Bag Age

One of my newest projects is my beaded bags. I hate to sew, I mean I HATE to SEW! So in order to create what I wanted, I found a crafty friend who makes purses, bags, etc. for the shows and asked her if she would use my pattern and my chosen materials to sew the bags for me and I would do all the rest, woven handles, beadwork, decoration, etc. I think they turned out wonderfully ...what do you think? Sizes are about 4" w x 5 or 6" L for the body of the bag and can be worn around the neck to hold a cell phone, wild money, tube of lip gloss or whatever.

Beaded Earrings

Here are some of my new earrings, some of which are fairly complex beadwork. The top three sets use a technique of beading around a round bead in the center and the bottom two sets are beaded around a glass tube.

The picture doesn't really do them justice as earrings always look best when they are hanging not laying on a scanner!

Bracelet Bingo

Not sure how these will come out (or where on the page). The first is a macrame bracelet using vintage African trade beads along with some African sand cast beads. It was fun to make.

The second is a multiple charm that is a flower garden using Czech glass mostly. The last is another macrame with some nice glass and lampwork by Beads Unique.

New Year, New Gear

One thing that is new is that I didn't make the trek to Tucson this year to buy materials. Fact is I have plenty of materials in my studio other than the usual stuff I always need to stock up on. Now that the silver people and some of the bead people come to town and that I have a good supplier that is local that carries some of the standards...I really don't have a good excuse to go and blow a bunch of moola. Now that Cec is making more jewelry, I do want to take him for sure next year if possible and that means saving up starting NOW!

Enough blab...here are a few new things I have made for the upcoming show at the end of this month:

The one on the left is a piece that highlights the beautiful lampwork beads made by another El Paso artist Tamara St. Jean. She has just started making beads and man, she is really good! The one on the left is a wirework piece with lampwork by Karen Cascio...love her beads!

The piece in the center above is basically a reflection of my creative process right now, full, colorful and opaque. I call it "Fiesta". There is lots more but I am having a time getting the pics to come up in the spots I want them to so I will have to work on that!