Right Angle Weave Gray Pearl Set

Viola! My very first beaded set!

I created a ring and earrings off the same pattern (or tried to).

A note about the pattern: when you go over the ring again with the seed beads, it tightens up the ring and makes it smaller, so give yourself more length to work with (my ring only fits my pinky finger).

For the earrings, I made a larger unit on the bottom and tapered it towards the top. I went back down, trying to follow the "V" pattern, and weaved back up and created a loop to hold the earring wires. The "V" shape shifted a bit in the pictures.

I know it's no where near professional quality, but I was happy that I managed to finish my first set!

Feedback? Thoughts?

-meowser ッ

Right Angle Weave Silver Pearl Bracelet

Finally! Another completed beaded project by the non-beading bead weaver (try saying that 3 times fast).

I found the following page with a few different schemes or patterns:

http://www.artbiser.com.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=44&p=173

I saw this particular 2 needle right angle weave pattern, and thought I'd give it a try with my 6mm gray pearls and black seed beads:

From http://www.artbiser.com.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=44&p=173

Note: You can scroll down, or Ctrl+F for "Zigzag cernobily".

As you can see, I didn't follow it exactly (I got confused when adding the seed beads).

Looks more like "V"s instead of "X"s, but that's ok  ッ

Close up of the pattern

It's actually not a very long bracelet

I really like the raised effect that the seed beads add to the bracelet.  It gives it added depth.  I added a silver toggle clasp to the bracelet. My modest goal is to make a matching set for this piece.  I'm so happy to have tried something new!

Enjoy your beading / bead weaving!

-meowser ッ

First Peyote Stitch Ring

It's been awhile, but finally, a new piece of jewelry! I tried my hand at peyote stitch, which I look forward to learning more of. I tried to  make a pattern by eye, so it looks a bit funky, but whatever; it was more about practicing the stitch  ッ

I am not using delica beads, but some kind of seed beads which are not evenly cut, so it's not as neat as it should be.

Some weird looking "V"

On the finger. The "V" doesn't look any better...

Well, that's my first peyote stitch piece. I look forward to making more soon (and not as funky looking).

Thanks for passing by!

-meowser ッ

How Effective is Pinterest in Helping Animals in Need? (A Poll)

Has seeing an animal in need on Pinterest made you jump to action?

Hi everyone! I've thought about it a few times, especially with so many pinterest boards dedicated to animals, animal adoption, animal rescue, petitions, donations, etc.  I wanted to know how effective are these boards. Has anyone ever adopted or fostered an animal that they saw on a pinterest board? Or have they sprang into action because of animal they saw or story they read on pinterest? For myself, I remember seeing some Urgent Pets on Death Row Cats in the NYC Animal Care & Control shelters. Knowing only very little of it, I started to delve into this world more, and learn more about this organization (Urgent) and how they try to help animals who are put on death row because there is no space in the shelter. Of course, the shelter states that they only euthanize pets who have a serious illness or severe behavioral issues. And there is a whole lot of discussion regarding necessary reform.  Alas, I digress...

So, has seeing any of these animals on Pinterest helped spring you to action, or have you adopted or fostered any that you initially saw on pinterest? Or do you know someone who has helped an animal because they saw it on Pinterest? I am curious to know.

The reason I would like to do this informal poll is to know the effectiveness of sharing on Pinterest vs. Facebook groups, and also to figure out where efforts should be concentrated. I'm just a person who wants to help save the lives of innocent cats  =^..^=

You can comment or answer the poll. I'll try to collect as much as I can, but given the amount of traffic my little blog gets, I doubt it will be much  :p

Thanks,
meowser

Hermione, formerly "Redz", pulled from Brooklyn AC&C with the help of a rescue group, . 

Beaded Things Experimentation

Ok, so I've seen a lot of cute and awesome beaded things on pinterest, like mini pumpkins, purses, cubes, flowers, and so on. These "pinspired" beaded things come from a beaded heart I saw here and the purse here.
I had some difficulty, to say the least, because of my lack of supplies; no beading thread or cord, only 28 gauge wire, and no threading needle. I couldn't help myself though, as I saw these things and I needed to try making them with what I had! Well, you can see the results.

Beaded Heart Pendant

Oh, look at all that wire

I followed the free tutorial tutorial on http://www.beadjewelrymaking.com, which wasn't too hard (and also has tons of free tutorials, by the way),  but my heart is kind of a sad one.

No, this is not American Greetings

It looks black, but it's really dark blue. You can see the antique bronze wire all over. But I like how sturdy it is! I was trying to put a loop on top (like a bail) to be used as a charm or pendant, but I couldn't do it.
Anyway, I know this is not a wonderful creation, but at least it is possible!

Moving on to item 2, is a purse, which looks really cute on the tutorial:

Beaded Hangbag Charm

My result, however, is quite different.

Beaded Handbag (Hand bag? Purse? Whatever)

I'm all crooked!

I also acquired a model to demonstrate this creation.

I'm not sure this complements his complexion

I tried positioning the accessory differently on this model, but I think the handbag is just an utter failure.

Yes, turn away from the camera, look casual. And strike a pose!

Alas, I think my model may have been too masculine for this handbag. At least he had fun being in the middle of all of my supplies! And I had fun making these. So, even if you're lacking in some supplies, just try something with what you have and improvise. It might look like a mess, but you'll still be learning and having fun.

Enjoy!  ッ
-meowser
(Credits to Popeye for the modeling and photos)

Jewelry Making - Silver Wire Wrapped Ring with Green Beads

Hello Hello!

It's been awhile since my last post, but I have made some headway in jewelry making, especially with all the pinspirations that I've seen over the last few months. I bought a steel bench block and a hammer so I could start hammering some of my wire pieces. I also obtained more wire in different gauges so I could practice the wire wrapping within the ring. And yes, there is a kitty in the background  ^^.

The ring is adjustable, and the hammered end has hardened it and helped it keep its shape.

This is just the start for me with hammering and wire wrapping.  I can't wait to try so many other wire wrapping tutorials I've seen!

-meowser

The Early Attempts at Photorealism - Little Girl

Not too long ago I learned about photorealism (sometimes referred to as hyperrealism). While many critics dismissed this as a form of art, I believe that photorealism involves a great deal of skill and patience. I also see the potential of photorealism (for example, using I photo that I took, but adding in things that my photo did not capture). Alas, I digress. I am unofficially trying my hand at photorealism using either photos found online, photos I've taken or other photos. Below is a drawing showing the photo and the attempt at the photorealistic representation in pencil form.

Here are links to some inspiring photorealistic drawings. Hope you enjoy  ッ

Linda Huber:  http://www.amusingplanet.com/2009/02/photorealistic-pencil-drawings-by-linda.html

Brian Duey:  http://www.dueysdrawings.com/portrait_tutorial.html

Juan Francisco Casas:  http://www.boredpanda.com/25-photorealistic-pictures-drawn-with-a-bic-pen/

-meowser