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Tag Archives: Ragged Robyn

Allegory Gallery Design Challenge Reveal – Kaleidoscope

14 Thursday Sep 2017

Posted by beadlove in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Allegory Gallery Design Challenge, Andrew Thornton, David Christensen, Green Girl Studios, Kaleidoscope, Ragged Robyn, William Jones

Today is the reveal for the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge – Kaleidoscope edition.  This kit is gorgeous and rich with materials.  Here are the pictures.Here are some of the bigger beads in the kit, a couple tubes of seed beads, handmade beads, a gorgeous multi-color strand of chip beads and some colored floss.

Here is a close up of the pendant, handmade by Andrew.  Below is the luxury bead blend. 

I first wanted to use some of the handmade components, including the pendant Andrew made. I’m assuming he also made the two kaleidoscope looking polymer beads. I love all three of these beads. They are so rich in color and pattern. I used two together in my first necklace. 

For the pendant, in addition to those two polymer beads, I used a tiny ceramic bead in the same colorway by Ragged Robyn and the carved rose colored bead from the kit.

I have been collecting furnace glass (a.k.a. art glass, a.k.a cane glass) for a while to make a necklace, and I thought this could be the necklace to do it. Each piece of glass is like a little kaleidoscope. There were also a few pieces of furnace glass in the kit’s luxury bead blend.  

I’ve already decided to restring this!  I want to add seed beads in the rose color to make the piece more cohesive and give the space between the furnace glass beads a little more heft.  I just haven’t had time to do it yet.

Next I started a necklace using the green kaleidoscope-esque bead from the kit. This went through a variety of iterations. I had planned to include a tassel, but in the end I separated those ideas. In looking for more beads to use in the necklace, I came across a set of green hollow lampwork beads I got in a destash.  I’m sorry; I don’t know the artist. I combined those with the clear beads and some of the larger seed beads from the kit. I like how this picture shows the AB effect on some of the clear beads. Very kaleidsocope-y.  

I love the chunky fabulousness of this necklace.  This piece seems the most kaleidoscope-y to me. I was actually looking through a kaleidoscope the other day, and what I saw wasn’t a bunch of different colors but a bunch of the same thing, each one slightly different, all clustered together.  That’s what I see in this necklace. I finished it with a Green Girl Studios swirl hook.

Lastly, I made a bracelet. As I had the furnace glass out, I used a large rainbow piece by David Christensen.  I added a clear plastic bicone bead from the kit, one strand of chip beads from the kit, a strand of various beads from the luxury blend and a strand of my own mauve seed beads with some of the kit large seed beads. 

I enjoyed this kit very much. This challenge is also a competition!  See what others have made by visiting the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge Facebook page. Thank you Andrew and William!

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Evolution

09 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by beadlove in Uncategorized

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BubbyMcGurk Beads, Ragged Robyn, SagaHus Components, Slate Studios Supply, Uglibeads, Vintaj

I tried Vintaj patina the other day, and colored some chain I really like.  

I had an idea for it, but when I tried it, I didn’t think it came together that well despite using wonderful components.

While I love these beads by Ragged Robyn and wire and fabric component by SagaHus Components, the necklace didn’t work the way I thought it would.  So I tried something else.

I liked this version with dagger beads by Slate Studios Supply better, but it still wasn’t quite right.

As I pondered what the issue was, I realized that most of my beads are more rustic and this chain is more refined in style, even with the patina.  So I thought about what I had in my stash that would be a bit smoother for it.  I have pictures of many of my beads, so I looked through those which is a way of going through my stash (at least part of it) without making a big mess.  I envy people with things like printer cabinets where they can open a drawer and see lots of things. I have to paw through baggies and small boxes in bigger boxes I then can’t close properly to stack.

Anywho, I thought a lampwork bead with lovely colors from Uglibeads would be just the thing, but really, it was a bit rustic as well. So I looked at some other lampwork beads and found this set of orphans by Dean Abner of BubbyMcGurk Beads. 

I decided these go best with the chain. Each part lets the other shine, and there is plenty of interest with the different colors, sizes and patterns. They have relatively large holes, so I used some thicker 7-ply waxed linen to attach the beads to the chain. The knots are a bit bigger due to the ply, so I’ll have to decide if that bothers me.  But I’m pleased I found a way to use the lampwork orphans and the chain that I think works and will gives me a necklace a bit different than things I often make.

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AJE April Component of the Month Reveal

30 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by beadlove in Uncategorized

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

AJE April Component of the Month, Art Jewelry Elements, Marsha Neal Studio, Ragged Robyn, Rebekah Payne, Tree Wings Studio

I have two reveals today!  If you are looking for the Amethyst Aether reveal, please click here.

The Art Jewelry Elements blog has a variety of very talented contributors.  Each month, one artist offers a component that the other contributors and three lucky winners get to use in a creation.  For April, the artist is Rebekah Payne of Tree Wings Studio.  I was actually the fourth winner this month.  Since an extra name fell out as she was choosing (mine!) she decided to include me.  Thanks, Rebekah!  Her component is a lovely little heart.  Although it is made from polymer clay, she has textured it to look like weathered wood.  Participants had a choice of brown or grey.  I chose grey.

RebekahPayneHeart

Both sides are textured, and she carved the word “love” into the side.  I didn’t get a good picture of that and was anxious to get started working with it, so you can see more pictures here.

I get such joy from art beads.  When I got the heart and started considering how I wanted to use it, I was thinking about how I feel when I see a new art bead.  It can feel like fireworks.  This heart is small, but I still wanted it to be the focal of my piece.  I thought of a collection of tiny stoneware clay beads I have by Ragged Robyn she calls Poppets.  The variety of textures, colors and shapes make me think of that fireworks feeling, and because they are tiny they wouldn’t detract from the heart as the focal.

AJEAprilclose

I used some grey vintage sequins as spacers and blue wire to string the beads. I wanted to keep the feel of the necklace soft and delicate, so I braided together three colors of hand painted silk cord from Marsha Neal Studio.

AJEAprilFullI love seeing Rebekah’s beautiful little heart front and center in this necklace. It makes me smile.  Thanks to Rebekah and Art Jewelry Elements for allowing me to participate this month.  It was great fun!

Please visit the links below to join the hop and see what other people have created with their heart.

Guests
Karin Grosset Grange
Carol Briody
Rebecca Anderson

Ann Schroeder – You are HERE!

AJE Team
Rebekah Payne
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Caroline Dewison
Susan Kennedy
Diana Ptaszynski
Kristen Stevens
Linda Landig
Melissa Meman

Niky Sayers
Lindsay Starr

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