What's Old is New Again! - Swimming the Devonian Seas!

As a Design Partner for Artbeads.com I am taking part in their latest blogging challenge, where we were asked to draw inspiration from the past. The only requirement for this design challenge was that we incorporate an 'old' item and add modern elements to make it 'New Again'. Well, I decided to go with really old as in ancient and extinct old!

I had bought this beautiful pendant of an Ammonite encased in sturdy sterling silver during my recent trip to Sri Lanka, and thought it would serve as a great center piece for this challenge.

Swimming the Devonian Seas!

Ammonites are extinct mollusks, related to modern day squids and octopuses. They were abundant in the Devonian seas some 400 million years ago. Then, as with the dinosaurs they became extinct some 65 million years ago. The familiar spiral pattern is seen when the Ammonite fossil is cut lengthwise in half and polished to be used in jewelry. Gem quality Ammonite fossils are often iridescent. The name Ammonite is derived from the spiral shaped ram's horn associated with the Egyptian God Ammon or Amun. The soft-bodied animal lived in the outer larger chambers of the shell, while the older smaller chambers, which as it outgrew them, were walled off and filled with gas to provide buoyency for movement in the ocean.

Ammonite fossils are quite abundant in Europe, Canada, and found also in Madagascar and even in Nepal. The are valuable to geologists as 'index fossils' as they help date the rock layers in which they are found. They are also known as 'snake stones' or serpent stones' as medieval Europeans thought they were coiled snakes. In Nepal, they are sacred and worshipped as a manifestation of the Hindu God Vishnu.

This ancient creature, is swimming in a sea of Swarovski Crystallized Elements, teeming with life. I have tried to capture the abundance and iridescence that is found in deep ocean waters with four strands of Montana Sapphire bicone crystals, some peacock blue freshwater pearls and sterling silver rondelles. Two large Bronzite rondelles, so similar in color to the fossil pendant, marks the sea-land boundary, and then more Swarovski Smoke Topaz bicones and Swarovski Copper Pearls. Since there was so much going on in the front of the necklace, I was looking for a simple closure and found this perfect hook and eye clasp in shiny sterling silver.

So what do you think?

A word about Artbeads.com, it is amazing the selection of quality beads and supplies that they carry, so much so, that any design idea can materialize with the variety available to be purchased. I have been a customer of Artbeads.com since 2004, and highly recommend the store for both their varied selection and excellent customer service.

Disclosure: Some of the beads described above I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com.

I have been asked to use/review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.

Winter Enchantment!

This month Artbeads.com presented a challenge to its design partners and the theme was Winter Enchantment. Living in Florida, I used my imagination to conjure up a picture just like the one below of Maria Grimes' backyard after a snowfall in California! Did you know that this winter, Florida was the only state in the union that did not have snow on the ground? 

I guess I could have worked with a Florida winter theme, but no, I had to have snow... 

Photo Courtesy of Maria Grimes

So picture a white landscape, 

snow on the ground, 

misty morning and black tree trunks... 

and here is my idea of Winter Enchantment!

I consider these challenges as great opportunities to play with materials and supplies that I do not usually work with, in this case Organza Ribbon and the Resin Pendant by Taina Hartman. Artbeads.com carries a wide selection of her whimsical and colorful charms and pendants. 

The necklace is made of three strands, one of gunmetal chain, one of white Keshi Pearls, and one of white Organza Ribbon. I must admit that I had a difficult time with the Organza Ribbon, you can see the results of my rough handling with some thread separation in the ribbon. I need to be more gentle and need more practice...

Along one side the gun metal chain, some Swarovski Crystallized Elements hang, as icicles on a tree branch...brrr! I used Xilion Bicones in Crystal Ab, Crystal Silver Shade and Black Diamond colors. To hang the pendant on the ribbon, I chose a fan-shaped gunmetal-plated Pewter bail and for closure the clasp was a star-shaped gunmetal-plated toggle. With the rising price of precious metal, these base metal clasps make the perfect alternative, both stylish and inexpensive.

I also got myself a length of Silver Organza Ribbon, but decided to save it for another project.. it is a beautiful silver with a hint of pink. I also picked up a strand of some Crystal yarn, but failed miserably in trying to use it in my design. So if anyone has some hints on how I can use this yarn, or tell me of how they have used it, I could certainly use the help.

Silver Organza Ribbon and Cotton Crystal Yarn

Disclosure: Some of the beads described above I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com.

I have been asked to review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.

Colors of Fall - II - Pink, Purple and Green

Back in October, I posted the first of my designs for the Artbeads.com Colors of Fall design assignment  since then fall has left us and yes, its winter now, but somehow I could not get this piece together until this weekend. I hope you like the results. The colors I chose were inspired by Pantone's Woodbine colors by Peter Som.

I have not used much silk or fibers in my jewelry and I wanted very much to add some silk into this design. I started with a Blacklip Shell Rectangle Pendant, from Lillypilly, with a beautiful green and purple swirling wavy design. Lillypilly makes these gorgeous intricately etched shell pendants in a variety of shapes and sizes, beautifully colored and lightweight. Some of the smaller sized pendants make great earrings.

