Recent Designs

I've been on a jewelry making frenzy....

This is a mother of pearl Lilly Pilly focal. I used Blue "quartz" and turquoise.



This is also Lilly Pilly (I LOVE Lilly Pilly). I used yellow turquoise and purple crystals.



This is a ceramic focal from Chinook. The photo turned out very dark - the ceramic piece is gorgeous in person! I used dark blue Czech glass and swirled green lampwork beads.



This is dyed Howlite (from Bead Gallery/ Michael's). I used little czech glass beads - so pretty!




And last but not least, this is a ceramic button from Mudalicious (I've been hoarding this one a little while!)I used some blue dyed coral, and dark blue czech glass beads.

OK, so, it's late February, and I'm just now getting around to using one of my Christmas gifts. I received a tabletop photo light booth from my Mom (she asked what I wanted). It's pretty cool. It folds up into it's own carrying case, and came with a tripod and 2 lights, and a couple different fabric backgrounds. I used a piece of fuzzy fabric I already had for these photos. I think I need more light. The photos look dark on my screen at work, but they looked fine on my screen at home, after I brightened them up a little, and cropped them, in Photoshop. If anyone has any tips for getting more light on the subject.... I know, natural light is preferred, but I work full time, and it's hard to get photos of things. There is only so much daylight...although, I've been enjoying the slightly longer days lately...sorry I drifted a little there. (I'm sooooo ready for Spring!!)

Anyway, these are some simple necklaces I finished recently. The green one is mother of pearl, sort of like a Lilly Pilly focal, but not quite as nice or detailed. The brown & orange one is Lilly Pilly. The crazy leaf shaped one is also mother of pearl, but printed on. I got it years ago at, I think, the first Beadfest I ever went to. I bought so many beads that day!!

One Girl's Treasures....

A little while ago, my Mother gave me her box of girlhood "treasures", to see if I could make jewelry out of any of it. I have been making "found object" jewelry, so I was excited to see what she had. It's funny, as we went through the dirty cigar box, piece by piece, she would tell me..."That was Aunt Ruby's" or "I found that on the farm". She sounded like she was reverting to her childhood, speaking like a little girl, in awe of her glamorous aunties, or recalling adventurous outings on the farm. It was a sweet, tender moment for me. They were still "treasures" in her eyes. I was honored that she gave these things to me.
I made some necklaces out of the fantastic buttons - Mom has those necklaces, so I still need to snap photos of them.

There was a cool yellow buckle. Here's what I did with it:


Here's a close up



After the buttons and buckles, I moved on to the little trinkets, keys, various oddities. I grouped all the items so I could make 3 necklaces: one for me, one for my sister Laura and one for my niece Isabelle (named after my Mom's mother - Isabel).

The first thing I fell in love with was the aluminum ID bracelet plaque. I hammered it flat (it was curved, for the wrist). I'm keeping this one!!


She doesn't remember who made it for her...she really did live on "Lucky Street".



This one is for my sister. The bakelite horseshoe is really cool. And, I punched a hole in Mom's Girl Scout pin (my mom was our girl scout leader and my sister was a brownie leader for a year, I think). The "pearl" is made of wood. My sister doesn't golf, but I liked the the golf bag in this grouping.


This one will be for my niece. She's a gifted athlete, excelling in soccer and volleyball. Really, she's good at what ever she tries. This necklace has a football, a basketball (with authentic green oxidation) and a scotty dog.



All the keys were from Mom's box. The only things I added were the hammered rings to hang them from and a couple jumprings and glass beads. Mom really enjoyed looking at the finished "charm necklaces".
Incidentally, in the dirty old cigar box, there was a beautiful (but dirty) sterling compact. I cleaned it up and gave it to Mom. Not all "junk" is necessarily worthless.

Ultra Fab Giveaway by Juls

The poor woman has lost her mind (what? again?) and you won't believe what she's giving away!

Hopefully you disregard this post, and do not leave a comment on her blog, thus increasing my personal chances of winning.

Take a look here, you'll see what I'm talking about!

and now for something festive...

I will admit that I saw this idea in Fire mountain gems (for the earrings), so I can't take credit for the basic idea.
Millefiori center bead with Czech glass flower cone beads on either end.




But why stop at earrings?!?!



I love my new "Hard Candy" necklace.

Color Palette Challenge blog hop is finally here!!

