give it a go. 

It's a super cool robot tin. Spencer is using it to store his pencils at present but yesterday it was storing teeny tiny bits of Lego... I guess the possibilities are endless!

If you have kidlets and want to encourage them to get creative this show is fantastic and we've just discovered they have a cool website too loaded with stacks of great projects. This show has become one of Spencer's favourites which I am so pleased about!

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On Tuesday we baked some Anzac biscuits. 

As an Aussie I am embarrassed to admit that I have never baked these.

I used a recipe from the latest Masterchef magazine...they are supposed to be the best ever Anzac biscuits but I have to admit I have tasted better from Woolworths!

If you can pretend that they aren't supposed to be Anzac biscuits then they are pretty good.

The macadamia nuts are a nice touch!

I think for my next baking adventure I might have to make some of those Earl Grey brownies I saw on another blog and which my friend, Christine, has baked and assures me are super delish!

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And on the beading front I've been working on my pieces for Beading Babes ~ Project 4.

I've been a bit sneaky and muted the colours as I don't want to reveal my pieces completely yet... but I am guessing you get an idea of my colourways!

I've also made a start on a few other pieces including
some beaded beads using a tutorial by Sharri  Moroshok.

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And finally here is Spencer in my other creative space...sitting at my computer!

Here is where I create my blog, update my Facebook page and chat with all my wonderful friends...not to mention spending hours looking at beading patterns, designs and anything else containing the word bead!

What's in your creative space this week?

♥

My Creative Space

I have been working on this pendant for a few days now...

It is stitched in circular brick stitch using size 11/0, 15/0 and 8/0 seed eads as well as Czech fire polished beads and drops.

I absolutely adore the combination of the copper with the green using one of my favourite colours of all time, colour lined sea foam/light topaz rainbow.

Rather than just string the pendant on a piece of cord I have decided to compliment it with some gorgeous beaded beads.

Since taking these photos I have also created some larger beaded beads and plan on making some peyote beaded beads also... I just have to wait for the wooden beads to arrive from the USA!

Hopefully they will arrive in the next week or so as I am busting to give these a try, not to mention finishing off my necklace.

What's in your creative space this week?

♥ 

Eye of the Tiger

Firstly, please excuse the corny title.

I couldn't think of anything else remotely imaginative for a post relating to tigers eye!

This pendant is a piece I started some time ago and finally managed to finish.

The focal piece is a Marsha Neal ceramic cabochon and it is surrounded by tigers eye cabochons, tigers eye rounds and seed beads.

I was originally going to string the pendant on a beaded rope but decided the chain simplified the piece and drew more attention to the pendant itself.

I also beaded two tigers eye cabochons to match the cabs used in the pendant which I was originally going to turn into earrings but I decided a ring was in order instead.

I have never created a beaded cabochon ring so am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Only problem area was that I didn't have the right kind of ring base so I ended up having to sew the cab to the base which was quite difficult so will remember this for next time!

I've also learnt that a hand model I am not!

♥

The EKKA

 I am both excited and nervous to announce that this year I have taken the plunge and have submitted two of my pieces into the Creative Art and Craft category of the Royal Queensland Show, or better known as the EKKA here in Brisbane.

Here are the pieces I have submitted:

"Treasures of the North Sea''

which was the winner of the Wonderfully Whimsical category in the recent Use the Muse competition

and

"Fingal Frolics''

 I need to deliver my pieces to the showground on 23 and/or 24 June and then the EKKA runds from 5-14 August so I have a bit of a wait to find out if my pieces win themselves any pretty ribbons!

I will keep you posted on how I go!

My Creative Space

I can't believe it has been a week since I last wrote about my creative space.

Well I've continued making peyote beads but as my range of delica colours is a little on the boring side limited I thought I'd see how they would look using size 11 seed beads.

I have to admit the delicas do create such a neat, well structured result that suits my OCD to a tea but I have to say the seed beads really do add extra dimension and well... basically make the bead a little more interesting. 

So because I am entitled to change my mind I have decided to ditch the delica beads and am sticking with the seed beads (of course I can always use the others at a later date). 

And because I figure if I am entitled to change my  mind once then I am certainly entitled to change my mind twice so I have now chosen a different focal bead as I felt the one I was using, which was a flat lampwork bead, was too.... well ... just too flat alongside the beaded beads.

Yesterday I also had a go at making my very first woven beads - or beaded beads as some like to call them. These are created using Right Angle Weave and are straight out of The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving.. page 42 to be precise! 

A friend of mine had used these beads in a necklace she had made and I have to admit they looked a little difficult to me but WOW they are sooooo easy and I can now make one in under 5 minutes...yep 5 minutes per bead... you can't beat that!!

I only have to make another 6-8 woven beads and I should be ready to start stringing the beads ...assuming I don't take advantage of the entitlement of being able to change my mind... again!

Don't forget to visit Kootoyoo's blog to see what other creative souls are up to this week!