Dancing Lady

This is my entry into Bead Dreams 2007, you can view it at the Bead & Button website.

I used Aiko hex and regular shaped seed beads along with Swarovski pearls and crystals in this design. Aiko seed beads are made by the Toho Co. LTD.. The Toho Aiko cylinder beads are 99% perfect. I very rarely have to spend time culling through the beads. I use Aiko cylinder beads exclusively. Bobby Bead is a great source for buying Aiko beads. Please do not confuse the Aiko with the Toho Treasures which are made by Toho but are not as perfect. Treasures are similar to the Miyuki brand Delica beads.

Another great source for buying Aiko beads is Dichroic Beads by Kawahara. Jamie has coated the Aiko beads in a Dichroic coating that is unbelievably beautiful. I have used these beads in many designs and still continue to use them today with my new work. The Dichroic Aiko beads come in Red, Orange, Yellow, Light Green, Emerald and Blue. I used the blue Aiko's in my design called "Blue Sky as Ocean's Blue".

The color palette below.

Les Perles de Frany

Frany is a French beadweaving artist that creates amazing designs with beads. When I saw her recent creation " Franenette the Frog " I knew I had make a color palette from it. View the wonderful shades of purple found in her beaded creation.

Elizabeth Johnson

Elizabeth Johnson is a glass artist who makes wonderful realistic fruit. Her designs can be seen at "Mostly Glass Gallery". Click on her name to view her work.



I used the colors of the Cherries and Gooseberries for my palette. I like the combination of reds and golds with the green as the contrast color.

For the pallette below I stayed with the deep reds and deep blue purple shades.

Joie de Vivre

Kimberly Applegate is a painter. She paints chairs. No, I do not mean she physically paints chairs but she creates painting with chairs as the theme. The painting above is named "Dream in color (part IV)". I made a color palette from this painting. I loved the greens and blues mixed together.



The next painting is also of part of the "Dream in Color (part III)" series. The bright yellows, blues and greens called out to me.

Country French Antiques

I ran across this wonderful blog filled with photos of France and French antiques. The blog's owner Shawn is an antique dealer but she would prefer the word "guardian" over "dealer". I took the "Guardian" picture off of her blog and made a color palette from it. I love this sculpture very much. The entire blog is a delight, I enjoyed reading and viewing the pictures very much. This blog is a real treat.

Shawn's website inventories include antique furniture, architectural elements and other items from the 17th century through the Brocante of the 20th century.

Saturn Press

Sunflowers- Work from the Arts & Crafts movement syle. From a design by Willian de Morgan 1885, Great Britain.



This design is based from matchcovers, an advertising tool used in the 1920- 1950's.



Vaszary Kittens- Work from the Arts & Crafts movement style. From Janos Vaszary Kittens are based on a tapestry woven by Sarolta Kovalszky in Hungray in 1901.



Work from the Arts & Crafts style movement. Tree & Swallow was designed by CFA Voysey in 1857- 1941 in Great Britain.


Jane Goodrich and James Van Pernis partnered up with their talents to start Saturn Press Printing company. First setting up in Jane's garage they later designed and constructed a larger shop to move into. Saturn Press is located on Swan's Island a remote island located six miles from Bass Harbor Maine. Isolated from the world but not stopped from progress, Jane and James have crafted a line of greeting cards that uses orginally designed artwork published anywhere from 1870 and 1930. They print one color at a time with a letterpress, a method of pressing paper between two metal plates with pressure.

They do not have a website but you can find their greeting cards at Cronin & Company under Saturn Press. For more information on Saturn Press or request a catalog contact: Saturn Press, 463 Atlantic Road, PO Box 368, Swan's Island ME 04685. Phone: 207-526-4000