Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Bead Table Wednesday, Issue #1

Welcome to what's-on-my-table-this-week!  I had discovered Bead Table Wednesday, or also affectionately known as 'BTW' (ha!), through Sue at Hello Gorgeous Design.  I found a nifty button on her blog that lead me to a Flickr group of international beaders sharing the mess on their own bead tables!

I'm a little too embarrassed to show you my actual workspace right now, I really let myself go.  I'm in the middle of a mass exodus of bead-sorting and material-purging, some may find itself for sale on my Etsy shop.  I'm also happy for the opportunity to review what I have in my own stash and focus on what materials I've been using the most lately.  You know what they say, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."  This stuff certainly isn't trash, it just got lost in the mix and, consequently, I lost interest.  There are a few that, with fresh eyes, I find new ideas and stash it away for later, like these ones here!


Monday, March 14, 2011

I've got a new blog!

Well, folks, remember the "Big Move"?  There are still details that I won't reveal yet, but here's what I can tell you:  I've got a new blog!

For those who've been following the blog for a little while now, you're probably familiar with some of the theatre and music performing endeavours I've been participating in.  It can get pretty convoluted in this blog here with all the arts and crafts I enjoy, so I had started a separate blog all about my love of music and theatre, inspirations, past and present productions and 'lessons learned' as I continue to study and participate in the performance arts. 

I've called it "The Pursuit".  It's an intriguing pursuit of happiness, purpose and fulfillment in what brings me the most joy, and that's a life of art.  I do invite you to follow and stay in touch! 

Friday, March 11, 2011

Thank You, moo.com!

Oh, these exceeded expectations ...


moo.com had a limited-time offer for Etsy sellers to grab 50 free business cards, and I darn well took advantage of that!  I was having a lot of trouble really nailing the 'look' of a business card I would want to hand to people, and moo.com has a lot of customized options that can help with someone as indecisive as me  I had selected about a dozen images or so to be featured on these cards, with the basic info of where you can stalk me online on the back side - Etsy shop, blog, Facebook, Twitter.  Maybe you'll get one of these in your next purchase from Design by Cassandra, or maybe you'll want to order your own!  Visit moo.com for great prices on custom packages for your business, whatever it may be!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Winter Enchantment with Artbeads.com!

Welcome to another Artbeads.com creation!

Our latest project is called "Winter Enchantment", to design a piece inspired by what we love about winter.  I have to be honest and say that the only reason I like snow and winter are for sentimental reasons; around Christmas and New Years, the snow makes those lights outside glow at night.  Other than that, it's cold, wet and gets in your boots and makes you uncomfortable the rest of the day.  There is one inspiration I did turn to, however, to feel the 'enchantment' of the winter season, and that was to The Group of Seven, a famous group of painters who pioneered Canadian landscape art when many artists thought at the time it to be "unpaintable or unworthy of painting."  Their works of art are now part of a rich, artistic culture and these images serve as iconography to our picturesque beauty of Canadian wilderness.
  
I remember a field trip in grade school to the McMichael Art Gallery in Kleinburg, ON, where nearly 6000 pieces of art by the Group of Seven are housed and displayed.  I loved these paintings, and seeing the beauty of my country through the eyes of artists such as these men and women make me proud to be a Canadian ... thus, by default, enjoying the 'enchantment of winter'.  No?  My choice inspiration for this project is one of my favourites, Mount Lefroy by Lawren Harris.  I had also found a lovely pendant that I thought echoed the styles of many of the Group's works.

 


Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Bead Soup Blog Party: THE BIG REVEAL SEQUEL!

Hello!  I'm so glad you could make it back!

Well, the laptop's still an expensive paperweight, so here I am on hubby's computer once more.  I took advantage of the beautiful sunny weather we had yesterday and put together a new photo shoot of my Bead Soup pieces, made with the beads lovingly chosen by Sue at Hello Gorgeous Design, my Bead Soup Partner for this round.  Y'know, I really like how these photos turned out - so much, that I had already replaced the photos on the 'prequel' post.  Check out this post to see what Sue had sent me and previously revealed pieces, and let's get to these beauties!


