Fruit Loops!

Hello! It's a good thing nobody is monitoring this blog to make sure I stay on track.... I am a little bit hooked on these links right now and just loved these colors together. They reminded me of great fruit colors like FRUIT LOOPS!!

The green loops are acrylic and found at Michael's along with the metal jump rings. The squares were part of the 50 pack I ordered recently from Fire Mountain Gems. The top drilled jonquil bicones are from Fire Mountain also.

The only tools needed on this project were for cutting the chain to size. Lots of fun and very cute and fruity!

Have a great evening!

Great Blue "Everlasting" Bead

Hello! I recently discovered that not everyone is familiar with the candy jaw breaker called the "gobstopper". I have been using that term to describe the size of some large beads recently. I have been told that most people ARE familiar with the Giant Atomic Fire Ball. Well, the Everlasting super-sized Gobstopper and the Giant Atomic Fire Ball are just about the same size.

So, with that cleared up, today's bead is a really great blue bead that appears to be lampworked, but I am not sure. I love the representation of flower petals that remind me of fireworks! ...AND, it's about the same size as an everlasting gobstopper or giant atomic fire ball! It really needs to be hung from a chain or incorporated into a necklace as a focal point. It seems appropriate to do a red, white and blue piece with this one. Possibly with several strands of tiny beads "shooting" from the bottom as it hangs around your neck!!

Thanks for listening to my rambling!! Have a great Sunday night!

This Week's Bracelet

This week's bracelet is one that I have been wearing for a few weeks. The design is similar to a blue bracelet I made not too long ago with these circular links from Michael's.

I made the earrings today just for something fun to wear with my bracelet. I just love any jewelry that requires NO TOOLS!!

I have to tell you, this looks great with my new plexi-glass bracelet. I have received so many compliments on both pieces, I wanted to share with all of you too!

I hope you are all having a great and crafty weekend!

"3 Little Birds"

Hello and happy Friday! Today's beads aren't really 3 little birds, but they reminded me of that Bob Marley song when I was taking this photo. I love that song and consider it one of my favorites. I find peace and comfort in it when needed and am grateful to Bob Marley for this and his MANY other masterpieces!

These adorable little smooth-sided pearls are calling out to be used on memory wire with lots of light rose bicone crystals as a focal piece (and dangles)!

Have a great weekend! As a reminder of this wonderful song, below are the lyrics.

3 Little Birds....
Don't worry about a thing,'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin, Don't worry about a thing,'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!
"Rise up this mornin', Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin',
("This is my message to you-ou-ou:")
Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing,'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
"Singin': "Don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing,'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Fireworks!!

It's hard to believe it is almost the 4th of July!! Seems like just yesterday, I was wishing winter away. I ordered a big bag of square czech glass multi-color links from firemountain recently and was so happy with the actual product. I must have had the upcoming holiday on my mind when I looked into the bag tonight and these colors got my attention. How cute!

Not that crystals are really necessary with these beads, but I think I'm going to wire these up with crystals in between each one and then just wire the focal piece onto some chain to finish it off. Simple, fun and festive!

Have a great evening everyone!

Spectabeadlar!!

Okay, maybe that's not a real word or even a cute word, but it is the word that came to me when I saw this bead at Joann, Etc.

I was thinking "what a spectacular blown glass bead!" and what came to mind was something like "SPECTABEADLAR"!

I know that's silly, but hey, those are the facts! I realize this photo is sort of like a teaser. These beads come on a card of 3 beads. They all remind me of blown glass vases or abstract blown glass art. If you have not been to your local Joann, etc. today, you really need to go. I was there a couple weeks ago and these were not there. Not only did they add these with their remodel, they added many others that previously could only be found at Michael's.

These are packaged as "Bliss Beads...blue/aqua round". You would not even believe how gorgeous some of them are. They take up an entire end of aisle display. Some are very round and as big as a gobstopper, some are oblong. The color combinations include milky white with pink and blue, clear blue and green, variations of brown/amber, etc.

Let me know what you think next time you visit your local Joann!

Glittery Gold Accents

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my love for all things glittery by showcasing today's bead. My first thought was to use this bead with some gold coin beads dangling from a gold charm chain. Have you seen those glittery stardust beads in gold? Those would look great interspersed with the coins for some sparkle!

