Bead Hop with my Cousin Creative Sisters

Guess what.... Easter's around the corner and we're hopping again.... BEAD HOPPING!!!  Imagine when I sparked the idea mid-January to do another blog hop featuring Cousin Corporation beads... I can't even believe the last one was 2 year ago... holy cow!  How I thought jeesh, a Febrary reveal would be easy peasy.  My fellow creative sisters and I would all get the same beads, create awesome pieces that are uniquely "us" and feature them in a fancy, sparkly blog hop!  But mid-January Dawn had no idea how busy February Dawn or March Dawn was going to be.  So here I sit, feeling like a college kid cramming for a final... typing like mad to get my blog post up before I fall asleep.  I got 2 of 3 projects done... one is still waiting which, funny enough, is the one with the colors that are my total fave... but enough about me rambling... I've got some jewelry to show you.

First, rocked the chunky druzy focal with some bad ass spikes  (also from Cousin, but not part of the selected beads.)   I wore this piece to work yesterday and it got a few thumbs up... I'm more of a silver girl by nature.... but the brown's and gold really played in a earthy delight... and reminded me of sand... which takes my heart to the beach.  And even when I'm not sitting on the beach, I'm still at the beach in my mind! ;)

Spikes also inspired the next little project.  Stretchy bracelets!!  I've fallen in love with stretchy bracelets.  Stack 'em, match 'em, give 'em, make 'em... you gotta have some!  I have some of my bracelets featuring seashells for sale in a fancy pet spa where my furry fella gets groomed - Unleashed Pet Spa - Check 'em out! Beth and Dennis are the best!

But anyhow, stretch bracelets are a thing - and for me, I could add some spikes and those big silver balls... I did those.  Black, white and silver a classic pairing with a little goth twist.

And lastly... my third project.... which is still just a project.  I saw the turquoisey purple goodness dancing together in a mermaid fashion. And it still will, in an amazing project, but it is still just a twinkle in my artisan's eye.  What it will turn into???  Not sure yet!  But it's going to be awesome!

Thanks for playing in our little box of beads.  For the real fun, keep hopping and check out my dear friend0's creations too! We're brought together by beads, but we've become dear friend! Cousin Creative Circle Ambassadors  -  It's a great group of creative women that all have one of a kind style! ♥

Rebecca Grafton - My Girlish Whims
Shelly Owen - Razelia's  Designs
Lisa Crone - A Bead A Day
Rachel Nielson - Adventures of a DIY Mom
Jennifer Priest - Hydrangea Hippo

Happy to be heading into the weekend!! Peace, love & sunshine!!

Turning My Beaded Art Jewelry Upside Down for a WOW Design

Jewelry Dilemma #87 - I've collected the coolest components for which I'm planning an extraordinary piece of jewelry.  I lay out the 3 main focals, get out a whole sheet tray (and then some) of beads, pearls, crystals and glass that just might fall into the design perfectly.  I start creating and everything is flowing beautifully. THEN I hit a brick wall... I need to back the pendant and figure out what the heck to do for the bail.  I'm thinking fringe off the bottom, but it's just not flowing right.  And back to that bail... what the heck was meant for this design?  Oy... creativity block kicks in big time!

Have you ever had the moment where you see a finished design in your mind's eye but the actual piece you're working on tells a different story?

So I put this piece aside... took a little trip, okay it was more than a little trip heading down to Florida to spend a week at the beach.  Just letting my soul feel the energy and love from the ocean and hoping to recharge my creative brain.  Letting the sun warm my skin as I claimed MY chaise lounge, ordered up some fruity drinks and watched the scenery go by... use your imagination! ;)

I came home determined to finish this f*@$&%g piece come hell or high water!  So I sat at my table, moved some beads around... the pendant stared back, giving me zero ideas.  Dawn, stand up & walk away.  So I did... for 3 days, then all of a sudden on a Sunday morning inspiration struck!  Holla!!!

Turn that piece upside down!  

It's not the first time I've done a 180 on a design and it always turns out better!  I have to agree with this piece.  It knew what it wanted... my brain was just a little too foggy to "get it!"  So the beach cleared things up and allowed my heart to listen to my art. 

The focals pair so well together in this piece!  I have to give props to my soul sister, Julianna Cannon - Julsbeads, for the amazing lampwork focal.  The druzy and arrowhead came from Cousin Corporation.  So did those super funky space rocks, mirror beads and nut & bolt toggle for the necklace!  The Cosmic collection of space age awesomeness is my favorite, favorite, favorite collection from Cousin!

As we're moving into summer, I have an amazing few pieces I'm starting of commissioned work.  One is another Tree of Life necklace similar to the design I created for myself.  I'm so excited to be working on that piece in particular because it continues to remind me and inspire me to stay true to who I really am.  Be rooted in my divine essence! 

