Day 5: Czech Flowers and Wood

Not a lot of time today for beading, so today's earrings are on the simpler side. 

...Simpler, yet still elegant.

Granted, you can add Czech glass flowers to just about anything and make it elegant! I definitely need to get a few more colors... I really like how the flowers look, and want to incorporate them into more things.

So, there you go. Thank you for stopping by today, and letting me share just a little bit of pretty with you. 

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Day 4: October Pretty Palettes - Revisited

Remember yesterday, when I said that I was working on something that was taking longer than expected? Well, I finished it up this morning. Yay!

For today's earrings, I actually made another matching set. 

And not just any set--a set to go with last month's Pretty Palette Challenge!

And so, without further ado, here are the earrings!

(And since Blogger is being a bit of a grumphead for me today, and not letting me edit my picture layouts, I'm just give them to you in multiple large photographs... because I can! Anyway, to the earrings!)

And here is the matching necklace!

...This was actually the first set that I wanted to make when I saw that palette, but I got carried away making the tassel I posted earlier. I'm glad that I finally was able to sit down and create this set, because I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's light-weight, unique, and has a wonderful earthy-tribal feel to it. And guess what--I am actually capable of making things that aren't tassels. Hah!

So, there you go! Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Day 3: Time for Tea

So, today's earrings were going to be something else--but I didn't finish them in time. You know how sometimes a project grows beyond your original plans? That happened to me. Good news, though--that project should be ready for tomorrow.

In the meantime, I present: tea!

Well, teacups really. Dainty little teacups and saucers. Nothing too fancy, but still delightful and whimsical. After all, it's always a good time for tea. 

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

Day 2: Aqua and Silver

Two pairs of earrings for today!

...because they actually started off as one pair of earrings, but I decided I liked them better when split up.

So! Here is the first pair:

And here is the second pair:

Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I made... I have actually started a necklace to match these earrings, too, but I doubt I'll finish that any time soon. Hah! So many projects, so little time.

Happy 2nd day of Novemeber! Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Hello, November!

...and hello, November's Monthly Challenge!

For the last few years, I have decided that my November Monthly Challenge would be to make a pair of earrings a day--in addition to participating in National Novel Writing Month. (What is NaNo? It's that crazy time of year when I try to write 50,000 words in a month. Yep, crazy.)

And, well, apparently I like a good challenge... because I'm doing it again! Yes, voluntarily! :)

That's right... my Monthly Challenge for this November is also to make (and hopefully post) a new pair of earrings everyday. Here are the earrings for today:

These beauties are made with faceted glass and agate. I'm even working on a matching necklace, because I'm just that dedicated. Hah!

You know, truth be told, I am questioning my sanity a little bit as I type this. I remember, in years past, that this was a lot of work. But I also remember that it gave me a wonderful motivation to try new things that I wouldn't have done otherwise. Last year's challenge, for example, really pushed me out of my comfort zone with seed beads. We'll see what this year brings! (And yes, I realize it's totally okay if I just make simple stack earrings all month, too... the point is to get me creating!)

So! Tune in throughout the month... as I said, I hope to post my earrings here (or at least on instagram). 

Oh! And since I'm also going to be participating in NaNo again, feel free to follow my progress on that, too. My profile is here: http://nanowrimo.org/participants/anafiassa

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone... Happy November! Here's to much wonderful creating!

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - October Reveal

All of my days have been running together this year... It wasn't until 11:00 last night that I realized that it was the reveal day for my monthly challenge. Oops! 

So here I am, the next day, with 4 necklaces to show you! :)

As a quick refresher, my Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge for October was to make something with purple.

...Any shade of purple! All shades of purple! 

And, for my first project, I even challenged myself to make something entirely of purple--no metallics allowed. The result?

An all-purple tassel!

The materials include: glass, vintage acrylic, dyed agate, and purple-coated wire. I had a bit of a time figuring out how to make all of the findings with my purple wire (it's 24 gauge, and pretty soft--not the best for jump rings or a clasp), but I'm really happy with the result. Yay purple!

And, because I'm an overachiever, that's not the only tassel necklace I have to show off this month. 

For my second one, I gave myself another challenge: make a tassel entirely out of one material (excluding metal for findings). The result?

An all-amethyst tassel!

The materials for this necklace include... well, amethyst. Chevron amethyst, faceted amethyst, light amethyst, medium amethyst, dark amethyst.

And I love it.

I don't often cater to my own favorites so completely, so this was a treat. 

Here are a few more pictures, just because I love it:

At the beginning of the post, I said that I made 4 necklaces. And that's true! The two tassel necklaces are the real show-stoppers, but I also made 2 more everyday necklaces--both using a purple glass bead mix.

Here is the first of these mix necklaces:

...And here is the second:

Fun fact: I made this simple strand necklace when I was teaching my eight-year-old niece how to make jewelry. She loves all things shiny, and has been wanting to make her own jewelry for a long time now. So, one Sunday, she and I sat down and beaded together for hours. It was a lot of fun! So, while this isn't the fanciest of my reveal necklaces, it's certainly the one with the happiest memories attached. :)

And so, there you go! Those are the necklaces that I made for this month's challenge. Thank you so, so much for stopping by today to see what I made... and for indulging my love of purple! :)

Have a wonderful day--and end of October--everyone! See you tomorrow when I pop on and share what I'm doing for my November challenge!

Pretty Palettes - October 2020 Reveal

I have been hard at work this month! (...Although you might not be able to tell, with how little I've been posting here. Gah! Still working on that.)

One of my recent projects has been playing around with this month's Pretty Palette, put together by my friend Molly Schaller and published through Halcraft:

...And, you guessed it: I made a tassel necklace!

Materials include: pyrite, Czech glass, red aventurine, magnesite, and a gorgeous rhodonite focal.

Unfortunately, it has been raining almost nonstop for the last two weeks, so that is the best picture I have been able to take to date. Ah well! (The magnesite is actually more on the cream side, but this picture makes it seem more white. Either way, it's quite lovely in person!)

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

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - October Edition

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you have probably heard me mention that I love purple. 

Simply put, it is my favorite color. 

(Disclaimer: I actually love all of the colors, so saying I have a favorite is rather silly... but, if you randomly stop me on the street and ask me what my favorite color is, I'll definitely say purple. Also, most of my wardrobe is purple, in case you were curious. *grin*)

So, for my challenge this month, I have decided to indulge that love of purple. 

The challenge? Simply to make jewelry that is purple--and only purple. All shades are fair game!

Not my original graphic... I found it here.

Not my original graphic... I found it here.

I suppose I should also say that metal findings are allowed if need be. While I know I have some purple wire lying around, I'm not entirely sure about purple clasps (or purple buttons that can be used as clasps). Still, you know me--I'll definitely try to be creative!

I realize that not everyone loves purple as much as I do, but if you want to see the lovely monochromatic purple jewelry I create this month, stop by on Friday, October 30th!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day, everyone!