Wordless Wednesday

Custom Orders

It's been a while since I've shared some of the custom orders I've been working on.  Well today is the day, aren't you lucky.

The first is a leather gauntlet that I made for one of my best clients.

This gauntlet is covered with almost 700 1/4 inch pyramid studs.  It's quite the statement piece.  He really loved it.

The second piece is a munch brighter piece.

This bright rainbow triangle was made for a new client that was looking for a simple necklace to go with a bracelet she already had.  I love this one.  It's so bright and fun.  Loved It!!!

I have a few other custom orders on the board, but they're not quite ready for photos.  If you would like to see the process, head on over to my instagram page.   I post lots of works in progress as well as pics from my everyday life.  And if you have an instagram page that you want me to check out, leave the info in the comments. 

What's on the bead board

I'm working on a custom leather order right now.  I'm about half done with the studwork.  There are going to be almost 700 studs on this gauntlet when I'm finished.  It's quite the project, but I think my client will like it.

I'm also working on a second beaded tin.  Here is the progress I've made on the embroidered top.  Okay, I've gotten a little bit more work done since I snapped this photo, but not that much more.  I'm having a lot of fun working on these.

 
And last but not least, I'm working on a custom rainbow triangle necklace.  I'm excited for the colors my client has chose.  I'm hoping to have this finished by the end of the week.  I'll get some photos posted as soon as I can.  

Music Influences

I have been working on a number of different projects lately that have been inspired by music.  I have always loved music and have always had music in my life.  My dad is a musician, playing both guitar and piano.  My brother is also a musician, he sings and plays guitar.  And as most of you know, J is a musician.  He plays lead guitar in his ska band.  So my life is filled with music.

I have been using all of this as inspiration as of late.  I have been working on some larger projects (that I hope to have a finished project soon to take pictures of) as well as some smaller, simpler ones.  I have been having fun playing with all the guitar strings that J has given me over the years.  I have so many ideas for them.

I also have some guitar pick necklaces.  I have been making these for some time and selling them at shows for about 3 years now.  But it just recently dawned on me to put some of them up in my Etsy store.

I use a little tiny rivet on each pick to make sure that they don't break and I string them on leather or ball chain.  I really like the way the tiny rivet makes them look, and it gives them extra strength (I've had some of these in the past that were easily broken).  It just gives them a finished look.  I have a pink necklace and I love it.  I use to wear it everyday, but I haven't worn it in a while.  I think I need to get that little guy out.

I am looking into getting a dye cutting machine that will allow me to make my own guitar picks, so that way I can make them in what ever colors or styles I wanted.  But I'm still on the fence about this, maybe I'll see after Christmas.  

Click HERE to check out all the guitar themed items in my etsy store.

Number Two Down!

Okay, so our crazy couple of weeks are over (I think).  Jeremiah had his interview, we're just crossing our fingers and hoping for good news.  And show number two is over with.

This show was during Strawberry Fest in Sun Prairie.  It was a decent show, not the best I've been too, but definitely not the worst.  I was a tad disappointed with the whole Strawberry aspect; really no strawberry smoothies or daiquiris?  And most people told me that they had no idea where the strawberries were even located.  J said it was pretty difficult to find them.

But as for the arts and crafts show, it was okay.  I made enough money to make it worth my time, and I even had enough time to work on some necklaces.  My setup was very different for this show.  I actually was in the middle row, so I had both sides of my tent open.  I wanted nice walk through, so I just put the tables to the side.  But the wind was something else, so we eventually had to give in and put up the wall.  But the wind gave us a nice break from the heat.  It was in the upper 80s/lower 90s, with no clouds at all.  The heat really made J unbearable to deal with; I love that he comes with, but sometimes he's difficult to deal with in the hot heat.  But who's super excited to sit in the hot heat all day?

I did sell two large pieces, which made me pretty excited.  It's nice to have people appreciate how much work goes into a piece, it really makes me happier then the money that I get for it.  I sold one of my Autism Puzzle cuffs, which the woman actually had me take the toggle clasp off because she wanted to use it as a book mark.  I also sold one of my ArtBead necklaces.  The woman really seemed to light up when she saw it and just kept coming back to look at it and try it on.  It just put a smile on her face, as well as mine.  She snatched it up and then gave me the name of a women who owns a local store that only sells high end clothing and jewelry.  She said that I should go talk to her and see if she would be interested in some of my jewelry.  She said it would fit right in and the woman only sells items from local designers.  And the store is right over by the vet school, so I'll have to stop in and see.

