Preciosa Twin Beads

I decided to give myself another Preciosa challenge and tried out these twin hole beads. I'm keeping these but will probably make more in different colours.

I also added a couple of new things to my website. I really like this set:
http://www.mkmcreations.com/amethystamberemeraldnettedbraceletandearrings.html
This is new as well:
http://www.mkmcreations.com/greengoldblacknecklaceandearrings.html

Purple Rhinestone Earrings Redone

You may recognize part of this necklace. First I made earrings with the large rhinestones but they weren't comfortable to wear. So I made a third one and a couple of peyote tubes and turned them into a necklace. Then I made smaller earrings which I haven't actually worn yet but I think they will be more comfortable.

Also added more jewelry to my website today. http://www.mkmcreations.com/jewelry.html

New Website

I have decided to change my domain name and my new website address is www.mkmcreations.com .
I didn't make a lot of changes but it still took a lot of time to get it ready. I also added two new sections for jewelry and other crafts.
 

Another beaded ball

The same ball I made before in red and black but this time with the right beads. Also made another pair of earrings.

Cellini Spiral

I saw this on YouTube and had to try it. I used size 11 silver lined amber cylinder beads, some size 10 seed beads (which were really all different sizes), and size 8 silver iris seed beads. This probably took about 9 hours all together but I worked on it a little bit here and there.

I also made a simple pair of earring to go with it.

More Earrings

Still beading quite a bit, though a couple of projects I'm working on will take a while to complete and I have started redoing some digital artwork I lost when my computer crashed.

 One pair of earrings I made is a twelve bead beaded ball with red crackle beads, which are made by Preciosa.

And then I wanted to do something black and white and made these dangle earrings.

Preciosa

Stocking up on beads and watching beading videos has led me to learn about Preciosa and to discover their bead contest. And this led to a personal challenge to create something using only Preciosa beads. Just a couple pairs of earrings, I thought.

Being the end of January, I guess I was ready to start thinking about spring and I created this flower vine using these amethyst AB flowers with medium green and lime green size 11 seed beads.

Then I used the flowers again to make a wreath shape along with more green seed beads, pearl white seed beads, and emerald AB 3 mm round beads. I only wish I could take better photos so that you could see how nice the pearl beads are.

Next I used some crystal AB double cones and honey AB bicones with some pearl seed beads and 3mm copper luster beads.

I thought the lime green seed beads were such a pretty colour and also loved the sheen of the pearl beads, so I used them to try out the spiral stitch for the first time. First a spiral doughnut with a loop of 3mm emerald beads for the earrings, then I made a bangle with the 3mm beads mixed in.

There are many more Preciosa beads in my stash and I'm looking forward to using them.

Busy beading

One downside to beading is that it can take so long to make something, especially if you're trying to come up with your own designs. A few times I have nearly finished something and realized it would not work and took it all apart again. One thing I was trying was to create a doughnut shape without copying someone else, and after a few tries I finally got one to work. This has chocolate cherry seed beads, iridescent clear beads, and fluted purple beads.

I made these earring just because I think these green beads are really cute, so tiny and nicely faceted.

This beaded ball design is from a book, Crystal Play by Anna Elizabeth Dreager, but I used round faceted beads instead of bicones, which I think made it a little bumpier, but I still like it. I used the same design for the earrings. Red and black beads with gunmetal seed beads, which look really light because they reflect so much.

I also managed a small painting for the Different Strokes Project at wetcanvas.com. The theme this month was indulgence, and I went with sweets and beads! It was hard to concentrate on this though because I kept wanting to get back to beading. I think I will indulge in beading for a least a few more days, and then get back to painting more.
Ferrero and Beads, 6x4" on acrylic paper.

Addicted to beads

I just realized that I haven't posted since May. Summer was a busy time with camping and gardening. I did get some painting done, a couple of my acrylics are posted on my website, though I see one is missing. I also did some digital work but unfortunately my computer crashed completely at the end of summer and I lost a couple of paintings that I will have to do over again. I'm trying to see it as a blessing in disguise, that maybe the paintings will be better the second time. I know they won't be the same.

And lately I have been buying lots of beads and I have been trying out new techniques and trying to come up with my own designs. I have a pack of beads that have nice colours but are very irregular in size and shape, so I came up with these earrings to make use of them.

I hope to do a lot of painting and beading during the winter months.

Beading

I have always loved beads and making jewellery, so recently I found some time to get the beads out.

Some recent paintings.

