My Bohemian Behemoth

January 7, 2016, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Rebirth of the Sun Blog Hop & Challenge Reveal

≪ Previous: Macrame Diamonds

$

0

0

At the risk of being redundant, I'm sharing a post here from the Love My Art Jewelry blog 

in case some of you didn't see it (I hope many of you are following that blog, too - it's full of inspiration for jewelry makers).  I started with a polymer clay pendant from Staci Louise Originals and pulled my color palette from the elephant.  It turned out to be a very colorful, eclectic palette!

I got stuck just a bit when the colors in my knot work seemed to be a bit too blue for the pendant.

Once I got the idea of putting some ceramic beads in between the macrame strap and the elephant pendant, though, things started to get back on track.

And all's well that ends well.

The necklace has a sort of exotic, bohemian vibe with mix of patterns and colors, don't you think.  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!!

---

Rebirth of the Sun Blog Hop & Challenge Reveal

January 9, 2016, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: Khaki Kick

≪ Previous: My Bohemian Behemoth

$

0

0

The lovely Lesley Watt and crew over at Art Jewelry Elements issued a challenge back in November that I couldn't resist.  The theme?  The SUN!  It seemed a little strange at first when you consider it's winter here, but once you think of the winter solstice and the rebirth of the sun this time of year, it starts to fall into place.

I am all about the sun and focusing on it rather than the cold temperatures we're "enjoying" here in Nebraska lately has been a welcome distraction.  I found an awesome earthenware clay pendant from Wild Raven Studio with a cool (or hot haha) tribal sun motif and wanted to add a knotted "chain".  It started off great.

And then it went downhill.

In my defense, it didn't go that far south accidentally.  Once I decided I wasn't happy with the connection between the "links", I started playing around with it just to see what would happen.  I had a vision of a sloppy "nest" encircling the pendant like what Heather did with wire in this post, but that, too, ended badly.

With all of the failures out of the way, I finally managed to pull together a piece, with at least some of the elements I'd first envisioned.  The knotted chain links are fun, and different than anything I've done before.

And the piece I found to use as a bail turned out better than what I originally had in mind - I really like the way the "u" shape of it echoes the knotted links.

I can't wait to see what everyone else did with this theme, and I hope you'll join me.  Here's the list of participants:

Guest Designers

Melissa Trudinger

Lennis Carrier

Linds Newnham

Tammy Adams

Sherri Stokey  <--- You are here

AJE Team

Lindsay Starr

Jennifer Cameron

Sue Kennedy

Niky Sayers

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Lesley Watt

Caroline Dewison

Khaki Kick

January 21, 2016, 9:34 am

≫ Next: The Great Bump Debacle aka "What Happened to Your Head?"

≪ Previous: Rebirth of the Sun Blog Hop & Challenge Reveal

$

0

0

I've been on one of my khaki kicks lately, combing khaki cord with matte metallic khaki iris beads.  First I just used the beads in different shapes and sizes:

A little pair of earrings to match:

Then I decided to play up the greens and pinks from the beads, which brought about this piece with a sort of old world vibe.

Which needed some matching earrings, just because.

I haven't quite worked the khaki out of my system yet, so I'm working on this piece:

And that, my friends, is what I've been up to lately (even if it doesn't make for a very exciting blog post).  If you love these colors as much as I do and still haven't got your fill, check out this post. 

The Great Bump Debacle aka "What Happened to Your Head?"

January 28, 2016, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Weathering the Storm

≪ Previous: Khaki Kick

$

0

0

 

This is me hiding behind my phone.  I was actually trying to take a photo of my hair so my daughter could okay it before I went out in public.  I know, a grown woman shouldn't need permission to be seen in public, but this sort of stuff just seems to happen to me...

