Jazzy Jewelry

Light at the end of the tunnel!

2012-03-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Without further ado, the last few projects in Marcia's book: Beaded Opulence

Amphora was great fun to make, I love how it took shape as the layers were added, and it has so many color possibilities! Even though I didn't have the chain the directions called for, I think I made it work out okay:

Then I worked on Deco and let me tell you, I used up quite a few beads on the rope portion for this one. However, I've gotten so many compliments on it already, I can't really complain:

Quetzal I will admit I had a great time with, as you can tell since I made a bunch! So many possibilities, and so easy to customize to the right size, I even made a miniature version so the base wasn't as big!

And lastly, Serena, which I left for last not only because it IS the last project in the book, but because it didn't immediately jump out at me as a project I just HAD to make. Once I did this one though, I can tell you I'll definitely make a couple more, seeing it built from the bottom up made me really fall in love with it!

I will be sending Marcia all of these pieces so she can see them in person (she promised to send them back as quick as she can!) and so she can take some better photos of them, since I can only do so much with what I have. This journey was so much fun, and I highly recommend this book, especially if you're learning RAW (right angle weave) as it shows a lot of different ways to utilize it. Thanks so much to Marcia, for her suggestions and care packages while I completed my projects!

Almost there

2012-03-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

To the end of the book that is. I've got all of the pieces finished now, but still have to take some decent pictures of a few of them.

The piece we continue the journey with, and the reason for the hiatus and lack of crystals, Fanfare. This bracelet is simply dripping with crystals and there is no way to avoid being blinded while working on it, so here it is:

I also had to order crystals for most of the book in order to finish it, simply because I don't keep too many on hand, but it was well worth it to order a whole bunch. Plus, it's FUN to shop for shiny sparkles. Entwined Circles was the next project on the chopping block and I had all kinds of fun with this one, since the colors I chose made it so incredibly bright:

Then we had Shadow Wave which I have to thank Marcia for since she was so generous and sent me a triangular rivoli in order to work on it! I just love the little shot of pink around the triangle to give it that little pop of color:

Terracita, being the next project, I tried to challenge myself a bit and work with colors I wouldn't usually use. I found myself attracted to earthy yet still shiny brown/tan tones. The whole piece ends up looking very rich in person (I'm not sure it translates very well in a photo) being slight variations of all the same basic color:

To finish out the chapter, also because that's all the pictures I have for now, Whitby earrings. Again, Marcia was very generous and sent me the teardrops for these pieces! I'll admit, I feel a little spoiled! I played with color a bit in these but I think they turned out pretty well, fun to wear that's for sure!

And that's all I've got for now, I'll take pictures of the remaining few projects today or tomorrow and I'll update you with finishing the book very soon (I promise!) Then, all of these lovely pieces will be sent to the wonderful woman herself. Yes, I'll be sending all of these projects to Marcia DeCoster, since she asked to see them all in person! As a side note, I can't wait for the Bead & Button Show this year as I'll be able to take a class from Marcia again and see many wonderful beads!

Back to the work at hand

2012-02-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

Working on Marcia's book Beaded Opulence. I have finished the custom cuff made for my good friend Mitch, and here it is:

Now of course, that's on my arm so it has a lot of extra space, but his very large manly arms made it look great! I think where we last left off was Cassiopeia. So the next project in the book is Ka'iulani, I'm just glad I had any kind of bead that was top drill like this, made even better by the fact that it was in fact a pearl! Just what the directions called for! Of course I changed up colors, but I always seem to do that even if I don't intend to.

Then we have the beaded bangle, for this one I definitely had to think outside the box. The rubber cord that it calls for I wouldn't have had any idea where to get, the advice my husband gave me however, was "Why don't we try the hardware store?" And lo and behold, there was exactly what I needed.

Fleur Fantaisie was a project that I could have all kinds of fun with, since the focal beads are probably all one of a kind and really influence what colors and complementary beads you use. I tried something funky, a purple skull.

