Wednesday's Worktable

The first thing on my worktable this week: cookies!

Obligatory cookie glamour shot.

Now, I don't bake a lot. I enjoy it, I just don't often get the chance to do it. Yesterday, however, I had an impromptu Christmas Cookie Day, and I made approximately a zillion (read: 10 dozen) chocolate chip cookies. My best friend came over, we ate pizza and cookies and watched silly documentaries, and it was practically the best thing ever. :)

Which leads me to the second thing on my worktable this week. In the jewelry department, I'm still working feverishly on presents and reveal pieces... but the first present has officially been given (the aforementioned best friend got their present yesterday).

So! That means that I can officially share it here... Yay!

Can you guess what it is from this progress shot:

If you said "that's a five-wrap bracelet made with brown cotton, amber, and a dinosaur charm!," you would be right!

...Now, fully disclosure: I didn't actually buy the amber for this present. Best Friend did that awhile ago, with the intent that I use it to make this thematic bracelet. It actually matches the necklace I made them for Christmas last year:

It may have taken awhile, but I finally delivered! (I also gave them another present in addition to the bracelet--that can't be shown yet, because it's similar to other presents being given this year. But! One show-and-tell isn't bad for today. *grin*)

So... ta-daaaaa! That's what is currently on my worktable. Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I'm up to... Busy busy busy, and enjoying myself immensely. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! :)

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - December Edition

It's December! One of my favorite months of the year!

...Although, to be fair, that's heavily influenced by both Christmas and my birthday. Hee. :)

As I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my Monthly Challenge this month, I kept thinking about some of my favorite December traditions. Yes, it's a month where the days get darker and darker... but it's also the time when lights seem to shine brighter, and warmth inside is all the more cozy because of the cold outside, and the air itself almost feels magical.

Now, one of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching The Nutcracker on Christmas Eve... I grew up with the Baryshnikov version, and even though the video quality has definitely aged, I still find it lovely. To me, the ballet--the music, the costumes, the sets, the movement--captures all the magic and dream-like possibility of the season... A beautiful sparkling spectacle, even as the nights grow longer. 

(Disclaimer: all below photos are from George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, preformed by the New York City Ballet. It's a pretty iconic production, so I thought it only fitting to use their lovely pictures. All photos are by Paul Kolnick. No copyright infringement intended.)

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

And so, for the Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge for December, I'm going to make jewelry based on the Nutcracker--either the ballet itself, or the original story that it's based on. My goal is to encapsulate that feeling of warmth and magic and light... and there will probably glitter. Hah!

Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I'm up to... Come back on Friday, December 29th to see what I end up making for this challenge.

Until then, have a wonderful December, everyone!

Hello, December!

'Tis the season to make people shiny things! :)

That's right... on my worktable this week: Christmas presents! Hurray! 

But, sadly, I can't really show any of those here. At least, not yet. Humbug.

So, since I don't really have anything else I can show off, project-wise, I figure I'll share some of my new beadie acquisitions instead... Namely, the beads that I bought during Black Friday sales.

Top to bottom: carnelian, peach aventurine, red aventurine, hessonite garnet

Top to bottom: smoky quartz, smoky lemon quartz,
green aventurine (light and dark), labradorite

Top to bottom: aquamarine, amethyst, rose quartz

...And that's not even including the turquoise!

Yes, Bead Box Bargains is wonderful. Their stock is variable due to the overstock nature of their business model, but it's always a good deal. (They currently have some tourmaline rondelles in stock that I want... *looks at them longingly*) In any case, they have filled my worktable with all sorts of gemstone possibilities... happy things to poke at, once all of the Christmas presents are done.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I'm up to... Happy December, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - November Reveal

Well, almost a week late, but here we go... it's time to reveal what I made for November's monthly challenge!

Since this month has been dedicated to writing (hurray for National Novel Writing Month... I literally squeaked in under the wire this year!), I decided to go with a writing-themed challenge for November. Namely, I wanted to make jewelry that was somehow connected to my stories.

Overall, I made three things for this challenge. I had more planned out, but life has a habit of being more complicated than anticipated. Ah well. Still, I'm very happy with what I made... And, without further ado, here they are!


A Gift of Garnet

This first bracelet is fairly simple--as was the scene that inspired it. Made of plump garnets and antiqued brass, it resembles the bracelet my main character is gifted while she's visiting the Noble Court (which is essentially the Capitol of the Land of Fairy Tales). 

In the Noble Court, there is a very complicated language of fashion--which extends to jewelry. The color, the metal, the person who buys it... it all has meaning. 

While this can lead to all sorts of subtle social intricacies, in the case of this bracelet, things are much more straightforward. It shows that the person who buys this for my main character considers her as a sister. 

...But I won't tell you who it is, in case one of these days I get this silly thing published! :)

Sea King's Daughter

This second piece is a necklace that is also connected to my series of novels where an Anthropologist goes to study the land of Fairy Tales (called the Landus Fantasticus, or the Land of Happily Ever After). 

While this year's NaNo was dedicated to writing of her adventures in the Noble Court (hence the bracelet above), last year I wrote of her adventures on the Coast. While there, she ends up visiting the Sea King.

This particular necklace was made with the Sea King's daughter in mind.

I chose the silvery peacock pearls for three reasons. First, the way the lights shifts and shimmers on them make me think of the sea. Secondly, they're pearls, which connects them even more to the ocean. And thirdly, because Syranne herself has a fondness for silver. 

