Class Browsing is LIVE!

I have a few new colorways for my Bead and Button classes. (see below, but more coming very soon) But just as exciting is that the catalog is live. Check out my classes HERE. Open Registration starts January 3rd, so mark your calendars so you make sure to get a seat.

Thanks for Looking.  Hope to see you at the Bead and Button Show.

Bead & Button Show 2017

It's OFFICIAL! Spherical Stars and DodecaBeadron are going to be classes at the Bead & Button Show 2017.

It is funny to me that of the 4 I submitted, my two beaded beads, both dodecahedrons, were selected. I love beaded beads and how the geometry of the structure comes through even though it is a piece of wearable art. These are fun to make but it will be interesting to see how others take on the challenge. I have lots of other beaded beads in mind for projects, so I'll have to get around to making them in my few and far between spare moments.

I'm officially an international beading instructor. I've been working on this all year and it has really paid off. 2 of the 4 classes I submitted were selected, for a rookie, that's great. I may get 4 next year, but I was hoping for 2 this year so I don't push it too hard my first time teaching on such a large scale. My classes here are relatively small and I don't have to provide the materials, so there is a lot more work for me to do in the next few months, finding the best beads for my kits. Plus, I have to pack them all nice and pretty for my students. Thankfully, I have lots of ideas and I've already been kitting out my other patterns. Crazy how all of this stacks skill on top of skill to get to the top. I'm over the moon with excitement and hope to fill my classes as soon as registration opens at the beginning of next year. Pass the word around to all fellow beaders. Thanks everyone for the support as I've been working toward this goal.

Molecules Kits in Ocean Colorway

Ahoy!

The Ocean Colorway of the Molecules Necklace has been kitted. What does that mean for you? It means you can now get the kit and make your very own copy of the Molecules Necklace to wear whenever you want! AND for these first 5 kits available, I've decided to include the PDF Pattern for FREE!

So sail on over to my Etsy page and check out the kits before they wash away.

Thanks for Looking.

Patterns arrive

After much deliberation, I have come up with a method of writing patterns that works for me. I'm very happy with the results and think others will be as well.

So far I've taught two classes using these patterns and both were a huge success. I of course forgot to take photos from the classes, but will try to remember at my next class in a couple weeks.

So without further ramblings, I present my two finished and uploaded patterns.

Get them here.

I am working on kits for them this week, so stay tuned for those. I'll also be posting more photos of finished work very soon.

Thanks for looking.

Crystalline Crescents

Now for my pride and joy...
This piece is one of my absolute favorites.  I made it for Bello Modo's Crescent Contest and placed third. I think it is a winner, but I was in a rush at the time and my photo wasn't the best, but I learned a lot from the experience. I have worked hard to do better since and now there are these photos to show off what this piece is really like.

I love the rope that uses the Czechmates Crescents in a way that I've never seen, and the medallion at the bottom adds that little bit of focus to draw the eye in.

The rope looks like it might be uncomfortable, but it is soft and flowing around the neck allowing the edges of the crescents to lay softly against the neck. I've worn this for hours and not had any discomfort. Sometimes I even forget it is on...LOL.

I like this one so much I made it in two other colorways.  Check them out.

The one below is done in Polychrome beads and is different colors from different angles of lighting. These beads are so much fun to match and wear.

This one is also going to be a class. Please check back for availability.

Thanks for looking.

DodecaBeadron

I love a good play on words. And nothing else seemed to fit the crazy shape of this piece. It is a solid dodecahedron and I love how the crescents make up the majority of the shape. However, this is not a project for the faint of heart. Each crescent grabs the thread at every pass. Yet, I am very excited to make another one and have already picked out the colors. Check back soon for the new colorway that is not monochromatic, but playful bronze, green, and a pink/purple.

This was my first attempt at bezeling with the new Demi Round beads from Toho. They worked like a charm and give a delicate look to the piece that would otherwise be bulky with any other size. Also, the embellishment is done with them and I couldn't have asked for a better way to do it. Take a look and see how it turned out.

