Uninspired

I'm feeling very uninspired tonight.  I hate it when that happens!  I was asked to make a necklace and after four starts, I still have nothing!  This may just call for a trip to Michaels tomorrow. 

I did start a new bracelet the other night, though.  It's from a pattern I found on the Bead & Button website.  It takes a little while to get the hang of it, so this is all I've managed to do so far:

In my defense, so far I've only worked on it once.  Last night was spent at the softball field and today was spent cleaning and switching our closets from winter clothes to summer.  I can't ever remember doing that in March!  Definitely have worked too hard today.  Maybe I'll make it to bed at a decent hour...

Palm Tree

I love palm trees.  For years, every time we went to the beach I'd tell Trav we should get a palm tree, bring it home, and plant it in the backyard.  We'd always talk about what the neighbors would think.  A few years ago, he bought me this for my birthday:

I'd be willing to bet I'm the only person in southwest Virginia with a palm tree in the backyard!  They're not exactly native to the area!  It was pretty tiny when we first planted it, but now the tip of it comes to about my waist.

My love of palm trees inspired this bracelet design.

I've thought about taking it apart and turning it into a necklace.  Need to think about that for a while...

Etsy Update Tonight

Tonight is the night!  I'm updating my etsy shop at 6 p.m. eastern time.  Here's one more sneak peek of what will be offered:

Shop Update

After I logged off last night, I realized I didn't mention the etsy shop update!  It will be tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. eastern time.  Here's a little sneak peek.

Learn Something New

I learned a new word today from the Jewelry Making Daily blog--lagniappe (LAN-yap).  It's apparently a French word, used regularly in Louisiana.  It is used to refer to "a little something extra".  The blog author wrote about adding a little extra something to your jewelry designs--little touches that take the pieces to a new level.  It made me think about how I treat my own designs.  When I first began making jewelry, I focused little on adding extras, but as I've become more experienced, I realize the importance of the little touches and enjoy looking for places to add them.  For instance, in the earrings and bracelet pictured I added bits of suede cord.  The designs would have been fine without them, but the suede really makes the pieces special.

Whether it's bits of suede or a small bead added to the end of a clasp, incorporating a little something extra can make all the difference!

Etsy Favorites

I've desperately needed to update my etsy shop for a while now.  I keep putting it off because I get busy, so I've decided the only way to do it is to set a date--and I plan to set it tomorrow!  I need to look at my calendar to see how busy my week is going to be, because I still need to take some pics of pieces I've made.  In the meantime, here are a few of the pieces currently listed. 

I'm not sure if I'll leave all these pieces in the shop once I do the update, so if you're interested, you might want to shop now!

Strawberry Shortcake

My best friend, Misty, is expecting baby #2.  Miss Strawberry Shortcake (just a nickname--they haven't decided on a name yet) is set to arrive in May.  The baby shower is tomorrow, and one of my gifts will be this bracelet I made:

The picture makes the bracelet look larger than it is.  It actually only measures 4 inches, so it's tiny!  I used pearls, pale pink crystals, silver spacers, and a silver magnetic clasp.  Gotta make the little one as girly as possible!

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games movie premiers tomorrow.  My daughter, Katie, is absolutely obsessed with the book and has been counting the days until the movie comes out for months.  We've had our tickets for several weeks now and I'm not sure Katie will get any sleep tonight!

I decided to make these necklaces for all of us to wear to the movie tomorrow night.  I even made one with a black braided cord for Travis!  They each have a bird charm, an arrow charm, and a piece of crystal black quartz (which looks just like coal) to represent the book.

Mushrooms

I saw these mushroom charms this weekend and thought they were adorable.  I couldn't wait to turn them into a simple necklace and earrings set.  I love the red polka dot bead with the big mushroom!

My daughter says they remind her of Smurf homes--remember that cartoon?

Softball and Clean Cars

Last night we spent a wonderful evening at the softball field, watching Hannah play in a double header.  After watching her play for 9 years, you would think I'd know a thing or two about the game.  But, no.  I'm not very sports-minded.  I do enjoy going to the games, catching up with the other softball parents and grandparents, and, of course, watching the girls play (even if I barely know what's going on). 

I took advantage of the evening home tonight to make these earrings:

I would have liked to have made more pieces, but I decided to clean my car--inside and out--this afternoon.  It's amazing how a small car can get so messy.  I don't want to blame my daughters, but the backseat took most of my cleaning time.  Anyway, I'm running low on energy after all that work!  But, it will be nice to have a clean car to drive to work in the morning!

Shopping Trip

I visited a (fairly) local bead store yesterday.  They are getting ready to shut down temporarily and will reopen soon under new management.  They were having a great sale, so I snagged a few goodies:

I loved the color of the raspberry sea glass, and I think the dark blue will go well with the starry night pendant I'm still  hoarding.  I thought the silver mushroom charms were adorable, and very spring-like.  The glass beads with the red bumps are also very cute!  I got a very good deal on everything, which made me--and especially my husband--very happy!

Softball

Today is my daughter Hannah's first softball game of the season.  Many of our evenings and weekends will now be filled with watching the girls play, concession stand food, and fun with the other softball parents.  I think she looks adorable in her new uniform:

Naturally, I had to make a quick pair of earrings to honor the occasion. 

For these I used dark green beads (the team color), softball charms and daisy spacers.  Go Spartans!

Pinwheels

Today was the last day of the work week for me!  The students are on spring break this week, and we always get the Friday of spring break off.  The three day weekend will be nice.  I'm hoping to hit a bead store that's about an hour and a half from where I live.  For some of you who live in a more urban area that may seem like a long drive.  But, for those of us in the more isolated areas, it's nothing.  The store is getting ready to close for a couple of weeks and reopen under new management, so they're having a big sale.  It's not that I necessarily need more beads right now, but it's hard to pass up a good sale!

