7th BSBP 3rd reveal!

The Bead Soup Blog Party has come to its 3rd reveal.
You can find the complete list for blog hopping here!

It's a pity I'm posting this so late, but I was out of town these days without computer, internet or anything.
I attended 3 exhibitions, one of them being Manet in Venice (I finally saw the Olympia live!). The other 2 were De Nittis in Padua and  the Maison Goupil in Rovigo.
So I had my dose of beauty and art anyway.

Even in the hotel.

I'm happy this is blurry. It was scary. Reminded me of The Shining scene...the rest of the hotel was awesome though.
Back hopping now!!!

Clematwin

I have been waiting for the right beads to make this pendant for so long. Then another beautiful gift from Preciosa Ornela arrived, and I couldn't wait more

The free tutorial is from Ad Perleade, so generous and, most of all, so absolutely easy to make.
These Twin Beads are beautiful.

They're transparent and dyed in white only in their holes, so they create a striped effect which enhances the pattern of this beautiful flower. I'm going to sew it on a headband.

Last minute knitting

As usual in this part of the year I realize spring is coming and I don't have much time to finish my knitting with wool. So I pick up 3, 4 projects at the same time trying to use up my stash.

Source: Pinterest

Of course I never finish any.
This time I decided to try and make an amazing shawl, Color Affection by Veera Välimäki

Source: ravelry.com via Pinterest

My version is grey and mustard and features a mix of cotton and wool.

Even though we had 3 summer days, with crazy high temperatures, rain came back and cooled down any desire for tank tops and shorts. Back to padded jackets. So I might have a chance to actually wear this work of art before the real summer comes.

Indian Flower outfit

I got back to playing with Polyvore after a very long time. This is the result so far...

It's a kind of evolution of the paper dolls we all have been playing with as little girls. 

A bit creepy, but sooo funny.

BSBP 4th item: The Indian Flower necklace

If you are still hopping on the BSBP second reveal, here is the link . I'm showing my BSBP pieces one by one all over the week, here is the 4th one.

This necklace has been an ever changing project until the very last minute. This beautiful clasp is not so simple to use, and those freshwater pearls were great to match it, but other than this I didn't know what to do with them.

I was making a multistring bracelet, when I found 2 beautiful ceramic green flowers in my stash. They have the same size and shape of the clasp, so I decided to make some sort of big leaves with these flowers in the centre.

I wanted to put the toggle between them, so it would have been on the frontal part.
But the leaves were too big and I didn't like the first one, the second I liked more but wasn't sure about the shape...
I was confused, until I decided to make 2 small leaves and use the clasp as focal. Something simple.

But then I cut the big leaf making it a big flower shape, and decided to use THAT as focal.

I like this color combo with green and fuchsia/purple, which is by the way the color combo I offered my partner.
Finally I needed something to put in between the pearls, which have a semi-spherical shape. I added some green crystal to mix together the 2 main colors and voilà:

I'm still looking at those leaves, can't realize I actually made them. I won my fear of bead embroidery pretty fast!

BSBP 3rd item: The Cherry Blossom necklace

If you are still hopping on the BSBP second reveal, here is the link . I'm showing my BSBP pieces one by one all over the week, here is the 3rd.

Since I saw these little leaves in my BSBP box I knew I was going to use them, I just didn't know HOW.
I also loved those 6mm pink beads and wanted something to celebrate spring...somehow I found myself making donuts with them and realized they looked like flowers!

The next step was thinking how to assemble them together. I wanted another knotted necklace, simple, something that could resemble an actual twig of cherry tree.
While on Flickr I saw these chain maille "beads" and I thought they would look great made with dark bronze rings...and then, playing with beaded beads, I realized I could complete the necklace with some beaded cherries.

A simple necklace but it has almost become my favorite!

BSBP 2nd item: The Green Leaf set

If you are still hopping on the BSBP second reveal, here is the link . I'm showing my BSBP pieces one by one all over the week, here is the second one.

My partner has been generous to provide me with multiple focals and 2 toggles, both floreal.
One of the focals was this beautiful leaf

She sent a huge variety of green beads: crystals, big rondelles, green turquoise, glass little leaves...

