Thursday's Worktable

...If you're looking for the Swap N' Hop reveal, go here! (Or just keep scrolling!)

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First order of business, a disclaimer: I'm writing this entry with a terrible splitting headache. As a result, I apologize if this entry is clunky or badly edited... I'll do my best, but ow. It's hard to concentrate when your head is pounding.

...And now that that's out of the way, it's time for the actual entry. :)

On my worktable this week, I have three projects in various stages of completion. (Well, in addition to the ones that I'm making for challenges, but I won't be showing those off today.) Of those three projects, one is finished, the other two are in the making... and I'll be sharing all three--because I can. *grin*

First up, here are the materials I used for Project #1 (the one that's finished):

A lampwork focal bead by Glassyfields, a lampwork earring pair by Juli Cannon,
three colors of Czech beads, and some carved wood.
What a beautiful, inspiring collection!

...Well, technically I didn't use all of those components for this project--but it was a nice springboard! 

After some poking around, I decided to only use the rose-and-gold shades of Czech glass to complement the lampwork components. With those, I made this set: 

As a fun side-note, the matching of the handmade lampwork pieces was completely serendipitous... both the focal and the earring pair were included as gifts when I made purchases from their respective artists. So imagine my delight when I opened my orders, and found that the gifts matched! It's like they planned it. :)

Now, this next project is still in the planning phase.

Some background: earlier this week, I went bead shopping with one of my best friends. We had a blast, and I walked away with quite an amazing haul--some of it was 70% off!

These beads were part of that haul:

Metal and ceramic and pearl, all purchased from Joanns at 70% off.
My coupon game is strong. ;)

I haven't decided on a final design yet, but this is currently the necklace idea that I'm playing with:

I'm not sure if it will beaded all the way around or if I'm going to use chain for part of it. I'm not sure if I'm going to string it (with either waxed linen or beading wire) or use my customary bead wrapped links. So many decisions! ...And that is one of the fun parts of jewelry designing. :)

And now, for Project #3... It's also in the planning stages, although I think I've figured out my design. What I make will be in the colors of watermelon tourmaline:

Pink and green and magenta--what a fun, cheerful palette!

Although, fun fact: my current design doesn't actually incorporate any tourmaline at all!

Yep, a tassel necklace.
You're so surprised, I'm sure.

It does incorporate some green aventurine, Czech glass, pearl, cherry quartz, carved wood, and vintage acrylic, though. 

And don't worry--the tourmaline will find a good home. I'll probably end up making it into a tassel necklace of its own, with the green stone coin (seen in the material picture at the top, next to the lampwork bead) as its focal. At least, that's the current plan!

So, there you go... That's what is on my worktable this week. And I'll get back to it, as soon as this headache goes away. (Ugh.)

Thanks so much for stopping by... I hope everyone is having a lovely day!

Wednesday's Worktable

..is being postponed until tomorrow!

It's been a super busy day, and I'm just now sitting down to work on this post... and I'm realizing that I'm exhausted. So! Stop by tomorrow to see what I've been working on this week.

In the meantime, have a wonderful night!

Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop - Reveal

After months in the planning, it's finally time for the Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop reveal! Yay!

As a reminder, my partner was the awesome Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studios. A talented clay artist, her blog is here... be sure to swing by and check out what she made for this challenge!

And, as another reminder, here are the wonderful beads that she sent me:

I just love the colors! *swoon*

That lovely selection includes some beautiful ceramic beads by Michelle (the bird focal and the artisan headpins with matching beads), as well as some Czech glass, fluorite, and copper accents. Just look at that little birdie clasp!

Now, one of the main rules for this challenge was that we had to make something with the handmade components that our partners sent. In my case, that was a delight! Upon seeing those pieces, I knew immediately what I what I wanted to make... And, happily enough, everything just fell into place. 

So, without further ado, here is what I made:

Yep! I made a long bird necklace, and some matching drop earrings!

About the necklace: it's quite long, and incorporates the handmade focal as well as the clay rounds from Michelle. 

Also included are copper chain, Czech glass rondelles, clay brown rounds, and faceted glass... and, of course, a copper leaf. (I decided to save the fluorite and and other beads from Michelle for another project.)

Since I had some time left, I also made two other pieces to go with this set: another pair of earrings (this time with leaf dangles, to match the one on the necklace), and a wrap bracelet (that includes one of the brown Czech glass beads that Michelle sent me--if you look closely, you can see if in the dangle).

Now, you may have noticed that I also didn't use that adorable birdie clasp Michelle sent me... but I do have a plan for it! I have an idea rattling around in my head to make a three-stranded bracelet in the purple and copper and brown colorway, using the birdie as the closure. I didn't finish (or start) it in time for this reveal... But I hope to get to it one of these days!

Still, I am very pleased with what I did make... After all, it's hard to go wrong when given such lovely things to work with!

