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!

Wonder and Whimsy July 2025 Reveal: Mid-Year Cleanup, Part 5

It's time for more earrings!

Now, these are earrings that I actually had planned--as opposed to the ones I showed yesterday, which came together while I was working on other things.

These earrings also just so happen to be a continuation of my April Monthly Challenge. I made them to coordinate with the necklaces I made for that challenge--which was my Farewell to Joanns, in case you missed it. I'll go ahead and include pictures of the necklaces just in case you did.

But enough talk. Here are the matching earrings that I finally finished!

Set 1

This necklace is beautiful and straight forward in design, so I thought I would continue with that design philosophy when making the earrings. 

And here is what I came up with! They use the same materials as the necklace itself.

Set 2

To match this necklace, I made three pairs of earrings: one goldtone, one silvertone, and one mixed. They are made almost entirely with the same materials as in the necklace--the only exceptions being some of the findings/spacers. 

I figured with three different options, I can go with whatever look I'm in most in the mood for and still match!

Set 3

I love the textures, shapes, and sizes in this necklace. I tried to incorporate that into the earrings by using some of the same materials. 

Overall, I made two pairs.

Set 4

And, last but not least, here are the earrings that I made to match this tassel necklace. 

Overall, I made three pairs--with varying amounts of dangly-ness.

And, because I love it, here is the necklace one more time:

So, there you go! All told, I made nine pairs of earrings for this part of the reveal. I can pretty confidently say that I am finished this particular project... finally! Hurray!

Thanks for stopping by today... I'm about halfway done my reveals for this challenge, so be sure to come back for more. (I have follow-ups for both my May and June challenges as well, in case you're curious.)

Have a lovely day, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy July 2025 Reveal: Mid-Year Cleanup, Part 4

Today's reveal is going to be fun... it's time for an earring dump!

As you might imagine, I made quite a few pairs of earrings for this challenge. Some of them were planned designs, while others were inspired by the beads I had leftover on my desk. 

All of the earrings in this particular entry are the latter kind: the ones made with components left on my desk. 

It was actually rather comical... I would be working on something--a necklace, perhaps, or a hairstick--and look down and see a bead that sparked my interest. I would put it aside, then get back to what I was doing. Then I would see another interesting bead, and in the pile it would go. By the time I finished my original project, I would have two or three little bead piles I wanted to play with... and from those piles, these earrings were born.

But, enough talk. Now, to show you  what I made!

Earring Pair 1

I keep trying to come up with a cool name for this pair and failing. They are big and bold, and I'm incredibly fond of them.

They are made with a combination of wood and resin, with some seed beads for accents. You may notice that the wood rounds have two different finishes... one is glossy, and one is matte. I didn't actually notice until I was taking pictures, but I think I'm going to leave them this way... I like the subtle difference!

Earring Pair 2

This pair is a simple combination of chain and chandelier crystals. 

Honestly, they don't need to be any more complicated than that... they sway wonderfully when worn, and I do love the purple shimmer.

Earring Pair 3

I have been saving these lovely faceted green glass beads for something special. I am not sure what exactly I had in mind, but they have been sitting on my table for ages.

So, instead of waiting for the absolutely perfect design, I decided to just use them. And I'm so glad I did! I think, sometimes, I try to make things overly complicated. (I definitely fall victim to over-designing.) 

...Earrings like these remind me that I don't have to.

Earring Pair 4

Speaking of simple! I made these beauties for me--when I want something understated, but still shiny. And considering the amount of black and silver I tend to wear, these will match much of my wardrobe.

They are made with two types of Czech glass, and some crackled silver glass rounds. Oh, and silver plated findings, of course.

Earring Pair 5

As you might expect, the inspiration for this pair came from those gorgeous bead caps. The entire design process was centered around finding beads that both fit and matched them. 

I'm so, so glad that I found those faceted glass beads... that color is just luminous!

I actually thought about making these into a pair of hairsticks, but I figure I am more likely to wear earrings. I also didn't feel like gluing anything. Now, to go through my wardrobe and find something to match!

Earring Pair 6

And now for the earrings that I'm most proud of! ...Which ironically include hearts, a shape that has historically given me trouble.

You see, I had originally put the hearts and beadcaps into a pile to make hairsticks. 

Then on a whim, while I was attempting to find the hairstick glue, I put those dangles in the pile, too. I liked the size proportions, and the way that the tapered heart transitioned perfectly into the top of the drop.

The result? Well, you can see for yourself.

As I said, I don't usually go for hearts. But, in this case, I feel like the shape is actually what makes the design work so well.

So, there you go! Those are some more of the projects that I finished up this month. Six pairs of earrings--and a clear spot on my craft table. It feels good!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I have more reveals to go, so be sure to come back and see! I'm getting them posted as quickly as I'm able.

Have a lovely day, everyone!

--

Also! As a heads up, I have decided that for August my Monthly Challenge is going to be... not making any jewelry! I know that might sound odd, but I think I need a break. I'm sure I'll keep posting (heaven only knows I have enough finished pieces to show), but it's time to take a vacation and reset!

Wonder and Whimsy July 2025 Reveal: Mid-Year Cleanup, Part 3

Hello hello! It's time for yet another reveal for this month's challenge. We're up to 3 reveals--with several more to go!

Today's reveal involves another Russian spiral design... this time, in shades of blue, tan, and silver. I am very happy to present: 

Sea and Sand

...I even remembered to take process pictures of this one! Here is how it looked at the beginning of the month: the spiral stitching was done, and it was time to turn it into a necklace.

Here are some of the matching beads I picked out to go with the design:

...You know, for most of this challenge, I was so busy going from one project to the next that I forgot to take "before" pictures. Ah well. Makes it special when I did remember, hah!

In any case, I actually only used the pictured ivory Czech glass rounds to complete the necklace. 

Here is the finished piece:

I used 22 gauge silver plated wire to make the links. I decided that the other Czech glass beads drew too much attention away from the main attraction--the Russian spiral design--so keeping it simple on the sides was the way to go. 

Besides, the ivory Czech rounds look a lot like pearls--fitting in nicely with the Sea and Sand motif!

...The other beads didn't completely go to waste, though. I used two of them to make a matching pair of earrings:

And, for fun, here is the set together:

I have a lot of these half-finished Russian spiral pieces lying around... When I was recovering from my surgery at the beginning of the year, this stitching was one of the only creative endeavors I could actually do. Don't be surprised if more of them show up in later reveals!

Thanks for joining me for another part of this reveal... Be sure to come back for more.

Until then, have a lovely day, everyone!