A Challenging Earring Gone Pendant Design!

I do love a good challenge, and Beadwork Magazine Designer of the Year, Penny Dixon, does not disappoint.  She is an incredible jewelry designer.  I wanted to start a new project, and her "Pergola" earring design, just one of her many mathematical equations, called out to me from the pages of the magazine!  So, I gathered the beads that I needed and started... and I struggled, let me tell you.  But, onward I kept weaving each and every little stitch.  For this trial run earring (yes, I have made only one at this writing!!!) I used the colors I could put my hands on in my stash, so this might not be what I would have put together if I had had all colors (!), but I thought it worked and I really quite like the way it turned out.  Some red/green, but not too much.  I used a combination of metals for the Czech bars (I originally thought my Czech bricks were the Czech bars called for in the pattern, but they are too thick so I had to start once again with the proper bead to get the spacing just right) and Penny's pattern used the quadra lentils and I used quadra tiles, which seemed to work just fine.  I feel pretty dang thrilled with myself having finished this ONE earring.  On to the next one...

THANKSGIVING INSPIRATIONS.

A very wonderful Thanksgiving to those of you who follow me, or occasionally check my blog!  I wish you (and me!!) joyful time with family or friends or whomever you love to be around.  That's what it's all about - being with those who bring us joy, appreciate us, accept us, love us, and to whom we can bring the same.  

I've made some last minute Thanksgiving inspired adornments.  I am loving the fall colors so much, I hate to see this season end, but these are probably my last creations before Christmas designs begin.

The earrings above are my design using some darling art tiles by J-Lynn Jewels.  Janice does lots of different shapes and styles for Holidays and everything inbetween. 

The earrings above are also my latest brick stitch around a component design (thank you Sue at Bead Street for getting me started on these components!) adding some table cut Czech glass flowers and etched leaves, wrapped with patinaed copper wire in 22 and 24 gauge, with earring wires in 20 gauge.  These are so gorgeous in the light, as the second level of beads around the circle are translucent. 

And above, a darling pumpkin pendant by Humblebeads.  I wired in the leaves and added some curly q's for fun.  Also added a different color of the table cut Czech flowers from the earrings.  I do love these beads, which are hard to find.

A COMPILATION POST!

A few new items I've recently completed that I'll combine into this one post - bits and pieces of fun!  A darling necklace using peanut beads, which I think is so wonderfully colorful, coupled with two beautiful artisan beads from Humblebeads - Heather's birds are legendary, and this detailed bon bon flower bead so unusual and beautifully detailed.  

 Second, is a slightly altered version of Eileen Barker's French garden cuff design, from my October 20, 2015 post "Spooky Halloween".  In this bracelet I tried a mixture of small and large drops in differing colors, which gave the top flowers a different look.  The crystal montees are also alternated for a slightly different sheen.  This color combo is really warm and rich!

And last, but never least, some beaded bead earrings I made in a class taught by Sandy Taylor, using a pattern designed by Vezsuzsi.

THE GIFT OF BEADS!

My friend Aimee brought me back some wonderful ceramic artisan beads (African Kazuri beads) from her vacation on the Oregon coast (what's a better vacation destination than that I ask!) and I've been saving them for just the right artistic moment.  Well, I had the moment and here's how it turned out.  I made the beaded necklace first, using superduos and 11 sbs, (thank you Sandy!) and went from there.  The colors in the necklace are slightly different, but really melded with the beads!  Then I did a little wire wrapping to attach the pendant (thank you Beth for helping me to remember I can [I think I can... I think I can...] work with heavier wire).  I added a few butterfly charms, swarovski crystals and a wonderful czech flower, and here it is...one of my new favs. 

ANOTHER FALL COMBINATION!

The variation in color in these beautiful Indian Agate beads is pretty incredible.  I saw the strand and loved it immediately, especially the shape of the beads!  And, then when complimented with the wine-ish variegated czech glass round druks, antique bronze 8 sbs and the adorable bee pendant from Bo Hulley, oh so fun.  The one of a kind pieces I make really do speak to me as I gather my particular beads and components and come up with a design, and this one was no exception.  This set was made from the heart for my dear girl, Lonette!  Hope she loves it as much as I do.

TURNING TO FALL WITH METALLIC FLAIR!

