April 27, 2016

Beachy Macrame Jewelry - Part II


Last week I showed you this beachy pile of beads and cord I've been working with, building a Starfish Collection in micro macrame (the post is here, if you missed it):


I recently received an order from Bello Modo (one of my favorite online bead stores) with some pretty new beads called Fiesta and thought they might be a nice addition to these colors.


The pinkish color looked really pretty outlining the flower shapes and for some extra punch, I filled in the diamond shapes with shimmery blue beads.  I also made some macrame earrings to match the bracelet and added starfish dangles.


The earrings were so cute, I had to make a pair in tan and turquoise, too.


The weather here has been cold and rainy and miserable, so working with these colors keeps me dreaming of sun and sandy beaches!  I'm thinking I might have to make a necklace next.  What do you think?  


If you'd like to try your hand at making micro macrame jewelry pieces like these, you'll find the bracelet pattern in the Hydrangeas Micro Macrame Bracelet Tutorial in my Etsy shop.  Both the earrings and bracelet are covered in the Hydrangeas Micro Macrame Bracelet and Earrings Class on CraftArtEdu.com if you prefer that format.  

Happy knotting!!

April 22, 2016

BEACH in Micro Macrame

Beach color palette in cord and beads.

You might remember this pile of beads and cord I pulled a few days ago (if not, there's another post here with some other bracelets I made from it), in one of my favorite colors schemes:  beach.  It has some pretty turquoise colors all the way through teal with a few bluish greens and greenish blues thrown in, as well as ecru, tan, brown and bronze.  A few howlite critters (fish and starfish) add to the fun.  

Micro macrame with beads by Sherri Stokey.

I decided I'd start a Starfish collection in these colors, adding a little starfish charm to the end of the extender chains on each of the micro macrame bracelets.  For first one, I used in two colors of turquoise cord with some ecru, and beads in brown and turquoise.  The beads on the edges have a pretty shimmery finish and really draw attention to the floral outline of the pattern (it's my Hydrangeas Pattern, if you want to try it for yourself).  I really like the summery feel of this one.

Micro macrame bracelet by Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame.

Even the back of it is pretty.

Micro macrame bracelet with starfish charm by Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame.

For the next bracelet, I wanted to tone down the palette.  I wanted really soft, understated colors so I used all tan cord with brown and turquoise beads.

Hydrangeas pattern micro macrame bracelet in tan and turquoise.

I think it turned out really pretty.

Micro macrame bracelet in tan and turquoise with starfish charm.

And of course, there's still the little starfish on the extender chain.

Beaded macrame bracelet.

I have a third macrame bracelet started in these colors, but I added in a new color (I know, shame on me - it's not in the palette!).  It's a new Toho hybrid bead (Toho beads with Czech finishes) in Fiesta.  That just sounds pretty, doesn't it!  I'll be sure to show you a photo when I've finished the piece, but for now, I'll leave you with these two.

Starfish collection micro macrame bracelets from Knot Just Macrame.

Have a great weekend!

April 14, 2016

Inspired by David Bowie - a Blog Hop Reveal

Macrame necklace with ceramic pendant and tassel.

Today is the David Bowie tribute Blog Hop being brought to you by Love My Art Jewelry and I wanted to participate, but I really struggled with this one.  The intention of the hop was to honor his memory, his boldness and his art.  I tried really hard.  I studied the lyrics to his songs and pored over hundreds of photos of him online.  I looked for a connection between the music he created and the pieces I create, and you know what I found?  Nothing.  His style is not my style.  I cannot recreate "him".  

Macrame necklace with ceramic pendant and tassel by Sherri Stokey.

And that's when it hit me!  The inspiration I found from the life and work of David Bowie was to be me, and not try to be anyone other than myself.  He was not afraid to be different from everyone else; he had his own look, his own style.

Ceramic lotus pendant by Gaea on a macrame cord.

So for today's hop, I made a piece I feel very much reflects me and my style.  I chose a handmade ceramic lotus pendant from Gaea in a soft turquoise color.  It's such a pretty piece and so serene.  I knotted a spiral macrame cord in tan from which to hang the pendant, then added a tassel I made of the same cord.  I added a little color on the wrap of the tassel and threw in some handmade jump rings to give the necklace a little detail.  This piece is everything I love and it makes me smile just to look at it.

Necklace by Sherri Stokey featuring macrame strap, artisan pendant and tassel.

I hope you will take the time to visit the other blog hop participants.  I can't wait to see what everyone else made!  You can find the links here on the Love My Art Jewelry blog.


April 12, 2016

A Hard Reset

Micro macrame bracelets by Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame.

Last week was tough.  I get depressed from time to time; I've struggled with it for years.  My "brand" of depression isn't the kind where I think of hurting myself or anything, it's more like I just don't like myself.  When I get this way, there's nothing I can do to convince myself that I'm not a bad person or that my "art" doesn't suck.  When one of "those" customers comes along at a time when I'm in one of these funks, it's a recipe for disaster and that's what happened last week.

All I wanted to do was pull the covers up over my head, shut out the world and sleep.  Avoidance is the best remedy, right?  Instead I opened every message from this customer pointing out my flaws and took them to heart.  Obsessed over them.  Questioned myself.  Couldn't sleep.  Couldn't create.

Turquoise, teal and ecru color palette with beads and cord.

Thankfully I have a small group of people to whom I can whine and complain and the remarkable thing is that they understand.  They don't think I'm crazy (even when I do) and they don't make me feel worse for having given in to the whining and complaining.  They listen and commiserate and offer advice from having been there themselves.  The best advice I got was this:  every time you get one of those negative messages, just say "thank you" (in your head) for the reminder of how you never want to be and how you never want to make someone else feel.  

Teal micro macrame bracelet by Sherri Stokey.

They also told me to take some time for myself and create just for the joy of creating.  I usually find inspiration in my beads and cord, so I pulled a soothing palette with some beautiful turquoise and teal colors with ecru and bronze and spent a few days not worrying about my upcoming classes or the tutorial I need to write.

Turquoise micro macrame bracelet by Knot Just Macrame.

Things are feeling better now.  I'm feeling my creativity return and I'm getting excited for the class I'm teaching this weekend.  And I have a new policy:  I'm no longer going to respond to negative messages.  I'm giving myself permission to ignore them and move on and I hope that doesn't make me a bad person.

Beaded macrame.


April 5, 2016

Spring is in the Air

Micro macrame bracelet in spring colors by Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame.

It's the time of year when the mornings are filled with the songs of the birds and the croaking of the frogs.  Trees are budding, grass is greening and flowers are even starting to bloom here and there.  I'm not usually much on pastel colors, but spring just seems to call for them, doesn't it?  So this year I put my own twist on a traditional spring color palette, throwing some khaki into the mix.  Much more my style.

Micro macrame bracelets in spring colors by Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame.

Soft lilac, buttery yellow and soft green combine in a most interesting way.

Micro macrame bracelet in spring tones by Knot Just Macrame.

Periwinkle and aqua.

Micro macrame bracelet in spring tones by Knot Just Macrame.

Even a bit of apricot.

Micro macrame bracelet lilac and lavender by Sherri Stokey.

The challenge for me is to use colors in unexpected ways, combinations that don't seem intuitive.  Every once in a while, it results in something fun.

Micro macrame bracelets in spring pastels by Sherri Stokey.

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