Spring Cleaning- AH-CHOO!

Ahh... spring...

I have been telling myself I would clean up my room so I wouldn't have to make jewelry on my bed anymore... Well, along with that thinking, I have also been in dire need of new clothes. So, I told myself "No clothes until you get your act together and clean your room!" I know, my mom would be proud.

So, jewelry making has been put on pause as I try to make a space to actually create (other than my bed). I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head. I have filled page after page with sketches. Its quite wonderful and also tormenting at the same time. Hopefully, I'll have this done this weekend and I will be able to show off some new pieces.

After two hours of cleaning, my room looks like a tornado has hit it so I'm right on schedule. Dust is flying up my nose, adding to my allergies. I'm sneezing like crazy and a bit miserable, but progress is being made! YAY!

On a side note, I have decided to stop posting the "Who's Ahtee?" blogs. Why? The main reason for those posts was to have something to post every week, but I think that I'm pretty good about posting the links I have read for the week... so I think that will be enough. Plus, I can't find the camera I've been using to take those pictures. :P

Don't forget to comment on the giveaway if you want a chance to win the bracelet! I choose a winner on Saturday!!!

Ok. Now, time for a little breather before I get ready for my date night :) Have a good weekend everyone!!!

<3

Ahtee's Links- What I'm Reading

Sorry this is a day late!! Busy me... Also, before getting to the wonderful blogs, I just want to remind everyone that you can still win a bracelet in my giveaway! I'll be picking the winner May 1st!

A Bead A Day- How do you create a bead mix?

ammjewelry- Rubber tubing on a memory wire bracelet gives it a wonderful texture

Backyard Beads- A peak into what Doreen is cooking up with he polymer clay.

Beading Arts- A fun fabric flower necklace.

Bei Mondi- Some new lovelies in Leslie's shop.

Be~Jeweled by jana- Such a beautiful necklace. Pink and soft and very girly! Love.

Deez News- Someone's muse disappears, but MacGyver steps in to help.

Elaine Ray Rambles About Beads- I love this new shape!

Five Forty at Home- Pegg has been drilling PEBBLES! And they look FANTASTIC!

jibby and juna- Feeling uninspired? Finish those pieces that need to be finished!

JustATish- Azalea Crazy is BEAUTIFUL! I love those green beads!

La Bella Joya- I love the rings she makes!

Lorelei's Blog- EGGS! in jewelry? Why yes!

mariedodd- Pretty Earth Day earrings!

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter- Will you work for glitter?

maryhardingjewelry bead blog- BEAUTIFUL new toggles!

MsBelle ~ Artisan Crafted Jewelry- Beautiful Spring! And some new items in her shop!

Rose's Designs- Want to see some awesome organization? I want my workspace to look like this!

Stefanies Sammelsurium- Wire, glass, and fiber... a beautiful bracelet.

Summers Studio- A little break to put a bird on a branch. A necessary move, I think.

The Rabbit Muse-Cabbage Roses? My favorite!

I'm pratically giving this thing away!

Pantone announced that turquoise was one of this year's spring colors. And they've also announced it being this year's color of the year! I happen to think turquoise is a beautiful color (some say teal, some say sea green). It was one of the school colors at my elementary school (GO PANTHERS!). I also believe it's perfect for spring. Its cool and fun and very pretty!

So, for my giveaway, I made the bracelet posted above (and below)!

Did I mention I'm doing a giveaway? :P

There have been over 2000 views on my blog and I feel that it is high time for a giveaway of sorts. I am also giving away a pair of earrings on my Facebook fan page.

How can you win this bracelet?
1) Just leave a comment here and you'll be entered into the giveaway. Make sure to include your email so I can contact you if you win!
2) Mention this in your blog or link it via Twitter, come back, comment again, and you'll be entered a second time!
3) Up to two comments per person, please!
4) Winner will be chosen May 1st, 2010.

