AWEsome Earrings!

Leslie from The Gossiping Goddess blog has published a tutorial on how to make macrame earrings over at Art Jewelry Elements.

No, no, wait! I can hear you now; "Oh, Pam, you really ARE the Crazier Sister! Macrame? Really? Not that big a deal."

BUT! Leslie's tutorial is for WIRE macrame! How awesome is THAT!?  I've never really wanted to learn macrame.... well, okay, maybe I did just a little.... but NOW? Now I want to run out and immediately start practising with my wire!  You just HAVE to go look at what Leslie has published, along with a link for learning the macrame knots if you've never done it before (although, I'm the sort of learner who gets more from pictures and words and Leslie's is perfect!)

Go! Go look!

Oh, isn't Leslie a-MAY-zing?!?

This Weekends' Business

It was pretty busy this weekend. I went to Lowe's and bought these terrific drawers.  I got the idea from my Dad's work bench (you know, those little drawers that hold all the screws, washers, nails, etc.?) and decided they would make great bead & findings holders.  I much prefer the kind my dad has, but his are OLD (from the '70's or '80's, not sure how old) and they don't make them exactly like that anymore. (his are a much sturdier, firmer plastic)  However, these work perfectly fine once the weight of the beads are in them. Loving them!



Full table view (ignore the remaining mess)

  I spent hours Saturday afternoon moving all my beads from their previous cases to these storage drawers. Really liking them, so far. But, things evolve as our beading needs evolve. We'll see.



I like being able to see into the drawers

You can get the multi-size drawer type or the large drawer type. I got both. May get another later, too.


larger drawers good for "special" beads or wire

Not all the drawers are filled yet, but I don't really expect that situation to last! (haahahaha!)


My stone and gem beads I restrung on wire
to make tracking easier

I've finally learned that SOME beads are better off if you put them on wire. Then you can snip loose just what you need and not worry about them spilling all over.


What the beads were in before

I won't be getting rid of all of these, but does anyone need a few of this type of bead holder box? They have divided compartments inside. Just email me if you'd like a box or two or three.

p.s., I'll be naming the winners from my March contest tomorrow. Check back!

Twice In One Day!?!?

Yes, I have another tho't roaming in my head that is begging to be let out in the blog-o-sphere.  And, for you with slightly masochistic tendencies, here it is (okay, okay, the idea isn't masochistic! y'all are for coming back for a 2nd helping of my tho'ts ~ ~ such as they are! HA!)

I've been reading recently about keeping a sketch book handy for when you have ideas for jewelry so you can either record it because you're not near your craft corner or because it helps to sketch/draw/doodle it first to work out the design.  Not all of us work this way.  I, myself, am a grab-the-beads-and-dump-em-together-til-it-works type. I might have an idea, but I usually just wing it.

Still, there are times I see something that makes me go "Oh! That would make a GREAT necklace/bracelet/set of earrings/whatever!" and I forget it again in the next five minutes. THAT'S when that sketch book/pad comes in handy, whether it's the size of a novel (like mine), larger or even smaller.  But, sometimes, for various and sundry reasons, we don't have our sketch pad in our purses.  Maybe we changed purses. Maybe we took it out to work on those ideas and left it in our craft corner or on a bookshelf.  Whatever the reason, the next time an idea strikes us we reach into our purse and, D'OH! it's not there. 



the basic is free, the one
with all the bells & whistles
is $1.00... worth it, I think!

 If you happen to have an iPhone (I'm sure other "smart" phones have this type of app, too, just check) you can get what's called "Mobile Sketch."  It's great in that it allows you to at least get the gist of what you're thinking down.  Now, it won't be perfect (unless you have these tiny little, pencil-like fingers... I don't care what they show you that "others have drawn" ~phssh!) but you can get the main points down and worry about the rest later. 



Yes, not a great sketch, but you're
using a finger to draw on a screen
that's about 3"x2" with a finger that's
(much) bigger than most pencils.

 This really is a handy app to have and I highly recommend it to all of you.  If any guys are reading this, it's great for you because (I hope) none of you carry purses and would look a bit funny wandering around with a notebook of some type in your hands.  Plus, we all set things down and forget where, eh?  So, there's my $.02c worth for carrying a sketch pad for your ideas (as well as some show-n-tell on how it could work).  What ideas do you have for recording your tho'ts and ideas?


AFTER ~ when I got to my sketch pad
and was able to get the (very!) rough
idea down. iPhone helped me remember
what I was aiming for.



KNOW YOUR PRODUCT!



