Whimsy

Every so often I create a piece that is entirely whimsical. It is not my usual design aesthetic but I'm always pleased when a touch of whimsy appears.

This piece, designed for The Bead Within, started out as a ring until I began playing with options and decided to tuck in the hot pink resin bead.




Could it be I was influenced by the color of my newest Bead On It board? You can see it's padded edge in the background.

I've designed 4 pieces in the last week and I'm in love with each of them, weeks like that are good! Each presented engineering challenges, and each came together into a really wearable piece of jewelry. I know because I've been wearing them!

This piece needs a small bit of redesign and then it will be added to the bulletin board which is my visual project schedule for The Bead Within. It lets me know how far along I am, and I think I'm in really good shape.

Although as in Beads in Motion, I am using a variety of stitches, there are more then a few which use cubic right angle weave. It suits so many of design ideas.

I've also used a few crystals here and there...but you expected that, right?

Design Immersion

When friends start to ask if I am ok, I know I've been away too long.  Thanks for standing by.  I gave myself a week of design immersion and have made great headway in the beading for the third book, The Bead Within.  I also got proofs for Beads in Motion which will be released on August of this year and is already available for pre-order.

It would seem that with each book there are things to be improved on, and I am Over the Moon (I love that British expression) with the pieces that are coming to life for this third book.

Last week I beaded day and night with some exercise and one outing thrown into the mix, so on Sunday I gave myself the day off, and made great progress on Malayna's newest knit, the Blue Sky Alpaca Lace Baby dress.  For the record the cast on was 549 stitches and 7 rows of knitting before a decrease to 275!

I of course stopped to make myself some pretty stitch markers because I do after all appreciate nice tools.  Speaking of which....

On Saturday, my one outing, I stopped by a trunk show at the Grove to see the beautiful shawl pins, made by Larry with enthusiastic appreciation from wife Claudia.  They are indeed beautifully crafted, light weight, and have a turned stick so they don't slide out of your shawl, which of course if brilliant as I have lost far too many shawl pins that way.  These are ones you will not want to lose.

Larry, being the multi talented guy he is, took up another of Claudia's challenges....a needle case to fit over those fragile circular needles we use for sock knitting.  He came up with the clever design you see here....yes Lisa, you definitely need this!  It  holds up to two size 8 needles and not only protects your needles, but keeps the stitches on the needles.   You can see mine in use on Malayna's dress.

To add to this talented duo, Claudia is an accomplished knitter with several beautiful yet simple knits you can find in her Etsy shop.  The stitches for casting on in the round and the join are already done for you!  Now that is customer service.  So if you have been intimidated by knitting in the round, this is a site you want to check out!

Deruta Traveling Bracelet

I was lucky enough to receive Deruta in time for my travels to City Beads in Chicago last week.  You can read about it's adventures on the Traveling Bracelet Blog!

And of course the lovely Miss Maya posing!  She has gotten used to it now....

and the winner is!

Jamie Lubin!

Please send me your contact details www.marciadecoster.com contact us link, and I will send you some sparkle!  and provide your name to Kalmbach to be entered into their drawing to win a copy of Crystal Jewelry Inspiration!

It was cold in Chicago!

But then I really like it to be cold in January in the midwest....cold and wind both carry an aliveness for me that I like.

When I arrived it was unseasonably warm, 50 degrees in the day in Chicago!  I walked in the morning and had to take off my light fleece and walk in my tee shirt and leggings.  Day two things changed a bit with a 32 degree morning and I walked in my winter coat with earwarmers and gloves!

I happen to love a bare tree silhouette

 and one covered in ice delights the senses

Friday night dinner out with a favorite group of folks, Lisa, Bev, Gabriella, NanC and Jeroen.  Gabriella I was fortunate to meet in a bead class a few years back in Atlanta.  I'm lucky like that, I get to meet and maintain so many wonderful relationships that started with the love of beads.  NanC was one of my first teachers when the show was still called Embellishment.  I did a little freefrom brick stitch vessel in that class and she encouraged me...and I was so grateful.  Fast forward a few years when I was writing the first book and I was 'too close' to it and couldn't decide if the work was compelling or trite and again NanC encouraged me. Lisa I met at a Great Lakes Bead Guild bead daze so many years ago.  Maggie introduced as and I knew at once she would stay in my life.  Bev and I meet up at Bead and Button and this year, a first she took Aelia with me on Saturday.

