leslee roberts :: shouting into the wind

fairy vine necklace 2010

i have a stash of beading kits which will likely take me several years to complete. this design is called fairy vine necklace by laura mccabe. i started this several years ago and then set it aside. earlier this year, i picked it back up again and finished it for mika's birthday.

click here for more.

Leaves and Lace Necklace

Leaves and Lace Necklace, designed by Alice N. Babcock (March 2007), stitched by Lynda and given to me today (lucky me!)

necklace to be made

need to string a multi-strand necklace to match my new shawl:

hunting and gathering

in the process of hunting down and gathering all the materials for the beading portion of my cruise vacation:

new blue necklace

barb and cory came by last night for a visit. barb left with a new blue necklace and matching earrings she's been wanting for a while.... it only took 4 years or so.

oldies

i took a couple of classes in november last year and i never got around to posting it. the classes were taught by one of my favorite artists, gail crosman moore.

i took gail's bracelet class and made these as christmas gifts.

this last one is mine. instead of sequins, i used some of the african beads mom brought back from new york (some 25+ years ago, i think). the red disks are old phonograph records made into beads.

i'm still working on some felted gifts. here are some in-progress pics:

if you are interested in felting, gail has two online classes available at beaducation.

bead and button 2008

day one: i usually hate this day because we spend all day traveling and always arrive in milwaukee very late in the evening.

we were delayed an hour and a half out of san francisco and then when we reached kansas, we had to stay late and bring on a bunch of people who had another flight cancelled on them.

then we got to the hotel and found that we were in a SMOKING room -- yuck. the hotel was fully booked so we'll stay here one night and they promised to move us tomorrow. stink, stink, stink. oh hyatt how we "love" thee...

--- signed, we three stinky ashtrays (stink, stank and stunk)

new necklaces

i had to fix the length on the necklace i made for mom. after looking at it, i decided i wanted something similar so i put these two pieces together last night:

black matte japanese seed beads, various bali silver beads, shell, ostrich egg shell, turquoise bird's eye kings mantle from two cranes:

black matte japanese seed beads, various bali silver beads, silver calico onyx california from two cranes:

more show-n-tell from lynda

lynda's been very busy!! here are a couple more of her beautiful finished pieces:

Lunar Lights kit (Melanie Potter)

Antonia's Adornment (class with Cynthia Rutledge)

ooh aaah, lynda's show-n-tell

O. Bersten bracelet class by Rachel Nelson-Smith:

Ribbon of Notre Dame lariat kit by Melanie Potter:

merry christmas vickie

vickie's necklace: natural pearl, citrine drops, hammered fine silver, horn leaf, golden rutilated quartz faceted briolette, swarovski 2mm siam crystals

(from The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall: "Citrine is a powerful cleanser and regenerator. Carrying the power of the sun, this is an exceedingly beneficial stone. It is warming, energizing, and highly creative. This is one of the crystals that never needs cleansing. It absorbs, transmutes, dissipates, and grounds negative energy and is therefore extremely protective in the environment. Citrine energizes every level of life." "Quartz is the most powerful healing and energy amplifier on the planet because of its unique helical spiral crystalline form... rutilated quartz is an effective integrator of energy at any level. It heightens the energetic impulse of quartz and is a very efficient vibrational healer... Spiritually, rutilated quartz is said to have a perfect balance of cosmic light and to be an illuminator for the soul, promoting spiritual growth. It cleanses and energizes the aura...")

merry christmas deb

deb's necklace: japanese black matte seed beads, bali silver, jess imports clasp, rhodochrosite pendant from 2 cranes

(from The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall: "Rhodochrosite represents selfless love and compassion. It expands consciousness and integrates the spiritual with material energies. This stone imparts a dynamic and positive attitude.")

merry christmas mom

mom's turquoise heart: japanese black matte seed beads, bali silver, jess imports sterling clasp, turquoise heart from 2 cranes

(from The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall: "Turquoise is a most efficient healer, providing solace for the spirit and well-being for the body... [it] promotes spiritual attunement and enhances communication with the physical and spiritual worlds... Turquoise is a purification stone. It dispels negative energy and clears electromagnetic smog, providing protection against pollutants in the environment...")

