Sunday, October 26, 2008
Emporium Beads
I missed a couple of days here, but with good reason! This past weekend was my annual "girls only" trip - meeting up with friends from all over the country to just relax and have fun.
We're here in Bloomington, IN, home of the Hoosiers. On Saturday, we visited downtown Bloomington, stopping at
Emporium Beads. Emporium has more than just beads - treasures from all over the world! I was seriously in love with some onyx goblets, but decided to hold off on them for now.
Emporium offers a nice selection of beads, both in strands and loose (single) bins. Basic tools, findings, and other supplies like wire and beading thread are also for sale. Prices are reasonable, and while I didn't find anything I couldn't live without, my friend Sara discovered some lovely glass AB beads in shades of purple, blues and bronzes that we turned into a pretty earring and necklace set.
Labels: bead store, beading supplies, Bloomington, earrings, LBS, necklace
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Michaels August Challenge
The gang that hangs out at the
Michaels message boards holds monthly challenges, and the challenge this month was to make something primarily of metal.
Well, I love metal...so I couldn't resist! I actually made two pieces using the same wire wrapping technique.
Challenge rules include that your piece must be made of at least 75% materials available from a Michaels store...for these projects, I used 26g Wild Wire in fuchsia and teal, as well as 18g silver wire for the frame.
Here are my two pendants for the August Michaels Challenge. The first is a version of my Fairy Ladder pendant, using the team Wild Wire. For this piece, I also used 18g Wild Wire in silver color for my frame, but I was not happy with the way the frame flopped around when I wrapped it. Michaels, please carry heavier gauges of wire for folks who don't want to use sterling silver!!! Size on this little pendant is about 1" long, about 1/4" across.
Next up, I decided to use some (shhhh) sterling silver wire for the frame, again in 18g. Shape held up much better with this one. Teal and fuchsia wire are used to wrap...I can see a couple of small errors, but overall, I'm really pleased with the way this turned out!! Size on this one is also about 1" long, 3/8" across the widest point. Lots of wrapping in that tiny space!
These may end up being gifts for a couple of special little girls I know...not sure yet. I think they would like them, however. :-)
Thanks for peeking...if you'd like to join in the fun on the Michaels board, please join us!!!
Labels: challenge, fuchsia, michael's, michaels, necklace, pendant, pink, teal, wire, wire working
Sunday, April 13, 2008
One Pendant, Three Options
My good friend Judy presented me with a challenge a few weeks ago. "Make me a necklace using this pendant."
She didn't want a plain chain, and really didn't have any ideas on what she was looking for...just said she knew I'd come up with something.
When I started thinking about what to do, I first looked for colors. The crystals in the pendant are green, pink and clear AB
Swarovski's...but that green is more of a Granny Smith apple green than anything else.
Peridot stones were close, but not a perfect match, and I couldn't find any colors in
seed beads that were even all that close.
I decided to offer Judy options...anything that she didn't like could be sold, after all! The first thing I tried were some pink 11.0 seed beads interspersed with Peridot chips, and then twisted with another strand of the pink seed beads.
Second try was a tubular herringbone using the same pink seed beads. I love the feel of this snakey chain, and while bead weaving isn't one of my favorite things to do, it worked up pretty quickly once I got started.
I got my final inspiration after I posted the first two options on a jewelry making forum...I thought about using a chunky chain and tossing in some peridot and light pink Swarovski crystals. Since I didn't have any chunky pre-made chain, I made my own! The ovals are soldered jump rings, which I then "spread" using my
Wubbers chain nosed pliers. I really like the looks of this chain a lot, and I think it sets off the pendant well - a funky and hip look overall.
I like this chain a lot, and I think I'll make another - it was time consuming, but I think the end result was worth it.
So tomorrow I hope to present Judy with all three options and let her decide which is her favority. How about you? What other options could I have come up with?
Labels: chainmaille, challenge, necklace, pendant, seed beads, sterling silver, Swarovski, wire working
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day! Free "My Broken Heart" pendant project instructions!
Wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day today.
..while candy, flowers and cards do it for some, there's nothing like a little jewelry to make the day special!
As a gift to my beloved readers, here are some basic instructions for "My Broken Heart" - a pendant/clasp necklace that is totally unique!
Materials
16g dead soft, round wire
Bulk Chain, 16+ inches (pendant will be approximately 1" across - cut chain to the length you want your overall necklace to be.)
Use a round nosed pliers to create a loop on each end of the 2 1/2" wire.
Bend the wire into half of a heart shape, with the loops facing UP. (If you set the finished shape on a table, the loops will be at a right angle to the table top.)
Using the 3" section of wire, make a tiny loop at one end of the wire, and use the round nosed pliers to create a small "S" hook. (Steps & photos 1-3 in
this tutorial.) Repeat on the other end, with the hook facing the other side of the wire.
Bend this section into a 1/2 heart shape. Clasp the heart together by inserting the hooks into the loops in the first section.
Add chain to the pendant/clasp using jump rings. That's it!
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Labels: free instructions, necklace, Valentine's Day, wire working
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Hearts and romance!
Been working busily on a few thing this week...
My Broken Heart (left) is a really unique design. I made this for a Valentine's Day Challenge on the Jewelry Artists forum, and really love the simplicity of the design. The pendant is a clasp, or the clasp is a pendant...however you want to look at it. Getting outside the box can be fun sometimes! I put the copper version up for sale on my Etsy shop...I'm thinking about making a
sterling silver version as well.
Beginning this month, I'll be working on publishing some "30-Minute Projects", featuring easy to find components in projects that you can complete in (guess.....) 30 minutes or less. Great for beginners, or for quick last minute gifts. First up -
Fun and Fancy Ribbon Bookmark, featuring
Swarovski crystals. Mine's pink...I guess all the romance around Valentine's Day is showing up in my jewelry creations!
And finally, finally, finally....watch this space for an exciting and important announcement! Maybe today, probably tomorrow...Beading Help Web's going to help you in more ways than you can imagine!!!
Labels: 30-minute projects, beginning jewelry making, copper, necklace, romance, Valentine's Day
We're here in Bloomington, IN, home of the Hoosiers. On Saturday, we visited downtown Bloomington, stopping at Emporium Beads. Emporium has more than just beads - treasures from all over the world! I was seriously in love with some onyx goblets, but decided to hold off on them for now.
