My name is Elizaveta Fedorenko, I live in St. Petersburg, Russia, I am 32 years - it turns out that I had almost half my life doing beadwork, though she never considered it anything more than a hobby. Since childhood I loved something tinkering with threads, ropes, and sometimes of paper.

To the dismay of my parents, I braided or tying knots all of which traveled to my hands: cords, ropes, fabric belt and fringe shawls and tablecloths - in fact, to disentangle them, always left plenty of time. Later, I learned to crochet and weave macrame that helped somehow legitimize my hobby, although I sometimes risked being caught right in the classroom with my beadwork under the desk.

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Being in the college, I discovered a quality Czech beads sold in the theater shop nearby. Compared with beads I've seen before, capable avert any creativity, it was a real treasure and I fell in love with beads without memory and stopped knitting and macrameing, and still remain faithful to His Majesty Beads. Initially, like most beginners I was weaving simple bracelets.

Even though I didn't consider them baubles I wanted more. I haven't attended any classes or courses, I was taught by my friends - the same green beading novices like me. I didn't know terminology and techniques, and reinvented a lot by myself before I bought my first serious book on beading - "The Art of Beadwork" by M. Anufrieva.

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But a real challenge was another book by Kotovs devoted to the beading techniques. A complex of methods I learned from this book enabled me to create several variations I most often use in my work. Another technique I'm fond of is square rope that is good for geometric forms.

My schoolteacher work didn't leave me much time to make complicated beadworks. When I became mother and my son grew up a bit I managed to devote more time to beading. I think it gave me opportunity to develop my skills. Another lucky chance was finding the website of bead lovers which encouraged me to learn something new, to make new friends and even to take part in the Starlight of Glass and Stone Exhibition in St. Petersburg. Three of my four works exhibited received awards in categories "Wedding Stir" and "For Beloved One".

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I've heard several times, that my works remind of St. Petersburg, my native city. Indeed, I prefer to use vague tones, at the moment shades of gray prevail in my palette. Some of my beadworks are monochrome, others follow the natural colors of the stones I use, which are not very bright either.

My beaded jewelry shapes are usually quite simple, sometimes geometric, but also smooth. One more characteristic of my stile is retro (or vintage). I don't follow the newest trends, I'd rather study some ancient or medieval ornaments. I don't copy them, of course, but they give me inspiration I need. Still, the most important source of my inspiration is just the materials I use: the shape and color of my favorite stones, the texture of beads; I prefer the smallest ones.

Maybe in time I'll try and other materials and, of course, continue to explore new techniques, but I will stay faithful to my main choice because even in frame of my favorite style I see tremendous opportunities for improvement!

My gallery on MyLovelyBeads.com

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