The Need to Create

I've been watching reruns of "So You Think You Can Dance" and something that one of the judges said has stuck with me. 

 

One of the dancers from last season had no formal training but was able to hold his own with all the other dancers and in all the styles he was asked to dance.  And one of the judges said that one of the things that made him stand out is that he "had" to dance. 

 

   As any business owner can identify with, it's discouraging when sales are slow.  But every time I start to think that I need to just put it all away and close up the shop, I find myself doodling new designs.   And looking how I can re-design a necklace in a more modern way. 

 

I guess its true...I just have to create. 

 

  So here's my latest "creation"...bracelets created with a simple peyote stitch and various sizes of beads to create a wave effect.  I want to try to work on this design as a necklace, but it's going to take some work for it to lay correctly.

 

 

This first bracelet is named "Sand and Surf."  I showed a friend of mine and she said that it had all the colors you see at the beach so the name seemed appropriate. 
 

 

I really liked how the colors I used in this bracelet give the design a whole different feel.  It reminded me of walking on the beach at night...dark water broken up by the reflection of stars on the surface.  I named it "Midnight Walk on the Beach."  

  

 

 

I decided to go a different direction with this bracelet and use earth tones as the inspiration.  I like how the dark and light beads help create movement along the waves in the design.  I named this "Golden Elegance."

    
I love how just changing something as simple as a bead size can create such dramatic results!  And when you add in the color combinations, it truly is amazing!
 
These bracelets are all available for purchase in my Etsy shop...here are the links!
 
Sand and Surf 
 Midnight Walks on the Beach
 Golden Elegance



On Fire for Handmade - Artist Spotlight

   

Featured Artisan Creations by Moonlight

Today's Featured Artisan for Share the Love Blogger's Unite is Alluryn Daugherty of Creations by Moonlight. You will find Unique, Handcrafted Treasures in her  Etsy shop!
They will  Inspire, Adorn and Honor the Goddess in every woman.Visit her Website and check out some Free Treasures ~ Including my lastes eBook "Sparkling Goddess Series" ~ http://Creationsbymoonlight.com


Find Creations by Moonlight On:

  Etsy Blog Facbook Twitter

 Are you On Fire for Handmade - Creations by Moonlight is! http://onfireforhandmade.com

New "Reveal"

It's time for my own reveal...of sorts!  I try to make my grandmother and aunts something special for the holidays and this Easter was no exception.

 

They all are amazing women and I try to make things that I think they would like but are a little different than what they would choose for themselves.

 

This first bracelet is for my Aunt Vivie.  It is a variation of the right-angle weave stitch using magatama beads.  It has a sort of tribal feel to it and she's more of a traditional jewelry person (all these women are! LOL)

 

 

I'm ashamed that I don't have a better picture of the necklace I made for my Granny, but this gives you the idea of it's sparkle.

 

 

She loves flowers and purple is her favorite color, and this just felt like I was walking in her flower gardens when I was a child. 

 

My Aunt Nancy's present was an addition to her birthday present.  I had made her a bracelet and short necklace for her birthday with these amazing mint chocolate chip colored beads.

 

 

She asked me to make earrings and a longer necklace to go with them.  Luckily the bead store had two strands of those beads left in stock so I was able to make these for her.

   

     

She specifically asked that the earrings be just the large glass beads so I didn't add any extra beads, but I had to add these cute antique bronze bead caps. 

     

I wasn't able to get all the same beads that I used in the first design, but I think it goes well enough you don't notice the difference.  The large glass beads and my handmade links take center stage anyway!

   

And best of all...everyone loved them!  I'm so grateful for the family I have left and for these women who had such an important role in shaping my life.

 



Bead Soup Blog Party - Take One!

It's here!  Today is the first of three reveal dates for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party, created and hosted by Lori Anderson (sending you a BIG thank you and hugs through cyberspace for all the hard work you do!)  The other dates are 4/6 and 4/13 and are sure to be amazing!

  

In a nutshell, over 500 amazingly talented artists from all over the world are a part of this event.  The amount of work Lori puts into this is just incredible and I wanted to say thanks for everything she's done to pull this together. 

 

My partner is Deana Hager so please be sure to head over to her blog and check out what she's created with my bead soup!

 

Deana sent me a fun bead soup of earth-tones to work with...something I don't personally gravitate to, which made this a great challenge! 

