Eight is Enough

Well, for now at least, these are my last buttons. After making these for awhile I've started to wish they didn't end so soon. So I'm taking that as a sign that it's time to start a large project.

But in the mean time here are some pictures of the rest of the buttons. A fine little collection if I do say so myself.

Now at least I have some last minute gifts if I need them. Just cut the shanks out and glue a magnet or a pin back on and voila! instant gift.

Here we have the copper and purple button. I am really happy with how this one turned out. The matte copper, apollo gold and matte crystal picasso beads are all SuperNova Hybrids from Starman Inc. I have had these beads since last fall but haven't had a chance to use them until now. I thought the purple and copper was a lovely combination.

The blue and yellow button was my attempt at a pattern. It came out of a doodle I drew and I just wanted to see how it would look in beads. I also love blue and yellow together. This button uses Czech and Japanese seed beads.

The orange and blue button turned out petty good. I sometimes forget what colors orange looks good with, and I end up not using it at all. But when I do use it I really like it. This button uses Czech and Japanese seed beads

So that's all for now. Not much else going on around here. Just waiting for winter to go away and stop snowing every two weeks. Jack is doing good and J.P. is as busy as ever. We have started biking again, it's nice to get out of the house and breath some fresh air, but that's it. Good bye for now, B.

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Button It Up

Lately I have been spending what spare time I have in my bead room. Mostly making button and marathon watching HBO's Rome on DVD (thank you work for the Christmas gift of a portable DVD player). Here are a few pictures of the button collection so far:

So I will admit that this is not my best work, but that's not really the point of making these. For me these buttons are a way of trying out different color combinations and a way to try out and perfect different embroidery techniques. They are also a perfect little respite from larger projects.

This jet & silver one turned out pretty well. The beads used are Japanese seeds with a nice Czech transparent grey rainbow tri-cut for sparkle and a lovely coin pearl.

I love teal and green and purple. When I'm in a rut this is my go to color combination. I'll also admit that this button was a work in progress when I decided to finish it. This button uses all Japanese seeds.

With this pink and grey button I went over board with the beaded ruffle. It turned out a little more messy than I set out to make it. However, I loved playing with pink and grey and I would expect to see a bigger project with this color combination. Again with the Japanese seed beads.

Ah, the red and pink button. There are something I really like about this and others that I considered pulling out and redoing. In truth this button suffers from "too much going on". I wanted to try out too much and as much as I like red and pink together, I have a hard time with it. This button uses Czech glass flowers, Czech seeds and Japanese seeds.

So this is what I've been up to, in fact I already have one more button to photograph and post. But I need to start a wall hanging for someone that I've been putting off for awhile now. I will probably get started on this with in the next week. Latter B.

Getting back into the swing of things

I've been back for a few weeks now, but have had a hard time getting back into my routine and I got a cold immediately after getting home. So you'll have to forgive my absence. My vacation was wonderful. J.P. & I had a fantastic time in Thailand. It is definitely some place I will go back to. Most of our time was spent on the beach with a few days to spend in Bangkok to see the sites. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

I have been spending quite a bit of time in my studio. Traveling in a foreign land has given me a burst of inspiration and ideas and that is something that's hard to come by in the middle of February. Hopefully I will get some pictures up soon. That's all for now, it's good to be back. B.