Treasure Chest

I know I've already shown you most of these beads individually, but you get a completely different perspective on them when you see them together! No need to hold back your oohs and aahs! :) I am in complete agreement!!

I didn't buy these to use them all together, but seeing them like this has inspired me!

I think I've got the perfect design idea, but I want to try it first before sharing. Hope you don't mind this time!

Guess what?? One more day till the weekend officially begins! That reminds me I need to check the drive-in schedule. Have a good one!

Vintage Swarovski

Today's bead is vintage swarovski. It is perfectly square, but has a point on both the front and back surface which adds to the depth of the sparkle. I attempted to photograph this CLEAR bead on a different colored background, but the bead took on the color and no longer appeared clear. On a white background, it lost the definition of all the lines. So, that's my explanation for why you are seeing so many shadows in these pictures. I wanted you to be able to see all the detail!

I bought this recently while shopping for crystals and focal beads to use in a ring. This bead will make a great ring because it fits perfectly on top of my finger. It also has holes on each side to attach it to a ring of beads on either side rather than a hole running through the back of the bead.

If you find some beads like this, I have one piece of advice. DO NOT lay the bead down and then go back and try to find it. It's a chameleon bead!! If you are going to need to lay it down, I would suggest just tying something on or putting a temporary wire through the holes so you don't lose track of it!! Have a good one! :)

Cane Glass Party

Doesn't this look like a fun bead party?! I visited a co-worker yesterday for some assistance and the conversation briefly turned to crafting because I was wearing my shrink plastic jewelry. This particular co-worker is a paper crafter/card maker, not a beader. She mentioned she had some beads leftover that she had bought for someone to make a bracelet for her Mom. She then proceeded to open a drawer and took out these packages of cane glass beads and gave them to me. Of course I said, oh no, I can't take your beads! However, after a few minutes of "arguing", I gave in.

I'd like to make something for her, but I'm not sure what. I've used cane glass beads as focal pieces, but not as the primary beads. They might be a little bit large for a bracelet, but until I start experimenting, I can't be sure.

If you have some ideas you wouldn't mind sharing, I'm all ears and would be greatly appreciative of the help!

Caribbean Opal

Hello! I just had to post one more swarovski bicone that I fell in love with recently. I normally do like the ab finish or something a little more sparkly, but who could possibly resist the Caribbean???!!

I haven't used these in anything yet, but would love to mix this with some other extra sparkly swarovski crystals. I think it would make my day to have a multiple strand swarovski crystal bracelet showcasing the Caribbean opal.... What do you think? Can you hear the waves gently crashing into the beach while the steel drums are playing off in the distance?

Have a good one!!

Colorado 2xab - 8mm

During a trip to a local bead shop, I hovered over all the swarovski crystals for a while and picked out all of the colors I'd either never seen or never purchased before. One of them was the Colorado 2xab bicone in 8mm. I was surprised to see that this was the colorado color because it appeared to have such a purplish tint. You have just got to love the ab finish!!

These are so gorgeous and even though I walked out with just a little baggie of beads, when I emptied them out in my hand when I got home, I felt like I was in one of those espionage type movies where everyone is out to find this little bag of diamonds or something. They don't always look like much inside the plastic bag, but don't ever let that throw you...there is nothing like the sparkle of swarovski!

So, there you have it, just a little bit of Sunday sparkle to help get geared up for the work week! Have a great one!!

Shrink Plastic Jewelry, etc.

I wanted to share my first attempts at shrink plastic jewelry today. I spent a few hours with a co-worker/friend yesterday so we could play with the idea of using shrink plastic pieces in jewelry.

The yellow piece was die cut from yellow shrink plastic and rubber stamped with the "Love you much" stamp using stays-on ink prior to baking. We discovered during this process that not all shrink plastic works the same. The white, printable paper seems to shrink up the best in the oven. The colored sheets had a tendency to curl up and stay that way unless you take them out and flatten them with a spatula.

Even though the yellow "Love" piece is a little mishapen, I still love how it looks and the vibe it gives out. I added a chain with a brown tint that I had picked up at European Papers and just a couple of dangly beads.

I made the "Live & Let Live" piece at least a month ago and just recently used a dremel tool to round the edges since the square edges were rather sharp. I added some silver chain, square swarovski components, a few jump rings and a magnetic clasp. I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but I also used a coat of craft varnish on this piece as well as a bit of diamond dust glitter!!

I also made a ring in a couple different shades of blue that goes nicely with the bracelet, but is not made with shrink plastic. The focal bead is a swarovski rivoli! I had picked up a plastic gumball machine type ring recently for fun and loved the color of blue it had in it. A local bead shop rep helped me find a bead that was reminiscent of the plastic one. I am loving the sparkles in this ring!!

As always, let me know what you think or if you have any other ideas for making shrink plastic jewelry!! Have a good one!!

Featured Designer: Al's Creation

This weeks' featured designer is from Al's Creations. When I saw these wired pieces, I had a jaw dropping moment! These are truly inspired! I have always been a fan of spirograph designs and still love to get it out ocassionally. I pulled it out of the closet recently and was shocked to find that all the pieces were each neatly in their specified spot in the box! Very impressive!

The color combinations in these wired pieces are gorgeous! The wire appears to be a silky thread. It also looks like the outer frame is wrapped to provide channels for the wires to rest in. Now that is creative!!

Thanks a bunch to Anne who kindly agreed to allow me to showcase her pieces here tonight!!! There are quite a few more designs on her blog as well.