Going Nautical With Tropicali from Cousin

If you are looking for a fresh look for your summer social get-togethers, Cousin's Tropicali line is right up your alley!

I received this gorgeous mix of summery goodness in the mail and my mind immediately started to spin with ideas on how to put it together.  Here are a few pieces I've created that should light your creative spark as well.

The first piece is a necklace made from the blue and cream rope and featuring the lovely silver coral hanging charms:

Simply knotting the ropes together at regular intervals and adding the rope ends using E6000 adhesive it is just that easy to make. 

And by finishing the look with the coral charm grouping, you have a fun, beachy look that would look great with your bikini or a sundress!

The second piece I made is a bracelet using the silver buckle closure with the coral and blue rope:

For this bracelet, I looked up different kinds of knots you can do with rope and (after a lot of trial and error) decided on this simple slip-knot design which gives the bracelet bulk without looking too fussy and still highlighting the sweet charms and buckle-like closure.

From the day I received the Tropicali components I knew I wanted to incorporate the sweet octopus into one of my designs, but was a little stuck as how to do it.  In the end, I decided to make a fun keychain with him:

To make it, I used the coral rope, brass end, E6000 adhesive and the octopus charms which I rearranged a little bit on the focal.

Now that I have my summery jewelry and keychain, I am all ready for the beach!

If you are interested in making your own beachy accessories, Cousin's Tropicali line is available in your local Joann stores now!

November ABS Challenge

The Way Of The Jealous Heart

The inspiration piece for this month's Art Bead Scene monthly design challenge is called "Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni" by Marie Spartali Stillman (1844-1927).  The woman is a character from the Italian poet Dante. She was described as a heartless lady dressed in green. In her hand she holds a crystal bowl reflecting the figures of Love and Dante:

As I was coming up with a design for this challenge, my mind kept going back to the green and the heartless woman wearing the green, and the words "jealous heart" kept coming up.  

Jealous people are usually people who have had their heart broken so many times that it almost seems they are heartless.  They have tried to mend their own beaten and broken hearts by building up walls and defenses.

From this frame of mind came "The Way Of The Jealous Heart":

The focal is made from brass pieces riveted on top of one another with the definition for "heartless" decoupaged into the heart shape.  The  brass heart falling from the cutout frame has been pierced, beaten and sewn up, leaving a long chasm in the middle of it.

The focal dangles from a chain made from beautiful art beads from http://www.firebabies.etsy.com,  http://www.blueseraphim.etsy.com, http://mermaidglass.etsy.com and http://www.beadsofpassion.com, and the heart 'window' is from Rings and Things.

Check out the other beautiful entries for this month's challenge at the ABS Flicker site.

Art Bead Scene August Monthly Challenge

It has been a long time since I've participated in the ABS monthly challenges.  Life has slowed down a bit now with everyone back in school, and I've had time to create this week, which is a lovely change for me!

This month's challenge is based on this 1899 illustration for American Crescent Cycles by Frederick Winthrop Ramsdell (you can read more about this artist and the illustration here):

I wanted to play up the color palette from this month's challenge by pulling out the deep rich teal, gold, sienna and lichen.

These colors compliment the hand-etched and colored copper, and are reflected beautifully in the lampwork beads from Blue Seraphim.

I also added some industrial touches with forged and riveted links:

Take a few minutes to check out the other entries for this month's challenge at the ABS Flickr site.

Some Treasury Love...

Take some time to check out the wonderful artists included in these beautiful lists:








Thanks so much for including me in your treasuries!

Eye Candy With Bead Trends' July Issue

If you haven’t had a chance yet, run on out and pick up July’s Bead Trends.  As always, the photography is phenomenal, and this issue is chock full of eye candy.

The featured designer is Cherrie Fick of En La Lumie're, and her designs alone are worth picking up the issue, just to see them for yourself.

I have a couple of designs in this issue as well.  I had originally created this necklace called Light As Air completely from scratch, fusing the focal and the chain using my torch:

Realizing that not everyone has a workshop where they can create their own chain and focals, I decided to challenge myself to re-create the necklace as closely as I could using store-bought elements:

Both necklaces turned out great, and I was satisfied with the look of the store-bought elements, although I personally prefer the handmade bits and pieces.

Enjoy the issue - there are some beautiful designs included!

Julsbeads Rocks!

