Jump Rings, etc. Earrings

Hello!! I've been having fun playing with these tiny little black rings and might have gotten carried away with these earrings, I'm not sure. They look pretty cute when I put them on. I liked the swirlyness of the rings. I added a couple of crimp tubes and a faceted black round to give them a little more character. They seemed a bit bare without them.

I might make a little focal piece out of the same links and beads and connect them to a neck chain or plain black beading wire. I like the look of having just a focal piece on a thin wire, but that's me!

I hope you are all having a nice weekend and enjoying some unseasonably pleasant weather as we are!

"Gooey Cute" Chokers

This choker design is so adorable, I immediately understood the use of the words "gooey cute" to describe it! I was fascinated by the design and the fact that there is a line of "gooey cute" chokers on this Etsy site!!

The designer is Nathalie from Dour, Belgium whose Etsy Site and blog are entitled, Dina Fragola, Gothica Kawaii Clothes & Accessories. I couldn't get over these gooey creations and I'm not sure where she finds all these cool pieces and parts to work with.

She also has some pieces that are called, "way too cute"! I love it!

I hope you are all off to a great weekend!

Shiny Gold Jump Rings

Today's beads are the shiny gold jump rings I mentioned yesterday. I had fun casually linking these together just using my fingers rather than pliers. I wasn't going for a finished product, but wanted to see how many it would take to make a bracelet and if I liked the look of it.

I'm not sure what the official pattern is called. It has 2 links connected to 1 link connected to 2 links, etc. I just searched a few sites and couldn't find a name for it, possibly because it is so simple. I also noticed most designs did not have beads dangling from them, which is what I'd like to do! I can see how this could become addictive, especially if you have lots of different colors and sizes.

I need to do some additional research to find out if there are special pliers that can be used so the metal does not become damaged by opening and closing the rings. Any information or guidance is appreciated, it's a brand new world for me!

Have a great evening! By the way, if you have a chance, take a look at this chainmaille work on Etsy by Ikow Designs.

Anodized Aluminum Rings

Hello! Today's beads are the most adorable little black jump rings. The tube reads, "Anodized aluminum rings 18G, 3/16". It appears there are 300 of them!! Very exciting!

I thought I would use these to practice some chainmaille designs. I have never attempted chainmaille before, but I came across an unbelievable website recently that piqued my interest. I hadn't paid much attention to chainmaille before because it seemed so complicated. On the website, The Blue Buddha Boutique, I searched through the classes they teach and was amazed. There were gorgeous, intricate and interesting designs that were not just in standard metal finishes, but also in a variety of bright colors.

It was like a light switch was turned on in my brain, I finally got it! It made sense and, while it still seemed complex, it didn't appear to be as difficult as I had previously thought. I did buy some pretty and shiny gold rings in a much larger size as well, but these baby rings seemed like so much fun. I was drawn to all the bright colors, but wanted to stick with basic black to start with so I could wear it to work. I like to live with things for a while to see if I really like them.

I did spend a few minutes linking up all the gold rings and it didn't take any time at all to follow a simple chainmaille pattern. That was certainly very encouraging! I'll keep you posted on these little guys.

Have a great evening!!

Gray/Silver Dangles

Today's bead caught my eye because it is tiny, shiny and cute! These are clear glass on one side and matte silver on the other. They are perfect for earrings especially if you add some bright silver or a few small crystals.

If you had plenty of these, they would be nice wired to bright silver chain links. For anyone who wears a lot of black, a bracelet and earrings made of these beads would brighten things up a bit. Mixing these up with some comet argent crystals and gray pearls would be very cute too!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Gold Plated Tube

Hi everyone! I hope you don't mind taking a look at another gold toned bead that I found recently. This was also in the closeout bin at a local bead shop. I have always loved the industrial vibe in fashion and jewelry. This is exactly why I am constantly reminding myself and others that you "can't judge a book by its cover". Just because a person appears to be sort of "buttoned down", doesn't by any means indicate that person doesn't have a little bit of rebel on the inside just waiting for the right moment to get out and express themselves!!

Over the years I have met quite a few others just like me. We have a tendency to gravitate to the conservative on the outside, while maintaining our "hippie" vibe on the inside. The cool thing is, we seem to find each other!

I've been watching the Bob Dylan DVD from his tour of England in 1965. Talk about an ultra cool portrayal of a philosopher rebel!! I've been trying to perfect my Bob Dylan imitation as a result. Here's what I have so far..."Hey man, I can't tell you what to think, I can't tell you what I was thinking when I wrote that. It's just words...big letter, little letter... People don't come see me to figure out what I meant when I wrote or sang something, they come to be entertained."

Okay, I'm still working on it, but I think I'm getting closer. In the mean time, I have to allow my inner self to pick things out occasionally, considering this is where inspiration comes from, it's the least I can do!

I'm still working on design ideas with this bead, but I know that one day, the perfect situation will arise to use this shiny little rebellious tube.

What do you think?

Gold Tone Spacer

I recently came across this 3-hole gold tone spacer at a local bead shop in the closeout bin and thought it had the potential to turn a boring piece of jewelry into something unique. The package just read, "3 Strand Greek Spacer Bar".

There were ten in the package and I would like to use them in a bracelet. I've seen some bracelet designs with spacers that are strung so they sit diagonally throughout the piece. How fun!

Maybe I ought to save one of them to use as a dangle from a gold neck chain. That sounds fun too!! String the chain through the top hole and use the 2nd and 3rd holes to dangle more stuff from!! Crystals!!

Okay, I gotta go so I can try to figure that one out!! Have a good one!!