My precious!

Don't you ever feel like Smeagol in the LOTR movies...you buy a lot of beads (or crystals, like in my case)and never use them.
Every time you have an idea you take them up, look at them and feel like you're wasting them on such a simple project. They're so beautiful! Sparkling!bright colors!
So you think your precious deserves a better project. My precioussss!



Ok, let's get serious. After collecting a lot of crystal bicones in different shades of color, and after looking at them with pride and joy every time I had a project in my mind, I finally took the courage to use them!
I so had to make this.
A rainbow capricho:



I know, nothing new. I have been looking at it for almost a year and finally I made one for me only!



And for the record, even though I'm pretty sure everybody knows that, you can find the original tutorial on Unicornio website.

Ikea beads

Sometimes your eyes just need some rest from those tiny, naughty beads.
But that doesn't mean you can't keep on beading...
I made this pitaya bead with Pyssla beads from Ikea:



I had this huge jar of beads (a friend of mine was throwing it away!)and didn't know what to do, so I started experimenting...



I'm trying to make some sort of beach bag with these peyote triangles, and will make some more pitayas to decorate my balcony - and maybe recycle them on my next Xmas tree!
So if you want something different try them!

Earrings!

Lately I made a lot of earrings. I think it's because the temperature is rising and I can't help but imagining myself on a beach, with a colorful bikini and a pair of even more colorful (possibly matching) earrings.
Started with the tab earrings



and couldn't resist to make some stars in the same colors



and then tried a purple color combo


but this metallic violet is impossible to catch with the camera.


I tried and tried, but the picture is very far from the sparkly metallic finish they have in person.

I have so many half-finished works that I feel ashamed every time I open my bead boxes and look at them...first of all there are other 2 beaded stars which are waiting to become SOMETHING.
We'll see...

EBW June Challenge - Heal the World: LET'S VOTE!

Here is the mosaic:



You know what to do!
From June 9th to June 15th, 2011 you can choose your favourite and vote for it!

Heal the world

Finally I started beading again after a long break!
This month's EBW challenge was so interesting I couldn't avoid to partecipate!
The theme was "Heal the world" and, being a Michael Jackson huge fan, I really wanted to make something. There was a lot of choice...

Since this is something we deal everyday with, I chose the recycling/reusing theme.
What if we indulged ourselves with, let's say, a coke only if we take the pledge to re-use the bottle for another purpose? What if, in our everyday life, we tried to produce less garbage not only by buying loose stuff (food, water, cleaning liquids) but also by reusing everything we can several times?

Sounds stupid but I don't see many people doing it.
So I used a simple item, can tabs, to make this:



Can tabs are washable and versatile, there are thousands of ways to use them!



Thay also give a silver-y sparkle to the finished piece.

Do you know how many things you can make with tabs? Just look on youtube for tutorials and you'll be amazed! And take a look at this gorgeous website!

I also amde a pair of red earrings Bollywood inspired



That's all for today!
Can't wait to see all the entries for the challenge!