Monday Muses: Flappers

 Fashion Illustration by JessicaIllustration

 Peacock Feather Flapper Headband by BaroqueAndRoll (I LOVE that name, btw)

Flapper Girl Necklace by zipluxe

My boyfriend is in the middle of this amazing painting and my fingers have been itching to paint something. My sketchbook has little doodles of a flapper girl. I want to just break out the gouache paint and GO!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween! Happy Monday!

Red And Black

One of the best color combinations, I think. Black onyx with ruby red glass beads.

... Btw, web browser, why do you think "combinations" is spelled wrong? Oh sure, "combos" is ok... but not "combinations." Silly, browser.

An Unintentional Break

My boyfriend's birthday was this weekend. We had a wonderful day on Friday. Yummy breakfast, relaxing trip to the book store, awesome dinner, and ended the night with a movie ("3 Musketeers"... fun!).

Sunday we went to Pasadena and HE surprised ME! He had it planned out so my brother and his girlfriend met us in Pasadena and we had sushi and a tea party.

I missed them so much. Especially my brother's girlfriend who is so fun to talk to. I'm visiting them the first weekend in November. I can't wait.

Side note: I haven't been as active on this blog as I've been planning. I have some ideas for this blog but last week was a bit of a shocker for me (had a doctor's appointment that just... siigh...). And I'm trying to make some life changes this week and this blog is suffering and I apologize.

I have an etsy update planned Friday. Hopefully I'll find my groove soon. :)

Honeydew Love

No Printer Tray Tuesday today. I got distracted with other projects yesterday and absolutely forgot that today was Tuesday (has that ever happened to you??).

Remember last week's Monday Muses? It featured some lovely pieces in honeydew green.

Well. I found some seed beads in my stash in that color!

And of course I found some memory wire as well... an unopened pack that was just SCREAMING out that I needed to use it.

Señor Elephante here is super shiny. And also loves the color honeydew... or did he say he likes eating honeydew? I can't remember.

I also made these earrings (decidedly NOT honeydew, but still pretty). HUGE hoops wire wrapped with dark teal seed beads with lovely crystal dangles in the same shade.

These have inspired me to try my hand at making bangles!... which I admit, I've thought of before but somehow, I never tried.

Printer Tray Tuesday will be back next week! Back to the beading table I go!

Monday Muses: Gypsy Love

Tarnished Gypsy Coin Earrings by siphonophoria

Turkoman Headdress by AbsintheDancer

Grecian Double Finger Chain Rings by grigio

Last night was a nightmare for me. I'm struggling with insomnia and got less than an hour of sleep last night. There was a minor freak out as sleeplessness has been a constant these past few weeks and today, I'm a bit off my game. BUT, while staring at the ceiling last night, I have decided that I will be a gypsy for Halloween.

Usually, the boyfriend and I go looking at costumes at the end of September, beginning of October but have yet to go this year. Money is tight having lost my job but I already have the corset, a flowy white shirt, and a long velvet burgundy skirt! I just need to add some finishing touches.

I'm thinking a headdress, some earrings, rings, and bangles. Maybe even an awesome necklace if I have the time. Just searching for "gypsy" in Etsy brings up a treasure trove of inspiration!

I'm going to try and sleep a little more as my head is pounding. Hope everyone has a fantastic Monday!

Amusing Musings on My Muse

Is it weird my muse is a woman?

I asked my boyfriend about muses and he thinks mine should be a man, but I've always thought of my muse as "she" or "her."

A voice that speaks to me, guides my hand, opens my eyes to new possibilities. That is my muse.

I imagine her as a sister-type woman.

Or a motherly figure. 

A voice that nurtures my artistic endeavors. 

It's quite possible that I am insane. :P

BTW: My Weakness

Here's what I was working on today: Etsy shop update. Blah.

I love making jewelry. I love taking pictures. I even love editing the photos. But when it comes to creating the copy for each piece... it's like pulling my own teeth.

Hoo. But. I must get this done. So I can make some more stuff!

Maybe I can hire someone to do the uploading for me :P

What's on your bead table today?