let's cage it - babe 2007, tracy stanley

tracy and janice are partners at wiredarts.net. i took tracy's class to learn yet another way to cage objects. her method leaves a decorative web behind the object which can also be embellished.

front:

back:

and finally, the entire necklace, including the wrapped eye pin chain. i purchased some hammered circles to add to the chain and all the wire work was dipped in liver of sulphur to antique it:

mystic coil bracelet - babe 2007, janice berkebile

i took some time off from work to take classes at babe 2007 (bay area bead extravaganza) this year.

here is janice berkebile's mystic coil bracelet class: based on lynne merchant's design in round wire, janice has taken it another step forward with different types of wire. for this project, we used 24g round, twisted and half-round wire:

here shown left to right in half-round, twisted and round:

here a slightly different angle to show the coil:

and finally, the entire bracelet, two coils of each wire type:

resolutions

11/13/07 update: i sold this piece to a good friend who has been waiting seven years for a piece for his auntie for christmas. it couldn't have gone to a better home. (lr)

:: :: ::

i have drawerfuls of beading projects-in-progress and kits. my beading and jewelry tools and materials have outgrown their storage unit and now spill across my dining room floor.

at the beginning of this year, i resolved to make a dent in that mountain of projects. so, in january i began.

here is marianne biagi's pearl dream kit. it is a magnificent pearl and crystal rope with tassels at both ends. i began this kit in my hotel room in el dorado hills while on numerous business trips and recently finished it up during my august vacation in rainier, washington.

click pic to see full rope:

lynda's show-n-tell

lynda's been busy making wedding jewels for anna, her new daughter-in-law.

for the wedding ceremony, pearls from ta pearlstone:

for the reception, lynda made a white version of the chrysanthemum splendor class she took at bead & button this year with elizabeth townes. she got the lentil beads and czech pressed flower beads from kelly (san francisco arts & crafts). other beads came from kandra's when she was at beads on the vine.

tool crazy

planishing (aka baby chasing)

large embossing (aka river rock & stone)

small embossing (aka sand & pebble)

narrow-raising (aka twig & branch)

wide-raising (aka trunk & tree)

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

i go crazy for tools and all the doo-dads that go with my many hobbies. beading and jewelry feed my insatiable desire to collect, as well as create.

at the bead and button show in milwaukee this past june, i picked up a set of fretz hammers from janice berkebile's table. they are smaller-sized jeweler's hammers, smooth and rich in your hands, perfectly balanced, beautifully made... they are used for texturing metal.

recently, i was able to find a stand (made expressly for these fretz hammers) at progress tool.

ahhhh, life is good.

recovering

i've spent the week recovering from the annual bead & button show. here are a couple of samples of my classwork -- two classes using precious metal clay (fine silver) with celie fago teaching. they were fantastic classes and i ended up buying an ultra-light kiln, like the ones used in my keum-boo class and some more pmc to play with.

earrings: pmc+, keum-boo (ancient asian technique of applying thin sheets of gold to silver) (ignore the pink reflections from my clothing):

garnet pendant: pmc3 with garnet (ignore my reflection in the image):

i'll be posting more pics from my trip soon.

design session 03/17/07

i was finally able to give lynda her birthday present yesterday when we attended the beadexpo event at the oakland convention center. back in march, i designed a necklace made of green garnet, fresh water pearls, shell, swarovski crystal, bali silver, fine silver, moonstone. it took a couple of days and numerous variations on stringing. here are some snapshots from that session.

here is the final version:

custom design session

barb came by yesterday and we had a great time spending the afternoon making custom design jewelry. sorry for the blurry pics.

here's the first piece we did -- emphasis on blue and sparkly (swarovski crystal, silver, bali silver, art glass beads by barbara becker simon):

here's the second piece we did -- we recycled some of her old beads and added some new stuff (calcified coral, art glass, mother of pearl beads, gold vermeil beads and clasp, other semi-precious):

beadily earrings

here is a pair of earrings i recently made from barb switzer's beadily bead design:

joys of making

yesterday, we all took a ride to the santa clara convention center to attend the annual stitches west market. this is an annual conference and market which i first attended last year.

ahhhhh.... so many things to look at and to buy.... i was exhausted by the time we went through all the booths. i picked up some more fantastic sock yarns (maybe they'll be gifts, maybe they'll be for me), a great deal on noro silk garden, miscellaneous books, some tools and some patterns.

