Wednesday's Worktable

Not much on my worktable this week... At least, not a lot of creating! Instead, I've been organizing. 

That's the creative rhythm I've settled into, it seems--I spend time in feverish productivity, and then have to take the time to clean and organize before the next bout of creative chaos. All in all, not a bad system... Although, looking at my craft room, you might think I should spend a bit more time organizing. Heh. :)

One of the things I've tackled this week is the bag of broken vintage necklaces I acquired while on vacation last summer. Very few of them are in wearable condition--which is just as well for me! I'm having fun disassembling them and sorting the beads, getting ideas of future projects as I go along.

I love re-purposing beads and finding inspiration in unlikely places--and I enjoy the thrill of having things organized! 

...At least, until the next bout of creative chaos. Heh. 

Have a lovely Wednesday, everyone!

Reveal - SJ Designs Jewelry Honey Do List March Design Challenge!

If you're here looking for the Bead Peeps Swap n' Hop reveal, please note that it's been pushed back until April 6th! Come back then to see what I've made for that challenge! :)

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Every month, Sarajo Wentling over at SJ Designs Jewelry hosts the Honey Do List Challenge.

What is the Honey Do List Challenge, you ask? It's where her husband, Eric, issues her a beading challenge--with the intent that she both use up some of her bead stash and get out of her comfort zone. I don't always get the chance to play along, but I'm so happy that I got to do so this month!

Here was this month's inspiration:

And this is what Eric said about it: 

I decided to go with a monochromatic shot this month, as winter drags on. This picture of a window was taken while on a walk through D.C. last summer. Let's see what you can pull off with this unusual inspiration!

I really like the differing shades of brown and rust, the juxtaposition of white snow, and the geometric/linear nature of it all. As I was digging through my stash, I was really hoping to find elements that captured all of that. And I did!

...I just don't like the end result of what I made with them. Hah.

It's a combination of Czech glass, agate, and amber shell strung on waxed linen and paired with copper chain. It has the snow-powdered white on brown, the differing shades of rust and tan, and it even has the geometric rectangles found in the picture.

...And I just don't like it. 

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I think maybe I was trying too hard to fit everything. I like all of the elements... Maybe I just need to revisit them at some point and make something a little more balanced.

Not to be deterred, however, I did make another necklace for this challenge... And this one I like much, much better:

  
For this one, I just focused on the amazing variations of color. I paired the ceramic focal with a combination of 8mm leopard jasper rounds and 6mm Malaysian jade. I kept the design relatively simple--knotted on waxed linen--and just let the color do the talking.

...Oh, and I'm not the only one who is happy with how this necklace turned out. My best friend has called dibs on it. :)

So, there you go--a finished product and a first draft, the two necklaces that I made for this challenge. Many many thanks to Sarajo and Eric for letting me play along with this challenge, and for inspiring me to stretch my designs! 

...And thank you, wonderful readers, for stopping by to see what I made! :)

Have a lovely day, everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable

Happy Second Day of Spring!

...Have some snow!

Seriously, it's snowing here in Cincinnati. That picture was taken this morning of one of the many bushes in the front yard. I look outside, and everything has a thick coating of white.

...All the more reason to make some tea and be cuddly warm at my beading table. :)

As far as my current projects go, I'm working on a little bit of everything. I'm in the middle of challenge crunch-time, so most of my makings are centered around that. To keep it all a surprise, I'm not going to show you those things.

Instead, I can show you what I received this month in the Bargain Bead Box:

Stars! And moons! And a celestial theme, which matches my Monthly Challenge for this month. That wasn't on purpose... Apparently, I was on the same wave-lengths as the creators of the box this month. Heh. There might end up being some crossover there. :)

And I can show you this little project that I picked up while out and about with my best friend:

I've actually finished a design with it, but I don't like it... thinking about how I can redo it. Once I've settled on something, I'm sure I'll show it off here.

And, lastly, I can show you my recent lampwork bead acquisitions--for no real reason, other than they're preeeeetty:

So many options! The beads in the top picture were made by a glass artisan in Rochester, New York (bought them from a third party, so sadly I don't know the artist's name). The beads in the second picture are by Juli Cannon. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to make with any of them--vague ideas, nothing concrete--but that's all right. I'm sure the right projects will present themselves!

Sorry this entry is all over the place today--my brain is a bit scattered and I'm doing many many things at once. Completing current projects, planning designs for future projects, learning new skills, helping my husband design a video game (possibly), and burning the ever-loving heck out of my thumb while making dinner. Ah yes--it hasn't been a dull week!

Thanks so much for stopping by today... I appreciate you taking the time to see what I'm up to.

Have a wonderful week, everyone! :)

We're All Ears - March Reveal

This month's We're All Ears Challenge, hosted by the talented and wonderful Erin Prais-Hintz over on the Earrings Everyday Blog, was all about contrast.

...specifically, the contrast of black and white.

Not my photo!
Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

An achromatic color palette is always an interesting one to play with... I don't do so very often, so it was fun looking through my black and white beads to see if anything in particular stood out. 

