Bead Soup Blog Party!

Harvest Dance necklace; focal and toggle clasp by BSBP partner Barbe St. John

I love this resin and brass cowgirl toggle that Barbe made!

Thanks to a LOT of hard work by Lori Anderson, the Bead Soup Blog Party is here! As always, I had a great time working with the treasures that BSBP partner Barbe St. John of Saints and Sinners sent me; above is what I made from the awesome focal, toggle clasp, sari silk, and autumn-hued beads that Barbe picked out for me. I added in some striped glass rounds I found at Michael's the day before I got Barbe's package; the rest of the beads are from her and I still have some left over! Big thanks to Barbe for being so generous and for nudging me enough out of my comfort zone that I decided to just cut loose all expectations and play. Barbe, I hope you had fun with what I sent you, too, and thank you again, especially for the extra-special Albuquerque Wanderlust pendant! (I'll be showing that off soon; I'm composing a special piece just for me...)

Thank you, too, for visiting -- now it's time to blog hop! Go here for the full list of participants and their partners -- I know, that's a LOT of blog hopping, but you will love what you see! Enjoy the eye candy!

Fusion Beads Blog Bead Challenge!

August Garden necklace in brass, glass pearls, pressed glass, lucite, and Swarovski crystals

Earrings in lucite, crystal, brass, and glass

WOW did I have fun with Fusion Beads' recent blog bead challenge -- it introduced me to a color palette and materials I hadn't really worked with before, and I found myself energized by this combination. I've been ordering from Fusion Beads since 2007 and love their selection of beads and components, as well as the free shipping. I really hope they host more bead challenges because I just wasn't feeling creative lately, until I received the materials for this and started playing. Check out the other entries on their blog or Facebook page -- all of the entries are beautiful, diverse, and totally making me want to order another set and play some more!

Overview of "August Garden" set

BTW: Wings

Love Has Wings necklace of Gaea ceramic focal and beads, riverstone, red ceramics, and copper

Love Has Wings bracelet

I'm finishing a good number of projects these days -- maybe even more than I'm starting! Now there's a shift.... I was going to show these pieces off anyway, but in the context of my semi-organized bead tray that shows what else is coming out of this color combination. However, I left my camera, with this week's Bead Table Wednesday pictures, up in the mountains, where I've had the pleasure of housesitting for the past 10 days. I ported my little lap tray and several boxes up there with my tools, and have sat down to work on projects for all of two hours, so there isn't much to show there anyway! I did finish off the wonderful "Confetti" bracelet I showed here last week, and I'm 90% sure I'm keeping that one.... I also made some pretty earrings that match the necklace above and the bracelet at right; the necklace focal is one of my favorite Gaea creations, and I added in creamy riverstone, awesome red ceramic beads from a great vendor I'll have to look up, and copper -- I had started with brass but it seemed dull, and sterling was just too "cold," so I decided to heat things up with the warm copper and just love this combination! Now I'm off to see what's on everyone else's table this week -- happy creating!

BTW: Treasures Unearthed

This week on the bead table: Flowery dangly sparkly earrings!

I love Bead Table Wednesday for many reasons: I get to see what other people are working on and how they organize their workspaces, it allows me to really think and learn about the creative process, and it compels me to take a hard look at and maybe organize my beading area a bit because, really, who wants to show off a big mess? A funny thing happens when I clean up my beading area: I find stuff I forgot I had, or vaguely remembered having, or absolutely knew was somewhere in the mess.... When I cleaned up my bead table last week I unearthed a treasure trove of sterling silver findings and beads that I had set out into trays and cups for specific projects, then lost track of as I shifted to other projects and let things pile up. I thought I remembered stocking up on sterling earwires, headpins, spacer beads, and clasps last fall when silver was surging past $15 per ounce, but given how busy my life is my memory of such things isn't always reliable... So when I got an order for some sterling earrings a while back, I couldn't find a dang thing and figured, well, maybe I thought about stocking up and didn't get around to it because, sheesh, $15 an ounce??....