My husband and I were going on our once-a-year social event outing this past weekend.  For some background, I will admit to being only a step or two away from being a hermit.  I go to work and grocery shopping and all that, but aside from those things, I'm perfectly happy to stay at home (well, unless you're talking travel and/or beaches, then I'm all about not staying home).  Usually I have everything I need to entertain myself - my macrame supplies, my television and the Internet.  What more could a girl want (other than the aforementioned beaches)?

I pitched that argument to my husband, but he still thought I needed to put in an appearance at the holiday party his office holds annually.  They even do it in January, so I can't use the excuse that I'm too busy with holiday preparations and all that.  *sigh*  Don't you hate it when people are so darned reasonable?  

I tried telling him he could go without me, but he said people around the office are starting to talk.  Like maybe he killed me and hid the body or something, since nobody from his office has seen me for a year and a half.  I swear for the first couple of years he was stationed here people whispered that he wasn't even really married, that he made me up.  That led to me having to put in appearances at several consecutive events.  I've since learned my lesson and now I try to time them out - go to just enough to squelch the rumors...

Anyway, once it became clear that I would have to go, I decided a haircut would help matters.  Good looking hair can be a real self confidence booster (or so I've heard).  When I called for an appointment (the day before the event because I didn't want to face the fact that I was going to have to go to the event...) my regular stylist wasn't available.  I'm not that fussy about my hair, so I booked with the stylist who had an opening.  All good, right?

On Saturday (the day of) I made one last-ditch effort to get out of going.  I have had a cold for almost two weeks now and haven't been feeling great.  Maybe I'm not feeling well enough to go to the party (said in most hopeful voice)?   No dice.

So I showed up at the salon and the new young gal asked what I wanted done with my hair.  Of course I had no plan (I need a make-over.  I need someone to basically take over my appearance for me and just decide what the heck to do with my hair and do it.  And then come over every morning and do it for me.  M'kay?)  I told her I just needed it trimmed up and then styled since I had a party to go to, and off we went.  Then this happened:

What the heck?  My daughter's reaction to this photo was, (and I quote) "What happened to your head?"  Followed immediately by "Oh no!" and "You can't wear that bump!"  Now, I don't mean to trash talk the stylist.  She was (is) a very nice young lady and I'm sure she did a fabulous job on this hairstyle and I'm sure it looks great on many ladies.  It's not for me, though.  I feel like this:

Okay, so not green and mottled, but scaly skin (it's dry in Nebraska in the winter) and the head protrusion.  Well, crud.  Add tiny, deep-set eyes and wrinkly neck to the list of similarities, too.  *sigh*

Here I am 30 minutes before the party looking like an extra from a B-52s video or a 1960's throwback.  (Although some women looked pretty swell in a beehive - my mom (on the right) rocked it)!

But, we're not in the 70's anymore, Toto.  The hair bulge had to go.  Oh, and my husband was no help (seriously, his laughing wasn't helpful). 

I can feel you all rolling your eyes.  I know, I know... the obvious solution would be to simply smash down the bump.  Right?  Let me tell you, that's easier said than done.  She used over a dozen products in my hair, one or more of which must have contained actual cement.  No amount of smashing worked.  That bump had some serious staying power!  I tried brushing through it with limited success.  I did finally manage to flatten it slightly, vacillating between tears and hysterical laughter. 

At this point, I tried the I-can't-go-to-a-party-looking-like this tactic (it seemed like it might work).  My husband, kind and considerate soul that he is, said we could be fashionably late if I need more time to redo my hair.  I considered showering and starting all over, but ain't nobody got time for that (one of my favorite quotes)!  A little more brushing and some fluffing on the sides and I got to this:

 Which is good enough in my book, and daughter-approved. And that, my friends, is the story of the Great Bump Debacle of 2016.

Weathering the Storm

February 5, 2016, 10:01 am

≫ Next: Macrame Owls for All

≪ Previous: The Great Bump Debacle aka "What Happened to Your Head?"

