Where Have I Been?? Making Strawberries, of Course!

Hi all. It's been.....quite a while, hasn't it? Long story short, I ended up moving cross country, finally! I now live and bead amongst the trees and rain of the Pacific Northwest. And I adore it.

After taking a roughly six month hiatus from everything Vanishing Pearl related (don't worry, I have still been beading), now is the time to start getting feelers out into my new community and back to the game. Hence, I participated in A Crafty Day In again earlier in the month. It was a nice re-introduction to craft shows and a good time to connect with my online Twitch community. Good times.

During the event, I streamed the beginnings of the following strawberry/kiwi set and completed them over the course of three days.

What do you think? Super incredibly cute, huh? And yes, in this case, I did use the patterns of another artist. Beading by Hannah is a wonderful place to look for miniature fruits. She has three separate ones specifically for seed bead strawberries.

Overall, the style of this piece is reminiscent and more than a little inspired by French General's Kaari Meng. Her first book is remarkable! I have missed....assembly.....and stringing....and charm bracelets....and good old fun. Weird how having consistent pay can open the creative doors to make fun pieces for yourself, eh?

Happy Pride!!!! A Mini Guide to Popular Pride Flag Colors for Delicas.

A   HAPPY   PRIDE!!! to all you wonderful humans out there! Tis' June, the month for celebrating all things relating to personal identity. And in celebration, I've designed a handful of pride flag butterflies for some of the most personal to me flags that represent the people I love most in my own life.

I thought I would write this post (with some encouragement from my Twitch community) to highlight the specific colors I used for each of the flags I've worked with so far. I also want to say two things before we get started:

1. It is nearly impossible for me to recreate every identity flag for this post, but I do encourage commenters to ask for specific recommendations for your favorite flag. I am more than happy to help you with the research aspect should you want to purchase beads for your own projects!!! I'm here to help, now and always.

2. Human eyes all see color differently. No two people are exactly alike. That being said, I have no eyesight specific conditions and am able to fairly accurately color pick beads to match a reference. I will indicate where I was a bit off in places, and none of my color choices are meant to be disrespectful. I am merely working from stash, which has a tendency to limit my options. Color accuracy and potential upsets have kept me from making pride pieces in the past, so I've been as careful as possible with these pieces. My first prototypes of less accurate work are not pictured in this post.

I chose butterflies for a couple of reasons: the symbolism of transformation has a huge undercurrent in the LGBT+ community, and I happened to need more butterflies for inventory purposes for my shows. I consider it a happy accident. In addition, each butterfly carries a raindrop shaped crystal prism to represent the rainbow, regardless of flag color. We are all included and carry each other in our lives.

My Delica choices for the standard and most popular version of the Pride flag are as follows:

Red: DB0791

Orange: DB0722 (Chosen for contrast, although DB2104 would be a better, lighter choice I think. It will, however wash out next to the yellow.)

Yellow: DB0160

Green: DB0656 (Also chosen for contrast, as DB0655, which is more accurate, tends to wash out against pretty much everything.)

Blue: DB0726

Purple: DB0074

My Delica choices for the Pansexual Pride Flag are as follows: 

Hot Pink: DB2035

Yellow: DB0160

Bright Blue: DB0659

My Delica choices for the Transgender Pride Flag are as follows:

Bright Blue: DB0659 (Although the blue of this flag is *technically* different than that of the pan flag, this bead color works equally well for both. Nothing else in my stash worked well enough for the pan one.)

Matte Rose Pink: DB0355

White: DB0200

My Delica choices for the Bisexual Pride Flag are as follows: 

Pink: DB2037 (Yes, this is different, and darker, than the pink of the pan flag. It's the only one I've had to special order thus far. Pinks are often tricky when it comes to beadwork.)

Purple: DB1379

Blue: DB0726 (I feel like this blue is too royal to do the flag proper justice, but don't own any with enough of a grey slate tint to it, nor have I shopped around just yet. The bi butterfly has been the hardest to get correct.)

