Wednesday's Worktable: ...And Now for Something Different

On my worktable today: not a Russian Spiral necklace! 

It's not one of my giant tassels, either.

Instead, I'm having fun with acetate focals and a lampwork bead, and creating something a bit wacky:

...and it makes me very happy.

Apparently I'm going through a "bright bright BRIGHT" phase. The more color, the better. The brighter the color, the better.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

We'll see how this necklace actually turns out. In the meantime, I'm just having fun with the bright colors.

Hoping your week is full of color and whimsy, a maybe even a little touch of wacky. Have a lovely day, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy July 2025 Reveal: Mid-Year Cleanup, Part 8

Today's reveal theme: Green and Gold!

Like everything else I've been showing off for this massive rolling reveal, these are both pieces that I made back in July--although I had actually started them long before. In this case, I started both of these necklaces back in March, originally for St. Patrick's Day. Obviously I didn't finish them in time for that, but I'm grateful that they are now both finished!

Necklace 1

First up, we have something that you're probably starting to recognize:

Yep! Another Russian spiral necklace!

When I said that I'm enjoying making these necklaces, I was not exaggerating. I love the way that they swirl, and how using slightly different shades of beads add subtle visual interest.

...I am also notoriously bad at actually finishing these necklaces, which is why so many have been showing up for this challenge. Weaving in the ends is not hard, but it is tedious, so I have approximately a zillion (read: a dozen) half-finished beaded spiral ropes lying around on my table. 

But now I have one more done, and one less unfinished project in my craft room!

Necklace 2

This next necklace also uses seed beads. In fact, it was inspired by this bead mix, which I believe was from The Bead Place: 

...Yep. That above picture is from March. That was when I strung a random mix of the seed beads onto a piece of SoftFlex beading wire, making a simple strung necklace. I didn't just want to leave it there, but was unsure how to finish it. 

So it sat on my desk for months.

I really wanted to finish it, though. So, I challenged myself to do just that. 

This is what I came up with!

I leaned into the eclectic bead-mix feel of the original piece, making a charm pendant from Czech glass beads and a faceted charm I had (I think it's cubic zirconia, but I'd have to check). I also added some chain for an extra pop of gold to help tie it all together.

I wish I could get better pictures of this piece. It actually lays really nicely, and the gold chain is not nearly so awkward. All told, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out... and, again, I'm pleased to have another finished necklace!

So, there you go. Two more pieces I made for this challenge! 

...What can I say? I was really busy in July.

Believe it or not, I do have a few more things to show. Those reveals should be coming up soon-ish. Stay tuned!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Wonder and Whimsy July 2025 Reveal: Mid-Year Cleanup, Part 7

Did you think I forgot about my promise to finish posting the pieces from my July Challenge?

Nope!

...I was just delayed. Life is sometimes like that, apparently.

Still! As a special treat to reward you for your patience, today's post is also a follow-up on my June Challenge, too. You know, the one where I made jewelry based on my ceiling. (I kid you not... check it out here.)

One of the inspiration pictures from June's challenge.

I'll start off with the two necklaces that I made.

Necklace #1

This first necklace was inspired by the contrast between the cream colored ceiling and the brown of the fan. I think that inspiration is pretty clear!

I also like how the spiral captures the movement of the ceiling fan when it's on--the way that it spins against the cream background.

For those curious about the construction, it was made with three different colors of Czech glass fire-polished beads and 11/0 Toho seed beads. 

Oh, and the stitch is, once again, the Russian Spiral--because I'm currently obsessed with it. I just love the way it looks! If I can find an excuse to make a Russian Spiral necklace, I apparently I will gladly do so. And can you blame me, when the results look like this? :)

Necklace #2

The second necklace was made to match some of the earrings that I posted in the original June reveal.

Here are the earrings in question:

And here is the necklace that I (finally) made to match them!

Yes, it's simple. 

...I love it just the same.

I also love the little added leaf. It adds just enough of a pop of interest to differentiate the earrings from the necklace--and makes the pendant heavy enough that it doesn't just slide around all the time. A win-win!

Bracelet #1

So now, it's time for the bracelets!

Which, you will quickly see, are all variations on the same theme. You see, I was fascinated by the color patches on the ceiling (which is not an elegant way to say it, but it's the best I've got at the moment). I thought that using randomized color peyote stitch might be a good way to capture that look.

I even hinted at it in this post, with these pictures:

So, after much waiting, here are the final result:

This bracelet was made using Jill Wiseman's Princess Peyote design, which is a 2-drop peyote pattern. Except, instead of using Miyuki Delicas, I used Toho 11/0s. I was just curious to see how it would look.

Oh, and I used a button clasp instead of the one she recommended... I thought it went better with the more organic feeling that the Toho beads created.

Overall, I love the way this turned out. It's much larger than any bracelet that I would wear, but I love the texture and subtle variations that can be seen. I'm also glad I went with the random mixed Czech glass beads for the fringe... again, it just makes it feel organic and unique.

Bracelet #2

After I finished the Toho version, I thought I should at least try the same pattern using the recommended Miyuki Delicas. 

This was the result!

I decided to go with white beads instead of cream, with some transparent ones thrown in. As expected, the bracelet is a lot more uniform (one of the many benefits of using Delicas),,, I also used the same beads (vintage Japanese acrylic) for the fringe, instead of a mix.

