A Time To Stitch 8

Hello and welcome!

Today is the reveal date for A Time To Stitch 8 blog hop, hosted by wonderful Therese and Christine. Thank you ladies for organising this event. And the theme is 'What's your bag?'

My bag is an amulet bag. Let me introduce you to Floral Grace. The most beautiful amulet bag I've found. I have made it from a kit. I think it is so practical to find all the beads, the pattern, and all of the materials in just one place that I couldn't resist to order it from Jencel, an online bead shop from the UK. It is a Sheila Davies design. 

For those not familiar with the meaning of an amulet bag, I'll explain. 

Amulet bags are originated with the Native American tribes and they are generally worn at heart level. In ancient times, they were used by Native tribes to carry herbs or things to ward off evil spirits. They were also used to carry prayers for loved ones. If you have a family member or a friend who is going through a tough time, you can put prayers in it for them. Also, if you have small gifts that others have given you, you can put those in the bag. Gifts of love are thought to hold the energy of love for the recipient of the gift.

Today, most people wear amulet bags as jewellery, like I do. Amulet bags can be made in any stitch you want, one bead at a time. Mine is made in netted stitch and it lacks the usual fringe. I've made a change to the decoration and the strap was done in a more solid daisy chain.

I've used everything from the kit except for the Nymo thread. It had a beautiful light blue colour but since I've discovered the advantages of Fireline I don't use any other thread.

There is a lot to see and admire in this blog hop. So here's the list of participants. Enjoy!

Therese

Christine

Jenny

Bobbie

Ana (you're here)

Amy

Cynthia

Karin S

Maryanne

Liz

Lori

Paula

Jasvanti

Dagi

Kim

Kepi

Samantha

Alicia

Motidana

Becky

Sources:
http://sacreddreamsbeadyblog.blogspot.pt/2009/08/what-is-amulet-bag.html
http://www.victoriancrochet.com/tipstricks.tpl?cart#What%20is%20an%20Amulet%20Bag?

Etsy again / Etsy de novo

Pela terceira vez, tive uma peça incluída num Tesouro. Desta feita, a curadora foi Nan Smith do blogue WiredNan. Algum dos meus leitores tem loja no Etsy? Qual o seu nome? A minha chama-se ACBeadsJewellery. 

For the 3rd time, a piece of mine was included in a Treasury. Nan Smith from WiredNan blog curated some of the bracelets she loves in Etsy. Does anyone from my readers have an Etsy shop? What's its name? Mine is called ACBeadsJewellery. 


By clicking on the image, you will be able to see the Bracelets I Love Treasury in Etsy.

PS: This is an edited post. I've removed the link to the CraftCult website as the whole treasury took so long to display.

My Country Blog Hop

8th Bead Soup Blog Party post
A Time to Stitch 5 post

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Today is the reveal for My Country Blog Hop, an international event hosted by Canadian Nan Smith. A big thank you to Nan.

A bit about myself. My name is Ana Cravidao and I am from Portugal, a country in Southwestern Europe. In general, Portugal is associated with sunshine, beaches and good wine.

(click on any photo to enlarge)

Less known aspects are the old architecture, the tile making art and the pavements made with black and white limestone.

Tile making is a traditional art here in Portugal. It was introduced by the Arab peoples many centuries ago in the Iberian Peninsula. Their intricate designs were of the utmost beauty.

Tile work has evolved. From geometric motifs where the blue colour was generally used, nowadays any colours and motifs, or no motifs at all, can be used.

Traditional tilework

old artistic tile work 

traditional tile work

artistic tile work

artistic tile work

My fascination with the elaborate geometric motifs in the Arab tiles as led me to choose, or should I say, to 'borrow' the Persian tile pattern from Marcie Abney.

I had planned to make a bracelet with several 'tiles' connected by wire links but I must confess that I ran out of time. I ended up with one 'tile' that I've attached to a silver plated trace chain. I hope you like it.

I look forward to seeing everybody's creations in this blog hop. Be ready to be amazed because there are great artists participating. 

