Fashionable Finery

A great surprise and a move.

2011-01-16T11:09:00.005-07:00

I just wanted to post a picture from my computer. It has nothing to do with the post, but who doesn't love pictures?

Sorry it's been a whole month. But it's a great story.

My husband decided about a month into his deployment that he was going to lie to me and tell me they were keeping him two weeks longer and that he wasn't going to be home for Christmas or New Year's. And I had 5 months to get used to this, so it wasn't a huge deal until about the last two weeks. I decided that I really wanted my husband home for Christmas and I was getting bitter. But on December 23rd (the day after my baby's first birthday-darn) I woke up to a great surprise. It was absolutely wonderful having him home.

But since he came home early, we also left four days later, and there was NO WAY I was going to spend a single minute away from him blogging. Sorry readers. So, now we are staying with some friends until our house on base is ready (not until Feb 7th-ish). And unfortunately I don't have much space to do anything, not even sewing. So that will just have to wait until we move. I'm pretty much dying. I might have to bring some stuff in out of the car anyway.

Winner!

2010-12-16T06:01:00.002-07:00

Thank you Random.org for picking the winner.

And she is...scrappin'soccermama

Thanks for entering and Merry Christmas!

A really cool project

2010-12-15T08:06:00.003-07:00

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a pair of blue wire wrapped earrings HERE!

The other night I got out my torch, a sterling silver disc that I previously cut, and some scrap sterling silver wire. I cut a bunch of pieces all the same length and balled them (tutorial coming soon on balling wire). Then I soldered the balls onto my disc. I'm not really sure what I would do with this or how I would finish it. Make a pendant, add it to a bracelet, make another one for a pair of earrings, cut out the middle, dome it (although it would have been a good idea to do that first), hammer it, add a patina? The ideas are endless. What do you think I should do? What would you do with it?

(Oh, and I think I got a little too comfortable with my torch and stuck my arm right in the flame. And then left a bad smell because it decided to singe my arm hair. Yeah...DON'T DO THAT! I'm just glad I wasn't wearing long sleeves.)

A Giveaway! (Giveaway Closed)

2010-12-13T09:18:00.007-07:00

I LOVE hoops, don't you? Wanna win some? They'll even arrive in time for Christmas. Made with Sterling silver and seed beads.I must admit that even though this picture makes me drool over the beads, they are actually more of a Christmas-y blue.

Here's the Rules:

*Follow my blog and leave a comment (if you already follow then leave a comment and let me know)

*Make sure you leave your email address in the comments in the format:

bekah(at)fashionablefinery(dot)com

For Extra Entries:

*Get someone else to follow my blog

*Blog this giveaway

*Facebook this giveaway

*Go look at my Etsy shop and tell me which is your favorite, (Brand new to Etsy)and add my Etsy shop to your favorites (if you have an etsy account)
(Please leave a separate comment for each entry, that's A LOT of ways to win, and can you tell I like to be liked?)

This giveaway will Close at midnight Wednesday 12/15 EST.

Note: If you don't win these...don't fret. I'll be posting a tutorial for them soon!

Merry Christmas!

More stitch markers

2010-12-10T22:32:00.004-07:00

My dad is doing a craft show with his amazing wood products, and he is taking some of my stitch markers with him. So, here's another set I made. I wasn't going to make them, but I just couldn't resist.Um....perfect soldered connection! Yay.

And...who wants a giveaway? I'm thinking a pair of earrings!

Stitch Markers

2010-12-07T09:59:00.006-07:00

This was so fun. With my new tools and products that came in the mail, I learned a new technique. I've actually been researching soldering jump rings for a long time, and it's really simple if you have the right solder, the right wire, and the right products.

So, these are the stitch markers I made for my sister. And I used wire I balled up for a tutorial coming soon (I've already made the video for it!).

Do you need coal in your stocking?

2010-12-05T00:05:00.006-07:00

Have you been naughty this year?
Do you or someone you know need coal in their stocking?

I say if you are gonna put coal in someone's stocking, forget the candy, and put real coal in! Too much of a mess you say? That's just mean? Okay, okay. Here's a gift that says "You've been naughty; I love you anyway!"

Some coal earrings!

Made with sterling silver, and crystal beads.

$15

Baby Bracelet in Zircon

2010-12-04T07:46:00.005-07:00

My sister Alissa, that I actually mentioned in my last post, has a nine month old baby girl. And she is so precious. So, she needs a precious bracelet to match right? I made this to fit my 11 month old, so, it'll fit her in a couple months!

So, here's the tiny little bracelet I made her...Sterling Silver and Blue Zircon Swarovski crystal beads, strung on Soft Flex beading wire (really flexible and sturdy)

Soldering

2010-12-01T14:46:00.006-07:00

Click on the picture to make it bigger.
My sister, Alissa, is an awesome knitter. She even spins her own yarn. Upon her request, I've been working on some stitch markers for her knitting projects.

About a year ago, I really started getting into metal working, wireworking, stamping, beadweaving, glass beadmaking, metal clay, you name it. I couldn't get enough information into my brain to satisfy me. I wanted to do EVERYTHING! I couldn't sleep because I had too many ideas floating around in my head. And when I did sleep, I drempt about my ideas. And since then, I've gotten to try a lot of these things. I still NEED to do some metal clay! But, one of the first things I did was buy myself a soldering iron. Took it home, and realized after several attempts at soldering some copper wire, that I needed flux. Can you tell I am a novice? Then I realized that I needed a torch, I got to check that off my list. So, then I (meaning my husband) did our first soldering project. And it was fun.