joy mentioned that i hadn't posted my completed poncho, so here it is, along with some other things as well.

completed poncho:

here's a shrug i whipped up last week:

here's a pearl rope i'm working on (click on pic to see closeup of rope):

more show-n-tell from lynda

sonoko's necklace:

dallas lovett's eye of the dragon:

lynda's show-n-tell

hooked on wire 2006

it was another amazing year at the hooked on wire retreat. this year, the location moved from san francisco to neighboring burlingame (near sfo airport) -- a much nicer location. unfortunately, there was no presentation by the swarovski crystal folks due to a conflict in schedule (they were releasing their new product lines) but the teachers, the classes, the projects, susan's mini-store, the big give-aways were A-1 fantastic again this year. hats off to susan kazarian from the beading frenzy, lisa niven kelly, barb switzer, and dallas lovett

photos from classes at this year's fantastic hooked on wire retreat:

lisa niven kelly's woven bezels:

barb switzer's butterfly hinge chain:

dallas lovett's enchanted bracelet:

tabac crown jewel

i finished laura mccabe's crown jewel kit (tabac colorway) while I was up in rainier. happy birthday mom!

bead & button 2006

i haven't actually completed any of the projects from bead & button yet but here are some pics of classwork progress:

lisa niven-kelly and laura mccabe's celebration class:

here are a couple pics of a cool jeweler's bench i got to use for a couple of classes. it was fully outfitted with brand new equipment, including a foredom flexible shaft with all the trimmings.... also had access to a rolling press and tons of other cool (expensive) equipment:

hiatus ending

this last week or so i've been feeling a strong need to get back to jewelry design... perhaps this is the end of a long hiatus

joy's show-n-tell

joy's been busy too. here she is with her latest scarf -- a yummyluscious, ultimately caress-able thing of beauty which some lucky person may receive as a gift (it looks like MY colors -- oops, did i say that out loud?):

here are some of joy's holiday show-n-tells which i hadn't gotten around to posting:

bubblemania scarves (click pics for alt views):
harvest:

midnight:

teal scarf (click pic for alt view):

and finally, somehow, i missed this holiday show-n-tell rose quartz and pink pearl necklace (click pick for larger view):

norcal bead bazaar 2006

the northern california bead society held its bead bazaar at the oakland marriott city center on 4/1/06. i was there (of course) with my beadie buddies. here's some of my treasure:

these ceramic beads are all by gail splaver. i only purchased the big one in the middle this time around... the rest were purchased over several years. i have been collecting them to put together a necklace and i think i've got enough to do it now. i also own several of her ceramic vessels as well.

these beads are by janice peacock:

i picked up these ceramic pendants at specialty beads:

since i've been knitting so much, i needed to pick up some unique buttons to go with my finished knitted garments. these buttons are from the button shoppe. the silver leaves are actually from the san mateo gem show (from silver sky) which i attended with lynda this past saturday.

there's tons more show and tell for both the bead bazaar and the gem show... for another post at a later time...

joy's holiday show-n-tell

joy came up with some beauties for the holiday season... here are her holiday show-n-tells (click pics to embiggen):

lariat :: lake mix - matt marchand lampwork:

lariat :: plum wine-olio d'oliva mix:

necklace :: chrysocolla-horn-goldstone:

necklace :: pearl-sunstone-crystal:

necklace :: rose quartz-pink pearl:

show-n-tell

i made a couple of pieces this past christmas for my brother and sister-in-law:

for vickie :: turquoise, bali silver, glass, focal pendant from pema arts

for dave :: bali silver, ostrich egg, glass, eagle head carved by harini & cosmo (balinese carvers)

ahhh, sales

i am sooooooooo excited.... got an email from maria late last night. my ocean jasper necklace sold -- WOWEEEEE!!!

