Today it was time to make a bracelet, and as I had already made this leather necklace yesterday, and I had everything out to make more leather jewellery, I thought…why not make a simple leather bracelet? I like all of the assorted recycled glass beads in this bracelet, it’s simple and fun to wear.
Today I added some sparkly tonic water beads in between the recycled purple wine bottle beads, for a completely different look.
Today I had some green wine bottle beads in my collection, so I thought I would see how the purple wine bottle beads looked with them in between….I quite liked how this turned out!
This morning I came across these beads in my collection. I remember making them a long time ago (they are made from a wine bottle), and I had tried to make something with them at some stage, but it hadn’t worked out, so they were in a bag, just waiting to be found!
I kind of felt a bit sorry for them, because they are quite pretty beads. So I set myself a challenge to make something with them for the next 7 days. Making things a bit different each day, but using them every day for the next 7 days!! I have no idea if I can do this. I came up with about 3 ideas really quickly…not sure what will happen after that.
I thought about design a LOT while I was away. Often what I share with the world is a finished and polished product that is ready to purchase. What you don’t always get to see are the sketches, the prototypes, the changes of direction, the tweaking that goes on behind the scenes. Things that might turn an idea for a pair of earrings into a necklace, things that might mean it’s back to the drawing board, things that might mean I put the piece aside for a bit longer.
I made these beads before I went away and today I had a chance to think about the possibilities in all of them. Drawing board? Necklace? Put aside? You will have to wait and see!
Beads made from a Bethany Winery chardonnay bottle.
After I finished making yesterday’s necklace I thought to myself: looks nice, needs more red! I got on the torch and made some beads using the tonic water bottles, added some red frit, and then used them in this necklace.
Hello!
Yesterday I did a big road trip with the kids, and I didn’t have any energy left after that to be creative! I thought about it, but I was just up too early and home too late. So in lieu of yesterday’s creativity, I am sharing a photo of myself!
I have been making glass beads from recycled glass objects for about 9 years now. It all started when my daughter was born, and that was around the time of the Global Financial Crisis. In Australia our government was handing out money to try to stimulate our economy, and it was likened to the Great Depression. Well, that got me thinking about Green Depression Glass, and the history that has with regards to trying to stimulate the US economy at the time of the Great Depression. I found some Green Depression Glass and started making beads from that! Then I found some more glass objects and made beads from them.
My first exhibition “Anti-Depression Glass” was held at Lustre Galleries and ended up being the runner-up in the Jam Factory Contemporary Craft and Design award as part of the SALA awards that year. People resonated with the theme, so I kept going.
This year I am involved in 4 SALA exhibitions. I’ll be sharing more details about them as they get closer but to keep it simple I’ll be exhibiting at Bethany Wines, The Adelaide Remakery, Pepper Street Art Centre and T’Arts.
I’m quietly in a phase of trying new things. Some things are working, some things are not working so well. What I am LOVING is that I am not judging, I am just making, making, trying, trying something else, creating….it’s a lovely daily practice.
I missed a day of making this week, so today I made two pieces to make up for it. I have used beer bottle beads to make a simple, but lovely necklace and earrings.
I’m having a tiny break from making after creating 40 pieces for “Be-Gin Again” which is the exhibition being hosted by Local Images as part of the Penola Arts Festival.
It has been a crazy week of making all sorts of pieces for this exhibition. All of the beads were made from gin (and tonic bottles)!
The exhibition opened tonight, and already quite a few pieces have sold. I’m thrilled that the work has had such a good response here! Thanks Penola, you rock!