But I knew that I couldn't use electrical solder on sterling silver wire and metal, so after I moved home, I went to the local bead store and bought some silver solder.

Okay, now this is where my sister comes in. She asked me to make her some stitch markers. And my first question (knowing nothing about knitting) was what the heck are stitch markers. I ventured online and found a whole array of them, did some research, and came back with tons of questions. And since I try to make sure the are perfect, I had to know...snagless or not, open or closed, hanging bead or strung right on the ring, large or small, how many, what color, any in a different color, what size bead, what size wire. You get the picture. I was nervous to try because I had no idea what I was doing. But today, I got my stuff out and took a swing at it.

And guess what? I did just fine.

Okay, so the picture isn't actually the stitch marker. There is no bead hanging from it. But I soldered this ring...all by myself. You may think that isn't really an accomplishment, but I just had to revel because to me it was.

Of course, I always feel like I can do better. So, I'll let you know what I did, and what I'll do differently when I actually make the real stitch markers.

1. I made my ring with sterling silver and cut a very small piece of silver solder.
2. I brushed the ring with flux and placed the solder right on top at the connection.
3. I lit my torch and fired the ring...and fired...and FIRED!
4. Then realized that maybe they accidently put wire in the bag instead of solder. (They cut them at the store and put them in individual ziploc bags. They aren't pre-packaged). But I also realized that maybe it requires a higher flowing temperature than my micro torch will allow.
5. @#$%@#$
6. Tried some electrical solder to make sure I wasn't stupid.
7. And whalah! We have a soldered ring!

Okay, so afterwards I went online and ordered some paste solder in a syringe. So, the real stitch markers will have to wait until it comes in the mail. But I was so darn excited. And I think with the paste solder, I won't show as much. You actually can't see it that well up close, but my camera is awesome and really brought out the bad spot. So, to bring an incredibly long post to an end...I'll post the finished product soon!

Some cool recent projects.

2010-11-30T11:20:00.007-07:00

Actually they are more like past projects that I haven't posted and recent projects. But anyway, here they are. The Rings and bracelet are from a book and the earrings I've posted about before. But I made a black pair that I forgot to photograph and the orange ones. I love them!

Made with sterling silver. That's a lot of wire!

You can tell in this one that I didn't get the chevron at the top and bottom of the bracelet quite lined up. But I think it's pretty anyway, and A LOT of work!

Also made with sterling silver, and so are the black ones like these. I plan to do some in bronze wire with sterling silver earwires, and possibly oxidize a pair to add a nice effect.

I used some silver plated copper wire for this one. And if I made a mistake, that was it, it would break. So it was kinda hard to work with, but super shiny and pretty. It also felt a little more like working with half-hard sterling silver than the bronze wire did.

I made this one with bronze wire and clear crystal beads!

I've been playing around with this design from the book. I made a ring without the beads or wraps on top and didn't really like how it looked. I also made this one as per my husband's request. Don't ask me why he wanted it. But I like it with the wraps instead of without. Maybe I'll post the picture of the other one sometime. I also made my brother a pinky ring, using a different design.

So, what do you think?

P.S. I forgot, if you want to buy those earrings...they are for sale for $30.

Wonky awesome beads!

2010-09-11T21:10:00.004-06:00

Are you finally ready for a new post?

I waited waited and kept this in. I didn't want to spoil the surprise, but today I spent six awesome hours (having no kids hanging on me was a bonus) at a beginners lampworking class. What is that, you may ask? Let me show you.

Me playing fire glass and fire. What could be better?

My workstation.

My first set of cooled beads still on the mandrels.

All of the beads I made on a cord. They are totally wonky (an actual lampworking term-meaning disproportionate/asymmetrical), but I think they are totally awesome.

I had a fantastic time. The teacher, Paige was great as well.

P.S. Paige, I didn't write that you are great just because I gave you my web address!

Friday's Find

2010-08-13T20:04:00.004-06:00

I meant to post this in the morning, but it still counts because it's still Friday. I love to get on Etsy on a regular basis and find beads, findings, and jewelry I like. I am able to compare prices, quality, etc. I look at other things on Etsy as well, not just in the jewelry section.

Since I visit Etsy pretty much all the time, I decided to let you see what I look at. So every Friday, I will put something up that I saw that day and really liked. Then I will tell you a little bit about why I like it and what it is.

Apparently Pandora beads are all the rage right now. I found these Pandora lampwork glass beads on Etsy. And aren't they just stunning? Well guess what? These beauties are handmade. That's right. You can make them, not just buy them from big companies. When you look down at the bottom of the listing on Etsy, there are Tags. When you list an item that is not handmade, like beading supplies such as tools, you must put a tag that says commercial. This means you did not make it. But if it's not there, it was handmade. A lot of people like to have a tag that actually says 'handmade' so there is no confusion. This seller on Etsy actually does have that on some other beads.

Organization Part 2

2010-08-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

In this part, I will show you how I organize findings such as chain, clasps, etc.

I keep an expandable file folder to store all my findings in. I saw this on a video somewhere, but I can't remember where.

Inside, I label the tabs in alphabetical order what I have in each slot.

