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!

Fire It Up

Necklace of heat-treated carnelian, pearls, copper, and fiber (in progress)

It's been way past 90 degrees (F) here in Magdalena most of the week and near or over 100 in Albuquerque and other Rio Grande valley areas, and I'm totally okay with that. Heat makes me lazy and sleepy in mid-afternoon, like it does most creatures, but I seem to get a special energy boost late in the evening once it cools down. That makes summer nights a great time for me to get stuff done, including jewelry making. I'll also admit that I decided a few summers ago not to ever, ever complain about the heat here (back east, with the humidity, is a different matter) because I spend most of the winter complaining of being cold, and really I can't spend the entire year bitching about the weather. I hope you're enjoying this summer weekend (or winter, if you're down under)!

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!

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...

Spring Fever!



Cherry Blossoms, Necklace in Shell, Glass, and Copper, Jan. 2011



Looking through my photographs two evenings ago I came across and just drooled over one of my favorites, a shot of blossoms on the tiny old apricot tree outside my bedroom window. I wish I could say I took this photo yesterday because that would mean it's spring (with our warm weather these past few days it sure feels like it), but I actually took it in March 2009. The image clearly stuck in my mind because when I went to Michael's yesterday (ABQ trip! Yay!) I was drawn to the shell focal above and then picked out coordinating beads and components, all of which are way outside my usual style. I don't dislike pink, but I don't use it very often in my jewelry because I tend towards cooler, earthier colors. Maybe participating in the Bead Soup Party is piqueing my creativity and curiosity; in any case, this necklace practically laid itself out as I played last night (instead of doing coursework; after almost 2.5 years of that I am TIRED). I was amazed to find a length of sari silk in my bundle that matched perfectly, and I love how the copper works with the pink. I am thinking of antiquing the copper to darken it a bit and match the chain (top); that would also bring out the detail in the toggle bar I made -- I love hammering copper and want to make more of these toggles! I'm not sure the necklace is finished yet; in addition to antiquing the copper I might add more of the little glass flowers, and maybe more sari silk. What do you think?

Adventures in Sari Silk: Dragonfly Neckpiece

I consider this a signature piece and, if I even offer it for sale, will put a silly price on it so I don't have to part with it anytime soon... I started this piece in August and finished it a few weeks ago, taking time to let the elements come together and to get comfortable with the scale and complexity of the piece. I used 3 strands of sari silk yarn and ribbon, brass chain, an oxizided brass dragonfly (from Patina Queen, one of my favorite suppliers!), an enameled brass dragonfly from Nepal, lampwork glass beads in various shapes and textures, crystal, pearls, glass seed beads, and miscellaneous small gemstones. I have another one in the works that will draw more from the blue-green part of the color spectrum and will probably be more spring-like. In the meantime, more bracelets... stay tuned, I'm feeling creative!

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.

New Kumihimo Braids (Yes, I still make jewelry)

Kumihimo Lariat 1: Sari silk ribbon, glass beads, and rayon/cotton with glass button clasp

Kumihimo Lariat 2: Sari silk ribbon, mohair, silk cord,
and rayon/cotton with glass button clasp

I found some beautiful sari silk ribbon at Convergence last month and decided to see whether it would work for kumihimo. Although it's much wider and a good bit heavier than the silk, cotton, and other fibers I generally use, its brilliant color and texture work very well in the round braids, especially with the larger (size 6 glass) beads I'd strung a while back for a different project. I have this particular braid (an 8-strand) down pat but have only recently figured out some good ways to finish the ends; here I've strung a handmade dichroic glass button on one end and made a beaded loop on the other, leaving the fiber ends loose at the button end for a more dramatic look. I don't even think this necklace needs beads; the button and tassel seem to work well as a focal. I finished braiding the piece above on the plane trip out to Philadelphia last month, and finished braiding the one at right on the plane trip home two weeks ago. So these have a bit of "heaviness" emotionally as well as physically... but their spirited color seems appropriate for honoring my mom, who I only got to see for nine hours during that visit before she passed away. The second kumihimo lariat here uses one of her yarns, in fact: a beautiful hand-dyed mohair and silk blend she had used for one of her many projects that became cherished gifts. I brought home this and many other yarns, as well as two unfinished projects that I will finish for her this fall or winter.

As for the sari silk, I have plenty more and will figure out how to use it in my jewelry and other handiwork. This tutorial for sari silk and stone bangles seems a great way to weave together ribbon and wire, and Stefanie uses a lot of sari silk in her exquisite creations. These are more than enough inspiration for new fiber projects, which always start coming to mind as shadows lengthen in August and autumn approaches...

Memo to Self: Objects in Macro View are Closer than They Appear.

Blooming Cholla (Opuntia imbricata), Magdalena, NM, June 2010

I was so excited to see the first cholla blooms out on my parents' property when I took Lucy for a walk this evening; the setting sun lit the blooms and thorns up perfectly. As I was getting this shot, though, I didn't realize I was almost on top of the plant... till I felt the thorns, right in my chest. OUCH. After I got the shot (this must make me a true photographer, right?) I pulled out no less than two dozen thorns, some over an inch long. Good thing I always wear jeans and a heavy denim shirt in the field...

