Monday, February 8, 2010

Well hello again!

It's been awhile. I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday season, one filled with lots of love, family, egg nog, all that good stuff!
Unfortunately for me, things got a bit hectic at my office job. Without delving too deeply into everything, I've had less time to do more. Suffice to say, my internet presence and social networking have taken a back burner.
I still have made time to bead, but I haven't been as aggressive as I usually am about it. Last year, I put a lot of time into photographing, descriptions, listings on online auction sites, and marketing. While I can't say that it did nothing for me, perhaps I had a few sales from it all, it's not how I want to continue to spend my time. So, I decided that this year is going to be for me. Sure, I'll put a few items on etsy from time to time, but I have one main goal - to have fun! There's a bunch of patterns out there I want to try, ones in magazines that I enjoyed looking at and "mentally beaded" along with, that I never actually physically did. There's some cross needle 3-d patterns I want to try - because they look fun, and a bit challenging. If I get around to listing them for sale, that's fine, if not, that's fine too. As long as I am having fun, it's all good.

Not to leave you completely without beady goodness - here is a little something I made for myself for New Years Eve. The necklace was inspired by Russian beading, and the earrings are a classic Russian Leaf. I wore a lovely black and gold sequin dress and gold sequin boots, so this set really completed the outfit for me.



Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Bracelet winner!

Congratulations Jen (aka Kashmir6), you've won the pretty red bracelet! I'll be in touch shortly for shipping details.




Monday, December 14, 2009

"Peace Piece"

The December 2009 Etsy Bead Weavers Challenge has such a great theme, I think. The winners of the last challenge, SmadarsTreasure and AngelqueCreations, chose "Peace Piece" - to represent peace and the winter olympics.

I started an entry but unfortunately due to my more work at my office job I wasn't able to finish in time. I did finish it this weekend though, so there shall be some pictures for you later this week - after the giveaway.

There are some great designs to choose from - so please take a minute to take a closer look at the entries by clicking on the links below. When you have decided on your favorite, head on over to the EBW Blog and vote. Thanks so much!

1. Serenity Cuff Bracelet - BettyStephanBeadwork
2. Tara (Goddess of Peace and Protection) - noritadesign
3. Dream Medallion - sagescupboard
4. Snow and Ice Necklace - AngelqueCreations
5. Peace Piece peyote cuff - randomcreative
6. Tide Pool EBWC December - JoniLynn
7. Golden Creamy Bouquet Necklace - bead4me
8. When Red meets Black - BeadsAndI
9. In Heavenly Peace - HauteIceBeadwork
10. La Donha - SilverDragon
11. Black and White Twist Necklace - MoreThanSomewhat1
12. Dove of Peace - ArtBeadwork
13. Peace on Earth - SmadarsTreasure
14. Go For The Gold - carosell
15. Peace, Love, and Beautiful Hair (Clip) - adinahalperndesigns
16. Winter Necklace - AsteropeBC
17. Snowball Necklace - BeadedExtravagance
18. Purple Frost Necklace - SpringColors
19. SIOBHAN - Beaded cabochon necklace - Stellaltinaan
20. Ray of Light - Lauralia

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Bracelet Giveaway

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to give away a bracelet. I made this following Sandra Hallpenny's pattern, she offers the pattern for free. If any beaders out there want to make one for themselves, here is the link: Round Lace.


It is woven with size 11 toho seed beads in a pretty matte red color, and finished with a gold plated swivel lobster clasp. I just love these clasps because they keep the bracelet from getting twisted up on your wrist.

Rules/How to enter:
Entering to win this bracelet is simple. The giveaway is open to all residents of the USA and Canada.

  • 2. Post a comment on THIS blog post telling me what your favorite item is. If you are not a blogger member please leave a way for me to get in touch with you for your address in case you win.

  • 3. Extra entry: To up your odds of winning, tweet about the giveaway on twitter. Your tweet should include a comment and link to my blog. Let me know that you have twittered by leaving an additional comment with your twitter ID so I can see your tweet - this will be your extra entry.

That's it! Easy peasy.
The winner will be chosen December 16th via a random number generator.

I will contact the winner immediately. If you get back to me with your address before the 20th, you'll be recieving the bracelet just in time for Christmas. The bracelet will be shipped in a pretty box, suitable for gift giving - just in case you plan on gifting the bracelet to someone else.

Men, don't be afraid to enter - I'm sure there's a woman in your life that would be delighted to own this lovely bracelet!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Some more beaded rings

I liked the first batch of rings I created so much that I needed to make some more. Rings usually take an hour to three hours, depending on the complexity of them. That's "instant" gratification to a bead weaver - many of my projects take 10-20 hours or more to complete. Sometimes I just need something I can finish in an afternoon...and these rings are just perfect for that.
These first two are in the same style as the ones I posted about a month ago - a bit of right angle weave with embelishments. They were woven with bugle beads, and size 11 and 15 toho seed beads.
These last 2 rings were woven in good ol' right angle weave, with size 11 toho seed beads. I added and "edging" to it to give it a nice even band look. It was a bit of extra work, but really worth it. Makes for a more distinct looking piece, in my opinion. What do you think?

Thursday, November 19, 2009

I am admittingly bad at finding time to photograph my jewelry. I work a 40 hour regular office job in addition to my beadwork. Every day I wake up at 5am, my dear husband even earlier. By the time I awake, my coffee cup is waiting for me on the living room table. After a few minutes of yawning and snuggling with my hubby I reluctantly find something to wear and get ready for work.
I commute 45 minutes to my office. The work day goes by - sometimes fast, sometimes slow. I drive another 45 minutes to an hour home. We make dinner, we eat dinner. Now it's 6pm. Do I bead? Do I exersize? Do I take hundreds of pictures and sift through them all to find the good ones?
More often than not, I bead. I'll take breaks and do some wii fit, or some stretching and hoop dancing. Before I know it I'm yawning again...and it's time to get ready for bed.
This is my day. Not super exciting, I know...
The weekends, however, is my "me" time. I bead lots, I clean a little. If the mood strikes, my husband and I will get out and hear some local live music. But THIS weekend I promise I'll take some pictures and get some good stuff to you next week.
I even have a bracelet all made for a giveaway (that I still need to photograph, of course), that will most likely start on Monday. Stay tuned! In the mean time, here are some simple yet lovely netted bracelets I made recently.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

"Beauty of the Flower" Winner Announced

Congratulations to this months winner of the Etsy Bead Weaver's challenge - Melissa Grakowski. Melissa created a beautiful hibiscus flower necklace with a variety of seed beads, swarovski bicone crystals, and freshwater pearls. Isn't it fabulous?!
Take a minute to check out Melissa's Etsy shop for some more of her lovely beaded creations.


Next month's challenge is an interesting one - "Peace Piece". It's been awhile since I've had the time and ambition to participate in a challenge, but I have an idea swirling around in my head...hopefully I can bring it to fruition by Dec. 5th!