The 8th Annual Bead Soup PARTY!

Well, it's party time.
First a big thank you to Lori Anderson and her family for getting this wonderful party together. I can only imagine what it took to get to this day. Thank you Lori, you and your family will always be very, very special to all of us. Wishing you all strength, health and happy days.

And now I present....

Remember the spectacular Copper Rose hand made by my partner Janice,  it was a challenge finding the right beads to complement this head turner of a focal bead. In the end I used some beautiful Rose Quartz rondelles separated by copper spacers to make a simple necklace that did not detract from the rose! Simply glorious, I hope you like it!

Next the carved pill box Turquoise beads; I wanted to keep it simple yet make it pop, so this is what I made... with mighty slabs of multi-colored Fancy Jasper.

As you can see... keeping it simple... was the name of the game!

Next on the list are the sky blue barrell beads of Magnesite and the granulated Copper spacers that were part of the bounty I received from Janice, and here is what I made... a memory wire bracelet with red Carnelian and Sardonyx.

 

Some hammered Copper Hearts paired with little pills of red Coral and we have these pretties!

And now I must confess that I could not do justice to the wonderful clasp that Janice had sent me. I know it is part of the rules that I use the clasp. And what a clasp it was, and nothing I could think of or design was to my satisfaction... so sadly I must save it for another time.  The same shoud be said of the many Copper leaves Janice sent me... my mojo failed me. I think it was a combination of tax time fatigue and waiting till the last minute syndrome.

Thank you Janice for these wonderful soup ingrediants, I hope I have not disappointed you. Please hop over to the Jewelry Room to see what Janice made with the Bead Soup I sent her. She has had some challenging times getting ready for this Bead Soup Party and I can't wait to see what she has made.

Please visit the other 8th annual bead soup participants to see their wonderful creations by clicking here.

Have a wonderful weekend!
A very Happy Mother's Day to all beader Mothers and Mothers of beaders!

AJE Earrings Challenge - Reveal 6 - Week 11 and 12

It is week 11 and 12 of the AJE Earrings challange and I am behind schedule in blogging my post for the blog hop. It has been a fun three months exploring the world of Art Jewelry Elements, and I have got to know of many artisans and sampled many of their creations. I have a stash of some very wonderful AJEs that I hope to showcase in the next quarter... yes, I plan to keep making more earrings... 

These are the two pairs I posted for weeks 11 and 12.

Lovely Sun Moon Copper charms made by Kristi of Kristi Bowman Designs, are the focus of my first pair, along with sunny nuggets of Lemon Quartz and midnight blue rounds of Lapis Lazuli. All wired up with copper wire and dangling from hypoallergenic Niobium ear wires.

My next pair was made some time ago as part of a Bead Soup Party challenge, but this was a good time to show it off again. A pair of wooden dragonfly batik beads with a pair of black Onyx rondelles on either end and dangling from it a turquoise Kristal Wick batik ribbon bead wrapped in hot pink silk. I love it, what about you?

Please stop by and check out all the other earrings made with very creative AJEs on Pinterest.

And enjoy your weekend!

Crazy Coiling Class

Last Saturday I spent six hours at the ArtCenter Manatee in Manatee County Florida with 9 other jewelry makers taking a workshop wire coiling and making a Crazy Coil Bracelet.

Our teacher was the talented Stacy Perry of Hodgepodgerie and it was a great class.  We spent the day learning to use an electric drill to coil wire at lightening speed, manipulating wire every which way, add in some jump rings till it all came together this way...

This was the first time I made my own toggle and bar, and that was an added bonus.
I love it. What about you?
Stacy has some great tutorials on her website, including supplies, and tons of information on metal and wire jewelry making. She also has an Etsy shop with a nice sample of goodies.

Today I attended another workshop on forging metal, but more about that in another post.

Week 2 - AJE Earrings Challenge

This was a very busy two weeks for me being the end on the month at the bank when work gets crazy. I have also been fighting off some sort of runny nose, sneezing and teary eyed bug. It was nice staying around the house today doing not much of anything but checking out the glorious earrings made by others taking part in the AJE challenge.

My week 2 contributions were two pairs, take a look...

This pair uses a pair of lovely long leaves made by Kristi Bowman,
with carved red Coral flowers and Swarovski cooper crystal elements. All dangling from hypoallergenic Niobium ear wires.

The second pair was one I made some time ago using a pair of blue enamelled butterflies made by Anne of Gardanne Beads.  This pair was inspired by the kinetic sculptures of Alexander Calder.














Don't forget to check out the other creative earrings using Art Jewelry Elements at Pinterest.

Week 1 - AJE Earrings Challenge

This is week one of the AJE Earrings Challenge and here are my contributions...

Natural Turquoise Coins and Copper charms by Melinda Orr of Orrtec

Turquoise and Lampwork beads by Jennifer Jennings of Blue Seraphim

Venetian Glass beads with bronze hammered hearts by Candice Wakumoto

Red Coral beads with Keith O'Conner Ceramic Beads and earwires made by yours truly!