So, as you can see, there is actually quite a lot of overlap in the colors for just these four flags. The same is proving true for future flags that I'm looking into. Even though the hex codes vary slightly, you can sometimes manage to use the same color for two different flags. However, it's not that easy. Pinks, purples, and greens will always be the hardest to find a perfect shade for. I went through a buying ALL THE GREENS phase about five years ago, and now I'm going through a buying ALL THE PURPLES phase for the same reason. They're just hard to match or even contrast well in certain situations, and especially for pride flags. 

I don't normally recommend colors for my projects, as most of the time aesthetics are left up to each creator, but this is different. Pride is special. YOU are special. And for that, my utmost respect and attention is given in your honor. Please enjoy this mini color theory lesson and happy beading on your own projects, be they big or small!

Much love and support, always,

Tamara

Are YOU Having a Grape Day?

 I totally am! Or at least try to. I finally got around to doing something with this little grape that's been sitting in my component box ever since I realized it was too small for a needle minder commission I got over a year ago now.

Cute, huh? I WAS going to turn it into a pair of earrings, but guess what? Too lazy for that. Just slap a jump ring and a phone charm cord on it and call it done! My mantra for the past several months and years has been "Put a chain on it." This is a phrase my mother told me in high school as I was making ginormous, fully beaded work. It took me many years to realize the wisdom in that advice. I tell her that every time my business comes up in conversation.

I also believe this is about the point where I entirely gave up on trying to get Delica 0565 to even contrast with any of my other greens. This past month I finally used it up and won't be ordering it in future. I have switched over to Delica 0566 entirely, despite liking the color slightly less. Contrast is everything and I've since ordered it in bulk. The grape charm isn't a piece that suffers from the lack of contrast, thankfully, but future pieces will benefit from the switch.

There's only one available at the moment, but like all my simple stitched pieces, it is made to order indefinitely. To purchase please click below.

Going Overboard with Albion Stitch

 Alright, so I make an almost weekly habit of frequenting my local library (post farmer's market cuz it's right down the street) and checking out far more books than I'd ever read in a three week time frame. That goes double for when I ILL a book from another library. Hence this necklace:

The edge bezel is a modification of the center portion of one of Heather Kingsley Heath's bracelets in her book Introducing: Albion Stitch. And of course I unintentionally jumped right into advanced difficulty in attempting to bezel anything in the first place. After four failed attempts, it did turn out, but mostly because I finished it out of spite.

I even made matching earrings to go with the necklace station elements!

Also, a netted back to set off the solidly painted back of the piece of matt board the flower is drawn on.

Pictured here is one of my first three attempts cast aside, next to a bead soup pile of even prior attempts, and the final version in progress. Getting the initial math right for this was HARD!

And to torture myself even more, I opted to stitch in the ditch to create a second bezel layer UNDERNEATH the first one. What kind of crazy am I? The kind who needs to fill up extra space, that's what. The depth of this was significant without it. I did end up taking the red leaf out, as I did cover the drilled hole of the faceted acrylic cabochon in the end. And it cluttered the design.

So, what do you think? Love it enough to buy it? You can do that here:

Getting Back to the Bench

 It's been what feels like EONS since I've sat down and done any piercing work. At all. Like, I can't tell you how excited I am to have finished this little set!!!! 

It's quite beautiful and nice. I've had it on hold for.......two years or so now? Because, well, I didn't have a bench and doing piercing work for me at a standard desk is more of a hassle than it should ever be.

BUT! That all changed a few weeks ago. My partner found this amazing beauty at a local yard sale type place!

I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to him and his super power level thrifting instincts. I am soooooo lucky to have scored this bench for far below asking price. I was like a tempest leaving the house and rushing over there. I literally exclaimed at the lady "MINE!" while excitedly pointing and could throw my money at her fast enough.

Needless to say, there's a lot more work and setup to do prior to being able to be at max functionality. I've never had a proper home studio setup before, but I have a ton of the basics leftover from my college courses, with a few upgrades over the years. But I still lack a functioning torch (not pictured). The one that was given to me a while back I'm searching for parts and ensuring safety before getting to work, and then we'll be in business baby!

In the meantime, feel free to check out the newest piece and click below to purchase.

Surprise Store Drop! Ladybug Collection

 Surprise! I managed to knock out an entire ladybug collection just in time for spring. 

