It is here 2014!!!! Already!

Where did the last of 2013 go?  I shall try to blog more this year..

I am re/doing the studio and making room for some new equipment.  Yea!

Hoping to learn some new metal forming techniques this year and I can not wait to get started!

Stay tuned!

ZnetShows

Oh what fun I have had the last two weeks experimenting with new beads! I received these cultured sea glass beads from ZnetShows. They are a wholesale bead company you and you can find them here http://www.znetshows.com/
They were kind enough to supply me with a test sample of 5 shapes of their sea glass beads.

I loved the fishbone beads so I started there.. I got out some wire and made fish shape, added the beads… but it needed something.. spacers! My friend Susan to the rescue, she had real fish bones and I but them in between the fishbone beads. TADA!!!

I made the chain to look kind of like a fishing stringer, a little tag Gone Fishing and made the bobber out of polymer clay. I think he is kind of cute. Here is a closeup.

Next was the fun Conch shell shape. I decided I wanted to have them rolling in the ocean waves like the would be found on the beach! I made spiral ear wires and slipped on the shell bead, then wired wrapped a few blue crystals for the ear wire to hold the shell in place. Love how they came out!

Last but not least we 2 pair of rectangle sea glass that I used as a backdrop for wire squiggles. Because they were white they were very hard to photograph but look great in person hanging on your ears!!!

I have a few beads left over and I am adding red and white beads to the blue for a 4th of July necklace! I will post that next week.

Thank you ZnetShows for the opportunity, this was fun!

I have been PUBLISHED!

I am so EXCITED!
They picked my Little Blue Bird Necklace for the May issue of “BEAD Chat Magazine by Artisian Whimsy”, an on line magazine.
I am in the Birds and Bees section. Be sure to check out the the entire issue, it is chalk full of great pieces and info! See the link below.

http://glossi.com/artisanwhimsy/16024-may-2013-bead-chat-magazine-by-artisan-whimsy

I was also invited to show my Bird themed jewelry at the Cultural Arts Center in Douglasville, Ga for the months of May and June “For The Birds” show exhibit! And they picked one of my necklaces for the Postcard invites.. 1st pic below.
Here are pictures of the Bird Jewelry on display. Be sure to stop by and see the exhibit, lots of great paintings, prints, photos, and pottery of Birds. A fun exhibit.

Blue Robbins Egg Necklace

The focal nest is made of steel wire and enameled and pearl eggs attached, the chain is copper wire wrapped stones, glass beads, wood and a cute little copper bird.

Little Blue Bird Necklace

The bird is hand cut out of copper and enameled. It hangs from a hand forged 24″ steel chain. A very light and delicate piece.

Blue Wing Necklace

The Blue wing bird is also hand cut copper, enameled white and then painted with colored enamels for the wings, eye and beak. Very whimsical.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home Pendant is approx 3″ X 3″. The bird is hand carved ceramic piece from Nan Emmett, and the nest is enameled steel with pearl eggs,and the chain is hand forged copper.. Not a small piece. It makes a statement!

Owls Nest earrings

Little enameled owls nests with silver owls.

I also have items for sale in the gift store {closet}

The Month of May has started out with a BANG and I am very grateful for the opportunities. Now I need to get to work and make some more jewelry!

Thank you for stopping by!

The 7th Bead Soup Blog Party Begins!

Anticipation……

Anticipa-a-tion.

Is makin’ me wait

Is keeping’ me waitin’

–from ‘Anticipation’ by Carly Simon

It may be the Seventh Annual Bead Soup Blog Hop, but it’s my first one. In fact, I

started this blog as I waited impatiently for a visit from the postman with my box from my

bead soup partner, Nan Emmett .

When it finally arrived—WOW! What a beautiful assortment of ceramic beads from

Nan’s kiln. I was certainly going to have to break out of my box!

This is what Nan had sent to me!

In my box of goodies was a little white partridge. Hmm…. A little bit of copper wire here, some enamel, a couple of beads and VOILA! I am so pleased with result.  I am entering it in a Show at theDouglasville Cultural Arts Center in May.. It is a bird theme show.  I am sure it will be a hit!

