Love Winter Weather?

Calling all winter weather lovers!!!

I have been so caught up in wishing for and enjoying a break in the winter weather, I so "coldly" assumed that everyone felt the same as I do.

Well, our sweet beading friend that you might know from "Kokopelli Design" posted a reminder on yesterday's smiling sunshiny bracelet post.

SO, I'm challenging all of you who do LOVE the winter to send me or leave a link in the comments to a piece of winter inspired jewelry that I can share here.

:) Can't wait!

Sweet Smiling Sunshine

I know there's a storm a brewin out there, but I am daring to dream about more happy, smiling sun shiny days!

I made this bracelet over the summer by candlelight when we had storms and lost power.

I guess I was dreaming about sun-shiny daylight at that time too!

So, I'll head into my happy little bubble where bracelets smile and the days are 60+ degrees in January! Want to come? :)

Sunny Earrings

Just in case wishful thinking can help give us another great day tomorrow, let's all think about the sweet goodness of happy sunshine! :)

These are earrings I made out of some little paper die cuts.

Yes, I do have a few cool paper punches that I love using for jewelry making purposes.

So, 1...2....3...happy sunshiny day tomorrow!

Having a Heat Wave!

Seriously! I just looked up at the outdoor reading and it is 49 degrees!

Believe me, that is a heat wave.

I just let my little one outside and we were both shocked that it was so balmy!

Yay, I'll take it.

I hope you are experiencing mild weather today as well!

If we can just get the sun to shine tomorrow, all will be well! :)

In hopes of seeing the sweet, warm and beautiful sunshine, here's some inspiration to the universe!

Sparkly Sea Horse

The Floridian theme continues with this adorable sparkly sea horse!! How cute is that?

From what I have just read you can find the pygmy seahorse off the coast of Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico. They live mostly in tropical waters.

Of course, they aren't going to be quite so sparkly as this one. :)

I've created a bracelet around this one that I will share in the near future, but for now, thought it would be fun to see and appreciate this sweet and sparkly little sea horse.

Have a great week!

Weekend Creativity...

I am going to describe a scene to you...please use your imagination to picture this because I just can't bring myself to take a photo.

Sectional sofa, chaise lounge section...COMPLETELY covered in beads, spools of hemp cord, craft containers, tools, ribbon, tape, clip-on ott light...I had to move to another section after I got up and it all seemed to merge into one big conglomeration of creativity gone a little haywire.

Wow, I love making creative messes, it's the cleaning up afterwards that I find challenging. :)

SO, how is your weekend going?

Here's some less messy creative inspiration for you starting with Andrew's fun peyote stitch bracelets pictured above...enjoy!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew shares three class samples he made using Premium Seed Bead Mixes and peyote stitch.

About.com Jewelry Making
Get hammered and make some pretty Valentine's Day jewelry. 

Art Bead Scene
Brandi gives us a thorough run down on how to select which metal to work with when designing: think of metal as colour. 

Beading Arts
Cyndi has been gathering up some of the best business advice that she came across this past year. 

Resin Crafts!
Now that Carmi has a new resin clay to work with, options are endless for mold making! 

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
The Memories and Thanks Blog Hop which was orchestrated by the wonderful Lori Anderson was very moving to participate in. Jean thanks a young friend of her son Robert for her devotion and for everything she has done for Jean's family! 

Featured Designer: Dawn Doucette

Yay, I thought this would be a great way to get an early start on some weekend inspiration!

Many of you are probably familiar with Dawn of Designs by Dawn Marie. Her enthusiasm and joyful spirit are reflected in her work.

Pictured here are a couple of my favorite designs by Dawn along with her descriptions.

"This cuff speaks to an elegant woman, someone who loves fine pieces and wears them well.  The filigree band just speaks to me, with is delicate cut outs and flower designs, it's almost like wearing lace on your wrist!

The focal is loaded with sparkle!  Using Swarovski Crystal as the centerpiece and surrounding it with even more Swarovski crystals, this OOAK piece of wearable art brings out rich tones of eggplant, peridot, turquoise and topaz in a myriad of iridescent rainbow finishes."

See what I mean? Just looking at the photo and reading the description takes me to a happy place. 

The butterfly collage photos and description below tell a great story too. This is about the happiest piece of jewelry I've ever seen! LOVE IT! Here's Dawn's description:

  

"The story goes something like this... a woman that knows I make jewelry was heading to a bead show with her friends.  She said if I pick up some beads, can you make me something with them.  Well Absolutely!!! I love bringing in someones personality into a design.

The beads she picked up were a great mix of turquoise, colored magnasite, red coral and some funky lampwork beads.  The colors were such a perfect mix for her vibrant personality I was instantly excited to make something with them."

Very uplifting! Thank you my friend for allowing me to share your gifts here tonight! :) Have a great weekend! You can catch up with Dawn on her blog or on Facebook.