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Thursday, December 31, 2009

After all is DONE.

Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Each one has to find his peace from within, and peace, to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” Peace is one of the most common yet most eluded word in this day and time. We hear it so often that it fails to mean much to us. In fact we only remember its true essence when the pressures of life overwhelm us.

When I found out that the last challenge for the year was about peace and the winter Olympics I thought it was a great choice. I don’t know about other beaders but for me, beading gives me some peace. It may sound strange but it’s true. I find that whenever I get agitated or worried, I bead and even though it doesn’t take away the problem behind the agitation, it calms me down enough to think it through. And sincerely, I’d like to believe that other beaders experience the same thing with their craft too, if not, how else can you explain the result of the beautiful works that were created for the challenge? (or the bulk in your shops????)

On a serious note though, beads are a lot more related to peace than we really care to know. In ancient times, rulers and kings used precious stones and precious metals to achieve certain levels of calm in order to remain rational in their daily dealings. These stones were woven into amulets in jewellery forms so that they could carry them with them all the time. Yes, jewellery didn’t get invented for just accessorizing (and kings and rulers used them more than the women); they were a fancy way to wear amulets without looking ridiculous.

We all know that there is the belief that precious stones carry certain energies with them. You know, Agate inspires fidelity, strengthens eyesight and helps to relieve thirst. Blue Topaz stimulates the creative thinking process and helps us to verbalize our thoughts. Cat’s eye offers a feeling of serene happiness. It stimulates awareness and intuition, allowing the wearer to gain insight and thus find balance in the evolutions and transformations that life brings…..and the list goes on.

Whether we believe in the magical properties of materials we use in our creation or not, the joy of taking plain looking materials and creating something beautiful out of them must, to a certain level, bring a measure of contentment and hopefully peace (if only for the moment of admiring one’s work) to the creator.

I know that when I saw the theme for the challenge it made me purposely consider what peace meant to me. And just like I said in the beginning of this article, peace is something I overlook most of the time even though in my subconscious I think and want it all the time.

My daughter provided me with the idea for the piece I had submitted for the challenge. When I thought back to how she came up with the idea, I realized that to a certain extent, Mahatma Gandhi captured her insight on it beautifully “ Each one has to find his peace from within….”

So to those of you that took the challenge, may the peace you gleaned from within to inspire your creation remain with you….and for the rest of you, may peace follow and remain with you all. Happy New Year! See you at the next challenge.

Naan Pocen

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

December Challenge-Peace & Winter Olympics-Winner

We had 20 entries this time around to vote on!! The Winner is Dove of Peace by ArtBeadwork with 28% (213 Votes) of the vote!! CONGRATS!!!
To view the piece and the details, click on the image:



In order for Runner-Ups:
#2-Ray of Light - Lauralia
#3-Golden Creamy Bouquet Necklace - bead4me
#4-Tara (Goddess of Peace and Protection) - noritadesign
#5-In Heavenly Peace - HauteIceBeadwork
#6-Purple Frost Necklace - SpringColors
#7-Peace on Earth - SmadarsTreasure
#8-Serenity Cuff Bracelet - BettyStephanBeadwork
#9-When Red meets Black - BeadsAndI
#10-Snow and Ice Necklace - AngelqueCreations

Congrats to all our Beadweavers for such beautiful works of art!! Everyone has plenty of time for the next challenge - OCEAN - and entries are not due until February 5th, 2010!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season!!

Monday, December 7, 2009

December Challenge-Peace & Winter Olympics

The last challenge of 2009 is here. Appropriately enough for this time of year the theme, chosen by SmadarsTreasure and AngelqueCreations, is representative of Peace and the Winter Olympics. Twenty seed bead artists have entered the challenge this month. To best decide your vote, you can click on their shop links at the bottom of the mosaic to see larger images and the descriptions for their entries. We would also like to take this moment to wish you all a very wonderful holiday season!!

You can vote on your favorite challenge piece from the 9th through the 15th.

Etsy Beadweavers Challenge Dec 09

1. Serenity Cuff Bracelet - BettyStephanBeadwork

2. Tara (Goddess of Peace and Protection) - noritadesign

3. Dream Medallion - sagescupboard

4. Snow and Ice Necklace - AngelqueCreations

5. Peace Piece peyote cuff - randomcreative

6. Tide Pool EBWC December - JoniLynn

7. Golden Creamy Bouquet Necklace - bead4me

8. When Red meets Black - BeadsAndI

9. In Heavenly Peace - HauteIceBeadwork

10. La Donha - SilverDragon

11. Black and White Twist Necklace - MoreThanSomewhat

12. Dove of Peace - ArtBeadwork

13. Peace on Earth - SmadarsTreasure

14. Go For The Gold - carosell

15. Peace, Love, and Beautiful Hair (Clip) - adinahalperndesigns

16. Winter Necklace - AsteropeBC

17. Snowball Necklace - BeadedExtravagance

18. Purple Frost Necklace - SpringColors

19. SIOBHAN - Beaded cabochon necklace - Stellaltinaan

20. Ray of Light - Lauralia


Thank you Ann of Francesca's Fancy for making this mosaic for us!!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

First Challenge of 2010 Theme

This is a time of year that is extra busy for all of us so the next Challenge entries are not due until February 5th 2010!

The winner of the last Challenge - Melissa of grakowsky - gets to choose the next theme. And here it is:

I have been thinking about the theme. I think I'd like to be the ocean or the sea. I chose this theme because I love the water and have seen many beautiful ocean-inspired pieces of beaded jewelry before. The vastness of the ocean is awe-inspiring and has moved many artists in the past to capture a piece of its beauty. The challenge entries can draw from the imagery of the water itself, sea life, or even ocean-related activity. The challenge entrants should state what aspect of the ocean inspired their piece.


You may start your entry today and must complete and list it by midnight Etsy time, February 5, 2010! This is the first Challenge for 2010 and therefore your first opportunity to fulfill EBW membership requirements: At least once a year enter the EBW Challenge.!

Rules:
Any style, any technique with a majority of beadweaving is welcome. (Pieces submitted for the challenges should be newly-created (by you - not from a pattern) between the date the challenge theme is announced and the 5th of the month when it is due. Do not renew an existing or expired listing for the challenge.)

ONE only entry allowed per EBW Member.

The piece MUST be created between now and February 5, 2010.

See our Challenge FAQ here for all of the details on the rules of our challenges.