Back to black!

Cuff bracelet, black with grey & white embroidery

Before when I lived in England I used to wear exclusively black clothes.  I suppose on the one hand it was almost a uniform among arty types.  But it also made deciding what to where extremely easy.  I lost the habit while living in Cyprus.  It didn't seem to suit the hot Mediterranean climate and in any case the village widows had pretty much cornered the market on black fashions, so I left them to it and the wardrobe became vastly more vivid.

Now I'm back in England black is making a return, but not exclusively.  White, cream, grey and beige are also part of the mix and today I made a new cuff bracelet to enhance my new look.  This one together with full details is now in my Etsy shop, so I'm going to have to make another one for myself.

Bonnie Boon is back!

To say I've been away longer than I imagined is putting it mildly!  But the move did happen and we're now happily established deep the heart of Shakespeare county and loving our life in England.  

My studio is smaller than I had in Cyprus, but perfectly functional and the daylight job as a painter is continuing as before.  In the evenings I'm in relaxed mode with thread, yarn, fabric, beads, needles and hooks again and I have early signs of a new wearable art collection to show.

I'm being inspired by my love of cuff bracelets.  On the left is an example of one I made way back.  It's quite wide and warm to wear which is why I think this style is most suited to colder weather.  

But I also feel I want a style of cuff bracelet I can wear any time of the year whatever the weather.  So I'm aiming for a lighter, leaner feel and a chic, cool look!  And hope you like what you see.

 

These new cuffs are hand stitched and embroidered using stranded cotton threads on even weave linen fabrics.  They will fit a variety of wrist sizes by means of a clasp which fastens at any place along the chain extension.  They have individual characteristics and embellishments which are fully shown with photos and descriptions in my Etsy shop.

Beach gems and textile jewellery

Went to the beach earlier than usual today so it was still quite cool, especially as the sun was well hidden by cloud.

Teddy was very patient while I combed the sand for interesting pebbles and wave-smoothed glass gems. At home I popped them in water and their colours gleam again like they did wet from the sea. I shall choose one or two to combine with crochet and knitting to make a necklace.

In the meantime, here's a pretty pale pastel, one of a kind piece of textile wearable art jewelry, which can be worn as a necklace or wrapped double around your wrist as a bracelet. It's hand knitted and crocheted in soft Mauve, Green, cool Pink, Peach, warm / cool Greys and pale Lemon yarn. The button-embellished flower slips through a loop to fasten, which can be worn at the back of the neck or the front. The soft beads can be moved and rearranged along the necklace to create different looks. Light to wear it measures approx 18 inches.(46 cms).

Hand knit and crochet bracelet for Spring

This morning Teddy and I went down to the beach and walked the coastal path for an hour or so. She's not too keen on walking in the hills where we normally go, but this morning both she and I seemed energised by the waves crashing on the pebbles and the winter sunshine was doing it's best to cheer us on. We could have gone on for hours .... but the thought of breakfast and studio work called us back.

I've got an overwhelming need to work with Spring in mind. The weather is still low compared with normal and the skies are grey, but I detect a slight raise in temperature as the week goes on. I finished making this hand knit and crochet bracelet today. It makes me think of fresh spring crocus flowers and the wild iris that will be blooming on our mountain quite soon.