Icicles in Florida

This is a piece that a friend commissioned me to make for her. She wanted an Icicles Necklace full with plenty of sparkle. This was really hard to photograph and the colors are not true. I used 60 grams of a lustery silver grey bead for the main color accented with metallic silver beads for the tips of each fringe. Plus on some of the fringes are 3 mm czech firepolish in a crystal/silver finish, a total of 300 of them. The picture picks up pink for some reason but there is no pink in it. She loves it and that makes me extremely happy!

Fruit Salad ...Yummy

A few weeks ago I was in bead shop in Tampa and saw a necklace simular to this made with all sorts of beads. It made me think of Fruit Salad and all those fruit beads I bought 4 or 5 years ago. I made a couple of bracelets using them but then what to do with all those left overs. So I made a mental note to try my hand at making a necklace using them. Of course I still have plenty of leftovers but I am pleased at all I was able to use.

Two of my Newest Creations

I have been on a yellow kick lately and made this piece using a 2 layered flower that I came up with. Each flower is a different color combination. The neck strap is a variation of Russian spiral. This other picture is my version of Dogwood Blossoms. My mom loves Dogwood's so several years ago I came up with this blossom and made her a necklace for Christmas. I ran across my scribbled directions several weeks ago and decided to try my hand at another necklace using them I am very pleased with how it turned out.

My First Blog Ever

A number of my friends have ask me why didn't I have a blog or a web site? Well I really am not too computer savy and I guess I was just afraid. Well I have taken the plunge at last...Thank you Svetlana for asking me..you were the one who made me realize that I really should have blog.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Darla Jean and I am a bead weaver! I have been beading for about 22 years but I didn't start bead weaving until 1998. I had always been drawn to seed beads but I really didn't know what to do with them. I bought them and played with them but never really made anything with them. I took my first class ever (I was a self taught beader) in the stitch called Peyote and I was hooked. Since then I have taken classes with some of the BEST. I do mostly Floral type work using nature as my inspiration. I have my favorite national instructors that I have taken classes with, Margo Field is probably number one and number two is Stephanie Eddy. I have leaned so much from these ladies about techniques, designing and the love of beads! Thank You.
I also love the Russian Beadwork as well. I am inspired by other bead weavers work and I spend hours sometimes searching for beautiful beadwork online. I have attended the Bead & Button show about 5 times and I have been a teachers assistant there for Elizabeth Townes. I teach beading on the local level here in Orlando, Florida and I am involved in several beading groups one being Bead Society of Central Florida. I have won a number of ribbons for my work in competitions and challanges.
Enough about me...Welcome to my blog and I hope you will fine something inspirational here from time to time.
Here are several pieces that I have completed in the past month.