Pinterest - Pearl and Ribbon Bracelet

I may have been the last woman on the planet to join pinterest.

Okay, that's an exaggeration I know plenty of ladies that aren't on pinterest, and to you I say: hold out as long as you can - it's addictive as hell and lands you doing projects that have nothing to do with anything you should be doing. Except maybe dinner.

I've been on it for like a week and already I've pinned like two hundred things, made baby-friendly (ie edible) poster paint, a chicken dinner that put some sort of magic spell on me with its deliciousness, and made this bracelet. What next??

The bracelet had a link that I attempted to follow and it seemed to lead nowhere, so I typed in the link shown on the picture and I still didn't find it, but going by the website I'd say there were no written instructions there anyway. So I made it up.

Here is the link to the original pinterest pin, in case anyone wants to accuse me of not giving due credit: http://pinterest.com/pin/257197828690118892/

My bead shop is so awesome I nearly bought enough glass pearls to make like ten of these, but then I caught myself and scaled it back to a healthy two or three. So only like double what I intended to buy. And this is why I don't go there very often.

As you can see I didn't go for the cream and navy look, it's lovely but not really me. I found these cool pale aqua pearls with a pinky shine to them, and found and old bit of pink ribbon in my ribbon box, and voila!

You'll have to excuse the ridiculous nails, I just see so many cool nail designs on pinterest that I felt like joining in, in the most pathetic and non artistic way possible. But they're pretty colours and some how I have had them un-chipped for over 24 hours, which in my world is a small miracle. But this gives you an idea of the size of the bracelet.

The only complication with this bracelet is the fact that you need to tie a bow to do it up, and I managed to do that, but it'd probably look better if you could con someone else to tie it up for you. I suppose you could forego this issue by making it have a normal, easy clasp, but I really liked the whole pretty bow thing. Too cute.

The other beads I've bought are lovely, some of them handpainted (by NOT ME, someone much cleverer than me), and if that one turns out well I'll sneak back to show you that one too. And if anyone needs instructions beyond looking at the pinterest thing and my pictures, just ask and I'll do a 'how to' post as well.

:D

xnata.

Beautiful Rejects

Maybe I'm a little rusty at this whole art thing. Or maybe I'm new to this 'art to order' deal and I'm still fine tuning my ear to what people are asking for.

My first attempts at a couple of jobs recently have been things that I thought were lovely and enjoyed making, but they weren't what the 'client' wanted; they didn't suit the asthetic of the project. So I thought I'd share the rejects here to allow them their own day in the sun before they get put away to gather dust on a shelf.

The first one was my first attempt at my first illustration for the second book I'm illustrating. Thinking about it now I see how it really doesn't fit the book, but perhaps it would be the sort of thing that will fit other work in the future. Or maybe I'll just write a book to fit it one day.

The next two are the second and third attempts at a logo I'm making for a fabulous new business that I'm sure I'll be advertising here on my blog one day soon, and I really like these but what we've gone for now is better. These are just first drafts of course, I wasn't going to work at logo quality before I knew I was on the right track!

I'm sure there'll be more beautiful rejects in my future, so this will probably not be the last post of this nature.

The point is I had fun drawing them.

xnata

Renata Clarke Designs - Renamed and Back in Action!

Guess what? I'm back, and with new hobbies to share and stories to tell!

So, the last time I posted on here it had a different web address and name, and it was well over a year ago! In the last year I gave birth to a handsome and cheeky little monkey who turned one a month ago, and he certainly keeps me busy and entertained!

^the Cheeky Monkey

Since I last posted I have also returned to my university studies, which is why I'll most likely post a lot in the next few weeks (I'm on break) and then become considerably less consistent in my posting for a few months until I'm on holidays once again. I have also completed my first illustrating job for the children's book of a friend of mine (which I will post about)!

Currently, I am working on my second illustrating job (for the same friend), and I've started designing logos for other blogs/facebook pages/businesses, currently working on two of those jobs, which I will also post about. I've also had some failures in these ventures, and I'll even share those with you.

So, if you've been here before take a look around and note all the changes, and if you are new here, welcome! This is going to be fun.

It's good to be back.

xnata