Playing with Backgrounds

 

I spent a little time playing with backgrounds recently.  I stamped, embossed and inked both cardstock and watercolor paper.  It is always fun to play with no particular end product in mind.

The orange and blue backgrounds were colored with Distress Oxide Ink.  I love the way the colors blend so well.

New Crochet Blanket

 

I am excited to have my second grandbaby on the way.  This, of course, means I need to get busy so this little one will have a soft blanket when he or she is born.  Since we do not know which one we are getting, I decided to use bright, cheery colors.  I am using Caron Simply Soft yarn in a granny square design.  I know that I want to make 6 squares and I couldn't really find the perfect pattern so I decided to make one up.  Once the blanket is complete, I will post the pattern.

I started with a simple circle that I squared up on rows 7-9.

 

I made the mistake of forging ahead without securing the tails.  I certainly know better, but sometimes it is hard to stop when you are on a roll.  I will definitely have to pay for this later.  I decided to complete all 6 squares as I go rather than waiting until one square was finished to start the second one. 

 

On row 10, I added a decorative surface row by using post stitches and trebles in previous rows.  I will continue to post as this project continues.

Caron Simply Soft colors used:

 Berry Blue

Soft Blue

Cool Green

Sage

Sunshine

Gold Ombre

Cobalt Blue

 

New Earrings

 

Recently, I had a little time to create some pretty earrings.  I used some of the new Czech glass flower beads and hand dyed seam binding ribbons from Dry Gulch. 

 

These easy earrings are made with Super Duos and size 8 and 15 seed beads.  These came together very quickly.

 

All of these pieces feature Super Duos as well.  These 2 hole beads make designing easy.  I did not use a pattern for these. The beautiful pearl chain is also available on either the Dry Gulch website or their Etsy shop.

Embroidered Pendants

 

I have been working on embroidered pendants for our Dry Gulch jewelry line.  I love using different ribbons, beads and fibers in my work.  The hand dyed threads are perfect for shabby chic pieces.

 

I started with tea dyed fabrics and added beautiful threads and ribbons from my stash.  The pretty Czech beads are from Dry Gulch and I love the painted bird charm.

 

To finish off the edges, I used rayon thread to whip stitch all the way around.  A piece of silk ribbon makes the hanger.

 

For this one, I added a seed bead cluster to the center of the Czech glass flower and stitched around with hand dyed pearl cotton thread.  These pretty little pendants paired with our sparkly crystals will make great necklaces.