I made the bail for this pendant from Czech glass fire-polished rondelles of Peridot and Amethyst swirls. The beaded necklace was a mix green freshwater pearls mixed with larger Tourmaline Green and Purple rondelles and the little peridot and amethyst swirl rondelles. Artbeads.com carries a wide variety of  Czech Pressed Glass beads, almost in any color and shape that one could want and the prices are easy on the budget too.

For the clasp, I decided to check out their lead-free, made in the USA Pewter clasps, and I picked an antique silver plated Pewter hook and eye clasp to close the necklace. The wide selection of pewter clasps provides a nice alternative considering the rising costs of precious metal clasps.

I checked out their selection of Ribbons and picked out this beautiful hand-dyed silk Hydrangea ribbon around the bead necklace. This silk ribbon came with the splashes of green, pink and purple that I was looking for and the clasp conveniently had two rings that the silk ribbon could be slipped through. I love how the beads peep from under the silk ribbon! The best part of this design is that it can be worn with the ribbon or not. I like it with the ribbon, what do you think?

The earrings are a simple trio of the different beads I used in the necklace on a sterling silver Fleur de Lis lever back.

Do not forget to check the great designs, albums I and II submitted by Artbeads.com design partners, fellow beaders like me who use a variety of beads and supplies from Artbeads.com, to get their creative juices flowing.

Disclosure: Some of the beads described above I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com.

I have been asked to review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.

Colors of Fall - Purple Orchid

Today I unveil, the first of my designs for Artbeads.com 'Colors of Fall' series, showcasing jewelry made by fellow Artbeads.com shoppers and design partners. I chose the Pantone 2010 'Purple Orchid' for my palette and particularly like how they described it as purple leaning to fuchsia, an unexpected choice for fall bringing magic and vibrancy to the season. Oh my, the possibilities...

For my purple beads, I choose these beautiful Batik Beads, handmade by Kristal Wick, by rolling a length of beautiful silk batik into a scroll. I placed a pair of these tubular beauties asymmetrically along a length of gold-fill chain.  The chain comes down in a Y with another purple bead dangling at the end of it. And its the fall season, the leaves are turning golden, yes, even here in Florida! So what better to mark the season than a yellow bronze golden leaf pendant and some gold Swarovski crystals.

Purple Orchid - Magical and Vibrant!

The matching earrings are made with 1/2 inch Batik beads dangling from a pair of light circle ball-end ear wires.  

This is the first time I have worked with fabric beads and I must say I enjoyed it and will certainly go back for more... Check out the selection of batik beauties in a variety of colors and also the selection of Sassy Silkies, each bead hand painted with a positive message, I think they would be great for holiday gift jewelry.

Disclosure: Some of the beads described above I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com.

I have been asked to review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.

Something Blue Anklet

It is traditional that every bride wears something blue on her wedding day but do you know why? The tradition comes to us from long, long ago, brides from ancient Rome (another version says ancient Israel) wore blue ribbons on the border of their wedding robes to signify love, fidelity and modesty. These ideals are as important today and brides enter into marriage wearing 'something blue' on her wedding day. The common 'something blue' worn is on the garter, maybe a blue ribbon on her pretty lacy white garter. But why not an anklet?

When Artbeads.com asked me to choose some beads as part of their Summer Time Design program I decided to make something for brides, and the 'something' I made is blue.

A 'Something Blue' Anklet!

Using faceted round Swarovski Crystallized Elements in Light Sapphire and Swarovski pearls Light Blue the anklet includes three candy heart charms that is keeping with the love and fidelity theme, aren't they cute? One says 'For Keeps', another 'Love You' and the third one 'I'm Yours'. Some sterling silver chain for extension and a trigger clasp, and this anklet would make any ankle sexy! For some additional bling, I have thrown in some crystal rondelles.

My 'something blue' on my wedding day was blue ribbon on my garter, so unimaginative, don't you think? What is/was yours?

Disclosure: Some of the beads described above I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com.

I have been asked to review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.

It is still Summer Time!

As a Summer Time Design Partner of Artbeads.com, I was asked to make a few fun summer designs from their bountiful selection of beads. This summer has gone by so fast and it will soon be all over, I am only now able to blog about the jewelry I made from the beads I chose (what with family, vacations and issues with my photographic equipment!). But it's better late than never...

Well, who could resist the sparkle in these amazingly bright and shiny Yellow Cubic Zirconia Fan Bead? Artbeads.com sells them under their Pendant section, but I used a pair as earrings. They are not too heavy and I added no other beads. Really, no other bead is needed!

The shape and cut of this bead is amazing, no matter from which side you look at it, it is the triangular fan shape that you see. And they sparkle, my do they sparkle? See for yourself.

I have added a short length of gold-plated Pewter leaf chain, that have so much movement with a pair of leaves on each link and a nice drape over the top of the fan bead. All of it is topped with a gold-filled Fleur de Lis lever back earring. I think they look great, what do you think?