In each slot I have a gallon ziploc bag that hold everything in that category and I also label the bag. This makes it easy to find every time. You might be wondering why I use such big bags, because I can hold everything in a smaller bag. I use gallon size ziploc bags because it's just easier to grab.

And that's about it. Keeping everything this way makes it much easier to find things. I know it's probably not the best way to do things, but I use the resources I have on hand.

So, here's the tip for today: Label EVERYTHING. Right now I don't have everything labeled because when I first started beading I didn't label anything. I didn't keep receipts because it was just a hobby. Now I keep all my receipts and I label everything. If you are unsure how much information to put on your bag, then just put everything on. I'm not kidding. More information is better than not enough.

Mom's Earrings

2010-08-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

I meant to post this a while ago, but we all know how awesome I am at blogging. But, anyway I made these darling earrings for my mother. She picked the color, and I knew just what style of jewelry to make for her.

These earrings are made with 60 4mm light pink crystal beads.

Perfect little Cameron hands.

Now, she just needs to reopen the holes in her ears. Doh!

Fiesta Earrings-Take 2

2010-08-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

Uhhh...

Well, I promised I would put these earrings up again once I remade them. I am, but since this has become a blog mostly where I talk about my experiences making jewelry, I'm sure you won't mind a short commentary.

So, instead of using more metal to make some more earrings that I still wasn't sure would come out right, and because the other ones didn't look all that great, I decided to just clean the other ones up and reuse them.

This is what I did.

1. First I used a trusty pro polish pad to take off all the colored pencil.

2. Then I used some Liver of Sulfur to antique the earrings, which was very exciting because it was the first time I've used it. Well except the part when my sister-in-law came in the house and was kinda freaked out because the she thought my son got into something when she smelled sulfur!

3. Then I used my pro polish pad again to clean off the high spots.

So, what did I do right, and what did I do wrong? Well, if I had done another pair from scratch, I would have textured the metal and then used the Liver of Sulfur to give it a better look. Now it just looks kinda tarnished and that's all. To be honest, I really miss the pretty colors. I am bound and determined to figure out a way to get those cute colors in there, but still have a high quality pair of earrings.

Oh well. Better luck next time. Now to get the sulfur smell out!

P.S. Remember the beads from yesterday? Come back soon to see what project I've got in store for those beauties!

Bead Porn

2010-08-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

My sister Alissa is really into knitting, and she has made some gorgeous stuff. When she was in town visiting a couple weeks ago we went to a yarn store. I'm not all that into yarn, but just seeing all the yarn on the shelves was amazing, and so pretty. It was addicting looking at all that yarn. That's when my sister told me it was yarn porn.

Yesterday I took a trip to the bead store and picked up some handmade lampwork beads. They were all absolutely stunning. My budget called for the cheapest handmade lampwork beads I could find. So at $3.25 a strand, I purchased two. Most of the strands of beads there were $25+. Crazy! So, after seeing my 'bead porn' I'm sure you can only imagine what the more expensive beads looked like!

Organization Part 1

2010-08-06T07:00:00.005-06:00

I'd like to give you a peek into my beading space. In this first part you will see my two boards my dad made me. He loves me! My dad is an awesome woodworker and had some extra peg boards laying around that he wasn't using to hang his tools. So, I don't even think it was a week after my husband left for Africa that my dad put together a frame for these and hung them up in my room. He rocks! He made me some shelves, gave me some hooks, and I purchased some extra odds and ends at Home Depot. Now I've got a really nice space to hang things. It keeps me well organized, and gives me space to add more tools. Although at the rate I am purchasing tools, I might need another board in the near future.

These boards really help me stay organized in a small area, such as this one. I love it, and I am always able to find things very easily. However, I'm not sure if this is how I want everything organized on the boards, so I may keep switching things up until I have it the way I want.

I don't believe that I'm a professional by any means, but I really like the way I've got my tools set up, and I just wanted to pass on to you what works for me and maybe give you a good idea for setting up your work space.

So here's my tip for you: If you don't have a big space to work in, hang things on the wall. There's usually more wall space than any other space in the room! And if you've got little one's at home, hanging tools and supplies on the wall is almost always your best bet.

Don't miss next week's tip! (That's hoping I get my posting organized and up to date.)

Fiesta Earrings

2010-08-05T05:58:00.005-06:00

I had a lot of fun making these cute earrings. Of course these like all other projects have pros and cons. I obviously LOVE the corrugated feel of these earrings. This project actually came from a tutorial from Rio Grande. I liked them so much that I had to try them. A new technique always has the potential to do great things, and that's why I decided to make these. I can make different kinds of jewelry using this same technique!

These earrings are made out of copper and fine silver ear wires. And I love the beautiful color they give to this piece of jewelry. I love the red and blue colors on the copper and the fan-like appearance as well. The tutorial I used said to use colored pencils to create the stripes. I used some sandpaper to scratch up the surface of the copper and used some Crayola colored pencils. The picture makes them look great, but I didn't like how that part turned out. The color still didn't stay very well on the metal. I felt like if I rubbed it a little, the color would come off. Another part I didn't like so much was the corrugation. I know, I know- you just said you loved it right? Well I do, but I think it could be better. And next time it will...with a few little tweaks.

So, how can I make this piece not look cheap...as my sister-in-law gently put it? I decided that using a patina to antique the earrings is a great idea. Using a patina is probably my best bet in this case because I can get almost a rainbow effect on the metal and get almost the same effect as before.

