CATCH UP PART 2!

Continuing on with my catch-up theme.  This may take me a few posts...  Feels like cleaning out a closet or something... feels good to be cleaning out a space for new designs.

This adorable necklace was made especially for my "one and only" niece!  I know how much she loves her kittens, so when I saw this fantastic pewter cat pendant by Inviciti, I was smitten and knew exactly what I was going to create and who it was for.  I used a 6mm beautiful multi blue/purple/green glass czech glass pearl with 2mm pearls as spacers for the necklace.  Staying with the theme of the pewter, I used hematite for the wire and findings.  For a dangle, I added both copper and tiny bronze hearts to pop a little.  So cute.

 

The back of the pendant has it's own finished design, which I love.

Some fun earring designs... love the white flower glass with the beautiful large seafoam/opalesque teardrops.  In the light, the color is so awesome.  I needed ti make a pair with an earring post versus a wire, so I took apart a pair of Brighton earrings I no longer wear and the silver bead post was perfect!!  Recycling does work!!

I started stitching the rounds and here's where I ended up.  I love these multi-colored 2 hole superduo beads.  I added fire polish, 11.0 and 8.0 seed beads, along with some bead caps and pellet beads.  I love mixing and matching different sizes and shapes for a subtle look of interest.

And last for this post, but certainly not least, a fun owl necklace with a Heather (Humblebeads) pendant, coupled with one of her famous rondelle beads and a wood distressed dangle.  These wood pieces truly are so fun... any color, any markations work to make it a nice addition.  Thanks, Heather! I also used Lashell's (Design Talented One) sari silk for the necklace.  Her silk is so wonderful and I use it in a lot of my projects.

COMPLETED SPECIAL PROJECTS and some words of wisdom thrown in...

Ongoing projects recently finished, gifted or sold... The raku medallions continue to speak loudly to me, so they may be part of my posts on a continuing basis in one form or another.  I love working with them and I've ordered and reordered many from our local Dragonfly clothing/gift shop.  The colors are so gorgeous and ever-changing, plus my copper wire wrapping is never the same,  sometimes more challenging than I anticipate!  But, I can't get enough of them.  The siri silk continues to be one of my favorite, colorful finishing touches.   

Dragonfly colors are so gorgeous in life and in raku.  The Dragonfly symbolizes change and transformation with some emotional maturity and growth thrown in.  I am in that state of mind, so all good... 
  

The tree of life speaks for itself.  What an important symbol, up close and personal to me right now.  Symbolizing a fresh start, positive energy and strength.  On any given day I find myself hanging on for dear life... as are many of my closest peeps, so strength and positive energy in any form are welcome.  

An incredible Green Girl copper slider... I loved it the minute I saw it, and could envision it on a bracelet.  And, the message is one to remind ourselves... we are capable of doing more than we ever imagined when faced with what life throws at us as we are "unbreakable".

More of my hand cut earrings using the beautiful blue/turquoise leather.  I mixed some metals for the chain and added some very light and colorful polymer clay dangles from Areto Artisan beads.  Perfect for the changing colors of this season.

A brass bracelet connector I embellished with some Vintaj paint.  It turned out so ADORABLE, if I don't say so myself.  I macramed in a few size 6 beads close to the connector for some interest.

And, I always need something to believe in... so I wear this brass bracelet connector, embellished with some Vintaj paints in fall colors, on those days when I'm having some trouble with that... there is always hope too, right?  That'll be my next bracelet.  Without believing there is hope, I am lost... 

And, last for this post, BE KIND.  Can't be said enough.  Hard one to remember when others are not following that same path... so if wearing on one's wrist... good reminder!

STENCILING ON METAL WITH PAINT!

A couple more metal projects using stencils and paint -- so much fun!  Thanks to Heather at Humblebeads for inspiring me to try this technique - she does incredible, fun projects and takes us along to explore new art dimensions.  It just takes a steady hand (hard as you get older!!), a piece of metal, some Vintaj paints, and a stencil.  So many options to explore with stencils... I love these sets.  I added some chain and some danglies for the necklaces and assembled some darlin' earrings to go with.  Dress em up or down.  My daughters-in-law look great in these darlin' sets!  Just like new fall clothes, you gotta have a new fall set for your ears and neck too!  :) 

MOM'S DAY SETS

Two darlin Mom's Day sets for my girls, (daughters-in-law).  The pendants are so special, from BoHulley Beads in the UK.  Bo has a flair for detailed designs, and they are eye catchers all by themselves.  So, I strung necklaces and earrings (w/birds and butterflies) to compliment what was the focal.  I think these are pretty perfect for spring/summer wear and my girls were very happy, which always makes me happy!

