A triple Anniversary!!!

Hello everyone! 

I realize today that I haven't written on my blog since December and it's April! How could this happen? I don't know, but I've been very busy the past months with beading new designs, and of course I cannot show you much before things are published. That might be the reason why I didn't write anything here.. but today, I have things to show and tell.

First a little hurray: today is the day I started beading, 20 years ago. In my head at first... and beads arrived a bit later :D That's because at first I found myself marveling at photos of utterly gorgeous creations made for that year's Bead dreams contest, shown on the website of  Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. I was so overwhelmed with the variety of materials and techniques, that I had to first find out  where to start.

I think that I have browsed every page of their website (if that is possible), to understand what was what, and to learn as much as I could and when I finally placed my first order, a very modest little package of beads that included glass pearls and Matsuno silver-lined seed beads, I never would have dreamed that I would win their Gold Grand Prize in 2006 with my "Roma" design. 

 

 

Now just to say how far we've come with our smart phones and YouTube videos... back in 2005, to send them digital photos, I had to order a little camera because I didn't even have one. Oddly, I never made a new photo of the set since then... and thought that for this 20th anniversary of my beading adventure, a new photography made in my light box was a must.

Secondly, I just sent a box with lovely beadwork to the Beadworkers Guild for their "Silver with a hint of black" yearly display. This colorway was chosen by the Guild because they celebrate their Silver Jubilee! 

 

Happy 25th anniversary BWG! 

 

Thank you for bringing beadworkers together and for promoting our lovely Art! 

 

Together with other pretty things, another Fire Mountain Gems and Beads contest winning design traveled in the box: my Skadi Gauntlet (2019 Grand Prize Bronze medal). I did a new shooting for it too - it is in the yellow 'box' in the photo collage above. I also had lots of fun trying out the bright colored backgrounds that came with the Puluz light box. Silver (and black) perfectly matches every color, and suits everyone.

You can spy a bracelet designed by Sylvia Fairhurst - Ice Ice, on the right, and another one made with a special Diamond Weave variation  on the left. 

 

Also, let me know what you think about the knotted ribbon necklace with donut? I might tutify it, as well as this Sterling Silver slide pendant... when I have a moment :D

 

All these colors bring us to this year's International Beading Week. It will be the 10th Edition of what probably is the most exciting Beading event online AND in real life for those of you who are lucky enough to have IRL meetings at this occasion! This wonderful celebration of the Art of Beading initiated by the Beadworkers Guild started as National Beading Week and it is the very best week in the year for ALL beaders WORLDWIDE. Who is going to meet? Who will be bipping? (Beading in Public). For that's what it is about: to show and share to give the gift of beading.

 

Below you can see that this year I decided to take the little beads from the logo and use them to decorate my solitaire board. This will be my contribution to the free patterns this year. Stay tuned! 

        

 

I hope that some of you will be able to meet with beading friends, and that some of you will do demonstrations to inspire somebody to give our beautiful art a try.

 

Talking about Silver and Black matching everything: Black & White do this too, reason why I chose primary colours together with black and white for my new workshop design "Bowlas". The metallic colors were chosen to fit the primary colors best.

And the base features a unique mandala: 

 

 

I will soon update my website with dates. If you wish to organize a class for your beading society or shop, please get in touch with me through the contact page.