So, let me know what you think about these earrings. And stay tuned to see how my second pair turns out.

Totally Stoked

2010-07-10T12:23:00.005-06:00

I follow Beaducation's blog. Lisa Niven Kelly, the founder of Beaducation, wrote the book Stamped Metal Jewelry. The book is supposed to come out July 12th. She's done a couple giveaways on her blog and I just happened to win one of them. My book came today in the mail. It also came with an instructional DVD and they threw in a tape measure too. Can't wait to check out my book and DVD!

I also recently purchased this Wirework book by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong at JoAnn's. She's an amazing jewelry artist. You can buy her books, DVD's, and I believe you can sign up for her classes on the Wire Sculpture website.

Don't Give Up!

2010-07-05T21:19:00.004-06:00

I'm still here. I'm sure you might think I've fallen off the face of the earth, but I'm back and doing well.

About a 1 1/2 weeks ago we said farewell to my wonderful husband. He is now in Djibouti, Africa for six months. He's active duty Air Force, and will be deployed until December or January. So I'll be a single mom for a while. But I've got a lot of help. Before he left, my husband and I drove all the way out to Pennsylvania from Montana. My parents have been so much help to me so far, and I'm incredibly grateful.

I was hoping I could keep up with this blog and had great plans, but so far I haven't been doing so great. But, cards on the table, this is MY blog, and I make no promises. I will keep trying, and I've been doing a lot of beading and fun stuff. If I can get myself to just type it in, I post some more.

So, if you actually still read my blog, I've got something for you. These earrings. I love these cute, yet elegant dangles. These are beaded beads. I figured out the pattern myself. It's quite simple but it took me a while. But the real unique part about these earrings: they are completely handmade by me. That's right. I made the earwires too. The earwires are made of fine silver wire (.999). I fired them with my torch and balled up the ends, wrapped them around a pencil (although I wish I had a tool for it), turned up the ends, and rounded the ends of the wire so they aren't pokey. These are for sale for $15.

The Move

2010-05-27T21:40:00.004-06:00

I'm finally getting around to posting this update. So sad...because that's all it is. This isn't even a picture post.

We are in the middle of moving...across the country. We weren't supposed to be moving for another week, so this past week was CRAZY! We should be to our final destination (Beautiful Pennsylvania) somewhat close to the beginning of next week. Right now, we are making a quick visit in Utah, and then we'll be off to PA! So hopefully I'll see you then!

Whew! That wasn't so bad. That post took me all of THREE minutes to write. Don't know what took so long to get it up here.

One pattern...so many possibilities.

2010-05-12T23:26:00.004-06:00

I just love all the things I can do making these wire laced hoops! It took me a while to figure out how to do it and make all the hoops look the same.

The things I changed from my last post:
1. For starters, there are no beads on this one. I like putting beads on, but I thought I'd try it without.
2. I hammered the big hoop flat.
3. I added more "lace" to go further up around the hoop.
4. Instead of completely wrapping the hoop, the did a couple wraps here and there. I like being able to see the actual hoop.
5. Because this is copper wire, not a metal very suitable for ears, I put a loop at the top of the earring to hold an earwire, rather than have the copper hoop go through your ear! I'd have to say that was good thinking on my part.

Anyway...I haven't done a pair in Sterling Silver yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to know!

More to come soon!!

One hoop

2010-05-12T10:12:00.004-06:00

This is my project today. I've done one so far and it took me about an hour. I am practicing on copper for now. I'm not sure I like the way this one turned out. I think a few changes to the next one will make me much happier!

I'll keep you posted later in the day, hopefully with a cute pair of wire-wrapped hoops! In the meantime, I'll be getting boxes to pack up our stuff. We're getting ready for the move!

Ooh...the colors!

2010-05-11T13:06:00.005-06:00

This is probably my favorite one so far.

I think it needs no explanation. So here's some eye candy for you...

For Dad's Day-Giveway!

2010-05-11T09:32:00.004-06:00

The Vintage Pearl has done it again. They are giving away an awesome gift for your significant other, dad, brother, etc. on their blog.

I'm blogging this to get an extra entry. But you don't have to go enter...seriously. I want to win this one!

FYI: It would be great to make this myself...but it's free!

My first try fusing metal

2010-05-10T19:24:00.005-06:00

Eek! I was so excited to try this, and believe me, I've been waiting a while for the tools.

I finally got a Micro Torch and some Paste Flux. I already had some solder. It would have been nice to just use solder paste with flux in it, but in time. So as soon as I got home from the hardware store, I got working. I didn't have a soldering board (I have a vision it will be coming soon), so I used a piece of particle board, and was careful not to catch it on fire.

My husband actually did most of the work on this one, and he did a great job! I then put it on a sterling silver jump ring and put a wire-wrapped bead on the jump ring and strung it on an 18inch 1.5mm sterling silver plated ball chain.

A note about the wrapped bead: The wire I used it not sterling silver wire. I wish it was. In fact I do have sterling silver wire that I could have used. But it's expensive. And since I don't have any Fire Coat (a product to prevent Fire Scale, and needed in order to ball up the wire with a torch), or Fine Silver Wire (you don't need Fire Coat), I couldn't make a headpin. FYI-I have no problem accepting gifts. So, I made my own poor man's headpin (which is what I actually used in THIS necklace). I always need more tools! That's the way it goes with any hobby, craft, or project-right?

