New favorites

This is the necklace I made the other night, using a glass bead I made (!), and a Jade Scott pendant I've been hoarding.

It's my new favorite.  I found the chain at Michaels and fell in love with it.  I'm very happy with the way everything came together.  

I made these earrings to match, using a bit of the same chain, and some small ivory glass beads I made.

I wish everything would come together so well!
 

Forgetfulness

I completely forgot to blog yesterday!  Good grief!  We had another snow day on Friday (woo hoo!), and I think these 3-day weekends are throwing me off.  I had to actually stop and try to remember what day it was yesterday.  Makes me feel old and I'm only 38!

Anyhoo, I finished the rest of the pieces from my friend Suzie's grandmother's beads.  First are the earrings I made to match the necklace I did in silver.

Next, the necklace I made using gold chain.

And, finally, the earrings I made to match the necklace done in gold.  I apologize for the blurriness!  

 Suzie was thrilled!  I love making people happy!

I made a necklace and earrings last night using glass beads I made.  I'll post pics tomorrow...



 

Before and after

I finally finished the necklace I was working on for my friend, Suzie.  If you remember, I posted a few weeks ago that she had asked me to remake a necklace of her grandmother's.  This is the before shot:

And the after:

There were several beads left over.  Some of those have a lot of gold in them, so I plan to make her another necklace using those beads and gold as the metal instead of silver.  One necklace turned into two completely different necklaces.  I'm also going to make her some matching earrings.

We're having a major cold spell here.  We typically have pretty mild winters, but the temps have been in the teens, with even colder wind chills.  I can't complain, though.  It's winter--it's supposed to be cold, and with any luck, snowy!  These cold temps have made my house feel like a petting zoo, though, with a dog, a guinea pig, and two cats inside.  The cats live outside, but when it's this cold I can't stand the though of them being out there!

I hope you're snug and warm where you live!

Glass bead class

This weekend was my glass bead making class and I had such a good time!  It's definitely more complicated than it looks.  This is a picture of the beads I made:

Some are decent for a first attempt and some were downright flops!  But, it was fun and I think with some practice I can work out the kinks.  I've had ideas running through my head about beads I can make.  I have almost everything I need to make them at home, and hopefully by the end of the week I'll be all set up.  

The class was pretty tiring--mentally and physically!  If Travis hadn't gone with me I would have gone back to the condo Saturday night and collapsed immediately.  One of the most amazing things is I came through the class without a single burn!  I get burned practically every time I iron or steam clothes, so I really did expect to have at least a few nasty ones.  

So, it was an expensive weekend, but definitely worth it!
 

Progress

I've made a tiny bit of progress on the necklace I showed you yesterday.  Last night I took the necklace apart, and started wrapping each of the beads individually, so that I can connect them with jump rings, rather than simply restringing them.  

I also added bead caps to some of the beads, which I think gives them an icy, wintery feel.  

Last night Katie brought Charlie the guinea pig into the living room, and put her on the floor.  Every time I see this picture I can't help but laugh.  Can you spot the guinea pig on the floor?

It's amazing how well she blends in, right down to the little stripe on her back.  I hope she never manages to get loose!

Snow is now in the forecast for tomorrow.  For once in my life I'd rather not see it!  I don't want there to be any danger of the bead class getting cancelled this weekend!

 

Remake

My friend, Suzie, asked me to take this necklace and remake it into something new for her:

I love the blues in the color scheme, but I'm not as crazy about the gold accents.  I think I'll have to add some silver, maybe more wire...  One thing is sure--it's a good day to work on it.  We've had rainy, cold weather for the past couple of days.  I love this kind of weather IF I can be home with the fireplace, the dog, and a good book.  (And Travis and the girls, too, of course).  Unfortunately, I've had to go out in this mess.  

On the bright side, the forecast is not calling for snow this weekend, which will make traveling to my glass bead class much easier.  I can't wait!!
 

Back home

Where did last week go?  I spent 3 days at a conference in Glen Allen, Va, which is close to Richmond, our capital.  The hotel was beautiful, the food delicious, and the company a lot of fun.  I learned something new, too.  While discussing jewelry with some of my lunch mates, one of them suggested I make lanyards.  I've made one or two before, but since I don't wear my college ID at work, I have to admit I don't always give them a lot of thought.  She mentioned that I need to be sure to put a magnetic clasp in the back.  This was news to me, as the ones I made were one piece, designed to slip over the wearer's head.  But, she pointed out that in certain workplaces (hospitals, prisons, etc.), employees have to use lanyards with a breakaway point for safety.  It made perfect sense when she told me--I had just never thought of it before.  

Last night when I was deciding what to wear today, I came across a necklace I made a  while back.  It was made from pink pearls, crystals, and a fabric rose I found at Michaels.  I only wore it a time or two, and decided I didn't like the look of the flower.  So, I remade the necklace, using a cameo I had bought years ago.  I love the way it turned out:

It's so sparkly and girly.  This remake will definitely see more wear than the original. 
 

New addition

We have a new addition to our family, a guinea pig named Charlie.  One of Hannah's friends had her for a couple of years, and decided to give her away.  We got her last night--I think she looks like a little groundhog!  

Hopefully she'll get along well with Ralph!  

Apparently I've been on a purple kick lately.  The other night I whipped up this necklace to go with a new purple sweater.

I used some purple sea glass I picked up at a local bead store, and used chain and dark purple crystals to accent it.  Then I hung it from a simple silver chain.  I think it will look good.  Need to make some earrings, though!

I'm off to a conference in Richmond later this week for a couple of days.  I'll have to go easy on the shopping this time since my glass bead class is coming up!

 

Back to the grind

It's back to the grind today.  As much as I like my job, it's hard to return after a 2 week Christmas break.  My sleep schedule is all out of whack after too many nights of staying up late, and sleeping in the next morning.  

Last night I finished the bracelet I was making to go with the necklace I made with the little Humblebeads owl.  Every time I make a piece of jewelry, I think of the other pieces I'll need to make to go with it, so that I'll have a complete ensemble.  Everything must go together, after all, in my little world.  

Like the necklace, this bracelet is done in a spiral weave, using the same beads that are in the necklace chain.  I love the colors, and wish the picture did them justice.  

The jewelry making year has gotten off to a productive start!

Happy New Year!

This is the first time I've tried blogging from my phone, so it may be a complete disaster! Today starts a new year, and I have to say 2012 was a rather good year. I started this blog, and I crossed an item off my bucket list--getting published. I had a necklace appear in the October issue of Bead Trends, and I've had a necklace accepted for the March issue and a pair of earrings accepted for the May issue. It's been a dream come true for me! 2013 promises to be exciting, as well, with the opportunity to learn to make glass beads coming up in a couple of weeks.

This is my first completed piece of the new year. I used the little Humblebead owl I received for Christmas, and stitched a spiral rope for the chain. I love the colors! I'm nearly finished with the matching bracelet, and hope to finish matching earrings soon.

Tomorrow is my last day off before returning to work. I don't know why holidays have to fly by!