Well I'm off to work on my EBW challenge piece.  This month's challenge is secret garden and I'm really excited to work on this one, I'm just a tad behind on finishing up.  So wish me luck, and have a fantastic rest of the weekend.

The Phantom

Here is my third "jumble" necklace so far.  I love making these fun sophisticated necklaces.

This beauty is based on the Phantom of the Opera.  I'm not that into Phantom, but the graduate student in the lab is.  She loves it, so she helped me out with a few different ideas.  She told me about the pipe organ, and the rose, and red dress, etc etc.  And this is what my little mind came up with.

I used a wonderful silver lined gold for the herringbone rope.  This represents the pipes of the organ.  And then the "jumble" part consists of silver lined red triangle beads, silver lined seed beads, silver lined square beads, and lovely garnet chips.  The red "jumble" represents the rose and the dress and the passion.


And I wasn't finished with just the necklace. I had enough left over beads to make a matching bracelet.

Again I used the silver lined gold beads as a base, then I just covered the whole bracelet with the collection of the red beads.

I am so happy with how both of these turned out.  They both are quite substantial and a little on the heave side due to the large quantity of garnet chips that were used, but they both very comfortable to wear.

What do you think?

Red Fire Necklace

Here is one of my newest necklaces.  It's based on an old necklace I made for myself years ago.  It's pretty much the same design (I changed a few things), but I used silver lined red for that fiery look and added sterling silver beads.   I'm loving this one.

The necklace is a small herringbone beaded rope with a collection of beaded fringe as the focal point.  Each small fringe has a tiny silver bead at the end, adding a wonderful sparkle.

I made two small silver lined beaded rings to pull the whole necklace together. 

I also used a really great sterling silver star clasp.  It adds a little bit of fun to the necklace.

The silver lined beads really add a nice sparkle and elegance to the necklace.

The original necklace I made was also in red, but I'm thinking this could look great in a variety of colors.  Oh, I bet it would look extremely elegant in black.  Now I'm off to think of new color combos to work with next time. 

What's New :)

It's spring (finally)!!!!  I have had the heat off in our house for about a month now (though I have to turn it on now and then).  I'm so excited that the snow is gone and things are blooming again.  It makes me happy :)

Jumble Necklace

I have to admit though, that when the weather gets nice I tend to forget about beads and glass.  I just want to be out side.  Last weekend I got most of the gardening done and I'm hoping to get my veggies planted soon.  It's just too nice to be cooped up inside.

But I can't forget about beads for long.  And when I'm not exhausted from riding bike at night, I still love to curl up on the couch with my beads.  So for all the time I've been spending outside, I have actually been pretty productive.   

Here is a prime example, a new necklace, Klymene,  in one of my favorite new designs; the "jumble" necklace.  A lovely dark AB pink with a wonderful jumble of black seed beads in all different kinds of finishes.  I think it's very elegant.

ArtBeads Spring Necklace

I got the  idea for this type of necklace when working on a necklace based on the Phantom of the Opera.  I don't know much about the play, but the graduate student does. She got so excited telling me about it and helping me design something.  I designed a necklace with a gold beaded rope with a jumble of ruby beads.  I'm currently working on this one and I hope to have pictures of it soon.

My ArtBeads necklace was also based on this idea.  Just a wonderful beaded rope with a jumble of different beads as the focal.

These necklaces work up pretty fast and they are a great was for me to use up some of my left over beads. I really can't wait to make up some more.

So I might be a little slow in posting or getting new pictures up.  The weather is just too nice to pass up right now.  So go out and enjoy spring :)

Spring Time with ArtBeads

Spring themed bead "jumble"

This month's ArtBead theme was spring.  I was so excited for this theme.  I am more then ready for spring (as I'm sure most of us are).

I've been thinking of doing a necklace like this for quite some time.  Just a wonderful jumble of beads as the focal point, almost like a large beaded bead, but not (if that makes any sense at all).  I felt that the spring theme would be exceptionally good for this.

I did a herringbone rope in two different shades of gold seed beads.  I used a wonderful mix of seed beads and a combination of pressed glass leaf beads in two different colors.    I then accented the green with blue, pink, yellow, and purple Swarovski crystal beads in fun flower and butterfly shapes. 