This set almost didn't make it to it's intended!  Ha.  It's a piece made for a dear girl - that girl who was so instrumental in helping me get started on this incredible beading journey.  Happy birthday Aimee!  This project all started with the earrings, and I chose the colors specifically for Aimee - the combo and sheen go with just about anything black/brown (or any combination thereof) and Aimee does love those colors.  And, then the pendant, well, that incredible sun/moon pendant, from none other than Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead was just too perfect!  

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SPOOKY HALLOWEEN!

I'm having a lot of fun using my home-grown pumpkins as my jewelry props!  The colors coordinate so well with the jewelry I'm creating right now, and of course I LOVE this time of year - fall - Halloween - the leaves starting to turn and fall - glorious lush oranges, reds, greens and yellows and ... So, below are my latest JDreams creations for this sp00ky time of year.  The pendant is so dang fun !!!! from a favorite artisan of mine Nancy Schindler of Round Rabbit designs, she really does beautiful work, and in this case perfect for the Season!  I also did a bit of patina wire work to attach the pendant.  I was so proud of myself with how that turned out and I thank a wonderful wire teacher -- Beth Routhier!  And last, but never least, my newest  stitched bracelet, designed by Eileen Barker of Bead Street.

The beautiful bracelet below is the design and creation of Eileen Barker @ Bead Street, called French Garden Cuff taught in a class by Sandy Taylor.  I've inserted the link above to Eileen's patterns.  This pattern uses 3mm cubes for the base, and I love this matte green for fall, especially when mixed with the orange and green montees! 

FALL COLORS AND FUN!

So many wondrous things happening during this awesome time of year -- my favorite fall season!  Woo Hoo!  It's also a time of year when I'm preparing for birthdays and other celebrations, so I cannot post all my in-process little pretties, but soon, very soon!  Here are a few of late, that I can post.  The first is this adorable bracelet made in perfectly Halloweenie colors, of course!!! A pattern design by Eileen Barker at Bead Street (you can also follow her on Pinterest or view some patterns on Starman) using quadratiles, tiles, drops, 11.0 and 15.0 seed beads, and 6mm rounds, but of course I used 4mm pumpkin rounds (melons) with 11.0 seed beads on either side to fill in that gap.  I love this bracelet.  It flows with your wrist, and it lends itself to lots of color - the drops I used are so awesome.  Green/orange/clear.  One way they look green, another way they look orange.  A fun twist.

 

 Next, some witcheeee earrings.  So fun to wear.  They get noticed, I'll say that, even in all my hair!  I found a pattern on the Fusion Bead website (they do a great job in their Inspiration section!), and did my own thing from there.  I used some of what I had in my stash (another unbelievable thing... I know!) black onyx and lucite, including the darlin' melons for "her" head - they are fun to use on lots of different pieces.

 Another lovely fall colored bracelet below, that is wonderfully lacy on the wrist.  Sometimes it takes me a few minutes to warm to a new pattern, and this one was just that.  However, it didn't take long, and as I started assembling each of the parts, it began to talk to me!  A pattern by Lisa Jordan, a Starman TrendSetter, in a class taught by Sandy Taylor at Bead Street. We used super duos, mini duos, 4mm fp, 11.0 and 15.0 seed beads.

 These earrings are my design (JDreams) - I love leaves in all colors, but mostly in fall colors, surprise!  So I just started stitching and this is what I ended up with. Czech glass leaves, a 4mm bicone for added sparkle, a little bit of leaf chain, and a stitched flower of leaves with a 6mm fp in the middle, using copper 11.0's for the center.  I could have gone on and on stitching with these, but I just had to stop right where they are because they are lovely enough! 

The earrings above and the bracelet below are more of my JDreams designs - love these white bone melons, coupled with the green Czech glass spacers and the effervescent orange rounds.  Below a peyote stitched bracelet using a Bo Hulley ceramic heart button.  The button just finished off the wrap bracelet, don't you think?

FUN BRACELET DESIGN!

A fun pattern designed by Nela Kabelova, she named "Undulation bracelet".  I had a ball making this with my beading pals, taught by Sandy at Bead Street.  I actually made one in class that was too dark for my liking, so I disassembled all the beads and started anew.  These are the latest two versions.  The pattern works up nicely and wears easily.  Very light on the wrist.  My second version is trended for Halloween, and I'm loving the oranges, greens and purples.  Bricks, 6mm fp or 6mm rounds, 6.0, 11.0 and 15.0 seed beads.