Stepping out of my comfort zone - National dolls!

Once in a while it's good to step out of one's comfort zone and try something new. With me it's mostly been wire jewelry and decoration but this time I decided to take it further and make some dolls. National dolls!

I have three of them so far, Šárka in a typical Czech costume, Stavroula in one of the Greek ones and Pryia representing India in a saree.

Let me know in the comments which other national dolls I should make!

And enjoy some more photos:

Wearing beads in winter

Today is the last official winter day, so this post isn't out of date yet :)

Our beadweaving club was asked to write an article that would encourage people to wear beaded jewelry (and other pieces) in winter.

Purple charm - a necklace full of Swarovski

This was the first piece which I sketched properly before starting to bead. I think it's to be expected that the reality will differ but I was surprised how much the necklace resembled the one on the paper (what a pity that I threw the sketch away). I was going for something elegant and luxurious and also I recently took a liking in beaded flowers with the center made of rivoli. 

Vitrail brooch

I bought these amazing big (approx. 2 cm) crystals in vitrail color and I also had a big excess of purple TOHO of various shades from another project, so it didn't take long to figure out what to do with the material. And I felt like making something smaller for a change.

Fire-polished beads were quite a clear choice to complement the sparkling design and that's it. Actually, there's not much more to write about this brooch except that it looks absolutely stunning on all kinds of coats, blazers etc.

You can check out this brooch and purchase it here: My e-shop (international), Fler (only Czech).

And here are some more photos:

Spring, please!

I'm not a big fan of winter. I hate being cold and I don't like snow unless it's in the mountains or in my garden. Therefore, this year I decided to call the spring with this little piece called the Ladybug brooch to break the monotonousness of the winter colors.

Art Nouveau coin purse

I've always admired beaded handbags and other accessories. There are so many beadwoven necklaces, cuffs, earrings...so after my first attempts to create something that wouldn't be a piece of jewelry (which I didn't even put out there in the public) it was time to make a coin purse.