I wanted to use the rondelles but didn't know how. I decided to knot them with some grey waxed thread instead of a plain stringing.

I also decided I didn't want a symmetrical necklace, so I needed something different on the other side; I made some beaded beads with the green crystals and brown seed beads, also I made 2 more with orange/lime beads from the previous neclace to give some contrast.

As usual the final part of a necklace is always the most difficult for me. There were already so many different elements, I didn't want the necklace to be too crowded, and I didn't want to sacrifice some beautiful stones in a part of it that is usually hidden by hair.

I suddenly remembered a gift from a fellow beader: sari silk ribbon!

I loved the contrast of this mustard colored silk. I was saving it for something special...I think I waited until the perfect moment. Plus it is really comfortable to wear on such a sensitive part of the body.

I also made this simple knotted bracelet

with some lilac and a beaded bead in contrast color. I was inspired by my spring bracelets and so I made one more 

I love so much these big lentil beads, both color and shape attract me.

Stay tuned for more details on my BSBP pieces!

BSBP 1st item: Red Lady Necklace

If you are still hopping on the BSBP second reveal, here is the link . I'm showing my BSBP pieces one by one all over the week, here is the first one.

When I first opened the box from Dorota, my Bead Soup partner, the first item I saw (and the biggest) was this amazing embroidered focal.

I fell in love with it instantly and I decided I needed something big to celebrate this gift and my partner's ability.
So i decided to give a serious chance to bead embroidery.
I had bought some bead backing almost 2 years ago from Nicole Campanella, and was eager to use it.
I had some old orange cabochons, looking like rivolis, I started bezelling them using the beads Dorota provided me with (gorgeous, and a lot of them). She also sent those little red pearls she had used on the focal.

I started with some round, floral motif using the orange freshwater pearls on the first rounds and some old golden pearls I had bought 5 years ago on the second.
And then, I got blocked.
I didn't know how to go on. After 10 days working on other pieces, I decided to connect what I had made with the focal using the little yellow seed beads.
Then I thought about going on with the same motif without the rivoli. How to do so? I tried some beaded donut and made 2 with the same beads from the 2nd floral motif. Then I made 2 more donuts, only very small to have a fading effect. I decided for a simple magnetic toggle because I have a sensitive neck and just used 2 red agate beads to embellish it.

How do I look?

Bead Soup Party 2nd reveal: here I am!

I'm so thrilled this day has come!
This is my first Bead Soup Blog Party and I was lucky to have a European partner, so soups arrived within a week! I had a lot of time to think about each of these creations, but you know: best ideas come at the very last moment!
My partner is Dorota Żerańska from Poland and she was hugely generous with her soup:

My whole production is dedicated to Spring!
I tried to use as much as I could adding just indispensable things. And I committed to working with techniques I had never used before. Like bead embroidery.
So here is the first one, which I call Red Lady necklace:

I had never made a piece like this.When you have such an amazing, bold focal, you can either keep it the most simple you can, or you need to go even bolder. So I created embroidered matching pieces (Dorota had sent some of the beads she had used to bezel the focal cabochon) adding only some golden beads and orange rivolis. I started with bigger, richer pieces and made a dwindling effect with some RAW rings up to the small toggle.

Second piece, the Leaf necklace, also featuring something I never used before: sari silk ribbons and knotting with waxed thread.

I used this gorgeous leaf focal here and also one of the two toggles. Look at the amazing variety of green stones in here...I made some beaded beads with the crystals in the soup and the seed beads I had used in the Red lady necklace, which are orange with a lime green lining, to break all this green nuances. I also made a matching bracelet adding a beaded bead:

and using the same knotting technique, mixing some lilac for a change.
Made another one with these other gorgeous lentil beads

Third necklace, I made some more beaded donuts like the smallest of the first necklace.
I only used beads from the soup and just added some chain maille beads...yes! I tried chain maille for the first time! I know it's nothing special, but jump rings are my sworn enemies, so it's a big deal for me.
What I made is a Cherry Blossom Necklace:

...and looks like in the end a couple of blossoms actually produced some fruit!

Forth necklace, the MultisPring necklace made with some of the remaining beads from the first one:

I used another focal here, put it on one side and on the other there's a ceramic connector from ScorchedEarth, which was the perfect color. The news here is the leather cord I've had in my stash forever and never used before.

