Seed Bead Bracelet

I decided I would try something new. I made this bracelet from 11/0 seed beads, gold tone clasp and the dangle is a czech glass bead. It is a simple spiral rope and was quite easy to make.

Shiny Beads

So tonight was a night of finish work. I made a bunch of beads this weekend and put them with some that I already had made into the tumbler. I got out my dremel and made a buffing tool out of flannel material. I am very pleased with the results. The beads are super shiny and look like glass. I took this pic with my phone so the quality isn't that great, but the shine is unbelieveable!

If all goes as planned, tomorrow night I will resin so other beads and pendants that I made this weekend and maybe if I am lucky, I will have time to make a bracelet or two. I also need to make a necklace that I promised to a friend for a silent auction fundraiser.

Off to bed since I have to be to work in about 5 hours, YIKES!! O_o

The Art of Wire Wrapping

I've always thought that wire wrapping cabochons and other items is just beautiful. It always looked so difficult to do and it's always done in sterling silver wire so I know that it's expensive. Well, after watching another talented artist from another blog (Brenda Moran) repeatedly make gorgeous wire wrapped jewelry, I was inspired to look into it further. I purchased a couple of how-to videos from a wonderfully talented woman on Etsy and watched them over and over. When I felt confident enough to try it, I practiced on some silver plated wire and a turquoise colored howlite bead.

Here's a pic of my first attempt at wire wrapping!

Not bad eh! Practice! practice! practice!

Clay Pendant using Silver Leaf & Alcohol Inks

This was fun to make. A little tricky but I finally got it right. I love this pendant and the fall colors. It's very sparkly due to the silver leaf and the UV resin that it was finished with. I have some other beads that I am going to make a cute bracelet with and I'll post a pic of that when I'm done with it.

Mixed Media Art Sheets

So I learned a new technique from Cindy Lietz The Polymer Clay Tutor. It's called Mixed Media Art Sheets. It is so much fun, I can't seem to stop making it in all different colors. It's made using a bunch of different media including, but not limited to, silver leaf, alcohol inks, polymer clay (of course), stamps and any mix of different media you want to try using.

I made a bracelet using brass findings and amethyst and purple jade beads.



Using different colors I made a pendant and earrings with silver/grey and purple/pink tones. I used UV resin on all surfaces to seal them and make them nice and strong. My youngest (who is now 13) believes that you must test for strength by throwing things against the floor. If they don't break, it's all good, LOL. "So, FYI, these are all good" says, Jon.




These next pics were the first ones that I made using this technique. At first, I really didn't like the colors. I thought they were too bright. Well, they grew on me and my daughter had a reddish pink blouse that she wore for Christmas Eve. At 4:00 on Christmas Eve she came downstairs all dressed and asked if I had something that would match her outfit. I took one look and knew that this would be perfect!


Can't resist posting a pic of my beautiful daughter and my mother in law.


Here is another pic of one in an irregular shape:


I have the link to Cindy's site listed to the side and she's a wonderful teacher so don't be shy if you want to try her out. It is well worth your time and money.

Holiday Sparkle!

So here is a pic of some earrings I made using polymer clay and silver wire. Didn't they turn out awesome!! They are nice and sparkly and perfect for Christmas or New Years bling!!

Here is a pic of a necklace that I made from a pendant that a friend had. I added the leather cord and made a copper clasp from a couple of Cindy Lietz tutorials, Hammered Copper Wire and Wire Cord Ends.