Isn't it fun how the same pattern can yield such different results, based on the materials?

While I do think that the first bracelet matches the inspiration better, I love the feeling of this one. The fabric created by the beads is so supple and smooth, I couldn't help but play with it!

Thank you to Jill Wiseman for coming up with such a lovely pattern!

Bracelet #3

And, last but not least, here is the third bracelet I made for this challenge. 

Although, I'm showing these out of order. This one was actually the first one that I made--a proof of concept, that made me brave enough to try to make the other ones.

I made up the pattern, It's simple even count peyote, made with a Delica mix I bought off of LimaBeads. I completely made up the fringe design... not nearly as elegant as Jill Wiseman's, but not too bad considering it was my first attempt!

Again, it's not as close to the inspiration as the first bracelet I showed, but I still wanted to show it here. After all, as I said, making this one gave me the courage to try something even bigger!

So, there you go! Those are the final pieces I had planned for my June Challenge, which I finally finished. Hurray!

I think I have two more Mid-Year Cleanup posts to go, whenever I get around to them. I'm just so, so grateful to finally get this one posted. I've been really excited about it, and I'm so glad to finally share!

Thank you for stopping by today to see what I've been up to! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Happy September!

Hello hello!

I'm back from vacation, slowly getting back into the rhythm of reality. Oof. I just want to be sitting at a picnic table next to the lake, writing in a new notebook.

But alas, it's back to the land of chores and responsibilities. It's definitely not all bad, though... sleeping in my own bed, sitting in my comfy computer chair, having climate control in the house... those are nice things.

And being able to post here, of course!

Speaking of, I'm not sure what my posting schedule is going to be like this month. Life is keeping me pretty busy. I'll try to check in periodically, though. I do love this little corner of the internet. :)

I hope you all are doing well! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Vacation Time!

Hello, everyone!

I have alluded to this, but it's time for me to take a step back from both blogging and jewelry making and take a little vacation. Woo! I should resume posting again sometime in the August 27th -29th time frame.

Oh, and I know that I'm behind on finishing up my reveal from last month... thank you for your patience. Life has been surprisingly and delightfully busy. I will get around to posting everything, just not sure when. Hopefully you'll still think it's worth it when I do. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today... Have a wonderful August, everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable: Making Jewelry from a Kit

You may have heard that Beadaholique is closing.

...That seems to be happening a lot these days, bead stores closing. Ah well.

Now, Beadaholique has a special place in my heart. They offered me one of my first opportunities to be one of the "Big Girls"... back in 2013, when I was still new to this full time jewelry designer thing, they let me be an official part of their Bead Ruckus. (If you're interested in that, you can search my blog for entries. *grin*)

So, as a bit of a thank you, I made an order--of some things that were just a really good bargain, and some things that they offer that I can't really find anywhere else.

One of those latter things was this kit:

I've had my eyes on it for awhile now. It's made by GoodyBeads, who are also going out of business, and I wasn't able to snatch it up before it sold out on their website.

So, I'm sure you can guess what's on my beadtable. 

Yep. These earrings:

It was a lovely kit, and an easy make. The labradorite is flashy, and the earrings themselves aren't too heavy. Oh, and you can't really tell from photos, but those chandelier components are hinged. They have a lovely sway.

I'm really glad I was able to snag this kit before it sold out.

So, thank you, Beadaholique for being a part of my beading journey. Thank you, Goodybeads, for making this lovely kit.

And thank you, readers, for being with me--even after all this time!

Have a great day, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy July 2025 Reveal: Mid-Year Cleanup, Part 6

Today's reveal is another follow-up reveal... this time, for May's Monthly Challenge, where I dove into the world of diamond tessellations.

I had three peyote bracelets that I did not finish in time for that particular challenge. (You can see their beginnings here.) 

I wasn't able to finish all three of them this month, either... but I was able to do two of them!

...And without further ado, here they are!

Bracelet #1

As a bit of a refresher, here is the design that I created...

...and here is the finished project!

Instead of repeating the pattern to go the full length of the bracelet, I decided to stick with the section I had originally patterned out. I like the way that it forms a complete unit, with the blue on either side as well as in the middle. It makes my symmetry brain happy.

The danglies are Czech glass. I thought they added just a little extra "something" to the otherwise flat design. 

I'm still not convinced that those seed beads are actually Miyuki Delicas, but at least they look nice. The colors are certainly bright and summery!

Bracelet #2

And here is that same pattern, but in a different--slightly more complicated--colorway:

And here it is! The finished product:

For this one, I decided to repeat the pattern all the way around the wrist. Since the colorway is a bit more involved, I thought that continuing the pattern helped balance it out a bit.

And I couldn't help myself: I added more danglies!

I am actually pretty happy with how this turned out. I was a little worried as I was working on it, thinking that it wouldn't look right... I'm glad that I didn't give up on it. Sometimes you just have to go through with the design to see how it will actually turn out!

So, there you go! Two more completed projects!

Thanks for stopping by today! I have more reveals to go, but I think I'm going to start slowing down my posting schedule a little.  I'm taking a break from challenges next month (happy vacation time!), so I'll just keep posting these reveals throughout August.

Happy last day of July, everyone!