Long dangly earrings out of the coins would be a must too!

I hope you are having a great week and getting in some crafting time too!

Healthy Heart

I thought it would be fun to wrap up the "Heart it Forward" challenge with one last heart bead. This one reminded me of a beautiful, healthy heart! I think this one should be surrounded by tiny little bright red hearts and would be really fun it they were all crimped individually along several strands of red softflex or beading wire. I just love the different softflex colors. If you haven't tried any of the colors of wire that can be incorporated as part of your beading designs, I strongly encourage you to try them. Beading wire comes in many colors such as red, dark blue, light blue, gray and green in addition to the standard silver color. You can also get it in bright sterling silver and silver plated.

One last congratulatory note to the winner of the "Heart it Forward" challenge, Cami of Art, Like Bread. I'm looking forward to seeing what she decides to post on her blog to continue this challenge. Thanks for playing Cami!!

"Heart It Forward" Challenge

This week's bracelet is very simple so the beautiful antique looking heart can be appreciated. This is such a neat bead! The same bead is also dangling off the end so wherever you choose to clasp it will determine the length of the dangle. I have always been drawn to the heart dangles from the 1950's. You will notice them in TV shows and movies from that time period if you pay close attention.

As part of the "Heart it Forward" contest/challenge, this bracelet is up for grabs to the first person to make a comment on this blog post.

Once you make your comment, I'll let you know you have won and get your address so I can send it to you (along with a little something extra just for you in hopes that you are a beader...oops, I don't want to give too much away).

As a reminder, here are the rules set forth on Tonia Davenport's blog about the "Heart It Forward" contest/challenge. Thanks so much for playing!

"...if you agree to receive this, you promise to then create something yourself, from the heart, that you will then offer to the first commenter on your blog, after explaining the "rules" in a post of your own. What you make with the intention of giving away does not have to be jewelry. It can be anything--something sewn, something baked, something written--whatever. Anything that you put the spirit of giving into and a piece of your heart. Okay that's it..."

Antique Love

Isn't this bead unique? I had never seen anything like this before! This was another find at the local bead shop (Byzantium) that I mentioned in yesterday's post. You might have noticed there is sort of a HEART theme going this week. Well, that's because of the recent "heart it forward" contest/challenge I won recently. I just LOVE my bracelet with hearts on it.

I think this bead needs to be the focal point and would look great with some contrasting splashes of red! (By the way, stay tuned for my "heart it forward" freebie....coming very soon)!

Have a great weekend!!

Crackly RED Heart

Hello! Today's bead is a very bright and deep red crackle heart. Wow! I apologize for the shadow on the photo, but I wanted you to be able to see the crackles on the inside of it. This one came from the bead shop in what is called "the short north" in between downtown Columbus and the OSU campus. Byzantium is a bead shop that has been in business for 23 years! The atmosphere is something between 1960's or 70's cool and current day "hip".

If you ever take a drive through Columbus by way of High Street, make sure you stop in, smell the incense, soak in the vibes and LOVE the beads.

Adorable Flower Charm

I just realized I had these adorable little flower charms. They were still in their package in one of my many bead containers. I thought they deserved to be showcased, especially because they had been so forgotten! I now feel like I need to go through all my bead containers, pull out all the pink and green (lost and forgotten) beads to make a bracelet. The bracelet will remind me to revisit my old "friends" that have been set aside and really appreciate them!!

Have a great evening!!

Alice-in-Wonderland Button

Today's bead is a BUTTON! When I saw this button, I was immediately drawn to it. For some reason it made me think of Alice in Wonderland. Why is that? I'm not really sure.

I also immediately knew I wanted to make a bracelet with this one using black rubber tubing through the holes. In fact, I'm not sure if there will be any other beads involved. Just very simple rubber tubing. I was so excited when I bought this, even the cashier noticed what a cool button this was. When I told her I was going to make a bracelet out of it, she got excited about it too! Don't you just love crafters?

I'll post it back up here when I get it together. Have a great evening everyone! By the way, I have my "heart it forward" bracelet on as I'm writing this. Tonia Davenport is the best! I'll also be posting a piece of jewelry up for grabs soon, so please stay tuned!

