M.I.A.

I apologize for not being here much lately. Family issues arise, and they take the priority.

I have some new things planned for the near future, but in the meantime, I found some older photos of jewelry that I never posted!! I don't know how or why I never posted them...in any case, here they are.

This first necklace is a Lilly Pilly horn pendant, with a carved bone flower bead, smokey glass nuggets, and Vintaj brass.

 

Next, we have a mother of pearl printed leaf, with faux pearls and Vintaj brass bead caps and filigree leaves. I believe the MOP focal was from a sale bin at Michael's - I love digging through those bins for bargains!

 

 This mother of pearl focal is really pretty in person. I love green. I buy lots of green beads, so finding something to go with this was not a problem! Fire polished green crystals and an odd lampwork bead, along with more Vintaj bead caps and leaf. Pantone is finally coming around to my way of thinking - Emerald is the Pantone color of the year!!

 

 This is an old brooch that looks like an old buckle. This brooch probably sat on my bead desk for at least 3 or 4 years before I used it!! Sometimes the designs need to just percolate in my subconscious for a while! Well, that, and the fact that I did not have the rhinestone rondelles before then. Once I bought rhinestone rondelles in black metal, I was able to pull it together, with faux pearls.

 

 Lastly, this is Chinese crystal and, yes, more brass (bead caps are from Vintage Jewelry Supply). I love the look a super sparkly crystals with the dark brass, don't you? This necklace would have looked right at home on Downton Abbey around Lady Mary's neck.

Hopefully my next post will be sooner than later, and it will feature a collaboration project I'm doing with a ceramic artist - stay tuned!!

Upcycling chandelier crystals!

I'm a member of a small local gallery - The Orchard Artworks. It's an artist's cooperative, and we have shows about every month. Being a jewelry artist, I don't do "solo" shows, because it would take A LOT of jewelry to fill the gallery room! But we often do "group" shows.

There is a fun group show coming up in May, featuring Upcycled Art (art made from re-purposed and recycled items). I am gearing up for this show, using found objects and old stuff (when I'm not using an artbead, I'm usually using an antique bit of some kind). I normally do not like the look of chandelier crystals in jewelry, because they always look like what they are - chandelier crystals! But, in the context of the show, I've been inspired to pull some out and use them. I have to say that they are growing on me! I paired some with some old buckles. I think some of these would look good worn in multiples.

This crystal is about 3 inches long!



This crystal was actually off an old candlestick bobeche.



I wrapped wire around and over the top to stabilize. The old wires in the crystals look pretty fragile.

 

 I have always loved old buckles. I used to buy them at auctions, with no plan for them. I was just buying them as artifacts from a by-gone era. I mean, who wears these kind of buckles anymore? I've got Bakelite, celluloid, Sterling, brass, rhinestone studded, pot metal filigree, and simple plastic buckles.

This buckle is celluloid.

Dyed pink Mother of Pearl buckle! My pink MOP beads just happened to match!!

 

I'm headed to Beadfest Spring tomorrow. I don't NEED any beads, but I'll probably come home with plenty to add to my stash. ;-)

 

Downton Abbey Inspired

I've been so busy getting ready for the Challenge of Music blog hop this Friday, and The Bead Soup Blog Party at the end of March, I haven't had a lot of time to make anything else. But I was so inspired to make jewelry while watching Downton Abbey, I couldn't help but follow through on a couple of my ideas. I know there are MANY out there that love Downton, too!

Lady Mary always has the best dresses and the best jewelry! This necklace was inspired by a necklace she wore to dinner one night. Her necklace was more delicate, and had teardrop pearls. I couldn't find my teardrop pearls, but when I do, I'll make another similar necklace. In the meantime, black crystal drops stand in nicely!

Next, is a necklace inspired by Mrs Hughes' chatelaine. I have always loved Victorian jewelry, and I would kill to own a REAL chatelaine!! If I ever find a small pair old scissors and a mechanical pencil, I'll add them!

I had some vintage watch chain, so I used some of it, sparingly.

The rhinestone oval is from Vintage Groove, lock and key are Vintaj

Bring on Season 4!!

