What is Art?

Art is evident in our world in many forms.  Art can be a painting or a sculpture.  Art can be photography or music.  Art can be movement and dance.  Art can take any form your mind can dream up.  

Art tells a story, whether in words, sounds, movements or feelings.  This piece was inspired by my heart and the feelings that are in it.  The focal is a lampwork glass work of art created by my dear friend Juls - JulsBeads.  I've had it in for a year (or 3) and loved it, loved the colors, but hadn't captured it's story. 

Until last week... and then it sang to me.  And I created it. 

I brought in shades of soft lavendar with Swarovski violet opal crystals, a rich amethyst and elegant turquoise.  I was even able to pull in Pantone's 2013 color of the year "Emerald" using blue zircon crystals. The necklace is finished with a few vintage inspired faceted glass beads and luxurious amethyst pearls. 

What's singing to you this week?  Are you working with black & gold or are you playing in green for St. Patrick's day!

Stay inspired~
Dawn

I Spy Something Turquoise

Did you ever play "I spy" as a kid... or count the (pick any color) vehicle as you were driving down the road in the back of the station wagon on a really longggggg carride?  Or was that just something my parents did to pass the time with the 4 of us wild & crazy kids?

Either way... I've been juggling a whole lot over the last number of weeks.  Let's just hope I don't drop my balls! ;) 

I started working on a piece using a focal that I've had for a very long time.  When a specific focal talks to you, you're supposed to drop everything and create, right?  Well taxes be damned and 87,524 other things on my plate right now, I've only been able to create in bits and pieces.  BUT, what I can promise you is that it will be amazing.  AND I promise it will be done before May.  IN ADDITION, I promise not to drop any balls... that could get messy. Tee hee he!

Coming Soon to a piece of wearable art - is one calling your name?

And because I really love you, that gorgeous lampwork focal in the piece I'm working on as well as the 6 you see above, were all created by my sister by choice, Julianna Cannon of Studio Juls (aka JulsBeads).  Juls gave me the kick in the shin I needed to dip my toes in the water of seed bead artistry and for that I am eternally grateful!  Won't you go show Juls some love and follow her blog?  She makes the most amazing glass focals and her beaded art is just out of this world! 

Love & Hugs to you!
~Dawn

Another Piece of Art created with a JulsBead focal

What starts as glass, transforms to wearable art! Thanks Juls for your inspiration!

Custom Beaded Jewelry for the Southern Hemisphere

Most of the beaded jewelry we see is for the "Northern" Hemisphere (area above the waist,) however, I recently finished a custom piece for a woman needing "Southern" hemisphere jewelry.

Before you get all crazy saying "What?"  "She wanted what WHERE?"  Don't worry, this is G-Rated!

We were talking about designing a special piece of jewelry for her ankle.  She has an event coming up where she'll be presenting on stage to a room full of women.  In the past, when she is a speaker, she starts out with good intentions and has cute shoes... however about 5 minutes into the presentation the shoes lay on the side of the stage and she's barefoot. 

I can understand that completely as I feel much more rooted when I'm barefoot.  So until Jimmy Choo makes beaded adornments for barefoot lovers like myself, I set out with my client to create something really sparkly that would still accessorize her feet.

What I created was this super sparkly ankle cuff.  It wraps around the ankle in roman fashion.  it's embellished with sequins in the color scheme of her business logo!  How cool is that, bringing a little more bling to her brand.  I added a thin chain in a scalloped fashion at the bottom of the cuff for a little more frills and to create movement in the piece.  The cuff is finished with two lobster claws and chain to allow for the piece to be work at a varied length. 

Love the finished look and style of this piece.  The ankle cuff is something I'd definitely wear in the summer in particular as sundresses, shorts and capris are all just asking for more bling!  Seeing as it's -25 windchill where I live in Lake Geneva, WI today... I'll gladly dream about summer, bare legs and warmer temperatures.

