Smiley Faces!

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! I hope you have all had a great week!

You might have guessed I was leading up to these...

It's possible the yellow and black smiley face with the "have a happy day" quote was imprinted on me as a child in the 70's, but I've always been drawn to them and sometimes have to force myself to keep from using them in a professional environment. Although, use of them in our electronic communications has become much more common place.

Anyone with a piece of jewelry made with these adorable characters would have a pretty hard time not turning their frown upside down!

Have a great night! : )

Porcelain Flower Pattern

This is such a cute bead! The flower is very simple and with the contrast of blue on white, it appears very sweet and dainty. It reminded me of a collectible china pattern. As a result of watching a little too much of BBC's Cash in the Attic, I know the blue and white pattern was used in English china to emulate the look of Chinese pottery from the 1500's.

If you know anyone who collects the blue and white china, a jewelry item using this type of bead would be a great gift!

Sunny Lemon

Yes, this really is a bead in the shape of a lemon. It is great, so realistic! As you can see, I am drawn to beads with a happy aura. (Do beads have auras?)

One year in school, I think somewhere between sixth and eighth grade, my desk sat in front of a poster that read, "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade". I really think that made an impression on me.

Using happy beads in the jewelry I wear provides me with a little bit of sunny, happy, sparkly positivity that I can refer to as needed throughout the day for a dose of cheer!

Have a good one!!

Pearls & Sparkle

This week's bracelet is actually made using one of the mother of pearl beads previously featured. I wear this one quite a bit. It is one of my favorites so I wanted to share. I just love wearing three strands of just about any bead! I made this bracelet to fit my wrist well so the strands would be slightly seperated on my wrist.

When I sat down to make something with my beading partner, she had made about 3 different things as I was stringing and taking apart, stringing and taking apart, etc. I just wasn't getting a good feel from it. Once I started with this pattern, it just flowed. That's usually how I know I'm really going to like something.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Thanks for reading and take care!

Ocean Blue Cube

Hi there! I hope everyone's week got off to a good start!

Just in case, today's bead is a comforting ocean blue dice-drilled swarovski cube. So watery and, yes, yummy. I have to tell you, I have gotten the biggest kick out of finding the word "yummy" used on so many other beader's blogs. I thought I was the only one who used this term to describe beads and tried to refrain from using it around other non-beaders for fear they just wouldn't understand.

It's good to be among my own kind! If you have used these dice drilled swarovski cubes, let me know, I'm always looking for new ideas!! Thanks everyone!!

Dichroic Sparkle

Hello! Today's bead is a design by Paula Radke for Crystal Innovations. It is from their dichroic glass bead collection. I thought this was such a pleasing bead and in between each was a 4mm pink crystal bicone.

It was a perfect combination of colors and just enough glitter and sparkle. Enjoy!

Disco Ball Moon

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great Saturday with lots of crafting going on!

Today's bead is a combination disco ball and crater-filled silvery moon! This bead would work great if your theme was either the 1970's or the solar system. It is a very cool enamel white/silver bead that I found at Michael's. Lots of ideas are swirling now, I hope you feel the same!

Have a great evening!

Happy Little "Bird"

This happy little "bird" bead in mother of pearl reminded me of the cartoon beginning of the Partridge Family TV show. "Hello world, there's a song that we're singing, come on get happy!!"

Okay, I'm sure you get the picture, no need for me to break into song! Have a great Friday night!

Green & White Stripes

Hello! This green and white striped glass bead made me smile when I first saw it several years ago. Of course, when that happens, I tend to make something for myself so I can carry that feeling around with me for a while.

Let me know if you have any fun ideas for using this last one. I'd love to hear them!

Take care!!

Happy, Sunny, Yellow!

Good news!!! My order from Fire Mountain arrived today, YAY!! I was really looking forward to these top drilled jonquil bicones. I was hoping they would bring a little sunshine into my world!! That's the nice thing about crystals, they never disappoint!!

We had some real sunshine today after hours of non-stop snow, just in time for evening rush hour, which did not go unappreciated!!

Here's hoping tomorrow brings more sunshine, less snow!

!

Swarovski Pearls

Hi everyone! Today's bead is a swarovski pearl in bronze. If you have ever used these beads, you know they're gorgeous! This bracelet was made in a pearl knotting class led by a Swarovski rep during a caribbean cruise. It was a great class and, of course, I now have the official knotting tool!

If you ever get the chance to take a beading cruise, I hope you will find a way to make it happen!!

Candy Cane

I acquired today's bead from my friend and jewelry making partner. While hanging out together at a craft show, one of our favorite things to do during "down times" was always to walk around the table trying each other's jewelry on and admiringly oohing and ahhing over it. This bead was part of a piece of jewelry she had on display that day.

