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!  

Humblebeads

I just received the leaf pendant I ordered from Humblebeads.

I love it!  I ordered the dark orange, which reminds me of fall leaves.

I really like the way she packages her beads, too.  She folds pretty paper into little bead holders, but unfortunately I can never manage to fold them back correctly!

When I opened the package, I was excited to discover a couple of extra beads thrown in.

Surprises are (almost) always nice.  

Tomorrow I'm off to an amusement park with the 8th grade honor society.  The park is about 3 hours away, and is pretty nice if you're into amusement parks.  Unfortunately, I'm a big chicken and won't ride any of the rides, so I'm stuck sitting around holding everyone's bags while they ride.  It's supposed to be scorching hot tomorrow, too.  (Well, 88 degrees, but to this indoorsy girl, that's pretty stinkin' hot!).  I'll be lathering on the sunscreen all day--that's for sure!

Too bad there's nowhere to hide and bead at the park!