? Purple Something-Or-Other ?

Today's purply-metallic-dichroic bead is sort of unusual in shape, but the color is cool and maybe a little mysterious... I am thinking this would make a fun focal bead in a bracelet as long as the rest of the piece has other dark beads and is just a tad off kilter with lots of dangles and crazy things on it.

What do you think? I'm interested in your thoughts on what this shape represents.

Have a great evening everyone!

Hearts of Gold (or purple & red)

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I know there are lots of father's day celebrations taking place and it's a beautiful, sunny day for that! Today's bead is one that I am considering using in a new contest/challenge called, Heart it Forward.

I have some great news to share...I am the winner of a gorgeous piece of plexiglass jewelry made by the famous author and editor, Tonia Davenport. Her latest book, Plexi-Class : Cutting-Edge Projects In Plastic, was just released a couple of weeks ago. Her projects are gorgeous.

Here is a photo of the bracelet that I will be receiving in the mail this week, yay!!

As the winner of this contest, I will be posting a piece of jewelry on my blog and the first person to make a comment about it will become the new owner! The winner will then be doing the same on their blog. What a fun experience!

Please stay tuned as I draw on my creativity to come up with something worthy of this new challenge. Have a great week!!

This Week's Bracelet

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a GREAT weekend! It's a beautiful sunny day here so I hope you are all experiencing the same!

I attended my monthly jewelry making group meeting today and made this slightly odd crochet bracelet. I had a lot of fun making this one and love the fact it is completely off kilter. For me, this is a bit of a stretch sometimes, so I am always happy when I can pull it off and not go back and edit the piece. My instincts are to make things balanced and the beads consistently strung in a pattern.

Our group members were provided with the same beads and it was great to see the diversity in the designs. If you ever have a chance to participate in one of those "challenges" I encourage you to stretch your imagination...you won't regret it!

Have a great Saturday night!!

Sparkly Flower

Today's bead is an oh, so sparkly flower...swarovski flower that is!

These crystal flowers are drilled through the center of the flower which is fun to embellish. These make great earrings and pendants depending how you embellish them. I have 4 of these, so I'm thinking of using two for earrings and 2 wired together with a bunch of 4mm bicone crystals in a variety of pastel colors.

Okay, I have to go get busy! Have a great weekend!!

Fruit Flavors

Hello! Instead of just one bead, I wanted to share a few today. I've had these for quite a few years and had forgotten about them until recently. I really love the colors! They remind me of a fruit salad...canteloupe, blueberries and oranges.

The interesting thing about these beads is the finish. I was surprised when I bought them that the outside finish was matte rather than clear and shiny. In fact, I remember that the inside of the package was a little foggy or dusty like you might find in some of the less expensive glass beads. They were on clearance so I thought there might be something wrong with them.

I love when you get a happy surprise when you open a package of beads. Just adds to the euphoria.

We're almost to Friday, hang on everyone!

I Love Squares!

This cute little gold toned square might be made of metal, I can't be 100% sure. Regardless, it will make a really fun statement in a geometric bracelet. As I mentioned before, I do love perfect squares, cubes, rectangles and circle beads. I was just thinking about how to incorporate all of those shapes into one fun piece of jewelry. Possibly a multi-strand bracelet with different shapes on each strand. I like the rich combination of silver and gold together and I bought these squares in silver too. I will just need some circles and will fill in the blanks with some bicone crystals.

Okay, I'm happy, how about you?

Flashback!

You are not having a flashback to the 1980's, this is a bead that is "new" on the market. I found it at Michael's on a short strand that included several other smaller versions of this one. If you can't tell from the photo, this is a VERY large bead. I don't know what size it would be considered, but if you have ever had a super duper sized gobstopper or atomic fireball (yes, candy!) this is about the same size.

I have no idea what I am going to use this for yet, but I did use the other smaller versions for some fun drop earrings for a co-worker.

Let me know if you have any ideas!

Super Shiny Metal

I really wish you could see this bead in person. This photo does not do it justice! The smooth shine on this one is amazing. Even through the little celophane package, I could tell this was unique. I'm not really sure if this is metal, it looks like it, but is very light weight.

