Blog Hop

I've decided to participate in a new blog hop, the Bead Hoarders Blog Hop, hosted by Lori Anderson.  I confess--I'm a bead hoarder.  I have quite a few beads I've never used, simply because I keep waiting to find the "perfect" design for them.  This sounds like the motivation I need to jump in and grab some of my hoarded beads and get to work.  The reveal is July 20.  I can't wait to see what others have been hoarding!

I bought a new dress today for a wedding I'll be attending tomorrow night.  I'm pretty sure it's going to call for some new jewelry--at least some earrings and a bracelet.  I'll post pics next week.

Happy Friday!

Concert, time off, and new beads

This weekend, the girls and I went to a concert with one of their friends and her mother.  We saw One Direction in Raleigh, NC.  It was a good show, but I wasn't sure my hearing would ever return to normal!  The girls had a blast, and made their own shirts to wear.

I really felt old when I realized kids don't pull out cigarette lighters during slow songs anymore.  They use the flashlight app on their phones!  Technology...

While I was in Raleigh, we stopped by Ornamentea.  I could have spent  hours in that store, and a fortune along with it.  I picked up some really cute goodies, and hope to have pics posted in the next day or two.

I decided to take Monday off work to recover from the concert (another sign of getting old, I suppose) and decided to make some glass beads, then etch them.  They're still curing, but this is what they look like.

I experimented with different colors of glass, but would like to make something using only clear glass that is etched.  They look a lot like sea glass, and I'm loving them.  

I also cut out some more tin discs and plan to use them shortly.  I've decided I could really get a lot accomplished if it weren't for one small detail--my day job!

Disc earrings

A while back I bought Lorelei Eurto's tin snippets tutorial, but had never gotten around to trying it out.  This weekend I decided to try a slightly different version of it.  Instead of making domed bead caps out of tin, I flattened the cut tin, punched a hole in the top, and used the pieces in these earrings.

The tin I used was an old Brighton jewelry tin.  I love them.  They're so different!  Now I'm on the prowl for more tin!

Etsy update

I realized a couple of weeks ago that all the listings in my etsy shop had expired!  Yikes!  I did a small update today, and hope to gradually put more things in there shortly.  

Happy Friday!

New pendants

The other day I received these goodies I had ordered from Jangles in the mail:

 I was so excited!  I'm a huge fan of Jangles beads and if I can ever get back into sewing, I have my eye on her owl pattern.  

I took two 11-year-old girls shopping, and after they had just about worn me out, and had gone everywhere they wanted, I convinced them to go to Michaels.  And, what did I find there?  More Jangles pendants!  On clearance!!  I nearly cleared out the store, and picked up these (among others):

 They're such happy little things, and with some stressful things going on at work right now (just typical human resources stuff), I need some happy jewelry!

I also decided to start taking an art class this summer.  The lady who teaches the class the girls take decided to offer an adult class one night a week this summer.  I'm not good at drawing, but I've seen enough of the girls' work to know they do a lot of mixed media stuff.  So, I decided to give it a go.  It's not like I have anything to lose, and I think it's good to learn new things.  Last night was the first class, and it was so much fun.  Here's the finished project:

 My branches aren't nearly as "flowy" as in nature, but I do have an accounting degree, so I tend to be a too precise sometimes.   But, it was fun, and relaxing, and I had a good time, which is what I was hoping for.  My one request for the summer was to do an owl, so we'll see how that goes!

Sneak Peek

I decided to enter the Humblebeads call for submissions that was advertised a couple of weeks ago.  The challenge was to use one of the best sellers and create a piece for publication in a quarterly that Heather Powers will be putting out.  Winners will be announced on Saturday, and I've got my fingers crossed.  In the meantime, here is a little sneak peek of the necklace I made.

As you may recall, last time I posted I mentioned the field trip I was getting ready to go on with a bunch of 8th graders.  The good news is I survived.  The better news is I survived without a major sunburn.  But, boy was it hot.  And boring.  I spent 3 hours on the same bench waiting for the kids to ride roller coasters.  I couldn't budge because I was in a shady spot and there was no way I was giving that up.  I also learned that my little Nissan is not big enough for three 14-year-old girls.  I was sure they'd sleep all the way home.  Wrong!  I've never seen a more hyper group of kids.  Don't know where they get their energy!  Here's the bunch I spent most of my day with.

Tyler, Megan, Jessica, Hannah, Holden, Tre

My child is 4th from the left.  I think they had a good time.  I was utterly exhausted afterwards! 

Gotta get to work soon on a couple of pieces I've promised to people!