Home Sweet Home

But, I still have all those other beads!!! The ceramic focal piece and the clasp.  Gotta get back out of my box.  So my first attempt was, well, okay…. My mind was seeing these lovely ceramic beads with fiber.. Jute? Waxed linen?.. Sari Ribbon?.. There were moans and groans at the bead store that day..The Beady girls were “NO NOT FIBER”!!!  I have not been very successful with fiber..  But I tried it anyway.. Knots in waxed lined are hard to get out… and there was a lot of getting out..I guess the Beady Girls Susan and Sandra were right.. But do not tell them…

I’m the girl who plays with wire and metl and fire… So I got out the Vinja Bronze wire and made a bracelet.  I an much better at wire wrapping than playing with fiber..and I used the clasp on the bracelet. Here is a pic.

I decided I liked this much better than the fibers.. so… on with the Beads!!!  Next was the Necklace.. I picked out the large focal and 2 of the peach colored flowers,  I really liked the carved green beads and made some copper caps to go on each side of them.Then the wire wrapping began. I used a number of other beads Nan had sent with the soup  to finish the necklace.  I think it came out well and those Beady Girls, Susan and Sandra were quite pleased I did not use fiber… What do you think?

Bead soup necklace

Next was a pair of earrings to match.. Only 2 more weeks and I can wear big girl earrings!  Woot ..Woot..

Bead Soup Earrings

I had a great time with my first bead soup!

Here is what I sent to Nan Emmett.. lets go check what she made with what I sent to her.. http://www.spiritrattles.blogspot.com/

Let me know what you think in the comments. See you next year!

For a complete list of blog participants so you can hop to another blog, follow the link:

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/03/first-reveal-list-for-bsbp7.html

Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge Week 8

This week I have tried my hand at making post earwires. Since that is probably the best for me to use for a while in the new holes. I tried 2 different styles but similar. The bronze pair on the left I remember from a Magazine a few years back, probably Easy Wire. I would give credit but do not know to whom.. The copper ones are a variation of them. Now I have to go shopping for earnuts. Something else new to learn about and shop for.. Woot Woot shopping. Thanks for looking.

Click on the link  below to follow the blog hop.

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Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge Week 7

 

Last week I make these earrings and I just loved them. I liked them so much I got brave enough to GET MY EARS PIERCED for the very first time! Now in 6 weeks I can wear them.. The earwires are make out of non-tarnish copper wire with a faceted Prenite stone, the hand cut shields are foldformed copper with a heat patina and a little squiggle at the end.. Now if I can just wait the 6 weeks!!!

Clink on the link below to vew the blog hop.

 

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7th Bead Soup Blog Party: My soup came!!!

As you may recall I joined the Lori Anderson  7th BSBP , you can read about it here  http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/

My Bead soup arrived Thurs from the talented Ceramic Artist Nan Emmett!   Waiting for the mailman every day was so hard.. I was like a kid waiting for My Birthday to get here!!     Here few picks of what I got.  I just love it!

The 2 focals, yes I said 2, were wrapped in the pretty box and the other beads were in the cute bags..  Ceramic connectors and beads, metal fluted beads, carved bone, Czech turq., copper pearls and orange jade…I just love the colors, and I really like flowers.. They are soooo ME!   I already have some ideas. This is so much fun!

And that cute little hand carved bird is so sweet I already have plans for him!.  What a wonderful job she did making soup for me.   You can find Nan at her blog http://www.spiritrattles.blogspot.com/..

And here is a picture of what I sent to Nan.

The enameled focal I made is in the center, along with a few extra flowers and enameled steel headpins and beads. the other beads are Czech glass and faceted agate.

Thank you Lori Anderson for hosting this event and all you do.

 

Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge Week 6

I went out and bought a new Big Kick embossing machine. It was on Major SALE at Michaels so I decided I had to have one…Everyone was doing it!!! LOL. So I embossed some aluminum sheet that I had, cut out the disks and slightly dombed them. I found the alcohol inks and added color to the metal and sanded off the high spots.. Wire wrapped them with steel wire and a czech bead, attached to silver earwires and TaDa… That was a fun little project.

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Art Jewelry Elements Week 5 Earring Challenge

Oops I am late. I have not photographed or posted for a couple of weeks but at least I have a Blog now… I cut out the copper rectangles and drilled the holes, Then off to the torch to torch fire enamel. I decided on white enamel and blue pearls, springy and light! the hand formed earwires are made out of non-tarnish copper wire. Hope you like them.

Bead Soup Is Ready !!

Here it is my bead soup teaser pic for Nan Emmett!! I will mail out the Bead Soup tomorrow AM.. You can find Nan at her blog : http://www.spiritrattles.blogspot.com/ Check out her lovely works..