Four the Chippewa

This was the first bracelet that I made using the even peyote stitch technique. It was very frustrating and difficult and was nicknamed "the swear bracelet" due to its complexity. I was surprised that I was able to find a button that matched the colors of the bracelet so well. It was truly a gift from God.

When I did this bracelet, my goal was to incorporate my own heritage into my art for others to enjoy. The theme of this bracelet originated from the four cardinal directions.  The Chippewa Indians believed in representing these directions with different colors; white for North, yellow for East, red for West, and black for South. In the future, it would be nice to recruit some people for the purpose of coming up with more patterns, ones I can't or haven't come up with yet.

We drew names out of a hat for Christmas gifts and I picked my sister's name. So for Christmas, I chose a dark blue tone featured in this piece surrounding snowflakes in the night sky and a light icy blue glow around each individual snowflake.  

It's hard going through holidays without anyone to love and admire, so this was the next best thing. This is a Valentines Day bracelet. I suppose being alone does have its advantages after all. Who would have thought it?

Spring inspired the colors of this bracelet as I thought of the season and other warm tones.  I have come to realize, the beads being strung the way they are, always create a diagonal and geometric pattern.  At this point, I am unsure if there are any other patterns I can come up with using only eight beads across. I may very well have to enlist some help in coming up with more designs for these accessories.  Perhaps all that is left are alternations of bracelets I have already done and totally random patterns. I would need to increase the width of each piece to achieve anything else significantly different than what I have already come up with.

Continuing with my line of peyote stitch beaded jewelry, I came up with this one just when I thought I had come up with my last design.  Apparently, I had not.  This one features blues seen in the other bracelet that I had made for my sister for Christmas, but with a totally different design.

At first, I was not sure when or where I would sell these.  Then the opportunity presented itself, so here I am to inform you they will be available for purchase on Friday, April 17, 2015 at Destinations Coffee House on 1345 New Hampshire Street.