bjp 0412 - april in april and a bonus!!

Well, I've done it!!!  I completed my April BJP in April!!!! I actually finished it a week or so ago, but didn't like the photos from last week's session, so I had to wait until the time was right to take more.  The first time, the vintage button and the section beside it, seemed to suck up all the light and showed as a black hole.  As you can imagine, I wasn't all that pleased with the effect!  Alas, there's still a little of that showing, but I had to give up on perfection for the sake of posting April in the correct month.  Whew!

My inspiration for this piece was the wooden game piece (at least I think that's what it is) that arrived, out-of-the-blue, in my mailbox one day.  It was a RAK (random act of kindness) from my internet friend Meri, over at the Cloth Paper Studios Yahoo group.  Meri sent me a selection of numbers and characters + some other lovely stuff.  This is a result of her studio reorganization efforts and I thank her for thinking of me, the inspiration and her gifts! 

The remaining ingredients include a vintage glass button, a yellow button from the family button box, a rusty washer (dark section next to the buttons), aqua sequins, seed beads in various sizes, cubes, crystals, odd beads that I picked up here and there, a bit of coiled wire cut from the end of something and......

.......a small black and gold part from the inside of the cell phone I dismantled last month.  I just can't let that interesting stuff go to waste!!  I wonder what whispers of conversations, that little part holds in it's metal and plastic memories?  Do you feel that I should explore this idea further in future posts? 

Isn't that button fabulous???  What do you think of my colour scheme?  I decided to include the dull yellow to compliment the wooden number.  Did it work?

Stitches include stacked, fringe and boucle/bocce stitch. 

A more casual shot!  The colour is a little off, but some of the details are a little clearer.  BTW, there's no red in that cell phone part, it's gold.  I'll blame the angle of the sun!

I think that I spotted a few beaded pathways in this piece!  If we follow them, I wonder where they will lead?

**************************************

BONUS!!!!!

My friend Deb has a special birthday tomorrow, so I visited her yesterday to drop off this little brooch.  I call it a "Party In A Brooch".  Deb drives a lime green car and some of her favourite colours are lime green and orange.  Do you wonder why I picked this particular colour scheme?  The parrot is one of a pair of earrings that Deb gifted me with (from her stash) a year or so ago.  She doesn't remember the earrings, but I certainly do!  The other one is still sitting in my component box, patiently waiting to perch on the perfect project!!

Another piece that makes me smile!!!  Happy blankety, blank birthday, my friend!!!!!



Acrylic painted peltex base, with just the right colour of red/orange button from the family button box, seeds, bugles and bits and pieces.  This shape/size worked up fairly quickly so I'm sure that I'll make more of these in the future.  It seems that I'm on a beading roll right now.  I do hope that it lasts for a while!!!

****************************

Now if only I could find the perfect number "5" for May.............................the search continues...............

the piece with no name

Should beads and fibre mingle?  I don't really know, but they're making a valiant attempt in this off-the-cuff landscape!! It was originally intended as a 100% fibre class sample, but cried out for a beaded focal point, so I had the bright idea to add the sun!  Do you think I'm still under the hypnotic powers of the bead journal project?

Torn &/or distressed fabric strips, stitched onto water soluble stabilizer, dissolved and then stitched onto artist canvas. Free motion machine embroidery, hand embroidery and machine couched threads.

Hand ruched silks and sheers + a little more hand embroidery.  Did you spot the little strip of paper?  It's gold and lacy and nice, so I thought that it needed to be included.  A little fragile, but okay for a small wall piece.

All fabrics in this piece, with the exception of the canvas base, were either gifted or re-cycled. 

A closer look at the beading.  Acrylic painted Peltex base, stitched with an eclectic mix of beads that includes three paper beads from a thrift shop necklace.  Add three buttons from the family button box and a spiral of silver wire and the sun is done!!  Back, stacked and bocce/boucle stitches.  Isn't all that red luscious?