Moss Amethyst

 I read an article by the Silver Bear on the JETs blog called "Fakes, Frauds & Rip-Offs" about the various "gems" out there that are really just quartz with fancy names (well... he said "trash" but I still like most of the quartz available, they're gorgeous)  Still and all, Silver Bear had some great points to keep those of us who do use these stones, but don't know the difference between semi-precious and quartz, from being taken in by outrageous pricing (he's a gemologist... he knows things).
I think I'd add something to his dissertation, however: remember the names of the stones you sell!  We who use these stones in necklaces and bracelets need to be able to let our potential customers know what we've used in a design. Maybe we don't need to go into the detailed explanation Silver Bear did but we still need to let them know "Hey, this is quartz versus actual amethyst" or vice versa.  To that end, those of you we buy from need to be sure you correctly label the stones you sell.
As an example, there's a lady in my town who owns a bead and yarn store. It's like walking into Aladdin's Cave she has such wonderful things! BUT!  Some of her stones aren't labelled.  I asked about one I was interested in, it had a great color and pattern but no name label.  Chances are, according to Silver Bear's post, it was some form of quartz.  Regardless, her reply was "Oh, I don't know.  I buy stones I like and don't always get the name."  Uhm, sorry, but that's bad business in my book.  If I don't know what a stone is, I'm not buying it since I can't tell potential customers what they're getting (leaving it at "quartz" is lazy in my book, I'd want to know what kind of quartz before I bought from someone).  So, that day, she lost a potential sale on that particular stone.  She actually has lost a lot more in the sales department from me.  She really hikes the price of her wares and I think it's because she needs to read Silver Bear's article.  Not every stone with a fancy name and huge price tag is worth the money.
It's like buying a car, folks. Do your own research.  Don't buy just because you HAVE to have it (and might never find it again! gasp!) or it's pretty or unusual and the high price must indicate it's quality.  There are always variations on that particular stone out there.  Learn about the stone before you buy.  You'll save yourself, and any future customers, a bundle of money.  Not to mention that, if you have a savvy customer who researches before buying and they know that particular stone isn't worth the $50.00 price tag slapped on it...?  You lose out on 1) them wanting to buy anything else from you... if you overcharge for what they know is worth only $20.00 what else have you over priced? 2) you lose out on the money you paid for an over priced stone to begin with.  And, 3) you lose out on word-of-mouth.  It works for bad as well as good.  Do you want people to tell others "Oh, buy from so-and-so on Etsy (or wherever)! They have great products and great service!" or do you want them to say "Well, they have a great looking product but the prices for the items they sell? Yeah... well, it's up to you but I wouldn't pay that much for simple quartz." 
Educate yourself before the fact.  Don't lose customers because they knew what you didn't.

Chinook's What Would You Do Wednesday Challenge



Mellisa's Challenge.... Accepted!





NValentine Studio



Mellisa over at Chinook Jewelry loves throwing out these Wednesday challenges and, I must admit, they make me think. 

I decided this should be a bracelet charm (I have no way of knowing how big/small this is, so I'm just guessing, here).  My first choice of accent would be these beads I found on Etsy.

My next choice are these sweet little lampwork beads. Veeerrry nice!


from bykeiara shop


 Because I don't want the focal to be overwhelmed, I'm keeping this simple... no chain, no spacers and an antiqued copper toggle clasp from Lima Beads (you'll have to click the link to see it... they won't let me link the picture up but it's perfect, trust me!)

Kate's Artisan Jewelry

And I'd round it all off with this pair of earrings from Kate's Artisan Jewelry on Etsy:



Okay... it's your turn.  What would YOU do?





Design Team Member.... Maybe?

Diana over at Suburban Girl Studios is looking for folks to be part of her design team, working with the gorgeous ceramics she creates. I'm hoping my name will pop out of the hat when she draws because (as I mentioned in a comment on her site) ceramic scares me a little.  I know it's stronger than it looks, but I'm always afraid I'll break it!

Love this color!

Anyway, here's a pic of her first offering for her team to design around.  Aren't they gorgeous?  Plus, I don't work with this color so it would be stretching my skills and I'm all for that!

NEW PENDENT

Well, I recently bought a gorgeous focal from Sharleen at Shaterra Clay Studio on Etsy.  She does some really lovely work and the colors are very rich and vibrant.  The focal I bought was a dragonfly in teal and green and the word "Dream" stamped just under it.  I love it! I'm going to be adding it to my shop under the Perfect Imperfections listing (my Spina Bifida Awareness line).  You'll notice all the beads, except one, echo the colors in the focal.  That one bead, a dyed agate, is yellow for Spina Bifida and has it's own "imperfection" running through it.  A teal colored swirl.  I have plans to add a pair of earrings and possibly a bracelet.  If so, it'll be what's called a parure set. That is, a set of three items for decoration, more specifically jewelry.

Anyway, here are a few shots from my iPhone.  Enjoy.