I then paired them with matching crystals, and added a clasp that made me think of an underwater flower. The result is a necklace that, while perhaps not the most complicated necklace I ever made, perfectly matches the character I had in mind. 

 

Rose of Aniad

This third necklace is a bit of a cheat, as it's not connected to my Landus Fantasticus novels. However, it is connected to my writing--specially, to a story that is very near and dear to my heart, and was featured here--and I couldn't help but show it off. 

...Besides, it has a tassel, and we all know how much I like tassels. *grin*

Copper, plum-purple, and forest green are the colors of Aniad. 

What is Aniad? 

It's one of the Four Houses of Elenan--a land I made up, where the story takes place. This land is currently being overrun by an invader from the North, a Tyrant, who essentially is taking over by force. There is a Resistance that's fighting him... and at the heart of the Resistance is the Storyteller of Aniad.

Her name is Cedar. 

Her son, Mannesh, is actually the main character of that story--but this necklace set is more dedicated to her than to him. 

For that reason, I chose not only to go with the colors of Aniad (and the leaves--it's a House mainly located in the forest, so trees and leaves are a bit part of their House symbolism), but also the rose focal as well... One of Cedar's many titles (or nicknames, if you will) is actually the Rose of Aniad.

I'm actually in love with how these pieces turned out... I've always loved the Aniad colors, and I'm thrilled with how well they came together for this particular set.

Well, there you go. Those are the pieces that I made for this month's writing-inspired-jewelry challenge. It's late, but hopefully still worth it! (And hopefully not completely riddled with grammatical errors... I'm still recovering from the Stomach Bug of Doom, so my apologies if any of this doesn't make sense... Oi.)

Thanks everyone for stopping by today... Thank you so much for your patience, and I hope you have a fantastic last day of November!

I Did It!

I may have limped to victory, but ta-da!

I have officially written 50,099 words towards my novel this month.

I started off extremely strong... and it's a good thing I did, too, because this past week I have hardly written anything. But! I did it, and I'm excited to keep up with this writing habit. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually finish one of these novels before this time next year!

...But now, I'm going to go celebrate with a nap. Oi. 

Happy last day of November, everyone!

Pretty Palettes - November Mini-Reveal

I have a very nasty stomach bug. It has thrown all of my grand plans--jewelry, blogging, NaNo--out the window.

Argh.

Still, I had a lot of fun working on this month's Pretty Palettes challenge, and I wanted to at least share a picture of one of the pieces I made:

I'll try to blog more about it, and the other necklace I made, when I feel better.

Stay healthy, everyone. I look forward to being back when I'm done being sick. 

...Oi.

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

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. Luckily, she lets others play along, too!

Here was this month's inspiration:

And here is what Eric said about it:
I haven't really taken many pictures in the past month, so I took this chance to delve deep into older photos for something lost in the archives.  This is a really cool old stained glass window in the Schlitz Brewery building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that really struck my fancy.  The colors and shapes should be a fun change from my usual naturalistic photos. 

Now, I have two things to admit about this challenge. First, I really really enjoyed it. After the more naturalistic photos, it was fun to tackle something a bit more abstract. Also, the color palette was not something I usually work with, which was interesting and challenging and all-around fun.

Second... Well, second, is that I actually bought something for it. Hah! In the past, I've attempted to only use what I have in my stash, but in this case I bought the focal bead for the necklace. Once you see what I made (seen below), hopefully you'll forgive me! :)

The focal bead is by Golem Studio Beads. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to use it for this challenge. I'm glad I did, too--when it arrived, I was absolutely thrilled. The circle swirls remind me so much of the circles seen in the inspiration picture... it's perfect! :)

The rest of the necklace is made with lava beads, larvikite, white magnesite, and glass--specifically black seed beads, two shades and sizes of Czech glass, and crackle glass. 

I went with those choices in an attempt to echo not only the color of the stained glass, but also its texture... I'm particularly pleased with the black-grey-silver-white Czech beads for that reason. :)

Also noteworthy: Yep, I'm still obsessed with this type of necklace construction (tassel, focal, beaded chain). It's so versatile, and fun to make... It appears to be my go-to design right now. And that's not a bad thing! Mostly, I'm just amused at myself... It's always fun when you find a design that just clicks. :)

So, there you go! That is what I made for this month's Honey Do List Challenge, hosted by Sarajo Wentling. Be sure to hop over to SJ Designs Jewelry to see what she ended up making... And thank you so much, Sarajo and Eric, for letting me play along!

And now, it's time for me to go work on the other reveals for this week. So many pretty things to show!

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

After-Thanksgiving Coma

Hello everyone!

Today is being deliciously slow. The last few days have been a whirlwind of cooking and cleaning and eating--wonderful times with wonderful people. (How did I get so lucky to have such fantastic people in my life?)

...And now I'm enjoying a chance to just sit still.

Cookies! ...these were part of Wednesday's preparation.
There were even some leftover for Thanksgiving. ;)

That being said, I'm pleasantly poking away at my Monthly Challenge reveal that I have scheduled for today. There's about a 50/50 percent change it'll go up today. I just figured I'd give you, my wonderful readers, a heads-up... so I don't feel guilty if I end up taking a nap, or going for a drive with my husband, or just cuddling on the sofa watching a movie.

Holidays are the best.

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone! My wish for you is that you get a chance to be as comfortable as I am right now! :)