Turtle

I've been meaning to catch up here--or to start again, rather, since catching up would be very, very silly at this point.

Let's see. I've changed the shop-listing to doing a bunch once a week, and then if I have anything interesting to list I'll go ahead and do so whenever.

Etsy has a new set-up for listing things, which I actually like quite a bit, except that I cannot save the changes I make to 'expired' listings--I either need to renew them Right Then, or I lose my changes. This seems like a rather silly way to run things, but that's pretty much how Etsy rolls, so whatever.

I've been making lots of things, but aside from a few earrings and pendants, nothing has gone up for sale. My older sister requested a ...series of four fairy tapestries for her birthday, which sounds like a lot, but they were small.  It took me forever to finish them, if only because I don't like to put the hanging rods onto the tapestries, and I put that off for as long as possible.  The panels themselves only took about three hours apiece. (12 hours isn't very long, right?).

I'm also working on a something that won't go up for sale, and a while back I made something that I don't think ever got mentioned here: The Turtle Beaded Tapestry

Turtle Beaded Tapestry

I've always liked turtles. Even after I got bit by a snapping turtle, which wasn't very fun at all.  This guy is more a frame work for a geometric design than an actual turtle, but I still think he's awesome.  I'm still debating putting him up, and delaying on putting his pattern up, although I should go on that. The background is beads chosen at random, which I would not use if I were to make this turtle again--certainly the light blue is far too strong.

Actually, I'm hoping to make him again soon, but using the Czech beads, rather than the Japanese ones, so I can pick from the colors I like and not the colors I have, although he turned out quite well, and he helped me lower the number of Japanese seed beads in my life significantly, which was nice.

Octopi

Octopus Earrings

Something new. Earrings, AND octopusesiples. Someone said they look a bit like jellyfish, and I can't completely disagree, but it's hard to make different shapes with this beading technique, so that's about the best I can do.


I also somehow look at the dark bead at the end of each leg and see them as shoes, which then somehow magically translates into a tapdancing octopus in my head. Weird.

I'm pretty happy with them, though. 'course, next time I think I'll make the top loop a different color--maybe the dark color--so it doesn't make the 'pus look so pointy on top. Maybe that'll help with the jellyfish problem.

Penguin Set

Penguin Earrings and Pendant

I told you I made more than one of these, right?

I got to babysit my niece this morning. She took a lot of naps, which was nice because then so did I.  She's taken to growling, which is pretty funny, if a bit strange.  Apparently it's just something some babies do, though, so whatever.

MOAR PENGUINS

Penguin Earrings

I declared yesterday to be Penguin Making Day, and I made two pair earrings, and then a pendant as well. I debated making a few more because it's my one reliable seller, but I was penguinned out, so I stopped.

These guys are adorable, and I'm likely to start babbling about them, just to warn you.

My little sister suggested making earrings a while back, but I kept putting it off.  Then my friend acquired a box of beading things from another friend, and she had no use whatsoever for the earring backs in with the beads, so she offered them to me.  Then I had a suggestion and the supplies, but I still put off making earrings.

Last night I thought I'd finally give it a try, and since nothing strange or wonderful jumped out of the universe to distract me (sadly), I made them, and I'm so so sooooooososososo happy that I did! Let me enthuse all over you a bit more! They are just so CUTE, I'm liable to break into fangirl squealing and/or use the word 'kawaii' without irony.

Well, maybe not that.

I'm just a bit sad that I don't wear earrings like this (I prefer mine to be studs, heh), because then I can't wear my own earrings.  But if I did wear dangly earrings, I'd totally wear these.

All Hail the Wiz

Pattern - Wizard Beaded Tapestry

This is clearly the pattern that goes with yesterday's post. It was a rather fun one to make, really, even if I forgot to add my signature.  I also went out of my way to make sure the background beads were all matte transparent, and the wizard beads were all...shinier.  Except for his skin, which couldn't be helped unless I wanted it to be straight up ivory.  I wish I'd gone with my original plan to use a transparent matte color for his staff, but I talked myself into that ...striking gold instead.  Also the clouds are shiny color-lined, but again it couldn't be helped.

And you can kind of see where I made some changes to the pattern between printing and beading--most notably the inside lining of his cloak is green in the beads and blue in the pattern. I thought it would work better this way.

I'm actually quite pleased with how the background turned out.  I haven't done much beaded landscape, but now I'm thinking I might look into more. I do have a TON of greens.  I believe I mentioned how it was slightly more difficult than I'd expected to make the background. I guess I just hadn't put much thought into things like aerial perspective recently, so it was a whole new game.  Still, aside from some bead choices that could have been a bit better, I think it turned out quite well.

It did take TWENTY colors to make this, which is way up there, although I can't remember if it's the most I've done or not (my memory says the world map has 12 colors, but it's been wrong before).

I'd originally wanted to just put this pattern up as my EBW Challenge entry, but apparently that's not allowed. So instead, it's up next to it, such that looking at the tapestry will show a thumbnail of the pattern.  Hopefully that'll be enough for someone to buy it.

It's a Miracle!

Gandalf Beaded Tapestry

What is this? is this something new??!!

Oh wowie, gee, I never thought we'd get another post, let alone one of an entirely new creation! It's like Christmas!

So the Etsy Beadweavers team has a monthly challenge, and this month's theme was 'Lord of the Rings' since that's been one of my favorite books since I first read it back in fourth grade, I figured I had better make something lest the geek patrol appear on my door step and confiscate my collection of Munchkin cards.

This is...well, it's sort of Gandalf the Gray, but somewhat he's just a wizard wearing a gray cloak.  It took a ridiculous number of different colors to create, and I can't decide if his skin is ethnic or just very tanned (and I wish I hadn't chosen the gold for his staff), but overall I'm pretty pleased with how he turned out.

It's all my design, begun from a simple gray triangle (like you couldn't have guessed that one), and decorated from there.  The background actually gave me more difficulty than the wizard himself, which is odd because you'd think 'space' was easier than 'person,' but I guess not.

I also realized today that the 'signature' pattern bit that I so painstakingly created awhile back, I then forgot to include on this guy, dammit.  And it would have been easy enough to stick in the background.  Ah well. So it goes.

Sorry

Sorry I've been missing, It's been a busy week, what with the holiday, the birthday (mine!) and the getting sick. Among other things. Hopefully I'll get back on track soon.