...and dream big, my dears!

Close up of the focal. Beautiful colors!

Close up of beads used.
There are teeny, tiny faceted round crystals
accenting both ends of both types of beads.

ART BEAD SCENE JANUARY CHALLENGE

Well, I decided to enter my Earth Metals necklace in the Art Bead Scene's challenge for January. The inspiration was "Trellis" by William Morris and I just tho't the colors in my Earth Metals were perfect for it!


I entered it over on Flicker, per the instructions, but let me make this easy on all of you.  Here are several shots of the necklace. 

The focal was originally intended to be a clasp and I bought it from Melinda Orr over at Orr Tech Designs. I had every intention of making the focal both the focal AND the closing clasp but... well... beads have a mind of their own and, once the chain got involved in the rebellion, this is how things turned out.
The copper clasp used to close the necklace is from Melinda, as well.  I love how the design echoes Mr. Morris's artwork, yes?  I decided to use black leather cording and antiqued wire to connect it to the brushed antiqued chain the beads are attached to. The medium yellow fret-work beads are from Pam at Ferrari Original Beads over on Etsy (yum!) 
The copper beads are from Hobby Lobby and the smaller ochre beads are from Lima Beads.  And I just felt like the teal seed beads completed the whole look. 
Anyway, this is my first (completed) challenge at Art Bead Scene.  I'm excited.  (and I love this necklace, it's hard to leave it up on Etsy!)




Anyway, go on over to ABS and check out what everyone else has done for this challenge! It's just amazing how creative minds all work.

Someone once said "Great minds think alike."  I beg to differ, great minds think differently or they wouldn't be great!  (and we wouldn't have the Theory of Relativity ~thank you Mr. Einstein~ or "Tom Sawyer" ~love ol' Twain~... you get the idea! Everyone enjoy the differences!)

PERSONAL CHALLENGE

I saw something on a friend's Facebook page last night that inspired me to do this personal challenge.  I'm going to send a handmade gift to the first five (5) people who make a comment on this post.  The challenge to myself is that each item will be made as the comments are made. No sending off something I've made already. The gifts will be either a pair of earrings or a bracelet.

Here are the rules:
1) You can comment about anything in my Etsy store, on my Facebook page or any other post in my blog but it MUST be made to this post. If not, it won't count.
2) This will only run until January 31st.  (and, remember, it's only the 1st five who comment, I can't afford to do this for everyone) 
3) You may tell me what colors you like and I will try to incorporate them into the design.
4) You may tell me if you prefer elegant, playful, casual or funky and I will try to create in that element.

5) You won't know which piece of jewelry you're getting, you get to be surprised.

So, comment away, folks.  Let me hear what you have to say and I'll contact you for your mailing address for your gift.

Happy New Year!

Table-Top Studio Update!

We took my table-top studio set back to the camera store my Mom bought it from and found out it was just a little short in the back of the lamp itself (not the cord). The guy helping us said he had a technician that worked in the store who could very likely fix it if we wanted to try that route first. Well, I'm all for the simple solution. He promised to call us when it was done (this was about 10:30 yesterday morning).

No calls.
All afternoon.
SO bummed. :(

Then, today, I get a message from Mom that the camera store had called her.  MY STUDIO LAMP IS FIXED! YAY!!  They'll get it for me this afternoon and I can set up some shots again tonight.  Woo HOO! Yes!  We'll see how things go, now.  Hopefully I'll have some creative pics to share soon.

MERRY KISS-A-MOOSE! (er, I mean, Merry Christmas! ~heee~)

MERRY KISS-A-MOOSE!

(ain't he a cutie!? I'd kiss his li'l nose!)

CONFESSIONS OF A BEAD-AHOLIC

Yes, I am coming out. It's time to let others know that it's okay to confess to this particular addiction.  I'm afraid there's no real cure for it, though. It's the kind of addiction you simply need to continue feeding because, unless you really OD on it, it's never going to go away.

Bead-aholicism.

Yes! I've done it! I've confessed! I am a bead-aholic!!

(whew, what a relief!)

As I said, this isn't anything that can be (or needs to be) "cured."  The problem with bead-aholicism is the bead-aholics' inability to pay attention to anything else while beading.  This can include (but not be limited to); passage of time, phones ringing, children, spouses, visiting family and/or friends, anything outside of a three foot radius.  Sometimes anything within the three foot radius if it's not a bead.  Many's the night when I've been beading away and looked up to realize the only light in the house was coming from my lamps on my work table.  I hadn't heard the t.v. stop blaring it's show.  I hadn't heard anyone heading down the hall to bed.  I hadn't even noticed the lights go off.  I was in my own little world (but, that's okay, they know me well there!).  The other problem is the bead-aholics need for pretty, shiny, all-shapes-and-sizes of beads. If you take a bead-aholic into Michael's or Hobby Lobby be prepared to, a) mop up the drool that will roll down the chin and, b) see them spend an outrageous amount of money on strings of beads and packets of findings that will go perfectly with what they already have.