Lookit. A full set of bracelets, all in black, white, red, and gold, for your classy spring debut.

Never fear, they're all made to order and a constant availability on the store. Go ahead, check out the ladybugs and all their friends.

Elephant and Heart Brooch Commission

 Why don't elephants pack a suitcase when they go on vacation? Because they already have a trunk!

This, this is one of those pieces you can't help but love. From the first stitch and beyond. I was approached by a long time friend and his mother recently at the local Home & Garden Show. They were out for the day. I had no clue he wanted to buy her a piece of mine, since she's been a long time fan. So, in talking about my work and pointing to several things, they ended up commissioning me for an elephant, her favorite animal. With a heart, or a balloon. I chipped in and suggested a heart shaped balloon. And here we are. I fear I may have gone a little overboard but I don't even care:

Tell me you're loving the dual brooch approach as much as I am? Don't lie, I know you are! There was no way it was going to be a single brooch. How else would the elephant be holding onto the balloons? The chains are too cute.

Can we also for a moment appreciate the fact that the fill on his body is entirely made up of PEANUT beads?!?! Heh, I think I'm funny. It also happened to be the only decent color of grey I have on hand at the moment, as I was asked for a traditional colored elephant. I can't even express how elated I am at having found a good use for them. This texture is well fitting for the little guy.

And if you're wondering why orange? Well, that's due entirely to the fact that the only hearts I owned when choosing beads were that color. So orange it is! I just love when the bead stash makes the decisions for me, and then it's up to me to balance the limited supplies I have to work with.

And lastly, I'm pleasantly surprised by how the copper box chain was the perfect choice for the edging when stitching the felt and leather backing together. Unexpected and gorgeous. Makes me want to rush out and purchase more in this size. I will say it was a little tricky curving it around the tight corners of the trunk, but that happened to give the piece more movement, something about which I can't complain.

Process photos and fridge magnet inspiration^^^^^

Have a fun and lovely day! May you find a new piece to love in your day to day creations.

Project Update: New Piano Hammer Necklace!

Now, I know what you're thinking. This is the SECOND year in a row I've made one of these things? Well, I was surprised as well. This piece came about because well, I can no longer source the rubberized beads in the original designs.

I'd bought some polymer clay a long while back with the intent to make the leaves on this, but promptly ignored that idea in favor of anything not clay. Untill.....my partner made a beautiful shell piece that had broken. So I did some inlay to revive the shape, and while I was at it, I made these leaves. On stream. Live, not knowing a thing about polymer clay. It was a fun experience.

For someone who's had a lifelong battle with all forms of clay, I've got to say I'm pretty pleased with these. I didn't like the base color of the clay I used in the end, and gave it a coat of maroon paint to more closely match the interior felt of the piano hammer. And I couldn't bead happier!!!!

I'm pretty darn stoked with the matching earrings as well! And conveniently had just enough of the flower beads to complete the project. How neat is that?

If you're interested in seeing what other crazy shenanigans I get up to on stream, come watch me live on Twitch at 2PM CST on Tuesday afternoons! Soon to announce a consistent glow stream schedule, too! 

If you're interested in purchasing this set, please click below, or feel free to browse my other works.

It's A Crafty Day In time!

 Hello, and welcome to the raid train! Those who are streaming for ACDI are underway (and yikes, I'm next in line as of the time of this writing)! Here is the official two day schedule for your convenience: 

This is a fun filled event of community over competition, in support of as many small business artists as we could get our hands on (38+). Although the ones listed above are scheduled to be live, there are many more if you head over to www.acraftydayin.com to see the full list and browse the shops. Many of them are having sales if you use the coupon code CRAFTY21 across the board for all your handmade holiday shopping needs.

I'm bead streaming some Christmas themed loomed bracelets as inventory and demonstration. Come hand out if you can! And if you can't, or come across this post next time, these events are ongoing, so feel free to sign up or tune in next time if you so choose.

Happy and Safe Holidays to All,

Tamara

A Crafty Day In: Black Friday/Small Business Saturday Edition

 Hello bead bugs!

