New Necklaces

I recently came across a tutorial for making necklaces.  This style is something I have struggled with for a while, so I was thrilled to find this information available in a tutorial.  I wasn't having any trouble making the beads, but I was completely stumped as to the best way to attach them to the cord - thankfully, she shows you how in this tutorial.

If you are interested in purchasing your own tutorial, go to CoraBeads on Etsy.

These are my first two, and they aren't finished yet - I have to wait for my end caps to arrive.

Turquoise and Lime

Black, cream and beige.

I must say though, that the kumihimo cord that I put the beads on is not the best.  Cora recommends a stuffed silk cord, and gives a link to the place that sells them. I can't wait for mine to arrive.

Have a great weekend!

Fun and Colourful Beads

The Child in Us All

The Child in Me

If you follow my other blog Vancouver Island Fireflies, you will remember that a couple of months ago, one of the challenges our glass bead making group set for each other was to make hollows.  I had a lot of fun making these BIG and colourful hollows and decided to make a couple of necklaces with them.  The first one on top is called "The Child in Us All", and the second on is called "The Child in Me".  I am having a hard time deciding if I want to part with them - especially the second one, as I love all the bright happy colours, and it would go so well with so many of my clothes.  I guess I can always make another one!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Help wanted - incentive prize offered!

This is a necklace I made up with one of the disc poppies and leaves I have been making lately for the upcoming bead show.  I made up a sample so that customers can see how I have used it, and to give them inspiration.  However I am not happy with how I have "strung" it.  You can see the back side of the bead in the picture below.  I put a long headpin through a small accent bead, then through the front of the flower to the back, added another small bead and wire wrapped it using what I call "birds nest" wrapping.  Then I bent the loop upwards with my pliers, and threaded it onto a copper figure 8 link - then added a hammered copper washer.  The washer acts as a bit of a ballast and somewhere for the large chain, leaf and bead dangle to hang from.  I have worn it several times, and it does not turn around (I was really pleased about this), and is quite comfortable.  I want to be able to add one of my disc poppies to a rubber tube/cord type of necklace, and don't think this method will work with that, as I want the flower to be centered on the rubber cord.

OK - now for where I need your advice - how should I go about attaching the flower to the rubber cord?  I don't want to just wire wrap it on, as it would possibly cut into the rubber and could flip so it was facing downwards, which is what I want to avoid.  The problem is that this disc is not like a regular focal pendant whose hole is from top to bottom - the hole in the poppy disc is from front to back.  So I am offering an incentive to someone who has an idea that will work for me with either the rubber cord or to streamline the method above.  In about a weeks time I will draw one name from all the people who have given me a suggestion to my problem and that person will receive the ruffled disc poppy shown below. (Or a plain one if they prefer).

Thanks for your help!

Necklace from PIF winnings

A few weeks ago I won a very generous "pay it forward" draw from Staci Louise of http://stacilouise.blogspot.com/.  Since I have not been able to do any torching this last week I decided to see if I could make a neclace out of some of the items.  I find jewelry making quite difficult, and usually the beads that I take to the shows/markets are pendants on a chain or cord, or variations on that theme.

While I find that this necklace is OK, it just doesn't seem quite right to me somehow.  So please, please can all you jewelry makers out there give me some tips/ideas as to what I can do to fix it.  Originally I had a single round stone pendant hanging from the copper washer at the bottom, but when I put it on, I felt like I should be putting on some mayoralty robes too.  In fact I still think it looks like something a mayor would wear - maybe it is the two copper wirework links 2nd up from the washer - what do you think?  Please give me your honest answers.  Thanks!

New Beads & a Necklace

I have listed a new set of beads in my Etsy shop - Ocean Gems.  I started with a base of a cream coloured glass, wound on a ribbon of silver glass, a bit of frit, reduced and then encased the bead in a clear glass.  I love how these look.  They are a close relation to my Ocean Gifts beads, but a lot bluer.

Ocean Gems

About a week ago, it was really windy, and I usually know better than to bead on those days.  However this time I ignored my brain and went with my heart - I really wanted to make beads.  Well, sure enough, just as I put the last bead in the kiln, the power went out - @#%&*!!!  When that happens, the kiln cools down too quickly, and I am not sure if the beads are properly annealed or not, so I usually keep them and make something for mself.  This time I decided to make myself a necklace - I have to finish the clasp yet, but I am really pleased with the result - and yes, they are that colour - I love it! 

Ocean Waves necklace

Thanks for looking!



New Necklaces

I have been working on this style of necklace for about a year now - ever since I purchased some leather cord and then didn't have any idea what to do with it!   It has taken many "trys" and many "tear aparts" to get to where I am finally pleased with the designs.  The large beads in the middle are hollow, and I posted a picture of some of the beads in a previous blog post.  I think they have a very ethnic or tribal look about them, so now I have to figure out a name for them.  Any ideas?  They are just a tad longer than choker length, and I will provide an extender chain if requested.  These necklaces will be going to the show this weekend - hope they are a success.

After the show season is finished at the end of November, I am planning on making more of this style of bead for my Etsy shop - so let me know if you are interested.

Have a great rest of the week.

Fairy Village

This little "village" of mushrooms - shaggy manes I think - has popped up along the side of our driveway.  I can just imagine little fairies living inside.  (My mother always said I had too much imagination - LOL.)

I have been getting geared up for the upcoming craft fair season.  This October I have a bead show, and then in November I have two craft fairs.  The two necklaces below are examples of some of the things I have been working on.  Hope you like them.

Have a great day!