Bead Peeps Swap N Hop Reveal

I had the pleasure of being paired up with Dolores Raml of Crafty D's Creations.

She is a multi talented creator in many craft mediums.  I really had fun going through

all the wonderful things that she included in my swap design kit.  This is what I received:

Here is a close up of the clasp...a bird sitting in a nest!

And the pendant I received was created by Dolores from a spoon!  How cool is that?

Any time you can recycle something is great, but to make it into so beautiful is amazing.

Here is a close up picture of the pendant:

I

I used everything included in my design kit except for the dove charm, 4 lamp work beads

and a few spacer beads.  I added from my stash the waxed linen stringing material, antique

silver chain and earring wires.  This is my finished design:

 

And a close up shot of the earrings:

I plan on gifting this jewelry set to my Mom for Mother's Day because she loved the spoon

pendant so much.  Please visit Dolores's blog at www.craftydscreations.wordpress.com

to see what she created with the ceramic bead goodies that I sent to her!  Also, a big

THANK YOU to Linda Anderson for organizing our swap this year.

 

 



Beading Back Before Time - Early Human

Last time it was all about fossils for me - this time it is all about dinosaurs!
Cave men and women did not have to fear my friendly dino....

 

When I was in Tucson this year, my booth neighbor, Michelle Davis from

Tangible Light Studio, made the cutest lamp work dinosaurs.  There

was my inspiration for the second installment of the Beading Back Before Time

design challenges!  And in green, too....(one of my favorite colors)

I made two 12mm hand rolled ceramic beads and glazed them lime green to accent the

dinosaurs spots.  I used cats eye beads, crystals, silver spacer balls, waxed linen, silk,

closed rings and a lobster claw clasp.  Since the dinosaur bead hole was vertical, I made

a tassel under him with 3 strands of waxed linen.  What a fun necklace!

 

Here is a close up shot of the dinosaur.  He is even smiling!  If you'd like to see more

of  Michelle's lamp work beads, her website is www.tangible-light.com and if

you'd like to see more of my ceramic beads, check out my etsy site at

www.fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com.  Please hop around and check out some other

cool Early Human jewelry designs!

Lindsay Starr, Phantasm Creations: http://phantasmcreation.blogspot.com/…/beading-back-in-time…
Sherri Stokey, Knot Just Macrame: http://www.knotjustmacrame.com/…/beading-back-in-time-revea…
...

Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads: http://suebeads.blogspot.com/…/beading-back-in-time-blog-ho…
Stephanie Sanner Haussler, Pixybug Designs: http://www.pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com/ (not post specific link)
Jean Wells: http://jeanawells.indiemade.com/…/beading-back-time-install…
Jenny Davies-Reazor, http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/…/beading_back_time_blog_hop_r…

 





Frenzied Motion Challenge Reveal

 

The colors in this challenge kit just popped out when I saw it!  This is what I received:

It is so much fun to sort through the bags of bead goodies our challenge host, Andrew

Thornton sends.  My choices go into bracelet, necklace and earring piles.  Sadly I waited

 until the night before the reveal to make my designs.  I just got home from Bead Fest

 Philadelphia, and don't have all my mojo flowing yet!  This is what I managed to design.

 

I switched out the hot pink waxed linen that came in the kit to this lilac shade that was in

my stash.  I used the purple disc beads and square seed beads to make this fun bracelet.  I

wanted my ceramic toggle to be the star in this design.  I really like it!

I loved this oval gemstone.  I paired it with a 12mm round ceramic bead with some

 spacers and end caps.  Viola!  A fun pendant for a simple ribbon necklace.

 

The earrings feature some fun wire wrapping and shimmering crystals,  What's not to love?

I didn't use the mystery component included in the kit.....yet! 

If you'd like to see more of my ceramic beads, please visit my etsy store at

www.fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com.  Please hop around the following designers blogs

to see what they created with this fun kit.  And thanks again to Andrew!

 

Beadsophisticate https://beadsophisticate.wordpress.com

Christina Hickman http://vintagetreasuresjewelry.blogspot.com

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

Marybeth Rich http://www.forestofjewels.blogspot.com

Alison Herrington http://www.AlisonAdorns.blogspot.com

Ann Schroeder http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com

Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Joanne Goldberg, Lisa Mendum http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

 



 



Spring Awakening Challenge

 

Aren't the colors of spring beautiful?  Bright and fresh with promises of more to come!

This is my third time participating in the challenges hosted by Andrew Thornton.  I will

be challenged next month, but sadly, missed out on May's kit.  I need to be faster next time!

 

Every kit includes a mystery component made by Andrew.  I wanted to make something a

little different this month, so I made a keychain with the polymer clay pendant!

 

The dangles on the chain were hard to photograph....when it isn't laying flat, the dangles

 have great movement!  My car key is going on this in a few minutes.

 

Next I used the waxed linen, Czech glass and carved bead for a fun bracelet.

 

 

I picked out some great bead sets for 3 pairs of earrings and used the leftover waxed linen

pieces with the flower pair.  I love them all!

 

And now for the bead soup that is left over....a random memory wire bracelet!  I made

the 2 owl dangle charms out of ceramic clay to accent the design.  I think it turned out cute!

