GREAT Events Going on in Bead/Arts/Crafts World!

While breezing through my blog reader this evening, I noticed there were several posts on the same topics!

I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to share some fabulous goings-on just in case you hadn't seen any of this yet!

Please Enjoy!!

CHA (Objects & Elements)

Tuscon GEM SHOW

One World/One Heart Giveaway

Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Site

If you happen to be involved in any of these events, PLEASE stop over and share or email me some pictures to post!!

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

I am doing my best to embrace this cold, fluffy, white snow that just seems to want to hang around! Why fight mother nature?!!

I just LOVE these shrinky dink earrings that a friend made for me last year using her die-cutting tool and shrink plastic! How cool!

Sunday is a time for gearing up for the week and the best way I know is to peek in on what our friendly bead bloggers below have been up to!

I hope you will join me!! HAVE A GREAT WEEK! :)

Beads & Books Michelle reviews a "top 20" list of craft tools from Martha Stewart and compares it to what's in her own studio.

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi creates a very soft and warm felted bead necklace.

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva Cindy has chosen one single word to keep her creative juices flowing. What do you think it is?

About.com Jewelry Making Sign up for this fun e-course themed around "love." Perfect for the up-coming Valentine's Day holiday.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Can you feel it? Andrew is on the verge of many big projects with limitless possibilities ahead!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviews Tammy Powley's amazing new book, The Complete Guide to Jewelry Making--what a thorough and terrific teaching guide and inspirational powerhouse for designers!

Art Bead Scene Believe it or not, sometimes an Art Bead Scene editor just can't come up with the right words.

Beading Arts Cyndi put the finishing touches on her beaded postcards!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Bang, bang, bang! Melanie makes another Response Saturday post featuring the loud sound of texturing hammers on metal.

Winner Announced! Metal Stamping Kit

What a wonderful experience this has been! I was the fortunate recipient of a metal stamping kit from PJTool & Supply called "Ballroom Boogie!"

Upon receipt of this kit, I began my stamping journey. I went to the craft store to find metal to stamp on.

The pieces I found at the craft store were not specifically for this purpose and seemed to be too hard for good stamping images.

I was getting ready to start googling where I could find metal for stamping and when I read the description on the PJ Tools site about the kit, it mentioned stamping on wood!

Once I pulled out some wood bead pieces I was totally hooked!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed stamping positive/joyful/fun statements and words into wood! It's time now for me to pass this on, so I wanted to let you know who the lucky winner is according to random.org, the site who selected the number between 1 and 57 based on the number of comments received...

Cindy Lietz, the Polymer Clay Tutor, you are the winner of this most excellent prize!! Cindy is a blogging friend who has a FABULOUS educational website which includes everything you would ever want to know about polymer clay!

I can't wait to get this to her and see what wonderful creations she comes up with in polymer clay!!

THANK YOU all so much for stopping by! As you can see from this week's project photo, I have used one of my wood stamped pieces to create a piece of jewelry. I can't wait to wear this tomorrow!!

By the way, this company is offering free shipping on Impress Art stamping kit orders or any orders over $70. The coupon is valid through Tuesday, February 1st, you just need to use coupon code ABDBLOG.

Featured Designer: Krystin from Turks & Caicos Islands

I recently received an email from Krystin who lives 2 miles from the beach in Turks & Caicos Islands.

I had put a shout out for someone to share their warm, beachy jewelry while enduring snow storms here in Ohio.

I shared these pieces with a friend of mine and the first thing she said was, "that is the one place I REALLY want to visit, do you think she would sell me some of her jewelry?"

Seriously, I just love the internet for making such great connections. Thanks to Krystin, I feel like I've strolled along this gorgeous beach!!

It's actually 31 degrees here in Ohio today, which is warmer than it has been and I'll take it!!

I hope you enjoy these warm photos as much as I do! :)

Krystin also shared that her family has a photography company in the Islands that has been taking gorgeous pictures of the islands and many visitors for the past 14 years.

After looking at ALL of the fabulous photos on their website, think I need to get there in person. WOW!

Wintry vs. Islandy

We are approaching the weekend very quickly, yay!! I can't wait to share this week's featured designer tomorrow...seriously beachy jewelry made by a designer who lives a couple miles from the beach in the beautiful Turks & Caicos Islands...mmmm...

