A Bead Challenge Entry

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote an article about Jewelry With a Theme: Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos. It was inspired by a bead challenge with this as the theme at one of the local California bead stores. I began my project back then, and have just finished it … hooray! And right at the deadline, too!

la cabeza de los huesos (a head of bones!)
Back during the article I said I was planning on making a small figure, but as time went on, the call of bead embroidery was too hard to ignore. I got out my size 14.0 seed beads and began stitching away on a piece of double-thick felt. I thought it would be so boring to stitch tons of opaque white beads endlessly, but I found myself brainstorming what different directions this project could go in. I’m usually a pre-planned type of beader, but this new territory of designing-as-you-go was fun and freeing! 

coser la tela (sewing fabric)
To get rid of the unsightly thread lines on the back I put a colorful, dotted fabric on the back and sewed around it. Then I decided it needed necklaces! But what to put on there? I LOVE LOVE LOVE small, vintage opaque beads in any colors. I have a little stash, and I spread my strands out to  have a good look-see. It needed a pendant. Or three. So I began the search. Since this challenge is all about mixed media, I tried something new.

cadena de arte (string art!)
How fun is string art??? Really fun! This is what you have to do. Make a spring using your Twist ‘n Curl. Remember that tool? Well, dust it off and give it a spin. I used brass wire in 24 g to make a spring which I then stretched out so it had spaces in between the coils. . Then I took 14 g wire and made a good sized loop, threaded the spring onto it and then wire wrapped the top. I used the two ends of the spring to wrap around the top of the coil so it would keep the spring in place.

hermosa fibras (beautiful fibers)
Then I attached a simple strand of embroidery floss to the top, and then began wrapping the strings. If you’d like to see a demo on how to do this, you can visit a site that I learned from. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLSCfKxncSY) You can do the colors in layers, patterns and more. Very cool. 

collar con colgantes (necklace with pendants)
Once I had three that were similar in size, I was so excited to string them! Mind you, my attempts at using wire to do this pendant was sad. They came out horrible, much to my disappointment. Anyway, the embroidery floss ones are really pretty, so I strung those babies up! I used opaque vintage beads in different shapes and colors, and spaced them out with an opaque matte finish seed bead in black. It took a double strand to make it look like it was right.

Y ahora la parte superior (and now for the top)
This was a brain dead moment in the beginning. I wanted to have letters spelling out dia de los muertos, but I couldn’t find anything I was happy with. Then I thought I’d do a bar of metal and stamp the letters in. That didn’t seem right. So I wanted to have some sort of a rod, a bar or a branch. Forget the letters. So I went out in my front yard and snapped a stick off the tree. A quick blast of spray paint in matte black, then off to drill two small holes with my Dremmel tool. Now it was ready for more vintage opaque beads! A simple loop at the top and I felt like it was complete. 

mi firma (my signature)
I like to sign and date my challenge pieces, so using a small piece of fabric, I used my fingers to shred the edges a little bit, giving it a slightly fringed look. Then I used a Sharpie fine point marker to write my name and the year. I sewed it on the back with a couple of seed beads. 

celebrar el arte diversos creativos (celebrate creative diverse art)
I love a mixed media challenge because you get so many different kinds of beady art work. When I dropped off my submission I noticed a variety of subject matter in the other pieces that had been dropped off so far. There was a great necklace made from sterling skulls where the designer cut out skull shapes from sterling sheet and then stamped the names of loved once she had lost into each skull. The necklace was brimming with names! A piece that provokes though beyond its beauty. Another piece was the most fantastic collection of skulls on one bracelet. There were tons, and no two were alike. Such a fun challenge to participate in. I had a blast!

“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.” ~ G.B. Shaw