A random person will be chosen and you will receive this lovely bracelet! This bracelet, by the way, was made with fire polished beads, seed beads, Czech flower beads, a pretty (HUGE) glass round, and closes with a button clasp. It fits comfortably on a 7 inch wrist.



Be sure to check out my Facebook Fan Page for the earrings!

Good Luck!!!

Ahtee's Links- What I'm Reading

A Bead A Day- Lisa features a gorgeous two strand, gold filigree clasp.

ammjewelry- Learn how to make a basic anklet with Millie!

April Is Forever Jewellery- Tulips are my favorite flower... this necklace is PERFECT for a tulip lover!

Beads, beads, beads...- The red featured here is such a sweet red. Really does make me think of cherries!

Beautifully Broken Me- Evoking a classic feeling, this necklace does remind me of spring with the subtle etching and colors in the bezel.

Bei Mondi- Take a little break and walk through this wonderful garden. Full of beauty.

Be~Jeweled by jana- Check out what Jana won! Love that koala! Lucky duck!

Deez News- I love the blue and green paired in this necklace. A beautiful focal AAAND a button clasp! Beautiful!

Designs by Dawn Marie- Personally, starfish scare me, but in this necklace, it looks just darling!

Dora Schubert- More beautiful garden beads! I want one something terrible!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles- Something about tummies and owls... adorable. And also, lovely links!

Five Forty at Home- Pegg's newest are simply beautiful. Love the chocolate earrings!

Five-Minute Features- Turquoise and orange carnelian work well together in this beautiful necklace!

Gardanne Glass Lampwork Beads and Artisan Jewelry- I love Wednesday Beads! Check out the glass headpins! Beautiful!

Humblebeads Blog- New beads! So perfect for spring!

JustATish Designs- Tish's mom got a gorgeous necklace for her birthday!

Kokopelli Design- Beautiful polymer clay cabs!

La Bella Joya- These pendants are just DARLING! I promise.

Lorelei's Blog- Lorelei experiments with resin! And with wonderful results!

Lorena Angulo- This gift is way better than an apple for a teacher!

Margo Potter The Impatient Crafter- An interesting read for anyone who has thought of writing their own book...

Missficklemedia.com- A match made in Bead Heaven.

More Than Somewhat- And just who is destined to receive these lovelies?

Paradise Falls- This pin makes me miss Oahu.

Pretty Things- Dragonflies and sand dollars! Two beautiful necklaces!

SoftFlexGirl- 6 wonderful tips to stay motivated when you work at home!

Stefanies Sammelsurium- A beautiful bracelet! Glittery and elegant!

Sue Beads- Two new pendant sets! I love the second one!

Summers Studio- No more Procrastination Queen! Check out these lovelies from LeAnn!

The Beading Butterfly- Such elegance! Beautiful bracelet and earrings set!

The Cerebral Dilettante- After looking at this bracelet, I, too, am craving fajitas!

The Rabbit Muse- Beautiful birds in wonderfully delicate colors!

This Artist's Journey- Perfect jewelry for driving down Pacific Coast Highway with the top down!

To Bead Or Not To Bead What A Question- I love this storage idea! Might even work for a booth display... just tweaked a little bit maybe.

Treasures Found- Taking something old, turning it into something new for a beautiful bride.

Vintajia -jewelry from the hand and heart- Beautiful Earth Day earrings!

Who is "Ahtee?"- Week 16

There are no curtains on my window... cuz I'm lazy :P Here's my reflection!

My fingers hurt from bending wire... AND I need more wire. Lol. Busy me!

Button Chandelier Earrings

These are the first thing I made with the vintage buttons Tish sent me (thank you again, Tish!!!)! Also... first thing I made with my new wire jig! I had this image in my head the moment I opened the box. It was an amazing feeling to actually bring it to life. My fingertips kinda hurt from bending the wire but it was worth it.

I don't think I make enough blue jewelry. Or yellow... or button jewelry :P

EDIT- I forgot to mention that the blue beads are all glass... I like the dark blue ones because they look like stones.