Until then, here we are back in Ohio expecting a bit of snow tonight. I am jumping ahead a little because I can't help it, but as part of the Artbeads.com blogger program, I have just selected some beads for making a WINTER project!

Today's bead is one of the items I selected, it just reminded me of the sparkly winter we've been having!!

I've never used a half-moon swarovski spacer before, so I can't wait to get started on this! More will come on that next week.

Stay warm everyone and if that's not an option, stop by tomorrow for a little bit of Islandy fun!

Trip to Tuscon for NEXT YEAR!

If you are interested in winning a trip to Tuscon, Arizona for 3 nights to attend the 2012 Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase, check this out!

MANY of you are probably heading to Tuscon this week for the 2011 show, but if you weren't able to make that happen, this could be the answer for next time! Someone's gotta win!

Thanks to Artbeads.com for such a wonderful prize! GOOD LUCK!! :)

By the way, the winner will also attend classes with well-known beading instructors and have access to the biggest shows. Spend 3 fun-filled days in Tucson surrounded by gems, minerals, fossils, beads and other bead lovers! What could be more fabulous!

This sweepstakes is open to US and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec ) age 18 and up. Entry deadline is March 16, 2011 at 11:59pm PT. For more information: click here.

Happy Thoughts on Wood!

Guess what I have been up to this evening...yep!

That's why it's so late!

I'm getting in some more stamping on wood, HOW FUN!!

I have learned that if the stamp jumps, the wood is too hard, so give up immediately.


I love my little gold leaf and copper paint pens!

Depending on how porous the surface is, there could be blurriness, but I like all these looks myself!


I'm anxious to make these into real jewelry pieces, but that's what the weekend is for!! :)

I wanted to get some more stamping done before I pass this stamping kit on to another creative person to play with!!


Check out this blog post for more details on the giveaway!

By the way, I understand PJTool & Supply is offering free shipping on Impress Art stamping kit orders or any orders over $70. The coupon is valid through Tuesday, February 1st, you just need to use coupon code ABDBLOG when checking out.

Have a great evening!

Looking for Ideas!

Hi everyone! I am looking for some advice on a project. I hope that you will take a minute to leave a suggestion if you have a second!

I am working on creating a "goal card" based on the fact that some of the most successful people consistently carry their goals somewhere on their person or with them in some way every day.

Instead of laminating paper, I am making my goal card out of shrinky dinks! I have mentioned shrinky dink jewelry that I have made here and thought that would be a simple way to create a a 2x2 or 3x3 inch "card" that I can carry with me.

Now, here's where I need your input! There might be occassions when I will clip it to a lanyard, but for the most part I would like to carry it similar to a key chain, but not with other keys. I know I want BLING and was thinking about possibly something like this picture, but haven't really decided on anything.

I hope that makes enough sense and hope you will share any inspiration that comes to you! If you would like to know how to make a shrinky dink goal card, I'm happy to share that too! :)

I also know I don't want to buy a ready-made product and would like to put something together myself, but am open to using components like these above.

THANKS SO MUCH!

Peace, Love, Bead Bloggers and a GIVEAWAY!!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday....I find it very often to be bittersweet! It's a GREAT day, but also a day that requires a little thought in order to get ready for the week.

I hope you had a great weekend and are gearing up for a wonderful new week!

For now, I wanted to mention my giveaway which is happening through next Saturday! It's a metal stamping kit, check it out here!

AND, if you have a few extra minutes, please join me on a trip through the blogs below for some additional giveaways and inspirational ideas!!

About.com Jewelry Making What do you get when you combine yarn, crystals, and metal? A very cool double strand bracelet!

Cindy Gimbrone Beads Cindy shares a surprise she received during the holidays.

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi creates a special set of felted brooches for a Canadian company.

Katie's Beading Blog A simple idea for keeping the inspiration flowing.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Using lovely design elements from Artbeads, Jean creates an evocative pair of winter earrings which remind her of seasons long past...

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton This week one lucky winner will take home a beaded brooch by Cenya AND score some Soft Flex flexible beading wire!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Ceramic pendants with cut-out holes receive a sparkly window treatment in this project using resin from Lima Studios

Beading Arts Beaded objects don't always have to be wearable. How about some beaded postcards?

