VICTORIAN BEAD RETREAT

THE LAST TWO DAYS
Saturday 14.7.2014 & Sunday 14.7.2014

A bit weary this morning, up a little later than the past two days, as I had no classes to teach & was up late again having fun with the girls in my cabin. We had certainly gotten along so well & firmed up our friendships.

After breakfast today I was in class again with Natalie from Peruzi https://www.facebook.com/Peruzi.net .
We were going to be taking our dried clay creations & decorate them with glazes.This was a 3 hour class & you would think painting on glaze would be fast..... hmmmmm ,not so my friends not so! LOL. First we had to sponge clean up our items, then lightly cover them with our coloured glazes,letting the glaze dry in between, before finally coating them in a gloss glaze. The gloss glaze step was optional. The steps involved certainly makes you appreciate the time & work that goes into a ceramicists work & gets you hooked :-). I am saving for a kiln. YAHHHHHH!!!!!

BLISSFULLY GLAZING

Other brilliant classes taking place in the same time frame where, "Magatama Ring' taught by Coral from Bead Weaving,https://www.facebook.com/BeadWeaving these ladies are teaching machines LOL. Pictured below left,  "Paisley Peacock Earrings" run by Terri McDonald, pictured below right.

PAISLEY PEACOCK EARRINGS
MADE BY JANELLE

MAGATAMA RING
PHOTO JACINTA DONOVAN

Another "Introduction to Filigree' from Cheri Bate took place up in the leaders cabin, https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/GemsOfOz?ref=si_shop
We had "Beaded Crystal Ball" taught by Christina Armstrong,pictured below left, along with "Tips n Tricks with Translucent Clay" from Karen Cooke,pictured below centre & right.

BEADED CRYSTAL BALL
PHOTO LINDA HARRIS

TRANSLUCENT CLAY CLASS
PHOTO ALIDA

TRANSLUCENT CLAY CLASS
PHOTO ALIDA

and last but not least for the morning sessions Pauline with her "Next Step, Sculptural Glass Bead Making".

Lunch time rolled around & I was feeling pretty relaxed after glazing away with Nat. Enjoyed a slow lunch & getting revved up for the class I was booked in a for the afternoon. A 3D bead weaving class I was very excited to be doing this class with the very lovely Yvonne Ireland. Now the class was going along splendidly & was I managing to keep up & on track, but I sadly developed a bad head & the seed beads became enemy number 1 :-(.  I have all my bits n bobs back here at home with me ready for me to complete. Its such a divine project & I will finish it soon. But in the meantime here is one my friend Seona completed. Seona has her own Business page on FB also https://www.facebook.com/SeonaMargaretDesigns

3 D SEED BEADED COMPONENTS

In the afternoon a few of the classes where full day sessions so they continued on right through to the 4.30 time slot. Such as " Tips N ricks with Translucent Clay" We also had another session of glazing for Nat's students who had created earthenware pieces. Liz Reed was running her final session of  "Bezel Set Rings" & Pauline had an "Open Torch Session " for those more proficient lamp workers.

Chez was also running her final session for "Fluer De Lis Bracelet" pictured below. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Southernbeadz/113826615305495?ref_type=bookmark

FLUER DE LIS BRACELET
PHOTO NIKKI MCPHAN

With the final set of classes finishing up for the retreat at 4.30pm the realisation of the retreat coming to an end started to dawn upon me. I was sad but also happy. Happy to be going home to see my family ( hubby & 4 children) but so sad that I would be saying goodbye to some amazing women. Thankfully I can catch up with them on FB & have those friendships continue to strengthen. Until such times Ican hang with them all again.
With all this in mind, I set off for my last dinner at the retreat with my new friends.



After dinner all of the retreaters had the fabulous opportunity to purchases more goodies with another "Mini Market" taking place. This was just genius really as some of the tutors where selling kits to their classes that had been held. Perfect as I had seen many finished projects from these classes & set off to grab kits for my girls & I to complete at home. Not to mention of course all the supplies that one had to have LOL.

