sasha + max studio

The sun is finally shining after what seems like weeks of rain, and a sunny weekend is promised. The light is wonderful, a true Sydney spring blue sky, hopefully inspiring some beady adventures. My wooden bead obsession continues- I love the way the wood off sets bright colours. Jennifer of blueseraphim made some custom coloured stunning encased  beads for me that are so lovely that I thought it might be good to frame then to show them off.... think this may be the start of a geometric day. Meanwhile Sasha + Max the main coon cats try to get into as much mischief as possible with bead stuff and bags, and then collapse exhausted by it all.... here are some gratuitous pictures of the guys.

I love playing with proportion and texture. Sometimes the more decorative jeweller in me wrestles with the minimal interior designer. What happens then is that within a couple of days I make 2 pieces that are very contrary in style. The turquoise and brass necklace is a complete nod to bohemian days - unashamed to be bold, strong, but a bit retrospective. The white wood and quartz necklace reminds me of Australian summers and beach house picket fences- a very casual simple look. Who knows what will come next.......Hmmm.. have some nice beads on the way from Blue Seraphim, Chinook and Earthwood.....

The knitters have struck Sydney adding wonderful colour to the inner city - it is all part of a annual festival, Art about Sydney, where artists provide installations around the heart of the city to get us all talking . The knitting installation is called IHEARTKINGSX and has been done by a local collective called reefbyknot www.byreefknot.net . (Photo courtesy of City of Sydney) Another installation is bird cages suspended between buildings in a laneway, Angel Place - no birds, just bird sounds - can't wait to see that one - Sasha and Max would like it (they are very indoor cats.. the only birds they see are on the other side of a window, a highlight of their day...). Think I'll go for a walk through the city for creative inspiration for this weekend's beading.. Happy Friday..!

Have created some fun new bracelets this weekend, and will be stocking both shops. I am a bit obsessed with wood beads at the moment so you may sense a theme. I finished a necklace that I have been brooding over for a while - blueseraphim beads in raku patterns with some great brass rounds from patina queen. Originally the beaded portion was lime suede, but it just did not quite hang together - I'm happier with the new version with black Czech beads.

I set up my Etsy store a while back - no bites as yet. Have spent the day improving some photos and tweaking it, but my Australian colleagues are scared of US dollars (although the exchange rate is great at the moment, which means my bead buying habit has gone a bit wild, ....uh oh..!) So here goes with shop number two, Madeit, which is for Australian sellers only - a smaller pool of artisans but a smaller potential audience as well I guess. Just finished my silver smithing course and am in 2 minds as to whether to take it any further - the flame torches are scary, and made me appreciate even more what those lampwork artisans out there work with everyday.