Beads & Books If you make a mistake with a piece of jewelry, do you throw it out, start over, or try to fix it? Michelle shares a mistake she made trying to create a pendant using copper, ink, and a gloss sealant.

"Pay It Forward" Giveaway

I have been thoroughly enjoying all of my experiments in stamping this week! I LOVE stamping in WOOD! There is something VERY rewarding about it!

So, here's the big news of the day... I'd like to share that rewarding experience with someone else!!

Make a comment here and I will pass along this cool metal stamping kit, called Ballroom Boogie, to someone else to play with!!

I will also send along one of my leftover wood bracelets I mentioned earlier in the week to practice on! :)

Please leave a comment here and I will pick a name next Saturday!! In the mean time, I will "keep on stampin!"

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Here's a little more information about this stamping kit from PJTool & Supply. You can check out all their Impress Art stamping kits here.

FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: the above metal stamping kit was provided as a promotional gift by PJTool & Supply for review and/or design purposes.

Featured Designer: Allison of Monkeys Always Look!

Happy Weekend Everyone!! Yay, we made it!! :)

Since I have been talking about metal stamping this week, I thought it would be fun to feature another stamping artist! Allison, of the etsy shop "Monkeys Always Look", has definitely carved out a little niche here for herself.

When she was interviewed as one of the featured Etsy artists, she said, "rules are meant to be broken and making art is where breaking the rules is rewarded. I am happier than I have ever been and it is because I have found my little niche in the world where I can be myself, make stuff...If that is what an artist is, then count me in!"

I just love Allison's sparkling attitude! I think that is what sets apart the seekers from the finders. She knew what she wanted and put fear aside and jumped in! Very exciting!

Allison's etsy header reads, "Home of the Original Vintage Silverware Garden Markers, Organic Nature Inspired Sterling Silver, Copper and Brass Jewelry and everything else you never knew you needed but can't live without".

Now, I have to tell you it was not easy picking a few things to show here!!

LOVE IT all!

If you would like to checkout more of Allison's work, you can find her on Facebook, her blog and Twitter!

Thanks a bunch Allison for allowing me to share your work!!

Polymer Clay Stamping!

I have had such a great time playing with these Impress Art metal stamps, I wanted to metntion the comment that was left by our blogging friend, Davinia, from Australia.

She mentioned earlier in the week that metal stamps can easily be used in polymer clay designs!!! It seems like such a simple idea!!

I can't wait until the weekend to start working on that!! Bring on the free time!! :)

In the mean time, I would LOVE to hear from anyone who has tried this before!!

By the way, for anyone headed to the Tuscon Bead Show, PJTool & Supply will be introducing some BRAND NEW stamp designs AND giving away 9,000 individual stamps!!

From what I have been told, they will be unveiling a new line of design stamps at To Bead True Blue and the Tucson Bead Shows. They have 50 new designs from family stick figures to animals to sports and more.

Here is the exciting part… to promote the unveiling they will be giving out 9,000 ImpressArt design stamps (a $10.00 value per stamp) to registered attendees!

They will also be unveiling 2 new exciting fonts at the show that people are going to love. If you plan on attending the show you should definitely stop by. Their booth numbers are GF195,GF196.

WOW!!

Easy & Effortless

Okay, I have to admit I'm having way too much fun with these metal stamps from PJ Tool & Supply!! I am still hooked on stamping on wood and remembered I had these craft disks that I found a couple years ago at JoAnn, etc.

I have quite a few in this large size and an entire bag of 8 in a 1 x 1/8 in. size!!

Since I don't have a real workshop to use these, I have been using a very small anvil that my husband suggested as well as a household hammer. I have the little anvil on a good sized paperback book on my desk and it seems to be working well.

It's been rather "easy & effortless"! I was trying to work that in so I could tell you about my latest project. In addition to being hooked on the wood stamping, I think I am hooked on this gold leafing pen! Maybe it's the paint smell, I don't know! :)

This affirmation about life is one that I learned very early on in my relationship with a life coach! I am involved in a couple of classes provided by Life Coach, Dawn Nocera, and I sincerely believe she has discovered her divine calling! She is so kind, intuitive, intelligent, caring, giving and loving, I wish she could be cloned so everyone had someone in their life like her!

