Busy week....

... so here is one I made earlier:

This was made for my sister and took forever. It's very delicate and like real dandlelion seeds gently sways in the slightest breeze. I love dandelions and dandelion seeds. They are so very pretty....

Put on Your Dancing Shoes

Tea Dance

© Sybille Sterk
Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

After the Dance

© Sybille Sterk
Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

  My own shoes and jewellery. Part of the Seduction series.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

 All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

Recycling and Upcycling and a new bracelet....

Just came across this fabulous blog and shop:

Recycled Market Blog - with lots of recycling ideas and stories.
Recycled Market Shop - with lots of stuff that has been made from recycled or upcycled materials.

I am a great believer in re-using materials and found great inspiration just looking through the shop.

Incidentally I found some time yesterday to make a new bracelet that fits right into the theme....

Not all the materials are recycled, but the beads, the typewriter key and the chains are. I've also used opals and two bird charms. Most of the materials came from Etsy and the beads from an old necklace I picked up at an antiques fair some time ago and took apart.

I'll be making more of these bracelets with the typewriter keys and semiprecious beads soon. There might be a few necklaces as well.... I haven't made much jewellery recently but caught the bug again. I just wish there were more hours in the day!

Dragonfly

MCN: CAY1Q-9NX4F-MU191

This was a photo of a necklace I made for a friend a while back (the necklace is made from vintage chains, vintage beads and charms and mostly semi-precious beads although a few are crystal).  I wanted a mysterious, tragic mood for this image so it is heavily edited and colour adjusted to give a vintage 'film noir' feel.

Part of my new series of images for licensing on Arcangel-Images  use this code: SYST-0097

Created with my own photographs in Photoshop, no stock used.

All my licensing images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas).

All the Jewels in the World

MCN: CJ8QP-G46MD-4963V

The mirror and jewellery are my own. Most of the jewellery is handmade (by me). I've got it hanging on the mirror so it doesn't tangle up, and because it looks so pretty. LOL  To me it has the look of the mirror Snow White's evil stepmother used. Something very feminine and personal, a woman's armoury. ;-)

Part of my new series of images for licensing on Arcangel-Images - use this code: SYST-0034

Created with my own photographs in Photoshop, no stock used.

All my licensing images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas).

Ring a Rosy... More jewellery

 Some rings for a change. They are all copper with handmade little 'bowls for the gems to sit in.

  Blue chalcedony with blue opalescent seedbeeds - size N - £12 + P&P

 Pink chalcedony with pink filled seedbeads - size N - £12 + P&P

Shell and copper - size M - £10 + P&P

 To buy any of these rings, send me a mail using the Contact button on the top right. Payment is by PayPal or cheque (UK only, item will be sent when cheque has cleared).Matching necklaces, bracelets and/or earrings available upon request

Spring in Paris II - Spectacle Chain

I was asked to make a spectacle chain in a design similar to my Spring in Paris necklace. It's one of my favourite necklaces I've made. I thought it was time that I showed you how much effort and attention to detail goes in each of my jewellery designs. Here's the original Spring in Paris necklace, however, because I never replicate any of my designs exactly, I made a few changes.

In both cases I started off with a handmade verdigris finish for the vintage brass filigree:

 Here you can see the verdigris finish with a layer of varnish to protect it:

The organza flower is an integral part of the design. Here are the petals, cut and singed, ready to go onto the filigree.

Next, I selected the beads I wanted to use in the design. I always mix them up in a bowl so I can see how they all go together. Once I am happy with the mix I start putting it all together.

Here's a closeup of the mix. I've used fabric covered beads, vintage lucite and glass, jade, ceramic wood, paper beads and beads with all sorts of finishes and textures.

Here I've laid them out on a beading mat. You can see that I have started assembling the beads.

 This is the finished spectacle chain. Complete with little loops to attach to the glasses.

A detail picture.

A design like this takes me around 5 hours inlcuding all the prep work but excluding drying times and choosing the beads.

