2012 YEAR OF THE DRAGON DECEMBER BJP PIECE

Here are a few more pix of Rhodri the little Welsh Dragon

Earlier this year we spent 2 weeks in Wales and there were red dragons everywhere so, when a friend gave me this little one, he had to be a Welsh dragon. She'd bought him at a car boot sale (like a garage sale) for 20p (very cheap) and she challenged me to bead him. I think he makes a fitting finale for 2012. Again, mostly 15s, plus a few 10s, crystal toenails and fiery eyes. I left most of his wings unbeaded as it would have made them droop too much and I like the original material anyway. I had to give him a couple of horns on his head and one on the end of his nose - the little white fangs make him look cute.

November BJP

Ha'penny Hedgehog should be tucked up warm for the winter by now. He's mostly 15 seed beads with small daggers for his front paws. The tummy button star is pure whimsy, but I liked it. I think he will eventually join Cyril the Squirrel on a woodland wallhanging.

(PS 'Ha'penny' (halfpenny) is/was a pre-decimal small denomination British coin) 

OCTOBER - Rowan the Witch's Kitten 

Thought I'd try something a bit different this month. I fell in love with my friend's adorable kitten and she is the inspiration behind my piece for the month of Hallowe'en. I've called her 'Rowan' as it's a magical tree and also a special tree in Scotland, where we've just spent a few days in brilliant sunshine enjoying the autumn colours. We've made a few trips recently and are still gadding about, so beading time has been a bit short. I managed to do her hat when we were in Wales as it poured non-stop for a couple of days! The greeny blue 'stone' was prised out of an old scarf ring. 

The real kitten is grey and fluffy and I had some grey, fluffy yarn. Her body is a monochrome scrumble - part knitting, part crochet - in a rough cat shape. I took a wire brush to it to make her even more fluffy! Her nose and paws were over-stitched afterwards with white and silver thread. I added a touch of pink acrylic paint to her nose. The real kitten's gorgeous eyes are a beautiful pale blue, but green is good for magic! I had a couple of bits of dichroic glass so I painted pupils and highlights on and stuck them on earring posts and popped them into her fur. Her whiskers were snipped off the kitchen brush! I've had the sparkly star charm for years and it was perfect for her collar. The final touch was a little book of mouse spells created out of polymer clay and painted. Hope you fall under her spell too!

Rowan, the witch's kitten

Close up of her hat - with holes for her ears!

Book of mouse spells

Watch out, Cyril the Squirrel's about!

Cyril the Squirrel - September BJP piece

Every year we get a couple of litters of squirrel kits in our chimney pots - another one due any time now!  I know they're pests and dig holes in the lawn and steal the bird nuts, but they're so cute. 

Cyril was worked entirely in 15s and the design is based on a close-up photo I took of a baby squirrel last year. I used an antique button for his eye and stuck on a high-light. His whiskers are cut from thickish nylon thread. Most of the embroidery is backstitch, but his tail and tummy are different lengths of fringing - please don't ask how many 15s I've used!

I'm still keeping to the original oval shape to present the BJP pieces but, over the last few months, I've moved away from bead pictures and have been making the animals complete in themselves. They are worked on ultrasuede, lightly padded and then backed with more ultrasuede. I've put pins on a couple of the smaller ones so they can be worn or attached to some kind of decorative backing - fabric or painting - and changed around at will. All part of the fun!

I cut the autumn leaves out of leather scraps and will perhaps draw veins on them with a pyrography pen and shade them with boot polish, but they do the job as they are for the moment.

Archie the Lizard is finished!

'Liberace' Lizard in all his glory

Sunbathing in the garden to show off his golden underbelly

Anything Sally Mander can do I can do better!

AUGUST BJP PIECE

Zoë is my August BJP piece. I belong to a beading group called 'Zebras' and we have just spent a lovely few days in the Cotswolds on a beading 'retreat'. Great company, beautiful scenery, lovely food and lots of time to indulge in our favourite hobby. The beads are mainly 15s and her eyelashes are Nymo thread stiffened with PVA glue. The piece is surrounded by wooden African beads. 

Archie has a new friend - Sally Mander!

Sally was another charity shop find. She was filled with sand and  her maker's label had been cut off.  I emptied out the sand and filled her with soft stuffing and gave her an exotic new skin - and sparkly toe nails!  She posed as my July BJP piece and has now gone to live with a very dear friend.

Archie and Sally

Sally's new skin

Progress with Archie - only his tail to finish now!

Sally Mander - July BJP piece

She's a bit of a tom-boy!

Update on Teasel Picture 

 Arrival of Greenbottle fly!