She later sold the item to a customer who had requested it be shortened. This odd bead out was then generously offered to me which I gladly accepted. That is true friendship, giving away beads!! I'm sure I said something like, "oh no, I couldn't" before taking it!! I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt.

Have a good one!!

Wooden Flower

Happy Sunday! Today's bead is a very cute carved wooden flower bead. It is a pretty good size and will be adorable as a focal bead. I wanted to put it out here today because I really want to use it later for a bracelet!

Hope you are having a great day!!

Watercolors

Hello! I hope you all had a beautiful sunny (winter) day today!

Today's bead is faceted glass with a coating of silver around the edges. In various lighting they appear blue and sometimes purple! I remember when I bought these I thought they seemed so watery or refreshing somehow. One is very sweet and several together are thirst quenching!

I wish I knew a bead designer so I could thank them!

Blue Skies

Today's bead is reminiscent of beautiful blue skies with puffy white clouds. Just writing those words made me smile! Even in the middle of winter, we have had some incredibly beautiful blue skies recently.

This particular bead is somewhat meaningful since it represented the first experience in the resale crafting arena for my business partner and I. Under the name of "Blue Sky Creations" we traveled for several years to local craft shows to display and sell our beaded jewelry designs.

Here's hoping tomorrow brings more beautiful blue skies for us to enjoy! Have a great evening!

Blue Skies

Vintage Sparkle

These are the last four vintage crystals I have left from a 1950's necklace that came from a flea market several years ago. I can't remember the maker of the necklace, but when I searched online I discovered it was a very popular item in the 50's and I was surprised they cleaned up so nicely. Now I just need to come up with something really special for the last few....any ideas?

Night Scene

Today's bead looks to me like a night scene with the moon and stars on a very dark midnight background. VERY COOL! I don't remember where this one came from, it might have been a gift brought back from someone's travels. I think I am going to have to go make something!!!!

Mother of Pearl

Hello! Today's bead is a really cute mother of pearl bead that is drilled through the center rather than top to bottom. It's always fun to find things like this that are unique.

Have a good one!!

Dreams of Spring

Hi there! Since we have been advised of a winter storm warning, I thought I would rebel a bit and think of spring! Today's bead is actually a bead mix. Just a simple and inexpensive "e" bead mix from Joann, Etc.

I also added this week's bracelet made with this same "e" bead. I threw in the earrings just because I had them. I hope this brings you thoughts of spring too!

Be safe out there!

Bead Love

Is it possible to love a bead? I hope you said yes, because I really love this bead! A swarovski cube in vitrail with an AB finish. I'm not sure I can say much more, except, mmmmmmmm, what a great bead. The next time you are in a bead store, take a look at the 8 and 10 mm cubes and then we can talk about bead love. There was no way I could walk away from this one.

Take care!
Swarovski Cube

Great Focal Bead

Hello! This is a great focal bead for a bracelet. I have made quite a few of the same memory wire bracelet with this bead. It is very well suited for a simple one strand bracelet. Somehow because of its iridescent quality, it seems to blend in with many colors. I bought an entire strand of these last year at Michael's and have just a couple left. I have made one for anyone who happened to comment on the one I was wearing because it was so quick and simple.

Have a great Saturday! I hope you are all out there beading like crazy!

GREAT FOCAL BEAD

Iridescent Pearls

Yay, it's Friday! Today's beads are iridescent, top drilled pearls that in real life appear to be gray and blue and a little bit purple. I included a bracelet that was made with top drilled AB crystal bicones so you could get a better idea of the drilling on this bead. They are so pretty, especially with crystals, I hope you agree! Every time this one pops out of my sleeve when I wear it, I get a happy smiley feeling inside!

Yes, I have bead issues. Have a great evening!

Wooden Circles

Hello! I hope you can see today's bead to the right clearly. I just love this large wooden circle outline bead. It is large enough to string many different types and shapes of beads through its center. To give you an idea how that looks, I placed a smaller solid round wooden bead in the middle.

Wooden beads look great paired with stones, glass beads or even crystals. They are especially fun with hemp cord.

I hope this makes you smile and want to get your beads out!!

Sparkly Triangle Beads

Hi everyone! Today's bead is a glass triangle bead. These come in tubes and are very inexpensive! I bought these at our Meijer Grocery Store (superstore). As I am sure you can see, this is a bracelet, not just a bead. Once I get my new camera, we'll go back to a BEAD a day.

This is just one example of the many projects you can make with these versatile beads. I didn't know how spectacular they would look until this simple peyote stitch bracelet was underway. It's very sparkly! I hope you will "ooh" and "ahh" along with me.

Have a great one!

Introduction

This is a new site geared toward all beaders who appreciate the individual beauty of beads and the unique works of art they are used to create.

A new bead will be showcased daily and a new bracelet will be added weekly for the sole purpose of evoking a happy feeling!

SWAROVSKI BICONES