$

0

0

We had a blizzard this week!  We got over 11" of snow that blew into drifts over 4' tall at my house.  It made getting to work (or anywhere else, for that matter) impossible and resulted in a... wait for it... SNOW DAY!  I was perfectly content to stay in and watch movies while working on micro macrame bracelets.  I caught up on the 2016 remake of War and Peace and watched Dr. Zhivago and got three bracelets mostly finished and another one started!

The bracelets I made all have the same beads (matte metallic khaki iris) and khaki cord.  The first one was solid khaki cord, then I tried adding in a couple shades of green.

 Which led to trading out the deeper green for a coppery pink cord.

And then that led to switching out the green for a deeper pink.

That led to switching out the lighter pink for the deep green.

And before I knew it, I had all of these (had to finish up over the next couple of evenings):

All in all, I consider it a most excellent snow day.  So tell me, what would you consider the perfect snow day?

Macrame Owls for All

February 11, 2016, 6:03 am

≫ Next: Happy Accidents

≪ Previous: Weathering the Storm

$

0

0

Let's face it:  it's just not a macrame party until somebody busts out an owl.  There's nothing more iconic than the knotted owl; in fact, mention macrame to many folks and this is what comes to mind:

I couldn't resist a while back and made my own version of the cliche, but in a smaller (palm sized) version meant to be hung on a person rather than a wall.  I made the original version using .5mm cord.

The other day I got some coin beads I'd ordered for eyes and discovered they were smaller than what I'd been using (I think these are 8mm), which made me wonder what would happen if I tried making the owl with smaller cord.

For comparison:

It's surprising just how much smaller the owl turned out using the C-lon fine instead of the "regular" .5mm cord.  (Need help on cord sizes?  See this post.)  Of course I had to try pushing it just a little bit further:

The tiny misshapen khaki owl is done with C-lon micro.  I have trouble knotting with cord that small.   Theoretically it should work, with adjustments to the size of the beads and something smaller than the split rings at the top.  But, it took me nearly three times as long to make the small one as it did to make the large one!  Lots more fiddling - and that's from a professional fiddler!  Maybe I'll just wait for one of you to try it and let me know how it turns out.

If you'd like to try making your own owl, you'll find the tutorial here in my Etsy shop.  And don't forget, I have a whole page of videos knot tutorials here.  

If you're looking for ideas on how to make your owl pendant into a necklace, there's an easy idea in this post, or you can add a simple macrame spiral or a little chain.  They're all cute!

Have fun!!

Happy Accidents

February 19, 2016, 9:34 am

≫ Next: Wanted: Micro Macrame Students

≪ Previous: Macrame Owls for All

$

0

0

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?  Or when some lucky accident leads to what you can claim as a plan coming together?  In my case it started with this bracelet:

Waiting for some custom order raku pieces to arrive, I made this bracelet playing around with some of the lighter colors in typical raku pieces.  (I'll give you a taste of what I ordered, but if you want to see all of the lovely pieces, you'll need to pop over to Love My Art Jewelry and take a peek at the post I did there - hint:  it's worth the click.)

Look at me getting distracted by the pretty things.  Where was I? 

Raised to be thrifty, I always keep the excess cord I trim from projects if I think they are long enough to use for something else.  Which is how I end up with a mess like this:

But that, too, is a whole other topic.  Back to this story...  I trimmed excess cord from the ends of that bracelet and started knotting what I intended to be a pair of earrings, but the one I started got kind of large, so I decided to turn it into a pendant instead.   

I went digging through my stash to find larger ring to anchor a necklace onto and a drop bead or something to add to the bottom of the pendant.  But when I found a ring, I decided to incorporate it into the pendant instead of hanging the pendant from it and the pendant ended up upside down with a big(ish) ring knotted into the top.  Still with me?

