I am so lucky and BTW

To have found a lot of artistic friends all over the world thanks to my beading obsession 

so there are  some things to show ya at my bead table today

I got those gorgeous raku  fired dogwood flowers  some days ago from my dear friend

Dorcas Midkiff at Woundrousstrange designs

I keep them on my table and think of her every day sending her healing thoughts

 as she just now struggle with cancer treatments 

Those flowers are at the top of beauty I ever saw in ceramic art beads !!

And those horses are at my table too...got them from the lovely  Rebekah Payne at 

Tree Wings studio

We made an exchange of beads and she made the ivory one specially for me 

I love those horses and she also sent a surprise for me :)

Those gorgeous running horses  actually a new style she just made and Im the lucky

owner of the first pair !!  Thank You Rebekah  :) I do love them ALL!

And some other beauties even if not beads 

 gorgeous paper tags specially made for my line of jewelry I will sell in a  store at Ängsbacka Kursgård in Sweden 

made by Sommer at Summer Time Designs  She is making a big bunch in exchange for some of my jewelery  :)   Thank You Sommer !

So I would also like to show what was found in the kiln early this morning

I fired up higher than usual 2200 F ( 1200C)testing some new clay types

This is a VERY rustic kind of clay i got from a pottery artist friend

I like the way it turned out with this redox glaze as I like things to look 

very oooooooooold

This is a very black clay that also turned out good

looks like old iron IRL   as most of the times pictures do not do them justice

Porcelain with a wash of brass glaze  turned out a bit bone looking :)

and finally a porcelain pendant with a new matte green glaze

I wish You all a good and  creative day 

Birgitta

The ABS-Challenge February with a mix from all over the world

This months ABS-Challenge is very much about  birds

With this necklace I am designer of the week on the ABS-blog

Thank You Heather !!:)

I have tried to follow the colors of the painting  and one bird is in front

The Ceramic focal is made by me  in porcelain clay

I added some faceted stone beads and some  lampwork art beads  and the birdie

 

In this closeup You can see the beautiful lampwork bead with silver from *Davina Design*  in Italy

and the pretty polymer bird made by  *Yelenacomau*  in Australia

 and the ABS blog is in USA , 

Silk is from India 

and more beads from USA 

and stones from China 

and  Painting is made in Iran

And I live in SWEDEN

this is a very international post :)

And I do love that this obsession ! with beads and design bring us all together from all over the globe !!

 

This fantastic lampwork flower is made by *ferrarioriginalbeads*

Necklace closes with a swivel clasp in the front  and the dark shifting silk is the river flowing through the painting 

And finally the painting .....the  inspiration of the challenge

The Conference of the Birds by Habiballah

Page from a manuscript of the Mantiq al-Tayr (The Language of the Birds) of Farid al-Din `Attar

 ca. 1600; Safavid Iran (Isfahan)

Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, gold on paper

10 x 4 1/2 in. (25.4 x 11.4 cm)

Totally different

I  do make all kinds of jewelry

even if I prefer the more artful stile

but I made a more traditional necklace this week for a wedding

 

Sterling silver beads, Swarovski heart and huge pearls + smaller ones.

..(and something blue :)

big differense from what I got out of the kiln to work with this week

 sleeping beauties

 

I do know spring is on its way but I made a bunch of leaves....

 

lots of different horses as I got some requests for that

and totem owls  to talk to ...they look kind of angry ??