Project on the table: Hill Tribes silver trumpet
flower pendant with faceted amethyst, pearls



Also on the table: Hill Tribes silver rose
pendant with faceted garnet, pearls

Now that sterling silver is hovering around $35 to $40 an ounce (Thunderbird Supply shows the daily market price), I am over the moon to find the 50 pairs of sterling French hook earwires, 20 pairs of sterling leverback earwires, 200 sterling headpins, and 200 assorted sterling spacers I bought last fall -- holy cow, what a find! And so I have been making lots and lots of earrings this week, and will make lots and lots more, along with some necklaces featuring Hill Tribes silver flower pendants and faceted gemstones I bought in Tucson two years ago. I do love working with copper and brass, but sometimes a design really calls for sterling silver. You can bet I'll be keeping my bead table a bit cleaner from now on; if nothing else, I should refrain from laying out stones and findings and such until I actually have the time to execute a design, and just sketch out my jewelry ideas instead when time is short.
(It's a good goal to aim for, anyway...)

Forest Sentinels: Working with Art Beads

Forest Sentinel, featuring owl pendant by Spirited Earth and ceramic button by Beadfreaky



Woodland song, featuring Summers Studio ceramic bird


I'm finally working my way through my art bead stash -- I guess I can't hoard them forever, right? I seem to be leaning toward cool forest tones lately, probably because the ongoing drought and wildfires throughout the southwest make me crave rain and cool green woodlands. We have one more month to endure till our summer rains come... so expect more cool offerings in the coming weeks. The necklace above, shown in progress in last week's BTW post, features an amazing owl pendant by Spirited Earth (I have another one in adobe pink tones that will show up in an entirely different piece soon) and a ceramic button by Beadfreaky, along with Czech pressed glass leaves that I can't seem to get enough of (had to order more yesterday because I'm putting them in everything lately). I added the brass chain and wirewrapped leaves after spending some time contemplating the pendant on just the leather cord with the ceramic and wood beads for some time; that was a nice simple look, but I wanted to fill in the space above the owl, which I think the leaves do very nicely.

The necklace below is simpler, using the same ceramic and wood beads along with a little brass bird to frame a Beadfreaky button that I darkened and sparkled up a bit with gold acrylic paint and Renaissance Wax. Both necklaces coordinate with the bracelet above, featuring a ceramic bird by Summers Studio and yet another ceramic button by Beadfreaky (obviously one of my favorite suppliers). So that's my walk through the cool green forest for today; more cool-toned offerings will appear later this week, I'm sure, as I continue to seek mental refuge from the heat.

Creekside, featuring Beadfreaky ceramic button embellished with gold paint and used as a pendant

ABS June Challenge Entry: Ophelia's Pond

"Ophelia's Pond" necklace of mixed jaspers, cultured pearls, green kyanite sticks,
glass seed beads, brass, and ceramic pendant from Summers Studio

The June Art Bead Scene challenge theme completely grabbed me with a beautiful inspiration image and color palette. I've had this wonderful Summers Studio lotus pendant for several months now, and picked up the mixed jasper strand a while back at Thunderbird Supply in Albuquerque; those were slated for a different necklace but thanks to the challenge palette it occurred to me that they might work well with this pendant. And so they do... I had three jasper barrels left over, enough for a coordinating bracelet that also uses the cool green kyanite sticks in the necklace and continues the nature theme with a ceramic bird charm from BeadFreaky. One thing I didn't get to before photographing the necklace was oxidizing the brass bail that I made; that won't happen till I dig out my liver of sulfur from... somewhere.... Earrings will follow, as always, surely using more kyanite sticks and perhaps some yellow and/or blue glass flower beads. This was a great challenge project for me, and I'm feeling another set in this palette coming together in my head!

BTW: Desert Oasis



Desert Oasis: Necklace in faceted glass, shell, pearls, and brass



I haven't participated in Bead Table Wednesday lately because my beading area is just a disheveled, unmanageable disaster lately thanks to lots of work in the garden and puppy training. My works in progress are so messy I can't even see what I was thinking when I started laying them out, and even though I know BTW isn't about showing how neat and tidy our workspaces are (because they usually aren't when we're in the midst of creating), mine is kind of hideous right now. Miraculously, though, the necklace above emerged from the chaos over the past few days. It's mostly glass -- Michaels has had some gorgeous faceted glass on their racks lately, and I got the glass leaves and flowers from Etsy seller yashmacreations -- along with dyed shell chips, a few wirewrapped pearls, and a brass dragonfly and swallow on antiqued brass chain. I had started laying this piece out in sterling silver (I was going to use a blue lampwork focal) but didn't have enough chain and was appalled to find that silver has risen past $40 per ounce; actually, though, I much prefer the warmth that brass brings to this piece. So, what's on your table today?