Stay inspired and spread love my friends!
xo,
~Dawn

Druzy Love Me or Druzy Not

As a child, I was a rock collector.  I loved picking up rocks with unusual colors or smooth faces.  When I was in junior high, I went with my friend Karen to her grandparents house in Indiana.  We went down to their creek (pronounced crick with a short i) and gathered geodes.  Little did I know at 12 how much I would still love rocks in my adult life - and that's not just the ones between my ears. ;)

Of course Diamonds are a girl's best friend... those are rocks that just ROCK!

What I didn't realize as a girl however is that the sparkly pieces of geodes I collected would re-enter my life in the form of jewelry design.  When we were wading barefoot in the creek we'd look for round rocks that when you picked them up and shook them, if you heard something rattle in there, it was sure to contain crystals.  We'd haul buckets (very heavy buckets I might add) back to Karen's grandparents house where Grandpa would break some of them open with a hammer to show us the "magic crystals"

Today, working with Druzy stones have me giddy like a little girl again.  What is a druzy?  Druzy is a layer of crystals that form within a mineral crust, like the inner cavity of a geode.  Natural druzies come from a number of different stones including agates, jasper and quartz.  As people have started to see more of these beautiful natural earth-born crystals in jewelry, their demand has grown.  Now companies have created treatments and coatings for natural druzy stones to give them a more sparkly finish.

In this piece I used a titanium coated druzy that has a beautiful iridescent finish.  It showcases a myriad of colors ranging from lavender to turquoise.  I really love that color combination, so I pulled in natural amethyst beads and more chunky turquoise beads.  I also incorporated some blingy bold Swarovski crystals that have a finish in the complimenting lavender hues.  Because more bling is better, right? :) 

I wish I could capture the true sparkle of this piece.  It really is magnificent!

A Walk in the Woods

This wasn't the first cuff I created with a druzy focal.  I created another cuff, "A Walk in the Woods" using a natural druzy focal and turquoise accents.  This piece was designed for The Challenge of Color blog hop hosted by my dear friend, Erin Prais-Hintz.  This cuff was purchased as a gift between girlfriends.  It shows how much we cherish those women in our lives that are there to laugh with us, cry with us and help us pick up the pieces if we've made a mess of something. 

As an artist, there are pieces that you create that just stick in your mind foever.   This piece will be one of those memorable pieces.  From the colors to the textures and the big sparkle, this is a piece that will be a showstopper for a confident woman that loves to look good and turn heads!

Here's hoping you have something sparkly in your week to make you feel like a million bucks - because you deserve it!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

A Peek Inside the Artists Brain

Okay, if you don't want to tour the grey matter between my ears... step away from this blog post now.  BUT if you're crazy (just like me) and you want to see my thought process when creating a piece of bead embroidered jewelry... stick around. 

On Wednesday, I participated in a fantastic challenge... The Challenge of Color blog hop organized by Erin Prais-Hintz over at Tesori Trovati.  Throughout this challenge I learned many things... I took risks and those risks were rewarded with a beautiful finished product.  When I finished my beaded cuff bracelet, even I stepped back and commented, "Wow, I didn't know I had it in me!"  Who would have thought!

So in an effort to document my process throughout the design of this embroidered cuff (now available in my online store), I took pictures throughout the process and put a video together.  It'll show you how I design and where my brain and the beads play together.  Remember though the beauty of bead embroidery is that every person is unique and so are your works of art!  Design what you dream!


http://video214.com/play/V6nP0IXkuWUtLs6R1dCHjA/s/dark

For Supplies:  I use Nicole's Bead Backing from Nicole Campanella (The Beadwright).  I tried Lacy's when I first started and was not happy as it kept "frizzing" and "fuzzing."  I purchased this druzy from a seller on Etsy.  Both offer SUPERB service! 

Well... that's a tour through my brain.  Hope I didn't lose you in the process!  Have a terrific weekend and live an inspired week!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Welcome to the Color Challenge Blog Hop - You won't believe the palette I had

First, I really have to thank Erin over at Treasures Found for organizing this challenge.  When she asked me what color palette I want, I said, "Surprise me!"

Boy was I surprised!  And since it's a challenge, boy was I challenged!  I got the color palette BROWN - so I was thinking mocha, chocolate and earthy tones, okay!

What?  Green??? And Blue??? Holy jeez... I'm going to have to think on this!  Here was my challenge palette, created by Design Seeds.

Jarred Tones by Design Seeds

I loved the brown and blue combination, but tossing in green really threw me.  And then inspiration struck (or rather jumped) out of my bead stash and onto my table.  From there, bead by bead this cuff grew and really turned into something special.

A Walk in the Woods - A Beaded Cuff Bracelet

Not only did I use the color palette as inspiration, but I also used the photo itself.  See the glass jar in the photo?  The focal I started with for this design is a Druzy Agate.  It has the look of crackled glass of the jar with the warm earthy brown "dirt" around it. 