BELLA BEADS

MY MINI MARKET STASH

Once I was all Mini Marketed out, I sat for a while with the very generous & super clever Sharon Hutton for the Free Beading session, Sharon guided me through learning a twisted herring bone rope using two different sized seed beads,which gives a lot of twist & definition to the rope. It was getting late & I wasn't far off wanting to hit the sack. So myself & E.K got to clearing up the big conference hall,putting tables away & giving the whole place a once over with the vaccuum. Phewwww worked up a sweat....Was rewarded with a Jersey Caramel Vodka, now there's a drink that will knock ya socks off LOL.

Time to turn in, Back to the cabin, got myself sorted to pack up in the morning. Guess What???? My cabins mates & I where up again gas bagging till 3am.
Fell asleep finally ! Only to wake up at 5.30am to this face peering in at me from the darkness of our cabin door......I was stunned & befuddled all at once! Door shuts...I flew up out of bed ready to attack, like a Ninja. Only to discover it was just Chez, looking for her travel companions. Just got the wrong room....Talk about laugh. :-).
I did actually go back to sleep till around 8ish, got up showered rushed off to breakfast. Finished up there,packed the car did the rounds for about an hour of see ya's,hugs,kisses & goodbyes before heading off home.

So there you have it, five days of fun & creating that I would highly recommend to any of you who are keen to bead/create with like minded people.
The next retreat takes place in January in Canberra http://aussiebeadingretreats.com/
If you would like to be a part of the Aussie Bead Retreats please follow the links to the web pagehttp://aussiebeadingretreats.com/ & FB Page, https://www.facebook.com/AussieBeadingRetreats

All images & projects featured here in this Blog & on the Aussie Bead Retreats site are protected by IP laws of Australia. Photo's used have been done so with the permission of those who have taken the photo's.

VICTORIAN BEAD RETREAT

Day Two: Thursday 10.07.2014

After a long night up with my roomies, I still managed an early start, up at 6.45am to be showered & organised for my first class. This is the first year I have participated as a tutor. I could hardly contain my excitement. So off I went to work off some nervous energy before breakkie, I organised the table arrangements for the morning classes, as well as setting up my own area.
Once everything was all done, I made my way to the mess hall  to enjoy a hearty breakfast starting at 8am with classes beginning at 9.

CLASS SET UP INTRODUCTION TO MICRO SCREWS & RIVETS

I had a class of 6 for my first session,with the ladies all being of varying ages & backgrounds within the world of jewellery design.

We went along very smoothly with all set projects being completed. !!!! Woohoo & yippee. ( I felt so happy & such a sense of achievement) Here I was worried I wouldn't have enough for them to do in the 3 hours. I enjoyed every moment of the class with these wonderful women.

At the same time as my class was running other classes where also being conducted both in the conference hall where I was stationed as well as in the leaders cottage & the big room at the rear of the mess hall.

BEZELLED RIVOLI EARRINGS

 

GLASS BEAD MAKING

Featured above left is a class run by Cheryl McLeod, she was teaching Bezelled Rivoli Earrings, FB page https://www.facebook.com/BeadWeaving (picture from Alida)

Featured above right (picture by Katy Chappelow) there was Lamp working taught by Pauline Delaney https://www.facebook.com/PaulineDelaneyLampworkGlassBeads

We also had Folforming run by Liz Reed of http://www.lizreedjewellery.com/ 

Flower Power Polymer clay class run by Karen Cooke photo's below. Karen to the left & Liz to the right

FLOWER POWER POLYMER CLAY

FOLD FORMING WITH LIZ REED

FOLD FORMED LEAF
PHOTO KAREN COOKE

MICRO MACRAME WITH KAT GRAY

Other classes run in the same time slot where "Micro Macrame' with Kat Gray, "Freeform Wire Bezel" with Terri McDonald, "Working with Earthenware Clay Basic" with Natalie Fletcher-Jones from Peruzi https://www.facebook.com/Peruzi.net

After the morning classes had been completed it was time for a chill & a regroup over lunch. Loads of excited chatter filled the lunch room as we all eagerly discussed what we had done, & off course who's got what next. Little squeaks of excitement & phrases such as "Oh Yah I am in that class with you" could be heard across the room.

We also had a very neat surprise waiting for us at lunch this day. Our retreat organisers had been busily creating goodies bags for all attendees. Loaded with lots of wonderful pieces from our sponsors.

GOODY BAGS RECEIVED BY RETREAT ATTENDEES 

For me after lunch I was in Natalie's  "Toggles/Connectors with Stoneware Clay" class.