A Wonderful Surprise!

Yesterday started off as another crappy, depressing day in the world of unemployment. When I went home to change (and lie down before my head exploded) for a get together for my boyfriend, I was greeted by a package in front of my door.

Inside this package?

BUTTONS!!!

Tish knew how much I am into buttons right now and sent over some vintage buttons from her collection! FIVE full bags of them!!! The black one there is one of my favorites. :)

Thank you so much, Tish! You are so awesome!

I never knew...

... buttons could be so much fun!!!

I started this bracelet on a gloomy day and it made me smile. Along with the purple and yellow flower buttons are green Chinese crystals and pink glass beads. The cotton clasp and links are made with brass wire. The dark brass chain gives it a little... umph, i think. :D

Classy earrings, no? Two simple black buttons and clear Chinese crystal for sparkle.

I feel so productive :P

Ahtee's Links- What I'm Reading

So sorry! I don't know where my brain is! I was supposed to post this on MONDAY. Here are the links...

A Bead A Day- How would YOU use this fun lock?

Artisan Beads Plus by MaryAnn Carroll- Another peak inside her kiln. Such pretties came out of it!

Artisan Clay- Check out some of these beads which are featured in BEADS 2010! I love the tulip one :D

Ashley Akers- Someone has been busy!

Beads, beads, beads...- I overheard some ladies talking about how yellow isn't very pretty... well, they clearly haven't seen this lovely!

Be~Jeweled by jana- Jana works shells into this beautiful crocheted necklace and earrings set!

Deez News- Electrical tape and grungepaper combine to make some pretty pendants!

Dora Schubert- Colorful pretty bird beads!!!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles- Pearls add a wonderful softness to this necklace, I think.

ErtheFae's Meandering Thoughts- Beautiful BINDIS! That's right... she made BINDIS.

Five Forty at Home- I love these glass beads! And the bracelets really highlight their beauty!

Gardanne Glass Lampwork Beads and Artisan Jewelry- Those spring photos pair well with her pretty new beads

JustATish Designs- I am in LOVE with Tish's copper pendants.

La Bella Joya- All that work and effort paid off. That necklace is BEAUTIFUL!

Lody's Beadworks- Beautiful necklace and Love love love the sketch!

Lorelei's Blog- This is such a darling bracelet!

mariedodd- I love looking at other people's packaging ideas. Marie's are simple but so pretty!

More Than Somewhat- If someone told me my beaded beads would DEFINITELY come out like this, I'd actually give it a go :P

Pretty Things- Add some color and pizzazz to your life with Lori's new necklaces!

Silver River Jewelry- A break from lampwork beads turns into a beautiful pendant!

Stefanies Sammelsurium- I love this necklace. So free. I'm trying to let loose... this piece inspires me :D

Sue Beads- Oh my. Bronze infused purple turquoise??? Excuse me, but I think these beads were MADE for me :P

Summers Studio- After leaving the Procrastination Queen side of her behind (for now :P), Leann kicks it into high gear!

The Cerebral Dilettante- "Yak bone." That's all I'm giving you.

The Crafty Retailer- Its good to know people are THRIVING!

To Bead Or Not To Bead What A Question- This necklace is SOOO Spring! Elegant but also fun. Love!

Who is "Ahtee?"- Week 15

I forgot to post my self-portrait yesterday. Sorrrrry!!!

So. Its been about 5 weeks since I was laid off.

The picture on the left is the week before I was laid off and the picture on the right is from today. I'm very tired. I just opened my severance check and it is so not what I was expecting. So much so I just want to go down to Borders and give them a piece of my mind but what can I do? Taxes... I only worked there for 2 years... blah blah blah.

