Bead & Button Fun #1

Tags

Allegory Gallery, Andrew Thornton, Bead & Button Show, Dakota Stones, MAKU Studio, Trinket Foundry, Vintaj, William Jones

I went to the Bead & Button Show on Friday for the first time in five years. I had such a good time!  I got to meet some online friends, which was very fun.  I bought lots of great stuff.  I’m already scheming my plots and plans for next year, but I know that is folly because I had a big plan for buying this year, and I didn’t really follow it.  But I’m super happy with everything I bought (and I only forgot to get one thing I meant to get!) and I did realize something that affected my shopping.

I generally cannot deal with a ton of strands. I can buy from a booth with lots of strands, like Dakota Stones. But a ton of strands all laid out on top of one another just makes it impossible for me to focus. Throw in a big 75% off sign that will force me to calculate a price in my head, and it turns a good deal into a deal breaker. So my plan to focus on gemstone strands crashed and burned. Speaking of Dakota stones, they had a new cut, called star cut, that I really liked. I thought about getting a few strands of this cut in some favorite stones. But then I saw a collar strand of rough cut labradorite beads. I’ve admired strands like this over the years in the Dakota Stones booth at various shows. I decided to treat myself to one great strand! It’s so beautiful.I also got a strand of pyrite nuggets. I always love these.

I got some fabulous new things from a couple of favorite shops.  First, Allegory Gallery. I got to meet proprietors Andrew Thornton and William Jones in person! That was so nice after participating in their design challenges, reading club and destashes over the years.  They are just as nice in person as they are online!  I picked up some lovelies from the shop.

They had these great fiber cards each with four different kinds of fiber.  I love them!  I really wanted them all, but this is the one I picked.  I can’t wait to incorporate these fibers into my designs.  I’m hoping these fiber cards mights show up in the etsy shop. I also got multiple strands of these beautiful soft yellow vintage plastic beads.  I have a couple, and they are a favorite. I’d like to make a whole necklace featuring these. I love yellow. 

I also got a couple of Andrew’s pendants. I love the meaningful sayings he has been putting on pendants lately. Also, I never met an Andrew Thornton bronze pendant I didn’t love.  In addition, Andrew and William gifted me with this charming podling ornament. 

This magical creature was handmade by Andrew. It’s full of good vibes it will be spreading while hanging in my studio.

Andrew and William shared a booth with their family who own Green Girl Studios. I was hoping to be able to get a couple of their new designs, and I did.

The hands and house are new. Some of the new Green Girl beads are available in Allegory Gallery’s esty shop. If I could still wear earrings, I would totally make the hands into earrings. Even though I won’t use them that way, I bought two so I could have my bead and use it too.  I also bought this gorgeous bangle.  In fact, I was on a bit of a bangle binge.  Here is the stack that ended up on my wrist on the ride home.  LOVE!

In addition to the Green Girl bracelet, there are three glass bangles made from wine bottles from Trinket Foundry and a hand patinaed cuff from Vintaj. I had seen the Vintaj cuffs on their Facebook page just before the show and had fallen in love.

For a while I have wanted a bird from MAKU Studio.  I thought I would check out her supply at the show, and if one seemed right I would get it. This one spoke to me right away. And this little heart wanted to come home with me too.

I got some more things, but I will save those for another post.  I hope you enjoyed this show and tell.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Humblebeads Stacked Fall Necklace

Tags

Allegory Gallery, Andrew Thornton, Gaea, Heather Powers, Helen Backhouse, Helen's Bat Cave, Humblebeads, Karen Totten, Majoyoal, Mari Carmen Rodriguez Martinez, Starry Road Studio, Supply Your Soul, Vintaj

Heather Powers of Humblebeads makes great polymer clay beads. She also makes beautiful jewelry, and recently shared some tips and design ideas on a Work Table Wednesday video on her Humblebeads VIP Party Facebook page. She has made a colorful innovation to her classic bird beads.  In the video, she shows that she has also used the technique to make owls and offers some cute ideas to use each in pretty necklaces. I was inspired to use the bird I have.

I had so many ideas; this shows just a few of the beads I considered using. Heather showed a variety of leaves and birds together.  I thought about using this beautiful black round by Karen Totten of Starry Road Studio because I love the black with the grey bird.  But I couldn’t resist using a leaf. I don’t actually have a lot of leaves in my stash, but this one by Helen Backhouse of Helen’s Bat Cave went so well with the gold in the bird.  I loved the idea of using a Vintaj acorn bead cap. I also loved this mottled brown ceramic bead by Mari Carmen Rodriguez Martinez of Majoyoal. But I decided I wanted a pop of the pink/purple in the bird.  Some choices included dark and light purple ceramic beads by Gaea and a plastic bead. In the end, I used a polymer clay nugget by Andrew Thornton of Allegory Gallery. I used some beautiful patina ball chain in the Steampunk color from Supply Your Soul.