So without further adieu...

Let me know what you think!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

2010-05-05T13:43:00.004-06:00

And this one is sure to shine with this hammered look.

I absolutely love this necklace. I haven't even tapped into the vast amount of things I can do with metal stamping yet. I've just barely started, and so I'm still practicing on copper. I love the look of copper, but thinking about Sterling Silver pendants like The Vintage Pearl has just makes me giddy. And when you layer copper AND sterling silver, my head just starts to spin!

So, the star is complete with a sterling silver jump ring and 18in. sterling silver 1.5mm(tiny) ball chain!

Things I like:

1. I put my initial on it. This may sound silly, but I don't think I have ever had a necklace with my initial on it in my entire life and I always wanted one. But names, dates, and other design stamps work too.

2. The hammered look.

3. I domed the star.

Things I don't like:

1. You see the R? Can you tell my stamp bounced? That is why it is important to have a good hard work surface. My steel block was on my card table that has kind of a padded top.

2. The hammered look. I know I said that I like this part, and I do. But when I started hammering it, I realized that the dimples were too small for what I wanted and liked. Next time I will use my bigger ball pein hammer.

Button, Button-Who's Got My Button?

2010-04-29T18:02:00.004-06:00

Maybe You?Just copy the code on my button below or on my sidebar, and easily add it to your blog! Or you can add my Tutorial Button,or Both!

Let's Party!

2010-04-20T23:12:00.004-06:00

So...I live in Montana!

But I'm not there this week.

Instead, I'm in UTAH!

And on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 6pm, my awesome sister, Rachel, is hosting a party for my jewelry at her apartment in Provo.

Are you in the area? Would you like to come? Click HERE to go to the Facebook group page to get the address.

Come! Food and Jewelry. What could be better?

P.S. If you need directions, just leave a comment on this post and I'll get back to you, or Map Quest the address.

Another Giveway?

2010-04-17T06:37:00.007-06:00

YES!

Beth Anne or B.A. as she is known by over at The Thrifty BA is giving away one of my pieces of jewelry just because it's her birthday week. How sweet is that? She is such a cool gal with an awesome blog telling you how to save money and decorate in style. So PLEASE take a minute and hop right on over to enter the giveway on her blog HERE!

Vintage Pearl Giveway

2010-04-16T10:43:00.003-06:00

One of my new favorite blogs/websites is doing a giveway today! Go on over to The Vintage Pearl to enter to win one of three gift certificates.

Look what I've been up to!

2010-04-14T11:02:00.006-06:00

I've been getting me hands dirty...literally, learning how to do metal stamping. And I'm having a blast. I've been practicing on copper, because Sterling Silver is MUY EXPENSIVO! But I did make one disk out of the nice stuff and it turned out pretty well. On this first one, the O is a little crooked.

I really wanted to put this cute little quote on one, so it's a good thing I practiced with copper first. You see, i accidentally put the L too low, so I decided to just do that sort of thing with the rest of it. Maybe you like it, and some people really do like it that way (a very non-chalant kind of thing), but I'm really into straight lines. I hardly ever make "informal" beaded jewelry as it's called in the jewelry world.

Well, practice makes perfect. This is fun!

I'm back...

2010-04-13T21:50:00.003-06:00

With a vengeance.

(Is that the right way to say that?)

Well, maybe not a vengeance, but I AM back, and ready to give you what you want. Some more tutorials and pictures of my stash, and more new ones coming all the time!

Sorry I've been such a slacker lately. I WAS pretty sick and I'm still getting over a ruptured eardrum. But I have been feeling much better for several days now. Like I said, kinda lazy.

But you'll see big things happening here hopefully in the coming days and weeks, so don't give up on me. Just keep checking back here for new posts!

On Hiatus

2010-04-01T09:15:00.001-06:00

Sick kid ALL last week + Sick Mom this week with a sinus infection and N-A-S-T-Y ear infection = NO POSTS.

Be back in a couple days.

My most precious piece of jewelry

2010-03-26T17:08:00.004-06:00

In 1995, a 12 year old boy made me this necklace at summer camp. He didn't even know me yet. In fact, he didn't meet me for another ten years. In 2005, that not so boy anymore became my husband. Is this my favorite necklace? You bet!

Wire Wrapped Cuff

2010-03-25T22:28:00.008-06:00

I can't quite remember, but to take the class from the exhibitor at a bead show, I think it costs around $150.

I did not take this class. In fact, I don't think the class has been held yet. Now, this is a pretty standard price for a class. It usually varies from $100-250, depending on materials needed and difficulty.

This was my first try at this cuff, and I think it was pretty successful. There were a couple things I would do differently if I were to do it again, but that comes when you are self-taught. Thus the reason I used copper and aluminum wires before trying this with sterling silver or gold filled wire.

When I think of doing projects with those types of wires, it's like my mouth is watering when I think of my favorite dessert. As a "starving artist" I guess I will just have to wait until the time when I can afford to use such high quality materials. For now, I think I do a pretty darn good job with my resources.

Should I be a little more humble about this?

P.S. Honestly, if I could remember the site where I found this cuff, I would totally send you there, but if it helps at all, it was named the Jetson Cuff. I guess I need to pay more attention.

My first pair of wire wrapped earrings!