A  bead-aholics sense of humor can even revolve around all things bead.  I have a co-worker who uses old pill and medicine bottles to store her beads, findings, etc. and, in spite of her telling him he didn't need to, her husband keeps saving them for her.  We joked about maybe they needed to be filled.  After all, we wouldn't want these poor bottles to become depressed because the lack of beads and findings made them feel unneeded.  At this time of year they could end up in a severe down-ward spiral of depression that could only be reversed by the application of rich-toned seed beads or luscious glass and gemstone beads.

Why am I confessing to bead-aholicism?  Because, I have a regular, 8 to 5 job that takes up the greatest part of my time.  I have a 30 minute commute to work and home again (another hour out of my day!)  It's 5:30 by the time I get home; that is, if I don't have to stop for fuel or some other errand... or my family doesn't decide we need to eat out instead of cooking.  If that happens I don't get home until well after 7pm.  And, knowing how I am about beading (disappearing into the art of creating something pretty) I don't like to bead too late in the evening during the week because I won't go to bed early enough to get enough sleep for the next day.  I know, I know, there are weekends to work at my craft.  Except that's when all the chores and things you weren't able to get done during the week are done.  Now what? Huh? Huh? Now?  Now you whine and pout and give everyone the "Bambi Eyes" in hopes you'll get (at least) a few hours to sit at your table.

The state of which is another indication of your bead-aholicism.  At MY table, I pull out several things at once when I start creating; mixing and matching colors, accents, wire or chain, findings, headpins.  And they rarely go back to the boxes and containers they came from so there's a serious mix-mash of all these items strewn about at any given time.  I recently read an article over on Art Bead Scene by Erin Prais-Hintz of Treasures Found about making bracelets (or earrings) out of the "left-overs" on your table!  How fun! (not to mention a great way to clean up your mes... ahh... table!)

Another indication of bead-aholicism is how many times a day you either blog about, or read other blogs about, your passion.  It's hard to sit at my desk and not bring up my blog to see what all the blogs I've got on my "I stalk these people" list have been doing. What can they say or show me to inspire my creativity? The next clue is whether you email yourself the link to the picture they've posted so you can be inspired again later (tutorials only, folks! NO stealing someone's hard-earned designs!!!) or if you just print a copy of the picture then and there to add to your growing collection of "I have to try this!" pages that are shoved messily onto a shelf near your table or pinned to a board above it. 

Yes, bead-aholics are an interesting, if misunderstood breed.  We're (mostly) harmless (unless there's a major sale at Michael's or Hobby Lobby then, LOOK OUT!), and we really don't mean to ignore you.  Just understand we're on an entirely different planet than you when creating.  But, that's okay.  In fact, we won't mind at all if you want to come visit us there!

WINE GLASS OR EAR LOBE TAGS?

Saner Sister and I went to Pier 1 Imports over the weekend and found THE most ADORBS wine glass tags.  Sadly, we don't need them to tag wine glasses because we don't drink.  Happily, Saner Sister went over the the Crazy side of the house and said "These would make great earrings!"  And, she's right!  We bought two sets of these daisy tags and another two sets of some beaded tags (which will make their appearance later).  I was only able to do a few last night (it was at the end of the time I had set for myself), but there will be more later.  And another visit to Pier 1, I'm sure! (these are CUTE and, since these are Saner Sister's, I need to buy more to make for the store. SO cute!)
p.s., these are made of plastic, so they're really light. Any weight will come along if glass beads are used for accents.



On the table, waiting for
their new look



Close up of the blue
and greens flowers



Close up of green
and red flowers

From wine glass tags
to earrings! SO cute!

...more cuteness in
green and pink!



red with turquoise bead
~le sigh~



the sisters all together,
waiting for the others to
have their make-over done!

  

LIMA BEADS

I was over at Lima Beads and decided I needed to put together some "Fresh Picks" to design some more necklaces from.  I want to really get my Spina Bifida Awareness line going on my Etsy store and decided I really like a lot (I do mean a LOT!) of the beads they have on Lima.  You can click here to view the choices I made.  I think you'll like 'em (I know I drooled!)



Grace Lampwork
Whispering Peach Heart Focal
27x38-41mm



Black & Blue Agate
Flat Oval Pendant 35x55mm



I also did another Fresh Pick I titled "Away In A Manger" starring this gorgeous black and blue agate. You can see all the picks to go with it here.

Have fun! :)