Hope your day is full of inspiration!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

I specialize in custom orders.  To connect with me, visit my Facebook page:  www.Facebook.com/DesignsbyDawnMarie and send me a message.  I'm happy to discuss what you're looking for and create something one-of-a-kind that makes you smile every time you wear it!

So Many WIP - So Little Time

My motto through college (or should we say my excuse for procrastination) was "I work better under pressure!"  Have you ever said the same thing?

In this case, it really is about many, many projects all going on simultaneously!  I have "online" work that makes my eyes go batty... then I have my commissioned jewelry orders that make my artisan heart go pitter patter.

Because my to do list is thissssssssssssssssssssssssssss long, I'm going to get back to it and leave you with pictures of just 3 of my current projects that I've organized and have ready to start.

Coral, Turquoise and Gold Ensemble

Bold & Festive

Don't call me proud... I'm a peacock!

Summer Lovin with a Twist of Heavy Metal

Metallic finishes are everywhere right now... from faux finishes on jeans to shoes and other accessories, not to mention the metal surrounding the 2012 Olympics (gold, silver and bronze).  The metallic finishes I'm not so fond of are the kind in my teeth commonly called fillings - but we won't discuss that here.

Behold Your Inner Strength

This design challenge excited me when I saw the kit that Amy Severino of Amybeads put together.  I've had the intention of creating something in metallics for a long time and just never had the inspiration on where or what that piece would be.  Enter Amy's challenge kit and voila... then a plan and a design were born.

I loved the tree pendant Amy included in the kit.  To me, it spoke of being rooted in something bigger than ourselves, of staying connected to our spirit guides, faith and the universe.  As leaves on a tree change colors going from summer to fall, then drifting slowly to the ground, becoming one with the earth that we too are to leave a piece of ourselves wherever we go making it a better place than it was before we got there.

I posted this sign on my FB page the other day.  

It struck me in that we shouldn't just leave (EXIT), rather we should do something while we're here in order to leave a legacy! EXIST!

That's a feeling, an energy I embodied while creating this necklace.  The copper leaves slowly cascade from the pendant and rustle like the pile of leaves we used to play in as kids playing in the yard.  I pulled in shades of pewter, silver, brass, bronze, gold and copper to embody all the precious metals.  This too reminding us how precious our life is and how truly fleeting it can be.

Root ~ Stay Connected ~ Do Something Wonderful ~ Pass it On

This piece came together over several months.  As time went on and I watched my design grow, it took on a life of it's own, literally.  I could see it blossoming into something bigger.  I could see more components being added.  In the end, this piece is the perfect depiction of a life well lived... it's beautiful while it's here and continues to spread beauty for generations to come!

Thanks for stopping by!  Now here's all of the participants in the Summer Lovin' Challenge that Amybeads so graciously put together!  Hope you feel more inspired after stopping by!
{Hugs!} ~ Dawn

Renetha LampLightCrafts

Kepi   A little of this, a little of that...

Shannon Falling Into the Sky

Maryanne Zingala's Workshop

Shirley Beads and Bread

You are HERE  ---> Dawn Designs by Dawn Marie 

Therese Therese's Treasures 

Vimala The Bead Diaries

Ginger lilmummy likes...

Linda Lindy's Designs

Kristen My Bead Journey

Lois ¿Que Onda Q'town?
Debbie Beechy Beetique
Tanya A Work in Progress
Audrey Dreams of Absolution
Sandra Stories from the City of Brass
Mary MLH Jewelry Designs
Lori B.
Lucy K.

Custom Bead Embroidered Cuff for Anniversary Gift

Do you know how much I LOVE making custom orders, especially when I know the custom beaded jewelry is a special gift for a special person?  

This gift I was asked to custom design was like no other I've done.  The purpose of the gift is to celebrate many years of marriage between a husband & his wife, and the two very special children they've created.

First, celebrating the marriage... the couple has a logo they use for their family business and homestead.  It's a large M in the middle for their last name, with a slightly smaller C and a J for each of their first names on the sides.  So as a focal for the bead embroidered cuff, they wanted me to create something similar to their logo. 

