bjp 0912 - day and night

September shows signs that the seasons are changing!  The children go back to school, the days get shorter as the nights get longer, and the cooler nights hint that autumn and then winter are fast approaching.  It's time to pull on the socks and root around for cooler weather gear.

The nine in this photo was taken from an old telephone I found at Value Village.  It seems to me that VV is not quite the bargain it used to be.  Either that or I need to start shopping in other neighbourhoods, because my local one seems to be getting fairly saavy about prices. The glass tube was also taken from the telephone (I was very excited to find it!) and this section also includes a found washer, attached and embellished with a little needle weaving (that's impossible for you to see). The crystal button is from the family button box and the distressed silver disk was from Kaite (I think).  The letters directly below the crystal button spell "life"!  They're attached to a stick pin I received in a swap and has been included, to remind all of us of the precious nature of life.  

The metal button is from an old pair of Liz Clairborne jeans (circa 1980's I believe), the carved white button, an especially fine one from the family button box and the black/silver one is from my vintage collection.  The small black nine is from one of the cell phones I dismantled earlier in the summer.  I poked the number through a distressed washer, glued it down with E6000 glue and then found, to my dismay, that the rubbery nine started coming adrift.  So, I did what any self respecting artist with a background in the needlearts would do, I stitched it down!!!  Not the most tidy solution, but certainly effective!

A spring from a dried up pen and a little scissor charm show up in this section. The spring was stitched down with perle cotton, that had been strung with black beads. My intent was to have the beads move freely, however they're now crammed into that spring fairly tightly, so I'll try the interactive movement idea on a future bjp!

I love this piece! 

When I feel that my brain is overstimulated and has been saturated with bright shots of colour, I sometimes find the need to let it rest with a calm, sophisticated pallette.  Black white, grey and silver................ahhhhh!!!   Call it a visual re-set button!!!!  Do any of you experience this type of overload situation?  If so, what do you do to rest your brain?

I used stacked, boucle/bocce and peyote stitch.

Don't worry!  My retreat from colour will be short lived, as I have big plans for October.  The only thing that's stopping me from getting started, is my search for the perfect "10".......................any ideas?



July, 2010 BJP AMD

It's been a long time coming, but now it's finished and I'm more than happy with the outcome. July and it's warmth is but a faint memory, so this BJP is more of an impression than a journal. It whispers to me of warm summer days, long walks, lying by the shore and visiting spectacular gardens. My thoughts turn to pink roses, sea shells, lush greenery, boardwalks and a riot of spectacular colour.

The first photo was taken upside down so that you could properly see the tiny pink apple that someone gave me. Isn't it sweet? Was it Deb? Or perhaps Marilyn & Rain?? Or perhaps I found it in some lonely basket or box tucked away at the back of the cupboard. Doesn't matter, because it's now been found and takes pride of place in the month of July.



The stone is a Yellow Turquoise that I purchased years ago, just because I liked it. I know, it doesn't really look yellow, but that's what the ticket said on the package. I peyote stitched a bezel around it in size 11 seed beads and the final row was done in 15's. A lovely, tidy finish for a simply delightful stone!

Did you notice the vintage button, lovingly nestled against the stone? That one, I'm pretty sure came from one of Marilyn & Rain's early forays into the wild and wonderful world of E-Bay.

At the very bottom of the photo, is a little brass finding that Kaite sent to me from Australia and a silver key from Marilyn & Rain.



The star is from one of Marilyn & Rain's trips to Seattle and the shells from a strand I picked up a couple of years ago. They had been pierced through the sides but I preferred to glue them to the substrate. I think they give a spirally, whimisical quality to the piece. What do you think? Did you notice the vintage jewellry piece at the top of the photo? Again, I think that was courtesy of Marilyn.




Another shot of the stone and the vintage button. Aren't they lovely?



The complete piece!! At the bottom, you will notice a little teeny map of Canada. Believe it or not, it was sent to me from Candy in Syracruse, NY. It came in a set of other Canadiana pieces that will more than likely show up in future months.

My original intent was to make a green and blue piece. But much to my surprise, the soft pink showed it's shy but persuasive little face. Another case of the piece having a mind of it's own. Or is that the muse? I was half way through peyote stitching around that great big focal, when I realized that I was doing it all in 15's and pale ones at that. What the heck was I thinking??? Shiny, tiny, pale beads are hard to works with, especially at night. Needless to say, I was saying very unkind things to myself all the while I worked on that part!

This BJP contains a selection of beads that include, but are not limited to seeds in size 15, 11, 8 and 6 (or were they 4's?). I also used bugles, drops, magtanamas (if that's the way it's spelled), pearls, cubes, bits and pieces of other beads, crystals and a broken pearl necklace (Did you spot it?). Of course, I also had to raid the button box!

My regular posse of bead stitches were used. Peyote, stacked, back, fringe and bocce/boucle.

The focal is one of my serendipity landscape, monoprinted with acrylic paints and then free motion stitched. It's fun to do and if you paint and stitch a larger piece, you have extras for the component box. In this case I have a postcard, an atc, a couple of twinchies and three or so inchies, all stitched and ready for finishing off. Of course, all I need to do is remember where I put them!!!!


I hope that you've enjoyed my little taste of the early days of summer!

Tada! My first Russian Leaf

Boy am I ever proud of myself!!!!!! This is something that I've been wanting to do for a while. I actually learned it from the ever generous, Marilyn Parker at the Toronto Bead Society techniques night last month. Thank goodness for her written instructions, because I just didn't get it that evening. With a little perserverence and a lot of ripping out and swearing, I finally figured it out. Yeah! Funny, it seems that you need to follow the instructions.....what a novel idea for a totally undisciplined artist like myself! Okay, I admit that it's not perfect. I'm not all that happy about the veins, but it's a start. I'll need to make several more before I'll be comfortable saying that I know the technique. The leaf is constructed in a diagonal peyote stitch, using Miyuki delicas and size 15 seeds beads. I had to use the GOOD light for this one!

BTW, do you like my display rock/crystal? Someone gave it to me and I have absolutely no idea what it is. Any tips would be appreciated. Any geologists or rock hounds out there reading my blog? Like, say Kristi??