Looking for Drama? Look at These Red Mirror Beads!

Wow, these are so impressive. I don't know if I can do them justice in a photo here, but I'm giving it a shot.

These beads are so fabulous! Being in Ohio and knowing the love of OSU fans for scarlet and gray, I think these beads totally say Go Bucks! :)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on two tone mirror beads. Thanks!

Celebrating Mirror Beads All Week!

We're celebrating mirror beads this week, yay! I am so glad because it was the motivation I needed to take a leap!

I'd been creating in my head for a month so it felt really good to sit down and actually put this together.

The total time was somewhere between 3 and 4 episodes of I Love Lucy yesterday. It was a great time, I must admit. Once I realized it was coming together and would work as I imagined, it was easy!

I used ribbon clasps on the end with a toggle and wore it today with a purple blouse under a black suit...turned out to be the perfect combo. Don't you just love when that happens?

I made a 3 or 4 strand memory wire bracelet and earrings, but need to get a better pic before sharing.

Stay tuned for more mirror beads tomorrow! :)

Spring has Sprung Necklace

The spring necklace project was finally completed today, yay! Can't wait to wear it.

It's very springy and spring-y... :)

I just realized when I design something, unless it's drawn out in advance, I am still designing until the last bead is added.

Maybe that's a given, but I just had the realization.

So, wire crochet is similar to an impressionist painting...keep your distance from it in order to appreciate it.

As always, art is in the eye of the beholder!

Have a great week! We'll be celebrating Cousin Corp's new mirror bead line this week.

Could be a giveaway, you just never know. :)

Weekend Inspiration Begins with Glow in the Dark Clay!

Congratulations, we all made it to the weekend! :) Here's some fun inspiration to get things rolling.

Wait till you hear about this glow in the dark clay...Thanks for the info Andrew!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Using glow-in-the-dark polymer clay, Andrew creates some unique floral-themed pendants!

About.com Jewelry Making
Innovation and beads go together, and this new book reviews gives you the 411 all about it.

Art Bead Scene
Rebecca shares some handmade bead artists from her native shores of Britain with Art Bead Scene readers!

Beading Arts
Here's something that goes especially well with beads...chocolate whiskey fudge!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Incorporating t-shirt yarn (tarn) with other fibers will result in some gorgeous necklaces if you use a kumihimo disk to braid them.

Resin Crafts!
Rubberstamps will get a new life in the jewelry studio if you work with Jewelry Clay!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
Jean uses DIY videos (see a cool example of one) to help her learn jewelry techniques, but long ago the best way to learn was from an expert teacher like Eni Oken. See jean's Wabi Sabi ring inspired by Eni!

Time to Make VACATION Jewelry!

Yay! And, if you didn't catch that....

...YAY!!!!!...

I am so grateful the planets have aligned and a vacation is on the horizon. It's been a long time coming, which is also what makes it bittersweet.

For the last 5 or so years, we've had our little senior doggies that we didn't want to leave behind, even for a vacation.

That's the bittersweet part...This is week 7 after saying goodbye to our sweet baby bichon, Rudy, who was going to be 19 in July.

He really stuck it out and did great up until the last few months. He had mostly good days, but the not so good ones were hard for all of us. It's been two years already since we said goodbye to our other sweet boy.

I'm not ready to make memory jewelry yet, maybe when summer gets here. For now, though, we're going to do our best to embrace a much needed vacation together. :)

So, I'm thinking colorful, sparkly, fun and smiley vacation jewelry. Ooh, the word "smiley" totally got the wheels turning. I am envisioning any remaining sadness being zapped by a ridiculously sunny smiley bracelet.

Thoughts, suggestions, ideas? I'll take them!

Tossing Ideas Around

While working on the yellow wire crochet necklace, I glanced over and saw these cool metal charms and now I can't get them out of my head.

I think they might end up in the yellow/blue/green crochet necklace.

In my vision I see them hanging vertically with baubles hanging from them and curly wire is in the mix too.

Hmm...not sure if I can get that vision to reality, but it seems to be worth a try.

Stay tuned! :)

Bright Spring Project...in process

I actually spent time this morning with a giant plastic crochet hook and some 24 gauge yellow craft wire.

It's been quite a while since I crocheted with beads and wire, so a good hour or so was spent just getting the hang of it again.

I went through all my beads and when I came across a bunch of Crystazzi beads in aqua, green, and capri blue. I knew right away it seemed like the right combination. The bright yellow really sets off the other colors.

The prototype is finished, but I want to add a couple other strands so it's back to the drawing board.

I hope to have it done this week so I can share.

In the mean time, I'd love to hear from anyone who is working on a fun springy project, especially wire crochet. Please share your project and tips!