This design was a commission but Spring in Paris (necklace) is still available and I am happy to make other designs for you based on a previous design or on colour schemes etc. Please use the contact button at the top to send me a mail for more details.

I've also made some rings but haven't taken any pictures yet. I'll post them soon. :-)

Jewellery - Fly Free Necklace

 This necklace was made specially for a photo shoot by the Cambridge Evening News Style Magazine. The article won't be available until the end of the month and is in aid of British Jewellery Week in October.

Fly Free Necklace

The necklace combines many different materials - some vintage, some modern to create my unique Ecoglam style: wood, horn, bone, paper, coconut, semi precious (dalmation and sesame jasper, jade, turquoise, aquamarine, kyanite, labradorite), kashmiri, woven, metal, and seed beads, plus vintage and modern (bird) charms, vintage and modern chain in brass, silver plated and black.

Detail of the front with flying birds and wooden bird cage

Detail of the flying birds hanging

Detail of a silver and black bird

Detail of the vintage brass sqawllow and a silver plated dove

Detail of the bird cage pendant with brass charms and labradorite against black.

Detail of the bird cage pendant with brass charms and labradorite against a light background and natural light.

 The necklace is for sale, please enquire for details.

Lovehearts all around - Presents

It was my lovely sister's birthday on Sunday, so I sent her some presents:

Raspberry Sorbet Poncho

My sister loves pink and yellow so I thought this cotton/linen mix yarn is perfect for her.



The design is similar to my Where the Land Meets the See Poncho although this design is not exactly the same as I made some improvements.

It's the perfect garment for all year round. It can be worn as a scarf, a shawl, a poncho a capelet over a Summer dress or a Winter coat. Best of all, there are no loose ends to flap in your face in a strong wind and it leaves your arms free to move (and you don't need to hold it tight like a shawl).

The pattern is again the little scallops which I think works really well with this yarn. It's so soft and yummy and available in lots of scrumptious colours from the Knitting4fun website.



The yarn is easy to knit and two skeins of yarn make the whole capelet. I might provide the pattern to download sometime soon.


Lovehearts Necklace

This necklace is based on my Sweetheart necklace, which I am wearing all the time. However, this time I've used a myriad of beads in pinks and yellows. Some vintage, some Ghana trade beads, some new, some fabric, some woven, some paper (with a coat of resin over the top), wood, lucite, resin, glass, metal... you name it, it's in there somewhere. :-)


Here are some detail shots of the beads and charms I've used:

All the findings are either black matt coated brass, brass, pewter, copper, vintage and modern, with lots of little details so the necklace never gets boring. It can be worn twice around the neck or long.

There are two sweetheart charms leftover. The sweetheart charm is actually a locket so you could put a picture inside it.

Mermaid Shawl - Progress Report - Part 2

A day and a half have brought me to this:


It is slow going but utterly satisfying. The funny thing is, it looks jolly complicated, but it isn't, really. I use it to try out new patterns - some I make up, others I get from the net or from my stitch library. The good thing about this is that I get to try a pattern I like the look of but don't need to do too much of it if I then find it's too fussy or I just can't remember the stitches... It does happen quite a lot with lace patterns. Some just don't seem to have a 'rhythm' that works with mine.
I am particulalry pleased with this fish tail. I hadn't intended to make a fish tail, but when I tried out that 'little scallop' pattern I thought it looked like scales... so one thing led to another and here's my pretty fish tail. I think I'll embroider it with some sequins at some point.

On the topic of embroidery, it took me all morning to embroider these beads and finish off all the loose threads (which is why it looks a little tidier now). Embroidery or sewing isn't really my thing which is why I try to pick up stitches or crochet on existing edges rather than have to sew on bits...

Here's a little ruffly coral that was knitted separately and incorporated with the rest of the shawl with a bit of creative crochet. :-)



And here's a limpet:


All in all there IS progress, but it will take time...

... mind you, I just ordered some specialist yarns (glitters, snarls, metallics and other fun stuff) in reds and pinks for the next one... this could become an addiction....

