EASY Black & White Bracelet!

Wow, does time sure fly by! If you are not careful, the whole world could pass you by! My goodness!

As I have mentioned recently, I've been on a mission to locate some "old" jewelry pieces so I can wear them and share them in person with others.

I wore this bracelet today with a black suit/white blouse combo. Even though it is a fairly simple design, it is still cute. This was very easy to make about a year ago with scrabooking elements and a bracelet blank.

HOWEVER, be aware that glue drying time will need to be factored in. Otherwise for a couple dollars, you have a cute bracelet piece.

Have a nice evening!!

CZ Re-run

I hope you don't mind a bit of a repeat here... I wore the red cubic zirconia and pearl bracelet today and I have to admit I couldn't stop looking at it when it caught a flourescent light..wow, such fabulous sparkle.

I have also been wearing this yellow necklace a lot lately. Almost every weekend for the last couple months just because I love the sunny-ness of it!!

Just in case you missed these beads the first time around or have forgotten about how special CZ's are, I just wanted to post this here as a reminder.

There is a classy vibe about these VERY simple jewelry pieces. I love quick, easy and simple!!

Enjoy the sparkle and I'll see you tomorrow!!

Sterling Silver Overflow

Today's feature is about more than just ONE bead....

Our friend Tammy Powley of About.com Jewelry Making and The Crafty Princess Diaries blog, not to mention the author of more beading books than I can count, noted on her blog that she discovered a load of forgotten sterling silver charms that she cast many years ago. She has put up the "for sale" sign right there on her blog!

I love when beaders/bead makers clear out space and unload some of their treasures. It's always fun to see what they either made or bought especially if you can tell what someone might have been obsessed with for a while :)

Okay, I just assume other people have obsessive compulsive disorder like me sometimes when it comes to beads and crafts.

I hope your week started off great....if not, jump right in and start the count down till the weekend. I don't think that is wishing your life away, I think it's good to have something to look forward to!!

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!!

It's time again to wind down the weekend and start back to the weekly routine... I am sitting here wondering how to slow down time for just a little bit longer, but the more I think I need to slow it down, the faster it seems to go...

Focusing on creativity helps keep my mind from dwelling on the things I can't change! So, I hope you will join me as I peruse the creativity of our fellow bloggers below.

I wish you all a GREAT week filled with sunshine, creativity and accomplishment with a little bit of fun mixed in!

By the way, in case you are interested, we had a great time at the drive-in last night even though we got there a little later than usual...around 7:30pm. It was almost full for Alice in Wonderland! The drive-in police officer on a golf cart showed us a spot that was right in front of the restroom/concession stand and projection room. That was so cool!!

There is just nothing bad about the drive-in. It was chilly, so we got to pull out our blankets which made it even more fun! I'm sharing a link here in case you are looking to reminisce and don't have a drive-in around your area.

Barbe Saint John - New Treasures from Forgotten Artifacts Putting out the call for Steampunk art!

Katie's Beading Blog Share your ideas about beading trends and be entered to win a copy of Jean Campbell's new book, Steampunk Style Jewelry.

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Dig out your button collection, because wonderful Keepsake jewelry can be made from it, and Lorelei shows some examples!

About.com Jewelry Making Where do you create your jewelry and other crafts? Show, tell, and look at some great craft spaced created by other designers.

Art Bead Scene Art beads don't have to be round, they can be toggles too!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie mixes shell pearls from Rings and Things with metallic hardware motifs to create a softer industial look

Snap out of it, Jean! There's Beading to be done! Join the fun and become a fan of the lovely jewelry design magazine, Australian Beading Magazine!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Andrew teams up with Cathy Collison of Glass Garden Beads for this week's Thursday Giveaway. You could win a set of three hip bottle-cap beads!

Beading Arts Cyndi has just finished up a floral necklace that features fabric!

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi is photographing the jeweled decolletage on paintings in Paris again!

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva Cindy's personal history finds its way into her work.

This Week's Project: A Colorful Reminder

I'm posting this week's project a little early today because we are just getting ready to head out the door for the drive-in to see Alice in Wonderland. Yay!

When I was making this bracelet just a few minutes ago, I just happened to put these pieces together because they were in the same bead box.

It's funny that sometimes you just never know which beads are going to end up together! Some of these are recent beads and some I've had for a while and made other projects with, but I just loved the fun outcome of this one.

It's a little circusy (I know, not a word).. and also a little retro. I just needed a peace sign really and didn't have time to dig one up!!

I hope you are all having a great weekend and doing something crafty!! Maybe even a little spur of the moment creating like me! :)

Featured Designer: Lampwork by Lydia Muell

Happy weekend everyone!! :)

I get so excited each week to share wonderful designers that I come across with all of you.

It's like unveiling a great treasure!!

When I saw these lampwork treasures by Lydia Muell, I'm sure my jaw dropped open. Even though I am not a bead designer, I could see the layers of work and thought that went in to each one.

It boggles my mind because I have never observed a lampwork artist make beads like this.

How fun it must be to create such wonderful depth. I am thinking you would have to have a mind like an architect to design layer by layer to create these fabulous effects.

Lydia has a number of lampwork tutorials available for sale on her website if you are interested in learning her techniques.

I was so glad Lydia gave me permission to share her work here tonight, I just know you will love it!!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!! :)

Fun Crystal Flowers

Fun, fun, fun! These swarovski crystal flowers are so adorable, they look like they are dancing on a breeze in this picture.

I thought it was very interesting how the hole was drilled. In the Artbeads.com catalog, the description reads:

"Swarovski Elements crystal in delicate flower forms just beg to be used in creative, fun jewelry designs! Make Artbeads.com your online resource for all of your Swarovski Elements crystal needs!

NOTE: The hole in this bead does not go through the center. Being slightly off center the flower will dangle a bit from your designs."

These are catalogued as Swarovski 5744 8mm Flower Peridot.

I see now what they mean in the description about the hole being off center. I'm trying to imagine what they would look like hanging from a necklace and think they would be adorable crimped at various intervals hanging from a choker, so they would almost look like a clematis vine of flowers.

A coworker who is interested in getting started in beading and has all the necessary tools told me today that she bought some peridot crystals, but hasn't made anything yet. I think she mentioned she doesn't really know where to start.

I told her I had these 7 flowers and will gift them to her tomorrow which I know she will love. However, I also have an ulterior motive to give her a push. When someone gives me beads, I know it makes me a little more interested in having a finished project to show off!

:) I hope everyone is having a great week!! Guess what...tomorrow is Friday!! YAY!! And...I just found out that Alice in Wonderland is playing at the Drive-in this weekend! Very cool!

FTC compliance disclosure: the items in this post from Artbeads.com were provided as a promotional gift as part of their bead blogger program for review or design purposes.