Beady Round Robin

I've been bouncing this idea around in my head for a while now and I think I'd like to start a Beady Round Robin.


I got the idea from an article in Bead Trends and after surfing the bead blogs, I see that some people have done this before! And I think it's a wonderful idea to have something that several people have worked on and given their love to.


I need 3 more people to participate. Seems my blog has been getting a lot of traffic lately but not many comments so depending on how many people comment, I'll either pick people by a random number generator or if there's only 3 comments, well... they're the 3 people! :P

READ THIS ENTIRE POST BEFORE YOU COMMENT!

Here's the rundown:

1) 6 people will be participating! Three people have already told me they want to play via my Facebook page so I thought it was only fair that I'd let them in on the first go.

2) We'll be making necklaces! LONG necklaces! ^_^ Each person will make a 5 inch length of necklace and send it off to the next person. Keep in mind that not everyone has the same skill set so please keep it simple. If you're a beadweaver, maybe leave some loops for us stringers and wire workers to attach links to. If you're a stringer, maybe start a necklace on a length of bead wire and stick it on bead stoppers so people can add on to it. Also, if you're gonna use oxidized metals or metals with a patina, remember not all of us will be able to patina or oxidize what we add on to it.

3) Each person will send a little notebook with their creations so we can chronicle our beady journey. Let the person know things like why you chose certain beads or colors. Or maybe if you worked on the piece while on vacation somewhere...

4) I'd like to keep the turn-around for each working to 1 week. I know that some of us are busy and might not be able to fit it into our schedules so that is something to consider.

5) Blogs- Not necessary but would be fun! I'd like to ask you, however, to only reveal a TINY part of  the length YOU'RE working on. Maybe a snapshot of a special bead or a section of wire work. I'd like the person who the necklace is being made for to have a nice surprise and be the one to reveal the whole thing. Do take pictures of what you worked on, however, so you can post about it after everyone has finished their pieces.

So that's it! My Beady Round Robin! If you're interested in participating, please leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you!

I will be picking people on Friday, the 24th! ^_^

I really hope there are people who want to participate! You just never know with these things :P

Away We Go

 

My bead soup has left California and is making it's journey all the way to Delaware to the lovely Kathy Lindemer. Miss Pretty Things Lori Anderson told me not to worry about what my partner might like and to pick out what *I* think is awesome and that's what I did! I may have over-done it but I wanted to make sure my partner has plenty of beads to play with.

The big reveal is March 3rd and I cannot wait to see what Kathy comes up with! Go on over to the Bead Soup Party site and check out all the participants! 200 blogs! Lots of reading material... and you have no idea how happy that makes 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.

Purple Pillars

Glass crackle beads are fun. They're even better when they're in a shape that isn't just a sphere. These amethyst colored glass crackle beads were sitting in my stash and, I believe were a buy from around Thanksgiving. I remember making earrings for someone with them for Christmas. I still had some of the copper components and tried to make them again.

This is what I came up with. I think it's close to what I made for Christmas.

Steampunk Princess: Mechanical Butterfly

I finished it! *dances* Last night, with 10 minutes to go before I was supposed to be getting ready for date night, I finished the necklace I started next week (and even made some earrings... because that's only the right thing to do :P ).

Like I said in one of my previous posts, this necklace was inspired by a bracelet design featured in a book called "Steampunk-Style Jewelry". Mostly, I used the idea of coiled wire helping filigree pieces look like cogs or mechanical parts, which you can see in the focal of my necklace. The book had the coiled wire a bit tighter but I couldn't get the wire to stay tight. I'll admit, I didn't read the directions... I was on lunch and just flipped through the book. But I think I like the way the coils look like springs. It works for me.

The focal is pretty much the only part I kept the same from the original design of the necklace. I originally was going to have the pretty green Magatama drop beads strung on hemp, but it proved too much of a pain to find six beads that would fit over the cord. I decided to just do four whole strands of the pretty bead and I rather like it. It think it works out better and looks prettier. Kind of liquidy with their shininess.

Another part that changed was the chain. I originally had the chains be equal length. But that looked a bit boring and unbalanced with the boldness of the green Magatama beads. Also, the necklace was a bit long... so I shortened a piece of chain on each side and then hung the other two off the shortened pieces so the chain scalloped. It gives it a sort of elegance that I think it was missing. To the chain, I also added a few of the Chinese glass beads I have on the focal. I thought it brought a bit more green to the piece.

The earrings I made from two more copper connectors and the bit of scrap chain I snipped off the necklace. Added some of the green beads (both the Chinese glass and Magatama beads) and I think it matches the necklace nicely.

I wore the necklace and earrings on date night. And they made me feel so pretty... which I think is important to a piece of jewelry. I originally thought I would sell these pieces, but I just can't bring myself to part with them. I will just have to make a sister necklace.

