From my Bead Peeps Swap n Hop partner!

Wow,  the beads arrived and I`m so excited I can't wait to get started! My partner this time is Krafty Max  . Looking up at her work and her site, I realized what an avid beader she is. Her  work is simply gorgeous ! Here`s a link to all the lovely jewellery she makes . Some of her award winning pieces are featured here !

She`s been so generous  and sent a lot of  different beads  for me to play with. Not only  a whole lot of beautiful seed beads but lampwork beads, focals, handmade findings and strands of  gemstone beads. It`s going to be fun trying out all the things she has sent me , most of which we don`t get to see here in India. My mind is reeling with ideas , and I love what I've put  together so far , really love it! I don't yet have final designs worked up but I definitely have the general idea of  I want to make from most of them.

And here`s the stuff I sent 

It was challenging to have to send her items for this swap.   What could I send her that she would like  ? She has  been making jewelry as a full time job/business for years !! I And  being an avid beader, she had so many of the beads I shortlisted for sending her, already made into beautiful jewellery. And I was totally confused . I was sure I wanted to send something that was not similar to what she already had.  And when she told me she would love something   traditional from my country, it made the selecting a bit easier.  I sent her a double sided focal Buddha bead  , apart from a lampwork heart focal, and other beads made in India.    I also included a few brass findings  , and a stone cabochon and cute little wooden bird beads, from Rajasthan India.  I can't wait to see the jewelry that she makes from what I sent her.  

Stay tuned in for more on the Bead Peeps Swap n Hop challenge ! Comming soon....

motidana

Welcome 2015

                                         Welcome 2015....................................

    Wish you all a wonderful day and year filled with goodness, prosperity, health and laughter and of course lots of inspiration and creativity!!!

 Back from a long winter break...let the jewellery making  begin!

   It`s going to be a year filled with lots of creative explorations  . On the  New year resolution list , the first thing that`s going to be  is to learn new techniques in jewellery making and of course practice and better the other skills that  have been already learnt ! 

 Next on the list is bettering my photography skills . No matter how many attempts I make , I feel that the photos don`t come out the way they look in real . I`m never happy with the results , so I do need to improve in that skill . 

 And the third agenda that`s going to be on my list is to get more confident in my  computer operating skills ! After all , I have to increase my blogging presence this year and making lots of new friends , and of course keep in touch with all of you too

So these are the things on my to-do list for 2015 . What are your plans for the year ahead ? 
Looking forward to hearing about your plans for the year ahead. 

motidana.

Experimenting with wire wrapping - A bohemian necklace !

Of late , I am in a mood to experiment with different wire work techniques and this is another one of my projects   . It was fun practicing making those tiny little drops and believe me there were many in this necklace !  (and as my son rightly pointed out , lot  practice would make me perfect ! ) . Then came the wired resin beads and finally assembling the links . Was planning to leave it as a simple chain but realized that the bunch of drops would not lie properly if I did so , and I had to add a pendant .
   

 The pendant was a little difficult for me as I was not able to manipulate the shape easily , ( it was first time for me after all ) but  the frame turned out well in the end . I embellished it with a coral color glass bead and added the drops at the base to give it an ethnic look to go with the necklace .

 So this is how I made this piece . But I wonder , do you design the link chain first and then move on to the pendant or vice versa ? Would love to hear from you about how you found this piece , and do drop by for I have another exciting project waiting to be showcased .....

motidana

Ready to bead again !

It`s been a while since I made anything new for myself . And after tidying my workspace for Sharyl`s challenge , I have been feeling quite happy that my bead stash is  now more organised . I found some pieces of jewellery ,  lying  among the bead  'mixed-up' soup .

Dragon bead necklace

The necklace here is one such piece I found in that jumble . I had made it years ago when I first started exploring different techniques of jewellery making . I had used an antique chinese dragon bead , terracota beads which I painted black and some coral colored glass beads . Using embroidery floss in turquoise , I added some color by coiling it around packaging twine ! ( did`nt have any of the jewellery making material then . ) Wearing it for a couple of times , I had kept it aside , as , after looking minutely , I was not happy with the finishing .

     So this is the piece I`m going to work on  and remake in a new avatar  as my current project . I want to make a necklace but this time using only beads . But before I do that , I thought I would take some pictures for old times sake and put it on record .

Any ideas or suggestions for the new avatar ?

motidana

Some more Ganesha Pendants !