Over the past few months I have been collecting a lot of Julianna Cannon’s (aka Julsbeads) gorgeous beads.  You know the kind of beads you buy that sit for a while on your workbench because you know that the piece you use them in needs to be extra-special to do them justice? 

That’s the kind of beads Juls creates.

So…I’ve had these beads for a while, and have finally used them in a few designs that I wanted to share with you.  This bangle/earring set features a gorgeous tangerine heart with companion beads that I’ve shared with you before:

I liked the tangerine set so much that I bought a second heart set in a deep red that I used in another bangle/earring set: 

A couple of weeks ago, my Bead Table Wednesday post featured a stunning red/orange/cream/silver bead set that I have turned into this necklace/earring/bracelet set:

And finally, I pulled out my new Crafted Findings riveting tool from FDJ tools to rivet a cool chain featuring a Julsbeads focal:

 If you are as obsessed with these beads as I am (and why wouldn’t you be – they are gorgeous!), hop on over to Juls’ Etsy shop to pick some up.  And while you are hopping, you must check out her funny, inspiring blog!

** All of these pieces will be listed in my Etsy shop soon – happy shopping!

June Bead Trends

Just a quick post about this month’s Bead Trends magazine.  But first, if you haven’t had a chance yet, go out and check out May’s issue featuring the enormously talented Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studio as their monthly highlighted designer.  In addition to her trademark wire work, Cindy features some beautiful vintage-inspired designs that are definitely worth your time!

June’s issue is also stunning, full of beautiful designs and featuring Judith Glende of Judith B. Designs.  She includes unique jewelry full of etched metals, cold connections and wire work in varied styles.

I also have a set included in this month’s magazine called “Summer Skies”:

I used beautiful drawn copper cable and stunning dumortierite from Rings and Things and a lovely glass copper disc from Blueseraphim.

As always, thanks go out to Bead Trends for including me in their gorgeous magazine!

Collaboration…

When I received an e-mail last October from my amazingly talented friend, Diane Cook, asking if I wanted to participate in a collaboration with her and five other women, I sent her an immediate resounding “YES!”  So the seven of us started a journey called “With One Finding” that I’d like to share with you:

Diane’s idea was to give each of us the same starting point:  the ‘Marianne’ focal piece from Brass Bouquet:

Using this beautiful focal, Diane unleashed our creativity, and it was remarkable to see the unique designs that each of us came up with that really showcased the personality of each designer.

Here is a picture of my design:

In addition to the ‘Marianne’ focal, I also purchased three different brass chains from the Brass Bouquet.  After I decided on the structure of the necklace, I started adding (and adding, and adding, and adding) many different sizes and colors of glass pearls to the main chain, finishing the focal with another length of chain and pearls.

This design process pushed me a lot.  I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated by the caliber of the other women participating, and I wanted to make sure my design could stand up with theirs.  What I discovered was that, instead of worrying about what they were going to do and instead trusting my instincts, I was able to create a necklace that was uniquely my own.

The complete article is featured in the Summer 2011 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry, and I highly recommend you pick it up!  In it you will also see the stunning designs of all of the talented women:  Diane Cook, Marie Dodd, Diana Frey, Julie Pishny, Riki Schumacher and Cindy Wimmer.  Diane also has more pictures posted on her Flickr site.

Thanks so much, Diane, for including me in this fantastic collaboration!

Bead Table Wednesday

I’m getting ready to start on some holiday sets with these gorgeous glass pearls from Sedona Stones:

What are you working on this week?

Bangles...

I've been on a bangle kick for the past week or so:

I can't seem to get enough of these relatively simple, fun, colorful designs.  I have been collecting loads of lampwork beads from various fabulous artists, and I wanted to use them in a few designs, and here's what I came up with - check them out in my etsy store!

Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge for May

This month, the inspiration for Art Bead Scene’s monthly challenge is Berthe Morisot’s “Hide and Seek”:

 

You can find more information on the artist and the painting at the Art Bead Scene  blog.

I love the color palette – the warm clay tones in particular - for this challenge, and decided to make my jewelry piece based on that:

I used a simple bangle design and covered the heavy gauge copper wire with coiled copper wire and handmade lampwork beads from Firebabies and Gardanne Beads.

I decided to spice up the design by wrapping long strands of copper wire with balled-up ends over the beads and coils, again bringing in the deep pinky-clay colors from the painting.

Take a couple of minutes to check out the other beautiful entries at Art Bead Scene’s Flickr group.

* If you are interested in purchasing this bangle, you can find it in my Etsy shop.

