Sand Fibers
Back in the Fold
For over a year, I've had some pieces in an online gallery. They were priced (not by me!) at over 300% of my Etsy pricing. Recently, the owner said that she would return them because they weren't moving. Wonder why?
I welcome them back to the fold, their home (hopefully only temporary, however!) in my Etsy store.
When does being second make you a winner?

Well, when the all-powerful Random Number Generator picks your number, that's when!

The second comment on my July 9 post is the designated winner of this little amulet pouch:

And the second comment on that post was from a familiar face in EBW circles:
Marilyn has only been a member of Etsy BeadWeavers for a few months, but already her diligence in promoting the group has made her one of our most visible members. It seems only fitting that she be a challenge winner in her own right ;) Congratulations, Marilyn!
(I will contact her privately for the mailing address to send this to.)And, of course, there's
the real winner of the Etsy BeadWeavers July Challenge -- A Midsummer Night's Dream: SmadarsTreasure's Roses in the Night Sky Cuff !!!

Congratulations, Smadar! This piece is a true stunner!
All About Aquas
About a month ago, I was contacted about creating a very special custom cuff. Much back and forth on the design and color choices, 17 delica colors, and many days of beading (and unbeading) later... we had this cuff:

Then came time to make the matching Ndebele rope:

It's all about aqua...
and turquoise
I Can't Get Enough Turquoise!!! curated by littlestonedesign

Just look at all the gorgeous turquoise she used in her fantastic
Childs Glacier Seed Bead Bangle!!!! I cannot tell you how much I covet this bangle...seriously, I just cannot.

Be well and get going!
A Classic Combination
That's the title of the
treasury I was able to create this morning. This one focuses exclusively on the black and white creations of some of my Etsy BeadWeavers teammates.
You can visit this one live
here until Wednesday morning. Why not stop in for a comment and a few clicks? ;)
Here's a new take on an old design of mine:
I may have to do the two-tone swirl bit with a few other colors: yellow on black perhaps? Coral on turquoise? Maybe just coral on white?
And
this one has had a nice reception as well.

And
this little jewel would make the perfect partner for it -

That's it for today's show and tell.
I'm faced with a real dilemma about what to do with the treasuries I have been featured in over the past month. I am horribly behind in showing them to you and in thanking their creators. I'll let you know what I figure out when I do figure it out.
In the meantime, these are the wonderful treasury lists I find my work in right now.
Ana of
nanouke just keeps coming up with gorgeous lists. Think I'm exaggerating? Just look at these!

My good friend Louise of scarfitup put together a stunning selection of turquoise beaded beauties.
BEADLIEVE ME! created by scarfitup
This
Winter Splendor Cachecol is one of my favorite pieces in her shop: it looks so soft and comfortable and oddly inviting.

And just a little nag before I leave you for the day: Have you cast your vote in the E
tsy BeadWeavers July Challenge? You have until midnight tomorrow.
Sweet dreams!
I'm in awe
It doesn't happen that often, but every now and then I come across a creation that just takes my breath away. This is such a piece of beadwoven artistry.
In sheer sophistication and elegance, with a dash of wonderful fun, I think this is the best piece this particular artist has created to-date. And I'm not saying this because
MaryLou of time2cre8 is a good friend; I'm saying this because it is true. I am so deeply impressed with this that I had to share it with you, Dear Reader.

Now somebody go buy this, before I have to! (And she'd have to resize it for me anyway, so do her a favor.)
A Front Page Filled with Ana's Berries
That would be Ana of
nanouke.
That would be the berries of her Berries treasury.
That would be this:
It's so fresh and inviting and festive in a quiet way. I love this treasury. And I especially love this treasury on the Etsy Front Page!!! (It's no longer on the front page, but you can see the treasury
live until noon tomorrow.)
Now if only Ana would have been shameless enough to promote her own work,
this beautiful cuff would have fit in beautifully:

Do me a favor and visit
her shop and admire her wire and bead jewelry ;)
Gold and Silver Together Again -- A Collaboration
Just take a moment and look at
this ...