So. Just like the week I posted the picture on the left, I'm going to post 5 things about myself:

1) My hair is easily detangled. One of the perks of thin hair.
2) I love things that fit in my pocket (like... mini tea sets! though, I don't have one right now... I used to... when I was a wee lass). I wish more girl pants had pockets in them.
3) My feet are almost never cold. I'm very warm most of the time... (I'm told its cuz I'm fluffy :))
4) I could probably eat spaghetti every night for dinner... at least for a week before I got sick of it.
5) I type with purpose. And, at the max, 90 WPM.

Flower and Leaf- Necklace

On my last adventure, I found these absolutely adorable fluorite leaves and knew instantly I wanted to make a necklace to match the Flower and Leaf earrings I made not too long ago!

The copper ring isn't the same as in the earrings, but I think it still works out alright. The necklace has little amethyst chips and glass crackle beads. The seed beads are purple and copper colored, the copper ones are Magatama (tear drop shaped) beads and add a bit of texture to the necklace. And it closes with a hook clasp.

Am hoping to get this listed on my Etsy tomorrow! But for now, here are some extra views!

Adventures with Rod: A Break in LA

Rod and I decided to take a break from our constant job search and need to try and figure out if we can make something out of our art... We went to LA! There is an epic library in Los Angeles. Its the central location. IT WAS HUGE! I almost wept. I went straight for the crafts section and found a wonderful book on beading with filigree. Also took a look at some ethnic jewelry books. No LA library card but it was fun to look!


William Joyce had a little gallery space in the library. He created "Rollie Pollie Ollie." A peak into his work process- he draws out an entire book in a sketchbook... page by page, making a mini-book. I think I should try that!


Hunger struck and we hit Phillipe's, home of the French Dip sandwich. I had a beef with swiss and Rod had a pork with bleu cheese. YUM!


After lunch, Rod was awesome enough to drive me all the way to Pasadena to show me a bead store he knew of from when he used to live there. I was expecting a regular bead store with maybe a few hidden treasures. What he took me to was an awesome resource for TOOLS! I bough a sizer and wished I had an income so I could've bought a draw plate... some of the copper sheets... mandrels... I like touching things before buying them. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping online as well but if I can find something in a store, so much better. The shop was called Farrin O'Connor Design Studio.

We also hit the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in West Hollywood. I picked up a little book on Buddhism and awareness. Rod found a cool book on Sufism and a great CD. That store had some great smelling incense but I don't think my cousin would like the smell (it used to tick my mom off something good... but that's ok, cuz it was my mom :P)


We had a LATE (almost 9pm!) dinner at Yoshinoya! I missed it so much. There isn't one in my area. I thought maybe Rod wouldn't go for it because, let's face it, that rice bowl doesn't look too appetizing, but I just HAD to have it. Rod said he liked it! YAY! I had a beef bowl combo meal. In that drink cup is a combination of HI-C fruit punch and coke. Totally yummy. You must try it! BTW, when did they add a SIDE to the meal? I don't remember that!

A wonderful day. And today, I found some pretty buttons that were discounted because they were missing buttons in their packages! I don't need a lot. Just a few to play with. What a good two days! :)

Hope the weekend is just as good! Jewelry post tomorrow, hopefully... if I can get it done! HA!

It's A Spring-like Bracelet

After getting up at 5:45 this morning, I couldn't go back to sleep. So, with the second season of Gilmore Girls playing in the background, I decided to play with one of my buttons from my previous post. This bracelet is made up of glass beads, a ceramic bead (the pink and brown one), and two drilled gold disks with green Magatama beads... all of which are wrapped up nicely with gold plated wire and chained together with twisted jump rings. The chain hanging off of the pretty pink button (which is the clasp) is made up of more twisted gold jump rings and features a pink glass bead with a flower cap and, to carry the green over, a piece of Chinese crystal.

The clasp is made up of a pretty pink button and a piece of an old shirt (100% cotton, thank you very much). That shirt was actually my favorite shirt but it was WORN OUT. The elastic was all stretched out and the colors weren't as vibrant as they used to be. But I still love it and just knew I had to work it into a piece of jewelry.