I'm going to drill holes on either side of this disk and use it as a focal piece in a bracelet! :)

As always, PLEASE share your thoughts regarding metal or wood stamping! I need to learn! THANKS!

How about Wood Stamping?!

After putting together yesterday's post about this cool set of ImpressArt Metal Stamps from PJTool & Supply called Ballroom Boogie, it dawned on me that I had a bunch of these wooden bracelets left that I found years ago at a Mark's discount grocery store (3 for $1)!

I have made some fun projects over the years using paints, decopauge and markers, but never metal stamps!

I was so excited that as soon as I could this evening, I sat down to see if it would work! I was pretty happy with my first attempt here. I knew I wanted to use one of my favorite affirmations, "live and let live", but I didn't know until I got those 4 squares done what I would do with the last two.

For me when I am using visual affirmations such as this one, I know I need to do them every day because it's so easy to revert to old programming due to the various stressors of life. Because of that, I thought it made sense to stamp, "live and let live every day"!

I am looking forward to sharing this with some of my crafty coworkers tomorrow! After the stamping was done, I used a gold leafing paint pen in the stamped letter crevices and then wiped it off with a paper towel.

Yes, I see that I hammered a little too hard in some places and not hard enough in others, but I think this was a pretty good first effort!

Please let me know what you think and continue to share your stamping ideas and experiences if you have a minute!! I'm on to metal stamping tomorrow! :)

Once again I am wishing I had one of those swarovski heat tools to set some crystals on these wooden squares! Wouldn't that be cute!

FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: the above mentioned metal stamping kit was provided as a promotional gift by PJTool & Supply for review and/or design purposes.

Let's Stamp Some Metal!

I was so excited to be provided with a set of ImpressArt Metal Stamps from PJTool & Supply!!

I had a chance to run out to the craft store today to look for some metal to stamp! I received this set last week and similar to having money in the pocket or gift cards after the holidays, I HAD to find something to stamp!

I love the idea of sharing this experience with you since I am a COMPLETE AMATEUR when it comes to stamping!

I've never done it, but the funny thing is, prior to this opportunity I had been trying to figure out how to get some words into my jewelry pieces!! WOW, I thought at first this was ironic, but I think it was just meant to be!! :)

I can't wait to show you what I found and would LOVE to hear from experienced metal stampers as I make my way through this process.

This stamping set is described on the PJ Tool & Supply website as follows, "Designed by artists for artists, ImpressArt metal stamps will make a lasting impression on your jewelry. These professional quality stamps are manufactured to the highest standard for durability and alignment. Letters are precision-cut from carbon tool steel, hardened to last project after project.

The perfect balance between elegant and whimsical, ImpressArt's Ballroom Boogie stamps add just enough flair to your name plates and pendants - without sacrificing readability. Dance away!

Size: 1/8"(3mm) - Will stamp soft metals including gold, silver, copper, brass, soft steel, aluminum and also wood . Stamps are made of carbon tool steel, hardened to last project after project. Stamp set comes in individual plastic case. In order to prevent rust, our stamp sets are lightly coated with oil. Simply wipe down with a dry paper towel or rag before using. (Avoid wiping with anything wet - water will cause stamps to rust.)"

Please STAY TUNED!

FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: the above metal stamping kit was provided as a promotional gift by PJTool & Supply for review and/or design purposes.

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

Hello friends! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sunday is always a fun day for me because it gives me an opportunity to share MANY interesting and generous activities going on with our bead blogger friends below! I hope you will join me in taking a quick trip through these blogs to see what's happening!

I wish you all a great new week!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Want to win a FREE class from Beaducation? Check out this week's installment of Thursday Giveaway for your chance to win!

Beads & Books Michelle shares a list of beading and jewelry-making challenges and contests with deadlines through the end of March.

About.com Jewelry Making Finally, Tammy's latest jewelry book is out on bookstore shelves!

Art Bead Scene ABS announces the January monthly challenge.

Beading Arts Cyndi thinks that the new year is a good time to look into bead and jewelry education!

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi turns a clasp into a necklace pendant.