Their two children were born in the months of March and August.  So the color scheme for the beaded cuff needed to correspond with Aquamarine and Peridot.  Where the color scheme got interesting was adding in C & J's birthstones Garnet for January and Sapphire for September.  Initially I was "garnet-challenged" as the deep red wasn't playing well with the peridot and aquamarine.  That was until I used both the garnet and sapphire as accent colors to add that pop of color without overpowering the color pallet.

Indeed, I think that was the right move because now I have faceted garnets and sapphire crystals to represent C & J, but their children who are their entire world are the focus of this beautiful cuff.

As I am out of town this week, at the time of writing this blog post, J has not yet given C her beautiful cuff.  Hopefully when I return home, I'll have an e-mail hearing what she thought about the bracelet.  C is an interior designer, so I really wanted to make a piece that was 100% easy to wear with an artistic flair. 

From idea to clasp this piece was inspired by the love that these two have for each other.  They have a very special relationship that continues to endure the test of time.  Ups & Downs are the path of life and these two together hold each other's hand and embrace the adventure!  Because let's face it, sometimes life takes us off roadin' - it's up to us to drop a gear and get back on track!

Happy Anniversary to C & J!  My wish for you is many more decades of family adventures!~
{Hugs!}
~Dawn

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Designs by Dawn Marie

Dawn Doucette is a jewelry artist in Lake Geneva, WI.  Each piece she makes is one-of-a-kind.  If you are interested in having something special custom designed for yourself or a loved one, e-mail designsbydawnmd (At) gmail (Dot) com.  She specializes in listening to what your dream idea is and turning that into a piece of custom beaded jewelry that will be passed down to future generations in your family.

Matchy Matchy Necklace to go with my cuff

While this week is UBER-busy, I'm having a blast balancing it all... that is if you consider a blast looking like a circus clown, riding a unicycle, juggling bowling pins while trying to walk the dog. 

Now that's a picture... and since I'm so short on time (getting ready for my sister's wedding and will post pics after this weekend) I'll just give you a pretty picture to look at.  I made the cuff that was for the EBEG Beadfest that I was going to sell, but then it adopted me and now it's MINE!  So I thought it would like to have a playmate in the jewelry box... enter a pendant I started EONS ago... seriously, it was soooooo 2010 when I started this pendant (said while rolling eyes like a valley girl). 

Anyhoo, I didn't like how the bezel came out and I didn't like how the white background popped (this was one of my early, early attempts at bead embroidery and I had not yet discovered the joy of colored Nicoles Beadbacking).  So I tossed it in the fugly drawer and said "hasta la vista you ugly thing."

Now you see, the lampwork heart wasn't ugly... it was and is really quite stunning (lampwork bead designed by my favorite glass artist Juli Cannon, Studio Juls), but I had done such a crappy bezel around it (before I discovered how important it is to bezel with all the same variety (sort of) of seed beads.  So I had some delicas, some tohos, some czech and thought no problem.  Seriously, we all learn from our mistakes.

So when I felt the need to have a complimentary necklace for that droolworthy cuff (yes, the one with the orange accents) I pulled out the fugly thing determined to turn that Caterpillar into a butterfly.  Bring in some crystal bicone spikes out the top, a pearl and hang it on a ribbon and viola... fugly goes butterfly in a nano-second!

Why do I share this?  Because we all learn from our fugly mistakes and grow... or let them fester in the fugly drawer... either way, we keep on smiling and trying new things!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Extreme Bead Embroidery Takes a Tropical Vacation -Now for the Umbrella Drink Please

From all white on white to extreme contrast with black & white, I decided to take a little journey with my bead embroidery to the tropics.  Somewhere from way out in left feel I was inspired to create something so beyond my "old shoe" comfort zone it's freaky.

I will say... brace yourself... I used orange *gasp*  as in tropical warm, sunshiney, happy ORANGE!  FREAKY again, I know!

