Inspiration from Cornwall

Four weeks ago I was on my summer holidays in Cornwall, a place that I will forever love!
There is such a wonderful laid back and artistic vibe down there that I really feel at home whenever I visit. There is also so many beautiful and inspiring things to see....

St Michael's Mount

St Michael's Mount is a stunning small tidal island, during low tide you can walk the causeway to get to the island but during mid to high tide you can only access the island by boat.
The island is seeped in history stretching back millennia, with discoveries of flint arrow heads to a Bronze Age hoard and many wonderful legends.

Views from the Castle

The Island partly owned by the Nation Trust and run by the St Aubyn family (who still live in a portion of the castle), has its own harbour, a handful of houses, a church, an underground tram line that runs from the harbour to the castle (that is closed to the public because it is so steep), a cafe, a few lovely little gift shops, and wonderful and exotic gardens that thrive in the Islands micro climate, to name but a few of the attractions.

Maps and Models

The side of one of the houses had the most beautiful old map painted on it, and then among the treasures of the castle (which included a mummified cat and a samurai suit) there was this beautiful ornate map above. These photo's make me want to make resin and map jewellery components! 

The Giant's Heart

Legend has it that the Island was once home to Cormoran an 18ft giant who lived there in a cave, He was said to eat cattle and small children and terrorised the local people until Jack a young farmers son trapped him in a concealed pit and brought his ax down upon his head. Jack was henceforth known as "Jack the Giant Killer" and the Giant's stone heart was set into the path way leading to the castle! 

Stained Glass Featuring St Michael's Mount

The Castle even has its own built in church, with breathtakingly beautiful stained glass windows. The one above even features St Michael's Mount in the background.

St Ives Beach

Then there is St Ives! My all time favourite place. The beaches are crystal clear and there is so many art galleries (real artist galleries not those ones that just sell mass produced prints) many of them are also working studio's so you can go and talk to the artists and watch them working, they have every kind of art you can imagine ranging from raku ceramic clocks, amazing glass sculptures to very beautiful paintings and mixed media pieces. I wish I had taken photo's of the studios but I was in somewhat of a daze (think small child in a sweet shop)!

Sea Glass Glore

We have even found the best little beach for sea glass, I don't know if you can see from the photo but there is just so much of it and it is the nice well worn without sharp edges stuff too!

Light House and Boats

Every time we visit we are always drawn to the light house and I intend to use this as inspiration for a necklace I plan on making.

A Shop Full of Treasures

I don't know about you (I guess a lot of you do this too) but when I go some where I always keep my eye out (and some times check with google) for bead/crystal shops as there are none close to where I live. So I always make a point of visiting this little shop that is just off the high street in St Ives, and the best thing is that it is open this 8.30 so you don't have to hurry!

"Emjems is a family run shop that has been selling jewellery, crystals, fossils, incense, singing bowls, stones and more unusual treasures for over 40 years!"

Crystals and fossils make me very happy and here are a few of the treasures I have managed to take home with me from Emjems (looking at the photo's I really wish I had brought that stone green man he would have been perfect for the September theme challenge!)....

Treasures From St Ives

Mostly due for wire wrapping except that piece of turquoise that will go into my light house piece.

Sun Setting Over St Ives

It is hard not to be inspired by a place as beautiful as this, the colours, the scenery and the wonderful calm and peaceful feeling it gives you....

Carn Brea Castle

Carn Brea Castle can be traced back as far as 1379. The stone twin towered fortress was built by the Bassett family and is built on the remains of a Iron Age hillfort that has been restored and extended over the years and now looks somewhat like a folly. It is truly stunning and really worth googling just to see more photo's of this amazing place that is currently used as a very unique middle eastern restaurant it is however a bookings only venue or we would have been tempted to try it!

The View 

The spectacular views from the castle even left the most talkative amongst us (pictured above) stunned into silence!

Falmouth

And then of course there is Falmouth, this photo just makes me smile! With it's beautiful rolling hills full of patchwork fields and clusters of trees, stunning blue sea and the adorable little boats. Whats not to love!

Found Treasure

Plus there is all of those new beach find/treasures to add to my over flowing hoard!

Bead retreat + Beach retreat = Bliss

Dunes at Dewey

Beads and the beach? Beach combing? Hanging out with friends old and new? Stitching and shopping? Sign me up! 

