SHADES OF TEAL AND TURQUOISE and some other stuff...

As I took the pictures for this post, it's uncanny how I seem to be in a mindset of turqoise and teals with everything!  I know I am drawn to different colors throughout the year, but right now, you'll see what I'm talking about in the posts below.  

I started this necklace with this adorable ceramic house, made by Bo Hulley Ceramics.  I have kept many of her ceramic creations in my stash as she only makes a few at a time, and there's lots of time inbetween the firings of her kiln.  My first thought for an add-on was the czech glass heart.  How perfect is that?  And, yes, my heart is totally in my home.  From there, I wanted some depth so I painted a brass flower to add underneath (Vintaj paints) and then kept on adding, wire wrapping some farfalle beads with daisy spacers, and this gorgeous glass hanging flower bead from Stars Beads.  I cannot remember the artist, but this is a hefty piece of beautiful glass.  I wanted to draw the eye to that glass, so added a Vintaj bead cap and some lentils around the edge for some sparkle. The necklace is check glass, some funky stacking bones and brass chain.  A very whimsical piece of creation!  

Since it proved challenging to take a picture of the beautiful glass flower, I did some unique arranging!! 

Earrings to match

My next creation began with a beautiful Gaea heart, one of her many incredible resin art pendants, encased in copper.  I wire wrapped the southwestern style copper button to the top of her heart and then used czech glass flowers in a beautiful opalesque color with fire polish/chain to finish the necklace.  So pretty and easy to wear.

Next some colorful earrings!!  I wanted to use the 2-hole chevron duo beads, so I experimented using 24 gauge wire adding different types of beads and different colors with the purple pip beads at the bottom.  These came out better than I could have imagined.  They are very light, a great source of color for sure - they go with anything in my closet. 

Next, another incredible heart by Gaea!  This time ceramic with a beautiful dragonfly hovering over the top.  I cannot go wrong when I begin my own creations with one of Gaea's art pieces.  I also used one of her ceramic round beads in a salmony pink color as a connector, with a funky bead cap sitting on top.  The bead cap took me longer than the entire piece to complete!  The beads were small and the pattern involved (designed by Amy Johnson [amyjohnsondesigns.com], but well worth it as it absolutely fits this piece.  I did some wire wrapping, used some large farfalle peanut beads and then czech glass bead caps to get up to the necklace, which is also czech glass - some puff squares, daisies and translucent square towards the back.   

AHHHH... SPRING COLORS!

I think the saying goes "March comes in like a lion"... well, it's going out that way as well.  We had unbelievably fierce winds of up to 70 miles an hour on Sunday night with the temp dropping from a high of 75 to a high of 45 on Monday.  Fierce for sure!  But... besides that... I am so happy to see the beauty of the colors "springing up" around us.  Makes me feel more inspired than I have in awhile.  A good feeling!  Here we go with some beautiful, yummy shades...

I'm starting with Gaea inspired beauties.  This necklace has three Gaea pieces -- the heart eye, the half moon and the lil' pale pink hearts.  The earrings weren't quite done when I took this pic (update coming) but for now, you get a good idea.  6mm fire polish in a yummy deep pink/peach color around the back with two different copper wire choices.  I wired some frosted 8mm glass rounds across the top of the heart eye, with some wired drops inbetween.  The earrings include Czech glass flowers with those adorbs lil hearts!.

Butterflies - I always say "yes please".  I recently learned to make paper beads through a Stars Beads tutorial, and I have fallen in love with that new process.  It is so relaxing and just plain fun.  There are so many papers to behold, from magazines to music sheets to everything inbetween.  I finally have another use for all my scrapbooking papers!  The metal charms are from Gaea, and they go so perfectly with my rolled paper beads (or is it the other way around?)  I made some really bright and colorful bead caps for the necklace and then added some 8mm glass rounds, that look like bird eggs, on the end.  Some blue and yellow peanut beads finished the look.

One last pair of earrings highlighting my new love of paper beads.  Some beautiful paper, czech glass beads, jasper gemstone rondelles, 3 mm czech sparkle in blue, and hematite wire and findings.

CATCH UP PART 3 +

I'm getting closer and closer to the current season of my creations, I promise!  Crazy part is I shouldn't feel that far behind as it was actually snowing here yesterday morning and evening in Boise!  What?  Another wintry creation and then I'll move right on into a few of my most recent.

This ensemble is one of my new winter favs!  It's gorgeful in person.  It was a step out of my creative box as I don't usually gravitate towards cooler colors, silver beads or hematite wire and findings.  But this beautiful tree house bead by Heather at Humblebeads started me down that path, and I am absolutely in love with the result.  The finish on these etched/frosted daggers are unique, and the crystal beads I used have the AP sheen.  I had the milky white rounds in my stash and then used other clear Czech flower beads to finish the necklace.  And, I actually did use copper wire on the earrings (which is my go to wire and preference on most things I make). I like to mix metals when it works for the overall piece. I embellished with small Czech flower bead caps.  I love those!

