Sunday, December 12, 2010

Playing With Palettes

I have a book that is fast becoming worn around the edges as I spend a lot of time simply leafing through it. I take it with me when we go somewhere and I glance through it while riding along in the car. I like to look at the photos and the different beaded images and then look at the scenery around me and find a palette based on what I see.

Margie Deeb has put together this book, The Beader’s Color Palette, to inspire us to take a good look at the world around us and find the natural palettes to use in our art. Whether beading or playing in clay, I am always trying to find new ways to do things. Sometimes, I can not think of a single thing to create. (That’s why I like this book so well!)

I had on my to do list, some kaleidoscope canes, as I have almost exhausted my entire collection. I sat here and stared off and fiddled around and couldn’t think of a single thing to do with my hundreds of brand new packages of premo! I got carried away when they went on sale and have boxes of clay now.

So, I sat on the couch and watched the news and picked up Margie’s book and started leafing through it again and suddenly I thought of the artist grade clay that I have recently switched to and how it closely resembled the oil paints and their unlimited ability to create every colour we know.

I began to look at the book and try and imagine what colours it would take to create the ones I was seeing in the photos. I tried to be picky about what colours I wanted to work with and the canes that I would make from the clay. That approach wasn’t working, I still couldn’t decide.

SO! I randomly opened the book and made myself create from the colours on the page.

turquoise

This was the first cane that I did with this new thought process :)

Ecru is now my new favourite colour!

fruitdove

This fruit dove was on the adjacent page and I figured that with only 4 colours, it would be an easy cane. However, there were certainly MORE than 4 colours by the time that I was finished.

sea

I never left the page with these two sea inspired pieces.

I think these two might just be my most favourite for the moment.

I did something a little different with these canes, I have nearly zero left over clay. I used every little bit of mixed and blended clay to either wrap or add a dot or outline a cane. I have 4 chunks of end pieces from these but for the most part every bit of clay was used.

I suppose the next step is to make some beads from these! I already have plans for the first cane, I think I will make a necklace set with matching bracelet from it.

If you are interested in the book, here is the book with a link to Margie Deeb’s site. It is well worth picking up.

image

Have fun!

Julie and Blu

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

New Bracelets

As promised, here are the new  beads!

purpleposies3 peascarrots3

Polymer Clay Flowers with Swarovski accents, fun peas and carrots beads and lots of lentils.

:)

Julie and Blu

Some Early Christmas Gifts!

A few weeks back, I was sitting at my kitchen table staring out over the top of my laptop. From my kitchen table, I can see out into my backyard through the sliding glass windows.  (I actually can sit and watch the shuttle launches from that vantage point)

I noticed this huge cat in my backyard, it took the brain a few moments to realize that it was a Florida Panther come to visit. I was so astonished that the only thing I could think of was to hiss/whisper to my husband, “Bill, come quick and see the cougar.” 

We watched it walk across the yard and then hop over the 5 foot fence into the neighbors yard. I regret that I didn't get a photo of this beautiful animal while he was here.

But this weekend, I looked up and these two characters were prowling around the backyard so I was sure to get their photo! I followed them around until they climbed a tree and I snapped their cute little faces staring at me through the oak leaves. They were juvenile rocky racs out for a Sunday stroll and they made me smile.

 

2raccoons

New beads – I have been experimenting with a few new bead shapes and will share those as soon as I get them finished. I did complete a couple new bracelets and will also post those as I get the photos done.

In the meantime – here are new beads:  

LB-1110-0021LB-1110-0012 LB-1110-0015

Enjoy,

Julie and Blu