16.5" necklace: ocean jasper focal bead (2 cranes); bali silver; sterling silver; pearls; abalone shell; ostrich egg shell; moonstone; sterling silver clasp (Laura Liska)

(click on pic to embiggen)

i was already ecstatic from last weekend, when one of my few remaining harmony bracelets sold at the craft show:

black friday

i'm off to san mateo today for the intergem show with my beadie friends. The weather has just turned from warm indian summer to rainy cold. doesn't matter.... we'll all be inside, distracted by luscious, shiny, bling-blings to notice...

speaking of bling-blings... i finished laura mccabe's sunburst ring design and loved it so much i ordered several more rivoli (in addition to other things). here's my blurry picture of it (i'll try to get a better picture later, maybe):

weekend in the bay area

should be a fun weekend... two interesting shows:

bay area bead extravaganza (babe) at the oakland convention center - this show gets better and better each year

association of clay and glass artists (acga) at the herbst pavilion at fort mason center

joy's busy...

joy's been busy... here's one of her latest (pearl, sunstone and crystal). i guess we should all get busy considering we've got a bunch of shows coming up!

leslee's show-n-tell

just finished this project from Hooked on Wire 2005, Barb Switzer's class project

joy's show-n-tell

joy's pinwheel pendant from barb switzer's pinwheel class at the place to bead this past weekend

studio space

when i got home from my vacation in rainier, i began to repurpose cheryl's bedroom into a guest room and studio space. nothing fancy, just boxed up stuff, and got the jewelry-related things in there somehow. it's taken a while but i'm now at the point where i can actually work there. i spend time every evening working on jewelry -- it does wonders for my sanity. the space doesn't really have a "soul" yet but it's changing for the better with every day that passes. i'm aiming for the kind of studio margie has -- comfortable, inspiring, a place where i am immediately transported to another perspective.

joy's show-n-tell

oooh.... ahhhhh... pretty pretties...

ornate component's from dallas lovett's class. joy says the true color of the blue seed beads and crystal is closer to the blue in the focal bead.

red dangles

sparkly wheels

leslee's show-n-tell

keychain for auntie arly's birthday

hooked on wire 2005

this past weekend, lynda and i participated in the 2005 hooked on wire retreat. this retreat was an intense 3 days of classes (with optional night classes) which kicked off on friday night with a spectacular presentation on swarovski crystal, complete with out-of-this-world product give-aways, many door prizes, access to sample books and trends forecasting.

throughout the weekend, teachers were inspirational; class projects were interesting; techniques were flexible and re-usable; students were focused. the classes are small enough to feel comfortable; conversations were easy. i guess it is best described as "everything feels great" when you're doing something you love and are surrounded by people who feel the same way.

and guess who won the grand prize drawing????? yup, it was me.... a beautiful strand of faceted briolettes of golden rutilated quartz donated by the beading frenzy (click pic to embiggen)

so i did actually finish one of the projects... lisa niven kelly's wire lattice bracelet.

i promise to post the others as i finish them....

b's necklace repair - again and yummy jamaican bbq

once again restrung this necklace for b... it's a challenge (click pic to embiggen)

spent the day at b's which turned into a great bbq of chicken and fish, plantains, yams, rice, potatoes and corn, coconut bread, beer and other exotic drinks. it turned out to be a pretty large gathering, mostly jamaican. i learned some new jamaican swear words. they have a very colorful way of speaking. lots of fun today.

lynda's show-n-tell

lynda's been wanting to make a special necklace for her mom and here it is. the cross is from the bead and button show in june, and then from the whole bead show today, she picked up lemon quartz and amy from artgems and some druks at peter's and kelly's. she pulled the garnet from her stash. the clasp is from rings and things. the necklace is 28" long and strung on sterling silver soft flex fom joy.

show-n-tell

lynda, joy and i got together on sunday for a relaxing and productive bead day. we worked on projects, organized beads, ate good food and enjoyed each other's company.

joy's latest dangles:

my sparkly wheel collection is growing.. lynda and joy both made some but my camera pic didn't come out. here is a scan of all my wheels to date:

then caitlin contacted me on monday to show me how she's doing on her beaded flowers project (let's just say it's a looooooong term project....) sorry for the poor camera phone picture quality:

joy's show-n-tell

joy put together a luscious wedding set for shari:

bracelet

earrings

necklace (click to embiggen)

sparkly wheels

here's some quickie eye candy -- sparkly wheels (designed by nikia angel). i picked up the pattern at the bead and button show and have been playing with my spare beads.

b&b the last night -- the sorrow is deep...

