Camp Creative....

Each year in January a group of us head south of the border to Bellingen in rural New South Wales.  Here   Camp Creative is held at the Bellingen High School.  It covers such things as photography, art, drama, music, woodworking, ceramics, dance, beading and the list goes on and on.  I have been going since 2005.  Each year I learn new techniques and come away feeling so inspired.   We go for seven or eight nights and rent a house together to save costs.  The day is spent in class and followed up by gathering on the deck at home sipping wine, nibbling on cheeses and other yummies and relating our days activities.   Each person has a designated night to cook and let me tell you, the food is delicious.   Of a night, after dinner,  there are projects to complete.  Prior to coming to camp we have already picked and put together projects to challenge us. These are done each evening, some with instant gratification and others that take a lot of time and effort.  Everything is rated by the "Whinge Factor" as to how difficult or fiddly it is to do.  

In the past I have made a wide variety of things at camp.  I've dabbled in beadweaving, polymer clay, wirework and this year leathercraft which was a whole new world.
Some items I have made are : 

Some of My Work....

I thought perhaps I would gradually show you some of my work.  This piece Circle of Time was created for me to wear to my daughter's 30th birthday.  I used the pattern in the June/July 2010 Beadwork magazine, Page 26, Custom Cool "Sparkly Wheels" by Melinda Barta, Nikia Angel and Ludmila Raitzin.
I adjusted the amount of Czech Fire polished crystals in the centre to make the different sized wheels using 4 mm FP beads and size 11 seed beads.  I made earrings to match the necklace and it went perfectly with the dress I had chosen.
The party was themed - "Cocktails and Daggers" and I went as a Femme Fatale.....  look a bit different don't I?

Best First Time Entrant.....

 I have to blow my trumpet just a little here.  I was recently voted best "First Time Entrant" in the Connect   triangle bead challenge.  It was a challenge organised through the Bead Society of Victoria via their in house magazine Connect.   Whilst I have won a small challenge before, voted by my beading forum peers, this one was judged outside of the forum.   I was so pleased to have been recognised.  The necklace had originally been designed for cubes and fire polish czech crystal however once I saw details of the competition I decided to do it with triangles instead.  I incorporated St Petersberg, brick stitch and a spiral rope.  Materials used were : seed beads sizes 11 and 6, triangles Size 11 and a mixture of Swarovski   3mm, 4 mm and 6 mm crystals.  The findings are antique gold.  My brain finds it so hard to create something that is not symmetrical so it was a true challenge for me.  

Technique - Right Angle Weave (RAW)

I am going to start adding techniques to help anyone needing visual assistance to learn a stitch.  Sometimes it all comes together when you can see what is happening rather than trying to struggle with the written word and diagrams.  I am starting with my nemesis Right Angle Weave or RAW as you will often see it written.  For some reason I struggle with it and every time I see a tutorial using RAW I cringe.  Sometimes you'll find you are following a tutorial and doing it without knowing.
See what you think of this video.  Hopefully it will help to explain the secrets of RAW

Simple Things....

Sometimes the simple things are the hardest.  I know there are those of you out there who have you own ending off techniques.  We all do but I think this one is worth sharing as well.  So simple for those at the beginning of their beadweaving journey.  When I first started out I was always terrified my woven thread would escape the beads and be sticking out of my work.  I tended to overdo it and weave, knot, weave, knot all over the place.  Come to think of it, I probably still do!  Beadsfriends is a lovely little site, especially for novice beaders.  I don't feel it is a site for the advanced beader although I still pick up things here and there, like the beading of a square crystal just recently viewed.  Sara has a natural way about her. Sometimes she has a bit of a chatty intro before she gets to the tutorial so I often fast forward to where I want to be.  


Share your favourite ending/adding thread techniques here.

Sometimes....

Sometimes you just want instant gratification.  I was up early this morning and thought I would just whip up these.  Made with some swarovski drops I purchased recently and chandelier earring findings I bought, oh I don't know, maybe 5 years ago!

Hmmmmmmm....

I am going to step into unchartered waters here.  I have decided I really need to use some of the bits and pieces I have collected over time.  I bought some great stones to use as cabochons and they were still sitting in the bag I bought them in.  Always seems a bit more daunting than picking up those little seed beads to make something.  Out came my book "Beading With Cabochons" by Jamie Cloud Eakin
I bought it ages ago thinking I would give it a go but so far nothing has eventuated.
Well I am fired up now.  I hunted out some backing material and tipped out the stones to drool over once more.  I selected a couple of buttons I had purchased when last in Melbourne and proceeded to trace around them on a piece of paper.  I was too scared to cut a shape out of the material and thought if I did it on paper I could get a bit of an idea on the actual design.  Being brave I traced onto the backing and then stuck the stones and buttons on.
Here is a pic so far.  Stay tuned for the next stage.  Knowing me it could be weeks before I get up the nerve to actually start beading around them!!!