Vintaj December Challenge: Twinkling Lights

I used to enter the Vintaj blog monthly challenge every month. I had just "discovered " Vintaj back then, and was so enamored by the challenge, their idea gallery, anything and everything Vintaj. And I still love Vintaj, and work almost exclusively with it. But I grew tired of entering the monthly challenge (couldn't keep up with it), so, now I only enter sporadically.
This month's theme is "Twinkling Lights". Now, I know my earrings are simple, and my (lack of) photography skills can not capture the sparkle of the vintage rhinestones, but let me tell you - these are very sparkly. They are so much more sparkly than anything I've seen being made now. I picked up the rhinestones at an estate auction (in a box of loose stones - probably 1,000's of rhinestones in it!). I sorted these out of the box, and had several pair. They are heart shaped and rather large compared to the other stones in the box, so it wasn't too hard to pick them out.
In the meantime, I had seen a design on the Vintaj website where they bent a brass piece backwards, to trap a stone from behind. I decided to try it. and it worked. The stone is not glued in. It is trapped by the 2 side pieces, and the bottom loop, which I bent up and back.
I put them in my shop and they sold right away. So, I made another pair, and they sold right away, too. I am down to my last pair of rhinestones, so that will be the end of it.
If you feel like it, please go to the Vintaj blog and vote. I actually don't expect to win with such a simple design, but I thought maybe less will be more this month. You never know!

Miss Elainie

I just thought I'd post some miscellaneous stuff. No real connection to these things, other than they were all made recently, and I got around to photographing them.
I usually start with necklaces and end with earrings, so let's change it up!
These earrings are pretty simple, but I like them. They look sort of like Japanese lanterns. The Dyed Howlite barrels were from Michael's. The bead caps I got from Panda Hall. Did you ever buy from Panda Hall? I was too cheap to pay the faster shipping, so they took 2 months to arrive. (that was a buzz-kill to my impulsive purchase!) But besides that, it is a huge quantity of beads. These particular beads are in a baggie, and there are as many pieces of straw in the bag as there are beads! And some of them are a bit grungy. They really look like they came from a farm (in China) or something! But I really like them. I bought other beads at the same time. All I can say is that I have a life time supply of beads to enamel, and tiny antique copper spacer beads (20,000 of them!!!) Anyway, here's the earrings:

Next up is a necklace. The focal is from Earthenwood. I really like some of her things, like the wings, and this, and lots of other things too. I don't think I realized there were snowflakes on this when I bought it. I bought it because I liked the crackle glaze, and the open window design. I like the snowflakes too, but I've not seen green snowflakes before! (I have heard of yellow snow. lol) But, no matter, I love the ceramic piece. I decided to look through my stash for smaller filigrees that could pass for snowflakes. The necklace is a bit fussy, and I might make some alterations to it, but this is it's current state. Subject to change.

 

This simple necklace is just a Vintaj bird and a handful of vintage carved bone flower buds. It's NOT a fussy necklace, like the one above, but is good for those days you want something neutral, that goes with anything and everything.

I bent the ends of the wing and tail, rather than making a hole in the bird somewhere. And, coincidentally, I recently saw this bird, bent the same way, on the Vintaj blog.

 

Lastly, this is a variation on a previous design. Previously, I made a necklace with a Simple Truth pendant, called "Make a Wish", and it was published last April in Bead Trends. This necklace is similar, but the pendant is wood with a dandelion painted (or stamped? or printed?) on it. I twisted little pieces of wire going up the one side, to be the seeds blowing off the dandelion (like the previous necklace).

 

 

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!
Have a nice weekend!

post bead soup glow

I'm basking in the glow of the aftermath of BSBP! I'd like to thank all of those that left me such nice comments on my Bead Soup Blog Party post. I am sorry to say that I have not had a chance to visit most folks, but will work on it in the coming weeks.

I thought I'd show you some other things that have not made onto the blog yet. These are two necklaces I finished recently.

The first is an enameled flower, made using the rubber O-rings. I'm really happy with the O-ring solution. The red beads are the same ones I sent to my bead soup partner - they are vintage Czechoslovakian glass beads, and 2 striped seed beads, just for fun!

I had this next focal semi-assembled for at least a year (or more), sitting on the desk, waiting for the muse to show up. It's mother of pearl with a Vintaj dragonfly. The tear drop drops are also mother of pearl, and the other beads are faux pearls. I had a bag of mixed aqua beads, and these were all in a little bag on the desk. I don't even remember where they came from. But, they finally caught my eye on the same night the focal did, and here's the result.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone!

Bead Soup is served! Hope you're hungry!

Lori Anderson has hosted the Bead Soup Blog Party for several years now, and I was always wanting to jump in - but this is the first year I finally did! I was hesitant, I guess, because I was a little afraid. Afraid I'd run out of time. Afraid my soup ingredients would be too much of a challenge. Afraid I wouldn't measure up. You name it, I was afraid of it. But Lori added later reveal dates, so I felt comfortable with having lots of time. And as for my other fears, well, they were unfounded. My partner is Jennifer Justman, a Super Mom and a talented artist and an all around nice person. Please check her out - she's really fantastic (blog)(etsy)! I already blogged about the gorgeousness she sent me, so we won't re-hash it.
I set out to try to use ALL my soup ingredients. I almost did it!