And so it happened that three of us ( Diana, Jenny and Sue) arrived at Dewey Beach DE for the final Bead My Love retreat of 2015. I had attended last year (my post is here) and loved it! The beach off season is gorgeous, spacious and just as stunning than in summer time. Sue greeted Diana and I with the picture (above) while we were still on the road. 

Meg and Moggie host multiple retreats during the year, spring and fall/ weekend or weekday. Included in the registration are some meals, a few perks, instruction, an outstanding project kit... Camaraderie, friendships, relaxation - all free with the package. ( Bead My Love site for details) The retreat welcomes all levels of seed bead experience, and everyone is bound to learn and be inspired! 

My view across the table! Love it! 

Sue at work - and the progression of her piece from kit to halfway completed. 

Susan: I loved taking this workshop because, first, I got to hang out with Jenny and Diana and I don’t have any beady friends here in Pittsburgh. I loved this workshop second because I never have time where I can just sit, spread out all the beads, and be creative. This gave me uninterrupted time (except for talking with beady people) to just create, and not worry about what’s the plan for dinner or having to be anywhere! Meg does a great job teaching and is available for questions and demos the entire workshop. It was a lot of fun and I would definitely do it again!

Diana's kit, learning peyote, and the progress steps in her fab scarab piece. 

Diana: The Bead My Love bead retreat was wonderful! One of the great things about this retreat is the relaxing, pressure-free environment in which you get to create. There was no set project so you picked a kit and created your design from start to finish using your imagination (and massive supply stash). Everyone was friendly and encouraging and it was fun watching their projects take shape. The best part of this retreat though (besides finally learning peyote bezel), was getting to spend time with my friends just beading and beach combing. I hope to take another Bead My Love bead retreat in 2016!

Jenny's workspace goes from organized to jumbled as a few different projects take shape. 

Jenny: What can I say that they haven't already said? I do quite a bit of bead embroidery these days and I relish the retreat as a place to play, to learn, to experiment, and to relax. It was great fun to have a beady sleep over at the family beach house! I feel energized and tired, with new ideas percolating. 

There were beach walks and beach combing. 

The off season rates/ retreat pricing are quite reasonable, but we three stayed at my MIL's beach house. Pretty nice, huh? We took advantage of the beach whenever we could! And we were gifted with great weather!

Diana's found treasures, Jenny's impromptu found bead dish, Sue's finished piece!, Jenny planning yet another one... 

 Dinner out in Rehoboth Beach, DE - great seafood! Great fun! Then the next day? More beading, its a win-win situation.

Dinner? Seafood? yes! 

 I knew many of the attendees from last year's retreat. Lovely to see new friends again and what they are up to... Simply walking around the room and viewing other's WIP was inspirational. Everyone is ready to share a technique, offer ideas, and discuss.

We loved seeing our friends and colleagues cabs! Can you spot a Lisa Peters cab? A Staci Smith polymer pair? And a Celtic cab by yours truly.

Diana, Jenny, Meg our hostess, and Sue. 

And now we are all home. Unpacking our loot, finishing our pieces and starting anew. I mss them already! Until next year... bead all the things!

Goodbye ocean... until next year. 

Beads at the beach: a bead retreat

Two weeks ago I headed to the beach. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to be exact. We were having the coldest temperatures of the year to date - It was like 16 degrees F in the morning! But I was headed to a wonderful three day retreat,  doing bead embroidery.  What did I care about the weather?

I took about 10 minutes on the beach one morning. Until my ears froze. Had the place all to myself - heaven!

Many of you might know Meg and Moggie of BEAD My Love. They are regulars of the bead show circuit, from Beadfest to Tucson. Their company sells everything a seed beader could need: Ultra suede, stiff stuff, needles, cabs... and beads! (And so much more!) This charming and talented mother/daughter duo also host retreats.

I signed up after Beadfest August, if I remember correctly. Their retreats happen a few times a year, and fill up fast. The November retreat I attended was Tuesday - Thursday; perfect for my teaching schedule. I have been doing bead embroidery for approximately a year - and was ready to challenge myself, learn new stitches, go bigger?

Starting out: my kit, some beads from home... my orderly Virgo approved workspace. 