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva Cindy offers up a free project based on a treasure from the Sisterhood.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Old keys, resin, and cold connection techniques combine to create Melanie's unique new pendants

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Lorelei tries her hand at an online class to make a Wire framed Bead- a meager attempt but fun at any rate!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean has reviewed a fascinating, beautiful book, 500 Enameled Objects. If you are curious about this form of beautiful jewelry and object crafting, check out her review!

7,000 Bracelets for Hope

"Got a cool bracelet idea? Want to make a difference?" These are questions asked by the campaign, "7,000 Bracelets for Hope".

I recently had an opportunity to speak to a wonderfully generous woman by the name of Elizabeth Joshi, whose son has a rare genetic disorder called Joubert Syndrome. As a result of this condition, he is visually impaired and cannot stand, walk, speak or eat solid foods.

According to Elizabeth, there are almost 7,000 known rare diseases and disorders, with most being genetic in nature and most affecting children.

The Global Genes Project (GGP) volunteer team is collecting blue jean/denim inspired bracelets for families living with rare diseases. The campaign is called “7,000 Bracelets for Hope.” To help raise awareness they are asking 7,000 jewelry designers, volunteers from the craft community and various artists to donate one bracelet to this campaign to show their support for kids living with rare disease, disorders or conditions. The bracelets will then be distributed to participating families in February 2011.

There are currently 60+ designers listed who are donating a denim inspired bracelet to this awareness effort. They are looking for any others who might be interested in participating.

Please feel free to share this information on your blog or other social networking sites and click here to jump over to their site to register and view the list of participating designers.

Featured Designer: MiShel Designs

Happy Friday!

I was so glad to find this week's designer, MiShel's Designs, because I felt a bit of a kindred spirit when I read the "motto" on her website which was, "Peace, Love & Pearls"!

That made me smile and feel happy! Michelle's profile states her favorite colored gemstone is the pearl and she holds a Graduate Pearls Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

Aside from designing beautiful jewelry, Michelle teaches jewelry classes at various venues, writes articles and tips on pearls and jewelry, and also assists her clients with jewelry wardrobe assessments and pearl buying.

Michelle credits her family, friends and fellow jewelry artists and instructors with helping bring her artistic talents to the forefront and providing her with invaluable design skills and inspiration.

Here are some additional places to find Michelle:
MiShel Designs Blog, MiShel Designs on Etsy, Facebook & Twitter!

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Sun Detecting Beads

I just had to share this website with you that I came across today. Very interesting!

I have heard of beads that glow in the dark and maybe even those that turn color, but I don't remember seeing beads used to alert the person wearing them to possibly harmful UV rays!

The website, UV Sol Beads, states, "The intensity of the beads' color increases with the amount of UV exposure, and the beads will remain off-white in the absence of UV light. Watch the magic as they cycle back and forth over 50,000 times!"

Additionally, "UV Sol Beads was started by a science teacher who has used these beads as a teaching tool for her students. When a friend got skin cancer, she wanted to reach more people with this simple detection device. Tie one on your body, umbrella, baby stroller, surfboard, golf bag, tennis bag, purse; anywhere that could remind you to protect your skin in the sun."

Since we've been talking about sunshiny beads and memories, I thought this would be nice to share. It is important to stay safe out in the sun while we drink up the happy health benefits!

Sunshiny Memories

It was actually a fairly sunny day here even though it stayed in the 20 degree zone. The sky was a gorgeous blue and the sun was extra bright as it reflected off the snow.

If only there was warmth and a little green, that would be heavenly! I guess patience is the key to that.

In the mean time, I received a great response to yesterday's shout out for examples of sunny jewelry from our friend at Kokopelli Designs! Isn't this PERFECT!!

Thank you Dagi so much for sharing!!

This piece reminded me of using the sunburst swarovski prism along with the "watermelon crawl" mix of bicones.

VERY sparkly and sunny! Hopefully all these thoughts of sunny days will bring another one tomorrow!!

Please keep sharing your creations and I'll get them posted! (abeadaday@sbcglobal.net)

Focusing on Sunny Beaches

After yesterday's post of the swarovski pacific opal, it looks like we aren't the only ones in the middle of cold, snowy days.