Where is all this inspiration coming from?  Not sure exactly, but I'm loving playing with color.  

So this cuff started as an inspiration from the Etsy Bead Embroidery Guild.  The EBEG Beadfest challenge was fairytales... the variety that started as folk lore long ago and have been passed down through storytelling for generations.  My mind immediately thought of the tale of Hansel and Gretl, a German fairy tale told by the Brother's Grimm in 1812!  The tale is about 2 young children that are abondonded twice by their father and horrid step-mother not once but twice in the woods!  After the 2nd time of being abandoned the children get lost in the woods and find a house made of gingerbread and candy.

Being supremely hungry, the children begin to nibble on the candy home until they are invited in by a witch posing to be an old lady.  Suffice it to say the kids eventually trick the witch at her own game, find a stash of jewels she has hidden and with the help of a good storytelling, find their way back to their father.  His wife has mysteriously passed away and they can now live happily ever after thanks to finding the witch's jewels.

The focal of this cuff reminded me of candy.  Honestly it looks good enough to lick!  I added "jewels" in shades of lime both in beads and in the Nicole's beadbacking, aqua and accents of tangerine to create a bright, joyful "path" of treasure to emulate the journey Hansel & Gretl took.

While I'll be out of town while the blog hop takes place for the Fairytale Reveal during Etsy Bead Embroidery Guild's Beadfest on June 30th, I had to share this as it was truly a wonderful journey to create.  You can check out the other members of EBEG on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Etsy-Bead-Embroidery-Guild-EBEG/303381193012490 I never thought I would use orange - in fact I surprised a really good friend who was shocked I even had any orange in my bead inventory.  I tried the cuff just to capture a picture, and wouldn't you know, it decided to own me.  Yep, this baby is now part of my private jewelry collection!

Hope your day is inspired and your journey is sweet!
{Hugs!}
~Dawn
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Designs by Dawn Marie

Dawn Doucette is a jewelry artist creating OOAK bead embroidered jewelry in Lake Geneva, WI.  Inspired by the beauty around her, each piece is unique and something that can be passed down from generation to generation.  Much like a great painting, Dawn's bead embroidery tells a story and it's translation is very personal to each person that sees it.  Specializing in custom beaded jewelry, Dawn loves turning a personal experience or story of her customers into a OOAK piece of jewelry they will treasure for years to come!

When You go From Extremes of All White to Black & White Bead Embroidery - Then THIS Happens

So a short bit ago I was working in a white on white color palette for my sister's wedding.  I created her bridal jewelry and veil (with over 100 crystals).  Upon thinking I was in a blizzard (in May) I decided I needed to change things up after that so I went with sheer contrast.

I created this black and white necklace using bead embroidery that helped my eyes re-focus and made me realize indeed, I was not going blind. 

SO with anything in life, there has to be some middle ground... wherein I confess I like having matching sets.  (I'm not going to say is an obsession or my therapist will call me and immediately send me a bill because she could.)  So while I'm working on my next "ah ha" moment, I took a little break and created the perfect pair of matching earrings for the black & white necklace!  Or if you're a free spirit, wear them on their own *gasp* without a necklace!  Whoa.... did I just type that?  Yikes, I best take my head outside for fresh air!

Available at:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/100898139/classic-black-and-white-bead-embroidered

Hope you have a fantastic afternoon!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Jewelry Repair - From Broken to Beautiful With an Extra dose of WOW added

For people that know I create jewelry, I often get those phone calls, e-mails and pleas for help to fix pieces that they've purchased or been given that have broken. 

Before - Broken Strand of Freshwater Rice Pearls

One jewelry repair I received recently was from a sweetheart of a woman that works with Chris (we'll call her E.J.)  She had a strand of pearls her daughter gave her years ago.  It broke and has been in her jewelry box for a couple of years now.  So she asked if I could shorten it and do "something maybe earrings" with the extra pearls.

