With Open Heart

Finally, after the 5 designs made with dimensional Cellini peyote with a "flames" start, I finished one tutorial for designs made with Cellini peyote with a "waves" start: the Open Hearts. The components are wonderfully versatile and you can make them in small, medium and large size - to either use on their own to make earrings (small) or pendants (large), or as links of a "Fox tail chain" (medium) for a bracelet or a necklace.

It is, of course, my favorite design of the moment. It makes me think of a Victorian corset, but also of birds dancing together, like the very endangered hooded grebe. But it also really looks like the beak / head of an owl. I might well bead an owl using it one day. But despite the fact that I have a lot of birds, I called it Open Heart (there will be more "Wings" in the future, wink).

Here is a little video showing the chain a little bit better:

I've been very busy designing, drawing, photographing, and beading (and a lot of starting over) for this tutorial, not counting the study on Dimensional Cellini technique itself, for which I will soon publish a paper.

I have also been beading a lot on three pieces within the framework of International Beading Week! I made (and sent) a beaded bead, "Peak into the Soul", for a draw organized by the Beadworkers guild, founders of National Beading Week several years ago (which is now International Beading Week (IBW)). It is a layered sort of puzzle beaded bead, cool to play with. You can still participate in this draw too - send a beaded bead, or more! There are lots of prizes. Visit the website to learn more about what to do to enter.

I managed the International Beading Week group on Facebook the past 12 months - from July last year to now. In this group we shared photos and videos of our favorite moments during Beading Week last year, and will again this year.

During the 11 months between last year's beading week and this year's, members of the group beaded something every month, in one color of the beading week banner, to end up with a rainbow of elements. The photo below shows  some of mine. I can honestly say that if the first color hadn't been yellow - which was not at all my favorite, I would have had difficulties finishing all this. The entire year long, I was astounded by how the collection looked happy and fun with yellow. Thanks to this year long bead along, I have developed a true love for the color combo yellow-orange-fuchsia. I am grateful for that!

Now that it's beading week, we are going to put it all together. I have a bit of advance, because In the group, during beading week, I will teach the bracelet I made with the "pentabezels" as I like to call them, so I had to finish it before the date. May I just say that this bracelet looks stunning on the wrist, and is very pleasant to wear? I'm really happy with the result.

Pentabezel bracelet "Meryl"
Like captured sunlight, the color yellow has a hold on me.

It is named after movie star Meryl Streep, actress extraordinaire (my favorite) because she can play just any character so brilliantly; all the colors of the rainbow! The bezel draws a star in the open space of the bezel where the rivolis shine through. Yes, rivolis, which act very well as pentagons. If pentagon crystal stones exist in colors and sizes like the rivolis, I haven't been able to find any. About 3 years ago, I asked Swarovski (over FB) if they would make some, and I asked again when starting this project, but got no answer, alas.

The bezels of my bracelet are closed at the back,
but I will show you that you can (more) easily back
the stones with leather.

I will soon reveal what I made with the 'Yukka flower' components in another blog article. Join the International Beading Week Facebook Group to bead along with us. You will find a shopping list for this project there.

For those who are interested: the interview I told you about in my previous post about IBW, has been published in issue #88 of Bead & Jewellery Magazine. Get a copy - it is full of beautiful projects by talented people (you can see the cover in the column on the right).

And finally, before I forget: I recently archived two of the Facebook groups I created - the Petal to Pod group, and the Tutorial Tuesday group. There was not much happening in these two groups and checking them daily (like 8 days a week :) ) for spam posts was not the funniest thing to do. Note that these groups can be unarchived any time, which I will probably do for the petal to pod group after IBW and a good Summer break! We'll see then!

In the meantime, I wish you happy beading!

Cath

Look at that yellow... hide it and tell me
how that looks ;-)