Squeaky Cat!

I have four cats.  I know.....I am one cat away from being “crazy cat lady”. (I checked online, you definitely have to have 5 cats to qualify!)  I didn’t mean to have four cats; the last one was spontaneously adopted from the car park of my husband’s golf club.....  Cats love two things, well three if you count food; they love shiny things and they like sitting on things.  Now, when you have a bead workstation, in my case a dining room table, you are creating a veritable cat paradise.   Cats also hate one thing in particular, apart from dogs, and that is being ignored, boy do they hate that - so where your attention is, is exactly where they need to place themselves.  (I am sure my cats think my laptop is a butt warmer!) So if you are beading at the table, then that is the place to be for a cat.  One of cats, Squeaky (called so because when she meows she sounds like a rusty gate being opened) took this to the extreme and actually plonked herself down right on top of the very bead project I was working on.  She is a beautiful cat, but I fear has a brain the size of a pea....

Usually my workstation does not look quite so chaotic (in the pic above), but I had just obtained a consignment of new stock and was in a hurry to experiment with all of it!   And if you think the towel I was working on was the attraction....oh no no...bead trays are just as enticing!

 

Mission accomplished!!



Wuht???



Bliss.....zzzzzzzz





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Turquoise, Brass and Agate Necklace...the finished product

This is the finished necklace that I started on Sunday afternoon using turquoise beads of different sizes, a faceted agate oval focal bead, brass beads and findings and carnelian.  It looks quite different to what I first had in mind, but that's how it goes sometimes.  If something doesn't look quite right or sit totally well with the eye, you start playing around and then the design takes form as you go along.  Originally this necklace was only going to use turquoise and brass, but when I was looking for an interesting focal bead, my eye landed upon the oval facet cut agate bead, which is a thing of beauty - and from there on the the necklace took a different design turn.

I used a variety of different sized turquoise beads - from 16mm rounds, 14 mm roundels, 12mm rounds and 8 mm rounds.  Each of the brass findings is also different - there is a mix of beads, bead caps, diamante charms and daisy spacers.  The bead string is securely fastened directly onto the neck chain.

I think I need to add a matching bracelet and earrings - that can be tonight's project!

If you're into fashion and jewellery, and enjoy a good laugh

...then follow Wendy Brandes Fine Jewelry blog: http://wendybrandes.com/blog/

Her blog motto is "wear what you want" (which pretty much means know the style rules.....and then break them!) and her favourite necklace is her IDGAF necklace - need I say more???

A lazy Sunday afternoon.....with Turquoise

Turquoise is one of my favourite gemstones.  It has been mined as far back as 6000 BC making it amongst the first gemstones to be mined.  It was greatly prized by the Egyptians and has the claim of being the only gemstone to have a colour named exclusively after it.  To learn more about turquoise, try the All About Gemstones website: http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/semi-precious_gems_turquoise.html

I love the versatility of turquoise, it looks fantastic with both casual and smart clothes. It mixes especially well with black, grey, peach, red or white. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/115429288/turquoise-bracelet-turquoise-jewelry

From a design perspective I usually mix turquoise with silver, but today I started working on a piece using brass beads and findings instead.  Turquoise and silver is a classic mix, but in my mind turquoise with brass actually looks just as good.  I am so pleased with the results!  I am working on a necklace that utilises a large oval, faceted, dark red/orange agate focal bead at the centre, with a couple of carnelian beads thrown in too, to pick up the colour of the agate and accent against the bright blue turquoise.  What a great colour combo - turquoise, dark reddish orange and brass!  I can't wait to finish it tomorrow and get the photos uploaded.

I also finished a couple of turquoise bracelets, both with silver beads and findings.  Each has a filigree silver heart charm and an extra turquoise bead drop near the clasp for a little extra bling and interest.  In one of the bracelets I used a blue and silver Indian Kashmiri clay bead at the centre,which works really well.

So What's Everyone Doing This Weekend?

It's Friday afternoon and the weekend is almost upon us, what are your plans?  I think a small glass of wine after work may be in order to kick the weekend off!

Tomorrow we are having a good old fashioned South African braai (barbeque for any non-South Africans reading this).  I am hoping the Highveld thunderstorms keep at bay for the afternoon; fingers crossed its not a washout!  Having guests may mean that I need to tidy up my bead station, aka our dining table.  Although the chaotic sight of my entire collections of beads and findings scattered around our dining area fills me with cheer, it does tend to scare the crap out of other people, including my husband. Actually I think he just gets confused looking at it all....so he tends to walk past with blinkers on.  When I do beadwork I like to be able to see everything I have....literally everything.....

So I better do some tidying up tomorrow morning, although I will be leaving my finished pieces strategically out in case any of my guests have the urge to purchase some early Christmas presents :-)

Sunday will hopefully be devoted to beading, I have lots of ideas for some great Christmas gifts for a beadshow I am having at work in a couple of weeks....

Enjoy the weekend!