It may look large, but it is not much larger than a golf ball. For those not wanting to wear such a piece, it would make a great ornament that is sturdy enough to last the years. The chatons in the middles add that extra sparkle as well.

Again, this is going to be a class, hopefully, and please check back to see the availability.

Thanks for looking.

Playful Petals

Petals are fun and complex, simple and sophisticated. So many different designs can be done that all have different feels, but use these same beads. I tried to mix this design with another designer's pattern to make a full set, but even though I used the same colors, it just didn't have the same feel as the other pattern. It was so strange and eyeopening to me that something so similar could look so different.

Now, I made different colorways to show off my design's strengths. Below you can see the necklace and how it flows as a Frozen theme of ice in blue and silver. I love how it turned out as a real art piece that is still wearable in a day to day setting.

The bracelet has a much more wearable look and I love the colors of this piece. It really shows the versatility of color choice.

Now, these are not my favorite of the colorways, but yet it does show how cute they are as earrings. And I love how these Playful Petals are so versatile to be used in so many ways.

Once again, this pattern is going to be a class and I hope it gets picked up. Please check back for updates on when this will be available.

Thanks for looking.

Everlasting Gobstopper

I had never played with chatons before, but in a bead swap I got a few and I knew I had to try them out. I was able to form the bezel and backing, but I knew I wanted to hook them together into my favorite dodecahedron shape. I succeed and failed all at once. It is not very dodecahedronal, but I love how it turned out. The name comes the from looking like a fantastical candy. I just want to eat it up...LOL.

I doubt I will be making a pattern for this any time soon, but I do have the directions written down for my own benefit of making another one one day. Finding more chatons in the exact size is one holdup as the package I got was not labeled correctly and the SS is not my favorite of size styles.

Thanks for looking and check with my Etsy store for the pattern one day.

Patterns from the Past...

My backlog of patterns and designs is more than I had originally thought. I started looking at everything I had made over the last few years and while it is good, I don't see it as being the highlight of my beading career and so here is a look at a blast from the past.  Many will get patterns as they are quick and easy projects, but they aren't what I'd like to be known for as I grow as a bead artist and designer.

Spiraling Duos

This was done by mistake.  I was trying to do a different design, and this is what happened. Unfortunately, my favorite of the colorways are at my local bead store as I am teaching this as a class in September, but here is one of the colorways that I still had on hand. Check back after September and I may be able to post the other colorways. (Lovely Purple/Silver and Blue/Turquoise)

Get the pattern for the Spiral Duos here. https://www.etsy.com/shop/EvasCrazies?ref=search_shop_redirect#


Lily Pads

This was my first attempt at designing anything with the two-hole triangles from the Czechmates. I LOVE these beads and have more than I think I do and always end up ordering more...LOL. I need to redesign the middles as the motifs rotate around the single point attachment, but other than that, I love how this one turned out and will be making a pattern for it. As it is, the bracelet doesn't rotate when I wear it, but not everyone has the same wrist size. (The problems of designing for the masses... ;) ) I also made this one in purples, but in wearing it too much I fidgeted with the clasp and snapped the loop. :( My bad, and a hard lesson to learn.

Snowflake Tiles

These were so fast to whip up. I wanted something festive for the Holidays and these were the perfect colors and style for what I wanted. I may put up a pattern, but it depends on the interest level. Check them out and let me know. Kits would work really well for this pattern as there are so few beads used of each type.

Lanterns

A few years ago there was a small international contest for beaded beads. I had 24 hours notice before the contest ended and I was very enthused about trying to come up with something new in such a short timeline. I went to my stash and started pulling out this bead and that bead, mixing and matching. A short time later, I had an idea and started working. Soon my Lantern earrings were born.  they are an edgy design and, at the time, I had no idea how to use the dragon scales that make up the bulk of the embellishment. I felt proud and was anxious to show them off.

