The Color of Dreams Blog Hop :: Reveal !


((Feel free to skip the tl;dr bullshit and go right to the pretty. I won’t blame ya.))

Dreams are a bit of a… slippery subject for me, to be honest. I’ve struggled with self-esteem issues all my life, and am still struggling with them now. I will probably be struggling with them all my life.

Every time I have reached out for my dreams, I have failed. Sometimes a little harder than other times. It just seems that whatever I do is never good enough, and I’ll never go anywhere. It’s easy to wonder ‘why me’ and go down that slippery slope, so I try to do my best not to go there at all.

I think my dreams right now are simple – I want to be happy. Yet that seems just as unattainable as the rest of them. Maybe one day I’ll get there.

Maybe.

This piece came about really quickly and basically on it’s own. The cameo was tinted from blue to purple with the help of Lisa’s lovely color me this line, allowing me to tint the cameo without losing too much details or staining the white. The cameo is also a reference to my mother, who has left us seven years ago now. She loved cameos very much. The bead I have gotten as part of the blog hop sits nestled safely in it’s little frame, surrounded by flowers. I think that’s what I want. I want to feel safe, surrounded by things that I love.

The frame and the back plate was first darkened then built up in a very subtle patina. It’s a hard to see on the photo, but in real life it’s quite visible.

The leaves are brass stampings that I painted with lumiere paints then sealed. And the flowers, as easily seen here, are inverted bead caps with the inside painted, wired with spectra glass beads. I’ve always thought these little bead caps looked like flowers. I think I’ve used them more as flowers than as their actual purpose !
This piece is also my entry for B’Sue April challenge, a pop of color. So don’t get confused if you see it floating around a bit !
Thanks for visiting me. Please go take a look at everyone else as well~
Honorary Artist: Patricia Handschuh
Patricia’s blog:            The Color of Dreams        
Patricias Etsy:             The Color of Dreams

Hostess: TJ                Jewel School Friends
Kay Thomerson           KayzKreationz
Audrey Belanger          Toki No Hourousha 
<=== You are here
Alicia Marinache          All the Pretty Things
Terry Carter                TappingFlamingo
Lori Schneider             Bead Addict
Jenny Kyrlach             Wonder and Whimsy
Asri Wahyuingsih         Asri’s Beadwork
Dini Bruinsma              Angaza by Changes
Karla Morgan              Texas Pepper Jams
Debbie Rasmussen        A Little of This, A Little of That
Veralynne Malone          Designed by Vera
Kathy Stemke               Vintage Memories Jewelry Design
Mowse Doyle               Mowse Made This
Heather Richter             Desert Jewelry Designs
Lori Poppe                   Adventures in Creativity with LorilliJean

Jayne Capps                Mama’s Got To Doodle
Andrea Glick                Zenith Jade Creations
Kathleen Breeding         99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall
Becky Pancake             Becky Pancake Bead Designs
Karin Martinez              Fairies Market
Miranda Ackerley          Mirandack

Penny Houghton           Smelly Nelly
Carolyn Lawson           Carolyn’s Creations
Chris Eisenberg            Wanderware
Christie Murrow          Charis Designs Jewelry
Monique Urquhart        A Half-Baked Notion
Eve Shelby                  Raindrop Creations Jewelry by Evelyn
Cryss Thain                 Here Bead Dragons
Jasvanti Patel               Jewelry By Jasvanti
Nan Smith                   NanMade Handmade Jewelry
Sue Kennedy               SueBeads
Jean Yates                   Snap Out of It, Jean! There’s Beading to be Done!
Debbie Rogers             Debbies Treasures
Marybeth Rich             A Few Words From Within the Pines
Shirley Moore              Beads and Bread
Shaia Williams             Shaiha’s Ramblings
Kathy Lindemer           Bay Moon Design
Linda Anderson           From the Bead Board
Judy Turner               Silver Rains
Gloria Allen                Gloria Allen Designs
Regina Wood              Ginas-Design
Robin Reed                Artistry HCBD
Mary Goovars            MLH Jewelry Designs
Marlene Cupo             Amazing Designs
CJ Bauschka              4 His Glory Creations
Robin Showstack        The Crazy Bead Hoarder
Cynthia O’Toole          Sparkles and Sweets

Jael Thorp                 Jael’s Art Jewels
Renetha Stanziano      Lamplight Crafts

 


32 Responses to “The Color of Dreams Blog Hop :: Reveal !”

  1. Your necklace is interesting and unique which leads me to believe that you are also interesting and unique. I love the fact that it's so rich in detail and full of STORY.