We arrived at 4 pm - a very welcoming group who adopted me and made me feel right at home. Many attendees were there for a second, or third time! Upon arrival we selected our kit for the weekend. Returnees arrived early and lined up at the door to get first pick! Meg makes up stellar kits with everything you need start to finish - in such fabulous color palettes! My kit included: 2 agate cabs, a face cab from Melanie/Earthenwood Studio, needles, thread, and beads ranging from 15s/11s/hex/drops... (More beads than I used up - I am excited to continue to design with the palette I chose. )

Once settled, and introduced around the room - we opened up kits and started to dream up designs. The room is set up to shop - I quickly decided the ammonite  (above) HAD to go with one of the agates... And we started beading. And chatting. And shopping. Designing, discussing, sharing. Meg and Moggie gave one on one instruction to any and all; beginners were started of with the basics of peyote stitch for a bezel. More advanced students planned larger, layered pieces, and composite pieces made from components beaded and joined together.

My neighbor Diane working on her piece with a Marsha Neal Studio button. A gorgeous palette of sages and copper; finished piece on the right. 

A forest of Ott lights: the room seen from the far corner. Thats my empty chair at top right... 

It was exciting to see things from the other side of the table... as a beader, not as a ceramic artist. BEAD My Love has carried my cabs for a few years. ( I'm still honored, and excited by that...) Watching people select their kits - Lisa Peters cabs, Earthenwood Studio , Marsha Neal, and my own "Mythic Nature" cabs... knowing these artists, their clay, their glazes... It was great fun, and inspirational to see the women at the retreat work their own creative magic with the ceramic cabochons. It presented my own work to me in a new light, and for that I am grateful.

My fellow attendees work in progress. Yes - thats my lunar raven in purple! 

Still orderly... All the bags on the left were my "kit". Tubes and labeled bags in the center were my additional beads. 

The three day weekend (I know it was during the week! It FELT like a weekend) was phenomenal. I would highly recommend a BEAD My Love retreat to anyone that is into bead embroidery - or wants to learn. There were break out groups throughout the 'weekend' to demo brick stitch, soutache embroidery... We worked all day and socialized over lunch/dinner. We came away with new friends, and new skills.  The structure was relaxed and informal. The people I met were interesting, creative, and funny! with diverse careers, interests and experience. I left the 'weekend' sad that it was ending/invigorated with new ideas/inspired to try new things/and happy tired. 

From my weekend: two completed pieces and one work in progress. The WIP piece is an enameled focal from Anne of Gardanne Beads. 

There is even a newly created Facebook group for BML retreat alumni to keep in touch and share pictures of new creations. All in all a fab weekend. When can I go again?

For now - you know I am bead embroidering Holiday gifts... off to the studio!
Jenny

Goodbye Rehoboth! Until next time... 

The retreat included your project kit, and additional supplies, one dinner, 2 lunches. Snacks and beverages were also provided. Lodging was not included. 

I received no loot, favors or free stuff from BEAD My Love in exchange for this review. 

Tracking in a bit of sand...

Happy Saturday!  Just got back from a short beach vacay with my family and it was so pleasant!  The weather was absolutely perfect for the beach, and I did lots of relaxing on the sand, staring at the rolling waves.

A peaceful shot from a morning walk on my beach vacation.

It struck me how inspirational the ocean and beach are to many jewelry artists in their designs, so I thought I would feature some of the gorgeous components and jewelry our very own AJE team has to offer in that theme!

Caroline's sweet little jelly fish beads for dangling on necklaces...luckily there were no jelly fish in the water!

I love this jelly fish charm by Diana.

These gorgeous glass headpins by Jennifer also remind me of jelly fish!

Jenny's moonlit wave pendant evokes wonderful memories of standing on the balcony at night and listening to the endless waves hitting the shore!

Sweet and colorful polymer clay starfish by Kristi.

Kristen's amazing beadwork!

I love the color on the beach relics by Karen...reminds me of those early morning beach walks looking for treasure hidden in the sand!

Linda's lovely starfish necklace is the perfect jewelry to keep thoughts of the ocean with you.

Yummy beach pebbles by Lesley.

Stunning glass pendant by Sue

My polymer clay seashell connector.

Going through all these pieces takes me back to that peaceful place when I was walking on the beach...I want to go back!

Seagull tracks in the sand!

Melissa Meman
Melismatic Art Jewelry
Art. Life. Love.