Etruscan Treasure was a necklace I had tried very early on, before I took on this adventure, so I have two different versions of it. I love both of them, although I have a soft spot for silver.

I had also done one other version as a custom order for my dear friend Krissy, she wanted it to look sort of like a peacock feather! It was fun, unfortunately, no good pictures of it were taken.
Ringlets is the first project I had to ask Marcia herself where she got the aluminum rings for the project that it calls for. As I found out, I was to make another trip to the hardware store, where I, again, found exactly what I needed.

Cappadocia was a fun project to work on and I definitely want to make time to play with this pattern more than just this first one I made (we'll see when, if ever, I get to that)

As the journey continues, Cascade was a project that I had tried over the summer in pink and rose quartz

but as I was working my way through the book I just felt like I really should do this project again. So I did!

Gabriella was a fun structural piece to create, since I didn't use any wire on the inside of the pendant to help it keep its shape.

And our last project for now, Urchin, delightfully and surprisingly easy to do with directions given. And I just love the rope that Marcia has in her book for a few different projects. I have already used it for a couple of my own to create an interesting rope piece for just about any pendant. Urchin! right, Urchin, I of course had to change up the colors since that's what I tend to do and since I'm so fond of silver...

And that's all for now! Since I hadn't updated in awhile I knew I had better give you quite a few pictures to look at so hopefully you all enjoy them!

Blast to the Past

2012-02-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

I never got back to the computer yesterday so here's the continuation of yesterday's post with some bracelets I've done in the past.

This one was fun, challenging too, since I didn't have any of the pieces called for practically:

This is one I did from a Bead & Button show class a few years ago:

This was the original I did in class:

Here's one from the book Bugle Bead Bonanza:

A custom ordered cuff I did:

Butterflies!

A ribbon looking project from Bead & Button:

And lastly for bracelets, fun with rivolis:

That's all I've got for now, I'll be back later on to do a quick post of earrings to round out the blast to the past pictures, hopefully giving me enough time to put together a post for Marcia's book ( Beaded Opulence ) later on.

A look back

2012-02-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

at some of the projects I've finished in the past, because why not? Just some pretty pictures to fill the time until I can put together a better post for the continuation of Marcia's book.

I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 hours working on this scarf over the course of a year. Created my own fade pattern to go from white to black. Here it is worn:

A St. Petersburg necklace, that I believe came from Bead & Button:

Fun with rivolis:

Some shaped beadwork via Diane Fitzgerald:

A personal favorite since I love rainbows:

I was trying something new with this one:

And a close up of the fringe:

And probably my favorite piece I've ever made, I was sad to sell it, but glad it will be appreciated:

I'll let that be all for now, since I barely got through necklaces, I had to leave out quite a few, but I'll throw some bracelets up later today!

The work continues!

2012-02-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

I've been working on the Abacus cuff for a male friend of mine, and it didn't occur to me when I agreed that guy's wrists are generally bigger than girls. This makes for a very large and long Abacus bracelet. So here it is, still in progress:

So far it is about 7 inches and I still have 2 to go! This is one intense project.
To break up my time and to keep me from going crazy (or crazier, depending on who you talk to) I decided to work on these fun little pendants for Anita:

And that's all I've got for now, I probably won't post again until I've finished Abacus, so hopefully I'm not too far gone by then!

And another down

2012-02-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Finished the black and purple flower in only a day! It definitely helps that I have the option to stay home all day and work on these things! Without further ado, here is the last flower for now:

And because I still have them all in my office (for now) here is my little garden:

I do have a couple more orders to do, but the one I've started with because it is from Marcia's book Beaded Opulence, is a bracelet cuff for my friend Mitch. He saw my silver version of Abacus, and said "ooh, I want one! But, uh.....can you make it manly?" So here's the beginning of that:

I'm getting approval each step of the way from my hubby to make sure it's "manly" enough.

They just keep coming in!

