CHALLENGE PROJECT FOR FALL!

I needed a challenge, and I found one!  My latest project was on the cover of Beadwork magazine (Feb/March, 2018) designed by Shanna Steele -- I couldn't resist it, and kept moving the magazine to the top of my pile for over a year and 1/2.  There are so many beautiful designs out there - so many really talented designers - it's hard to know which one to try next.  But, I finally had the feel for this one, for a special friend of mine, and decided to give it a go.  It's all about the timing and the feel for me!  :)  

The focal pendant design makes a substantial piece of jewelry.  It started with a 40 mm Labradorite gemstone donut, which then is encased in lots of beads and has a swarovski crystal in the center on both sides.  Black is always her fav... but it's sooooo hard for me to just do something black, so I added some shades of green.  AND, I swapped the beads on the back, so there is a different look and option.  We always need to have options in my book of fashion -- different ways to wear what we have.  Well... it turned out beautiful, if I don't say so myself!  I added some beautiful brick stitch earrings to the mix - the greens compliment each other and it's ... well...    OOOOOOhhhhh la la.  It's a combo you can't miss!  See what you think! 

COLORFUL DAY OF THE DEAD!

My blog postings seem to continue on a sporadic schedule.  I just haven't felt like there's been enough time for beading, let alone posting... I'll just have to keep plugging along and do the best I can to keep sane!!  :)  A few projects of late, reflecting the yummy colors of this season.

This fantastic Day of the Dead (and so much more) pendant from Gaea is so wonderful.  Hard not to make this an eye catcher statement piece.  It can absolutely stand alone, with some added chain, but I decided to string some agate rounds in varying degrees of color with a czech glass flower on one side.  Simple, yet colorful.  I also added some little howlite skull charms below the Gaea off-white large ceramic bead and capped that bead w/copper caps... can't have enough skulls at this time of year, right?  And, these fibers just add so much to help pop and soften.  Thank you Lashell!

The skeleton charms on the earrings below are also Gaea.  Aren't her designs just so fantastic and whimsical?  I wire wrapped around some copper chain pieces and included 8.0 seed beads, czech glass flowers, flower caps and o rings. And, some fibers.  Adorbs!

Some more darlin fall wire wrapped skeletons.  Gaea charms and my wire wrapping of czech leaves, 11.0 seed beads, some turquoise and a crystal rondelle in the center bottom.

And a couple of macrame bracelets.  These are so fun to make, to personalize, and I can add any kind of middle charm or connector to a multitude of macrame color combos.

OWLS FOR FALL!

As fall waits right around the corner, I am beginning to feel the transition coming.  That crispness in the air... the end of the garden, the slow change of color in the leaves.  SO, I need to get moving on lots of fall projects.  This piece started with the colorful cellini spiral stitch using 11.0, 8.0 and 6.0 seed beads.  It's so fun and a nice change, but takes time, so I did a small piece and knew it would be the first piece of my next puzzle. I started looking through my stash to find all the next pieces to add and there it was... this wonderful owl pendant by Nicole St. Laurent.  ( I do so love owls).  I wire wrapped some 18 gauge copper wire around the cellini piece to incorporate the pendant and then found these wonderful ceramic beads by Gaea (notice the star in Gaea's blue bead - so perfect!) and wire wrapped those inbetween the silk ribbon and chain.  My first version of this necklace did not have all the wonderful added color of the siri silk ribbon and yarn from Lashell Lundskow-Wyskochil, but I just felt it needed to be bold, so started playing.  The first version is at the very bottom of this post, around my neck -- see what you think!  I also added Nicole's intricate owl charms for my earrings.  It's a perfect set!!

Below is the first version of the necklace with the earrings before I added all the additional ribbon and color for some real POP!

HOME AND THE HEART!