It's that time again. I'm once again participating in A Crafty Day In, this time in a Black Friday/Small Business Saturday edition. What is A Crafty Day In, you say? It's a community over competition virtual event (a craft show of sorts) that stemmed from the creative lovelies in the Twitch crafting community! It features various vendors of all types, ranging from beading to resin work, cross stitch to crochet, and much more. To see all of the amazing vendors, please visit their website and peruse all the amazingly talented artists who are participating.

Also, guess what? Some of these artist will also be participating in a raid train live on www.twitch.tv. I will be one of them! My stream slot is on Friday morning, November 26th, from 12PM - 4PM EST. To see the whole schedule, consult below and feel free to drop in and chat with vendors and viewers alike!

In celebration of this event, I am holding a 25% off sale when you use the code CRAFTY21 at checkout here on the website. Hope over to the shop to browse my offerings. Coupon code valid only from the 26th - 30th. The majority of my holiday pieces have yet to make it to the shop, so feel free to message me within the weekend if something hasn't made it over by the time you're ready to purchase. I will make sure you get that discount, commissions included, if you contact me by November 30th at midnight CST. Promise.

In the meantime, please have a lovely and safe Thanksgiving this year. Especially the staying safe part.

Have Fun Using Unconventional Items for Focals

 This is a bit of advice that can lead to hoarding if you're not careful. My mother is an art supply hoarder, as she works in mixed media. However, holding onto a few things can help you create some pieces like this:

Cool, isn't it? What is it, you ask? Well, obviously it's a hand drawn doodle on mat board! JD had a few of these lying around the house a while back that he was planning on getting rid of. They ranged in size from small scraps to 9"x9", with all sorts of colorful doodles on them. Let's take a close up look at this one:

I've bezeled it the mini drawing, along with a clear faceted piece of acrylic on top, in peyote stitch. I got creative and weird with the back and added a button over the hole of the acrylic, with accompanying leaves. All is strung on some exposed red beading wire with accent beads of various types. Nota a bad use for simple shaped bead stringing, I don't think.

I don't exactly remember which year I made this piece. Roughly 2015-2018 if I had to guess. I was also in the ZONE during creation, so have always loved the final result!

Sadly, I did not hold on to many of the other doodles, or the acrylic gems other than this one:

It's gorgeous! I know it's going to be a fabulous piece when I ever get around to making it, either with or without the rubberized leaves. I can't for the life of me find more of those. Does anybody have a source? I've broken down and purchased polymer clay (clay is my lifelong nemesis) to attempt to recreate the shape for myself. At any rate, it WILL be amazing and I will also kick myself for losing the rest of the doodles. JD and I have decluttered over and over and over again through the years, so who knows what happened to them. Oh well, I do have other things to do, too.

What's your favorite thing to upcycle? Is it something you normally wouldn't think of, or a moment of Serendipity? I'd like to know!

A Lesson in Making 'Bad' Art

 Okay, so I'm not usually one to consider my work bad in any sense of the word. I typically have a fantastic sense of self esteem. All pieces are merely practice, even if you've done a technique or stitch before. 

BUT......there are those times where something is just not working, or not right, or an experiment gone wrong. Or something. This particular piece was one of those. I call it my spite bracelet.

Now, this piece isn't exactly my favorite thing in the world to look at. Some of you may say otherwise, and I love that! (One lady here in town did, and wore it home on her wrist.) For me though, the purple beads are a bit too washed out. I did remove them from my stash after this project. But my biggest disappointment is that the acrylic gears I interspersed throughout have just been taunting me forever. I've had them since I was a teenager and still haven't succeeded in making something I like with them. Ah well, next time maybe.

Or maybe not. From this larger project came two smaller pieces, originally intended to sit on either end before I decided against it. And these I DO like: 

And why is that, you say? Well, for me, it boils down to simplicity. There's much less going on here. It's actually wearable. It's a bit different than other things I've made, pendant wise. And that one single gear in the center can act as a fidgeting element! Still not pleased with that purple here either, but there's a lot going on in this smaller version of the piece that I quite like and can serve as a jumping off point to explore in updated versions of the design. And maybe I have found a use for the gears after all? Who knows?

I never would have if I hadn't finished the bracelet out of spite first. Challenge yourself, do the hard thing, push through. It'll 'bead' worth it in the end.