The strand was on a cotton thread, so with time anything on cotton thread will wear through.  I did shorten the necklace, used a lobster claw clasp and an extender chain to give her flexibility in the length she wanted to wear the necklace at.

I also made a pendant that could be removed if E.J. wanted to wear just the chain.  The pendant is bead embroidered using a quartz stone I already had, the adding the pearls as embellishment. 

The quartz has a special significance or meaning.  I know some of my dear friends can add on to the description I've found, but I really love the fact it enhances the human energy.

"Crystal is a common stone, but a powerful one. It is mainly used in healing as amplification for the energies of the other working stones. In healing, the crystal point is best and the size can be important.

For meditating the crystal ball or point can be used. As it is a powerful stone the user should experiment with each to find what is best for him. The Quartz Crystal has a similar vibration as humans. This is why using Crystal to meditate and keeping a Crystal helps one to know oneself. It will sometimes not work for a negative person." ~http://crystal-cure.com/crystalgem.html

Because I have a thing about having matching sets, I also used the additional pearls to make a pair of earrings.  Creating a grouping effect, much like a bunch of grapes, I wire wrapped each pearl and attached them to a length of chain.  They dangle perfectly and can be worn as regular, daily jewelry. 

I delivered the set in person yesterday so I could see E.J.s face when she opened them.  To say she was thrilled was an understatement.  Her excitement about something new created from something old was priceless.  I treasure opportunities like this - to breathe life into something so special that it will continue to live on and make people smile!

What's old is new again!  
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Black and White Classic Bead Embroidery

What's Black and White and Worn All Over... this bead embroidered necklace!

Well it will be worn all over by whomever says they've gotta have it!  I just listed this piece in my Etsy Shop.  After making my sister's wedding veil, I felt like I was staring into a blizzard... which was a bit too much white on white for my eyes.  But since I had all my white seed beads already out... I thought I might as well use them rather than just put the beads away.

I know (insert brilliant Ah Ha! here) I'll use black and white to make something totally dramatic in design.

Available in my Online Store and my Etsy Shop!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/100341255/seashell-filigree-black-and-white-bead

And away I did bead.  This necklace worked up beautifully.  The contrast was very striking and the way that each element added a new texture or shape really helped make the pendant something special.

Sometimes found objects make the most interesting impact on the pendant.  See the seashell in the lower right side of the pendant.  We used those as bingo markers for Bridal Bingo at my sisters shower a few weekends back.  It transformed from "Free Space" to "HOLY Cow, I want that in my space!" :o)

I also love the way the glass cabochon is bezeled.  Once I finished the bezel, I pulled out my little 3mm Swarovski Sequins (also known as Lochrosen or #5128 from Fusionbeads.com) and used them to embellish the gunmetal delicas.  SO if I were a professional photographer (which I'm not) you would totally see how sparkly this pendant is.  For those that have worked with the Swarovski sequins... I know you're drooling right now!

Classic & Elegant, I'm sure this piece will strike a chord with many.  But only one lucky person can own this beauty... it's a One-of-a-Kind Designs by Dawn Marie original!

Hope you have a fantastic day!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Bead Embroidered Necklace in Red and Gold

When I saw the bead that I used as the focal for this bead embroidered necklace, I had one person in mind that the reminded me of.  The bead had a slight oriental flair.  The gold foil added a great metallic finish around the edge and in the texture of the bead. 

I don't often work in gold finishes as I personally wear more of the silver family (gunmetal, antique silver) finishes in my jewelry.  But this focal called for gold, so gold it got! 

I finished the custom beaded necklace with a 3mm red crystal picot style edging.  The end project has class, sparkles like the dickens and showcases that metallic gold finish for a pendant that is very versatile!

This weekend I attended a women's retreat at the Geneva Inn in Lake Geneva, WI.  We discussed everything from time management and knowing your true financial picture to dealing with the "stuff" we all carry to making cooking and eating healthier much easier. 

