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

Beads-n-Wire ... My necklace "Shakti"

WOW! What a fortnight it has been. I have been busy with so many things in so many different directions that my poor blog post  has been left incomplete. But since things have quieted down a little and Diwali season is approaching ,  I can now share  the amazing things that I have done with my tool . Over the past few months my son has been pestering me to buy the Dremel tool kit for his car detailing (he`s an automobile engineering student ), I  finally gave in on a condition that I could borrow it for my jewellery making sometimes . Ever since I saw the tutorial Coiling wire on a drill by Lisa Niven Kelly , I have been wanting to try it . So, gathering a bit of courage , and a lot of help from the internet , I ventured into this crafting journey  .

It was fun trying out the dremel , of course with some help from a reluctant teenager, and lots of practice, I finally managed to get evenly spaced spirals . Made some coiled wire components and then attached lime green glass beads on a 18 gauge copper wire .
 ,

But after completing all the beads I realized that because of the metal , they were kinda heavy . So to reduce the weight I added felt beads in bold red color , and a couple of gold filled embossed beads and a pendant . With very little coil remaining , I made the clasp in copper and added a small piece of coiled wire for a decorative effect .
   "Shakti "I think , is in every way a proper name for this piece , as it  reminds me of Shakti- the Hindu Goddess because of the color red , a favourite of the divine goddess . Also , the second meaning  ,of the word Shakti is  power or strength , and I did have to use a lot of it when I coiled the wire and beads around a thick copper wire with no heavy duty jewellery making tools ...Haha !
  But apart from a sore thumb and painful fingers , I am quite thrilled with this piece and I hope you like it too .


Ciao
motidana 

The Clean-up, Fix-up Your workspace Challenge Reveal

Oh dear  !  March is here and I`m already very late for my  post on

           "Clean-up, Fix-up Your Workspace" Challenge & Blog Hop Reveal! . 

          Ever since I started pursueing my hobby of jewellery making seriously , I have been wanting to get things tidied and organised . A collector for ages , I`ve been accumalating bits and pieces that fascinated me , on the thought that I would use it someday in future . And with loads of hand-me-downs from a crafting crazy mother and a hoarder mother-in-law , my collection has grown over the years . So every time I sit to create something , I have to go over the inventory in my mind as all my tiny treasures are in different storage places all over the house, ( no particular area to call my own sadly )

 

A  terrible mess as the university books jostle with my beadwork space 

 

Many a times this has proved to be an irritant when I realized that I missed using a particular finding that I already had in a creation . And there have been a  times I have shelved the idea of making a piece , as I have been unable to find a tiny focal , that I wanted to use in my design .

And so when I came across this challenge , I was quite pleased that I would be now be compelled to reorganize or rather allocate and tidy up my workspace , a task I have been pushing off for ages. And so , finally,  after procastrinating for weeks since I signed up for this challenge , here`s my before and after the tidy up !

 

the before picture !

                     

             

   and here`s the after picture . 

 

  Till now , according to  the time of the day or night that I work , my work space has been changing . Days when I am alone and at home for the full day , my dining table converts as my workspace . And if I`m   beading on those days,  I prefer to sit out in my terrace under the natural daylight .  And of course when I want uninterrupted creating time , I work in the night when everyone  else at home is asleep . So the unit in my family room converts into my little studio ( a space that I share with my son ! )

finally a space that is finally only mine !!

  But after all the tidying up and reallotting territories to the family , ( a task that has proved quite hard with a grumbling teenager refusing to vacate the space inspite of having his own desk in his room , )  I have staked my claim on the lovely wall unit as my studio space and am quietly pleased with the result . At last , an area to call my own .............  all my tiny treasures stored in boxes neatly . The seedbead packets will have to be  put into boxes and stored away so that I can work on the fabric mat while beading . And now all heres left is to get a good  portable light which will help when I bead at night.

 

my sincere apologies to Sharyl for the late submission 

 

motidana..