Still looking for a drop or something to hang from the bottom (which used to be the top), I came across this:

No way this could match any better if I had designed my color palette around this it!  I have no idea what this pendant is made of - I don't even remember who I bought it from.  I do remember that it was from someone destashing, so if you recognize it, let me know!  I am guessing it's made of bone, but that's only a guess.  I did take a photo of the back side, if this helps someone identify the material (and if you do know, please tell me!):

Anyway, there I go again, veering off topic.  Well, I guess I'm still mostly on topic, just slightly left of center, but back to the main story:  I love this fun wizard pendant and it looks awesome with the pendant piece and I probably couldn't do that again in a million years because the colors are pretty much spot on.  

At this point I pretty much  just had to knot some straps on this puppy and put it to bed, but you know me - I can't leave well enough alone.  I wanted to use the soft green colored cord for the necklace straps, but I thought I needed to bring some of the colors from the pendant and the... what would you call that?  A knotted pendant holder?  From that thing, anyway... I wanted to bring some of the color up into the body of the necklace, so I added a bit more knotting to the topside of the ring and then transitioned into the solid green knotting on the straps.

And that's how this necklace came to be.

I wish I could tell you that this fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants design plan is an anomaly for me, but sadly this is more the rule than the exception.  I'm not a sketcher and even when I do try to be a planner, it often veers off track.  Sometimes, though, things come together just perfectly!  I guess maybe we'll have to call "going with the flow" my plan.

Wanted: Micro Macrame Students

February 24, 2016, 10:20 am

≫ Next: Raku and Micro Macrame

≪ Previous: Happy Accidents

$

0

0

Do you want to learn micro macrame?  If you live anywhere near Omaha, here's your chance!  I'll be teaching a class at the Omaha Bead Affair on April 17th.

This class is geared for beginners as well as people with some knowledge of macrame.  In the process of making this fun wrap bracelet, students will be learning five of the most common macrame knots.  If you have never done any macrame, this class is meant to get you acquainted with knotting and working with cord.  If you've had some experience, it's a good refresher for different knots (and a lot of fun!). 

A materials kit is included in the cost of the class, so you'll only have to bring a pinning surface  In case you're not familiar with macrame supplies, I did a whole post that includes some suggested sources here.  And if you really want to be a showoff, dip your toe in the micro macrame pool by completing this free project.

I'm ridiculously excited about teaching another class (seriously - I have a blast teaching classes).  Hope to see you there! 

---

Raku and Micro Macrame

March 2, 2016, 8:33 am

≫ Next: Micro Macrame Bracelets with Raku

≪ Previous: Wanted: Micro Macrame Students

$

0

0

Valerie Cristo from Clay for a Cure makes some gorgeous raku pieces and recently made some custom focals for me.  I can't say enough about how great she was to work with on my order.  She took the time to figure out what I wanted and why and was able to suggest some ideas I hadn't even thought of.  And if her pretty beads and customer service isn't enough, she donates a portion of each sale to help find a cure for cancer.  Do take a minute to check out her shop - you won't be sorry!

After waiting out by the mailbox for a few days, I was thrilled when my beads arrived.  Just look at the COLOR!  It makes my heart beat a little faster, I swear!  And it has been such fun pulling the colors from her beads and weaving them into intricate micro macrame bands.  

For the first couple of bracelets, I chose some of the rectangular pieces from Valerie.  I love how she used the raku colors in a band across the center and left the rest a glossy white for contrast.  I started with a mix of blues, khaki and a coppery pink, then added a bit of white to the next one.

When Valerie saw them, she asked me to design one for her using the large round bead she made for me!

I don't think there's any greater compliment a jewelry designer can receive than to be asked to make a piece for a bead artist using one of their beads.  And what's better?  Now Valerie is standing out by her mailbox waiting! 

Micro Macrame Bracelets with Raku

March 8, 2016, 6:41 am

≫ Next: Micro Macrame Bracelets with Raku: Part II

≪ Previous: Raku and Micro Macrame

$

0

0

Sue from Star Spirit Studio recently made on a batch of custom bracelet bars for me.  I've worked with her before and her raku pieces are beyond beautiful. To top it off, she's a pleasure to work with!