Desert Heart necklace.  This one was just waiting to happen, because I had this gold heart pendant for so long, waiting for the right inspiration.  I had purchased it as a necklace in a department clearance section a few months ago, and there was something about the odd symmetry of the heart shape itself.  The pendant was strung through a simple gold rope chain without any other embellishments; I would imagine it being worn in a 'multistrand' look with a few other pieces.  Well, the chain's still around here somewhere, and I'm sure I'll use that for something else, but I immediately saw everything come together as soon as these lemon honey jade nuggets and polished flourite in burnt orange were unwrapped from the tissue paper.  The clasp is left at the side of the necklace for easy access, the loop handmade from a brass headpin.  The gold tone bead holding the clasp is repurposed from a vintage necklace I bought at a thrift store.  The small fire agate bead that hangs inside the heart and faceted carnelian nugget are both from my own stash; gemstones bought from Earthworks, one of my favourite local bead stores.  Antiqued brass findings are used in the whole piece, adding to the aura of warmth the stones give in energy and colour.  Warm earth tones have always been a favourite of mine to use, and I was very lucky to have such a generous partner to spoil me with these delightful gems.  I'm going through a severe separation anxiety with this one, I love how this turned out so much.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bead Soup a la Gorgeous!

My Bead Soup Blog Partner, Sue at Hello Gorgeous, has been a loving daughter and attending to her father's ailing health as of late, which you may have been following on her blog.  I am sending lots of love into the universe for Mr. Hodgkinson and that his health returns and his recovery is speedy.  Sue, you are a wonderful lady for taking good care of your parents, and we all wish you and your family health and happiness, no matter what the future brings.

With all the attention she's been showering on this dear man, she's finally had the time to photograph the ingredients I had sent her for the Bead Soup Blog Party!  I spent quite a bit of time in my favourite local gemstone bead store, Earthworks, handling beads, trying to figure out a palate that would excite her and challenge her.  Sue had written that she was considering venturing outside of her usual repertoire of summery colours, sterling silver and gemstones.  Although I stuck to gemstones - because gemstones are just so gorgeous! - I thought I would try a different approach to the colour scheme ... or lack thereof!


Here's what's in the soup!
  • black onyx and crystal quartz chips
  • zebra agate rounds and focal bead
  • white freshwater pearls
  • silver triangle spacer beads
  • 'kitty clasp'
The stripes in the focal bead ultimately lead to the purchase of the clasp ... my childhood cat, Thumper, was a beautiful gray-and-black tabby, and the focal bead reminded me of him very much.  The freshwater pearls and chips came from my very own stash, and the zebra agate gemstones, silver spacers and 'kitty clasp' came from Earthworks.  I'm interested to see if Sue will feature other colours or keep the 'black and white' theme going!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Making the "Big Move"

Well, it's been in the works for quite some time (at least, in my head, on paper and through strategic planning), and now it's finally come to fruition.  There's a time in everyone's life where it becomes a - pardon my French - a "shit or get off the pot" moment, and I've finally hit it.  At the wise, yet tender age of 30 and still blessed with youthful genes, stars are beginning to align, directing me in a path that had been in front of me all along.  For some reason, I had been rebuffing and fighting this road, refusing to acknowledge it and what possible accomplishments I could achieve.  I could really try, it wouldn't be that terrible, and I would be a better person just for trying.

I'm not going to jinx it and tell you, but I'll at least let you know that I've decided to take back a part of my life that seems to be destined for something great, and most importantly, attainable ... at least now, in my current mood, I'm feeling positive about it.  (You should have seen me earlier today, you'd think you were talking to a different person!

This all still scares me, though.  Ultimately, I don't know what will happen.  I have an idea of what I will be doing, what I want to do - "Get a plan, and make it work," my father always says to me.  Well, I've got a plan, so far.  Let's see how well this works.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Groovy Mood Board!

Some groovy inspirations for jewelry to make for Shout! The Mod Musical!


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