I thought it was a lot of fun to band together and take a few moments to think about the beautiful ocean and today, on sunny beaches!

So here we go guys....ahh! Warm and toasty, there's nothing like the warmth and brightness of the sun on your face.

These charms are adorable! I've always thought about doing an entire bracelet with sunny, beachy charms along with gorgeous crystals representing the sun, sky, water and sand...mmm!

If you have made something like that before, I'd love to share it here. Just send me an email! (abeadaday@sbcglobal.net)

Thanks for playing along and STAY WARM! :)

Focusing on Swarovski Pacific Opal

I've decided to focus on the swarovski pacific opal tonight...from what the meteorologists are saying, it's possible we'll be getting more snow tomorrow...

So, rather than dwell on snow, I've decided to dwell on swarovski pacific opals. Isn't that SO MUCH BETTER!?

Any of you here in Ohio or in this part of the country, feel free to focus with me!

I can feel the sunshine and hear the waves now...how about you?

Have a great evening! Warm and sunny...

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

Wow, where does the time go? Before heading out into a new week, I wanted to share lots of great posts by our bead blogger friends!!

Visiting these blogs on Sunday reminds me of how you can lose yourself in a good book! It sort of stretches out the weekend for just a little bit longer!!

Have a great new week!! :)

About.com Jewelry Making Get all your jewelry supplies and other crafting goodies organized with these great tips.

Art Bead Scene The Art Bead Scene reviews the monthly challenge winners for 2010.

Beading Arts Here's an idea for bead embroidery that bead weavers will absolutely love!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Tammy Powley has a new book out and Jean has the info on it! It looks like it will be a MUST for everyone's jewelry design library!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton This week's installment of Thursday Giveaway includes some luscious, turquoise-colored stone beads from Auntie's Beads! Find out how you can win them!

Beads & Books Would you like to attract more readers for your blog or more customers for your online shop? Michelle shares 5 tips for getting started with SEO, search engine optimization.

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi creates a focal piece from chandelier glass.

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva It's time for Cindy's Annual Studio Sale or the Saga of the Neverending Beads!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles The start of the new year is also the beginning of a new series of blog posts about experimenting with materials for Melanie with her new series: Response Saturdays.

This Week's Project & Book Giveaway Winner!

I love weekends! It's probably not necessary to say, but it makes me feel good to acknowledge it!!

I just finished up my bracelet project using the Artbeads.com crystals I received last week. These top drilled bicones have been calling my name since they arrived, but I was waiting for inspiration.

I have to tell you something funny... When I was playing around with all the beads and decided to go with this pattern, it didn't dawn on me until I was about a third of the way done that the top drilled bicone sections sort of resembled butterflies.

Earler today I saw a picture of a crystally butterfly pin and wondered how I could make something butterfly-ish out of crystals.

I'm so glad my brain is able to work things out on its own without my interference!! :)

I hope you are having a great weekend! I wanted to thank all of you who commented last Friday for a chance to win a copy of my beading book, A Bead in Time!!

I used random.org to select a winner earlier today and had a chance to email Pam of Klassy Joolz to let her know I'll be shipping it out to her very soon!

Thanks again, I am so glad to to able to share my book journey with all of you!!

Chandelier Jewelry Designs

After this week's shout out for jewelry made with chandelier pieces or prisms, our friend Sheryl of the Babbling Beader blog responded by sharing the attached photos. How COOL!

What a fun way to design using these glamorous pieces! She runs a little bead/jewelry shop inside an antique mall so she said that has given her plenty of opportunities to work with vintage items in her work.

Nice!!

According to Sheryl, the peach and blue pieces are currently for sale in a local art gallery, but the pink one is available on her etsy site.

As always Sheryl, thanks for sharing!! :)

Chandelier Parts in Jewelry

After receiving a comment from Lacey on yesterday's post, I just had to share it today. I asked if anyone had used swarovski prisms in their jewelry pieces.

She wrote, "I've never used them, but I often plot on "stealing" the chandelier at the Chinese restaurant here in town!! All those pretty shiny sparkly crystals....I'd be in heaven!!! Taking it apart would also feed my destructive streak!!"

Thanks Lacey! I got the biggest kick out of that and began to wonder about using chandelier pieces and parts in jewelry.