2012-01-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

Custom orders for flowers are apparently the trend for me right now, here is another one that I've finished recently. She wanted it to mimic a tigerlily:

And next is a nice break from the flowers pouring in; A ruffled peyote link necklace. This one is a gift that was ordered so I won't say who it's for, but it sure was fun to make!

Now I'm off to work on the next custom flower! Black and purple this time, at least they are all so different :)

Keeping Busy

2012-01-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

I'm finally remembering to go back to the original purpose of this blog, which was to work my way through Marcia's book Beaded Opulence (find it here ) and kind of got sidetracked by all the other "ooh shiny" things in my possession.

Here are a couple of those things while I remember where I was in Marcia's book and get back to work!

Another custom flower for another friend, this time attached to a barrette for her hair!

Something different I decided to try out, a new kind of bangle:

And to start bringing us back around to Marcia's book, a vintage-y pink and gold daisy spacer version of Abacus, the first project in the book.

It's almost like a garden!

2012-01-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

I've been working a little on some new items, along with continued work on house projects (which never seem to end) I will say I'm incredibly excited to be attending the Bead & Button show this year, as I will get to take a class from Marcia DeCoster on my actual birthday!!! I really enjoyed her class last year because her projects teach you a stitch but then allow you to make it your own. You can be as creative as you want.

In the meantime, here are some flowers!

This last flower, the purple and silver, is a custom one for a dear friend, Krissy, and it is attached to a stretchy headband piece so she can wear this beautiful flower in her hair!

Vacation over!

2012-01-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back from vacation (or rather, house projects and being out of town)

I've been working on getting the house ready to sell, the husband and I are hoping to move in the spring!

This is what I've had time to work on in the meantime:

And this is a special project for one of my tattoo artists! She's phenomenal and incredibly talented.

I promise I'm not gone

2011-12-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

I'm still here! I've just been busy with things around the house and Thanksgiving. The hubby and I are getting ready to sell our house and find the bigger and better type in the spring, so I've been cleaning, rearranging, remodeling, and everything else along with being gone for the holiday.

I promise I haven't left you all though, here is a shot of what I did manage to get done in that time:

And that's what I've got, I'm working on a couple more, so once those are finished you'll all get another update of pretty pictures to look at!

For now, I'm off to tackle to some more cleaning...

I've been trying to stay busy...

2011-11-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

So in the last couple of months I have made some new things that I would like to share with you. I've been at a couple of craft shows so I'll post another update on that once I get the pictures uploaded. In the meantime, I've been making some changes over on my website. I'm going to try to format it more so that it's a photo gallery and that when you order, you actually email me first and then once I double check what you are purchasing I process payment with Paypal instead.

I used to have card processing directly from the merchants (Visa, AmEx) but it is way too costly to keep that up with the small volume of items I have. So I'm going to trade it in for something more cost effective and easier to maintain.

In the meantime, this is where I'll be posting more regularly, the pictures of my new items for all of you to see, so make sure you keep checking the blog here to see what's new! I'll make an announcement on the blog, website and facebook once I have paypal and everything all set up and ready to go again.

For now, here are some of my new items, if you are interested in any of them, email me :)

And that is pretty much everything new so far, I still have a few projects in the making so as soon as they are finished I will post them up as well!

A Show Filled Week!

2011-10-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned I had a couple craft shows to attend. It was a fun & busy 4 day weekend. First up was Girl's Night Out at the Holiday Inn here in town.

And here's a quick look at my set up. It was an interesting evening, with hundreds of ladies shopping all the different vendors, wine and a fashion show!

Then there was The Big One Craft Show at the Civic Center. Again, this was a crazy busy show, but still tons of fun!

And this is how I set up for this one, although I think I'll have to make some changes the next time around. It just doesn't look quite big and full enough for me. I'm thinking about adding some different height boxes for under the tablecloth.

