Leather and Lace

Hey there Bloggy friends, for today's A to Z blogging challenge I have once again borrowed my theme from a song title. And today's letter being L, my post is all about Leather and Lace, which happens to be one of my favorite looks and also one of my favorite songs.

Leather and Lace together are edgy yet feminine,  dangerous yet romantic, naughty yet nice, and extremely sexy, even erotic.  And best of all, always in style.

Leather and Chantilly Lace Trench Coat by Valentino

Christian Louboutin Lace Peep-Toe and Patent Leather Pumps

These are gorgeous, but expensive examples of  leather and lace together.  I really do love the look, but unfourtunately Valentino and Louboutin aren't an option for me until I win the lottery. ;)  In the meantime, I could probably design some jewelry incorporating leather and lace, but for right now, I kind of feel like listening to some music. Enjoy, and make it a good night.- Debbie

I haven't got a Klew

So I was all set to blog about Kumihimo for K day of the A to Z blogging challenge, but I discovered that another Beady Blogger beat me to it. It is a darn good post, too. You can check it out here. http://amybeads.blogspot.com/2012/04/blogging-from-z-k-kumihimo.html .

So after reading Amy's post, I decided that I should probably find another subject to blog about today. I was sitting there, in a panic, worried because I didn't have a clue as to what I should blog about today. And then it hit me (like a ton of bricks) that I REALLY DON'T have a "Klew", but would like to have a Klew, and that's exactly what I should blog about today.

Now I know  you are wondering " What the heck is a Klew?" Well a picture speaks louder than words, so I will show you exactly what a Klew is.

                                                       

A Klew bead is a bead created by polymer clay guru, Karen Lewis who discovered polymer clay in the eighties and has been creating miniature works of art ever since. She is a master of the technique called caning which is a slicing and layering technique borrowed from Venetian glass workers. She is also a master in creating vibrant color in clay.  I swear she has the uncanny ability to make polymer clay beads appear to be just as smooth and shiny as lampworked glass beads.  Just look at the luminosity of some of these beads, absolutely amazing! Not only has she mastered the art of creating gorgeous polymer clay beads, she has also mastered the art of teaching others this skill. Now that is what I call talent!

So now you know what a Klew is and why I wish I had a Klew. If you would like to learn more about Karen Lewis and Klew beads, here is a link to her website. http://klewexpressions.com/index.htm .

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

Juxtaposition

Moving on to the letter J in the A to Z blogging challenge, tonight's word is a fun one. For the letter J, I have chosen to blog about "Juxtaposition".  The meaning of juxtaposition is: an act or instance of placing close together, or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

A good example of juxtaposition in literature would be John Milton's Paradise Lost. A contrast has been drawn between the characters God and Satan , where the goodness of one is played off of the badness of the other and vice versa. 

Another popular example of juxtaposition is the Yin Yang Symbol from Chinese Philosophy. The Yin Yang symbol represents two fundamental principles, one negative, dark, passive, cold, wet and feminine (Yin) and the other positive, light, active, dry, hot and masculine (Yang). The balance of these forces in nature and human beings influences their behavior and fate. Another yummier example of juxtaposition which also comes from the Chinese is Sweet and Sour Chicken ;)

Here is a fascinating example of juxtaposition in art.  This lithograph by artist Rene Magritte plays with the ideas of reality and illusion through a bouquet that is also a window to the outside, where perhaps the flowers in the vase came from.

In the world of fashion, Alexander McQueen was the King of Juxtaposition, especially on the runway.

You never knew what kind of odd contraptions the models would be sporting with their beautiful gowns. A gorgeous lace gown worn with antlers is just one example of the surreal juxtaposition of the late, great McQueen.

OK, so that is enough juxtaposition for one night, don't you think?  I really enjoyed learning about juxtaposition for this post though, and I plan on finding ways to use it in my jewelry designs because I think it might be a fun exercise in creativity. 

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

A to Z Blogging Day 9 Letter I

OK, so you can call me lazy or you can even call me a cheater, but I didn't write my own post for day 9 of the A to Z Blogging challenge.   Today's letter is "I" and I could not have chosen a better word or written nearly half as eloquently about that word as the late, great Mr. John Lennon did. 



So there you have it. Short and sweet:  Day 9, Letter "I" and one of the greatest songs ever written.

TTYL and make it a great night,
Debbie

Hana-Ami

 I made it to yet another night of A to Z blogging, and I also managed to get some beady show and tell done for tonight's post. So the letter is H and the word is "Hana-Ami". According to the Denshi Jisho (online Japanese Dictionary), the word hana means flower; blossom; bloom; petal and the word ami means pattern or stitch. 

In Japanese beadwork, triangle weave is used to create the motif called Hana-Ami. The motif is very simple and quick to stitch , so I decided to whip up a  pair of earrings using light green fiber optic cats eye beads, Caribbean blue colored bicone crystals and some silver colored seed beads for a bit of bling.

If you would like the pattern for the Hana-Ami Motif, I found it on Deborah Roberti's website, Around the Beading Table. She also has lots of other great patterns based on the Hana-Ami motif.  Here is a link if you want to check it out.  http://www.aroundthebeadingtable.com/Tutorials/Hana-Ami.html .

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

My First Give-Away

I am very excited to finally get to the letter "G" in the A to Z blogging challenge, because from the very beginning I had decided that if I did indeed make it all the way to G, I would hold my first ever give-away. I also knew from the beginning exactly what I would be giving away.

So last night, immediately after I clicked on the Publish Post button, I headed on over to Amazon to order the prize, which should be arriving early next week. So you have probably guessed that if coming from Amazon, it must be a book.  And now you are probably wondering which book I have chosen.  Well, the book I have chosen to give away is "Getting Started with Seed Beads" by Dustin Wedekind. Here is the link to Amazon for a look inside and some reader reviews.  http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Beads-Dustin-Wedekind/dp/1596689757/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333857254&sr=1-1#_

I have chosen this book due to the fact that when I speak of beadweaving or show pics of beadwoven jewelry, lots of non-beadweaving people will make comments stating that they would never be able to do work like that, or that they wish they could create stuff like that, or that they wouldn't even know how to begin something like that, etc, etc,etc. Well my answer to comments like that is, "Well, I beg to differ, but YES YOU CAN." :)  And for the accomplished bead weavers out there, you can never have to many beading books, right?

Anyhow, to enter the give-away, just leave a comment letting me know you would like to be entered. As with most give-aways earn extra entries by posting to Facebook, Twitter, your own blog or where ever you socialize and leave me the link in another comment. The contest closes at 12:00 am on April 30th and the winner will be chosen at random and announced later that day in my last post of this A to Z challenge. Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you if you are the lucky winner.

Ok, so there you have it, my first ever give-away brought to you by the letter G  and thanks to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2012.

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

Free-form Crafting

Hey there bloggy friends. Made it to another day of A to Z blogging and for "F" I have decided to blog about free-form crafting. Here are a few definitions of free-form via dictionary.com.

Characterized by free form: free-form sculpture.

Not organized or planned in a conventional way.

Encouraged to function or evolve without advance planning; spontaneous.

Without restrictions or preconceptions: The children were allowed to paint free-form

Mind-Boggling free-form crochet by the International Freeform Artists Guild

Amazing free-form knitted sweater by Jane Thornley

Beautiful free-form quilting by Shirley Barter

Drop Dead Gorgeous free-form beadwork by Ibolya Ingesne' Barkoczi

I am so envious of those blessed with the skill and courage to fearlessly create such beautiful free-form designs. I hope you enjoyed the pics. Gotta go exercise the right side of my brain now.  ;)

TTYL and make it a great night,

Debbie