 I like bracelet bars with four holes (two per end instead of one) for my micro macrame bracelets.  I think it keeps the piece from turning around so much and that's a big deal to me since I'm working with small fiber cords.  The bead cord I use has a 35 pound breaking strength and is pretty strong, but it could be worn by constant friction so I avoid that as much as possible.  Anywho... the pieces Sue made for me are ah.ma.zing!

I've been binge knotting and binge watching episodes of Call the Midwife.  Well, I was, anyway, until I ran out of episodes (so sad to see it end!).  Now I'm on the prowl again for a good series to watch on Netflix.  Any suggestions?  I love British dramas, period dramas and crime dramas.  Anyone? 

And there I am wandering off track again...

The colors in each of these bracelets vary slightly, based on the predominant colors in the ceramic, but they're all similar:

 

 

 

What's not to love, right?

I wouldn't think to put these colors all together if it weren't for the colors of the raku, but it works really well.  Who knew!?

If you just cant get enough raku and micro macrame, check out the post here, and here, and here, and here...  Can you tell how much I love these colors?

Micro Macrame Bracelets with Raku: Part II

March 14, 2016, 9:51 am

≫ Next: Micro Macrame with Raku Part III: The Last of Them

≪ Previous: Micro Macrame Bracelets with Raku

$

0

0

Yes, I'm still at it:

 

 

 

That is all :)

Micro Macrame with Raku Part III: The Last of Them

March 20, 2016, 12:37 pm

≫ Next: Super Deal on Online Micro Macrame Classes

≪ Previous: Micro Macrame Bracelets with Raku: Part II

$

0

0

After a month-long binge of knotting, I've come to the end of the road for raku (at least for now).  This raku owl is the last of the ceramic bracelet bars from Star Spirit Studio.

When I commissioned these bars from Sue, I had no idea I would get so wrapped up in them that I'd use all twelve of them up in a month!  It was sort of like eating the whole bag of potato chips in one setting - that's never the intention at the onset.

Each one of the bracelets was different, depending on the predominant colors in the raku on each ceramic piece.   Now that they're all finished, I feel sort of lost!

  

What to do next?

Super Deal on Online Micro Macrame Classes

March 31, 2016, 5:07 pm

≫ Next: Spring is in the Air

≪ Previous: Micro Macrame with Raku Part III: The Last of Them

$

0

0

Boy, oh boy!  If you've had your eye on any of my online micro macrame classes, now is the time!  The nice folks at CraftArtEdu.com have apparently lost their minds and put out a code good for 31% off your entire purchase!  Yes, that's right - whether you buy one class or ten, you can get 31% off using the code march31!  (Find all the details here.) You'll have to hurry, though, the code is only good through April 3, 2016.  

Here's a peek at some of the classes I have available:

Spring is in the Air

April 5, 2016, 9:38 am

≫ Next: A Hard Reset

≪ Previous: Super Deal on Online Micro Macrame Classes

$

0

0

It's the time of year when the mornings are filled with the songs of the birds and the croaking of the frogs.  Trees are budding, grass is greening and flowers are even starting to bloom here and there.  I'm not usually much on pastel colors, but spring just seems to call for them, doesn't it?  So this year I put my own twist on a traditional spring color palette, throwing some khaki into the mix.  Much more my style.

Soft lilac, buttery yellow and soft green combine in a most interesting way.

Periwinkle and aqua.

Even a bit of apricot.

The challenge for me is to use colors in unexpected ways, combinations that don't seem intuitive.  Every once in a while, it results in something fun.

A Hard Reset

April 12, 2016, 11:22 am

≫ Next: Inspired by David Bowie - a Blog Hop Reveal

≪ Previous: Spring is in the Air

$

0

0

Last week was tough.  I get depressed from time to time; I've struggled with it for years.  My "brand" of depression isn't the kind where I think of hurting myself or anything, it's more like I just don't like myself.  When I get this way, there's nothing I can do to convince myself that I'm not a bad person or that my "art" doesn't suck.  When one of "those" customers comes along at a time when I'm in one of these funks, it's a recipe for disaster and that's what happened last week.

