Another photo of my beaded lamp. This time at night, with the light on. My DH took this photo with a longer exposure. I particularly like the way the light reflects onto the glass topped table.

Exhibition pieces

The past couple of weeks have been frantically busy and I haven't really had time to concentrate on blogging, especially as I needed to take photos as well. These are the three pieces I entered into the BSV Melbourne Showcase 2009. As you will see I have had a bit of a triangle obsession this year.
The lamp started life as a purely decorative piece, but then morphed into a lamp with help from my electronically savvy DH.
The black and gold necklace followed on from the black and silver cuff which I made some time ago.
Then the silver necklace came from some further experimentation with triangles.

Laura McCabe Class - UBB

It has taken just over a week, but I did it! I finished my Laura McCabe class project - The Ultimate Beaded Bead! It was a bit hard on the eyes and caused many curses when things went awry, but I was determined. Now I am thinking of the best kind of necklace to make for it to hang from. I am using a black ribbon choker but it is a bit too short. I might have to buy MORE BEADS to do it justice. Thinking of a spiral rope to complement the colours.

TEXTILE FIBRE FORUM MAGAZINE

Twenty years ago, when I was working in machine embroidery and textiles, I subscribed to a fascinating magazine called Textile Fibre Forum. This Australian magazine has always had a load of wonderful articles on the many and varied textile crafts and artists who produce them. Each issue has provided eye candy and inspiration and although my subscription has occasionally lapsed, I have always been drawn back in eventually.
Now the magazine is celebrating its 20th Birthday with a subscription drive which encourages subscribers to promote the magazine on their blogs and also to talk to their friends about subscribing. At AUD$38.50 for four issues it is not expensive as magazines go today and provides insight into the Australian Textile community.
Another advantage for Australian readers is the Subscribers Only newsletter which carries advance notice of the textile FORUMs which we all avidly look forward to every year.
Imagine a whole week's residential workshop with the artist of your choice, together with a large group of like minded folks all talking, making, eating and drinking together and producing wonderful work. If you have ever been to the Geelong FORUM or to Orange, you will know what I mean.
I am currently looking forward to attending the FibresBallarat Forum in April next year and to attending classes with Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud who are coming to Australia to teach at Ballarat and Orange.
May I suggest you subscribe to Textile Fibre Forum and become a member of the Australian Forum for Textile Arts and help this wonderful magazine survive the GFC.
The website is www.ggcreations.com.au/tafta/ for more information.

BSV Melbourne Bead Challenge 2009

Now that the Melbourne Bead Expo is over and the Bead Challenge 2009 has been finalised I can reveal which ones were my entries. Although I wasn't all that inspired by the beads initially, once I started on my first entry, I found that I kept having different ideas. So I had to make two.

Melbourne Bead Expo

If you are wondering where I have been over the past couple of weeks, then my only explanation is the amount of work that it takes to put on the Melbourne Bead Expo has used all my free time lately. The BSV Committee work very hard to ensure that the Expo is a great venue to buy MORE BEADS.

Thursday was set up day and everything went relatively smoothly seeing there were some 60 exhibitors to get set up and organised as well as the Member's Bead Exhibition and the Bead Challenge 2009 to be set up. If you can get to the Camberwell Centre this weekend you will be in for a feast of wonderful beading.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend a class with Laura McCabe who is out here from the USA. She is a very inspiring teacher and a lovely person too. Thoroughly enjoyed the class.

No photos unfortunately but they will come in the next few days.