    Hold on to your dreams…you never know when they will blossom. I was single for almost 30 years after a divorce…then I met my prince charming. He came out of nowhere! Remember, "The Best is yet to come!"

  2. That's a great way to use your bead. It's the "reaching out" that is the important part; you can't fail if you do that. Maybe change the way you view success?

  3. What a lovely necklace–thank you for sharing! And thank you, too, for sharing something so personal… I certainly wish you all the best as you reach for happiness!

  4. What a lovely and lyrical creation, Audrey… I love how you have placed Patricia's bead inside its own little nest, protected from harm 🙂 I hope your dreams do come true. Sometimes it is difficult to find the right thing to dream about, isn't it?

  5. Audrey I hope you find the peace and contentment that you seek. Your piece is lovely. I got the same bead as you and yet our creations are very different.

  6. This is a great piece! I hope you don't let failures so you from going after your dreams. One day the right dream will come true!
    MirandAck.com

  7. Lovely concept, Audrey – and a gorgeous piece! I am sure you'll achieve your dreams, like Monique mentioned: once you find the right dream to focus on, everything will fall in place by their own accord.

  8. What a beautiful and unique design! I love how your dreams are held safe by the metal components. So protected yet allowed to shine.

  9. I just *had* to look up "Toki No Hourousha" and found out it was from a FF game! HOW AWESOME! I can't believe I didn't recognize that right off the bat. I'm a big Final Fantasy fan. 🙂 My favorites are FFX & FFX-2. And I loved FFVII. Enough of that!

    I love your necklace! It's lovely. My condolences about the loss of your Mother. :'(

    But the sentiments are absolutely beautiful. I really like how you encased the cameo and polymer bead. 🙂 And I use those bead caps as flowers, too!

    I'm sorry your dreams seem fleeting. I felt the same way for many many years. Feel free to drop me a note if you ever get the urge! zenithjade@yahoo.com . (You can also find me on facebook- Andrea Glick). 🙂

    <3,
    Andrea

  10. If you ever dreamed about creating unique and interesting jewelry then one dream came true. I really like how you incorporated so many unique beads/findings. I love the butterfly and what you did with your orphan bead. It's in a world of its own.

  11. I love your floral and cameo creation. You really put your heart into it which is an amazing talent. Many of us feel but have difficulty expressing it in our art. I admire your skill and wish you happy fulfillment of your dreams.

  12. Absolutley gorgeous piece, I would so love to wear this. You have showcased the bead extremely well and captured the meaning of all the elements. You are very talented and have created a wonderful piece of jewelery.

  13. Your piece is incredible!! Full of mystical beauty! I love how you worked the cameo and made such a beautiful place for your pillow bead to rest.

  14. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous Audrey! You may feel unworthy but wow! look again — oh so worthy!!! Be happy, you created a beautiful piece of jewelry full of color & a feeling of peacefulness!

  15. Audrey, this is brilliant, beautiful jewelry! I love the sweet bead wrapped in love & safety — the flower dangles & frame are so graceful around the sweet little bead, like a ballet dancer's arms gently embracing it! What a dream! I wish you felt as good as this art is stunning! Such a gift to us all, and so full of talent and knowledge and wow! I love the innovative way you've used Lisa's patina, and the whimsical wire curls from the flowers. The colors and metal work is lovely! And so are you! I've admired you for so long — since we met in Lori's pink hair group, lol 🙂 Sometimes it is hard to see how amazing we are from inside; my dream for you is all the happiness you wish for come true! You are a magical artist!
    Thank you for sharing your gifts and this gorgeous work of art with us!
    Love, Rita

  16. What a pretty piece of jewelry. I really like the way you colored the metal to match your bead. I hope your dream of being happy comes to fruition for you.

  17. Imagine… a person receives ONE beautiful bead and designs such a special necklace 'around' it. Amazing! May your dream come true, and be ♥happy. Wishing you all the best! I started following you 😉

  18. This is fantastic. Combining the colors, textures and techniques in such a unique way makes for a pretty amazing piece of jewelry. Please don't sell yourself short! Christie

  19. Audrey, Here is the Link to our Glossi for the blog hop! I have been making everyone's jewelry page as I commented on each blog post, and I'm really new at it! I had your name & link set up in two places with the wrong photo. I think I'lll have to do a lot more editing this week on the Glossi before it is completed & as good as can be 🙂 Here it is my love! xxoo http://glossi.com/ToltecJewels/114077-the-color-of-dreams-blog-hop?eb=ToltecJewels

  20. I have to say these designs are some of my favorites out of all the blogs I have visited so far and I have been through a bunch of them…I love the colors, the rustic charm of some of the pieces, and the whimsical,fantasy bohemian feel the different pieces have they are all beautiful

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