flat netting

I have been beading, but not taking pictures as often as I need to do.  The time change poses a problem for catching the light at the right time.  I'm getting too many shadows now at the usual time I wander out to take pictures.  I ran out and realized that I was about 20 minutes past the last good light.  But, oh well, I grabbed some shots anyhow.

I tried out flat netting a few weeks ago.  I made a very simple bright red cuff with large toggles.  One of the young ladies who has been in my class since last year (Spanish 1 [which I no longer teach] and Spanish 2) caught sight of it, grabbed my wrist, and declared that she liked this one the best of all she had seen.  I'm not sure I agree, but it was fun to flat net.

two colors of 11/o Czech's and some vintage pressed glass flowers

I love the texture of the fabric and the way the pearl finish beads play against the matte finish beads.

netting works up quickly - next to try some netting layered over another base to give it a bit of substance

I also tried a RAW pattern from the French designer Mu whose site I cannot find to add the link.  This one uses 6/o's and 15/o's.  I added a giant vintage button and a handmade steel hook for a closure.

bracelets mingling

the button is quite a bit more blue in person

Finally, a little bit of flower power and corgi cuteness...

The neighbors's cat

I don't remember her name.  I just call her Sombracita - little shadow - because she chases after us when we walk.

Mingus and the neighbors' cat.

The black kitty runs from her house when she sees us in the morning.  Coltrane and Mingus are always excited to see her and won't move until she crosses the street to greet them.  Then they promptly ignore her.  When we are on the walk back home she hides behind a shrub or in the shadows (we walk before 6AM), and jumps out at them.  Usually I see her hide while the boys are busy sniffing everything, but sometimes she manages to scare me too.  This was a rare weekend morning when she laid herself out on the sidewalk in Mingus's path and demanded attention.

Goes with everything

I can't quite get it together to take better pictures of this RAW bracelet so these will have to do.  I wove it from a Try-to-bead pattern and blogged about it a few weeks ago while it was in progress.  Here it is during:

I really loved the open spaces and didn't really want to fill them with the 6mm fire polished beads that the pattern suggested.  I played around and found some 4mm fire polished alexandrite twilight 4mm's.  This gave the piece some sparkle, but really allowed focus to stay on the awesome RAW pattern.  This is also the very first time I have played around with RAW so I'm pretty excited.

Bad light at 5PM.  The colors are richer.

Two tiny toggles close the bracelet

I love how the 4mm round and the seed beads both have some plum highlights

Spider lily and RAW

I've been working on a RAW pattern from Sabine Lippert at Try-to-bead.  Last weekend I went down to Havana, FLA and found some 11/0 seed beads to go with some 15/0 that I had in the same color.  This was perfect for this pattern which reminds me of chair caning and the 70's wallpaper in the office at my parent's house.

beads in the vintaj antique brass colorway

I'm beading on smoke Fireline

ooops, I see a thread that went around, not through

 spider lilies are up!