 And a highlight of the weekend (well there were many) was meeting Jan, son Ewan and husband Jeremy.  We've been facebook friends for a long time, that kind of facebook friend that just kind of creeps in, with a comment here and there and then all of a sudden you 'know' them, know a bit about their life, their beadwork, their family, their knitting....and then you get to meet them and they are even lovelier in person.

I have a date in Chicago next year same time!

Crystal Jewelry Inspiration Blog Hop and Giveaway

It is not a big secret that I am a fan of sparkle, and what better way to create it then with lots and lots of Swarovski Elements.
When Kalmbach publishing invited each of the Swarovski Ambassadors to contribute to book about jewelry using crystal, it was the perfect opportunity to put together my beadweaving skills with my wire wrapping skills.
First I created the base of this piece with crystals in the corners of each diamond for maximum sparkle, and built up each diamond for some excellent texture.
And it was pretty, but it was plain....Each of those intersections was an opportunity to add more crystal!  So with a nice bold jumpring and a stockpile of Swarovski pendants and pearls, I wire wrapped up a few dangles.
Now the bracelet has not only a lot of bling, but it has wonderful movement as well!

Two by Two the base

Two by Two Adorned

The book, Crystal Jewelry Inspiration  , is as diverse as the group of women and men who make up the Swarovski ambassador team. I invite you to read up on each of their stories at the links below.
Leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a prize from me (Swarovski maybe....???) and that name will also be provided to Kalmbach publishing who will be drawing a winner who will receive their very own copy of Crystal Jewelry Inspiration!

Monday, 1/14	June Beach	Beach Haus Designs	www.beachhausdesigns.blogspot.com
	Lilian Chen	Gold Gatsby Design	www.liliangoldgatsby.blogspot.com
	Fernando daSilva	Modern Expressions	www.modern-expressions.blogspot.com
	Marcia DeCoster	Mad Designs	www.maddesignsbeads.blogspot.com
	Stephanie Dixon	The Dixon Chick	www.thedixonchick.blogspot.com
Tuesday, 1/15
	Katie Hacker	Katie's Beading Blog	www.katiehacker.blogspot.com
	Monica Han	CYS Dreambeads	www.cysdreambeads.blogspot.com
Wednesday,1/16
	Diane Hertzler	Diane Hertzler Beading Experiences	www.dianehertzler.blogspot.com
	Val Hirata	CBY Sparkle	www.cbysparkle.com/blog
	Jamie Hogsett	Jamie Hogsett	www.jamiehogsett.blogspot.com
	Tamara Honoman	Artfully Inspired	www.thonaman.com/Tams_blog_dir/blogs/index.php
Thursday, 1/17	Lisa Pavelka	Lisa Pavelka's Creative Musings	www.lisapavelka.typepad.com
	Margot Potter	Margot Potter	www.margotpottertheimpatientcrafter.blogspot.com
	Pat Riesenburger	Urban Stitch Studio	www.urbanstitchstudio.blogspot.com
	Leslie Rogalski	Sleepless Beader	www.sleeplessbeader.blogspot.com
	Nadia Sanchez Ramos	Fou Fou Chat by the Terror Sisters	www.foufouchat.blogspot.com
	Renata Sanchez Ramos	Fou Fou Chat by the Terror Sisters	www.foufouchat.blogspot.com
	Debra Saucier	Debra Saucier As The Crystal Turns	www.debrasaucier.blogspot.com
Friday, 1/18	Brenda Schweder	Brenda Schweder	www.BrendaSchweder.com
	Debbi Simon	Debbie Simon	www.debbisimon.blogspot.com
	Kim St. Jean	Studio St. Jean	www.kimstjean.blogspot.com
	Laura Timmons	Therabeading	www.therabeading.blogspot.com
	Kristal Wick	Kristal Wick	www.kristalwick.wordpress.com
	Diane Whiting	Sparkles and Smiles	www.sparklesandsmiles.blogspot.com

City Beads

The girls at City Beads in Chicago making Aelia and playing with Deruta




here is Bev wearing it




And just to show you I can make a mess anywhere!




And here's Lisa, owner at City Beads, and a dear friend....




It's been a stellar trip so far

Dinner with friends, a nice walk this morning and a great group of gals, who are proving so proficient today that I have little to do!