Art Bead Scene April Challenge

Spring Wine, Necklace in Shell, Pearls, and Vintage Brass

This month's Art Bead Scene color challenge did indeed challenge me, until I found some amazing wine-colored shell components at Michaels earlier this week. The wonderful flowery lentils caught my eye right away, and I easily found coordinating pearls that I strung with glass seed beads for an "airy" feeling. The shell fan is actually half of a set; the other 6 pieces will probably become matching earrings. The 3 brass filigree beads on the left side, just below the shell button clasp, came from a 1960s necklace of my mom's that is slowly making its way into new pieces. The shell birds came from the Thunderbird Supply sale bin; you'll be seeing these in many colors in upcoming designs. I made a matching bracelet, too, and will finish the earrings this weekend and list the set on Etsy by Sunday. I missed the deadline to be part of the blog hop, but be sure to visit the blogs listed to see some really beautiful pieces by wonderfully talented designers!

Another "Finished, Maybe" Piece

Rainbow Jasper Pendant with Wirewrapped Pearls, Brass, Copper, and Sari Silk



Finished? Embellish chain? Switch to button clasp?
(Ceramic buttons by BeadFreaky) 

When pieces come together in my mind, it feels almost effortless to put them together for real, once I actually have the time to sit down and do it. I thought up this necklace over a month ago but didn't have the time or patience to wirewrap all those dang pearls till last night... but boy was it worth it! I continue to be amazed at how beautifully the skein of sari silk ribbon I bought at a fiber show coordinates with so many of my beads; the ribbon is essentially a series of various 1-yard lengths of various colors and textures sewn together sequentially, primarily in jewel tones like this luscious red/black weave. The pendant part is definitely done, but I'm not sure whether to add charms or beads or something else to the chain, perhaps to affix the ribbon and chain together here and there. Weaving the ribbon through the chain just didn't work for me, and I'm tempted to leave it as is, though the clasp might change because the brass one I made is sturdy but perhaps a bit too clunky for this necklace. What do you think? While I sit with this piece I'm making a coordinating bracelet and earrings, and watching Netflix movies in my fireplace-heated living room. I hope you're enjoying your weekend as much as I am!

Beachcomber 1, Finished (Maybe)

Beachcomber Bracelet of Shell, Copper, Glass, Green Aventurine, and Pearls

Yeah, I needed (wanted) to add more to this bracelet, and (using what I have) wirewrapped some green aventurine chips that I've had for years, along with a few pearls and shell heishi. The aventurine matches the glass rondelles perfectly, and the rough shape and semi-matte texture is close enough to beach glass that I figured it would work just fine. The only other thing I might do is oxidize the copper, just a bit, so it's not super-dark but just looks weather-worn. I like this piece a lot... and I just had to photograph it outside, in the afternoon sun, to evoke the feeling of wandering along a beach on a sunny day and coming across treasures tucked among the rocks.... *Sigh.* I've found my happy place for the day. I hope you all do, too.

Waiting for Springtime Blues

Blue Flax (May 2010) and Springtime Blues Bracelet (January 2011)

First, before I start rambling, I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog and left comments; you are all just wonderful. Anyone who thinks the Internet and social networking "isolate" us from real life hasn't (1) lived in a very rural, remote area, and (2) made the kind of lasting connections that I and many others have made online over the years. Remember pen pals? I had one when I was a kid, a childhood friend who moved away when I was 6, and with whom I stayed in touch for many years afterward. Now, thanks to Facebook and this blog, I'm in frequent contact with far-flung family and friends I don't get to see in person very often. Anyhoo, thank you again; I always feel honored when someone visits and takes the time to leave a comment, and I enjoy visiting your blogs and seeing what you've been up to lately, too.

So after a very brief interlude with muted winter colors, I seem to be pushing ahead into the colors and themes of springtime. I'm sure there's some wishful thinking there, but I can also feel myself emerging slowly from the mental fog that usually closes in on me after Thanksgiving and lasts through most of January. When I lived back east, it lasted from mid-October to mid-February, so New Mexico definitely is an improvement, and in any case I do try to just go with the flow of seasons, at least to the extent possible when I also have to keep up with my responsibilities. As much as I miss gardening in the winter, I probably wouldn't have the energy for it anyway, at least not till the sun was above the horizon for ten or more hours a day. Those of you who live in very northern areas, how do you function with six or fewer hours of daylight? Given that I'm about half Scottish, how is it that I practically fall apart with fewer than nine? Weird.