But soon I realized that with the colors I used and the edgy design, I had nothing to go with my new design, so I played with the idea of making a bracelet.

I am still working out the kinks (literally) as the design is a little stiff. I see myself redoing the middle sections with Chenelle stitch to make a soft flexible middle that will give the dragon scales room to bend around the wrist for a comfort fit.

A pattern for this design will be coming within the year, so check back on my Etsy page for details.






Thanks for looking.

Spherical Stars

This design also came from the Potomac Bead Co. Challenge, but I never submitted it because it didn't feel right for what they were looking for. I knew I had other plans for it and now it is going to be a class if it gets accepted. (Fingers crossed)

This design is a dodecahedron core with stars overlayed which round out the sides. It is a fun design that whips up fairly quickly, though patience is needed with the crystals and embellishing all the sides. It is surprisingly good for beginners looking to get into structural geometric beadwork.

This one had three colors, but it also works well with two.

It completely changes the focus of the beaded bead allowing for the beader to customize theirs as they want.  Check back to see if this class makes the cut.

Thanks.

Here There Be Dragons...

I LOVE Dragons! So much that I wrote a young adult novel based on dragons. (To be published at a later date. :) ) These came first and have gotten more attention than I could have ever guessed.  I have made over a dozen of them and my next task and work in progress is a Glow-In-The-Dark version of this design using the new Toho Glow-In-The-Dark seed beads. I am in love with these beads and I can't wait to see this design all done, but it is a challenge using two colors of the silver-lined beads and not seeing what color they glow under normal illumination. Check back soon for the big reveal of the finished dragon.

In the meantime, here is what it looks like.

The dragon is about 3" tall and is not heavy.

I was asked by a friend at an expo if I could make the same design into a water dragon. It took a little redesigning of the pattern, but here is the only one I've made so far. I am working on another one, but it has been sitting for a long time. (Not that any of us beaders have bead mats with projects that have been abandoned for months at a time...)

One day I may do a pattern for this one, but not for a long time.

All this work with dragons spun off in a different direction when I wanted accessories for my necklace. I took the body of the dragon and designed a bracelet to match the feel of the sweeping body. I haven't decided if I would make another as it was so time consuming and the tension has to be so well maintained. It has been several years, so it isn't out of the scope of possibility.

Thanks for looking.

Molecules For The Win!

I thought I'd start out on a high note. My First Place winning design!

Potomac Bead Co. had a contest for designs using their unique beads. I decided to try using as many of them in one design as I could and came up with the Molecules collar necklace.

As you can see the design allows for a bracelet and earrings, too. This pattern is on my Etsy site.  Kits for the above colorway will also be available within the next couple days.

But that isn't the only way to do the design...The DiscDuos can be replaced by Honeycomb beads and it works well, too.

I love the way the iridescent daggers reflect the colors of the rest of the design. It made picking out the other beads a real pleasure. This one looks Egyptian while the other one has a completely different feel. The design really has the ability to dress up or down with different attire.

On a different note, I ran into Allie from Potomac Bead Co. at the Bead and Button Show 2016 and she grabbed me for a quick pic of me in my necklace. So here we are all mussed up from walking the show floor all day, but having a blast.

I hope to see them all again next year.

And So It Begins...

Welcome to Creative ME! A place where creativity is not stopped due to chronic illness or disability. Rather it is encouraged as a form of meditation and healing of mind and body. So sit back and welcome to my journey of overcoming the worst and getting back to ME.

I had wanted to start this blog to show my transformation of a 180 gallon saltwater aquarium to a beaded work of art installation piece. However, my focus has been on designing new wearable pieces rather than something that will take possibly years to finish. Much progress has been made, but it is such a slow process that making tangible, visible progress is an important part to the way I work.

So, what does that mean? I have been creating tons of new designs this year and now I am getting around to uploading all the photos of what I've done for all to see. I opened my Etsy shop which is currently very empty, but patterns and kits are in progress and will be available in the next few weeks.

Thanks for coming and please check out the rest of my work.