 

  

  This is my bead soup (minus the focal piece and toggle clasp...the picture I had of the whole soup is somewhere in cyberspace).  

  

 

I took three of the tortoise shell teardrop beads and paired them up with some black onyx beads I had in my stash.  I created this pendant by wire wrapping them on one piece of wire and paired it with a gunmetal chain.  It made a dramatic yet simple necklace that I can't wait to wear!

  

  

Deana sent me this fun orange stone as my focal piece.  Neither of us are sure exactly what it is, but it's a great color!  This piece was too heavy for a necklace but it made a perfect key chain holder.  I wrapped it with some antique bronze wire I had and attached it to the key chain ring with a left-over section of a large antique bronze chain from another project. 

 

Now for my favorite piece...Deana sent me an amazing toggle clasp and I needed to create an amazing necklace to live up to it.

 

 

The curves in the clasp reminded me of the waves on the ocean (OK, you knew I had to bring a sea theme in somewhere!) so that provided the inspiration for this amazing necklace. 

 

I started with the pendant, and used a sand dollar cookie.  (It's like a traditional sand dollar but about 1/4 inch thick instead of flat.)  I created the bezel and loop using peyote stitch with the most amazing shade of green Delica 11/0 beads and fun metallic gold/green 15/0 beads.  I used some clear quartz round beads I had left-over from another project for the embellishment around the bezel. 

 

 

Considering this was my third attempt at beading a bezel, I was thrilled with how it turned out! 

 

So I had this amazing pendant and clasp, but no necklace...and it stayed this way for weeks.  I tried four or five different beaded necklace patterns, but they just didn't fit with what I had already created.

 

So I started looking through my old magazines when I found this amazing pattern in Bead and Button, Right Angle Weave special edition (2008).  Designed by Julie Glasser, this variation of the RAW stitch was perfect for my necklace. 

 

So that's my story for this Bead Soup Blog Party!   It was fun to be challenged with the earth-toned beads in my soup and I taught myself a couple of new stitches looking for the right necklace, so it's been a productive time for me.  

  

Be sure to check out the other talented artists and see how their bead soups inspired them to get creative!     

  

Click here to check out all the talented people from the first reveal!

Sand and Sea

Growing up, we lived a bike ride away from East Point Lighthouse.  It's located on a little inlet off the Deleware Bay in Heislerville, NJ and is an amazing place to visit.

 

  

 The ocean has always been a special place for me to go...the smell of the salt in the air, the sound of the waves crashing along the beach...I love everything about it!

   

This blog hop has been put together by Lisa Lodge and there are about 20 of us participating.  Lisa sent each of us a beautiful selection of beads, either "Sand" (tans, creams, oranges and browns) or "Sea" (blues, greens and purples).

   

  As you can see, my selection of beads was inspired by the sea.  Isn't this an amazing selection to work with?!?

  

   

(I have to admit, there are a few beads I didn't use in this challenge because they just didn't work in the designs I created, but I have some ideas I've been doodling that will showcase them perfectly!)

  

 

I love long earrings! (I have long hair and small, delicate earrings tend to get lost in it all.)  I like creating earrings with a bit of sparkle and movement. 

 

This wasn't the original design, however.  I planned to make these earrings dangle with lots of these amazing triangle beads and some of the round blue and green beads.  But when I put these on to start the design, I was struck by their simple beauty.  So I left the design alone instead of trying to make it fit the image in my head.

  

  

Charm bracelets are a favorite of mine to create and I really love the sparkle of this one!  I originally started with a silver chain, but the clasp Lisa sent looked so much better with the gunmetal chain.  I used a combination of black head pins and dull silver head pins just because I didn't want it to become too dark.  

  

The smallest beads on the bracelet are my favorite of the whole bunch.  They are small triangle-shaped glass beads that have blue and green and yellow hues.  They are so small and I wanted to create a piece where they were an important part of the design, not just an accent to the larger beads.

   

 

  This necklace was actually the first piece I created.  I wanted to make a longer length necklace than I usually do (it ended up being 30 inches!)  

 

I love the milky round beads that were part of my "Sea."  They compliment the bright blues and greens of the other beads. 

  

  

This is my favorite creation of this challenge!  I wire wrapped alternating clear and blue beads for the main part of the necklace.  I added a silver toggle clasp that reminded me of the life preservers on boats and kept with the nautical theme. 