Here's what I made:
I made the main dish first. I used the Marsha Neal Focal and the clasp that Jenn made for me, along with the Fallen Angel Brass filigree, chain and bead caps, one of the pieces of sari silk, red agate beads, and some of the little orange beads, pumpkin jade - they are really pretty! I made the wire bale and 2 connectors out of black annealed steel wire. I realize now that I did not get a good shot of Jenn's clasp - sorry girlfriend!

Marsha Neal focal, red agate, pumpkin jade, Fallen Angel Brass (including the clasp Jenn made), sari silk.



A closer look at the focal! I made the wire bale.



I knotted the sari silk (which is heavier than most, and knitted!) to resemble chain links.

I had thought that I would use more of the green beads in the main dish, but it just didn't come together for me. Since I leave my unfinished "thoughts" on my bead desk, I just happened to notice that the fire agate beads in my soup ingredients looked fantastic with this Humblebeads focal I had laying there, so, I made this simple necklace. I really love it, and now I'm in the mood for fall weather.

A simple necklace. Humblebeads focal, Fire Agate (from soup) with Trinity bead caps and Vintaj chain.

A closer look - the Fire Agate looks perfect with that focal!

I don't make bracelets very often, because I don't wear them. I guess I find them too distracting around my wrist. These green beads were so pretty from every angle, I knew I did not want to partially cover them up with my usual bead caps. I just wire wrapped links, and attached them to make a bracelet.  They are Jasper, according to Jenn. I also used the Fallen Angel Brass butterfly and jumprings (from my soup), and Vintaj clasp.

I wouldn't get any work done with this on my wrist!!





The beads are really fantastic close up.

 I made a second bracelet. I had just received an order from Vintaj with the Asian frame, and thought it would make a pretty bracelet component - I bent it slightly to curve around the wrist. I managed to use the Red Agate and Adventurine beads from my soup. The bead caps are from God knows where - sorry!


The Adventurine beads fit perfectly in the Asian frame.

And of course, there are earrings....
I picked the 2 agate beads with the most banding. Those darn round beads roll, so you can only see the banding in one bead...

Pumpkin Jade and Red Agate - simple, but they have lots of swing!

Another pair of earrings...

Even simpler, for those that like smaller earrings.

And another pair, a little more elaborate.....

These are Adventurine, with Vintaj flowers.

I have some sari silk left over that I'm saving for other projects. And there are 2 Adventurine beads and a couple jumprings left over that will find their way into future designs.
Thanks Lori for being a helpful and inspiring host.
Thank you Jenn for my wonderful ingredients. I've enjoyed our new friendship. I can't wait to see what you made with the soup I sent you!!
Please visit Lori's BSBP blog for the list of participant's to see the other fabulous creations!!

Thanks for visiting my blog!
(Forgive me for posting early. I can't post on Saturday, and I don't trust Blogger's scheduling feature. It has let me down in the past)

Bead Soup has Landed

My package has arrived from my wonderful partner, Jennifer Justman. SQUEEEE! I still need to take a photo of the soup ingredients! (just waiting to be near the soup, while the sun's still up to take the picture) Wait until you see what I got!!

Here's what I sent Jenn:

Da Soup! Enameled flower focal (made by me), an assortment of enameled beads and key charms (made by me), a Vintaj clasp using the Bead Pod Creative bar, that I filled with red beads, a strand of vintage red beads from Czechoslovakia, some furnace glass, some modern Czech glass, and some red sari silk.

Da clasp!

Da flower focal - 3 flowers stacked on top of a Vintaj Violet filigree

Da keys! The 2 blue ones are really tiny - so cute!

I hope she makes beautiful soup! Can't wait to see it!

Challenge of Music blog hop

Today is the day for Erin Prais-Hintz's Challenge of Music blog hop. I must admit, I signed up for this challenge with a little apprehension. I wasn't sure if I could be inspired by music to make jewelry.
 I really started listening to some of my favorite artists and songs. I originally thought I'd use a song by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, because his songs are like little stories, with vivid imagery.

But as I started to look around online for components, I kept hearing "Home" by Daughtry in my head. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 5 years or so, you probably have at least heard of them. I love "Home" (this link is to a youtube video), Daughtry's second hit single. I listen to Daughtry while I work out at the gym, so I've heard all their songs repeatedly. I know every lyric by heart....

"I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me."

I thought about "home" and what it could mean...
A house to a person...
A nest to a bird...
Family.
I started buying components for "home", each one more perfect than the next. So, in no particular order, I'll show you my homes....