What I like best about them is that they are a great pair of earrings for the hot summer season and also the cool fall.


Disclosure: Some of the beads described above I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com.

I have been asked to review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.

I Love Artbeads! Don't you?

As many of you already know, I am a Design Partner with Artbeads.com and today I received an exclusive discount code that I can share with all my fellow bloggers and friends.

This discount code allows you to take advantage of a 10% discount on all purchases until July 31, 2010.
Here is the magic code!

SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0125


Combine this with the 4th of July BLOWOUT SALE they have going on now, with prices slashed on over 1000 items and we are talking about some serious savings.

Happy Bead Shopping!

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!
Enjoy!

Disclosure: As part of the Design Partner program I have received free of charge beads/supplies from Artbeads.com to be reviewed. All they ask in return is my honest opinion.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for endorsements and/or reviews.

It is Warm Again in Florida

We floridians are still remembering how cold it was this past winter. I do not think we will complain about the hot weather again! Today in Tampa, FL it is 81 deg F, sunny, few clouds, and all in all a beautiful day. The kind of day that makes you want to find reasons to get outdoors. So what am I doing at the computer? Well, I wanted to share my latest Spring Beauty with all of you.

As a Design Partner for Artbeads.com I have used this opportunity to work with materials and beads that I am not too familiar with and incorporate them into my designs. Artbeads.com has introduced me to the wonderful world of Venetian Glass Beads, love them!  Can't get enough of them!

Today I post about their Stoneware Beads and Pendants. Such vivid colors and I loved working with them. These beads are made with stoneware clay, fired at different temperatures depending on their color, making for a durable and beautiful bead. Here is what I made with my selection of stoneware beads...

The centerpiece is the Blue Daisy and Ladybugs Pendant joined by a single bead of the same design, add in strands of green freshwater pearls and then an array of round Stoneware beads in all available  colors and the result was this eye-catching celebration of Spring! These beautiful and durable stoneware pendants are handmade by skilled Bulgarian artisans and Artbeads.com has such a wide selection, you can spend hours trying to make up your mind. Honest, it was hard to choose just one.

The stoneware beads have large holes, and I found that bead caps are necessary to keep the bead in place. But for the same reason, they would work well with leather or ribbon or any other wider stringing material. I used Copper bead caps, and Artbeads.com carries a similar design of bead caps in Copper-plated Pewter. The necklace is closed with a Trigger clasp and extension chain. 

Check out Artbeads.com's recent additions to their stoneware pendants, a must for every beader's stash and Spring wardrobe!

Disclosure: Some of the beads described above I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com.

I have been asked to review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.

Celebrating The Beauty of Spring!

Today, March 20, 2010 we celebrate the arrival of spring. We Floridians are all breathing a collective sigh of relief, no more cold fronts, no more freeze warnings, no more warm jackets, .. it's Spring! but wait, there is a cold front headed our way, and we are in for some rain and cooler temperatures. But that is tomorrow, today was a gorgeous day, a chamber of commerce kind of day, the kind of day that makes me glad I live in Florida!

Being an Artbeads.com design partner, I received some beads of my choice from Artbeads.com as part of their 'The Beauty of Spring' design campaign. So what better to celebrate the end of the coldest winter in 100 years in Florida, than to unveil my spring design collection. One look at these lime green handmade Venetian Glass beads and Spring comes to mind...

I love these Peridot colored glass beads with a center of gold foil and I have used them in many of my designs. I then added a large Cloisonné disc with an eye-catching pink flower on a blue background. The center of the pink flower is the same lime green as the glass bead, just perfect!  


Enameled Cloisonné beads are handcrafted in China, where artisans begin with a copper base, create patterns by soldering brass wire in cells. Enamel paint is filled in the patterns and fired to permanently fix the colors. The painting and firing process can be repeated as many as four times. The bead is then smoothed and polished, and the exposed brass wire edges are gold or silver plated. Since it is hand made, each bead is slightly different, not always uniform, but this just adds to their beauty. Unfortunately, Artbeads.com has sold out their stock of Cloisonné beads, but promise that more are expected soon, so check in often so you will not miss them when they arrive. 


The two beads have between them a tiny Swarovski crystal. Of course, this pretty flower would attract a butterfly! The design is meant to put a spring in one's steps! 

To celebrate the arrival of spring in your very own style, hurry to Artbeads.com, they have a store-wide Spring Fever Sale on right now, but only for a limited time, the sale ends at 9.00am (PT) March 23, 2010.
Artbeads.com carries an extensive collection of colorful Venetian glass beads. Make sure you watch the Handy Tip Video that explains how to smooth out the rough edges on the handmade Venetian beauties. Also check out my 'Under the Sea Earrings' made with Aquamarine Venetian glass bead.


Disclosure: I received the beads described above above free of charge from Artbeads.com. I have been asked to review these beads/supplies and give my honest opinion of them.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products received and reviewed in my blog postings.