Just a refresher about the challenge…Erin Prais-Hintz put out the challenge to anyone who wanted to participate. We would pick a color, and then she would pick a palette with that color in it. She mailed color palettes to the participants a couple weeks ago. We then were to make a necklace using one or all of the colors in the palette. Sounds simply enough.

The color I chose was “green”.
Here is my palette:



A grey/ tan color with no name, “Claywork”, “Forest Tapestry” and “Clever Clover”. (that Forest Tapestry is a dark green - kinda looks like black on my screen)

So, I pulled out all kinds of beads from my stash that were in the palette. I happened to have some pretty things from Mudalicious that I bought a year or so ago (yes, it was my plan to hoard them forever!!).

I made 2 necklaces. Here we go!

#1 – “Clever Clay”


The focal is a ceramic key (from Mudalicious) in an orangey clay color. I used some faceted Citrine rounds, carved Smokey Quartz leaves, faceted Red Jasper rondels, swirled green lampwork rounds, light green Freshwater Pearls and a Vintaj Fastenable, bead caps, jumprings and chain. Every color from the palette is here. The smokey leaves are very light, and look like the grey/tan swatch. The swirly green beads have dark and light green in them. I really like this necklace, and I plan to keep it. (so I can continue to hoard that ceramic key)

And a close up of the fabulous ceramic key!





#2 – “Clay Work”


The focal is a ceramic button, also from Mudalicious, and a Vintaj Fastenable. The ceramic button is tan/ beige, with little areas of orange. The other beads are not exotic. I picked up the carved bone flower and the orange-brown ceramic beads at Michael’s. And the pretty faceted dark green Czech glass beads are from Beadfest (sorry, don’t remember vendor). The beadcaps are from Vintaj. The chain is antique copper, and is from AC Moore or Michael’s. I got it on sale, and don’t recall exactly where it came from. I really like this necklace too. I might sell it, or give it as a gift.

A little closer look...

And a close up of the button – really cool!



OK, so here are links to all the other participants! ENJOY!! And be sure to leave a comment!!

• Alice Peterson
• Amy Freeland
• Beth McCord
• Brandi Hussey
• Cary Scholes
• Catherine Pruitt
• Cindy Wimmer
• Claire Maunsell
• Cory Tompkins
• Courtney Breul
• Cristi Clothier
• Cynthia Riggs
• Emanda Johnson
• Holly Westfall
• Janea McDonald
• Jeannie Dukic
• Jennifer Cameron
• Judy Campbell
• Karyn White
• Keirsten Giles
• Kelly Morgan
• Kristie Roeder
• Kristin Stevens
• Lisa Godfrey
• Lisa Tracy
• Lori Anderson
• Mallory Hoffman
• Marie Voyer-Cramp
• Mary McGraw
• Nicole Keller
• Nicole Valentine
• Paige Maxim
• Patty Gasparino
• Rebecca Anderson
• Renate Stark-Krammer
• Rita Parra
• Shannon Chomanczuk
• Sheila Summers
• Stefanie Teufel
• Yelisa Rojas

Color Palette Challenge Update

Well, I just received an email from Erin Prais-Hintz (ok, all the blog hop participants did, not just me). I’m so excited about this challenge. I can not wait to post my photos on Friday!!

So, looking at the list of chances to win a random prize, I think I actually qualify for all the chances:
-Creating something!
-Using all the colors in my palette
-Naming the piece(s) with the paint color names
-Participating in the blog hop on Friday
-Using an art bead
-And, please, everyone, come back on Friday to see all the entries!!

Here’s my palette I received in the mail -


You’ll have to come back here on Friday to see my creation(s)!!
I'll also have a list of links to the other blogs, to make it easy to check out everyone else's creations!

One more cross, and then I'll move on

OK, I know, you're tired of seeing these crosses - or are you??? I can't look at them enough. I want to get a magnifying glass so I can see them MORE. I'm totally smitten.

Anyway, this one was the "odd" cross. The first 2 are specifically to be gifts for my Mom and a girlfriend. But this one is foot loose and fancy free. Of course, I forgot to snap a shot of the other side of the cross, but the turquoise beads match the back side perfectly. And the little purple rounds are some stone, but I didn't write it down, so I have no idea. But they matched really well to the dots on the front of the cross. The little blue glass beads I bought at Joann's, probably 3 years ago.