Sterling Silver Toggle Clasp

The jumble of beads reminds me of a spring time garden.  All the new growth sprouting and growing.  I love it.


I then finished this necklace a fantastic sterling silver leaf toggle clasp.  I love this clasp.  It's so much fun and fits the necklace perfectly. It's quite a large clasp, but because it has a filigree feel to it, it makes it very delicate. 

I've very happy with how this necklace turned out.  I think it captures the spring theme perfectly.

Spring Time Necklace

I've decided I like this style of necklace so much that I will be working on a few more like this.  I have an idea for a gold and ruby one that I'm going to start working on soon.  So everyone will have to stop by and see that one too.

I want to thank ArtBeads for these opportunities to try out some of their beads.  It gives me the opportunity to try things that I normally wouldn't, to give myself a huge shove out of my comfort zone. 

Disclosure - I have received these products from ArtBeads free of charge to honestly review. I have not been paid for this post.

Finally!!!

I have so many projects on my bead board right now, I question if I'll ever get through them. And on top of things, I've just not been supper happy with my work lately, guess it's just a winter creative slump. Spring will be here soon, right?!?

Well I have finally finished my ArtBeads project. This month's project had a valentine theme to it (go figure). I chose this great Venetian glass heart as my focal piece. This glass bead is quite the bead. It measures 35mm (0r about 1.4 inches). It's very colorful and makes a great attention getter.

I used some beautiful red and clear 6mm Swarvoski crystals to accent the heart bead. The red is Light Siam and the clear is crystal AB.

Necklace itself is a multi-strand with 6 beaded strands. The ends are finished off with beaded end caps. The center of the necklace is a short beaded tube. This is where the lovely heart bead hangs from. It's simple and pretty.

I then used a cute little sterling silver heart toggle clasp to finish this guy off. I love this clasp so much. I thought it was cute when I ordered it, but when it arrived, I was in love. It's adorable and adds such a fun accent to the necklace. I'll say it again, I'm in love with this clasp.

ArtBeads has a great selection of Valentine's day themed beads. Stop by their website today to check some of them out. Definitely check out their Valentine's Day toggle clasps, you'll love all they have to offer. Also check out their selection of Venetian glass beads. They have so many to lovely beads to choose from. And it doesn't have to be Valentine's day to create with hearts.


Disclosure - I have received these products from ArtBeads free of charge to honestly review. I have not been paid for this post.

Under The Sea!

I finally have some new stuff to show off. I got the ol' camera out and forced myself to take new pictures (it's not really that bad, but I'd much rather be creating).

I made this necklace for a challenge last month, but decided I didn't like how it looked, so I never entered it.

This necklace has been one rocky road for me. I think I've taken it apart 1000 times. I've made two beaded ropes and numerous flowers.

I've added and subtracted, and just wasn't in love with it.

I finally got a flower I liked, but then thought it overpowered the whole necklace.

Ugggg, I just wasn't happy.

But I finally decided to listen to everyone around me and just keep it as is. J thinks it looks great and K (the grad student that works in the lab) says the flower reminds her of a sea anemone, so it fits perfectly.

I've worn this necklace to work and it lays really nice. So I've come around and I'm really starting to like this necklace a lot. I used some great vintage coral that a family friend sent me years ago (and I'm very happy to find something to use this beautiful coral for).

I'm particularly proud of the flower. I have never ever tried anything like this. I've always wanted to, but I've never been brave enough.

I tried a number of different stitches. I kept asking J if they looked like flower petals, and he would try his gentlest to let me know that they weren't quite flower like.

I had three different peyote stitch and 2 different brick stitch petals. They all turned out "ok". Then I gave up. I just didn't want to deal with it anymore.

But then while I was looking through a bead book that had beautiful sculptural bead work, it hit me. Try RAW. So I sketched something out and rushed home (I was at the book store killing time). And low and behold, I created a pretty decent flower petal on the first try.

Now I'll admit, it probably isn't the best flower (there are a number of unbelievably talented bead artists that can do so much better) and I'm definitely not the first person to think of using RAW for flower petals, but I'm pretty happy with it. I would like to try something else with a flower to see if I can perfect them a little bit more. Lets see what else I can put a flower on.

This isn't on etsy yet, but I'll have it up soon and I'll make sure to update this blog with the link when I do.

Black Tie

One of my New Years resolutions was to go through all those half finished projects I have laying in my bead room. I wanted to divide them into two groups; take apart and finish.

