Bead-embroidered Fairy Cuff

(Click on the link for fairy music; then scroll down for my post!)

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted! I've been so busy. We are traveling to visit family quite a bit this summer, and between trips I'm fighting the horrible drought that is threatening to kill our yard. Seems I'm constantly dragging a water hose around, trying to rehydrate plants. Please please please let it rain soon!

During the hottest hours of the day, I've been staying indoors learning a new beading technique -- bead embroidery -- and I'm addicted! A new book by Sherry Serafina started me down this beading path. This book is gorgeous and worth checking out, even if you don't bead. Sherry Serafina's work is incredible eye candy! I love the freedom of bead embroidery. You can plan your project in advance or just go with the flow and see where your design takes you. Basically, you stitch individual beads onto a foundation (very heavy Pellon interfacing for this project). My first project was a bit too free-wheeling and I wasn't crazy about the end result. I'm vain and so won't post photos of that "less-than-success". But I learned a lot which I applied to this second project, a cuff bracelet for my daughter:
My daughter loves fairy images and all things Celtic. The focal piece is a fairy art print under a glass cabochon that I bought from an artist on etsy.com -- Glass Art Cabochons.
The band is a Celtic knot pattern, found free online, which I worked in glass Japanese seed beads.
The closure is a brass button that I bought at my daughter's favorite knitting shop -- Knitche in Downer's Grove, Illinois. I think the brass color is just right with the colors in this bracelet: After completing the beading, following instructions in Sherry Serafina's book, I trimmed the foundation, leaving a narrow border, and then stitched it onto a backing. The backing I chose here is brown ultrasuede, so the bracelet feels really good on the wrist.

If you click to enlarge the pictures, you will see my biggest mistake -- I failed to color the Pellon foundation before stitching on the beads. Enlarged as these photos are, you can see the white foundation, but it's really not noticeable on the bracelet itself. Still, next time I'll remember that additional step.

I hope my lovely daughter likes her bracelet. But if it's just not her style, she knows she can give it back to me without offense -- Anything beaded is definitely my style!

Sea Talisman necklace

A week or so ago, I created a cross in silver clay for a commissioned rosary. I had leftover clay that I didn't want to waste -- It's way too expensive. So I made these charms, it being summer and my mind inevitably being drawn to the sea.

I pressed a tiny starfish into the largest charm, and then cut a star from more clay and textured it to resemble a starfish. I stamped the word "sea" into the smallest round charm, to remind me of my inspiration -- the place that I always want to be.

Silver charms belong in a piece of jewelry, all the better to wear them and admire their sparkle. So on my very messy worktable, I piled beads in every color of the sea -- gemstones, pearls, and Swarovski crystals --

and began putting them together.

At first I thought a strand of labradorite, with its flashes of blue, would be perfect to offset a huge, gorgeous chunk of faceted moonstone that I bought in Austin where I was there last. I used copper wire (before committing to expensive silver wire) to work out my ideas for a charm holder to attach the charms to the necklace.

Fiddling with another tiny charm and some copper wire, I decided that crystals would add weight and sparkle to the charms, and that wire shaped like tendrils would add even more interest.

I shaped a charm holder from sterling silver wire, and attached the charms -- now accented with beads -- to it like so:

The labradorite beads that I first admired, now seemed too dark and too brown. I wanted more ocean colors, so I stranded together tiny Swarovski crystals -- opal ones and transparent ones. I like the effect. This faceted moonstone has such fire, and Bali silver beads set it off just right.


I combined gemstones, pearls, crystals, and Bali silver beads to create more links for the necklace

and added a double strand of sea-blue freshwater pearls accented with round moonstones, aquamarine barrels, and a few labradorite spacers with the bluest fire.

Here's how it looks on my mannequin (the only model who doesn't complain about how long it takes me to snap a photo!):

I'm not quite satisfied, though. The necklace needs a few more bead links, so it can be worn long, as a talisman necklace, or wrapped twice around at collarbone length, like so:

I'll post a photo when it's finished!

Yesterday, the first day of cool autumn weather here in southeast Texas, some life-long friends gathered at my house for an afternoon of "girl time." Scrapbooks were hauled out, walks were taken in the crisp autumn weather, news was shared, and far too much chocolate was eaten! We said goodbye much too soon. I'd post our group photograph, but they would kill me!

Today, the crisp weather holds -- sky so blue it hurts your eyes to behold, air with just enough nip to make you catch your breath. But the sun shines brightly, and the patio stones are just warm enough for a doggy snooze:



Slipper Moon Studio (hubby calls it my "happy room") currently houses completed projects ready for sale:

a rosary made of sterling silver and rose quartz:

and another sterling silver rosary featuring lampwork glass beads highlighted with glass pearls:

I hope to get my Etsy shop up and running soon. Till then, in days sunny or cloudy, under a full moon or just a little silver slipper -- enjoy life -- every single minute of it.