My boyfriend thinks I should add some of the Magatama beads to the chain or maybe the focal. I might try that. They're such pretty beads. I'd also like to try making a matching bracelet. Hmm... maybe that's how I'll spend my day off today...

Happy Friday, everyone!

WIP- Mechanical Butterfly

While my boyfriend and friends go out to watch my friend's band's first performance, I am sick in bed! I had to call out because I was feverish and now, though the fever is gone, I feel very weak.

I wanted to finish this necklace yesterday but was so busy with work. I thought, when I went to bed last night, I could finish it today, but woke up sick! How unfair. Haha.

The idea for this "mechanical butterfly" sprang from a project I read of in a book at work called "Steampunk-Style Jewelry." In it, there's a project where coiled wire, when sandwiched between two filigree pieces, look like cogs! I thought "Wow. I want to have a go at that..." And I'd seen these butterfly pieces probably the day before at my bead store. Sooo... after the project sat in my brain, growing, for about a week, I went to the bead store on Thursday and asked them for my first bit of freshly cut wire and chain just for this necklace (I'm a bit shy and barely talk to the lovely ladies who run the store and though I've wanted to try my hand at making my own ear wires, I haven't had the courage to ask them to cut me some wire. Something must be wrong with me, no? Hahaha) along with those butterflies I'd seen but didn't buy.

To me, the color that copper turns when it oxidizes is beautiful. And I thought that the two Chinese glass beads that sit atop the face of the butterfly pendant are the perfect color. I added some shiny copper chain to contrast the aged copper of the butterfly (and, in all honesty, to give something for the loops that hold the glass beads in place something to hold... :D).

The necklace is almost done. Here is a close up of the chain. Its also aged copper and hangs off of a connector that holds hemp cord with green Magatma drop beads. I felt like the cord and Magatama beads would add an organic feel to the necklace. That's the part that I need to finish- add the cord to the other connector, cord tips, and a clasp.

On a side note, I love the chain that I found at my bead store. Its hammered half-way through each link. I don't know why, but it made me feel like it was a perfect match to this necklace. It was a wonderful feeling when I saw this chain.

Hopefully I can finish this necklace soon. I don't like having something so close to being done but am just unable to finish it.

My head is spinning slightly so I think it's time to rest my eyes for a bit. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Re-Design W/ My Christmas Beads

Here is the original necklace I made using the beads my boyfriend bought me for Christmas. I wore it. Didn't like it. So. I changed it today.


This is the new design which I think works well with the upcoming lovey-dovey holiday. It was made using a two-needle weaving technique I read about in a magazine. They used four beads per section... I used a few more (they're seed beads and four didn't seem like enough).

The sections aren't quite hearts but I think they'll do.

I think it might be a tad too long but I can always change that. One of the joys of making my own jewelry is being able to make things that fit ME. :)

Jenny's Earrings

I think its appropriate that the first post for this blog be of earrings I was asked to make. Well... maybe not really asked but told "I would like some earrings... my favorite color is teal."

I started beading maybe a month and a half ago. So when my cousin's daughter said she'd like some earrings, I just about burst with excitement and ran out and bought "teal" beads the first chance I got. Well... when I got home, I thought, "Hm. What exactly is teal? Are these really teal?"

Sitting there, looking at these beads... I couldn't really tell. The big ones were probably teal... the little ones, I bought really because they were kinda blue but I was drawn to what they were called ("Miracle Bead"). So I was faced with the horrifying thought that maybe Jenny won't like what I made her! How crushing would it be if the first earrings I was asked to make weren't what they wanted.

Wikipedia to the rescue. After Wiki-ing "teal," this is what popped up, "Teal is a medium blue-green color, although it is more blue than green. It is named after the common teal, a member of the duck family, whose eyes are surrounded by the color." There's the teal ducky... huh. Is that teal? *I* personally think that's green.
**quack**

Btw. I'm very glad that Wikipedia decided that they should add a swatch of what people think the color looks like. That color is less green than the teal-ducky color. And more blue.

The miracle beads are nothing close to teal, but the big beads match pretty good... sooo YAY!

Here are the completed earrings. I need to get my SLR out and take better pictures, but I think this is ok for now. The earrings on the bottle are the miracle beads. As you can see, the light bounces off of whatever material that is inside and basically glows. Very pretty.

The earrings hanging off the sheet are also made of glass (miracle beads are glass, I believe... did I mention that already?). They're a bit more bold and not as delicate as the little earrings, BUT, they're TEAL! Huzzah.

... PSST... Jenny... if you're reading this... you owe me a bracelet :P
J/K.

OH yeah. Both pairs are on sterling silver earring wires. I'm not sure if Jenny is allergic to metal. Thought it best to play it safe.