Well, this was my weekend in a nutshell, then this past week I was down in the Minneapolis to see one of my friends from high school in The Rocky Horror Picture Show with my mom, went bead shopping with her and then saw Real Steel with my dad the day after! All in all, it's been a great two weeks!

The adventure continues

2011-10-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

As I'm getting ready for some shows this weekend, I chose to take on the next couple projects in Marcia's book. First up is my version of Shimmer Queen:

Since I don't have any focal beads that are the right size, I chose to go the punk route and chose something from the hardware store!

Next up is the Medici Drop earrings, and of course once again I don't have the right drop crystals for this project either, so to make it work for me, I used teardrop stones:

I made it in a few color tones to get some variety.

Next up in this chapter was the Cassiopeia necklace, which I don't have the pearls for once again. I feel like this will be a reoccurring theme throughout this undertaking but that will be part of the challenge. I will find a way to make each project work for me with what I have!

I really enjoyed making this one, it was fun to make the pendant piece:

And that's everything for today. Now it's time to get ready for the shows this weekend!

Mad About Marcia

2011-10-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

I've been really inspired by Marcia and her blog lately, and thought I would follow along with another blogger and beader I found via her site. She's doing sort of a Julie/Julia thing, but instead of cooking, it's Marcia's book Beaded Opulence. You can find her blog here. The first project in the book is called Abacus, and it's actually pretty gorgeous, although I have to admit, along with Cyn, I didn't give it much thought at first. Now, this is pretty much what I do on a daily basis, so I've already finished the first three projects in the book, along with a few others that I had done previously, so I'll post pics of all of them at the end, for now, here's Abacus:

and this is how it sits on a wrist:

I've been really pushing myself to try and be more open and creative with my patterns. It's a struggle for me since I learned to bead entirely by reading and figuring out patterns, so simply making it up as I go isn't usually an option. Now that I've been beading for as long as I have and gained a better understanding of how the beads sit and the foundations for different stitches, I find it a new challenge for me to simply let go and bead by feeling. It is the reason I took Marcia's class at the 2011 Bead & Button show, to challenge myself creatively. It is paying off exponentially, since I have just done one of my first pieces ever that is entirely without a pattern or a picture to go on. Here is the result:

Now, on to the second pattern in Marcia's book, Spun Glass! I had made this one previously, before I ever started on this journey through her book, but never the less, it is a completed version. I did not use wonderful crystals as suggested, but plastic bicones that had been sitting around for ages. It just felt like the right time to use them:

and the result seems to have turned out okay. I'll admit for the next project, I did in fact, watch the movie Twilight while making the Twilight project, only because I watched with the Rifftrax (essentially Mystery Science Theater 3000 aka making fun of the movie the entire time) and it just made sense. I was initially turned off to this project because I am so stuck on wanting patterns and everything to be in order, so this was one of my biggest challenges, just mixing up the beads and letting it happen:

There are a few others through the book that I've already completed, but we'll get to those later on. I'm off to prepare for dinner with my in-laws tonight as well as two shows later this week. As a parting thought, I'll leave you with one of Marcia's kits I did that I picked up at the Bead & Button Show.

And so it begins...

2011-10-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

I've been inspired by Marcia over at MadDesigns to start blogging about my beading experiences. I thought I would start by giving a little information about myself.. I started beading around 10 years ago when I was 15 and have been going ever since! I mainly did it as a hobby to try something new and to keep myself busy. In the last few years I've really gotten into it much more and have now started going to craft shows and expos to sell my pretty things. :)

This is where I'll be leaving updated pictures of my newest pieces before they're ever on my site. I'm trying to simply use the mobile upload feature from my phone to Facebook right now but it's not working very well for 2 simple reasons: 1- my phone takes terrible pictures 2- I can only upload to my regular personal profile and not my business page.

Anyway, this is me saying hello and to keep an eye out for future posts and pictures since I'm off to sleep, since I've now been up for way to long today since it's 6am and I'm still awake (apparently I'm a night owl now.)