And the close up...how beautiful is this cross?

Another gorgeous cross!!

Here's is another beautiful cross (by Juls)



A slightly closer look...


Look at this cross!!!

izze necklace

My niece, Isabelle, liked the bottle caps beads made with the Izze bottle caps, since it's her nickname.
So, I got 2 of them and I made this necklace to give her for Christmas.

I hope she likes it!!

I know, right?

This cross is so FAB-U-LOUS. Made by Juli Cannon, purchased by me.
For the necklace, I used Czech glass beads and Vintaj brass. It's going to be a gift for my Mom, so I made it symmetrical (She's an old-fashioned lady).

Here's a close up of the cross!

Vintaj Challenge

I entered the Vintaj "Wandering Journey" challenge this month. My design is number 7.

Here's the link, if you have the inclination to vote:
http://vintaj.com/wpblog/?p=8968

There are only 7 entries this time around, so maybe I could actually win!!

Erin's Color Challenge

My color swatches arrived in the mail the other day. Erin very cleverly affixed a label to one side, and mailed it like a postcard - clever girl!!
I love my palette. I immediately went to my stash and started pulling out stuff to use. Problem is, I found too many beads to use. If I were to use all of them, it would be a colossal mess. I put together about 3 focals. I actually made one necklace that might be a keeper. Of course, we are waiting until Dec 3 to reveal. I will make a few more pieces, and see how they turn out.
Thanks for the inspiration Erin!!

It's Bead Week at Michael's

Public Service Announcement:
I received an email from Michael's. Bead Week runs Sunday 10/24 through Saturday 10/30 !!
The "Bead Gallery" beads are 50% off. And lots of other beads and findings are on sale too.
I know you all shop there, since we all participated in Lorelei's challenge!

Click here to see the email

Family Tree

I am starting to try my hand at Tree of Life pendants. The very first one I made with cheapo beads, just to see if I could do it, has, so far, been my best. Go figure!
But I was thinking of making one for my Mom for Christmas, since she's kinda hinted around that she'd like me to make her a necklace. She wears mostly the fine jewelry my Dad has given her, so I never thought she'd want one of my brass necklaces. Plus, she's not really a "jewelry gal" like I am.
Anyway, I tried to make one with the birthstones of her children and grandchildren. It is ugly!!!! All our birthdays are in Oct, Jan & Apr (pink quartz or opal, garnet, diamond), and the colors did not mix well.
So, never mind about the birthstones! Now I'm trying to do 2 colors, green and gold. Not sure I like it. I think I'll try just one color again, maybe garnets for her birthday. But, I wore this one to work and actually got some positive feedback. So, now I need to decide - Keep it or trash it?

The blog hop is on!

Lorelei picked out beads at Michael's and invited everyone to play along!
The challenge: To find & buy the beads at Michael's and create a necklace.
Here's mine:



Now, quick like a bunny, hop to these other blogs to see everyone else's!!
Mary Harding
Hilary of Fryestyle
For My Sweet Daughter
My Life Under the Bus
Kristie of DreamSomeDesigns
Linda Landig
Copper Diem

Andrew Thornton
TyneBodenNecklaces
Raida of HavanaBeads
Erin of Treasuresfound
Molly of BeautifullyBrokenMe
Beading by Malin de Koning
Singing Woods

AuntieAnnie
Gr8Findings
Deborah M Purdy
Spirited Earth
My Critical eye

beads by breul
Beads for Busy Gals
Nayas Organized Chaos
Crafty Hope

Rosebud For the Love of Beads
Jamberry Song
Peacock Fairy
Elysian Studio Art
Designs by Debi

Love at first sight

OK, I love LillyPilly designs anyway. I saw this Mother of Pearl with black "Dandelion" oval and just knew I had to have it. The black glass leaf hangs over the pendant when worn, but I hated to cover up the pendant!

Lorelei's Michael's "challenge"

I'm posting earlier than the deadline, to make sure I don't miss it!
I went to Michael's and was able to find all the beads for the task! This actually was a challenge for me, because, while I like all the beads individually, I probably would not put them all together into one necklace. I'm usually more monochromatic. So, this was a good thing to try.



I actually made 2 necklaces, my favorite one is the symmetrical-ish one on the left.



And, they look good worn together!!

This was fun!! I look forward to doing this again! Thanks Lorelei!