I have accomplished the first part of this resolution, I've gone through all of them and taken apart the ones I didn't like or knew I would never finish. And I've started finishing the second group of projects.

This was the first project on my list. I started this necklace a long time ago. Probably about this time last year. I wanted to make a thin beaded lariat necklace. I always love the way these look, but have never tried on. Well, then I slowly started to loose interest in this necklace and it got set aside.

But then came the new year. I want to be more on top of things this year. So I started back up on this necklace. It was going well until I noticed I was going to run out of silver lined seed beads if I tried to work the full length. I knew I would loose interest with this necklace again if I had to wait for a bead order, so I decided to change the design.

I shortened up the necklace so it's only about half as long as the original design and I added a bunch of branched fringe on the ends. I had no idea how

I was going to finish off this necklace. I tried to think of as many different ways and I came up with the beaded ring. I used this design before on my Rising Sun Necklace. I used it to add a little bit of visual interest.

In this black and silver necklace it adds a visual interest, but it also finishes up the necklace and allows the wearer to adjust the length a little.

I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. I really like the way it looks on . It adds a touch of class to any outfit.

This necklace is in my etsy store, so for more info click HERE.

Treasury Thursday!

I need to get this posted before this wonderful treasury by Momgen expires. My Rising Sun Necklace was featured in this fantastic treasury; Be Mine..... Thank you so much Momgen. Please make sure to check out this beauty and click on all the other fabulous items.

My New Creation!

I am pleased to introduce my newest creation. I haven't thought of a name for it yet, but I'm working on it (you know the holidays and all).

I received these lovely beads from ArtBeads.com a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to get started. I have decided that this blogger program is a fantastic way for me to push myself and try something new each time. This is the perfect opportunity for me to leave my comfort zone and explore new techniques and ideas.

I'm not a huge fan of fringe; I love the way fringe looks, but hate working it up. It's time consuming and well just seems to give me trouble every time I try. But this time I was determined to make it work; the beautiful Czech glass leaves I received were definitely inspiration. They were absolutely lovely. It was very difficult to pick just a few from ArtBeads large collection of glass beads.

I also decided to try a new bead stitch; St. Petersburg. I've always loved how it looks, but just never tried it. So I used black and blue seed beads to create a delicate beaded necklace that compliments the fringe and flower pendents. I think this stitch looks like vines growing on a stone wall. Very natural and organic. I'm really happy with how it turned out and have a few more ideas on how to use it in the future.

I am also in love with these fabulous Hill Tribe Silver Flower Pendents. I've always wanted to order some of these flower pendents, but just never have. They are absolute stunners. ArtBeads has a fantastic selection of Hill Tribe Silver Beads and Pendants. Each silver item made individually by the Karen Hill Tribe in northern Thailand. Just beautiful.

I finished this necklace off with beaded end caps and a wonderful Bali Sterling Silver "S" clasp. I am really happy with how this necklace turned out. It looks so pretty on, it's definitely on my list of favorites.


Disclosure - I have received these products from ArtBeads free of charge to honestly review. I have not been paid for this post.

My New Necklace!

So if you remember I was sent a nice collection of Swarovski crystals to work with and review. Thank you ArtBeads.

For the last week or so I've been hard at work beading around these fantastic rivoli. I chose the Crystal Vitrail Medium color and I think I might be in love. The color on these are just fantastic.

I used silver lined Czech seed beads in silver and purple for all the beading. With all the different colors in the rivoli, these seed beads work great.

I then accented each little beaded rivoli with 4mm Dark Indigo Bicones, 6mm Dark Indigo Bicones, and 6mm Indian Pink 2xAB Bicones. The dark indigo is such a wonderful dark blue color and the pink, well what can I say about the pink; it's beautiful.

So here is the completed necklace. I tried a few new things for me.

First was the rivoli, never tried beaded around those before.

Second was the necklace. I made a thin flat beaded rope and looped it around the beaded rivoli so it's double. I really like how this looks. I think it gives it added detail.

I finished it off with a beaded toggle clasp in the silver beads.

The beadwork measure about 5 inches across at the widest part of the necklace and are about 3 inches. Each rivoli measure about 1 1/2 inches.

I'm really happy with this necklace. I don't do a lot of work with Swarovski crystal, mostly just accents here and there, but I think I might do a lot more in the future. And there are so many different options for me to work with, there are beads, and rhinestones, and pendents, and other components (including crystal yarn and buttons).