we're in the process of packing up. we will need to wake before the crack of dawn to shower, check out and catch the shuttle to the airport. it's been a great week... last night we had dinner at polaris, the spinning restaurant atop the hilton. by coincidence there were beautiful fireworks in the brilliant clear night. the late evening city vistas were magnificent. great food, beautiful views, funny and entertaining company -- we couldn't ask for more.

sorry ck for not posting my purchases and their prices -- everything moved at lightening speed once the shopping began on wednesday night.

i do have one more short movie to post after i get home -- it's an interesting example of regional idiosyncrasies.

b&b wednesday

hello from the madness of bead and button!
joy, lynda and leslee

here we are in line waiting for the "meet the teachers" reception tonight. the teachers are gathered with samples of their work, kits, instructions and finished pieces for sale. we dare you to view the madness (quicktime movie)

p.s. kelly, lynda told me what you put her up to.... SHAME ON YOU!!!!!

b&b tuesday

today was my day of rest. i lazed around the hotel, went shopping at the local malls, visited the Milwaukee Public Museum to see their exhibit on Pearls -- very nice. i picked up the companion book as a souvenir.

here's a pic of the midwest airline convention center, where many of the classes are taking place. it will also be the vendor site beginning thursday evening and going through the weekend.

guess what's behind our hotel -- just can't get away....

b&b monday

spent a grueling but thoroughly enjoyable day (9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.) in class working on wire weaving techniques with dallas lovett. managed to finish the entire project in class although it was only because the class was very focused and no breaks were taken -- we had to practically beg for lunch. by the end of the day, i was exhausted, aching and hungry.

we met alethia donathan, debbie nishihara, and a few other beadie people at the italian restaraunt across from the hotel. i had calamari for dinner (in addition to chicken corn chowder of which there is no photo) -- it was very good:

we finally made it....

haven't bought anything yet... just catching up.

joy, lynda, leslee

discombobulated...

in less than a week, i will be flying eastward to the great bead heaven in the midwest -- milwaukee, wisconsin - site of the largest annual trade bead conference in this country, the bead and button show. it is a frenzied week of classes, events, shopping, meals with old friends and vendors from just about everywhere.

we get up at the crack of dawn, rush to breakfast, then into classes. we're up till late in the evening, visiting with friends, old and new, attending evening events or beading well into the late night, preparing for the next day of classes.

shopping begins on thursday with a private evening with the vendors. this is where the shopping is fast and furious -- everyone vying for unusual, one of kind pieces from their favorite artists. i do not schedule classes on friday -- that day is devoted to a slow, methodical examination of every vendor's booth.

by the end of the week, i am both exhausted and invigorated -- exhausted by the frenzy and lack of sleep and invigorated by the creativity of like-minded, passionate fanatics -- the immersion is so complete.

nothing surpasses this experience except for the intensity of the two weeks every year in tucson, arizona, where the world gathers for the annual tucson gem and mineral show. half the gemstones available in the world are in tucson during these two weeks. i've attended the tucson show only once -- it was too much for me... this is where the pros go, thousands of dollars passing hands every minute. i'm building up to this event -- maybe in 2006...

tomorrow, i'll try to figure out what to bring and how to pack.

bead notes: left-top to bottom: (1) Don Adams warring states bead - glass; (2) blue dot on yellow - glass - can't remember the artist; (3) glass cane beads; (4) Karen Ovington glass beads. right-top to bottom: (1) bali silver beads; (2) Michael Barley glass bead; (3) thai silver beads

carnelian

metalwork2 - bezels: took a sunday class with anne mitchell of beadissimo. finally used some of the carnelian beads kaho brought back from thailand last year. may add some small pearl dangles at the silver bead later tonight...

(click to embiggen)

aquamarine crystal

woke up at 1am and was still trying to get back to sleep at 2am so i gave up and went out to the work table and put this necklace together. i love the combination of the freshwater pearls, bali silver spacers and the multicolored faceted czech glass. the focal bead is a piece of aquamarine crystal from 2 cranes.

click pic to embiggen

for myself

made another butter pearl foxtail necklace for myself (see the original here), this time with a fancy clasp (yellow aventurine) from Jess Imports.

click pic to embiggen.

sold :-)

for mom

fishy necklace

butter pearl foxtail

lynda and i took anne mitchell's class on foxtail chainmaking at beadissimo this weekend. here's the 18-inch necklace (sterling silver jump rings, 6.5 mm freshwater butter-colored pearls, flourite(?) sterling silver clasp).

