I'll be in and out next week...


I leave you with a couple of  great links though...

Maggie Maggio - Excellent color specialist with polymer clay. One day I'm going to find time to do her color swatches.

Smashing Color

Need to see a video on something you've always wanted to learn... Jewelry Supply.com has some awesome videos

Jewelry Supply.com Tutorial Videos

I love Kazuri beads. I love any beads that are made in Africa. They just have such originality to me. This set is out of my usual color scheme. I find myself buying outfits to go with jewelry that I've made now. This will be the case with this set. I really don't have anything that matches it. I may end up selling this set, but I really love it.



The other beads are 6mm pearls and 8mm silver wire wrapped beads.

I'm heavily addicted to working with wire. As I said in my last post, I'm trying to use things that I have just one of or I've had forever and didn't know exactly what to do with them. Bracelet slide findings were one of those I just didn't know what to do with. I saw something like these in an idea book. I think they are kinda cool. I really love swirls so I did the wire in swirls. On the top of the swirls are two silver bicones and the bracelet slides have Swarovski crystals inside them.

I am trying to use up some of the findings that I have only one set of. I thought it would be nice to make a pair of mommy earrings to go with my sister mommy bracelet. I really love those emerald Swarovski crystals. They are such a pretty color.

So I'm trying all kinds of new techniques and gemstones. I've never worked with turquiose. To be honest, I had never been that much of a fan of it. That changed when I saw some necklaces in the latest issue of Bead Style Magazine.  I had always wanted to learn about using leather cording as well. I bought this pendant at a local bead show and wanted to use some of my wire techniques as well. So I put them all together to create this really easy necklace.



I have some more intricate turquiose necklaces planned for later. Stay tuned.

I bought a black and white suit...

I did make a necklace that had floating beads in it to go with a black and white suit I bought. However, one of my friends had a daughter going to a military ball, so I gave it to her. I wish I had photographed it and the earrings I made for her, I could get a pic of her. She is a beautiful sweet young lady. It was perfect with the black and white formal dress that she wore that night.

I digress... That left me needing a black and white necklace for this suit. I went to a bead show in Raleigh not too long ago and my favorite Kenyan bead seller was there, Some Enchanted Beading. So she had some really cool black and white beads, that of course, just called to me. The lady who sells these is so sweet and had some health problems so I was glad to see her at a show. Here's the result.

I took my furry geriatric children to the vet for their shots, and a host of other things. I need to have a bumper sticker that says my dogs and all my money go to Clayton Animal Hospital.   But, they take really good care of my dogs so I can't complain...much. I nearly choked on the bill and still have not told my husband what I spent. However,  I met one of the girls at the front desk. She had on some really cool Swarovski drop earrings. I ask my usual question, " Did you make those?" and waited for the usual No. But she had made them and she's also a big fan of Kazuri beads from Kenya. So we got along fabulously. She also lived in Zimbabwe. How cool is that? Those of you who know me personally, know that it is my life's dream to go to Africa. Anyway, here's a shoutout to my girl at the Clayton Animal Hospital.

Now on a completely different subject I came across this today on one of my blogs that I read all the time, PixSylated I was struck by his post today that came from the Dove campaign for real beauty. I somehow missed this on YouTube. As a woman who has struggled with weight and appearance her whole life it spoke volumes to me. As a graphic designer, it evokes questions of what is the ethical retouch of a photo. It's so unfair that young women are subject to such pressures of perfection, even worse than when I was a teenager. Anyway, I thought I'd share it with my readers. Has nothing really to do with crafts, but it does speak volumes to this crafter and digital artist.
  

Yup, it's 2 post Saturday. Don't get used to it.

Being as I have a little boy, and don't have immediate access to my nieces or friends with girls, I haven't made any jewelry for kids. Well, that all changed with this necklace and bracelet set.

My BFF's daughter loves pink and she sent me this little set of beads. I tried out the sizes on my son, who was none to pleased with being my model and having to wear pink for even the briefest of moments. The bracelet is a stretch bracelet and the necklace is about 12" inches where it hangs.

I have three BFFs in my life. This necklace was made for my BFF Marty. She wanted me to make her and her daughter some jewelry. She has seen the plethora of stuff I have made for my sister, so it was time to make her something. She sent me some inexpensive beads to start with. I am experimenting with multiple strand necklaces and have a real love of copper and antique brass findings. This set of beads was perfect to try both. I also did my haphazard technique again, which really works well with miscellaneous bead packs like the one she sent. They are just pretty shapes and colors that go together anyway you put them. I have several of these sets. I think I'll try this technique with some of those as well.

One of my friends is an avid reader. She is also heavily into Celtic stuff. So when I saw this bookmark at Fire Mountain Beads, I couldn't help but get it for her. These bookmarks are really easy to put together. I really want to try to make them out of polymer clay. It's on the list to try soon.