So thank you ArtBeads for the opportunity to play around with these stunning beads. They even gave me a coupon for 10% off at ArtBeads. It's good for till the end of the year and doesn't require any minimum purchase. The code is SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0424.

Triangle Necklace

Since I've learned how to make triangles, I've been completely hooked. I absolutely love making them. I love how you can give them such a different feel with just a change of color or size.

I really like making ones that are hooked together like loops. I just love the way they work with each other. I also love the more 3-D look you get when you wear them.

This is the latest one I've made. It's just classic black and white, but I think it's pretty cool. I've worn it a few times and it looks pretty on.

Finally Friday

Well It's Friday, Yippee!!! I have had such a week, I really hope this weekend will be better. Lets just say I had a little bit of a crazy week.

The good news is, I finally sat down and finished taking pictures. Ok, so I didn't actually finish, but I made really good headway, and that's all that counts, right (and after yesterday's mess, I'm surprised I got anything done).

First up is the second small "cuff" I've made.

It's the same width as the first one, 3/5 of an inch wide. I love anything checkered, so I really love this one.

It's again, super simple to wear, you don't even really realize you have it on. I like the way the "crystal" button makes it a little bit "fancy". (Wow, I really like quotes today) I think it dresses up the more casual pattern of the beadwork.

So I'm pretty happy with this one. Part of me say 'keep it for yourself', but the other part of me says 'no, you can always make another.' So I'm going to part with it. You can check it out in my etsy store if you are interested.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is one of the pictures I took last night. OH MY GOD do I love this picture.

I spent the majority of my time last night taking new pictures of older items. Ones that I took pictures of a while back before I learned how to use the SLR. The pictures weren't bad, they just weren't great. You can see an example of an earlier picture of my seashore necklace below. I just didn't know what setting on the camera to use or how to set up proper lighting. I think I've gotten better at both of these things.

So I just wanted to share one of my new favorite pictures with everyone. I'm in love with how the colors of the coral and beads really come through in this picture. I never thought the pictures did this necklace justice until now.



Okay I'm done raving about that picture. Everyone have a good weekend. I know I'm going to try.

Another Red Treasury!

I found my Liquid Fire Necklace in a treasury, YAY!!! This is a beautiful treasury with all the red items. I love the colors. Please check out Fire Storm, created by Slap Happy Drums, and all the amazing items in this treasury.

I got some time to sit down and take pictures yesterday, so I promise some new beady goodness by the end of the day!!!

New Necklace (well just relisted)

I relisted this fun and pretty necklace this morning.

I really love this one; it's super simple, but still so elegant. I might just have to make one for myself.

I used ice blue glass rounds and a deep transparent blue seed bead to create this wonderful pendent.

It has sort of a wavy look to it that makes it very lovely.

You can check it out HERE in my etsy store.

**I'm not sure if I've already posted about this necklace, but oh well. I feel in needs a little repost. And I also love this picture of it. It turned out so nice.**

Rising Sun - New Horizons

About a year ago I made a crazy purchase, I bought a bunch of large marble disk beads. They were beautiful, but what to do with them? Then the them to the Beadweaving Emporium Market challenge theme was announced. The theme was "New Horizons" with a mini theme to incorporate green. This was a wonderful chance for me to use these beautiful green beads.

I used wonderful copper lined green seed beads and then bright silver lined silver and gold seed beads to create this wonderful necklace. I beaded around the green marble disk to create a lovely pendent. I then finished it with fringe and a beaded rope.

I see a rising sun every time I look at this necklace. I think it has a very Inca or Mayan feel to it. The silver lined beads really make it glow like the sun. This necklace not only reminds me of the rising sun, but also because it was my first attempt at beading around a bead with netting.

This necklace is about 18 inches in length and the pendent measures 3 by 5 1/4 inches.

This is for the Beadweaving Emporium (BEM) New Horizon's Challenge. You can check out all of the entries and vote for your favorite at the Market's Blog!

I am really proud of myself with this piece. This is a little out of the box for me, but I had so much fun making it. I really love the way it looks and it looks even better on. I wore it for a little bit the other day and was very happy with it. If you'd like to see more pictures stop by my 1000 Markets store for a closer look. And while you're at 1000 markets don't forget to search "BEMC" for all the wonderful entries.