What a great place to be -- home -- and with the ones I love! A new set, inspired by this adorable wood pendant from Ashley at Summer Wind Art.  Because it started out so light weight, it gave me an opportunity to add some heavier options - I wrapped some 20 gauge wire and made a little heart connector, and then hung my own little peyote stitched howlite butterfly.  A little added detail that really brings the eye to the piece I think.  I strung some wood oblongs that I've had in my stash for awhile evidently, because I cannot reorder them from Fusion !!! (what's up with that?) and interspersed some wood saucers and metal melon beads with a new czech glass flower and some fire polish on the other side.  I am aware that I need to design more light weight around my neck, so my back doesn't speak to me at the end of the day -- this turned out perfect in that regard.  And, the earrings are a nice compliment.  I wanted to have the look of flowers, and it does kind of look like that, but it definitely took on it's own vibe!!   I don't do many projects in white (or black!) but this ended up with plenty of color. Love the set. 

FUN SUMMER COLOR COMBOS!

Following the theme of an earlier post in June, here are some additional earrings in brick stitch.  I'm trying all different colors together now to see what unusual combos I can come up with.  This stitch lends itself to this style so beautifully, and it's not a long-term project that takes me days.  I need a few of those right now as I really just want to spend time outside sitting in our garden, smelling all the wonderful aromas of flowers and veggies, and watching the butterflies and bees.  Here are a few additional colors/lengths/designs -- all fun and catchy in their own way.  

  

ALL A FLUTTER!

This adorable set started with Heather Power's  Humblebeads Butterfly pendant and earring charms.  Her creations are so wonderfully unique and charming.  It's sometimes challenging for me to do justice to my favorite artist's, but I do my best to showcase whatever it is within my own creation!  I've used an older idea of Heather's below - some 16 gauge hammered copper wire to start, wire wrapped with table cut czech glass and different sized (11.0 and 8.0) seed beads to bring in the colors of the beautiful butterfly.   To bring it all to completion, I added some 1.5 mm light purple leather as my finish, with some 7mm silicone jump rings from Karen Helmrich (CreatingUnkamen) for added color.  F U N! 

And, for the earrings, I added some czech glass bell flowers and some 6mm fire polish.  The charms are the centerpiece of course, so I didn't want to overdo the rest. 

                                             

COLORS ADORN!

A smaller sized earring of less weight for our earlobes.  Instead of longer, free-flowing fringe off the bottom of brickstitch, I wrapped these around for loops.  I've seen different versions of this idea out there... not really sure who came up with it, but I loved the idea when I saw it.  I used 11.0 sb with 6mm fire polish on the earring wire.  These are puuuurrrfffeeect for summer and the colors -- mamma mia!  :)  Darlin' little stars add a bit of pop.  Adorbs.

Similar colors as above, but the longer dangle look.  Again, on FB and on Pinterest, so many different versions of these brickstitch with dangle designs out there.  The sky's the limit on how long or what you add to them - I added some tiny myuki drop beads to both the earring wires and the bottom of the dangles for my own JDreams flair, and I'm lovin me some blue right now!!  Some people like shorter, and some people like longer.  Always good to have a choice, depending on your hair length too, or if you are wearing your hair up or down.  No reason to wear darlin' earrings if no one can see them, right?

A flash idea, as I played with some different beads on my mat, grew into these darlin loose flower earrings.  Rizzo's, 8.0 sb and some fire polish wrapped around a pounded brass round link.  I've kind of been in a wire wrapping state of mind and there's that blue again.  These are more delicate than what they show here, and there is movement with the rizzos, which adds a bit of life to the design.

An idea I saw on Instagram at #seedbeadjewelry. CindyKinersonjewelry posted a pair she had created using brickstitch attached to some engraved or stamped natural leather, as the lower portion of the earring - they were really fantastic!  I loved the idea and my head started spinning about what I could come up with that followed the basic idea but was different.  So, I went through my own leather stash and came up with this combo.  Cutting very small pieces of leather in a shape is not as easy as it looks, so don't look too close!  Best part is how light they are.   Even with the 11.0 seed beads, the czech glass and 8mm round, these are light as a feather.  FUN!

CREATION AS IT COMES...