I couldn’t resist also using Heather’s idea to put a flower bead in a bead cap to make a little “crown” on top of the bird. This project was a lot of fun. It’s simple and easily customized to the beads you have available.

Earring Pairs Giveaway

Tags

bead giveaway, Gillian McMurray, Kylie Parry, Malin de Koning, Scorched Earth on Etsy, Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, Vintaj

I have stopped wearing earrings because of sensitive ears, and I want to start cleaning out my jewelry stash because, well, space.  And messiness.  So I’ve decided to have a giveaway.  Rather than give away the earrings, many of which are old and not styles I would make any more, I’ve decided to give away the bead pairs for your use!  That has the added benefit of leaving me with lots of earwires so I can make earrings when I decide to do art abandonment.

Here is the group:

There are many nice things here including some paper beads by Gillian McMurray, some vintage crystals and glass (which I was too lazy to totally take apart) beaded beads by Malin de Koning, colorful mosaics by Scorched Earth on Etsy, ceramic leaf rounds by Kylie Parry, lovely metal rectangles by Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, flower chandelier drops from Vintaj and some nice non-art beads.  Some of these others could be art beads, but I got them long ago and can’t remember or didn’t even know what art beads were.

Looking through my earring collection, I found some beads that I could envision repurposing in other designs.  But these beads just seem so wonderful for earrings that I thought they should go to someone who might use them for that! Although that’s not a requirement.

This giveaway is open internationally.  You can get two entries:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me something about you as a beader – favorite bead artist or shop, favorite item to make, style, inspiration, etc.
2. Share this on social media (Facebook, Google +, Instagram, Twitter, whatever you use).  Remember to come back and make a second comment that you’ve shared.

I will choose a random winner from all qualifying entries that have been left by Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 12:00 Noon CDT.  Please have a way for me to contact you (either in your comment(s) or linked to your name) and I will also announce the winner on my blog.

Good luck, and thank you for participating to help find my earring pairs a good home!

Amethyst Aether Challenge Reveal

Tags

Allegory Gallery, Amethyst Aether Challenge, Andrew Thornton, steampunk jewelry, Vintaj, WoolyWire

I have two reveals today!  If you are looking for the Art Jewelry Elements April Component of the Month reveal, click here.

Andrew Thornton does regular challenges with kits through his Allegory Gallery. Occasionally, he adds an additional special challenge like this Amethyst Aether kit.  He had been wanting to do a steampunk challenge, and it finally came together.  Here is my kit:

Andrew’s kits are always wonderful and generous, but this one, as you can see, was over the top chock full!  It’s fun to have so many great beads and materials to work with.  That’s not all.  Andrew includes a Mystery Component he makes himself. It’s always an additional wow!

Although steampunk is not something I’ve got a lot of experience with, I have always thought of it as a mix of romantic and industrial.  Before I even got the kit, I had two ideas that I wrote down.  I was working on other things and didn’t look at those ideas again until I was ready to start.  I was thrilled that I still thought they were good ideas!  The necklace below is one of them.

The sari silk in the kit is gorgeous, and lately I just love tassels made of anything. So I decided to make a key based tassel and string it on the silk.  I used a variety of keys from my stash along with some lovely purple/blue dangles (from one of Andrew’s destash lots!).  Also from the kit I used the clasp, one of the quartz points, a few beads, and the bead cap (love it!!).  In addition, I used the little frame bezel charm.  I glued some newsprint in it and then covered it with tiny glue back crystals I have in my card making supplies.  I am kind of proud of that piece because I’m not always good at thinking of using materials in a different way than they were intended. I absolutely love how this turned out.

I had several ideas for Andrew’s Mystery Component.  I ultimately decided to suspend it from an old key with a bit of WoolyWire.  I wire wrapped beads from the kit, including the little gear, and the two gorgeous amethyst English cut Czech glass beads to make a beaded chain.  I added a Vintaj keyhole charm from my stash.  I used a bit of the lovely butterscotch leather from the kit at the back so it would feel soft on my neck.

I tried to make several bracelets but in the end this is the one that worked.  I used the large pyrite bead as a focal and the ribbon ends with sari silk from the kit braided with a coordinating piece of ribbon I had.  I used beads from the kit to make dangles.  The sari silk is so beautiful, it makes everything look good.

Please visit the links below to see what other participants have made with their kits.  Have fun!