Nan Smith - the hostess (Canada) http://nanmade.blogspot.ca

Ana (Portugal)                            http://acbeads.blogspot.pt   <--- you are here

Rita (Mexico)                              http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com

Dini (The Nederlands)                 http://angazabychanges.blogspot.nl

Robin Reed (Indiana, USA)         http://willowdragon.blogspot.com

Lilik Kristina (Indonesia)             http://pcbylik.blogspot.com

Karen Mitchell (South Australia)   www.overthemoon-design.com

Melissa Trudinger (Australia)       http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com

Johana Nunez (Puerto Rico)       http://artincendi.com

Kepi (Alberta, Canada)               http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.ca

Deb Fortin  (Ontario, Canada)     http://studiok24.blogspot.ca

Divya  (India)                             http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com

Tammy Adams (Arizona, USA)  http://paisleylizard.com

Baizoran (Bulgaria)                    http://bairozan.blogspot.com

Carolyn (Calif.&Pacific Northwest,USA) http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com

Linda A.(Washington DC, USA) http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com

Inge Van Roos (California, USA) http://ingetraud.wordpress.com

Natalie (New Zealand )               http://www.northshoredays.com

Lori Schneider ( )                       http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com 

Mary Harding (New York, USA) http://maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com

Bouchra Rebai (Algeria)              http://bouchrarebai.wordpress.com

Michelle McCarthy (Florida, USA) http://Fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com

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Photo credits:

1,4 Município de Setúbal - Galeria de imagens

2  Praia da Califórnia (Sesimbra) 

3  Port wine

6  Avenida Luísa Todi, Setúbal

7  Mekhnes Place El-Hedine Mosaique3

8,9,12  Viúva Lamego

11  Carlos Botelho, Painel de azulejos, Av.Infante Santo, Lisboa

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A Time To Stitch 4

Hi everybody! Welcome to my blog. Today is the reveal day for A Time To Stitch 4, a blog hop hosted by Therese Frank and Christine Altmiller. This is my first participation in this bead-weaving challenge.

In this edition, the 4th, everybody does net stitch which must be used in one of the pieces. The other stitches than can be used are spiral rope, chevron stitch and chenille stitch.

Besides netting stitch, I have chosen spiral rope. Here are my pieces. Click on any photo to enlarge.

This is a cuff bracelet made using net stitch. The seed beads are a bit irregular and this stitch demands a certain uniformity in beads, nevertheless I like the end result.

This is a bracelet made in net stitch with a picot. I love its amethyst colour. It's my favourite of all the pieces I've made.

A netted collar made with seed beads and faceted beads using vertical netting stitch and a picot. I was inspired by Ukranian and Russian beadwork designs where this kind of netting is often used.

For the second stitch, I have chosen spiral rope.

A bracelet using 5mm white pearls, 11/0 and 15/0 seed beads in grey colours.

Thank you lovely ladies, Therese and Christine, for creating and organising this event. I have learned a lot. Please tell me which your favourite piece is. I really look forward to see what the other participants have created and the stitches they have chosen. The list for the blog hop is the following:

Hostesses:

1. Therese Frank          http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com
2. Christine Altmiller      http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com

Participants:

1. Amy Severino           http://amybeads.blogspot.com
2. Janet Bocciardi         http://www.honeyfromthebee.com/
3. Cynthia Machata       http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com
4. Alicia Marinache        http://www.allprettythings.ca
5. Paula Kramer            http://cavecreekbeads.blogspot.com
6. Kim Hora                  http://www.kimmykats.com
7. Dagi (Kokopelli)         http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com
8. Maryanne Gross        http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com
9. Liz E                         http://beadcontagion.blogspot.com
10. Sally Russick             http://thestudiosublime.com/
11. Becky Pancake          http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com
12. Jasvanti Patel            http://jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com
13. Karin Slaton               http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com
14. Alenka Obid               http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com/
15. Sarah Sequins            http://www.saturdaysequins.com/
16. Tanya Goodwin          http://pixiloo.blogspot.com
17. Debbie Rasmussen     http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com
18. Shirley Moore             http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com/
19. Crystie Willard            http://thebeadingstylist.blogspot.com
20. Nelly May                   www.smellynelly.blogspot.com
21. Ana Cravidao              http://acbeads.blogspot.com <-------- You are here

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Hoje é o dia do evento A Time To Stitch 4 organizado por Therese Frank and Christine Altmiller em que os blogues participantes mostram o que fizeram com os dois pontos usados nos trabalhos com missangas - o ponto de rede (netting stitch) e o cordão em espiral (spiral rope). 

Fiz quatro peças: três em ponto de rede e uma em cordão que podem ver nas fotos acima. Qual é a vossa peça preferida?

A lista inclui todos os participantes no evento que publicam hoje, dia 15 de Janeiro, as suas criações. Disfrutem. 

Em destaque / Featured

O blogue português THE BASIC Style, escrito e muito bem ilustrado por Raquel Marto, destacou uma das minhas pulseiras a usar como acessório para o look Tigresse e Azul Escuro. Muito obrigada, é bom saber que o nosso trabalho é apreciado.

Portuguese fashion designer and blogger Raquel Marto, in her blog THE BASIC style, has featured my handmade bracelet in a look for Autumn. You can see Animal Print and Dark Blue set here. Thank you very much, it's good to know that our work is recognised.