My Jade Scott pinwheels came yesterday.  Aren't they adorable?

My original plan was to make a very simple pair of earrings out of them, but I got a little carried away...

I think pinwheels and flowers make a very nice combination-don't you?

Beading Session Part 2

This is the other necklace I made last night using McKenna's pendants:

These are the matching earrings:

I don't think I have any plans for tomorrow night, so I'm hoping for another beading session!

Tonight's Beading Session

I had a nice beading session this evening.  Below is a necklace I made using one of the pendants I bought yesterday from McKenna. 

I made these earrings to go with it:

Tomorrow night I'll post pics of the necklace and earrings I made using another of her pendants.

New Pendants

I've been going all day on basically no sleep.  I started reading The Hunger Games yesterday and made the mistake of picking it back up when I went to bed.  At 2:15 this morning I finished the book.  As if staying up that late weren't bad enough, after I finished the book, I couldn't go to sleep!  At least I finished before the movie comes out.  We've had our tickets for a couple of weeks now and I'm not sure who's the most excited to see it.

Luckily, I managed to wake up enough to purchase these beautiful pendants from a local artist, McKenna Blevins.

I'm in love with all of them!  It's going to be incredibly hard to decide which to use first, but I'm sure I'll manage!

Family

Birthstone jewelry has been popular with mothers for many years.  I can remember my grandmother wearing a ring with the birthstones of her children and have noticed there are many new styles of these on the market.  Rings are not the only way to show off the birthstones of your children.  Bracelets, necklaces and even earrings are increasingly popular ways.  I made this bracelet with my daughters' birthstones, as well as those of my husband and myself:

The pink crystal is for my birthday in October.  The sapphire is Katie's September birthday, and the garnet crystal is for Hannah's in January.  The clear crystal is for Travis' birthday in April.  I've made similar bracelets for friends and family and such a personalized gift is always well received. 

Unfinished Objects

Like most jewelry designers, I have several U.F.O.s--Unfinished Objects.  I've started many projects that have been put aside for whatever reason and never picked back up.  Some are near completion--some merely lack a clasp-- but I have the habit of starting new projects rather than putting the finishing touches on the ones I've already started.  This is one project that I put aside, but have picked back up recently:

I originally planned to make a twisted tubular herringbone rope to suspend the pendant from.  After some time away from the necklace, I'm now leaning toward using the herringbone rope, but adding accent beads and perhaps some chain to finish it off.  Hopefully this won't remain a U.F.O. much longer!

Pinwheels

I managed to snag something new this evening on etsy.  These little pinwheels are from Jade Scott:

 

They're so adorable and perfect for spring and summer jewelry!  I can't wait to get them!

I'm so glad the week is nearly over.  It's been a long, busy one, but I hope to be able to relax a little this weekend--maybe!  I do plan to update my etsy shop.  I've also got some work to do to get ready for the fair to benefit juvenile diabetes on April 14.  At least jewelry making is fun "work"!

Bead Weaving

Shortly after taking my first beading class, I had the opportunity to take a class in bead weaving.  At the time, being new to beading, I had no idea you could actually make jewelry with a needle, thread and some seed beads.  Having always enjoyed sewing, I thought it sounded like fun.  And, I was right!  I immediately fell in love with bead weaving, and since that first spiral rope bracelet I have taught myself the basics in several other stitches--peyote, herringbone, square stitch...  There are several things I like about bead weaving.  First, I find it very relaxing to get lost in the rhythm of stitching.  Second, it's portable.  I've stitched many a piece of jewelry while riding in the car on long trips or waiting for my daughter at softball practice.  Bead weaving is also very easy to do while watching tv with the family. 

If you haven't given bead weaving a try, I encourage you to do so.  Despite its intimidating look, most stitches are actually quite simple.  Besides, who couldn't use a new way to relax?

Technologically Challenged

Tonight I decided to try something new and create a photo collage for the blog.  I googled some programs and found one that was very user-friendly and within minutes I had a college created with some of my favorite pieces.  I created the post, added the collage, and noticed it had a "play" button on it.  I clicked play, and could not get past the ads that popped up.  Bummer!  This wasn't really what I had in mind--I just wanted the pics arranged in a collage.  Oh, well.  Back to the drawing board.  In the meantime, these are the pictures I planned to post:

Clowns

We had a snow day from work today!  Yep--tornado day Friday, snow day today.  I had visions of spending the entire day beading, but a nap called this afternoon.  I did get this necklace and earrings set made.  For some reason, I thought of clowns the entire time I made it.  Maybe because of the colors?  Clowns or no clowns, it's a fun set!

Birds Nests

So much for Spring!  Tornado warnings Friday, a beautiful sunny day yesterday, and today?  Winter storm warning!  We're expecting 3-6 inches of snow tonight.  This crazy weather is certainly keeping us on our toes!

I used to buy hanging baskets every spring to decorate my front porch.  I've given up on it the past few years, though, after seeing my baskets die every year because birds built their nests there.  That's my excuse anyway--I have a black thumb, so they probably would have died anyway.  These little earrings remind me of those nests.

What a Night

We spent the biggest part of the day yesterday under tornado warnings.  This is something new to our area.  Living nestled in the mountains, we do not get the large tornadoes that pop up in Tornado Alley, but we started to see a lot of warnings issued last year, and it looks as if this year will be no different.  Many of the local schools closed early, and we were sent home from work early as well.  I wish I could say I had a very productive jewelry making session yesterday afternoon, but instead I spent most of the time glued to the local news station waiting for updates. 

This morning we awoke to a beautiful spring-like day, which inspired me to pack up all my snowmen decorations and get out the spring ones.  Here are some of my favorite spring designs.  You can find these in my etsy shop.