The piece has no name and is temporarily residing in a $9.99 black, Ikea shadowbox  I haven't quite decided on it's permanent home.  Any suggestions?

 



This is a good example of making something out of all the little nothings in your stash! I think that I should explore more fibre and beads in the future!  Do you agree?

bjp 0312 - march in april

March is a celebration of the early signs of spring. There's nothing deep or angst ridden in this BJP, just a love of the colour green. Of course, I mixed in a little purple and a touch of silver, but that was just an easy way to show off the greens. I think the acid green is my absolute favourite!

Hi-lights in this section are the vintage metal button, a green button from the family button box, one of my mother's old screw back earrings and a little bird charm. The teeny little number "3" is from one of my sister's old cell phones.

After the gruelling task of dismantling another cell phone (one of the screws was frozen in place), I discovered this little metal plate. I couldn't let it go to waste!  After all, it had just the right size holes for size 8 seed beads. I think the scratches give it character!

Peyote, back, stacked and boucle/bocce stitches.

Did you notice the hat pin in the lower right hand corner? Another fortunate discovery from my mother's old jewelry box!

Don't you think the earring is the perfect place for that little bird to perch?

Do you remember how uncomfortable those screw back earrings really were?

Now on to April? Do you think I'll get it finished by the end of the month?

Do you think I ask too many questions?  LOL!

bjp 0212 february in april

February is all about one of my favourite colours, red! I wear it, I decorate with it, I make art with it and if I bothered to wear lipstick, I'd still be applying it to my lips. I love red shoes and bags and red climbing roses....they're all absolutely yummy!!! I've even coloured my hair red. I'm fair of complexion and still blush at the drop of a pin, so is it any wonder that I'm so enamoured with the ruddy colour? Well, I should probably despise it for that reason, but I don't!! To me it's energetic and not angry, although there is that emotion tied up in it as well. Red is not a wimpy colour!

February is doing dual duty for the BJP and the Toronto Bead Society's annual "Bag of Bead" challenge. I was too late to actually enter the challenge, but I just couldn't ignore all of the sparkly bits! The bag included red, orange, pink, gold, amethyst and black beads and some rose netting. I used at least one of everything in the bag. In the case of the netting and the black beads, not a lot, but they were still present. The black beads were so small that I couldn't fit any of my needles through them. Yes, I know that I could have purchased smaller needles, but I didn't get aroundtuit!!! So, I rolled up a strip of the netting, wrapped it with nymo thread, dipped it in Aleene's Tacky Glue and then rolled it in the black beads. When it was dry, I thought that it looked hideous, so I partially hid it behind one of the large glass flower beads. I did use more of the netting in a small stack, anchored by a few beads. It's closer to the top of the BJP, but it's intentionally hard to see.



A gold button from the family button box, vintage jewelry parts, tightly rolled chocolate wrappers and a fabulous number "2". One of my sister & brother-in-law's old TV remotes had to give it's life for this new purpose. May it R.I.P.! Thanks to Suzie for mailing a bunch of different numbers down to me from Sault Ste Marie. Don't you love family!! Your friends think you're crazy and ignore you......your family thinks you're crazy as well, but still agree to donate to the cause. Perhaps it's just to shut you up!!



A better look at the rolled 'Quality Street' candy wrappers. Did you spot the tightly rolled/netting bundle? It's tucked behind the two large flowers and further disguised when I stitched it on with purple beads. Bwahaahaaa......



The large silver button is actually made of glass! It's one of the vintage ones I purchased in the 80's or 90's. Isn't it spectacular? I do so wish that I had kept the sales slips!

Couching, peyote, back, stacked, fringe and bocce/boucle stitches.




The piece in all it's rosie glory! It's a bit brazen, but I like it just the same....

Now, do you suppose the remote will channel the ghosts of Mork from Ork or Alf on my TV? They were amusing at the time, but I'm soooo past that now!! What do you think?