I've had the privileged of  previously been taught by Nat & new it was to be a very relaxing class. Designing & sculpting into clay. The 3 hour session simply flew by. 

MID CLASS CLAYING SHOT

MY STONEWARE PIECES
SOME ARE TOGGLES THE REST ARE CABS ETC

Other classes being conducted at the same time 1.30pm till 4.30pm where "3D Beaded Components" with Yvonne Ireland pictured below left (photo Nikki McPhan) "Beaded Triangles" run by Christina Armstrong pictured below right.

We also had "Celtic Knotting" run by Sharon Hutton, a continuation of the "Lampworking" run by Pauline & continuing on from the morning also was "Freeform Wire Bezel" with Terri. Val Spencer-Sun was teaching "Viking Weave with Pearl or Crystals", Liz Reed had started her sessions of "Bezel Set Rings" and Karen was finishing up her all day session with  "Flower Power Polymer Clay"

3D BEADED COMPONENT

SEONA WITH HER
COMPLETED BEADED TRIANGLES
WHICH BECAME EARRINGS

I decided that having a bit of free time between 4.30pm & 6pm (dinner) I would take a wander around the campus to see other classes as they where packing up. The girls in lamp working had been super productive after their session with Pauline. A stroll up the hill to Liz Reed's class where the ladies had been creating bezel set gemstone rings.....soooo delicious. It was the perfect time to catch up & look at all that had been created during class as everyone was relaxed and keen to show off there achievements.

Honestly there was so much creative energy the place was buzzing.

For the evening the retreat organisers had a wonderful themed party planned after dinner, so before we went off to dinner everyone retreated back to their cabins to get all dress up in the theme "Peace,Love Beads'

We were treated to a night of fun & frivolity by first picking a hippy flower from the bag & sitting at the relevant table. This was to encourage us all to sit with new peeps.We also had a  trivia section, a handbag scavenger hunt, best dressed comp & after party karaoke. UH HUH yeap! I did get up and sing a long with a big bunch off girls.......We ROCKED IT teeheeee cough, cough, LOL

Now for a bunch of happy snaps from the night.

ALL DRESSED UP READY TO PARTY

GROOVY SISTERS

WAY OUT MAN!

SOME SILLY TABLE ANTICS

FINALISTS IN THE BEST DRESSED COMP

To be a part of these fabulous retreats simply visit the Retreat website

 http://aussiebeadingretreats.com/

or visit their FB page https://www.facebook.com/AussieBeadingRetreats

A Dragon is Born

As part of my growing love for Polymer Clay I occasionally pluck up the courage to sculpt.

It is an extremely rewarding process that you find your self totally immersed within.

It is even more rewarding when the piece you have created finds a kindred spirit and is given a new home.

This is a brief over view of how Askook the Dragon was created.

First I chose a pendant to which the creature will live, I love a reasonably deep dish pendant not too large that the creature can rest in and fill a majority of the space.

I then go about conditioning my clay and creating a desirable creature colour, in this case it was a greyish green.

I then create a long snake with a fatter end and a thinner tail like end.

I create the head and then proceed to position him within the pendant.

http://www.trinitybrassco.com/F489-AS.html

I had decided prior to making Askook that he would need to be a protector of something and also it helps to fill the space and add and extra element of interest to the pendant.

I have used in this piece a Glass Cabochon called " Dragons Breath"

From here I begin to create features within the body & face to bring the piece to life and give Askook some personality. This takes on a life of its own and you never know what you will personality you will uncover until you begin.

Here you see I have chosen a crystal eye close to the colour of the stone he protecting

Here you can see I have added a horn like ear, a Glass Leaf to act as his wings and some hollow spots to hold the wing in position. I continue on in this manner adding more spots to give him much more of a reptilian style. 

I then created a mix of liquid clay and mica powder to which I poured in to all of the creavices to create a feeling of him being fossilised  This also helps the entire piece stay adhered to the pendant base.

Askook then under went the required baking procedure for Polymer clay. Once he was cooled i applied a new product called swellegant developed by Christie Friessen.

http://store.cforiginals.net/swmecoco.html

This gave Askook a much more life like feel.

Finished product above, living happily with his new owner.