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

Wow, time flies! It's the weekend, YAY!!

I am so looking forward to ordering beads and creating something new to share!

I hope you are planning something creative.

Here's some inspiration to get you started. First up, Carmi shares her slider bracelet creation...NICE!!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Have you made a slider bracelet yet? Carmi wirewraps her main slider to create a floral window box effect.

About.com Jewelry Making
Get hammered with beads, copper, and wire when you make these pretty flower earrings.

Beading Arts
Cyndi attempts to get her "Mental Gears" in order in this stringing project!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
Jean is hosting a giveaway of the wonderful book, Suzanne Golden Presents Interviews with 36 Artists Who Innovate with Beads! For a chance to win this GREAT book, see Jean's blog! Hooray!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew participated in a cool blog hop challenge hosted by Tara Linda! The prompt was a NASA image of a nebula!

Art Bead Scene
Gaea shares some colourful art bead inspiration in the form of a treasury based upon this month's challenge piece by Monet.

Resin Crafts!
Sometimes a pendant looks so much better if you collaborate with another designer!

Sea & Sand...

Today's bead seemed to make more of an impact seen in it's natural habitat...strands!

These are mirror beads and they are so sparkly!

I remember the day I had the a-ha moment about why we are so attracted to aqua and brown together...

I know it seems silly that I didn't put 2 and 2 together before, but I had to see a beach photo for it to click in...sea & sand...a-ha!

Actually on a sunny day, it's a combo of sea and sky blues next to warm, soft sand. :)

Royal Pendant

Doesn't this have a royal vibe?

LOVE the color and LOVE the shape!

HOWEVER, rather than use this as a pendant, it is the perfect size to use as a bracelet focal. It will just require using a strong flush cutting tool to remove the loop at the top.

The other element that makes it perfect is the open wire work so ribbon or wire can easily slide through the openings on either side of the piece.

What do YOU think?

Collection of Colors

Here they are in all their fabulousness!

These are the glass beads I mentioned in yesterday's post. I am a tad obsessed with them at the moment.

I can't wait to get the okay to share more with you about the project I made!!

In the mean time, we can share in the glory of these beads.

It's always to nice to appreciate and/or obsess together. :)

Bead Love...I've Got It!

This is one of those situations that is kind of hard to admit publicly, but I know I'm probably not the only one who has fallen in love with a bead.

It's certainly not the first time as you know if you have been stopping by here for a while. I've had my moments of being head over heels for the most fabulous druzy and the swarovski pave drop. Just saying those things now brings those feelings flooding back.

Hey, it might sound strange to some, but the more I think about it, the more I think we'd have a lot of members in our little club. :)

My most recent adoration (sounds better than obsession) is with these 12x6mm Crystazzi satin diamond ovals from Primabead. The one pictured here is in cobalt blue. I have them in 6 different colors and would have taken a photo, but lo and behold, my camera battery needed charged.

I'm sure this won't be the first time I'll mention them, so I'll get a good group photo of the color assortment when I'm all charged up. :)  ...see update here

I used these beads in a hush/hush project for the Cousin Corporation that I shipped last week and I'm having a bit of separation anxiety. So much that I just made a mini version of the piece to wear every day because of it. Tsk, tsk...I know...but I suppose it keeps me off the streets.

I hope everyone had a chance to be creative this weekend! I wish you all a colorful and sparkly week! :)

Ready to Create?

The weekend has arrived, yay!

Have any crafty plans?

I hope to make time to create a new necklace.

I've found myself tiring of my go to pieces and that usually means it's time for something new and fresh.

Here's some inspiration from our blogger friends...

Have a great weekend!

Beading Arts
Cyndi examines different ways to make your stringing projects unique and special!

About.com Jewelry Making
Mix metal, seed beads, and gemstone beads in this new necklace tutorial.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean is in a blog hop FOR Carmi, and explains what she did for the Dazzle-it! hop on her blog! She had a ball!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew had a lovely creative playdate with artist and jewelry-maker, Lynne Suprock.

Art Bead Scene
Guest 'Pintrest' Blogger Kaushambi leads us through a Spring-themed abundance of art beads!

Carmi's Art/Life World and Dazzle-it
Carmi is hosting a jewelry making blog hop for Dazzle-it this week that is sure to inspire! 

Resin Crafts
New bezel sets from Spellbinders make for a fabulous tiered necklace!

Rain & Flowers...No Shortcuts

Well,spring has arrived along with the rains...

It's part of the deal if we want bright green grass and trees AND bright, colorful flowers. There is no getting around it, no shortcuts...

Instead of complaining about the rain I've decided to go through all my beads and pick out the best spring pieces.