 

I love the front section of the necklace!  I took the long beads, the rest of those little triangle beads, some blue beads, two rondelles and a bunch of daisy spacers and strung them together.  I tried wrapping them into sections but just didn't like the look.   

  

 

Here is the list of the other people who are a part of this blog hop...I hope you are able to check out the amazing jewelry they created with their kits! 

     

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Tanya Goodwin, A Work in Progress

Kathy Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, Sharyl's Jewelry

Marla Gibson, Spice Box Designs

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Dot Lewallen, Speedie Beadie

Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

Kim Booth, The Pink Martini Boutique

 

Jami Shipp, Celebrating Life

Leah Tees, My Beady Littleeyes

Christie Murrow, www.charisdesignsjewelry.blogspot.com

Monique Urquhart, A Half Baked Notion

Gloria Allen, Gloria Allen Designs

Cindy Anderson Wilson, It's My Sea of Dreams

Suzi Campbell, Suzi Campbell Creations

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Annette Rivers, MamaOwl's Mess



On Fire for Handmade Artist Spotlight

Featured Artisan

   

  

  Caty Ann's Creations

 

This Week's Featured Artisan is Cathy Smith Cooley of Caty Ann's Creations! At Caty Ann's Creations you will find quality jewelry at an affordable price! All items are designed and handcrafted by me using semiprecious gemstones, crystals, pearls, lampwork and other quality components Beautiful Creations by a Beautiful Lady!

You can find Caty Ann's Creations on:

Artfire  Zibbet  Blog  Facebook

Sand and Sea Preview

 

I'm really looking forward to being a part of two jewelry-creating blog hops...they are challenging and a great way to see how other people's vision and talents can inspire your own. 

 

This is the first blog hop for me in March (the second will be Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Hop on March 30). 

 

The challenge here is that Lisa Lodge, artist and mastermind, sent us a bead soup that either was based on sand (browns and beige) or sea (blues and greens) and we have to create something using those beads and a few of our own if we wanted. 

 

 

This is my bead soup...lots of pretty blues and greens (and even a few fish thrown in there!)

 

 

I was so excited to see these little triangle beads in my soup!  They change colors from purple to blue to green to light beige, depending on how the light hits them.  You can see the 5 mm silver daisy spacers next to them to give you an idea of how small they are.  I really want to find a way to have these steal the spotlight!

 

 

These beads have a hole drilled near one end so they will add some fun to how the design looks.

 

 

I love these green glass beads...they remind me of the waves on an overcast day. 

 

 

I'm not sure what these beads are made from, and the shapes are really different from what I usually work with so that will be a challenge.

 

 

I love these Pandora-style beads and the colors are just yummy!  I came across an artist who used these type of beads as connector beads instead of just stringing them into the design...another idea that may or may not work.

 

 

I love this clasp that Lisa sent!  I'm hoping to be able to use it as part of the design and not have it hidden away in the back. 

 

I'll be posting as I work on this piece, but you'll have to wait until March 9 to see the final design!

  

 

On the 16th and 17th Days of Christmas

On the 16th and 17 days of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

Nature-inspired jewelry!

 

It never rains but it pours at my house!  Last week I almost ended up with bronchitis (and missed singing in our Christmas program at church).  Yesterday, I slipped walking up the stairs and twisted my back.  I guess it's better than falling down the stairs--I always manage to do things backwards it seems!  And everything always happens at the holidays!

 

So since, I missed posting yesterday's featured item, you have two to choose from today!  The first necklace is a copper butterfly I made by coiling copper wire and then wrapping it together with thin copper wire and black Swarovski crystals.

 

  Copper Butterfly Necklace

 

 I love butterflies and this simple design  showcases the beauty of a butterfly perfectly. 

 

 

The second featured necklace was inspired by the glass beads that reminded me of the jungle cats.   

 

Jungle Cats Necklace

 

I used black wire to create free-form links and to join the beads together.  It adds a bit of drama and mystery to the design. 

 

 

So, I have been relegated to the couch to rest my back for the next few days.  Now if I can just find the bell so I can ring it when I want someone to wait on me...

 



On the Tenth Day of Christmas

 On the tenth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

Artisan lampwork and sea glass earrings

(You can view the listing HERE)

 

Ocean View Sea Glass Earrings

 

I love earrings with a little sparkle and swing!  I paired two pieces of white sea glass with these blue and green metallic lampwork beads to create these fun earrings.