Spring Fever Redux

Cherry Blossom Festival, Necklace in Shell, Glass, Sari Silk, and Oxidized Copper, Jan. 2011

Cherry Blossom Festival Bracelet

 I spent some time contemplating the necklace I made the other day and decided the copper needed to be oxidized after all, both for a more uniform look and because the darker copper contrasts better with the pink and white. First I bathed the copper in a solution of vinegar and baking soda (1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon, respectively), then soaked it for a minute in hot water, having just read that heating the copper helps it oxidize more quickly and uniformly. I then dipped it in a liver of sulfur solution for a few moments, till it was a dark greyish brown, then rinsed it thoroughly. After it was dry I rubbed all the copper components with a polishing cloth, being sure to hit the highlights a bit harder to bring out more texture. I love how it came out, especially the toggle, which I made myself (I probably mentioned that already because I am SO proud that I can make at least a few of my own components). And I added silk and flowers to the focal, just to fill it in a bit. I also oxidized some copper wire and components for a bracelet, which came out nicely; I should probably also do earrings, because of course everyone likes a set. I shot these on a silk shirt that a friend gave me, which I haven't worn yet (it's part of a summer suit, and it is hardly summer, nor am I needing to wear anything suit-like yet), and although I'm reminded yet again why I stopped shooting jewelry on fabric (the details become distracting and difficult during post-processing), I like the color contrast. More jewelry tomorrow; making this set made me want more flowers in my life, and since I can't grow them for a few more months, I seem intent on putting them in my jewelry...

Color Breakout

Poinsettia in Afternoon Light, Jan. 2011

Maybe it's cabin fever, or a few days of warmer weather (tomorrow might approach 60F!), but suddenly I want COLOR. I took this poinsettia photo yesterday afternoon, and last night's bracelet play turned out the two pieces pictured here plus two super-springy starts that I hope to finish this evening. These two use sari silk and some brass filligree elements and classic millefiore beads from a necklace I remember my mom wearing back in the 1970s. I love the combination of primary colors with the antiqued brass, don't you? So, yes, I can appreciate the subtle tones of winter for a while, but it's just not who I am or what I love. I'll probably bounce between subtlety and saturation for another month or two until the first hints of spring push me into a new creative space. As long as I'm creating, I'm happy.

Subtle Hues of Winter

Winter Song, Bracelet in Natural Coral, Onyx, Smoky Quartz, Bone, and Brass

Here are some more bracelets, a genre I neglected (along with my jewelry in general) last year but am loving now because it allows me to try new ideas and techniques and offer new jewelry at affordable prices. These bracelets both use brass -- a metal I've been growing fond of lately, especially as silver prices surge -- and wonderful natural coral rounds with a warm, earthy texture and color that actually work better with brass than silver. They both are in uncharacteristically (for me) muted colors and were inspired by a photo I took earlier this month -- a creative crossover I should continue to foster. 

The bracelet above has a hand-carved onyx raven focal bead and the last of my faceted onyx "pillows"; it closes with a button clasp based on a hand-carved bone button from my sewing stash. The bracelet below is all ocean: the coral rounds, dyed pearls, and two exquisite faceted ocean jasper teardrops "wrapped" in what could well be seen as seaweed. These and several more (which I'll probably show tomorrow) should be up in my Etsy shop by tomorrow. If any good movies are on tonight I'm hoping to finish some new, more springlike offerings that mix sari silk (my favorite new medium now that I've figured out how to use it in jewelry) and glass. Maybe I can get some inspiration from some of the many flower photos I took last spring. If you find inspiration from any of these, I'd love to see what you come up with!

Winter Shores, Bracelet in Natural Coral, Pearls, Ocean Jasper, and Brass

"I heard a bird sing in the dark of December..."

December Dusk, Bracelet of Ceramic, Leather, Turquoise, Coral, and Copper

 I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

-Oliver Herford

Just like this time last year, I have had a strange burst of creativity recently that seems out of place in the cold, dark weather typical of late December. This year it seems to be jewelry, specifically bracelets, which, unlike necklaces, offer a fairly constrained format that keeps me from getting overwhelmed as I experiment with new techniques.

Another constraint I'm imposing on myself is to use what I have: years ago I remember Christopher Lowell (oh how I loved Interior Motives! It always left me with a smiling heart full of happy) talking about how limited resources can actually spur our creativity, and over the years I have repeatedly found this to be true. In fact, in addition to the creative possibilities I find while poking around in my stash for treasures like the beads and charms in the above bracelet, perhaps the constraints of cold and dark have awakened or highlighted something that I might not notice when the weather is sunny and warm and I'm outside taking pictures of flowers and bugs. Kind of like how a candle is barely noticeable until the lights are dimmed....