Be sure to check out all the creative and beautiful earrings submitted by some very talented artisans. This is such a wonderful way to showcase some gorgeous beads hand made by fellow artisans. 

Stay tuned for week 2 and have a great week!

I Went Shopping.... and look what I bought....

Remember the big sale on October 2nd hosted by 'Love my Art Jewelry', well, I went shopping at Melinda Orr's store and checked out her collection of fabulous clasps.

It was difficult to choose, but finally settled on four, and here is what I made with one of them... A Copper hook and eye, but not any old hook and eye. Melinda is known for her artistic textured metal work and check out this oversized eye ... so gorgeous that the clasp becomes the focal piece of your jewelry.

Perfect for fall!

I have had this strand of faceted Brandy Opal squares for the longest time, and when I saw this clasp, I knew I had to get them together. Add some copper coins and ....Viola!

I got three more clasps and I am waiting for just the right beads ... I promise, I will show them to you when I get done.

If Only It Were True!

Happy Sunday morning to you all! It has been a long time!

First, let me explain my long absense from my blog. It was all due to Taxes and Travel. March madness to me meant getting my books ready for my CPA and completing the filing of my taxes, both personal and business, and then April brought travel, a three week trip to Sri Lanka. Got back on Thurday, still suffering from jet lag, and trying to get my internal clock back on EST in time for work on Monday. But more about my travels in future blogs...

I must however tell you what my CPA said to me after she had completed my taxes. "You have to stop buying so many beads!" Excuse me??? Or she continues I have to sell more jewelry! Hello??? Again easier said than done. Anyway, I have an appointment with her in September, yes, September, to discuss my bead addiction and my business strategy...

Now to the topic at hand...

At work, whenever my colleagues receive magazines with jewelry for sale, they always send it on to me so that I can get a look at the competition and also be inspired. It was in one of the magazines that I saw a pendant made a combination of the following 5 gemstones: 

Amethyst (Amethyst worn as jewelry is thought to keep the wearer calm, free from addiction, sober and stable, also helping to alleviate anxiety);

Crystal Quartz Crystal Quartz has been associated with many spiritual powers since ancient times);

Obsidian (Obsidian is thought to cure depression and grief);

Sodalite (Sodalite is considered a grounding stone, calming emotions and increasing decisiveness by focusing the mind);

Tourmaline (Tourmaline is considered a gemstone for creative people) 

These are some of the attributes that I could find in my searches,

and it was being sold as helping with weight-loss!

How you ask? Well, the theory behind it is that these stones help control addictions (to calories) help focus your thoughts and help you stick to your diet and exercise programs and Viola! You loose weight.

If only it were true? If only it was that easy? 

But, if you believe, it should come true! 

What do you think? Do you believe in the power of natural gemstones?

I must admit the idea is intriguing. Maybe it could help with my bead addiction.

Look at What I Made!

Back in late May, I won this beautiful stoneware pendant from MaryAnn Carroll.

Wouldn't you agree that it is the perfect fall pendant?

So check out what I made with it.

I used Blue Tiger Eye rounds wire-wrapped with Copper wire (good practice and therapeutical for me), a couple of yellow Tiger Eye rounds, three bronze coin pearls, with one circled by a flat Abalone ring. I thought the Abalone ring captured the blue arc markings on the pendant. I made the necklace extra long (20 inches), so that it could be worn with a thicker, fall, layered wardrobe. The copper clasp was made by Kira of Original Beadwork.com.

If you want to see more of Maryann's stoneware pendants and beads check out her shop, artisanbeadsplus.com. I am saving the pearls and two beautiful stoneware buttons that she sent me along with this pendant for another project. Thank you Maryann.

I like the way the necklace turned out, do you like it? Well, if you do, and you would like to win this necklace, please check back tomorrow. I am planning to give it away! In return, I ask that you let me pick your brains! For answers to some simple questions, your name will be put in a hat to win this necklace in time to accessorize your fall wardrobe.

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Happy Fifth of May everyone!
Enjoy the Fiesta!
Watch the Margeritas!

To set the mood for the celebration, I chose my Fiesta Bracelet from my SOLD collection. Would you believe it? This bracelet was bought by a beautiful Brazilian lady at one of my jewelry shows. She was in Tampa on business and loved the bracelet and the colors. No surprise there. I also made her a pair of matching earrings.

Enjoy the night!

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.

March Monthly Find at Sundancegems

Green jewelry of a different kind for St. Patrick's day.

Every month Ruby Lane lets its shop owners feature one item as a 'Monthly Find', and a randomly selected list of such items is sent out in an email to all its registered shoppers.


This is my monthly find for March ...

The lush rain forest green and earthy brown African Green Opal flat squares and coin, are all connected with corrugated Copper beads to create this bracelet. At the toggle hangs a green Rutilated Quartz bead and a Copper bead charm. The matching earrings are made with the African Opal squares.

This set is currently for sale in Sundancegems, ask me about it. 

Check out the monthly finds from all other Ruby Lane shop owners as well, you never know what you might see, and like and want!