Sometimes we all need a kick in the creative pants. Or a creative kick in the pants. Whatever works.
Anyway, two of the most creative beady ladies I know, Christine and Therese, occasionally reach out to pose a design challenge, focused on a particular beadweaving stitch or technique. This time, it was bead embroidery. And boy, was I in need of a kick in the creative pants!
Now, bead embroidery and I are old friends. I love combining it with beadweaving to make pieces like this and this and this, and the first necklace here. I had visions this time of making another ginormous piece. Of spending hours after coming home from work, beading happily away.
And then life said "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!"
The reality is that I needed to do something small, something that I had a prayer of finishing. And since it's been so *@#$ chilly recently, I wanted to do something that reminded me that, yes, it really IS spring.
So I dug out some colorful glass cabochons from the stash, and let their bright colors inspire me. I used some faceted firepolished glass, some lentils, and some magatamas to spice up the mix of sizes and shapes. I'm happy to introduce Pansy and Iris.
Pansy is a sweet little round-faced confection of purples, gold, and shades of green. Like the cheerful flower that inspired her, she's a concentrated little burst of color. And, if you know me at all, you know that anything purple has me from the get-go.
And Pansy's slightly less demure cousin, Iris. Iris is a bit of a show-off, with her extravagant swoops of petals, but her unusual blue color makes her a star in any bunch.
Both will eventually have a woven bail added to them so that they can live on as necklaces, but for now, we'll just say they're in their bud phase, not yet fully blossomed.
Now before I torture any metaphors any further, here's the list of the other participants in the Time To Stitch 7 challenge. Go, enjoy, get inspired. Thanks to Therese and Christine, and thanks for stopping by!