You can see more of my ceramic beads and pendants at

www.fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com

 

Please hop around to the following challenge blogs to see what my friends designed with

their Spring Awakening Challenge kits....and thank you to our host, Andrew!

 

Paula Kramer http://cavecreekbeads.blogspot.com

Jeanne Steck http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com/ 

Christina Porter http://queenbeedesignsny.com 

Ann Schroeder http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com

Lennis Carrier http://Windbent.wordpress.com 

Alison Herrington http://www.AlisonAdorns.blogspot.com/ 

Andrew Thornton http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com 

 

 





Marsala Design Challenge Reveal

This is a very rich color to design with.  Plus, being Pantone's "it" color, I wanted to

 design some trendy pieces.  I hope I did it justice! 

 

I used these romantic heart charms that Andrew included in the kit as the mystery

component.  I paired them up with some of the kit beads, added antique bronze

accents, and did a fun wire wrap technique to add some zip.

 

I made a ceramic goddess and glazed her belly with a shiny cranberry color that

goes nicely with the Marsala beads.  I knotted the wax linen in between the bead

mix, stationed that on some rings and finished the necklace with chain and a toggle.

 

 

Now for my favorite!  Isn't this carved jade bead yummy?  I wanted it to be the focal

piece of a necklace, so I decided the best way to do that was with a tassle design. 

Here it is with some chain dangles accented with more beads from the kit.  99% of

 the jewelry I design goes to galleries, but this one might be mine!

 

Thank you to our host, Andrew Thornton, for another fun design challenge!  Please hop

around to all the blogs of the designers that "faced the challenge!"  If you'd like to

see more of my ceramic beads, please go to www.fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com

 

Alison Herrington http://www.alisonadorns.blogspot.com/

Dolores Raml https://craftydscreations.wordpress.com

Carole Carlson http://www.beadsophisticate.wordpress.com

Lennis Carrier http://windbent.wordpress.com

Carolyn Lawson http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com/

Ann Schroeder http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com

Kari Asbury http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog/

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

On Andrew Thornton's Blog:

Andrew Thornton, Nancy Noyes-Ward, Donna Hoblit, Cheryl Lee Tucker http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

 







Beading Back in Time

I have been wanting to challenge my design skills with using larger, chunkier, funkier

focal pieces, and that's just what this challenge allowed me to do!  I handmade all the ceramic

pieces used, but instead of glazing them, I used different colored washes.  With this technique, you add color, wipe it off, add more color, wipe it off, until you achieve the desired look.  In this case, I was going for fossilized looks in beiges and rust tones.

 

This design features 2 ceramic ammonites, amber, Czech glass round beads, a handmade 16g wire spiral accent and chain.  The asymmetrical look gives it attitude!

 I love the rusty, crusty finish on the fossilized shells in this necklace and earring set.  The ceramic pieces are highlighted by metallic size 6 seed beads, spacer discs, and dagger shaped gemstones.  I used 20g wire as the necklace base due to the weight of the clay pieces.  This is a choker style necklace.  I used 24g wire to wrap the earrings and added some of the metallic seed beads as accents.

 

Please visit my shop to see more of my ceramic beads at www.fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com and visit the blog of the other fantastic designers participating in this fun blog hop challenge!

 

Co-hostess:  Lindsay Starr of Phantasm Creations Co-hostess:  Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame 
Kelly Rodgers of Beadin' Black & Blue  Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio  Caroline Dewison of Blueberribeads  Melissa Trudinger of Boho Bird Jewellery  Sue Kennedy of SueBeads  Stephanie and Chris Haussler of Pixibug Designs  Jen Cameron of Glass Addictions  Jean Wells of Jean A. Wells Artisan Jewelry 





Desert Sands Challenge Reveal

 

This is my first time participating in one of Andrew Thornton's challenges!  I found a few ceramic glazes that matched the sandy color scheme of the large collection of beads included in the challenge kit.  I made some charm pairs and 2 pendants for necklaces.  Sadly, the necklaces haven't come to life yet, but I made a few fun bracelets and earrings!

 

 

This is what remains for me to make 2 necklaces with.  The reveal will have to wait until I return from Tucson.  I fly out tomorrow for 12 days!  I sell my ceramic beads at To Bead True Blue and I hope to see lots of beading friends there...and of course make some new ones!

I used memory wire for the base of these 2 fun bracelets.  The mix of beads were fun....I just randomly stung them on.  The top bracelet features 2 hand rolled ceramic beads that I created for dangle accents and the bottom bracelet contains the kit mystery component.  At first my mind went to necklace pendant, but I love it as a bracelet dangle!

There were so many great earring beads in this mix of challenge beads.  I have sorted some out for future earrings.  But for now, I have created these....all fun and happy little designs!

 

If you'd like to see more of my ceramic beads, please visit www.fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com and visit the blogs of the other challenge participants!

 

Alison Herrington http://alisonadorns.blogspot.com/

Tammy Bowman http://innermusejewelry.blogspot.com/

Jeanne Steck http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com/

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

Kari Asbury http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog/

 

On Andrew Thornton's blog:Andrew Thornton, Naama from Peculiaris, Nancy Noyes-Ward, Janice Ferrari, Lisa Mendum, Cheryl Lee Tucker http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/