Next one started with another of my favorite artists, Gaea, who makes these wonderful, beautifully formed clay hearts - which if you know me, you know I love hearts on everything!  I wanted to showcase these without anything distracting, so I looped them with brass jump rings onto some filigree antique brass chain by Vintaj, and let the hearts speak for themselves.  Yummy. 

And, last one for this posting, a new 2021 piece that started with a pewter Inviciti pendant.  I used 1.0 green leather to tie the pendant to an agate round, wired on a beautiful AB Swarovski crystal star, used leather to string a mix of Czech glass beads for the necklace, knotting after every, or after three, beads.  It was a very fun project.  I don't work with leather all that much, and every time I do, I wonder why I don't.  It's a wonderful look, with the hematite chain added for interest.  The earrings also started with Inviciti charms and I added jasper rounds and bead caps to finish the look.   

  

BIRD INSPIRATION FOR SPRING!

So many bins, bags, bowls, and containers of all shapes and sizes in my craft room, and I'm taking this opportunity to go through them, very slowly and one at a time, to be re-inspired by all that has been hidden from sight.  With a bit more time to create, more than I'm used to, I'm enjoying it soooo much.  It's such a wonderful distraction and escape... I'm trying to take advantage of that in these very stressful times.  

Here's a sweet combo starting with Humblebeads as my inspiration - birds, nests, foliage.  Perfect time of year to get these out and add some beautiful czech beads for color pop.

I started with the metal copper branch, used some Vintaj paints to give it more of a real branch feel, and wire wrapped the absolutely adorbs bird connector to the branch, using twisted bugle beads.  For the necklace, I wire wrapped a variety of czech glass rondelles, leaves and flowers, with an off-balance look.  So fun! 

For the complimenting earrings, I started with the same twisted bugle beads and wire wrapped them together in a triangle, and then added Heather's beautiful foliage charms, along with more czech glass bead caps and small flowers.

 

 

A BUNNY, SOME OWLS and A HEART!

A spirited, unique clay pendant from Nicole St Laurent (Ravens Meadow), a beautiful enameled light purple heart and charms from Gaea and some gorgeous complimenting gemstones make for a unique Easter and all-year-round piece.  I started daydreaming about how this whole piece would come together a few months before I actually sat down to get 'er done!  I do that... I like to look at a piece, and let my mind wander about the possibilities, and hopefully sooner rather than later...(but sometimes it's years later!!) it tells me where I'm going.  For this necklace, I  began by wire wrapping around the top wire of the pendant using a deep purple 20 gauge wire, just to soften the edges.  I kept shifting the heart to see where it would best fit, and it felt perfect where I wired it in place.  I added some turquoise, amethyst and jasper, and 8 sb for the necklace portion - I also wire wrapped a couple of links to soften the connection of the necklace to the piece.

The time of day makes such a difference in the lighting for pics.  The view below shows truer coloration.

Next, every necklace needs a cute set of earrings, right?  For this pair, I started with Gaea's gorgeous enameled metal charms, using purple wire to make the connector, and going up from there with turquoise and jasper rondelles.  Light turquoise czech glass flowers and my copper ear wires topped them off.  Is this a fun statement combo piece or what?   

STAYING AT HOME THEME!

I'm creating all over the spectrum right now - totally distracted at every glance - but here are a couple of my newest creations.  I think many of my blogs will be a bit disjointed right now and into the near future, as we all strive to find our own way.  That old life doesn't look like it will return, and really, it's probably time for a whole new outlook on life anyway.  Lot's of good things happening amid all the chaos of this pandemic.  Beading -- even though sometimes distracted -- has saved me on many a day.  I am grateful for so many many things, including this wonderful craft of beading.


Here are some earrings I made to go with the necklace, also shown below.  I wire shaped the hearts - slightly hammered them to help harden the wire, then wire wrapped around the hearts w/3mm melons, czech glass leaves and 2-hole piggy beads with a 3mm fire polish in the middle.    

Here's my necklace to match the earrings, which was inspired by one of Heather Powers' Bead Table Wednesday.  I already had the adorable heart vine house in my stash, so the project started out perfectly for me.  Heather's theme had a "staying at home" message, so her little houses fit the bill.  I've mentioned before that Heather generously provides project-making Bead Table Wednesdays - showing new ideas to get our creative juices flowing. If you haven't watched one of her videos, you're missing an opportunity!   So, this is my version of one of those recent Bead Tables.  I love her idea of the wire wrapped, hammered connectors and using 2-hole piggy beads on the connectors.  I added some different dangles (peanut beads, czech glass and a little metal bird) plus a tree charm I painted with Vintaj paints.  Truly, just so many endless ideas...Thanks so much to Heather for always providing wonderful ideas to get my brain flowing...