All I wanted to do was pull the covers up over my head, shut out the world and sleep.  Avoidance is the best remedy, right?  Instead I opened every message from this customer pointing out my flaws and took them to heart.  Obsessed over them.  Questioned myself.  Couldn't sleep.  Couldn't create.

Thankfully I have a small group of people to whom I can whine and complain and the remarkable thing is that they understand.  They don't think I'm crazy (even when I do) and they don't make me feel worse for having given in to the whining and complaining.  They listen and commiserate and offer advice from having been there themselves.  The best advice I got was this:  every time you get one of those negative messages, just say "thank you" (in your head) for the reminder of how you never want to be and how you never want to make someone else feel.  

They also told me to take some time for myself and create just for the joy of creating.  I usually find inspiration in my beads and cord, so I pulled a soothing palette with some beautiful turquoise and teal colors with ecru and bronze and spent a few days not worrying about my upcoming classes or the tutorial I need to write.

Things are feeling better now.  I'm feeling my creativity return and I'm getting excited for the class I'm teaching this weekend.  And I have a new policy:  I'm no longer going to respond to negative messages.  I'm giving myself permission to ignore them and move on and I hope that doesn't make me a bad person.

---

Inspired by David Bowie - a Blog Hop Reveal

April 14, 2016, 4:00 am

≫ Next: BEACH in Micro Macrame

≪ Previous: A Hard Reset

$

0

0

Today is the David Bowie tribute Blog Hop being brought to you by Love My Art Jewelry and I wanted to participate, but I really struggled with this one.  The intention of the hop was to honor his memory, his boldness and his art.  I tried really hard.  I studied the lyrics to his songs and pored over hundreds of photos of him online.  I looked for a connection between the music he created and the pieces I create, and you know what I found?  Nothing.  His style is not my style.  I cannot recreate "him".  

And that's when it hit me!  The inspiration I found from the life and work of David Bowie was to be me, and not try to be anyone other than myself.  He was not afraid to be different from everyone else; he had his own look, his own style.

So for today's hop, I made a piece I feel very much reflects me and my style.  I chose a handmade ceramic lotus pendant from Gaea in a soft turquoise color.  It's such a pretty piece and so serene.  I knotted a spiral macrame cord in tan from which to hang the pendant, then added a tassel I made of the same cord.  I added a little color on the wrap of the tassel and threw in some handmade jump rings to give the necklace a little detail.  This piece is everything I love and it makes me smile just to look at it.

I hope you will take the time to visit the other blog hop participants.  I can't wait to see what everyone else made!  You can find the links here on the Love My Art Jewelry blog.

BEACH in Micro Macrame

April 22, 2016, 9:10 am

≫ Next: Beachy Macrame Jewelry - Part II

≪ Previous: Inspired by David Bowie - a Blog Hop Reveal

$

0

0

You might remember this pile of beads and cord I pulled a few days ago (if not, there's another post here with some other bracelets I made from it), in one of my favorite colors schemes:  beach.  It has some pretty turquoise colors all the way through teal with a few bluish greens and greenish blues thrown in, as well as ecru, tan, brown and bronze.  A few howlite critters (fish and starfish) add to the fun.  

I decided I'd start a Starfish collection in these colors, adding a little starfish charm to the end of the extender chains on each of the micro macrame bracelets.  For first one, I used in two colors of turquoise cord with some ecru, and beads in brown and turquoise.  The beads on the edges have a pretty shimmery finish and really draw attention to the floral outline of the pattern (it's my Hydrangeas Pattern, if you want to try it for yourself).  I really like the summery feel of this one.

Even the back of it is pretty.

For the next bracelet, I wanted to tone down the palette.  I wanted really soft, understated colors so I used all tan cord with brown and turquoise beads.