I am preparing to use quite a few of these intermingled with some other interesting silver beads and a few black and white ones too. I'm hoping for a finished product that will go with just about everything!

Have a great evening!

The Little Blob

Hey there! This adorable little lampwork bead reminded me of something from outer space, but for some reason I was thinking about the movie, "The Blob". A VERY cool movie, a definite must for a classic sci-fi collector. In addition to Steve McQueen, it features "Helen Crump" from the Andy Griffith Show in the key girlfriend role.

Sorry, I got a little off track there! I love this little blob's colors and cuteness. Since I only have one, it will have to be the featured bead in a bracelet OR it would be cute just hanging all by itself on a little silver chain. (I seem to think that about most beads...)

I hope you are all having a great Sunday!!

Simple Little Smiley

I love these little bronze discs with flowers and smileys stamped on them as well as holes aorund the outer edge. There are so many things you can do with them. I wanted something simple that I could put together quickly for the weekend and to match what I had on, so I added a double chain and toggle clasp. I made a few dangles from odds and ends and I think it's pretty cute. It suits me, but it would look cute without dangles too. I was having thoughts of adding more, so I might do that too. For now, I'm wearing it.

I hope you are having a fun and crafty weekend!

Preserved in Plastic

It seems like we've had a plastic theme going this week, so I thought I'd finish the week out with another cute plastic bead. This one, also from Joann's $1 bin, came on a strand with others in lavender and orange (interesting combo).

It reminded me of the preserved flowers you see in resin paper weights and that is pretty cool for a tiny little bead. The possiblities with this one are endless. I'm going to use this one for a drop in a pair of earrings. I'll use a large bright red glass bead and dangle this one from it so it gets a little attention.

I hope you are all ready for a fun and crafty weekend, I know I am. Let's get crafting!

Purply Plastic

I am beginning to believe I have completely misjudged plastic beads! I have discovered over the course of the last several months there are some great plastic beads out there. This purple bead is multidimensional and would look great with some 8mm bright silver rounds with some bright purple and dark purple seed beads and a few crystals for good measure.

I have been converted!

Glitterama

Today's bead appears to be made of resin with a bunch of glitter under the clear surfaces on either side. At first I thought this looked like it would be great for a child's jewelry, but when I really looked at it after buying a strand of them for $1 at Joann, etc., I think they would look surprisingly fun in an adult bracelet as well. I'm going to try mixing this with some faux turquoise chips, a few turquoise colored glass beads and some fun silver beads.

It would definitely go over well with other crafters (the ones that are crazy for glitter)!

Very Crackly!

Sometimes I think I might have watched the movie Elf too many times! Anytime I see things that are cute, pretty, fun, sweet, etc. I seem to want to comment as though I'm channeling the Will Farrell character from the movie!

This is such a fun AND sweet crackly bead. I'd say this is probably a 10mm bead so it would work well as a smaller focal bead if you wanted something simple, light and airy like clouds.

I hope you are all having a great day! Take care!

Drizzled with Fun

This "drizzled" bead is so cool, you ought to see how pretty the lavender one is. I often wonder about where some of these beads are made. Are they made by hand, is someone standing in an assembly line drizzling bits of molten metal over a tube bead? OR, was this made on an automated assembly line? It's so interesting and it's obvious they are made in large quantities.

I guess it doesn't matter where it's made if it's this cool, but you know, inquiring minds like to know these things!

I hope you think this is as cool as I do! Have a good one!

Distracted by Cubes

I know I can't be the only beader who gets distracted by certain shapes, colors or types of beads. For some reason, I can be at the bead shop or craft store and be focused on the projects I'm working on until I encounter a strand or package of cube beads. At that point I can spend at least 10 minutes trying to talk myself out of buying them because I don't need them. By that time I have completely lost track of my mission!!

Today's bead is one of a strand I picked up at Michael's recently. Did I NEED them?...NO! Was I intrigued by their slightly rectangular shape and neat facets?...YES! While they weren't swarovski, there was something art deco or modern about them. I haven't come up with a design to use them in yet, but I'm sure I will.

Take care!!