Earring of the Day circa July 6, 2005

These beauties are from a bygone era. A time when my hair was long and a dressy event called for something dramatic. I made these for a trip with my family to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary in the summer of 2005.

These days my hair is super short and dressing up means black boots instead of brown with my leggings and long tops.

Busy, busy, busy

Real life intruded this week. Busy at the day job, busy with the house, busy trying to figure out new computer situation.

Also busy reorganizing my beads and bits to work more comfortably. This is time-consuming, but once started had to be completed (almost there) before production can begin again. I'm very excited though. I think it's going to work well. Less back and forth between WHQ (the living room) and the Media Room ( a very small bedroom with our only TV).

Also, compacting so I can do a little traveling with my bits.

Earring of the Day March 25th

Finally I was able to spend some time on new earrings. Spring has sprung so THEY say (tell that to those snowed in) and this is a spring pair of earrings: bright colors and a little longer to be worn sans turtlenecks and scarves. For me that means August as I am always cold.

The blue bead is one of the many blues I picked up at the Bead Show! I think it is a dyed quartz but it could be jade or maybe agate. Anyhow, it is pretty and has faceting which does not show in the pictures. Other ingredients are green jade (dyed), cut glass crystal and sterling silver beads, wire and hooks.

First New Work this Week

A busy week has not allowed for much creating. House-building details, rearranging World HQ workspace and a very sick computer as I have already mentioned.

Here is a new necklace with benefits, but shorter. The pendant of small stones over the ring is something I came up with sort of by accident but I really like the look on its own, benefits aside.

Ingredients: hematite, Iolite (I'm typing on my phone, autocorrect wanted Iolite to be Joliet), freshwater pearls, Czech glass with the accents of pink jade (dyed), cut-glass crystal and Iolite.

I hope to whip up some new earrings later today.

A Brief Pause

We've been very busy with new house bits - electrical rough-in commenced yesterday - besides the fact that my hard drive crashed yesterday. Big sad face. Possible hard drive replacement today, if not, new laptop. Time consuming. And, we're expanding HQ! (we're rearranging some furniture so I can create at a desk rather than on the sofa which is killing my back.)

Hope to have some new jewelry pictures tomorrow.

A Personal Piece

I made this piece for myself a few months ago. It is what inspired my Twisty necklace with Benefits. I am such a beadaholic that I wanted to put some of my beauties (think Gollum and "precious") together for my own enjoyment and adornment. This one is 19" and on sterling wire. The colors are a bit deeper than the photos depict.

Packaging

Just had a presentation at a local store. I think it went well. They're looking at local arts people. Worked on packaging last night. Rather than glue-on bits the cards will be stamped.

Earring of the Day March 19th

These are a pair I made back in December or early January when I wasn't sleeping after my foot surgery. I love these hexagonal glass beads. I have them in several colors. They are now classified as "vintage Czech glass" and are no longer made. These are a matte finish in a purple/amethyst color. Fairly neutral.

Ingredients: Vintage Czech glass, blue (dyed) jade, garnet and sterling silver.

Earring of St. Paddy's Day March 17th

I planned to make something really green but got sidetracked by Labradorite amongst other things. Yes, there is green in this earring. The bottom stone is some very nice faceted peridot picked up for me by a friend at the Tucson show. It is a beautiful green so no pinching me today.

I am posting a close up and a not-so-close-up because in the not-so-close-up you can see the laminate I like best so far for our kitchen counters. I have looked at A LOT of laminate in the last year and this is the first one I really like. I digress.

Back to the subject at hand.

Earring ingredients: blue stone - I bought so much blue at the Bead Show! that I am not sure what is quartz or jade - think this is a dyed quartz, pink jade (dyed) and genuine peridot on sterling wire and hooks. And I forgot yesterday's ingredients which are garnet, silver plated ring and sterling wire and hooks.

Earring of the Day March 16th

Two views, same earring. The champagne glass was a first anniversary gift from my partner in crime. He broke one so it's an orphan and works as an earring prop.

The silver circle in these earrings is the same as the gold one previously posted. They have little hearts that you do not see unless you are up close or have strong reading glasses on - quick, insert ad for Necklace with Added Benefit - otherwise all you see is a nice texture.