A mix of projects.  First, this beautiful "Solange" pendant designed  by Anna Bawden and showcased on the cover of the April/May 2019 Beadwork.  It took me awhile to figure out how each of the 3-hole copper BowTrios fit together.  Yes... it took me a couple of tries cuz I was having severe brain failure that day... :(  They were a bit cumbersome for me at the beginning, but then they fit right in with the right and left ZoliDuos.  Those need attention as well, for proper placement.  There definitely is a right and wrong way to string them.  And, I had this beautiful Golem cabochon in my stash, which I substituted for the pressed-glass cabochon called for in the pattern.   This is a much richer look I think, although it does add a bit more weight.  The turquoise necklace was part of my stash, so that's what's working right now.  I also made a siri silk version for a softer drape.  

Below, a wonderful project  from a class taught by The Moods of Eve jewelry designer, metal worker and creator Beth Routhier.  This bracelet is aptly named "Slick Slider".  Beth is a wonderfully patient instructor, and so kind to assist when I'm struggling with sheet metal, or using my fingers, instead of the tools!!!  Ha!  This pattern started out with a flat piece of copper sheet metal and after hammering and punching holes, and rolling and forming forming into these tubes, several strands of 1" or 1.5" leather were added (I used a variety of colors in the copper/silver/grey/brown range), and then the metal was carefully closed.  The clasp included some wire wrapping for a finished look and rondelles for some bling.  Thanks Beth!  Always enjoy you and your classes.

  

A JDreams earring design below.  I used already made and hammered brass loops, and then wire wrapped 4mm fire polish, 8.0 seed beads and 4mm swarovski crystals around it.  The colors were incredible!  

Some Easter earrings I made at the last minute.  Life has been so full lately, I hadn't made anything for that Holiday, so found a perfect pattern at Fusion Beads.  Brick stitchin' some eggs just in time for the Easter bunny!  

and, another pattern from Fusion Beads' Inspiration page called "living coral".  These are fantastic.  Lots of time invested in these little rows back and forth I must say, but so fun to wear.  15.0 round seed beads and 11.0 delicas in galvanized gold. I changed pattern ever so slightly and used delicas on the ends instead of rounds.

HALLOWEEN & FALL PROJECTS

Some of my spooky Halloween projects, the day after Halloween!  :)  I'll start by showcasing this incredible Staci Louise Day of the Dead pendant.  I used 16 gauge copper wire for the outside frame, hammered it flat and then molded it around the pendant with my free form wire wrapping.  The finish is siri ribbon, in three different colors to add some pizazz.  I truly love this unusual pendant.  I've been holding onto it for awhile ... it took me this long to determine how to do it justice.  These colors are not the "norm" for this time of year, and I think that's what I love about it, along with the beauty of Staci's creativity.

Pumpkins and more pumpkins... the colors speak for themselves don't they?  F A L L harvest.  I love using good quality lucite too -- when I can find it.  It's so light and sometimes you really can't tell what it's made out of.  I found pumpkins, leaves, copper spacers and other quality beads on Etsy at Lula Beads.  She's fast at shipping too. 

The top green pumpkins are Czech glass, but the two below are both lucite.  The larger pumpkin truly looks like glass, but without the weight.

The earrings below are Czech glass on top, w/lucite caps and translucent rounds below, and then fire polish rondelle dangles.  Such a fun combo.  Luckily I have a husband who lets me spread LOTS of beads around the table as I create, so I can see what I have to choose from as I go.  . it's not always a very pretty site, but lets my artistic juices flow a bit smoother... :)  Thanks, Noah!

These pumpkins are hand blown glass from Heart Beads in Murray, UT.  So darling, but glass can be heavy, so I was careful not to add too many other beads, to keep the weight doable. 
  

Now for a few darlin' witches.  Using good quality anything -- gemstones or Czech glass or whatever - always raises the level of any finished product in my opinion.  And, these are not the normal colors of Halloween so can be worn throughout the fall.  I think these came together so adorbs!  The copper spacers add some real interest and some fun to the overall look! Scroll on down for a few different options.

Some unusual bone skulls added for fun with crystal inlaid pear drops.  I purchased these at that incredible store I mentioned above -- Heart Beads.  They are not on-line, unfortunately.  But, its certainly well worth a trip just to walk in that store.  Wonderful selection and nice people too.