I took a few golden nuggets from the cooking/eating healthier discussion we had with Kristin Arnett, a Holistic Nutrition Consultant .  First, let me preface this by saying I don't dislike vegetables (with the exception of onions for which we share a mutual dislike of each other).  My challenge is A. I don't like to prepare vegetables.... it takes way too much time at meal time when I'm starving and B. I get BORED with vegetables.  I feel like I get the same peas, broccoli, beans and I steam them and it gets old.  I also like salads which are a great way to get good produce into the body... if you make the right choices on dressing. 

But anyhow back to the golden nugget... the nutritionist shared her "secret" to get more vegetables into our diet since on weeknights when our kids are coming home from school, hubbies are coming home from work and we ourselves are wrapping up our business for the day.  She make a vegetable "compote" for lack of a better word with a weeks worth of veggies at one time.  (Her vegetable medley had peppers in all colors, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, kale, onions which I won't use and anything else that is in season.)  Then she keeps it in her fridge and adds it to each dish she's preparing.  She simply sautes the veggies in a little olive oil or grapeseed oil and puts them in a glass dish to hang out in the refrigerator so she can use them scoop by scoop.  Now THAT makes sense to me!

She also does this with her brown rice and quinoa as well.  It takes the 45 minutes out of cooking time it would take to make that brown rice.  Brilliant?  I think so!  I have to do my grocery shopping today so I'm going to give the vegetable medley a try and see how I do for a week.  We received a whole week worth of recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner so I'm excited to try new things.  She even had kale in her vegetable compote and it was delicious. 

The dishes she prepared were fast, delicious and huge portion sizes and under 400 calories per serving because vegetables are low calories.  Now how awesome is that?  If you want to check out her tips her website is currently being developed so she will be adding many more resources and terrific content.  http://www.KristinsHolisticKitchen.com She's a gem of a woman, a great mom and she made some awesome HEALTHY food... who would have thought?

I feel more energized this morning than I have in a long time (especially on a Monday) so I'm going to take a walk, work on photos of the black & white piece I started last week and see what this day has in store for me!

Hope your week is fantastic!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Work in Progress Wednesday - It is still Wednesday Right?

Confession... I have a finished piece that I cannot yet show you... because it has not yet arrived at it's destination and it's a super duper surprise.  SOoooo, until I can reveal that piece to you, I can show you another piece I started today.

I was feeling bold... so black and white really struck me!  It'll be interesting to see where this finished piece ends up!  I really like the contrast thus far though!

In other news, I'm so excited to share with you how proud I am of my dear friend Kristen.  She's a phenomenal bead weaver that works magic with Fireline and seedbeads.  She's self-taught, learning from patterns originally.   Once she started to get confident in how the patterns were created she started to modify (or MacGuyver-ize them as I say) to fit her available stash.  As she modified those tutorials and patterns, her beady brain started to go in a completely different direction.  And it began to think of it's own ideas and patterns. 

So with a big, beaming smile, my dear friend Kristen has written and published her first tutorial, Pop Up Pearls.  It is available for sale on her blog.  I've previewed the tutorial and can tell you with 100% certainty, you'll find the step-by-step directions spot on.  You'll get hints and tricks that make starting, finishing and everything in between so much easier.  These are tips that the authors don't share (or forget to write) in Beadwork patterns.  The tutorial is for a bracelet, but you can easily make just one component to create a pair of matching earrings - and you all know how I am about matchy-matchy... :)

If you're a beadweaver, or would love to learn how to use those itty bitty seed beads, Kristen's tutorial is a great place to start!  http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/p/store.html

Hope your hump day has been fabulous!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Hot Sets - yes, with a T

I love a good hot set... of jewelry.  Holy cow, slow down your reading, I know what you were thinking. :o)  Because I have a gremlin in my brain.  There, I admitted it. 

My gremlin tells me when I finish a necklace, "Don't you want earrings to go with that."  And of course my inner soul is all "matchy, matchy Dawn."  So really, there was no choice left but to make earring to go with the Eternal Growth bead embroidered necklace I showcased last week. 