More this weekend

Busy week, no time to take pictures. Back with new stuff this weekend.

Earring of the Day March 13th. Labradorite!

The Labradorite has a beautiful blue flash which is totally beyond my capabilities to capture in a photograph. I'm still trying to master basic point-and-shoot.

Ingredients: Labradorite and magenta jade (dyed) on sterling silver.

Loot!

Some of my loot from the Bead Show!

Earring of the Day March 11th

Coffee is brewing, it's supposed to be a rainy Monday here. The weekend was spent sorting the loot from the Bead Show! with a little creating thrown in. These are newly put together although not from the Bead Show!

I've made several versions of this earring, in garnet, cobalt glass, red Czech glass and both with the hinge and without. My picture does not do them justice.

Ingredients: hematite circle with cut-glass crystal on sterling silver.

I need a 12 step program for bead addiction

On one hand I spent far too much at the bead show. On the other hand I bought some beautiful stuff and now my head is swimming with ideas.

In the mean time, below is a new necklace I made last night. It is 24" and does not have the Added Benefit. But I sure do like it. What do you think?

BEAD SHOW!

He's feeling better so we're going!

Earring of the Day 3-8-13

My post today was going to be titled "Bead Show!". We were supposed to be going to a very good bead and gem show in Seattle but my partner in crime is not feeling well. He is flu-ish and sick enough to lay in bed all day - in the 10 years we have been together this is only the third time this has happened, and once was the hangover of a lifetime - so I know he is really feeling poorly. We are both hoping he'll feel well enough to go this afternoon. If not we'll aim for Sunday. Oh well.

Anyhow, the ingredients for today's earrings are: pink jade (dyed I believe), prehnite, pink mystic topaz and sterling Bali beads on sterling silver.

Tune in over the weekend. I will be posting pics of some new necklaces in shorter lengths with pretty dangly things.

The Necklace that Goes with Everything*AKA my Twisty necklace

I made myself one of these on craft wire (silver over copper, lead/nickel free, NON-TARNISH) because I was so tired of polishing the bits of wire between the beads on my older pieces. It's become one of my go-to pieces. I made one for my mom and she says it goes with everything.** And no more polishing at the last minute!

Every bead is different. There are semi-precious stones, crystal and Czech glass in all sorts of colors. Each necklace is one of a kind. The length on the ones I've made are 27" so with the two rings on each one they have the Added Benefit of working as an eyeglass or badge holder. I'm planning to make them in 24" length also.

* Except maybe evening gowns and wedding togs.

** She might have said "anything," I'm using a little artistic license here.

Earring of the Day March 6th

Think spring! I know it's hard for you with all the snow on the ground, but that's what these colors make me think of.

Ingredients: blue agate (dyed), citrine & Swarovski crystal on sterling silver.

Spring Big Ring collection

Does two make a collection? The rings on these are just under 1-1/2" diameter. I know, next time I need to put a quarter down for comparison. Anyone a badge wearer? I would value opinions on this.

Ingredients for blue & crystal: vintage Czech glass, matte quartz crystal, cut-glass crystal, Czech seed beads & silver plated (lead/nickel free) findings and [Big] ring.

Ingredients for blue & green: vintage Czech glass, cut-glass crystal, Czech seed beads & silver plated lead/nickel free findings & [Big] ring.

Earring of the day March 4th

Had a heck of a time photographing these and still could not capture them well.

Ingredients: freshwater pearls, vintage Czech glass, gold plated ring, on 14K gold-filled wire and hooks.

My "Greens will Beat the Blues/Spring is Coming" Collection

GREENS WILL BEAT THE BLUES necklace with added benefit. (Thanks Robyn!)

Ingredients:

Vintage Czech glass, freshwater pearls, plated (lead/nickel free) rings and findings.

Earring of the Day March 2nd

Ingredients:  dyed shell, pink Czech glass & cut-glass crystal on sterling silver.

Earring of the Day 3-1-13

Ingredients: cut-glass crystal (yellow & green), amethyst, dyed shell on sterling silver.

I'm working on taking better pictures but it is time-consuming. Eliminating shadow and showing the colors better are the trick.