This first one features components from Captured Moments. I fell in love with the egg connector, and the bird nest focal. I am sorry to say that my camera was acting up for these photos, but you get the idea (they really do not have that pinkish glow)! I added some carved bone beads that matched the ceramics pieces perfectly, and a wire bead that reminded me of a nest. Finished off with some Vintaj bead caps and wire.

The matching earrings are made with flower connectors. They came as a set with the one egg connector from the necklace.

Next...
These wooden birdhouses are from ARTchix Studios. How cute are they?? When I saw them on the website, I immediately knew I wanted to layer them, so I also bought plain houses without the window, to use as the back layer. Of course, once things are in your hands, it doesn't always work out how you planned. My thought was to put a vintage image of a bird on the back layer to show through the window, add some wire or other fibers in the middle, and the birdhouse on the top. Let's just say that I don't have all the needed skills, or materials! I made the wire nest and eggs to hang behind, and I'm happy with it (I still did "layers").
The blue beads are faceted czech glass in 2 sizes. I also folded an antique brass leaf bail to use at the top of my house, just to give it a little something extra. Added in some antique brass bead caps and Vintaj chain too.

This is the focal, behind the scenes. You can see the wood burn marks on the back. It smells like a fire in the fireplace. I love that smell.

The earrings are smaller houses. I hung the little "egg" in the front. I thought they might not show well  if I hung them on the back of the earrings.

Last, but not least, is my third house (This is turning into "The Three Little Pigs" lol...)
Anyway. This raku house is from Oscar Crow on etsy. There are some really interesting things in that shop! If any one ever hosts a challenge for jewelry with baby heads, I'll be ahead of the game. (check out the shop, you'll see).
Anyway. I love this little house, with it's red door and window. I sat and stared at it for a little while. Somehow, it occurred to me to make a cumulus cloud over the house. I bent the cloud out of 20g wire, and hammered it, so it will keep it's shape. As I was fussing with the cloud, I happen to see the orange-red key in the corner of my eye. This key has been on my messy desk for about 6 months. It's just an old key that I smeared with red "Rub-N-Buff". I found some czech picasso glass beads that match and bent some bead caps to fit over them. And of course, Vintaj chain.

That's it for me. Thank you Erin, for hosting another fun challenge!
Please visit the rest of the brave participants, or go to Erin's blog!!
Erin Prais-Hintz

Marcie Abney

Christine Altmiller

Elisabeth Auld

LJ B

Lori Bowring Michaud

Shannon Chomanczuk

Cece Cormier

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Malin de Koning

Beth Emery

Michelle Escano-Caballero

Erin Fickert-Rowland

Therese Frank

Amy Freeland

Tanya Goodwin

Stephani Gorman

Amy Grass

Beth Hemmila

Kristina Johansson

Jennifer Justman

Tari Kahrs

Susan Kennedy

Ema Kilroy

Kathleen Lange Klik

Kirsi Luostarinen

Paige Maxim

Beth McCord

Natalie McKenna

Alice Peterson

Cat Pruitt

Bobbie Rafferty

Johanna Rhodes

Cynthia Riggs ****YOU ARE HERE****

Sally Russick

Sarah Sequins

Amy Severino

Staci Smith

Kristen Stevens

Lola Surwillo

Stefanie Teufel

Sandi Volpe

Holly Westfall

Shaiha Williams

Some Golem Pendants, plus an all Vintaj design

A couple months ago, the Beads of Clay blog had a sale where all (or most all) of the artists participated. I picked up 2 Golem pendants. They are both of the same flower, but in different colors. I do the same thing with pants - buy the same thing in different colors. I know I'm not the only one who does this.

This is the blue one. The brown clay offers a nice contrast to the blue, and in real life, it is a bit darker, and more matte looking. I found some czech glass beads that matched the blue. Is it me, or are blues hard to match - "this one's too red, this one's too green, ahhh, this one is just right" - I feel like Goldilocks sometimes! The bumpy bead is an inexpensive "faux pearl" I picked up at Beadfest. The color matched Vintaj Natural Brass, so I knew it would work itself into something eventually.

This is a closer look at the blue Golem pendant.

This is the red one. Actually, it's somewhere between orange and red, and I had czech glass that matched it perfectly. The center of the flower is a darker purpler red so I added some dark red spacers. And years ago I got the larger red cathedral beads, 4 in a little baggie for $1.00. They were just right for this necklace. I love it when I use something from my stash that I've had for a long time. I made the bails on both of these necklaces with 20g wire.

This is a closer look at the red-orange Golem pendant.

This necklace is all Vintaj Natural Brass Butterflies. Sometimes it's nice to have an all metal necklace, with no "color". It goes with every outfit!