I haven't posted for a very long time but I have been painting. I have been slowly working on a digital book, and also taking out the acrylics or working on other digital paintings as well.

Many of my digital paintings are posted on fineartamerica.com
http://michelle-morozchymy.fineartamerica.com
Some of the newer ones being the Old Green House, the Little Frozen Waterfall, and the Easter Egg card.

Recent acrylics are the Museum Trio  and a sign I made for my basement:

Also a mini, 2.5 inches square, of Lake Okanagan.

Alphabet

I don't have a lot of time to paint these days, so I am doing more digital work. It is much easier than dealing with paint drying and washing brushes. I recently finished an alphabet for my son's room. The whole thing is 14x11" so each picture is quite small, but it was fun doing all those little paintings.

Catching up

During my pregnancy I did some digital painting, mainly a series of small old car pictures that I will give to my dad one by one. I also started a lake painting but wasn't able to finish until after the baby was born and things started to settle down.

Baby Vincent was born on Aug. 31. For a while there was only time for taking care of him and sleeping but after a few weeks I was missing being creative and did a little knitting to make him a hat, and I also have been cross stitching a bit. And as I said, I finished that lake painting, just in time to enter a contest at pixarra.com, but I didn't win. 

Lately I've been busy with Christmas decorating and some baking but I'm looking forward to doing more digital painting soon.

Frosty Willows

In January I found out that I'm pregnant. Soon after that came the morning (all day) sickness which made it hard to concentrate on anything. I got one painting done back in January, Frosty Willows.  Since then I haven't done much except to knit myself a pair of socks. Lately though, I think I'm feeling ready to start painting again.

Merry Christmas 2009 and Happy New Year 2010

December is always a busy time. I do a lot of decorating in the house and I have pictures posted on my website. I also got some painting done, like these jarlid magnets that I gave as gifts.

Then I painted a picture for my husband to give a guy he works with. It was a bit challenging because the photo reference wasn't very clear. Now I am working on next year's Christmas card in TwistedBrush.

Allsorts

I have been neglecting my blogging duties again. But I have been painting. Recent additions to my site are Off the Point, Pink and Yellow Rose, and Allsorts. The painting of the lake was a difficult one for me. I was glad when it was done and relieved to get many compliments from the nice people at wetcanvas.com. The pink and yellow rose was a joy to paint, I love painting flowers on the computer. Paint the Allsorts was very enjoyable as well.

And in between there was Halloween and I made a small painting for myself.

I haven't been crafting though, not for a long time, except for some cross stitching. I recently finished another picture.

Site problems

I've been having trouble with my Forest of Dreams website, but I hope to get it fixed soon.

I have done some more painting since my last post. I've been in a digital mood lately and I finished a knitting dragon for my creative dragon series. I hope to put these in a book someday. Currently I am starting a sewing dragon.

I also painted a picture of some raspberries using Twisted Brush. This was done in one layer, which is unusual for me. It is available as a 5x7" print.

Solstice at the lake

The weather has really warmed up now! Saturday, the 20th, we were camping and it was a warm, bright night. We went for a bike ride with friends around the campground and I think it was close to midnight when we went to the beach. If I had thought of it then I would have been more observant, but yesterday I used my imagination to do a quick painting with Twisted Brush of the lake that night.

Fruit and Crystal

Camping season has started, and gardening season, both of which get in the way of my painting time so I haven't been as productive lately.

We took the camper to the lake on the May long weekend to park it on the site we got for the summer. It snowed that day, but we thought we better take it up in the snow instead of the mud and we got it up there just in time.

We didn't stay that night but went back the next day and all the snow was gone. We have gone up there a few times and the nights have been pretty cold, but there have been no mosquitoes.

I did get a new painting done recently, Fruit and Crystal. I was scared to start on this one because of the bowl, but I convinced myself to relax with it and I got it done. You can see it here.

Steps To Twilight

I finished my latest cross stitch project, which I believe I started last June. There is one more picture in that booklet which I have already started.

I have also been doing some digital painting. This iceberg painting was done in Gimp, the reference was from wetcanvas.


For my dad's birthday I bought a toy car and painted a picture of it, and gave him both the painting and the toy. This was also done in Gimp.


This next one was also a reference from wetcanvas, this time done with Twisted Brush Open. I wanted to practise painting foliage on the computer but I think I need different brushes and I have decided to buy Twisted Brush Pro.


And today I painted an ATC of orchids, but I haven't scanned it yet. It will be posted on my website eventually.