 

The participants in the challenge...

Host: Sharyl McMillian-Nelson … http://sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com

Donna Millard http://fyrebeadz.blogspot.com/

Beda Hendrix ... https://www.facebook.com/SasijuhlsThings 

Ann Schroeder… http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com

Pamela Rachelle… http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com

Kristin L Oppold… http://www.yayjewelry.blogspot.com

Heidi Kingman ... http://heidikingman.blogspot.com

Andi ... http://strungoutjewelry.blogspot.com/

Patricia Buchanan Click “Blog” on the menu bar athttp://www.braceletstoo.artfire.com

Helen Simon… http://helensharvest.com/  (not currently posted)

Kashmira … http://sadafulee.blogspot.com/   (withdrawn)

somethingunique ... http://somethinguniquebylana.blogspot.ca/

Renetha ... http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com    (not currently posted)

Kathy Lindemer ... http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com

Swapna Dinesh … http://www.swardaa.com       (now live!)

Linda Landig ... http://lindalandig.wordpress.com/

Ann Schroeder ... http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com/

Beti Horvath ... http://stringingfool.blogspot.com/

Sam S ... http://samsbeadshopandjewelry.blogspot.com/

Christina Miles ... http://wingsnscales.blogspot.com/

Islandgirl ... http://islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.ca/    (now live!)

macmillanmarie ... http://www.macmillanmarie.blogspot.com

Emma Todd … http://www.apolymerpenchant.com

Neena Shilvock … 
http://www.capriliciousjewellery.com/3/post/2014/02/neither-ship-shape-nor-bristol-fashion.html

Dee Clark… http://biz-e-bead.blogspot.com/     (not currently posted)

motidana ... http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.com/   

Here Bead Dragons ... http://beaddragons.blogspot.com/

Carol D. ... http://dillmansdallies.blogspot.com/

Pam Sears ... http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/

Nan Smith ... http://wirednan.blogspot.ca

AliMc ... http://northwoodscreativestudio.blogspot.com    (not currently posted)

Kari Asbury ... http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com   (not currently posted)

Shirley Moore ... http://www.beadsandbread.blogspot.com

PyxeeStyx ... http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/

Jayne Capps … https://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com

Louann Elwell 
... https://plus.google.com/117746558861718110652/posts

Rain ... http://honeyandollie.com/

Lori Bergmann ... http://www.LoriBergmann.blogspot.com

Helen Simon… http://helensharvest.blogspot.com/

Arlene Dean ... http://aglassbash.blogspot.com    (not currently posted)

Sandra... http://city-of-brass-stories.blogspot.de/   (not currently posted)

Alicia ... http://www.allprettythings.ca

Natalie Pappas ...  http://blog.nkpdesigns.com/

Mike Flint ...  https://www.facebook.com/bagomag

  

My treasures from Bangkok

It`s been a while since I posted . You could say I have been a little preoccupied trying to catch up with loads of unfinished work from before my vacation. Why is it that I always end up with lots of things to do before and after the holiday ?
    And this time is no different . Guess my creative ideas will have to wait for some more time before they take off ! But I had to share the goodies that I got from my recent trip . It was a hurried but exciting time at the Sampeng Market on the last day of my trip .

 

the maze of shops at Sampeng 

 

A bead shop full of interesting stuff

 

A button store 

I felt like Alice in Wonderland . The crowded lanes and bylanes were filled with goodies to make  any craft enthusiast giddy . Wish I could have spent more time , but could`nt as I had a flight to catch and head back home .
                                                  And here is the hoard of treasure I got .

                                                clasps and closures for my jewellery

 

 beautiful Cloisonné beads , 

 

 seed beads of different sizes . ( I have been wanting these from a long time for shaped beadwork )

 

beading needles and tiger tail , thread ,  and lots of findings , 

 And of course the purse frames which I never get in India , will come in handy for my bead crochet projects !
  I am so happy with my treasures and am soon going to start my new project so do stop by

motidana