Soo... viola!


I like this bracelet so much I'm going to wear it today! Yay for being selfish and making something for myself :D

BUTTONS! BUTTONS! BUTTONS!

Lorelei has made some wonderful button jewelry... This post is a favorite of mine.

Sooo...

I bought some buttons of my own to play with :D

I think the flower buttons will probably end up being clasps... easy, I know but hey, baby steps, yo :P

I have an idea for the other buttons but I'm not sure yet. Hmmm....

Yay for trying something new! Buttons!

Its a Keeper

It's been a while since I made jewelry specifically for me. I noticed that I don't wear a lot of what I've made because I want to try and sell those pieces (and someone told me that worn jewelry is harder to sell... plus I don't want anything to happen to the piece while I'm wearing it). But, for people to see what kind of stuff I make or to be able to say "Oh thanks! I made it, here's a business card," I have to actually be wearing something I made (and also have business cards, but hey, one problem at a time, ok?).

The earrings are made of copper wire, dark copper chain, Cryztazzi crystals, fire polished glass beads, and glass pearls. The bracelet has seed beads, Czech flower and fire polished beads, purple glass beads, and glass pearls. The copper toggle is a gift from my wonderful friend, Liz. Thanks, Liz! I looooove it! :D

Detail of the bracelet!

Who is "Ahtee?"- Week 14

My allergy medicine makes me feel funny. I got non-drowsy to AVOID this funny feeling. O_o

Ahtee's Links- What I'm Reading

A Bead A Day- I didn't think skeletons could be this cheery!

ammjewelry- Millie finally this copper clasp she was searching for and added it to a beautiful bracelet!

Art Bead Scene- Check out this month's challenge!

Artisan Beads Plus- A peak inside MaryAnn's kiln.

Beading Arts- Fabric flowers!!! Will HAVE to try this!

Beads, beads, beads...- The blue here is GORGEOUS! So perfect for Spring!

Bei Mondi- Showing off some beautiful custom orders.

Be~Jeweled by jana- This bracelet IS Spring. So beautiful.

Dawno's Beaded Badge Lanyards- Dawno is at Norwescon!

Deez News- Showing off a few necklaces. Love the first one!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles- These birds are adorable! The green/peach combo is my favorite.

Humblebeads Blog- Bead Cruise 2011!

JustATish- I love Tish's pendants. They're so free and fun.

La Bella Joya- A pretty embroidered headband.

Lorelei's Blog- This beautiful necklace is headed for the Bahamas. Lucky necklace :P

Marbella Jewelry Designs- Beautifully blue Cezch glass bead earrings!

maryhardingjewelry bead blog- I wish I had more patience for beadweaving. This Russian Spiral weave is beautiful!

Missficklemedia.com- Shannon's having some fun naming her new components.

Painting with Fire Artwear- Pretty pretty bangles!

Pearl and Pebble- These colors all work so well! And I love the pendant!!!

RASBARRI- Barri Bunches is a totally appropriate name for these darling earrings!

The Rabbit Muse- Its a little late for me to list this blog but Nancy makes a good point about bunnies... I, however, still want one :P

To Bead Or Not To Bead What A Question- I, too, adore the spiral stitch... especially the way Jessica uses it!

[Insert Clever Title Here]

Hi All! Sorry for the lack of posts this week. It has been an incredibly stressful and busy week. And I just wanted to let everyone know, I'm not dead. Been so busy I can't even think of a title for this post!

Anyhoo, I'm going up to my parents' house for the weekend to visit my mom and dad. There will be no self-portrait tomorrow but I will post one on Monday. There will be links on Monday and a jewelry post and I want to show all of you the buttons my BF bought me! I'm going to make some button jewelry! Huzzah!

OK. Must get onto the freeway. Please wish me luck and hope that there is minimal fighting and my mother doesn't ask me more than 5 times to move back home because I am jobless.

Til Monday! <3