Okay, so I won't get too corny on you, but yes, work with what you have -- it always turns out to be much more than you thought. Creativity comes from within; materials help, but nothing happens to them until a spark within you illuminates the possibilities.

I bid you all a happy new year full of creativity and joy.

New Directions

One benefit to hibernation is uninterrupted downtime, which sometimes (when I'm lucky) becomes creative time. Yesterday, inspired by creations from two of my favorite jewelry artists, Lorelei and Stephanie, I finally figured out some cool ways to incorporate sari silk into bracelets. Above is one creation, not quite finished (I'd like to add more danglies, aka charms). The millefiore and fancy brass links came from a necklace that I remember my mom wearing back in the 1970s; a few of the links had broken so I thought repurposing the beautiful components would be appropriate. The bracelet below uses tiger eye, dichroic glass, brass, and a scrap of sari silk; it too needs some charms and then will be finished. More pictures to come as I finish more pieces on deck while watching my favorite TV dramas and some cool independent movies on this cloudy day. I hope you all find some creative time in this quiet wintry space.

A New Creation

Corazón Inflamado, Necklace of lampwork glass and sari silk kumihimo, Anna Lear, 2010

A dear friend gifted me this exquisite lampwork glass heart almost 3 years ago, and I knew something special was in store for it when I found some flaming bright sari silk ribbon at a fiber arts show last summer. Kumihimo (Japanese braidwork) with sari silk is no minor feat, but of course I had to try it and have just loved the results. Put this amazing heart pendant on a plain chain or thin silken cord? No way. As bright and shiny as the silk is, it doesn't upstage but rather complements the heart beautifully. And I'm very pleased to be able to photograph this creation so accurately and artfully....

Summer Flowers

Summer Flowers, Necklace of handmade glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver

One of this week's creative prompts from The Gritty Bird is "summer flowers," and this necklace seems to capture the feeling of the season. Summer in New Mexico is, despite what many people might think, usually rainy and sometimes even lush. Once the rains start in July the earth comes alive with grasses and wildflowers of all colors. Most delightful are the sunflowers that spring up everywhere, including along just about every road in the state. Last year I took some seeds from a local roadside and scattered them in my front and back yards; this year I have been richly rewarded with my own personal flower show. These beauties reseed themselves, so the show will go on as long as I let them grow.

A New View: The Fire Within

Mexican green apatite chunk in sterling silver with crystal quartz and peridot

I created and photographed this necklace in April but today decided to re-photograph it with my new DSLR, and WOW what a difference. Spectacular resolution aside, this camera (a Nikon D-3000, just their "entry-level" DSLR but a huge step up for me) grabs the light in a way my old point-and-shoots never could. Notice the flash of rainbow in the stone's center? That is no surface reflection but actually comes from within the stone. I had to do way less Photoshopping on these images than the earlier ones; the colors on the originals of the images here are much truer and the focus and clarity are exactly where *I* want them, not where the camera's "brain" decided they should be.

Now to get busy making more jewelry. And plotting another photo trip... maybe just into my backyard to capture the late-summer fiesta of wildflowers stirred up by the rains.

Leafing Out

Summer is in full swing, and out here in the Great Southwest the summer storms are gearing up, right on time. We call them "the monsoons," but I'm sure they don't compare to real Asian monsoons. They do, however, bring us much-needed rain and light up the parched earth with green and all the other colors of the rainbow. Inspired by today's rain I made these earrings (and a matching necklace, a simple bolo-style with a front-closing toggle clasp) of oxidized brass and Swarovski crystals. I plan to take them along with other recent pieces on a gallery-scouting road trip soon.

Let's do a leaf theme today, shall we? Okay, so at right is a mosaic I made (and showed here) last fall, my second or third one ever; this one is in a gallery in Albuquerque, I think, and I'd like to do a much larger, more ambitious one someday... this fall, perhaps? And below is a photo I took about two weeks ago in the mountains above Magdalena of a young oak just starting to leaf out. I was surprised to see how red and even almost purple the new leaves were; they'll green up as they go, then all turn yellow, red, and bronze again in autumn. I'll be back then for sure to see that gorgeous show...

Young gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), Patterson Canyon, NM, June 2010