Alison Herrington http://www.AlisonAdorns.blogspot.com/

Shai’s Ramblings http://www.shaihasramblings.com/

Holly Baldwin http://www.trickoflightstudios.com/

Susan Kennedy http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com/

Tammy Bowman http://www.innermusejewelry.blogspot.com/

Ann Schroeder http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com/ – You are HERE!

Andrew Thornton, Jo Pound, Donna Hoblit, Julie Tomes, Emma Tomes, Laurel Ross, and Lisa Mendum http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

 

Keeping It Simple

Tags

Genea beads, Miss Fickle Media, Vintaj

I’ve had a necklace made with a beautiful Ocean Serpent Egg Teal Tides bead by Genea for a while.  Look at all the colors in this bead!

I put it on a patina chain by Miss Fickle Media and also used one of her toggle bars with a Vintaj ring.

I wasn’t satisfied with it, so after letting it lay around for a while, I rewrapped the bead and added some dangles, including a weenie ding also by Genea.

I wanted the necklace to be simple because I felt the bead and chain are so beautiful they speak for themselves, but sometimes I struggle with what is too simple.  I think I’m satisfied now, but I wish I didn’t second guess everything!

 

 

Button Love

Tags

CSA, Jo-Ann, Organic Elements buttons, Vintaj

Anyone reading this blog knows I love beads.  I really love buttons too.  They come in so many varieties and have such personality.  Recently my sister and her girlfriend were in the Netherlands.  They asked what I wanted, and of course I said if they could find some beads or buttons, I would love it.  They picked me up a variety of really cute buttons and some ribbon!

Nothing more perfect for me, right?

In keeping with my intention to take advantage of supplies available to me at craft stores, I stopped in at Jo-Ann and bought some things.  I wanted to get some embroidery thread.  I don’t know much about it, so I hope what I got will be good for my project.

In the button aisle, some silver buttons first caught my eye.  I like their pretty, old-fashioned look.

Then I clearly fell in love with this Organic Elements brand.

A few aisles over, I was thrilled to find Jo-Ann carries Vintaj products.  

I never have enough chain.  Although there are several websites I want to try, there is no substitute for being able to pick up a few quick lengths of chain when I am out and about.  

Last but not least, I want to show a picture of my cute little basil plant.

I get one each year with my community supported agriculture share.  It’s fun to watch it grow and thrive.  I love having fresh basil just out on my porch all summer.  Some years I barely even have to water it because the rain comes often enough to take care of that.  We’ll see what this year brings.  

Silk Cord Experiment

Tags

Marsha Neal Studio, Vintaj

I bought some Marsha Neal goodies a while ago, and today I made a necklace. I wanted to use a pendant with some coordinating silk cord.  I thought if I used the silk cord only, it would be too light. Maybe not.  I’ll have to try that next time.

 

I used a clay heart pendant.  First I tried putting the silk cord through some chain.  That just seemed to bunch the chain up.  In the end, I braided three colors of the silk cord and then added a Vintaj chain.  I connected the silk cord and chain in a few places with extra links so it would hang better.  When I wear it, it hangs better than it shows in the pictures.  I need one of those necklace busts for my pictures.

I’m pleased with it, but as always, I have to wear it a few times before I decide not to take it apart.   

Vacation Jewelry

Tags

Brooklyn Flea, Contents Jewelry, Free Art Friday, JeraLunaDesigns, Vintaj, WoolyWire

This post is going up while I am on vacation in New York visiting my sister and her girlfriend.  I’ve been looking forward to this trip.  I go every year, but this year I’m going a bit earlier than usual and that allows me to do things like go to the Brooklyn Flea Market, which is usually closed by the time I get there.

I had decided it would be fun to make something for Free Art Friday and drop it in New York.  I made some earrings.  Someone in Bushwick will get and enjoy these, I hope!

I also was thinking about what jewelry to take with me.  I like to travel light, but I like to wear jewelry every day.  I decided to make a simple necklace that would go with anything that I could wear while I was there.  Problem solved!

I’ve seen this style of necklace many times, and it is deceptively simple looking.  The pieces kept blocking each other and not hanging right.  I think I’ve got a good combination now, but I have greatly renewed respect for people who excel at this style.  I used a leaf by Contents Jewelry, a lovely rustic bead by JeraLunaDesigns (with a Vintaj bead cap) and a little WoolyWire drop.  I’m pretty in love with WoolyWire, and if I have any vacation money left when I get home, I think it will be going to the WoolyWire store because this used up most of my dwindling stock.

I dream of finding some great beading stuff at the flea market, but I know that doesn’t always happen.  If not, I can take solace in the food carts!  By the time I get home, it won’t quite officially be fall (that is September 22nd) but for many of us, post-Labor Day seems like the start of the season.  I had a wonderful summer; I hope you did too!