2010-03-24T11:14:00.007-06:00

I made my first pair of wire wrapped earrings, and though I do think they are super cute, I've got more ideas and designs just flooding my head. More to come!

I made these with silver plated copper wire and green bicone crystals.

Do you like these earrings? Would you like a tutorial?

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2010-03-17T03:20:00.002-06:00

This girl isn't getting pinched today!

This can also be a pendant, pin, you name it.

Tuesday's Tutorial-A beaded bead?

2010-03-17T02:15:00.010-06:00

I was told that it takes a good nine to ten months to feel like you've got your life back and things are back to "normal" after you have a baby. It's been almost three months since I have my second child, and I'm already wishing I was back into the swing of things. Maybe then I would actually have my tutorial up when I say it's going to be up! But, anyway, it's up now...so there.

This is in fact a bead made from smaller beads. It's super cute, and incredibly versitile. You can use it like a regular bead.

So... let's get started. Material list:

1. 12- 4mm bicone crystals or glass beads (Mine are Crystazzi Sapphire crystals)

2. Approximately 1 foot of fishing line, either 4lb or 6lb will work just fine (pretty neat-something you might just have lying around the house)

3. Cutters( I am using my flush cutters)

Step 1: String three crystal beads onto your fishing line, making sure they are in the center of the line.

Step 2: Add a fourth bead to the line and string the other end onto the bead in the opposite direction as shown below. This is called the cross stitch.

Step 3: Pull tight.

Step 4: Add one bead to each side of the line.

Step 5: Add another bead onto the line and cross stitch it. Pull tight, and it should look like the picture below.

Keep doing this until you run out of beads.

Step 6: When you reach your last two beads, string them on either side of the line, then you will need to do the cross stitch your line on the very bottom bead/center bead. Then pull tight.

When you pull it tight, your bead should look like the picture below. What we did in the previous steps was basically made four sides of a box, and then pulled it all together to close the box.

Step 7: Almost done! You need to get both ends of the line together, so... take one end of your line and string it through the three beads on the top to get it to come out where the other line is.

Once you've strung the line through the three beads, it should look like this. (Click on the picture for more detail) Note: Each end of the line is coming out of a different bead, they are just beads that are right next to eachother.

Step 8: Tie a square knot-that's left over right, then right over left. With your extra line, take both ends and string them through the beads to hide the knot and reinforce the shape of your bead. Then just cut the extra line, and you're done! It's that easy.

Let me know if these instructions were clear enough. Someone please try this and let me know how it went. I NEED feedback! You don't even have to use bicone beads to do it, (although they seem to look best).

A request: I received a request for more memory wire tutorials. So this is what you'll get next week, along with my frustrations about making it. Good thing I'll make it easy for you!

Beaded Ring

2010-03-15T12:43:00.004-06:00

I just learned how to make these way cute rings, and I love them!

Tuesday's Tutorial-The Wrapped Loop

2010-03-09T05:00:00.001-07:00

The wrapped loop really isn't all that different from a regular eye loop, except that you will need more wire.

So, why use a wrapped loop?
1. Style-It gives your jewelry a different look than just a plain loop.
2. Durability- You've got to make sure your eye loop is completely closed and won't come apart, but sometimes little baby hands help yank them apart anyway. There are times when I only use a regular loop, but other times when I NEED a wrapped loop.

Without further adieu...

Materials Needed:

1. Head or eye pin, or some 20 or 22 gauge wire.

2. Round nose pliers, chain nose pliers, cutters.

Step 1: This will be the same as making an eye loop, but instead when you make your 90 degree bend, you want to bend about an inch of wire.

Step 2: Make your loop with the round nose pliers.

If your loop looks like the picture below, don't fret, just use either your pliers or your fingers and push your loop up so the bend isn't so big. Just fool with it until it looks good; that's what I do.

Step 3: While holding onto the loop with your round nose pliers in one hand, with the other hand use your chain nose pliers to wrap the wire around the stem/neck a couple times. I wouldn't wrap it more than three times because you still want the bead to be close to the loop.

Note: If the wire I am wrapping is long enough, I will wrap it with my fingers, it's easier. A professional may tell you that's the wrong way, but I feel like I have more control that way. But if the wire is short, then I will use pliers because it hurts my fingers.

Your wrapped loop should look like this.

Step 4: After you have completed your wrapped loop and cut off the excess wire, take your chain nose pliers and squish down the raw edge so it doesn't poke you.

Step 5: The next steps just show you how to make your wrapped loop with a bead on it. So...put your bead on and make the 90 degree bend. You want to leave a small neck so there is room to wrap the wire. But you shouldn't worry too much about leaving room because it doesn't matter how close to try to bend the wire to the bead, there will always be a small neck. So just bend it like normal.Make your loop.

And follow the rest of the steps for the wrapped loop, and you're set!

Happy beading!

Tuesday's Tutorial

2010-03-02T07:00:00.002-07:00

I am in love with this necklace...don't tell my husband!

This is actually the necklace I taught my sister Rachel to make. I recently took a trip to Utah, and let Rachel look through my pictures of jewelry I found that I wanted to make. This necklace I found at The Work Room. She decided she wanted to make this one- and so your tutorial for the week was born (or something like that).