I was looking for different patterns or designs or textures that really caught my eye. I usually associate black and white either with geometric patterns (like the ones shown here) or black ink drawings (specifically zentangle designs), so I was curious if I could find something to mirror that aesthetic.

Not my photo!
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

The result? Not really. 

Hah. 

I did end up making two pairs of earrings--and I like them very much. But they aren't exactly what I had in my mind when I started digging through my stash. And that's all right! It just shows that ideas morph and change, and creativity doesn't always listen to our rules. (And that I probably will be revisiting this challenge at some point, too! Heh.)

Here are the earrings that I did make:

...They sort of match. 

I realize that these aren't complicated, construction-wise... I wanted the main interest to be the contrast between the beads. 

Both pairs use white howlite (which was a surprise gift from my husband this week--hee!) and silvertone metal. The shorter ones were finished off with black agate, the longer ones with some paper beads I made. All of the beads have grey patterning--the howlite has a matrix, the agate has striations, and the paper beads have hints of writing.

So, there you go! Thank you so much for stopping by today to see what I made... Be sure to swing by the Earrings Everyday post to see what everyone else created for the black-and-white theme.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable

For last week's worktable, I shared my rose bead making escapades.

So, for this week, I thought it would be only fitting for me to share how they turned out!

They range from 8mm to 14mm. I coated them with 3 coats of glaze, which made them much smoother. I would be curious to see how they held up to sanding with sandpaper, but I admit to being a little trepidatious. The are certainly solid, but I'm not entirely sure if they're solid enough. Something to try next time, perhaps. 

  
Color-wise, they are a fascinating combination of black and dark dark red. They also smell very very faintly of roses. 

Now, I just need to figure out what to make with them. Oooo, the possibilities.

So, there you go... That's what I've been up to this week. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today... Have a lovely day, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - March Edition

This is the 4th Anniversary of my Monthly Challenge!

Can you believe it? I've been doing this for the last 4 years. Ha!

Now, I've been planning this month's challenge for awhile now--it's a special anniversary challenge, after all--and I'm very excited to finally announce it. 

...Want to take a guess what it is?

Not my photo!
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

That's right... I'm going to make jewelry that is based on space! 

Outer space, that is.

Not my photo!
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

I have always been fascinated by astronomy and stars and all things space-related... When I was a little girl, I dreamt of being an astronaut (at least, until I took my first physics class... Oi!). 

Still, even though it is highly doubtful that I will ever personally journey to the stars, I can certainly look up into space and marvel... And make pretty jewelry inspired by it all. :)

Not my photo!
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Not my photo!
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

For this challenge, everything space-related is fair game--nebulae and planets and meteorites and stars. Come back on Friday, March 30th to see what I end up creating... and feel free to join in, if you're inspired to do so!

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

Friday's Worktable

If you follow my Instagram account at all, there's a really good chance you know what I've been working on this week.

If you don't follow me... Well, here's a hint:

That's right! 

I've been doing my annual turn-my-Valentine's-Day-roses-into-beads project! Woo!

I don't really make rose beads often enough to have a flawless procedure, and I know I've made some mistakes due to being sick (ugh, have I mentioned that I hate being sick?), but I've still been enjoying myself immensely.

Here's how the process has been going so far....

Step 1: Cut, or tear, rose petals into pieces.

Step 2: Soak in hot water for several hours... I started with boiling water and just put a lid on it.

Step 3: Once pieces have been soaked, drain them and put them in a food processor.

Step 4: Pulse the food processor until the pieces are as small as you can make them.
Some people can get this mush into a creamy paste... I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

Step 5: Form into beads.
Step 6: Let dry a bit, and then poke the holes. (They shrink, so I used the paintbrush handle.)

Step 7: Let dry

Step 8: Let dry some more.

Step 9: Yep, still drying.

After several days of drying, here is what the beads look like now...

That's the same paper from the beginning... You can see how much they've shrunk!

This weekend, once I'm sure they're completely dry, I'll probably coat them with some sort of glaze. They are currently strong but scratchy, so I figure that a coating will make them smoother to the skin when worn. And then I get to decide what cool jewelry to make with them! (This particular round is rather special... They mark the day that, 15 years ago, my husband asked me out. Yep, I'm a sappy romantic sometimes.)

So, there you go... That's what I've been working on this week, between rounds of antibiotics and sleeping. Thanks so much for stopping in to check in on my antics!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Hello, March... and Swap N' Hop update! :)

It's March!

...and I'm super excited to show off what my lovely partner has sent me for the Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop! Hurray!

I'll even give you a picture-by-picture unwrapping of it. *grin*

When I first opened the box... oooo, what treasures lie in wait!

Everything was so nicely labeled in its own baggie.

Lampwork! All handmade by my partner. *drools*

Everything together! Lampwork and Swarovski and vintage German beads and and and... I'm spoiled!

I'm in love with the bright mix of colors combined with the splash of dark blue. I already have three necklace ideas in mind... Guess I better start creating, if I want to have them done in time! Hah. The reveal is on March 26--be sure to stop by then!

Thank you so much to my amazing partner for the wonderful beads... and thank you, readers, for stopping by!

Have a lovely March, everyone!