This is a cool necklace focal I thought was so cute and just calls out to be embellished in some way. Yes, it would be great as it is with lots of colorful beads, but can you just imagine a tiny little paint brush and a bunch of craft paint colors? :)

In case you are interested, it's described as Platinum Plate Necklace Center, 10x38mm.

Wish I had a 3 day weekend!

Spring or Summer

What an adorable charm or pendant for bird lovers, tweeters or song birds!

I was attracted to it as a pendant because I wanted spring to get here already. :) We have been hearing lots of birds this week by the way.

Spring seems to be here in the form of summer today. Yep, it's Ohio.

My design ideas are still cycling through, but I haven't landed on anything yet.

Ideas?

Colorful Charms in time for Spring!

Such bright and happy metal charms were calling out to me a little while ago. I'm sort of thinking about linking them up to a neck chain in blue.

Trouble is, it got late and now I'm past the point of making jewelry. Do you know where that is? Yep, head bobbing time...

So, on that note, I hope you will share your thoughts on using these. I don't know that I would have put this color combo together had they not been on the same package.

Thanks Cousin Corp product designers for helping us break out of our comfort zone and not even knowing it! :)

Last Minute Weekend Fun

Wow, did that weekend just fly by? Goodness! I hope everyone had a chance to have fun and get some creating in.

We went to the opening weekend of the drive-in, yay! It was great!

If you have a chance to visit one in the near future, I recommend it.

Here's some last minute fun from our bead blogger friends starting off with Carmi's craft "disaster":

Resin Crafts
A good craft disaster story is the highlight of the week on Resin Crafts blog!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
Jean discusses the words Crazy and Creative and somehow ends up at jewelry!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew recaps the last week of projects created for the Fusion Beads 30 Day Bead Challenge.

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy adds another incredible designer to her monthly series,

Art Bead Scene
Brandi pulls out a beautiful color palette from this month's challenge piece by Monet.

Beading Arts
It's "Innovative Stringing Month" on Beading Arts, and Cyndi is looking for new inspiration from YOU! 

Multi-Purpose Spikes

Okay, who would have thought these matte black spikes would be so multi-purpose!

They can be used in happy, sparkly jewelry or sophisticated jewelry OR even darker pieces.

I never realized that before. They seem to be cropping up everywhere in ready made jewelry pieces and in all the craft stores.

My thought is to use these with a bright splash of color to set off the stark spikes. What do you think?

Colorful Summer

Looks like this is going to be a colorful summer once it actually gets here! Have you noticed how bright all the colors are in this year's fashions?

When I was watching a Brady Bunch marathon last night I noticed how similar some of the kids play clothes were to those in the stores today. Jan was wearing a boxy yellow top and pink ankle pants with white flats. :)

It would make sense that jewelry and jewelry making components follow the same trend. After yesterday's adorable small blue/gold chain, I thought it would be fun to feature this larger red chain.

This looks very cool just wrapped around my wrist by itself, it really stands out. It will be lots of fun to create with. I am not sure what the red chain is made of. Unlike the blue chain, this is so light it must be some kind of plastic or resin material. That's pretty cool because sometimes using a lot of larger link chain can really weigh you down.

I'm envisioning several strands of this very simply connected with a fun focal for my wrist! Very cheerful! Any plans for colorful spring/summer jewelry?

Happy Beads & Unicorns

I heard the greatest quote today..."Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn. Then be a unicorn."

Yeah, that's too good to keep to myself! :)

Authenticity is what I am striving for and to be perfectly honest, I find myself wanting to be cheerful, happy, carefree and expect everyone else around me to want that too. That doesn't always go over that well. Does that mean I live in an unrealistic pink bubblegum world with lots of sparkles? If only...

It can be fleeting when there are tasks to be done and sad or unpleasant circumstances to deal with.

Here's how I decided to overcome that today...the magic of special, happy and possibly magical beads and chain!

Aren't these great? I absolutely LOVE this gold and blue chain. The links are very small, but will definitely allow wire or a headpin through them. AND, these sparkly rhinestone rounds are bright and cheerful!

I don't even have to create with them right now, just enjoying them in their natural form is all I need. :)

Wood or Resin?

Wood pendant or resin pendant? You make the call…

These two pendants are both attention getting for different reasons.

I find it interesting to note the variety of components I am attracted to.

Sometimes I have to turn off my analytical mind that tries to figure out why I liked this and why I liked that.

I mean who really cares why or what the differences or similarities are…why not just be happy with my selections?

Well, I don’t know the answer to that, but I think it’s a great idea not to over analyze when it comes to selections made while in a creative or inspired mood.

So, back to the pendants…which are you most attracted to?

The wood architectural type pendant or the resin swirls?