Studio Saturday Inspiration
I was thrilled to win a handcrafted charm by Cindy Gimbrone in a recent Studio Saturday giveaway. Every Saturday a member of the Art Bead Scene team talks about their studio, inspiration, and creative process and gives away a prize awarded randomly to one of the readers who comment. They also have a monthly design challenge. If you aren't a regular reader of their blog, you're missing out on something special!
A Beaded Bookmark
I thought it would be fun to create a special bookmark with Cindy's bronze Art Nouveau-style piece. I used gunmetal craft wire and a faceted navy glass bead to create a dangle, which I then attached to two pieces of chiffon (olive and burgundy) ribbon with a copper ribbon end. I added two additional pearl dangles and a little freeform embroidery to the ribbon. I like the stitching because it serves the practical purpose of keeping the two ribbons together but also makes the bookmark a little more whimsical.
An Intuitive Design?
Since Cindy's blog topic was "intuitive design" the day that I commented (and won), I thought you'd like to know that I did sketch out the basic design for this bookmark before I began. I knew I would use a ribbon and somehow anchor the pendant at the end. Those elements were in my sketch. The pearl dangles, the ribbon end, and the embroidery were all improvised, as I spread out my materials and tried to see what felt right together. For me, this is the best of both worlds—having a plan, but not feeling compelled to stick with it.