What’s Old Is New Again – Artbeads Blogging Challenge

It is time to share another Artbeads Blog Partners Blogging Challenge design with you!  For this challenge, we were to create a design that took inspiration from the past and to incorporate at least one old or antique element, combining that element with modern pieces from Artbeads.

 

For the focal, I etched and distressed a large copper heart and brass washer, and used eyelets and rivets to connect them, giving it a steampunk feel.

For the chain, I used Artbeads’ antique brass-plated box rolo chain coupled with a large-link silver-toned chain from my stash.  I also created spring links from steel wire and filled them with amazonite rounds secured by copper wire to add more of an industrial feel to the piece.  The clasp is made by coiling wire onto a loop that fits over a fantastic steamppunk-themed button.  The rolo chain and button can be found in Artbeads’ steampunk collection. 

For the “something old” part of the necklace, I have been saving some antique sewing machine pieces and parts that fit perfectly into the piece.

I loved this challenge, and have a couple more designs up my sleeve to share soon.  If you are interested in purchasing this necklace, it is available in my Etsy shop.

Necessary Legal Stuff: I am honestly reviewing the products above which I have received free of charge from Artbeads.com, and I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to them.

April Bead Trends–Spring is Here!

I haven’t had a reliable computer for the better part of two weeks, and haven’t had a chance to write this post, but better late than never, right? 

If you haven’t had a chance to pick up your copy of the April Bead Trends, you are missing out on some beautiful jewelry!

The Spring colors of the jewelry pieces are just gorgeous, and the featured designer, lampwork artist Kerri Fuhr, showcases her unbelievably gorgeous beads in her designs.

I have a necklace in this issue called “Nesting” that I made using etched copper, found objects, mixed media, ICE Resin, and Czech flower beads.  The focal features fabulous navy and mustard patinas from Miss Fickle Media.

As always, thank you to Bead Trends for including my necklace in their beautiful publication!

** If you are interested in purchasing this necklace, it is for sale in my Etsy shop.

Love My Art Jewelry Monthly Challenge - Designer of the Week

A big thanks to Marie Dodd of "Love My Art Jewelry" for choosing me as their Designer of the Week for my "Spring in Leather and Loveliness" set:

What an honor - thank you so much!

If you have some time, take a few minutes to check out all the  beautiful entries in their Flickr group.

Art Bead Scene March Challenge

The inspiration picture and palette for this month's Art Bead Scene challenge is a riot of saturated color:

Nave Nave Moe (Sacred Spring, Sweet Dreams) by Paul Gaugin 1894, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

About the Art:

Gauguin painted this after he moved to Tahiti in 1891, seeking inspiration from the native "primitive" culture, which he regarded as more real and more sincere. It is characterized by clear outlines, flat forms, and vibrant colors, which reflect the influence of native art on the artist.

 

What really stood out for me in this picture is how the vibrant colors look so simple and primary at first glance, but are truly layers and layers of colors blended and shaded to create the beautiful depth evident in the painting.

 

I used the idea of layering colors when I created the focal in my necklace, called "Simple Blessings":

 

 

The butterfly is made from etched and formed copper on which I layered about six different colors to create a beautiful, natural patina.  I kept the script from the Irish Blessing light to keep the contrast with the dark greens, blues and browns.

 

The chain is made from links of copper wire with a drawn head on one end and a loop on the other to connect them together.  I wanted to keep the design simple yet still highlight the vibrant colors from the picture, so I used one beautiful ruby lampwork bead from Mary Cobble at Firebabies with two Czech pressed glass green beads on either side of it.

 
Take a few minutes to check out the other beautiful entries at Art Bead Scene's Flickr group.
 
If you are interested in purchasing this piece, it is currently for sale in my etsy shop.

Love My Art Jewelry March Call To Create: Spring Has Sprung!

What a fun inspiration picture and color palette for this month's challenge:

It has me hankering for some light Spring jewelry:

I used enameled pieces from my own stash that were kiln fired using colors that coordinate with the inspiration palette:  celery, New York pink and white linen. 

I combined the enameled pieces with pink jade, coiled copper and leather links.

The necklace hangs about 20", with the focal adding approximately 2 1/2" to the total length.  The earrings are approximately 2 1/2" from the top of the ear wire.

Take some time to check out the other terrific entries in the LMAJ flicker group.

If you are interested in purchasing this set, it will be for sale in my etsy shop.