Items you will need:

1. 20 or 22 gauge wire (I used 20)

2. Jump rings (I used 16, but that could change, depending on the length). I made my jump rings out of the wire

3. Some sort of clasp (I used a hook and eye clasp that I also made out of my wire)

4. Cutters, chain nose pliers, and round nose pliers.

Step 1: Cut your wire. I cut mine into almost two inch pieces. I cut 13 pieces of wire. You will also want to cut 2 pieces of wire about an inch longer than the others (so 3 inches). These pieces are for the ends that will attach to the clasp. You don't have to cut the wire at 2 inches. You can make them shorter if you want your beads to be closer together, or longer if you want them farther apart. But remember that if you make them closer together, you will want to use smaller beads, or your necklace will look cluttered. The pieces of the wire that Rachel used were shorter than two inches.

Rachel's necklace was longer than mine. Mine hits just below my collar bone, so she obviously used more pieces of wire. Adjust the number you cut accordingly.

Step 2: Using the two longer pieces of wire, you want to make a wrapped loop at one end of each. Then set them aside.

Step 3: With your 13 other pieces of wire, you need to take your round nose pliers and make half of a loop at one end of each piece.

Step 4: Next, you want to use your chain nose pliers to bend/squish the loop together.

Step 5: Using your cutters, you will need to cut most of the loop off so that you just have a small bend at the end instead of a big one.

Step 6: a. On one of your wrapped loop wires, put on a jump ring first, then a bead. Then you need to make the loop at the end of that wire as shown in steps three through five.

b. Next you need to take one of your other wires, stick a bead on it and stick the unfinished end through the jump ring, so it looks like the picture below.

You will continue to do steps a and b until you get to the end of your necklace and need to put on the other wrapped loop wire. To put this one on, you just put it in the opposite way through the jump ring, then put the bead on, and then make your loop.

Step 7: In the picture of the necklace, you can see that the wires are bent a little more than what you see in the other pictures. So, what you need to do is take the wire in both hands (my other hand was taking the picture), and with your thumb under the wire, make a small bend downward. Be careful not to bend it too much. If you do, you can just bend it back. But if you totally slaughter the wire, cut if off and make a new one, it's that easy!

Here is just a few pieces put together so you can see what it looks like.

Step 8: Attach a jump ring to each of the wrapped loops and the clasp. And then you're done! If you are using a clasp that opens, then you don't need a jump ring.

Okay...I really need your feedback. I want to know if this tutorial makes sense. It's one thing to show someone how to make something in person, but completely different to write it out and hope you get it. The most frustrating thing for me is not understand directions. Just ask my mom about that. So... Do you understand it? Do I need more pictures? Do I need better pictures? Do I need better instructions? Do you think that this tutorial would make it easy to make the necklace? PLEASE TELL ME!

Lia sophia Knock-off

2010-03-01T12:46:00.007-07:00

If you like jewelry as much as I do, then you probably like Lia Sophia.

I've been to a few Lia Sophia house parties, but DANG, their jewelry is just too expensive for me. That's when I decided to make my own Lia Sophia knock-off. I also made a pink and black one as well, but they both sold already.

I added my own little touches,

and here it is...

$20-sure beats an $80 pricetag.

Excuses Excuses

2010-02-25T12:44:00.008-07:00

Yes, I know you are all impatiently waiting for my tutorial. I was out of town from Sunday to Tuesday night and just couldn't motivate myself to post anything. But, you'll be glad you waited for this. This gorgeous piece (and one my sister Rachel made) is coming next Tuesday. So watch for the tutorial.

Since I am going to be posting tutorials every Tuesday, I've made a lot of work for myself. I've decided to seek your help. If there is a piece of jewelry you've seen that you are dying to make (say at the store, online, in a catalog, etc.; or a technique you'd like to learn, please email me or leave a comment, and I would be happy to post a tutorial about it!

$20

*Come back and see my product review of the Coiling Gizmo from Beadalon and a Tricks of the Trade post about choosing the right kind of wire*

Tuesday's Tutorial (on Wednesday)

2010-02-17T09:30:00.020-07:00

A day late, but I really did have a good excuse.

Today, we are learning a beading basic technique, an
Eye Loop.

For this you will need...
1. Either an eye/head pin or some 20 gauge wire or smaller depending on what you want to do with it
2. Round Nose Pliers
3. Possibly some chain/needle nose pliers
4. Cutters

Step 1: Load your beads onto your pin. I am using an eye pin in this picture, but if you are using wire, you will want to do this step after you make a loop.Step 2: With your round nose pliers, bend the pin/wire 90 degrees just above the bead. If this is your first step because you are using wire, you will want to bend it about 1/2 inch down the wire.Step 3: While still holding onto your pin/wire with the pliers, wrap the wire around the pliers. The closer to the base of the pliers you wrap it, the bigger the loop will be.Step 4: Cut your wire right about where the neck starts. If you are using flush cutters, make sure the flush cutters are facing the loop.Step 5: With your chain nose pliers, close the loop by grabbing the loop at an angle shown here. This way it will bend and look like a rounded loop. There is also another way to make it look completely rounded, if this way doesn't work well for you-but that is for another day.To open your loop, Do Not grab it with the tip of the pliers, as shown below.Instead, grab it with the side of your pliers and pull open.You can connect it to chain, other eye loops, etc.

If you would like to purchase any of the items you see here, leave a comment.

Stay tuned for more tutorials about making loops including the wrapped loop!