I did a google search on "chandelier parts" and found a number of cool sites. This one was very intriguing, www.chandelierparts.com. This link in particular.

I haven't been to a tag sale or flea market for quite a while, but I would bet you can find some cool parts there too.

As always, please share any stories you might have about using chandelier parts in jewelry or if you know of a great place to get them!

Swarovski Prisms

Have you ever used prisms in your jewelry pieces?

I used the sunburst prism in a necklace once and it was so over the top, I loved it!! I wore it to the grocery store on a couple of big outings and then decided it really deserved to be loved by an owner who would do it justice and really take it places!

I was just looking through the swarovski catalog and found these very cool looking prism drops!! I would LOVE to have a few of these to play with.

If you have ever used beads like this, please let me know. I'd love to share your experiences and/or designs here!

Sparkles in the Mail!

Guess whose beads came today...!

Ooh, these are sort of mouth watering if you know what I mean!!

Things like this make me want to surround myself in Swarovski Crystals or at the very least have a giant bowl of them that I can run my fingers through.

Of course, I would need to have a flourescent light fixture overhead too! Do people live in bead stores? That would be EXCELLENT!

I don't think I would be there alone either! How about a Swarovski retirement ranch?

It's possible that I'm getting carried away with the sparkle again!

I love this little container these top drilled bicones came in from Artbeads.com! I just wish I had time right now to get started on this project!

Working with top drilled beads is a lot of fun and sometimes is as simple as just stringing them up together. They form a very magnificent looking 3-dimensional piece quickly!

I'm thinking of using these in a necklace at this point even though I usually go for bracelets. We'll see...

I hope your new week and new YEAR is off to a great start!! :)

Dreaming & Doing

Today's beads are swarovski air-blue opals...ahhhh! When I look at these beads, the words that come to mind are heavenly or dreamy! And again, I have to make this sound..ahhhh!  I just can't help myself! 

I have used these beads in the past to make a dreamy pendant and ring.

I chose these beads for today's post because I just learned of another great social gathering place that I wanted to share. It is very possible that you all know about this already, but if you don't, it is worth mentioning!!

Martha Stewart's website has a community section called "Dreamers into Doers". The best part of this site is that it provides a place for creative people to share their stories of how they turned their dream into a business!!

AND, it comes as no surprise that these successful crafty people are always so giving and willing to encourage others to follow in their footsteps!! I LOVE that about the creative community! It must just be part of the genetic makeup of crafty types!!

From what I have seen so far, it looks like a nice place to make connections and find inspiration!

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

We are heading back to reality tomorrow! I wish you all the VERY BEST as we put our best foot forward for 2011!

Before heading down that path, I am going to take one more self-indulgent pass through the links below to see what our fellow bead-bloggers have been up to during the holiday week.

Catch you tomorrow!! :)

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
Cindy re-reads her KISS post before planning for 2011.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie reviews a wonderful book about making chain.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Two publications from Interweave Press have hit the stands and Andrew suggests you check them out!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean gives a shout out for a fab class she took at Beaducation online, which as you will see, will revv up your urge to bead and have FUN!--Happy New Year!

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene reviews the different options for accepting payment.

Beads & Books
Michelle shares the 10 most memorable blog posts she read in 2010.

Beading Arts
Cyndi has finished her last Bead Journal Project piece for the year. Yay!!

Happy New Day!

Affirmations are great and I am affirming that it is a Happy New Day and Exciting New Year! I just know many new and exciting things are in store for all of us this year!

Since affirmations are positive statements describing a desired situation that are repeated many times in order to impress the subconscious mind and trigger it into positive action, I am well on my way to bringing it on!

I hope everyone has made the time to be creative this holiday season. I was surprised by an invitation by my Aunt to come over and teach her how to make earrings, so we made bunches of them in the process earlier this week!

I wish I had remembered to bring my camera! It's a lot of fun to share the process for making jewelry with others, especially earrings since so many women wear them and they become empowered when designing their own!!

This is a pair I've been wearing for the past couple months. I put them in my pocket yesterday so I could put them on when we got to our family get together and one of the ear wires broke before I could put them on. Luckily, I know how to fix them!!