Last but not least, the main clasp!
Too beautiful to put it on the back of a necklace, too simple on a multistring bracelet, I changed my mind a thousand times on how to use it; finally I decided for something to complete it, some embroidered leaves

But then I found this old ceramic green flower which looked similar and decided, in the end, to put the toggle in the back. The beautiful freshwater pearls and green crystal from the soup complete the piece and match both the flowers.

This is all for now! I still have plenty of soup left, so I'll produce more until it's finished!
I'll blog about every piece in a more detailed way, one each day, so stay tuned if you'd like to know more about the creative process.
Thank you so much Dorota for being so generous and open to communication, and...for sending chocolate! LOL that is why I love swapping. You get to know some really amazing people!
And BIG thanks to Lori Anderson, our amazing hostess!
Now go see what my partner made and take a nice blog hopping on all the other partecipants, you'll find the list here!!!

Siete pronti? Siete già caldi?

In far 1987 Madonna came to Italy for a massive concert, aired live on tv. I was only 4 years old but I swear I remember everything about that night...until I fell asleep.
She started the show asking "Siete pronti? Siete già caldi?" which literally means "Are you ready? Are you already hot (warmed up)?"...
So before the second BSBP reveal starts, before a crazy blog hopping I won't be able to stop, before the excitement starts...are you ready?

(how exciting is this map?!!! Thanks Lori!)

 Have you warmed up your fingers to click links and leave (nice) comments all over the web? To pin amazing pictures and drool over the abilities of hundreds of artists?
The countdown has begun...

April 2013 challenge: Shades of Scheherazade

The Etsy Beadweavers team has come up with another amazing theme for our monthly challenge:

"Find your inspiration in mysterious, undulating arms, swaying hips, and the beautiful, smooth curves of bodies in Middle Eastern Dance. Modern Oriental dance is a mixture of many styles, from places like Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. Veiled faces can add to the mystique, and lavishly decorated costumes fascinate the viewer. Your beadwork should capture for the wearer the feeling of Eastern beauty. You might be designing for the heroine of the fairy tale "One Thousand and One Nights."

Harder than usual to find a favorite among such beauties, but when you have please head to our team blog and vote for it!

You have 6 days left! Hurry up and share!

Buttons

Buttons are one of those things you are irrationally attracted to (like beads and stationery and glitter). So let me show you what I unexpectedly found at my hometown local market:

There were 2 huge crates full of 80's looking buttons and some may be even older. I'm not really good at judging buttons, but I love these so much!

These are going to spice up a plain sweatshirt I just bought. I'm also considering making a purple cardigan, if I'm ever going to finish the other ones I left half done.

Pink ones on the bottom are going to match my Shalom cardigan, ones it has sleeves...

while the ones on the top are going to be featured in a secret project.

Then I saw these

they look like pebbles, I'm going to make bracelets with them.

Last but not least the little red ones you can see in the first pic, they're going to be put on a 3 months sweater I'm making for a dear friend of mine who has just become aunt.

Still unpacking the beads I bought during Easter vacations; I don't want to get too distracted from the BSBP pieces I still need to finish!

Spoiling Mom

I'm packing my things to catch a train back to Milan tonight. Same old story.
I took some time to make something for mom though.
I made a cute little bracelet for her and put it in a small Easter paper egg...no pics of it yet.

Then I made this bracelet to match her necklace:

I don't usually like sets, especially this bold, but I have to admit they look stunning together.
I had also bought her a kit at Creattiva fair, composed of handmade greek ceramic beads, silver components and acai seeds, knotted on a turquoise waxed cord.

I waited to make it because I wasn't sure she was going to like it. But she does.
I didn't bring my cameras here so I took this pics with my cell phone, sorry for the quality.
See you back in Milan!

BSBP 2nd reveal postponed

The 2nd and third reveal of the Bead Soup Blog Party have been postponed of one week.
I'm sorry for the main reason, but glad we can all have some more time to enjoy last week reveal and have 7 more days to make stuff!
In the meanwhile I took this pic

Not good yet, but better. My model failed me, so I used my old seamstress dummy.
Get ready to vote for the EBW challenge in 1 week!