PIGGY BEAD VERSION #2

These newly discovered piggy beads are so much fun.  I couldn't wait to make another color combo.  Gold/brown/green toned version was from my last post - Scroll down for more of version #2.  Spring versus Fall so to speak -- I've put them side by side in this first shot so you can see the difference color makes!

Plus, earrings to match of course...beaded puff beads using 2-hole super duos.  These were from my March, 2014 posts.  Love this pattern from SashaSi.  It uses many beads, but the earrings are still light enough not to weight down your ear.  Splash of color!  They look beautiful on you Krissy!!!

 

HEARTS A DANGLIN'

A fun design for your neck by Deborah Roberti.  Deborah is so generous and sends out free patterns now and again.   I thought I'd give this a try since I LOVE hearts!  Did I say I LOVE hearts?  I have already sold the pink/red/purple version - but I will have others if I can get time to complete them.   The white/opal is already spoken for as well, but the red/silver/black version is currently available.  I just finished that one, but any color combination can be made with this pattern.  If you have interest, let me know.

 

Christmas Project Review...

Ahhh, the Christmas rush is over.  That's a good feeling... oh, wait... until I realize I have about 10 birthdays coming up in the next couple of months... and then I start dreaming about all those projects I have yet to start.  It's a good dream though... so I keep telling myself, no worries.  Okay, I digress... for right now, these projects are COMPLETE and gifted to my darlin daughters-in-law, so I need to enjoy the moment.  These leather wrap bracelets are so popular, and pretty comfortable to wear, and the options are truly endless.  Here are two versions in differing color combos.  That's where I started with both sets - bracelets first, then earrings, then necklaces. 

 

This sun pendant has a clay-like under color with turquoise and other multi colors over the top from Fusion Beads.  I love the hearts all the way around the sun, which I didn't even notice when I saw it on-line.  I love hearts, so that was an unknown bonus!

This pendant is from The Classic Bead.  Tracee Dock does wonderful work and I've purchased many of her ceramic pendants over the last few years.  I'm never disappointed with what I see on-line and what I receive in the mail. 

 

PICOT STITCH PROJECT

I am on a pink/peach/orange kick and I found these beautiful fire polish beads on a recent trip to Seattle at Garden of Beadin.  The AB sheen (up close and personal) is really gorgeous.  Unfortunately, Garden of Beadin' is not on-line, so the fact that I didn't buy enough strands to do much more than this necklace is a dang shame...I don't know what the color is exactly, (the price tag didn't include color) but I had not seen it anywhere else.  And the final necklace shown below is not what it started out to be... it was supposed to be layers of picots, but for some reason as I neared the bottom layer, it didn't want to form a nice circle... had a mind of its own, and wanted to lay kind of funny.  So, I pondered it for a day or two and then finally it dawned on me that I could fold it over and just zip it up using peyote - I guess that would be peyote... the zipping part anyway!  I love the way it turned out.  The pinkish AB fire polish on top with the pearls in a light coffee color underneath are really wonderful.  It gives the necklace real dimension.  And, mixed with copper bead caps and a little chain... yummy!  I can also twist it so the pearls and fire polish are both given equal "show".  It's a versatile piece I didn't imagine when I started. 

 

Darlin' flower earrings to match.  I put a little bit of turqoise paint on the edges of the copper flowers just to give it a little extreeee pizazz...

 

My next project, again in the pink/peach/orange family.  This dyed agate (thanks so much Terri for educatin' me on the stone!)  is really gorgeous - the layering of colors really caught my eye.  Again, Garden of Beadin, and I only bought one.  What was I thinking?

 

The necklace is czech glass squares with darker color veins that vary in each square - I spaced with copper 2mm balls and 11 sbs.

 

 And here are the earrings to go with this necklace - drops are really pretty - darker on the outer layer and lighter pink inside.  I had a hard time showing that depth with my camera.  Swarovski crystals with Czech angular drops on copper wire.