Printer Tray Tuesday: Wood and Glass Pearls

I have a printer's tray at home full of beads from my stash waiting to be turned into wonderful pieces. And thus, I have dubbed Tuesday to be "Printer Tray Tuesday."

Compartment number 3!
-wooden barrel beads
-glass pearls
-brass focal and beads
-brass leaf
-gold tone flower
-2 Czech glass flowers
-seed beads

I worked on this compartment last week on a rainy Wednesday. I've had those glass pearls and wooden beads forever. I made up a sketch a necklace design similar to this one last year using the barrel beads and GREEN glass pearls. So that explains why I have the wooden beads but not why I have the mocha beads instead of green.

I added some wood rounds from my bead box of wood beads. I knew I wanted to do a little layering with the focal (see the gold flower?). And I knew I wanted the necklace to be long and claspless... but I'm not sure how the balance of shapes works. Sometimes, I feel like the beads are too big for the focal I've chosen. Sometimes, I'm perfectly fine with how it looks and think it's just adorable.

I do love the colors though and want to work more with this pallet.

So. It's 10:55pm on my end here. Just barely made it in time to post this. Lol. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

<3

Monday Muses: Honeydew

Dupioni Silk Rosette Ring by bluebirdchic

Honeydew Glass Beads and Leather Bracelet by Afterdarkdesigns

Bewitched Garden Long Flower Necklace by soradesigns

So I'm sitting here, watching Rachel Ray chop up some honeydew and my brain goes "WOW! Look at that color!!!" These pieces are some of my faves from Etsy. Loving the simplicity of the rosette ring, the beautiful handmade lampwork bead in the bracelet, and the combination of purple and honeydew in the necklace.

Color me inspired!

Happy Monday!

BTW: Rainy Wednesday

Currently on my bead table- a little peak into a work in progress from one of the printer tray compartments.

A rainy day today. Quite different from yesterday. It rained a little yesterday afternoon but then was hot and sunny most of the day. Today, gray and wet. Lovely, really. And a perfect day to be sick, I think... which I am. Lol.

Not much energy. I get sick a lot. Stress makes me sick and I catch other people's colds all the time. I'm stubborn about it too, once I have something. I try doing things while I'm sick until my body just can't take it anymore and I can't get out of bed the next morning. But because I'm always sick, I actually need to get stuff done so really, what's a girl to do?

I've actually been much better lately. Not many colds. Might have something to do with the multi-vitamin I've been taking... and the fact that I'm happy. Yep. I said it. I'm happy. Over the moon, really. I'm loving my life and enjoying every minute I have creating things. Hopefully, I can share more with you guys soon.

This is my first Bead Table Wednesday post. Thank you to bloggy hero, Heather Powers for starting it. Check out the Flickr group, too!

Happy Bead Table Wednesday, everyone!

Printer Tray Tuesday: Pineapple Quartz

I have a printer's tray at home full of beads from my stash waiting to be turned into wonderful pieces. And thus, I have dubbed Tuesday to be "Printer Tray Tuesday."

Compartment number 2!:
-lucite flowers (man, I love those flowers, don't I?)
-pineapple quartz
-carved bone rounds
-1 button

I got the pineapple quartz from this awesome bead store in the Fashion District in LA last year. Aaaand the strand sat in my bead stash since that awesome day. I know. Horrible.

I dug around the beads that didn't make it into one of the 23 compartments of the printer's tray and added some amber glass rounds to the mix. The bracelet is strung on red waxed linen thread, which I am loving right now.

The colors clash with this lovely rainy day I'm experiencing today, but that's ok. My muse seems to still be stuck in summer mode which is fine with me... as long as she keeps me creating, I'm a happy camper.

Today is a rainy rainy day. The boyfriend and I are at Starbucks enjoying some coffee. I love fall.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! <3

Monday Muses: Czech Glass Beads

Turquoise Pressed Wheel from allthingsbeaded

Paisley Coins from OldWorldBeads

Window Ovals from MayaHoney

Orange Green Rose Teardrops from BobbiThisnThat

Herbed Turquoise from BeadBead

African Violet AB 3 Petal Flowers from dreamgirlbeads

This Monday Muses is a bit of window shopping. I have such an unbelievable weakness for Czech glass beads. Their colors and finishes make me giggle with happiness.