(click pic to embiggen)

sand and sable

here's a quick and dirty scan of the class project i completed today. this is dallas lovett's sand and sable necklace. keishi pearls, seed beads (san francisco arts and crafts), fine silver (various gauges), handmade fine silver headpins, focal bead is barbara becker simon's amber bubble bead and accent beads are from pudgy beads (i think). i cheated on the chain finish -- too anxious to complete the handmade chain and s-clasp, i substituted ready-made sterling silver chain and a lobster claw clasp. i will end up making another one of these anyway just to get the practice in. very good teacher, interesting wire-weaving technique; beautiful design aesthetic. class was held at the beading frenzy in san mateo. dallas is teaching at the bead and button conference in milwaukee in june. his store, trade wind gallery, is located in arizona.

(click pic to embiggen)

mika's show-n-tell

mika's first practice wirework necklace -- wow -- that's fantastic!

(click to embiggen - will open in a new window)

beaddreamer show-n-tell

joy's been busy....

queen's link

maria's twisted kumihimo

product photo practice

lynda and i practiced our picture-taking this past weekend. lots to learn... how to use the camera, how to use the tripod, how to set up the lighting, composition, etc.

wow wow wow

joy took leslie frazier's starflower class this past saturday. i've taken classes by leslie as well and she's a great teacher... click the gorgeous pic to embiggen

leslee's show-n-tell

ok, i was pretty inspired by joy so i worked up this 16-1/2" necklace:

ocean jasper focal bead (2 cranes); bali silver; sterling silver; pearls; abalone shell; ostrich egg shell; moonstone; sterling silver clasp (Laura Liska)

(click on pic to embiggen)

joy's show-n-tell

woo hoo! new show-n-tell from joy. click the pics to see the larger versions.
Paul's Keychain:

Cathy's Necklace/Earrings:

wire 1

lynda and i went to beadissimo for wire 1. the necklace is faceted czech glass beads, 24 gauge sterling silver dead soft. i added the focal bead (petrified coral) and messed around with the s-shape bezel, 14 gauge sterling silver dead soft wrapped with 24 gauge sterling silver dead soft. the shop is nice, the space very open and pleasant, kate is a good teacher.

i still need lots of practice and those fused silver class samples looked great! i think more classes are in order....

it was a fun day, and believe me, i needed to recuperate from some v.stunning work changes.

cheryl's birthday gift

cheryl took a liking to one of the stones i picked up at a recent show. so we designed this necklace together. click here or necklace image below to see a larger view of the necklace.

chrysocolla malachite:

it's a 16 inch necklace made of 2 sizes black druks (czech glass) from my old stash from general bead; multi-colored czech glass from san francisco arts & crafts; chrysocolla malachite from 2 cranes; bali silver spacers; hammered square toggle clasp, strung on .019 softflex and crimped with 2mm silver tube crimps.

show-n-tell b&b2004

just got back this week from the annual bead and button show in milwaukee, wi. it was a fantastic show -- great classes, great shopping -- you shoulda been there!!!

here are a couple (of the many) pieces i brought back. i'll be posting new show-n-tell pics every few days...

fish bead from barbara becker-simon:

eye bead from dustin tabor. here's a better picture from dustin's site as well.

leslee's christmas show 'n tell

necklace: pearls, vermeil spacers and focal, garnet-colored swarovski crystal

here are some of my show 'n tell pics or view a quicktime movie the same here. download the free quicktime player here if you need it.

beaddreamers holiday show 2003

BeadDreamers recently held its holiday shows. Here are some pics or view the same as a quicktime movie.

download the free quicktime player here if you need it.

beauty and the beads

peter and kelly from san francisco arts and crafts sent me these two pics.... just the kind of mischief i expect from those two ;-)

notice that even though i'm sleeping, i'm still clutching my big bag of beads...

San Mateo Gem and Jewelry Show 11-2003 - acting security for peter and kelly's booth

BABE 2002 (Northern California Bead Society)

show-n-tell

some of joy's latest creations -- the pearl necklace was a gift to alison and the geisha doll necklace was a gift to tracy. click on the pics for larger views.

* * *