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...

 



Day 15...

On the 15th day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

A triple strand beaded sea glass necklace.

  

Sands of Time

 

On a few trips to the beach, I was so excited to find such large pieces of sea glass!  Well, to be honest I was glad my daughter found them...it's a struggle to pry her out of her computer chair but when I do, she has the most amazing luck. 

 

Triple Strand Sea Glass Necklace

 

Larger sea glass requires a bit of creative thinking.  I tend to want to keep it simple, but these large pendants look so out of place just hung from a simple chain. 

 

I love the understated elegance of this piece.  You can wear it dressed up or dressed down and it can hold its own! 

 

 

Yesterday, I spent the day baking cookies with my daughter and her best friend/sister.  These were made with my mom's oatmeal cookie recipe.  But my favorite cookies are my Granny's Cry Babies (molasses cookies).  What is your favorite cookie of all time?

 

On the 14th day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

A fun pair of brown sea glass earrings!

 

When you think of the sights and smells of Christmas, what do you think of?  Wood burning in the fireplace...cookies baking in the stove...crisp winter mornings...the woodsy smell of pine...

   

Probably not ice cream.

 

Orange Creamsicle Sea Glass Earrings 

 

But it was summertime when I created these earrings and I needed a name for them and the colors reminded me of creamsicle ice cream. 

 

These earrings aren't just for summertime, though.  They are a perfect colorful accent all year round! 

 

 Sparkly Sea Glass Earrings

 

The presents are wrapped (most of them) and I'm going to try to bake cookies today.  My daughter has asked for my special oatmeal cookies and I found sugar-free chocolate morsels for my diabetic husband so I'll be in the kitchen for most of the day. 

 

What are your favorite cookies at the holidays?  I have to admit...mine are my Granny's molasses cookies.  Maybe I'll make a batch of those this week as well!

On the 13th Day of Christmas

 On the 13th day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

A green sea glass pendant on a white beaded necklace

 

 

Summertime Beauty Sea Glass Necklace

 

Sometimes you just have to break the rules, and that's what I did with the necklace!  The color and shape of this piece of sea glass drew me in as I was walking the beach...and I didn't even care that it wasn't 100% jewelry grade. 

 



 Green Sea Glass Necklace

 

As you can see in the photo above, there are some places along the edge that are still a bit shiny and not frosted.  But I think that adds to the beauty of this piece.  I added a beaded necklace created with glass beads that reminded me of shells to create this one of a kind look.

 

 

And as I promised...here's a picture of our Christmas tree decked out with all the lights and decorations.  It makes the house seem more like Christmas now that this is done!

 

Do you have a special decoration or ornament that you always have to put out at Christmas?

 

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 Seventh Day of Christmas

On the seventh day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...

A gorgeous green sea glass pendant on a beaded necklace

 

 Sea Glass Necklace

 

I love the green sea glass I find on the beach...the color varies with each piece.  And I don't know why, but the shapes are really interesting!

 

 Green Sea Glass Necklace

 

I found these beads browsing in a bead shop and had no idea what I was going to do with them when I bought them.  But as you can see, they accent this gorgeous pendant perfectly!

 

 

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and are making sure to spend lots of time with family and friends.  The special memories are created in the time spent together, not planning the "perfect" party.

 

Tomorrow's featured item is one of my first creations and one of my favorites!

 

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me...

A pair of winter white sea glass earrings with a blue frosted glass bead cluster

Now that was hard to fit into the song, wasn't it???

 

Cloudburst

 

A few posts back, I mentioned that there is a difference between genuine sea glass that is collected off the beach and man-made or faux sea glass. 

 

Sea glass that has been collected off a beach has a unique frosted appearance.  When you see it side-by-side with man-made sea glass, it's very easy to tell the two apart.  Man-made sea glass also is uniform in its appearance, while authentic sea glass may be similar, it is never exactly the same.    

 

 White Sea Glass Earrings

These earrings are a beautiful combination of white sea glass I collected over the past year and man-made sea glass beads.  This sale is a great way to start your sea glass jewelry collection or add to your favorites!
 

It's almost a week into December...how far have you gotten with your decorating and Christmas shopping?  

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!