Free Beaded Necklace Tutorial

Fire Mountain Gems is giving us the free tutorial to this gorgeous necklace (click HERE). It is designed by Catherina Thomas. I love how it just slips through its own loop in the front and that pearl....wow, how dramatic!

Free Beaded Rope Tutorial

Here's a free beautiful rope necklace tutorial (click HERE) to use with your "Ruby's Convertible Beaded Cuff" (click HERE). It is a twisted tubular herringbone; sounds complicated, but it's not. It is from Squidoo.

Free Beaded Bead Tutorial

It's a slider, a beaded bead, a bead cuff, a caged bead, a netted bead, a "Ruby's Convertible", call it whatever, it is gorgeous. You can find the free tutorial from Ruby's HERE.

Ruby's is known for her "Convertibles" (click HERE) and her ingenious designs, her sense of color and her generosity in sharing.

Click HERE for her instructions on how to make the above. It is almost at the end of the page of Convertibles. Have fun. I know I will.

Happy Egg Day!

Hope yours is the hoppiest!!

Horse Abstract II

This is Rascal, another one of my friend's horses. I spent the day taking more photographs and getting a tour of her equestrian estate in Wickenburg, Arizona. Beautiful. I am having way too much fun!

Horse Abstract I

A friend suggested calling it, "Run with the Wind".

This is Gunner. He's a rescue. Isn't he magnificent? I have been commissioned by my friend to paint her horses; nine in all. I'm playing around with abstracts initially to loosen up, but truth be told, I am hopelessly in love with the freedom it provides, the bright colors and dramatic brushstrokes. What a rush! I am inspired by other artists, learning from them, giving it my own twist and having fun along the way.

Tiger Cuff Bracelet

I stopped at Goodwill the other day and picked up some beat up cuff bracelets; perfect for covering with cane slices. I painted on some liquid clay (upper left corner) and let it sit for 10 minutes while I made a cane sheet. Ran it through the pasta machine and then cut a strip to apply to the cuff. I trimmed the edges, baked it and voila--a new bracelet!

I'm A Bead Dreams Finalist!

Yesterday I received a letter from Bead & Button magazine (click HERE) saying one of the pieces I submitted to their Bead Dreams International Competition (click HERE) was juried in! Along with the letter was a contract giving them the rights to publish my piece. I feel like I have won the lottery! My piece will be on exhibit from June 3 to June 12 at the Bead & Button Show (click HERE) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest consumer bead show in the world. The Bead Dreams exhibit (photo below) is visited by over 10,000 people each year.

Unbelievable. My feet haven't touched the ground. Bead Dreams Do Come True!

Beaded Closure Tutorial

You can download the free pattern for this beaded closure (click HERE). It is worth the free registration as Rita Sova of Sova-Enterprises offers many free patterns, information sheets, graph paper and charts. I found this while scrolling through Beads for Brains blogspot (click HERE). Mandy of Beads for Brains has a great blog full of references, photos and info. She is always creating something interesting.

Plein Air Painting

Superstition Mountain

Over the weekend, a couple of us took a master class from artist, Becky Joy.

Becky Joy (in the hat) giving us a demonstration of her painterly technique (below). The wind was so bad, we had to move to the ramada and start another painting from another vantage point.

Her plein air paintings are full of light and softness with blends of color indicating shapes with very little detail. Just beautiful. Watching her placement of color, the varying brushstrokes and listening to her thought process was pure heaven.