 

It takes hours to sort through the sea glass I've collected to find two pieces that are similar in shape and color. And each trip to the beach yields more pieces to match!

 

 Ocean View Earrings

 

When I wrap the sea glass, I have to be sure that the pattern is similar on both pieces and that pattern needs to hold the glass securely as well as look beautiful.  These smaller pieces are more difficult to wrap than the larger ones!

 

We're still working on getting the tree decorated, but this year we're not rushing just to get done...we're enjoying the time together!

On the Third Day of Christmas

On the third day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

A custom wire wrapped sand dollar lampwork bead bracelet

 

I started my jewelry journey with wire wrapping.  It was the best way to create pendants with my sea glass.  And it was only natural that as I started looking at the work of other artists, I would became interested in learning various wrapping techniques. 

 

Sand Dollar Dreams

 

Although simple to create, these links add visual interest that would be missing if I used something mass produced.  They give this bracelet a special touch that makes it truly one of a kind.

 

Lampwork Beaded Bracelet

 



This bracelet is constructed of handmade lampwork sand dollar beads, small glass green beads and my handcrafted links. It's a fun bracelet, especially in the summertime.  And I used a super strong magnet instead of a clasp so that it's easier to get on and off. 

 

 

I love the way this photo turned out...I was experimenting with different techniques and props at the time.

 

I wonder what to put on sale tomorrow?

On the Second Day of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

A sea glass pendant

on a custom beaded necklace

 

OK, I told you yesterday that this probably wouldn't rhyme. 

Or be in tune. 

 

  Mermaid Lagoon

 

I love the look and feel of sea glass.  It remindes me of the quietness of the waves breaking on the beach.  And so I use very simple patterns when wrapping my sea glass pendants, so that the beauty of the glass shines through.

 

 Sea Glass Necklace

 

I've created a spiral rope chain for this sea glass pendant.  The small white beads shine like pearls and the green glass beads are a perfect backdrop for the brown sea glass. 

 

 Mermaid Lagoon Sea Glass Necklace

 

Be sure to check in tomorrow for the sale item for Day Three...

 

On the First Day of Christmas

It won't rhyme or even be in tune, but I'm having my own little "12 Days of Christmas" party over at my shop,  Sea of Dreams. 

 

Actually it's going to be "24 Days of Christmas" because I'm going to reduce the price on one item each day from now until Christmas Eve.  Each day will feature a different item...but please be aware that items ordered the week before Christmas may not arrive in time for the big day.

 

So, here goes...

On the first day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

A pair of lovely white sea glass earrings
(You can view the listing here)
 

 

Ocean Blues

 

If you are not familiar with sea glass, let me be the first to tell you all about it!  Sea glass is the ultimate in recycling.  As ships have sunk off the coasts of various countries and the glass in their cargo has broken, it then moves with the tides all throughout the world.  Each piece of glass spends the next 50 to 100 years tumbling through surf and pounded against sand until it acquires the frosted finish and rounded edges prized by collectors.

 

I am lucky to live near the New Jersey coast and have collected the sea glass I use in my jewelry myself.  The most common colors I find are white, brown and green.  Prized colors are cobalt blue, pink, lavender, and red...usually found in Hawaii or around the Mediterranean Sea. 

 

Do not be fooled by man made sea glass (faux sea glass) also known as beach glass.  This is glass that has been created in a rock tumbler and can be purchased in bulk quantities.  If you find lower priced jewelry that says it is sea glass but the glass is uniform in shape and color, it is probably not genuine sea glass.  

 

 Large White Sea Glass Earrings

 

The sea glass in these earrings was found over the course of about eight months.  Each trip, I collect only sea glass that meets jewelry grade standards (easily 70% of what I find on the beach is not usable in my jewelry).  Then each piece is rinsed off and sorted according to color, shape and size.  To find two pieces that are similar in all three areas takes many visits to the beach and hours of sorting through all the glass I've collected.

 

 Ocean Blues Sea Glass Earrings

 

It is rare to find sea glass this large.  And I considered myself very lucky to find two pieces that were so nicely matched! 

 

One interesting fact is that sea glass is very light-weight.  These earrings, while large, are not heavy at all. 

 

 Ocean Blues Sea Glass Earrings

 

Which item from my shop will be featured for the Second Day of Christmas?  Check back tomorrow!