Here is one more group shot:

But wait, there's more!

More, you ask? Well, when I sent beads to my partner, I included a second kit in addition to the main collection of beads for her to use. The fun part about that second collection was that I actually had an identical set of beads myself... I thought it would be fun if both us made something with the same materials. 

Here is the second soup that I sent her, including a ceramic focal, pearls, Chinese crystals, and five different colors of paper beads (made by me):

So, what did I make with those components? 

Two necklace-and-earrings sets, as it turns out.

Here is the first set: 

Yep, I made something with a tassel.

This set utilized all five shades of paper beads (in a gradient), the clasp, the pearls, and both colors of the crystal bicones.

Now try as I might, I couldn't work the ceramic focal into that necklace design... So, not to be outdone, I decided to make set number 2:

This set uses the aforementioned focal, some of the paper beads, the square metal swirly patterned beads, and some of the the crystal bicones, paired with silvertone findings and chain.

The necklace actually went through a couple different iterations until I came up with something I was pleased with... For example, I first tried making wire-wrapped links instead of stringing the beads, but the result was too delicate for the heavy focal. Still, I like the final result... I'm glad that I persevered.

So, there you go! Those are the pieces that I have made for this Swap N' Hop... Thank you so much, Michelle, for sending me such lovely beads! And thank you, those over at Bead Peeps, for making this possible!

As I mentioned before, be sure to check out Michelle's blog to see what she made with the beads that I sent her:

...And be sure to check out these other awesome designers, and see what they made!


Linda Anderson - Hostess - http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com/...

Linda Anderson http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com 

Natalie Davidson http://www.northshoredays.com/

Marcy Lamberson http://www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com 

Kathy Lindemer http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/

Dita Basu Http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com 

Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/

Kristina Peck http://tealeavesandtinyhats.blogspot.com/ 

Shai Williams http://www.shaihasramblings.com/

Catherine La Vite http://www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/ 

Christina Hickman http://vintagetreasuresjewelry.blogspot.com/

Gloria Allen http://wingsandbeads.blogspot.com 

Teresa Schurter http://treezstreazurs.com/

Maria Rosa Sharrow http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com 

Susan Kelly http://mimismilesdesigns.blogspot.com

Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/ (you are here!) 

Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com 

Terry Jeanette Carter http://tappingflamingo.blogspot.com 

Lee Koopman http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com

Laurie Vyselaar https://lefthandjewelry.wordpress.com 

Marianne Baxter http://simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com

Divya N http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com 

Kelly Hosford Patterson http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/

Johana Nunez http://www.artincendi.com 

Kari Asbury http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog

Robin Reed http://www.willowdragon.blogspot.com 

Kristina Hahn Eleniak http://www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com

Robin Lynne Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/ 

Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.com/

Claire Fabian http://saraccino.blogspot.de/ 

Inge von Roos https://ingetraud.wordpress.com

Rachel Mallis http://mintmonarch.com 

Sam Waghron http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk

Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com 

Fay Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com

SEED BEADERS

Suse Stelljes http://pearlify.blogspot.de 

Ginger Bishop http://www.lilmummylikes.blogspot.com

Nelly May http://www.smellynelly.blogspot.com 

Rebecca White http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/

Sheila Prosterman http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com 

Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com

Palak (aka Pallavi Asher)http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/ 

Krafty Max http://kraftymax.net

Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/ 

Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com

Katy Heider http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com/ 

Deborah Apodaca http://deborahapodacadesigns.blogspot.com/

Heather Richter http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/ 

Tami Norris https://tamisdesigns.wordpress.com

Brandy Scozzari http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com 

Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com

Kathleen Breeding https://www.facebook.com/99BOBOTW/ 

Veralynne Malone http://veradesigns.blogspot.com

Bobbie Rafferty http://beadsong.blogspot.com 

Lori Blanchard http://alainnjewelry.wordpress.com

...And if you've read this far, woo-hoo! 

Thank you so much for stopping by... I hope you have a wonderful day!

Wednesday's Worktable

Hurray! I didn't forget about this week's worktable post! 

...You know, like I did last Wednesday. Oops.

Random beads that were featured in last week's worktable post.

So, now to answer the pressing question: what I been working on? 

...Heh. Nothing that I'm actually supposed to be doing.

I really do have many things I need to do. Besides life things like cleaning and exercising (this past month, I've been working on some fitness goals--and it's been kicking me in the rear), I have at least four jewelry challenges that I want to do. As a result, I've been plotting and planning and working hard--exercising, cleaning, and beating my head against my beading projects.

And then, this week, I realized that I needed just to play. 

Frolic. 

Be random.

Entertain chaos and just let myself experiment.

And so I cleared my craft table of my projects and to-dos, and starting poking at the above palette of different colors and textures. Soon, my playing around turned into this:

...Yes, that is the beginning of the most random tassel necklace that I've ever done.