Official calling cards

I'm saying "calling cards" because I made them oversized. I wanted them to be reminiscent of Victorian calling cards.

This photo is the entire background of the card. It's a photo of my husband's grandmother (& her little sister). I was hoping to upload the card, with the type in it, but I have not figure out how to get blogger to do that!

cords galore

I recently photographed some cords I made. These have not been transformed into jewelry yet. I love making the cords, and they are fun to wear in colder weather (they're like little scarves!), but I think I'm the only person on earth who likes them. I was a textile design major, so I'm drawn to fibers. I love coming up with interesting color and texture combinations. I have had them for sale at various places, and I've only ever sold one. One. That's it. And that was to a woman who was buying it for her "wacky" aunt. So, not exactly a raving endorsement.
Oh well. I don't care if no one else likes them. I still like them.

Without further ado...

Here are the photos of Brittany's bridal jewelry. The instructions she gave me were "Big, Silver, Elegant". The centerpiece is a vintage rhinestone pin. The two side pieces are old buttons, so she has her "something old" already.


The earrings....


So, when she tried everything on with the dress at the bridal salon, the folks at the salon thought that the necklace was too fabulous for her to wear, because it took the attention away from the dress. I suspect this is only the opinion of a person that sells dresses. As the jewelry designer, I don't see a problem with the necklace being the focal point of the outfit....but I'm off track. So! She asked me to come up with a second necklace that was "less". Here's that necklace. As you'll see in the bridesmaids necklaces, this is a similar style.


And now for the bridesmaids: Brittany wanted the necklaces to be different, but to look like they were vintage necklace from the same collection. The dresses are a warm red/ coral and the Strawberry "Quartz" matched wonderfully.





Brittany wanted one for herself, for when they all hang out, so they can all wear their "matching" jewelry:

In the meantime, the mother of the bride requested a necklace to match her dress. Her dress color is "sable", which is a grayish brown. I did not get a swatch, but I thought Smokey Quartz would look good.

Here comes the bride, maybe

Well, I did not win the Vintaj challenge. That's ok. I like to enter it, even if I don't have a chance. You never know, someday I might win again.
But, in the meantime, the theme this past month was Vintage wedding. Coincidentally, I've been doing bridal jewelry for a friend's daughter's (Brittany) wedding. She took her necklace to the first fitting of her gown and the bridal shop owner flipped over the necklace, and now wants me to collaborate with her brides (customers!). This will be a challenge, because my designs tend toward casual/ asymmetrical and brides usually want formal/ symmetrical. It will be a stretch for me - but I could use a good stretch.
Here's some of Brittany's jewelry I made (very Bling-y)....

Oh crud!! The pics are not on my thumb drive - I'll post them tomorrow!!

Orchard Artworks

I am on the Orchard Artwork's website now.
Here's a link to my artist page:
http://www.orchardartworks.org/Artists/oa_cynthia-riggs.htm

Vintaj June challenge

I have submitted my design for the Vintaj June Challenge Vintage Wedding.

Inspiration: The vintage Czechoslovakian pin stars as the focal, and was my inspiration. The scene looks like an offering of a bouquet - perhaps a proposal? The Howlite beads, along with the Vintaj brass, gives the necklace an ancient feel. "My heart is ever at your service." - William Shakespeare

The challenge is open from June12-18, so head over to vintaj.com/wpblog after June 12th and check it out. Look for my necklace and vote!!

I'm a juried artisan!!

I have good news!! I applied to and have been accepted as a juried artist at Orchard Artworks in Bryn Athyn, PA. It is a small gallery with (I'm guessing) 40 or so artist/ members. I am going to meet with them on Saturday to fill out paperwork, and get more info. I'm actually excited and nervous about it - what have I gotten myself into?? They really want me to work one day per month, which doesn't sound like too much to ask. But Alan's only home on weekends, and I can only work there on weekends! We'll have to see how it goes.
I'll post more info later, with a link to the website and my "artist page".

New stuff.....well, old really!

I have been looking at some old broken pins on my jewelry desk for quite some time. I finally picked them up and did something with them. One is an old photo pin (but with no pin on the back. One is a G.F. pin with a small piece of coral (also no pin on back) and the last one was an unset floral cameo, just screaming to be wrapped in brass! Here they are....what do you think? (I still need to take a decent photo of the coral one)