I have no idea what the side cabs are.  They've been sitting in my "I'm.going.to.do.something.with.these.someday" pile for oh, about a year... but I didn't know what I was going to do.  So alas, they are the perfect way to pull in the blue & green - Holla!!


The whole cuff was so out of my "zone" from concept to creation it was crazy.  But looking at the finished piece, I can honestly say I grew and I'm so excited to have created it.  I love that I was challenged by the color palette, but also by creating something I've never created - a bead embroidery cuff!  I was able to use some of the "special secrets" I learned just a few weeks ago in the Sherry Serafini class I took and look what it turned into.

By the way, I will totally be needing bi-focals if this addiction continues.  Those little bronze beads that are 3mm and the scalloped seed beads are 15/0s.  Yes they are tiny, and yes each is sewn on by hand... but the end result - totally worth it!


Now, I'm off to hop over to the other challengers blogs.  I love seeing how people embrace a challenge and grow from it!  Feel free to visit some more great bloggers and see the works of art they've created.  Also, if you're looking for inspiration, please do visit Design Seeds Blog.  They put out GREAT color palettes daily that are sure to inspire you! 

1 Norma Turvey ~ Teal ~ Color Crave

2 Jeannie Dukic ~ Green ~ Mineral Tones

3 Mary McGraw ~ Teal ~ Embellished Hues

4 Jo Tinley ~ Red ~ Decadent Tones

5 Rebecca Anderson ~ Pink ~ Tulip Tones

6 Kristi Jaro ~ Red ~ Temple Entrance

7 Stephani Gorman ~ Green ~ Dew Tones

8 Melissa Meman ~ Green ~ Fruit Star

9 Kathleen Lange Klik ~ Teal ~ Silk Hues

10 Cynthia Riggs ~ Red ~ Autumn Comfort

11 Heidi Post ~ Teal ~ Flora Bright

12 Cece Cormier ~ Teal ~ Merino Teal

13 Amy Freeland ~ Gray ~ Cultured Tones

14 Alice Peterson ~ Blue ~ Island Play

15 Rose Noble ~ Gray ~ Autumn Stacked

16 Kristina Johansson ~ Yellow ~ Sunny Flower

17 Kirsi Luostarinen ~ Teal ~ Dragon Hues

18 Tari Kahrs ~ Orange ~ Citrus Tones

19 Mallory Hoffman ~ Purple ~ Petaled Dark

20 Molly Alexander ~ Brown ~ Peppered Tones

21 Regina Santerre ~ Red ~ Frosted Berry

22 Emanda Johnson ~ Teal ~ Color Purl

23 Amy Severino ~ Orange ~ Winged Tones

24 Bobbie Rafferty ~ Teal ~ Lime Hues

25 Tanya Goodwin ~ Gray ~ Pecked Tones

26 Lisa Lodge ~ Blue ~ Nocturnal Tones

27 Hope Smitherman ~ Blue ~ Bloom Tones

28 Linda Landig ~ Green ~ Cacti Dark

29 Ambra Gostoli ~ Teal ~ Perched Autumn

30 Lori Bowring-Michaud ~ Blue ~ Sharpened Blue

31 Pippa Chandler ~ Teal ~ Hungarian Hues

32 Keirsten Giles ~ Purple ~ Mineral Brights

33 Jennifer Justman ~ Blue ~ Autumn Rays

34 Sandy Richardson ~ Purple ~ Moroccan Brights

35 CJ Bauschka ~ Teal ~ Teal Air

36 Shaiha Williams ~ Teal ~ Sushi Hues

37 Kay Thomerson ~ Purple ~ Autumn Spectrum

38 Sally Russick ~ Purple ~ Golden Gate Tones

39 Cilla Watkins ~ Purple ~ Autumn Infused

40 Shirley Moore ~ Purple ~ Frozen Heather

41 Jenni Connolly ~ Gray ~ Paw Tones

42 Tamara Soper ~ Green ~ Field Tones

43 Sharyl McMillian-Nelson ~ Blue ~ Nested Blues

44 Jen Velasquez ~ Pink ~ Sweetened Tints

45 Maria Grimes ~ Red ~ Bright Bloom

46 Elisabeth Auld ~ Gray ~ Petaled Tints

47 Susan Kennedy ~ Pink ~ Zinnia Tones

48 Shannon Chomanczuk ~ Gray ~ Autumn Leaf

49 Holly Westfall ~ Yellow ~ Sprinkled Tones

50 Patty Gasparino ~ Red ~ Color Carton

51 Angela Little ~ Pink ~ Singapore Brights

52 Lizzie Zawinski ~ Green ~ Budding Hues

53 Kristen Stevens ~ Pink ~ Scooped Tones

54 Dawn Doucette ~ Brown ~ Jarred Tones