Another Valentine's Day Bracelet

2010-02-12T12:07:00.003-07:00

So, I made another cute little Valentine's Day bracelet. I just couldn't help myself, and I think it is just super cute. Besides, hearts and red beads are fashionable all year anyway, in moderation of course.

Tuesday's Tutorial

2010-02-09T18:28:00.005-07:00

Sweetheart Cuff

I've decided to post a tutorial every Tuesday. Hopefully I will follow through with it. If you would like to see past tutorials, just go to the top of my blog, and click on Tutorials, or you can click on Tutorials under Labels. But since this is the first tutorial for this blog, you won't find much yet.

If you don't want to make this bracelet, but you want it, you can buy it for $10.00 plus S&H.

As you are well aware, Valentine's Day is approaching. So in the spirit of gifts and all things pink, I've done a pretty cuff bracelet made out of memory wire. So let's get to it then...

First things first...you need all of your materials and tools.
1. Memory Wire of course.You will need to get the regular sized memory wire, but I will talk about how to make it a little smaller if you don't want it to move around on your wrist.
2. Assortment of Beads-Whatever your little heart desires.
3. Eye Pins- You will need two, unless you mess up like I did, then you will need three.
4. Tools-Memory Wire Cutter. Please please please don't use regular cutters on memory wire, it will chew them up. You will also need Round Nose Pliers and Chain Nose Pliers (which aren't in the picture).

Okay, lets make this bracelet.

Step 1. Cut your memory wire. If you have the smaller wire, you will just cut one complete ring. But if you are using the regular sized wire, you are going to want to cut it a bit smaller. I'd say you'd probably want about 1-1 1/2 inches less than a complete ring. Make sense? Whatever you do, make sure every cut is the same length. You will cut 15! And how, you are wondering do make it smaller? Why bend it of course! You don't want to really bend it so there are elbows in your wire. Just take the two end pieces and stretch them in toward eachother, and your circle will still be perfect. And when you put the whole thing together, it pulls the wire in to make it smaller, so no worries.

(okay, so I only have five here, but you get the idea)

Step 2. Now you are going to make a loop at one of the ends of all your pieces using your Round Nose Pliers. This is where your chain nose pliers come in. You will need them to make your loop really small. You don't want a big loop because we will be sliding it onto an eye pin, and if it is too big, it will slide all over the place.

All your pieces should look like this.

Step 3. Load your beads onto the wire. This is tedious and takes a while, but it's the easiest part! After your beads are on the wire, using your Round Nose Pliers, make a loop at the end of the wire, completing your ring.

Step 4. Now you are going to use your eye pins. Since you have fifteen pieces, you will want to separate them into three sets of five. Then you will start loading each set onto one of the eye pins. First, you will want to put a seed bead on the eye pin, then put on each of the pieces, separating each one by a seed bead. After all fifteen rings are on the eye pin and there is a seed bead on both ends, you will take your Round Nose Pliers and Make a loop on the straight end to finish the one side of the cuff.

Here, I have separated each of the sets to show you. What you can't see are the seed beads in between each of the wires, but they ARE there, I promise. (Please excuse my awful nailpolish)

Step 5. This is the most difficult step of the whole process. But luckily it's also the last step. After you have all of your wire on the eye pin, you will need to separate the sets like I have done in the previous picture. Here's the hard part. You will need to braid the sets. When do you stop braiding? When you can't braid anymore. It really doesn't look like a tight braid in the picture, but since we are dealing with wire here, it really is tight. Make it tight keeps the wires in place. You will only braid a couple of times before you can't braid it anymore. Okay, so I lied, that actually wasn't the hard part (unless you don't know how to braid). The hard part is now. You will need to take the remaining eye pin and load all of the wire and seed beads on them. It can be difficult to keep your wires in order. It would be nice to have three hands, so if you have someone around to help, grab them. Otherwise, just load slowly and you'll get there! I didn't have help and did just fine. After everything is loaded on your eye pin, before you make your remaining loop, make sure everything looks okay and stays put.

And there you have it.

And here is a variation of this bracelet: I made this one with two sets of six and just twisted them. My sister made this bracelet after I put up the tutorial and had a great idea. Remember the hard part when you are loading everything onto the eye pins. Well, to keep them organized she just slipped each set onto an eye pin, then when she needed to transfer them over to the eye pin everything will be on permanently, she just took them off one by one and it was much easier. Way to go Jenny!

A Sneak Peak

2010-02-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Okay. okay. I'm finally putting some pictures up. But let me tell you, I took picture after picture with my lame camera, just so I could get some half decent shots. A nice new camera is in my future (gotta love tax returns). I'm still not sure how I will be posting on this blog. I have a ton of jewelry that I would like to put into a photo gallery. I would also like to post a tutorial at least once a week; either one that I've found, or a tutorial from me! Anyway, here a few pictures of some bracelets to wet your appetite. This is not even close to my whole collection of bracelets. And if you don't like what you see here, keep watching. I've got a ton of pieces in many different styles. And I do custom jewelry too; so if there is something you want me to make, just let me know!

Till then, here you go...

Stay tuned

2010-01-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

I've been making jewelry since 2005, and have decided to not take a risk with money and just put pictures of the jewelry I make on a blog instead of paying to sell in on Etsy or Ebay, and we'll see where it takes me. I do house parties to sell the jewelry I make, but haven't yet put anything online. So...when I actually get some good pictures, I'll be posting. Stay tuned...