Sneak Preview - Mermaid Shawl

I've been labouring on the patio in the shade on my mermaid shawl. Here's a quick preview of what I've done so far.


There are still loads of unfinished threads and many more rows of knitting, crochet, many more stitches to embroider, a lot more assembling, and general agonising over what to do next....

However, here are some of the details:

Seaweed fringe at the bottom

Webbing


Little Shell


Spiral Disk Sequins

Shell Sequins


Snail


Anemone


I've used a whole range of yarns in a myriad of shades- from a silvery white to dark blue to every shade of turquoise and teal. The textures range from fluffy kid silk mohair to feathery to silky to glittery to sparkly. Some of the shapes are done separately and then attached to the shawl, others are knitted or crocheted onto the main body of the shawl. Some parts have been embroidered, to others I have added sequins. There are pearls and beads yet to come.

At the moment the shawl is only about a fifth of it's final length... so a lot more to go.

Spring is in the Air - More Flowers

Over the weekend I spent some time preparing more flower petals with a new template. The new template adds more detail -and makes the finished flowers look even more like rose or even a peony.


In addition to that I've started to add different materials to the original 'pure organza' designs: taffeta (red, brown and dark teal) and lurex tulle, vintage and new ribbons, marabou and guinea fowl feathers. The guinea fowl feathers come all the way from France where they're collected from a neighbour. Check out the little beadhive on Etsy. My feathers arrived within 4 days and they're the prettiest I could find, especially as these feathers have different spot patterns, some are small, some are larger, some almost look like polka dots.


I made 3 hair barrettes and one brooch (the red/pink flower - 2nd from the top). Details for each flower are below.



Cherries and Chocolate Fascinator

Almost a Black Forest gateau! :-)

This is more of a fascinator than a simple hair clip. Perfect for a night out or even instead of a hat at a wedding. The barrette the flower sits on is quite small (6cm) so the fascinator will work even in fairly short hair.

I've used organza in a soft dark chocolate brown and a cherry/burgundy red. The tulle is black and I've also used gorgeous dark brown taffeta that has a silky sheen.


The feathers are the lovely, gorgeous, fluffy and soft guinea fowl feathers from the little beadhive and a burgundy red marabou feather.


I've used some teeny guinea fowl feathers in the centre of the flower together with a shiny black button and black/bronze Miyuki beads.


Dragonfly Blues Hair Barrette

This is so pretty and lovely - the picture doesn't do it justice. The colours are vibrant and shimmery and really look like a dragonfly's wings.

I've used organza in turquoise, taffeta in a gorgeous shimmery teal, tulle in pale mint, mid blue and lurex blue.

In the centre of the flowe is a shiny square mirror button with Miyuki beads in watery green and teal blue.



Lemon Sorbet Ribbon Hair Barrette

This would make the perfect accessory for a bride or a bridesmaid. The colours are light and reminiscent of Spring with their pale yellows, creams and green.


This flower has been made with organza in antique gold, and pale cream. The tulle is cream and a pale mint green.


There's a shimmery flower button in the centre adorned with some creamy pearlescent and watery green Miyuki drop beads.


The ribbons cover the hair barrette underneath the flower. I've used a vintage lace ribbon that I've 'aged' even more with some coffee and a pale green organza ribbon. The ends of the ribbons are weighted down with freshwater pearls and more of the Miyuki beads I've used in the centre.



Raspberry Peony Brooch

I've always had a thing about the combination of red and pink. If mixed right the two work really well together, but the shades have to be exactly right or the whole thing looks garish. It's perpetually difficult to take pictures of anything that's bright red. It seems to reflect light very differently from other colours... My best efforts are below.



I've used red taffeta, organza in wine and pink, tulle in pink, red, and burgundy red. In the centre of the flower is a bright red button embellished with red Magatama beads.


The flower brooch is to go with my new Pseuda Shibori shawl from Laura Irwin's book 'Boutique Knits'. I'd highly recommend it for lovely and interesting patterns.

The hair barrettes/fascinator will all be available from my Etsy shop.