Inspired by Africa

Hello friends!

The city has interrupted my calm quiet morning by ripping up the street in the front of my house :( Don't they know it's not nice to come do road work at 9am and make the smell of ripped up asphalt enter my house? ;P

NEW IN THE SHOP...

Today I have some smaller size lentils than the size I usually make. They are so cute and small. They are about 13mm. Lentils are red with designs in ivory and silvered ivory and are acid etched for that matte finish. I was inspired by red African trade beads called "skunk" beads.

Today's SNEAK PEEK is a finished bracelet made with similar beads to the set above. Bracelet is strung with hill tribe silver coin shaped beads, African "red hearts", and fish vertebrae.


Incase you were curious about my inspiration beads here is the picture. When I first did a search on these beads I came up with this site as well and found it to be fascinating. I think I am starting to have this love of old beads :)

Here is a link to that site I really liked African Trade Beads.

SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?....

Well I was really pleased with the beads I made yesterday. I did a color gradation in transparent browns with silvered ivory designs on lentil bases. Most of them worked into the set, but the Vetrofond Dark Brown transparent turned out opaque and BLACK looking. You would have never guessed it started out brown. Moretti light brown and CiM Sepia didn't really work into the color gradation so I pulled those out. I really love the color though! I guess I will just stash them for another something or just sell them as loose beads ;)

I have a few more things on my list of what I wanted to make before I run out of my current list of ideas. I really need to get my butt into gear and make some more Halloween beads before the Bearden's show. I am glad I had a small stock of beads come back from stores from last year so I have a little more time to do other things than holiday stuff for now. I need to make some sugar skull beads this year too. I have wanted to for the last 2 years, but got too burned out before I got to make some.

Well I am going to go eat and head down to the studio.

See you later.

Much love,

Genea