Earrings Designed with 15/0 Miyuki and Delica Seed Beads

I wanted the earrings to be more simplified, allowing the necklace to be the star of the show.  Since the necklace has such a beautiful focal and all that wild and crazy fringe, I made the earrings less of a show stopper and more of a supporting actress style.

I used the Tropical Berry Nicole's Bead Backing again, and this time, I created a tear drop shape allowing the bead backing to show through.  It's the perfect compliment to the beadwork, so it was a great opportunity to let my colors show - literally! 

Originally, I was going to hang them the other way from the ear wires, so the larger part was on top and it tapered down.  But to me, it just didn't look right... so upside down they went and I think they have a much better flow.  No fringe... although I did fight with my inner goddess urge to make them dance with a wild and crazy fringe.  I had to tame her down reminding her these are supporting actresses for the main show... the necklace.

Turquoise colored focal bead is 8mm

Hope you like!  Hope you check out Nicole's Bead Backing too because it's really just the best!  No dye, no mess and LOTS of colors!  When in doubt, I love her Dove Grey which really lets the beadwork pop, but it doesn't contrast like stark white LSS does when it peeks through!  If you've never done bead embroidery before, Nicole also has authored a book called "Flatwork Beading Techniques from old to new Elegance in Tradition."  You can scoop that up in her store too!

Have a fantastic day! 
{Hugs!}
Dawn

Hot Tropical Berry - You have GOT to See The New Nicole's Bead Backing

Before we go any further, I have to give you a disclaimer:  When I'm making bead embroidered jewelry, I have a thing for matchy matchy.  Meaning all those tiny little finishing details kind of a big deal for me.  Between seeing the thread and the bead backing, I like things to look aesthetically finished to anybody's eye.

That's why I first tried Nicole's beadbacking.  (that and I couldn't stand the whole picking of frizzies from the LSS from multiple passes with the needle after the piece was completed.)  I had created a bead embroidered necklace in blacks & grays on LSS and when it was done, the itty bitty bits of white that were left stuck out like a sore thumb.  It drove me crazy, and I knew there had to be a better way.  I mean sure, I could dye it and then spill all over my counter, stain my thumbs and have dogs licking up Rit dye, but that would be supremely bad.

Enter into my life Nicole Campanella whom you might know as The Beadwright.  Nicole has been doing traditional beading longer than I've been alive.  Her experience in all different types of designing led her to creating her own line of Nicole's Bead Backing.  I love the fact Nicole's Bead Backing comes in a whole host of colors... which is why I'm sharing this post with you.

I saw Nicole's 2 newest shades Tropical Berry and Kermit the Frog... no not Kermit, but it is called Chartreuse Shine and I was immediately drooling.  I began seeing vibrant flowers, fruity drinks and yet, Kermit & Ms. Piggy did pop into my brain.  The colors are very vibrant and when put together I think even the angels in heaven are singing because they are gorgeous!

If you create bead embroidered jewelry, or you are contemplating trying, you have to give NBB a try.  She has a sampler pack that includes all of her color options - including the 2 newest options - so you can try something new without breaking the bank.

I created this piece using Nicole's Bead Backing in Tropical Berry.  I like how the vibrant pink edges the design.  It makes the pressed flower pop and adds that summer feel.  The necklace chain was created by braiding Softflex Beading wire with teal fire-polished Czech Glass crystals.

Now, Nicole has a birthday coming up, another anniversary of her 29th birthday last I checked.  You can give yourself and Nicole a present by trying her newest colors of bead backing.  You'll smile the minute you open the package because these colors just exude happiness.

Connect with Nicole online:

Blog:  http://beadwright.blogspot.com

Website:  http://nicolecampanella.com/

Etsy Store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadwright

Bead Embroidery as an art form has given my creative soul the ability to dance!  Just letting the artwork talk has provided me with so many ah ha moments in the last year!  I encourage you to step out of your box and try something new.  You just might really like it!

{Hugs}
Dawn