... and drool. Isn't it beautiful?
I love collaborating! In this case, I was the "supplier." I provided the wonderful, imaginative, and patient
Sweet Freedom with some beaded beads made with 24 kt. gold plated delicas, and she created this stunning cuff. She's documented the process in
her blog, if you're interested in seeing how something like this is created, start to finish.
I am awed, amazed, inspired by the results. If my hands were strong enough for serious wire-wrapping, I would reconsider the direction of my work. Seriously. But they aren't, so I'll stick with what I'm doing now (;o)
Be well and get going!
(Actually, while I've got you here, have you read the post below and voted and commented?)
It's that time of month again!
Etsy BeadWeavers Monthly Challenge time, that is :D The theme for July was "Midsummer Night's Dream." Initially, I wanted to submit a "psychedelic Willie" peyote cuff, but then I thought better of it.
That's not to say I won't bead this up one of these days/months/years.
I always try to step out of my comfort zone for these challenges (don't believe me? check out some of my previous entries!). One of the beadweaving techniques I have always admired and avoided like the plague is freeform peyote. I'm very much a control-freak; freeform doesn't allow for much planning and control.
At the urging of my friend MaryLou of
time2cre8 (I happen to be the proud owner of one of
her freeform cuffs) and a wonderful repeat customer, I finally bit the proverbial bullet. Say hello to "A FreeForm Dream," my entry in the July Etsy BeadWeavers Challenge:
If you love this, you can vote for it in the challenge. Or you can vote for one of the other 30 entries. ;) Just visit the
Etsy BeadWeavers Blog to vote for your favorite in this wonderful display of beadweaving talent.

And what's an EBW Challenge announcement on Sand Fibers' blog without a corresponding giveaway? This challenge theme has a certain air of romance about it, an air I don't spend much time working in. This month's drawing prize is a simple Sand Fibers original amulet bag that wants a good home. This is probably as close to romantic/princess-like as I've ever been in my work.

To enter into the drawing, just leave a comment on this post letting me know you voted for the EBW challenge. On July 15th, I will use my handy-dandy random number generator to select the "winner." I will announce the winner on this blog and I will contact her(him) separately by email.
A few "rules" do apply, so here's the small print:
- One comment per person (you know who you are!! ;o)
- Leave a way for me to contact you
- EBW members are eligible.
- Previous winners are eligible.
- I reserve the right to remove comments (and thus drawing entries) by individuals who have publicly disparaged EBW or me (only fair, right?)
- By leaving a comment, you are giving me the right to use your name/shop link/ blog link in the "announcing the winner" post in this blog.
- If for some reason you cannot leave a comment (blogger won't let you, for instance), you can contact me via Etsy convo (you must be a member to do so) and I will enter a comment for you.
Please note: I do not offer these "prizes" in order to entice you to vote for my entry. I ask that you vote for the beadwoven piece that most moves your heart, catches your eye, or otherwise pleases you. These challenges aren't so much about winning as they are about stretching our beadweaving muscles :D Trust me, I've had some major cases of charley horse after some of these!
Be well and get voting!
6-18-08 Front Page Treasury by KellyJohnston
KellyJohnston loves patterns...and did that ever show in the wonderful treasury she came up with. This one made the front page on Etsy!
Kelly first took notice of my Abstract Southwestern cuff a year ago and even featured it in
her blog in an entry on bargello. It was that blog entry that got me to thinking about more closely mimicking bargello in a peyote pattern. The results were these cuffs:
As you can see, Kelly's blog had quite effect on my work! :D
Kelly is a jewelry artist herself. Her style leans towards the elegantly simple, as represented by
this wonderful necklace:

Visit
her store for a visual treat!
6-16-08 Front Page Treasury by lilldybug!
lilldybug put together such a fantastic treasury that the Etsy Admin folks just had to put it up on the front page for a little while.
lilldybug is the buyer account for
Explorations where you can find fun bulletin boards like this
one:

She's into recycling and upcycling, both of which we need more of!
B U T Treasury by cynmb
cynmb came up with this wonderful treasury two weeks ago and I still haven't thanked her. :( If she had a shop on Etsy, I would feature her work, but she doesn't, so a "thank you" will have to suffice.