Dad and I go back up to Albuquerque tomorrow to see Mom, so I took today off from just about everything and just enjoyed the day. I took a few moments this afternoon to finish off my little Maggie's Bead Soup contribution; using the clasp that Bead Soup partner Wanda sent, I turned it into a necklace that Maggie can either wear or hang up as the intended "ornament," as she calls it. The green and copper-colored rounds and the blue glass beads are also from Wanda; Maggie added the copper snails, glass heart drops, and seed beads, and I wirewrapped Wanda's beautiful agate slice for her to use as the focal piece. I really like it, and I know Maggie is very proud of her latest creation!

I missed today's Bead Soup reveals but will catch up tomorrow if I can; so much talent and beauty...

Kumihimo Necklace

The Bead Soup Blog Party has indeed sparked my creativity again; I just finished this kumihimo necklace and am about to finish another much more elaborate one that I'll show later this week. This one uses a kumihimo (Japanese braided cord) of embroidery cotton with a handmade brass wire and turquoise clasp and brass end caps; the exquisite stone is Mexican green turquoise and was made by dear friends Dean and Conne of Two Cranes.

So yay for beading parties, real or virtual; even more fun than getting my package of goodies from Wanda and creating with them has been meeting my fellow party-goers! As part of the celebration some bloggers are having giveaways; Denise Yezbak Moore calls hers "the best bead give-away ever" and I would definitely have to agree! Even if her various color collections are split up, this is an amazing and generous giveaway. Please visit her blog and leave a comment to enter in the giveaway, and then stay to see Denise's wonderfully creative jewelry designs. Such talent, and I'm so glad to be part of the Internet Age so I can see what other people do and learn from and be inspired by it all! Speaking of inspiration, the Bead Soup Blog Party continues; see today's reveals here and enjoy the show!

Bead Soup Blog Party!

Thanks to the wonderful beads that Bead Soup Party partner Wanda sent me, I was able to stretch my creative wings and get back into jewelry making. I've used copper quite often, and the wonderful hammered copper pendant and butterflies in Wanda's package caught my eye right away. Then I noticed the blue and earth-tone ceramic beads and thought, wow, these are beautiful... how can I possibly do them justice? I knew these would take me in a whole new direction (I usually use gemstones, and have been getting kind of delicate lately) so decided to just look at everything for a while and see what ideas started to form in my mind.

Not surprisingly, when I finally had time to sit down with this project, my 6-year-old, who was doing Creative Day with me, announced she had an idea for the blue glass, green cat's eye, and copper rounds in the package and proceeded to appropriate those, along with several of the butterflies. No problem; I had more than enough to proceed, and as I started laying out the ceramic beads I "saw" spaces for my own Swarovski crystals and copper flower spacers and hammered rounds.

Wanda also sent me a lovely copper-and-silver toggle clasp, but since I had enough beads to also make a bracelet, and I had two sets of copper flower toggles, I used mine instead and saved Wanda's toggle for another project. Then, earrings: Maggie relinquished two butterflies, which I wirewrapped onto handmade copper headpins with Swarovski crystals and then dangled from copper heart earwires. I am so pleased with how these pieces came together and have really enjoyed this "party"! Now I'm off to see what my fellow creatives have made... when I find what Wanda made with the beads I sent her (I think she's showing off her creations on Thursday), I'll link to her -- I can't wait to see what she made! Again, many thanks to Wanda for the beautiful beads!

Here's a list of everyone else showing today:

14. Jen, Jen Judd Rocks
15. Kella, Me But a Little More In Depth
16. Emanda, Artemisia Studio
17. Marie, Skye Jewels
18. Loretta, Designs By Loretta
19. Stacy, Sissy and Jack's
20. Joanna, Filcowe
21. Diane, Diane Hawkey
22. Marianna, Pretty Shiny Things
23. (me)
24. Marcie, La Bella Joya
25. Lois, Que Onda Q'town?
26. Jayne, Mama's Got To Doodle

Go visit, enjoy, leave a comment, and be inspired. And I thank everyone for visiting me!

Green Goddess

I finally figured out how to finish the ends on Kumihimo cords: end caps that can be glued AND pinched on, for full security. I don't like to make things that fall apart, especially things that I sell. So now I've finished off four necklaces using cords I've made over the past year or so, including the green one pictured above that I wove from 8 strands of cotton embroidery thread and glass seed beads. I made the cord to match the gorgeous glazed ceramic pendant from BeadFreaky and finished it with a simple brass wirewrap, brass petal cord ends, and an antiqued brass flower S-clasp. The necklace at right uses a thinner cord, just 4 strands of hand-dyed silk and gold embroidery thread, looped through a Creekmore-Durham dichroic glass pendant and finished with a brass clasp I made myself. I don't expect to total up much time at the workbench this week thanks to a grueling trip to Las Cruces yesterday and family medical stuff tomorrow ; even photo time has suffered, though I am thinking of taking the kids on a photo trip in the next few days, armed with their own little cameras that their Uncle Charles gave them for Christmas. The family that plays together...