UNIQUENESS!

A beautifully unique piece of jewelry to wear and enjoy.  That's what we all strive for in each and every creation isn't it?   I know I'm drawn to those artists who's creations are so special, my own artistry takes on a higher calling and I'm brought to a new level of workmanship.  It also keeps my mind open to new ideas, colors and patterns.

This unique, beautiful porcelain pendant by Nancy Adams of Round Rabbit  has been in my stash for a while now.  Nancy stopped making beads and pendants, and moved on to other of her many creative outlets.  I do so miss her style and works of art on the beading side of life.  But, because she no longer makes these types of lovelies, I had squirreled away a few - yes, it's also called hoarding!!  This one has been laying in wait for just the right project... ta da... and here it is!  I hope I have done it proper justice.  

I started this piece by free-form wire wrapping a connector, with some czech glass daggers in two sizes and colors and then added a pre-made copper connector for some additional style.  I really love how that part of the project all came together.  Then, I had to search (of course) to find the perfect beads to complement, which started with lovely polymer rondelles by Heather Powers of Humblebeads.  From there I added some rich, beautiful gemstones in mahogany obsidian, snowflake obsidian and picasso jasper.   At the very end of the process, I added in some czech bell flowers in a black copper wash combo.  Sometimes it's a fine balance of joining all the different segments - wire to glass to gemstone to the clay and porcelain, and not to overdo.  i have trouble finding that balance some days, but feel I nailed it on this piece!

And, last but not least, as a compliment for the ears, I used a free inspiration project "primrose" from Fusion Beads, stitched with picasso rembrandt gemduos, superduos and firepolish.  I added the czech daggers on top to bring the green into the coordination.  The gemduos are so fun... but I didn't pay close enough attention to the top and the bottom, so practice was in order... I now know!!

HAPPY VALENTINES and OTHER JOYS!

Recent creations, just to mention a few, made right before and right after the lovely Day.  I hope your Valentine's included hearts of some kind!  I'll start with the adorbs heart set... wood burned tear drop with heart made by Ashley Bonney of Summer Wind Art.  The wood pendants are so light, there's lots of option to add on without too much weight. I decided to cut out some really fun red/black embossed leopard leather to give it some added size and interest.  I also added some dangles at the bottom for movement - a copper heart, and five red 1-hole lentils.  I free form wire wrapped the pendant to a necklace of glass and fire polish.  The earrings are also leather cut outs with copper hearts and copper filigree bead caps, 8mm glass rounds, 6mm and 3mm black fire polish.  So light and just plain fun.  My cutting is all hand done, so it's not perfectly straight, but that gives it a "real" feel of creation.

Now for a couple free-form wrapped heart earring sets.  The first pair I made the wire heart form in 18 gauge, and then used 24 gauge wire to wrap these beautiful pink shimmery 8 sb around the form.  I added a crystal pave round bead and shimmery pink glass round for the top. 

The next pair I strung the 8 sb right on the wire as I was forming the heart, still using these gorgeous pink beads.  On this pair I added a 4mm bicone on the top near the ear wire and a Czech glass bicone and Czech crystal heart for the dangle.  

Next, a couple of my latest macrame bracelets.  These are happy and colorful and the messages something we can all relate to and enjoy wearing.  I never tire of making these.

I added some Vintaj paint to the leather on the next one.  I love how it turned out.  Majestic mountains and all that!

And, below, some absolutely yummy earrings, gearing more towards spring colors... These are a recent Fusion Beads inspiration project, with a little JDreams added in.  The outer ring is the pattern, but it needed more so I added in the chain and the Czech glass / swarovski crystal dangles, along with the glass rounds and copper bead caps on top.  The colors truly are just so yummy, and the mix of the crystals with the pearls!  Ah... love these.

REMINDER OF FALL AND ON TO SPRING!

 I finished this beautiful color combination of a set last fall, and then of course time sped up and I never did get it posted.  The colors are so perfectly fall -- "falling" -- the beautiful heart pendant is unusual with the leaves carved and sitting atop, and the adorable charms -- well, what's better than pumpkins and leaves, since my favorite season is fall!  Pendant and charms are from Dana George, New Moon Design.  I simply added some beautiful sari silk ribbon from LaShell for the necklace and did a bit of wire wrapping, added some czech glass leaves and rondelles, cube turquoise and swarovski bicones for the earrings and away I went...   

Some earrings below I just completed from a Fusion Beads inspiration.  The colors of these Czech pearls and round crystals are so incredible together.  I embellished the pattern (of course!) and added some chain, Czech leaf caps and swarovski crystal in this incredible AB peach color.  Oh my gosh... colors like this make me sing and smile... :)