I think it turned out really pretty.

And of course, there's still the little starfish on the extender chain.

I have a third macrame bracelet started in these colors, but I added in a new color (I know, shame on me - it's not in the palette!).  It's a new Toho hybrid bead (Toho beads with Czech finishes) in Fiesta.  That just sounds pretty, doesn't it!  I'll be sure to show you a photo when I've finished the piece, but for now, I'll leave you with these two.

Have a great weekend!

Beachy Macrame Jewelry - Part II

April 27, 2016, 5:21 am

≫ Next: Starfish Collection Macrame Jewelry

≪ Previous: BEACH in Micro Macrame

$

0

0

Last week I showed you this beachy pile of beads and cord I've been working with, building a Starfish Collection in micro macrame (the post is here, if you missed it):

I recently received an order from Bello Modo (one of my favorite online bead stores) with some pretty new beads called Fiesta and thought they might be a nice addition to these colors.

The pinkish color looked really pretty outlining the flower shapes and for some extra punch, I filled in the diamond shapes with shimmery blue beads.  I also made some macrame earrings to match the bracelet and added starfish dangles.

The earrings were so cute, I had to make a pair in tan and turquoise, too.

The weather here has been cold and rainy and miserable, so working with these colors keeps me dreaming of sun and sandy beaches!  I'm thinking I might have to make a necklace next.  What do you think?  

If you'd like to try your hand at making micro macrame jewelry pieces like these, you'll find the bracelet pattern in the Hydrangeas Micro Macrame Bracelet Tutorial in my Etsy shop.  Both the earrings and bracelet are covered in the Hydrangeas Micro Macrame Bracelet and Earrings Class on CraftArtEdu.com if you prefer that format.  

Happy knotting!!

Starfish Collection Macrame Jewelry

May 10, 2016, 6:59 am

≫ Next: More Beachy Macrame Jewelry

≪ Previous: Beachy Macrame Jewelry - Part II

$

0

0

I really need to get a beach fix!  I do love this time of year in Nebraska when all the hills are greening up and the trees are filling out, but it's still not warm enough to suit me yet.  I'm dreaming of this:

I pulled beads and cord a month ago and turns out that must have been what was in my head!  Look:

This palette has inspired a bunch of new pieces (you can see them here and here and here if you missed them) like these:

I played a bit with the starfish theme and sprinkled them down the center of a cuff (made from my Marquise design, online class available here):

Then I decided I needed to try these colors out in the Leaves pattern, which was a lot of fun.

That led to the Falling Leaves thing (leaves, leaves....), and it turns out if you use turquoise and tan you get a very summery version of the bracelet, especially with a starfish bead attached!

The whole time I was making these macrame bracelets, I was trying to come up with an idea for a necklace in this color palette.  

I started playing around with a brass ring, adding chevrons of color.  I intended to hang one of the howlite starfish beads to the ring as the pendant, but it just didn't have enough impact.  I went back to the pile of beads I'd originally pulled and it turns out the answer had been right there all along!

The starfish pendant is from Summer Wind Art and I can't believe how perfectly it goes with the rest of the necklace.  My subconscious must have been working overtime on this one.

More Beachy Macrame Jewelry

May 19, 2016, 12:23 pm

≫ Next: Beachy Beige Macrame Jewelry

≪ Previous: Starfish Collection Macrame Jewelry

$

0

0

The starfish palette I've been playing with for weeks now still has me enthralled.  Now it's become a challenge to see how many different pieces I can create working from it.  

This week I've been concentrating on the neutrals.  It's amazing how much more the texture and subtle patterns show up when your eye isn't drawn by bright colors

It's also fun to see how the teal colored patina starfish grabs the eye when it's set against a backdrop of neutrals.

That little experiment led to another - what if I added just a tiny bit of color in the beads...

If I'm counting right, I think I may be up to sixteen pieces inspired by the Starfish palette so far, and I'm still going strong!!