Fairy Tales and Bead Embroidery

The The Etsy Bead Embroidery Guild (EBEG) is coming up on their third Bead Fest. It's not a contest but we do choose a theme and all members are encouraged to take part and use the theme as inspiration for a project. The theme this time around is "Fairy Tales". I wasn't sure I would have time to do a project by the June 30th deadline - but rumor has it that we may extend the deadline. Yay! So I started putting together pretty beads, bits and baubles for a fairy-themed neckpiece.

The starting place for this project is a mixed media necklace that I have had in my inventory for quite a while now - "Titania's Bower". It was fashioned entirely from vintage jewelry components...

I love this piece and have been amazed that it never went to a new home! I added it to my list of pieces to re-make a while back. Titania is the Fairy Queen in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and thus a perfect choice for the challenge.

So, I pulled together a pretty bead soup full of golds, blues, pearly whites and bronze-y browns. Added in some beautiful lace and pieces of vintage gold and faux pearl jewelry. There will be bead embroidery, certainly, but this piece will also be a mixed media creation - hopefully a supremely beautiful one!

Here are some teaser shots of the bead soup and other treasures I hope to incorporate into a new piece called "There Sleeps Titania". Ooooh! I'm so excited to get started!! :)