What I've been beading and a little Mexico

...not much.  Not too much beading, and none that has been in front of the camera.  Before the holidays I finished a commission piece (Hi Jordan - that was your piece) that I really love, I made earrings that I took to Mexico for some of the ladies in my husband's family, and I made Diane Fitzgerald's celtic trefoil for my mother-in-law, but had problems with beads breaking (I think I officially hate Delica's ceylon  bead).

None of this was photographed.  I'm not certain what I was thinking other than it was might cold in mid-December just before I left and I do not have an indoor photo booth set-up.  Maybe this is one of my resolutions/goals for the first part of this year.

When I returned home, I started playing around with Marcie Abney's pattern in the latest Beadwork.

Working with her contribution to the Simply Seeds column has gotten me thinking more about how I can combine small patterns into larger pieces.  Repetition.

What is out back behind the house in Mexico

The cacti don't look giant until you get someone in front of them. 

A tiny bottle and thousands of miniscule beads

I bought this tiny vial with a plastic stopper and carved a cork for it.  Then I filled it with garnets from my mother's stash and threw in a few beads for good measure.  I made the sterling silver wirework that holds the neck of the vial and provides a bail for hanging.  Sometimes I wear it with this heart locket and key, sometimes I string other things to accompany it.

This is a bracelet I made while watching tv.  It took me a week working an hour or more each evening after dinner.  Some people knit, I guess I bead weave.  If you had asked me in October if I would ever do this I would have told you that you were completely crazy.  Something happened and I tried it.  Now I'm hooked and can't get enough.  It has taught me a lot of patience, as if teaching for 17 years were not enough!  I can allow myself to make mistakes, not understand directions, and rip out hours of work ( a la Penelope) in order to redo a mistake.  My favorite beads are Japanese seed beads called Delicas.  I am particularly found of the #15's.  One gram of #15's is equal to about 363 beads!  This piece is made with beads slightly larger than that.  It is really a practice piece and the wavy quality is intentional.  I've learned how to hide the threads that are visible on the edges (maybe I hid them well in this photo). Somewhere around here is another bracelet that is more wavy.  Right now I'm working on a piece that has two layers of woven beads.

A little new work and a few blurry pics

I did a little new work including this necklace and bracelet:

  

The links, loops, and clasp are steel which I hand forged - much to my sweet husband's dismay.  The green beads are peace jade and the others, strung on linen cord, are various Japanese seed beads.  The ceramic pendant is from Michael's, and the purple ribbon is from a mixed box of sundries I bought on West Screven Street a few years ago.

This sterling silver and hematite bracelet I wrapped.  It is about the sixth like it I have done. The photo is terrible, but the bracelet is beautiful and has a really nice weight to it because of these beads.  In an earlier post there are pics of a similar piece made with chevron amethyst.  Both of these pieces sold, but I made another necklace just like the one above and ordered a pendant from Summers Studio Pottery as a reward for myself for my first sales.  This is the pendant I ordered .  I'm hoping that the color goes well with the peace jade and if it doesn't, well I just love it so I'll make another necklace from which it can hang.