Here are a couple of pendants from my Ganesha collection .

This one I have created using pearls , gold foil beads , jade green malachite beads ,and carved coral Ganesha idol. I thought it would make a lovely focal piece for my coral mangalsutra that I have made for my previous post  " Another Treasure from the Sea - Creations in  coral " ( here ) . So I thought of  re-stringingthe necklace and add the newly created pendant in the center........... but after uploading the picture I realized that the beading wire that I had used is visible where I had joined a new one and that will not do !  . And so ......... I have decided to make it again .

And in this one though the center Ganesh  idol is identical , I used a different technique to make the necklace. I love collecting Ganesha`s and since I had three idols of same size I decided that I would use all three in different ways to create jewellery .

 Somehow the combination of lusturous pearls , coral ,  and gold really looked good together and so I made this one , using bead weaving technique slightly different from the first one . And I made the  loop  big enough to go through a gold chain .
  My plan was to complete the entire collection for Ganesh Chaturthi but I was slow in completing these two pieces as I was working on another designer  necklace that I will be posting soon .

 Till then ciao ! and do pen  in a few words about these latest pendants ,and , drop by for the new statement piece that I will be showcasing soon !

motidana

Ganesha Pendants - My new creation

Ganesha , the hindu elephant god has a special place in the life of Indians . Being Ganesh chaturthi , I am  posting  two pendants  that I have made .

In my quest for learning different techniques , I have created this one using quilling. The base is handmade paper and this pendant can be worn with a simple cord or chain .

And this  one has been created using a faux turquoise Ganesh idol that I got as a free gift from a local bead shop . I have used wire wrapping technique along with pearls , drop faux coral beads , and Chinese faceted glass beads . It is yet to be made into a necklace , but as usual , I couldn't wait to post the pictures so here`s the picture of the pendant .

So what do you think about these creations ? Do drop in a line as your views matter a lot to me .

motidana

The Crimson Chakra necklace !

Here`s a look at my latest project ,  The Crimson Chakra necklace  !

When I started this project , I had no idea how it would turn out. My initial idea was only to make a necklace that matched with my kutchwork saree that I have done .

 I had been given the round motif pattern  as a part of the monthly challenge by Coco of .Perles Dentelles.   . A quick and fun project , I loved creating the motifs as they were easy to do , and was happy I learn`t a new technique .

Gaining confidence after doing a couple of motifs ,  I decided to experiment a little more and came up with the triangle motif . After a lot of  weaving and reopening , I was able to get the look I wanted for the center . The faux coral beads came in handy to fill up the circles and now all it needed was a chain to match .

 I tried thinking  but came up with nothing suitable , and kept this project on hold . And to my surprise , I found the pattern and the lovely tutorial by Inspirational Beading  , that seemed to be perfect for the chain .Thanks Mortira  , for the inspiring post . (You can find her blog here)

       Quite thrilled at this , I completed the necklace finally and  , this is how it turned out .

 How grateful I am at all the  beaders on the web , who inspire me to learn and create these pieces of beadwork that I`ll always treasure
  So what do you think ? Don`t these wonderful people need a big thank you for sharing their art and inspiring us to learn more and more ?

Do write your views

 Till then ciao

beadfully yours
 motidana  

A Medley of Beaded motifs

Of late , I`ve been trying to explore different bead weaving techniques and so have been creating tiny motifs that are different in techniques as well as colors. Some I have created these by sketching up the motifs and then working them with beads and so they might not appear perfect to look at .  But I`m quite pleased with them .

Now all I have to decide whether they will be attached to my dresses or saree blouse . And  maybe a  couple of them could be made into a bracelet or necklace . A difficult choice to make as I like them all !

 What do you think ? any favourites?

Do drop in a line .

motidana

My latest WIP- Earrings to match my ostrich bead necklace.

Remember my earlier post on Unique Jewelry finds , Ostrich eggshell beads  , from the exhibition hosted by  Kaivalam ? Well as mentioned earlier , I had a necklace and bracelet , but no earrings to match.

here`s the link

So I decided to make a pair of earrings to match and complete the set.

Taking a few beads apart from the peyote stitch bracelet ,I added the faux coral cabs , just as I had added in the necklace , using bead embroidery .



 A jiffy project , it took just  a couple of hours to finish .



Do you think they go well with the necklace? Do drop in a line .

Till then , Happy Beading !

Motidana.