More progress on said necklace... You can see the tassel taking form.

Eventually, after some trial and error and having to switch out the focal three times, I ended up with this:

Ta-da!!

I was so excited about my finished piece that I even shared it on Instagram:

I have so many random beads left, I know that there will be more of these necklaces. No two of them will be alike--and they will be the perfect projects to do when I am rebelling and in need of some creative chaos.

Another random bead mix to add to my existing random bead mix!

After a week of play, I'm starting to feel a little more inclined to work on things that I actually need to do. In fact, I feel relaxed and refreshed and renewed--and, by golly, I need to remember to play more often. It is good for my creativity, and it is definitely good for my mental state!

Well, there you go... That's what I've been up to. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - May Edition

So, I apparently fell into a black hole last week and completely spaced on everything I needed to do. Oops. But, thankfully, this week I'm catching up... And that means finally posting about May's Monthly Challenge! 

Hurray!

Now, I actually got some help choosing this month's challenge... Or, to be more specific, I had one of my very best friends pick it out for me, because I was having some major creative block about what to do.

So, what did she pick? Well, we were out bead shopping together...

The bead wall at Michaels... one of my favorite places. :)

And when I expressed my complete lack of ideas for this particular challenge, she handed these to me:

Oooo, how spicy!

Yep... chili charms!

So, my challenge for this month is pretty straight forward: make something with those hot peppers.

I have a few ideas brewing (stewing? heating up? trying to think of an appropriate hot-and-spicy verb to use), and have already gathered some matching beads together... We'll see how many of them I actually end up using!

Two shapes of bamboo coral and some Czech glass... how delicious!

So, there you go! Come back on Friday, May 27th to see what I make with this spicy mix!

And in the meantime, have a wonderful day, everyone!

Thursday's Worktable

Guess who completely spaced and forgot to write a blog entry yesterday?

...Yeah, that would be me.

Oops.

I suppose such absent-mindedness is allowed, given the fact that I was not feeling well yesterday. I was exceedingly dizzy, and ended up being as productive as mud.

...And with the amount of rain we've been having, there is plenty of mud to be found.
This is one of the trees near our house...
As you can tell, the sky is quite grey and gloomy, and has been so for many days.

Now, as far as my worktable goes... well, currently it's a huge mess. I've hardly gotten a chance to clean up from last month, and already I'm in full swing for May. 

Let's see... I'm in the process of preparing my May Monthly Challenge (almost ready to go!), I'm sizing up the different challenges that I want to do (the  Starling Wing challenge from Allegory Gallery, Pretty Palettes from Halcraft, the Honey Do List from SJ Designs Jewelry, to name a few), and I'm finishing up my pieces for the Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop (the reveal is in 10 days! Woo!).

I'm also toying with a couple different project ideas... Nothing concrete yet, just enjoying playing around. Brainstorming, if you will.

I've been playing with some tourmaline:

All different shapes and sizes!
If I can find the right focal, this might become a tassel necklace.

I've been brainstorming what to do with a gorgeous coral focal I've obtained:

Freshwater pearls and dyed sponge coral...
Not sure if these are the final materials, but it's a start.

...And, last but certainly not least, I've been mixing different textures and colors and materials to come up with this palette of crazyfun:

I'm in love with this collection. So many possibilities!
Tassel necklace? Earrings? Why not do it all?!

Since I'm definitely still in the preparation stages, there aren't any progress pictures to show right now... But that's all right. Forming ideas is definitely part of of the fun for me... And, well, I definitely have a lot of ideas right now!

...I guess I should get off my computer and get to work! :)

Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone... And thanks for being patient with my absent-mindedness!

Hello, May!

It's May!

The saying goes that April showers bring May flowers... and, golly, has it been raining a lot this past week! May flowers sound happy, though--and that reminded me of the inspiration picture posted on the Bead Soup Cafe this past month (put together and posted by Arlene Dean):

I decided to take that inspiration, and make something flowery and happy to usher in the new month:

It's a garden-inspired necklace and earring set! 

It's made from a variety of materials--crystal and Czech glass, paper beads and acrylic and glass, with silver-tone filigree leaves and a flower toggle. I am particularly happy with the paper beads that I made/used... They are the long skinny beads, with striations that remind me of the dress in the collage.

I actually originally intended to simply make a pair of earrings. Then as I started to put materials together, a necklace started to take form... and well, the rest is history!

As a quick side-note: I apologize for the rather poor lighting... It's because of the aforementioned rain, and the fact that I'm still in the process of setting up my lightbox. I will try to update my pictures when I can. :)

So, here is to hoping that all of this rain really does bring May flowers... And, if nothing else, I will have a happy garden necklace to wear for it!

Have a wonderful May, everyone!