Ongoing, not forgotten

I cannot believe I have let this blog sit for so long without posting. Life has definitely gotten in the way; I've lost a parent, moved, weathered a few parenting crises and had a grandchild. Out of all these life-changing events, I far prefer the grandkid:)
I haven't stopped creating, I have gone full steam ahead and pushed myself out of my own creative box. I took a wire wrap class and now am making some really interesting pieces as my skills have improved. And like any artist, I have sometimes taken apart pieces and remade them with different components that pleased me more. 
In my new digs in my childhood home, I have set up a room dedicated to my jewelry work. I have a great working set-up where everything is in my reach and the cat has a comfy bed near my feet.  I often treat my hard-working and cheerful coworkers with beady treats, and I think things come out much nicer when I make them with a specific person in mind. I call these my JuJuBeads; items designed to give off good juju to peeps who need a karmic boost.
I intend to try and recapture my chronicle. I am also hoping to open an on-line store in the near future.
In the meantime, here's a tempting view of a recent creation.

This is an amethyst set I made February 2012 for a friend's birthday; amethyst is her birthstone. The findings are TerraCast pewter, silver plated and sterling earwires. It's one of my favourite pieces.

All About Me (Part 2)

I made a green necklace for St Patrick's Day. Last year, I realized I had very little green in my closet; this has been rectified and now green rivals purple in the closet.  Thus I needed some green pieces to wear with the green duds.  This is dark green aventurine.

It's paired with larger (4mm) agate beads, smaller (3mm) onyx beads, pewter Celtic squares, and sets off my sterling silver triskele ex-earring-turned pendant (lone survivor of a pair).
That's a pewter hook clasp with Celtic-style design.
Here's a close-up, however fuzzy.


So after coming back from the destination wedding (it was a destination for us, not for them!), I set about playing around for myself.  I took an earring that had a long-lost mate, and turned it into the centerpiece for a necklace.  I had planned to use Labradorite; I love its opalescence. Oddly enough, when I lined it up, I ended up useing Prehnite, a pale green African stone.

 No fancy spacers for this; just onyx beads to emphasize the tiny black streaks in the translucent stone, peridot to enhance the green and Miyuki silver-lined seed beads to separate & make them pop.  I had fun making the dangly earrings; they continue to be my favourite pair right now.  Here's a close-up.

Then I just had to make myself something with this yummy faceted lemon quartz. It didn't need much of anything to dress it up, so I just spaced it with Czech crystals & my trademark use of Miyuki  seed beads-this time gold-lined.  Sophisticated is what I was aiming for & I think I got it.

And dangly earrings to complement it; seed bead, cold-colored spacers and crystals.

I know this post is about my own stash, but I had to make something with the lemon quartz for my sister.  I paired it with citrine chips and gold-tone beads. Yeah, and some dangly earrings, too.

Then I used the leftover citrine chips and paired it with some large chips-my friend thinks they're glass, but I think they are dyed quartz or dyed fluorite.  I added jasper and seed beads.

The elementary school my kids went to had art and music as full subjects; when they were setting it up, the teachers all applied for grants.  The art teacher got funding for a kiln.  I have a lot of ceramic pieces the kids made.  Dan made a bunch of beads. I could never figure out what to do with them so I got my friend to string them.  Then I found some huge pewter beads and decided to re-string the set.  I wear it a lot more now.

This is another re-do; I removed the tiny opalite rounds on the back of the neck, added more pewter stars and opalite coins and moonstone spears.  It's a lot more balanced now. I also added a few strands to the earrings.

Here's the close-up.

I did the same with the amethyst squares; took out the smaller rounds on the rear of the necklace and balanced out the piece with square Celtic pewter beads drilled on the diagonal like the amethysts.

Here's a close up.

Did I show you the set I made for my son's wedding? I can't remember, so I'll show it here now.

This is a ceramic focal piece I had for a long time.  I finally decided to pair it with 3mm "fossil" agate, 4 mm howlite and pewter flowers.

Then I finally made the labradorite set. I used a sterling silver dragon that had captivated me as a focal point.  I used labradorite rectangular beads separated by pewter frame beads that contained labradorite ovals.  I used a few onyx beads on the dangling dragon. For separators, I used pyrite; everyone knows a dragon must have gold (however foolish).

 

Close-up; LOVE that opalescent glow.  I even like the dark specks. My friend hates this stone and thinks it looks dirty. I love the look, the feel, the weight.

So that's my stash. The next few posts will highlight some more stuff I have made for friends, and necklaces I have made just to be making things.

So after the wedding...

So after the wedding I was really itching to get going on some more beading-this time for yours truly.

So I did. Here's what I accomplished.

This is a goldstone necklace I made for me. I liked my daughter's set so much I just had to make one for me. I Paired it with  some ornate sterling beads and endcaps I got from my door prize from Elephant Eye Beads.  It breaks a cardinal rule of beading; when you put the heavier beads in front and the tiny beads in back, the thin line of small beads can cut into your neck from weight & cause discomfort. It doesn't, and it is still one of my favourite necklaces.  Don't you just love that sparkle?

I liked the diagonal drilled square amethysts. I paired them with sterling beads. I broke the cardinal rule again. And a few months later, I re-strung the whole thing but you'll have to wait to see that.:)
Isn't that diamond-shaped clasp something else?

I really liked the ceramic triskele pendant. A triskele is a Celtic symbol; Christians think it represents the Trinity, but in actuality it represents the three incarnations of the Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone.
I paired it with chrysocolla, with the same green and blue tones. I played with silver findings and was not happy with it. I liked it much better with gold toned beads; simple rounds seemed to do the trick. I spaced the smaller beads by interspersing larger chrysocolla and turquoise beads from Vintage Vogue. I later read that chrysocolla is often found where copper is mined and is often paired with copper; the metal and stone seem to have an affinity. That explains why the silver findings did not fit. I may re-make the lot with copper some day. Who knows?

This triskele in blue and white I paired with Lapis Lazuli in a variety of sizes and shapes, and with silver beads from Elephant Eye. It just pleases me.

I made this bracelet and earrings for Ditto-Czech glass  nautilus bead & tube beads, opalite (a man-made stone) rounds and sterling.  Seed pearls in the clip on earrings.

These oval beads are probably aventurine; the large rounds are quartz, the small beads are aventurine & the findings sterling. It makes me think of leaves.  I never wore it and ended up taking it apart.

And on I go...

My Wedding Jewelry

So I mentioned that I had shopped several times at the bead stores in town. I had picked up some Celtic beads and had my friend Melissa make me some earrings and things, then she taught me how and I made pearl earrings then some bead earrings. The first bead show I went to with Melissa I was more a spectator- just got a few small things. The second I went to with Patti & Gini- I started conservatively but then ended up getting a whole bunch of things.  We took a lunch break and showed each other the stuff we'd picked out.  It was really interesting how differently we approached the hobby; Patti loves crystals and went heavy-handed on bling.  Gini is fire and had some really spectacular gemstones in that spectrum.  I had some moon-oriented findings, glass shells and earth and sky toned stones. I went back and got crystals to accent my projects, and some brighter stones than my usual wont.

So I got a really nice dress for the #1 son's wedding that was a lilac color with  taupe-colored embroidery on the jacket & neckline. I went to another bead show on my own, to pick up some more beads for my own project.  I was so emboldened by the good results from my first show that I kind of went to town & bought a lot. I got amethysts in every shape imaginable. I found purple-hued crystals that had brown tones in the light that matched my dress perfectly.   I got cats' eyes, coral, jasper, agate, goldstone.  I found some interesting clasps to finish off projects. I even won the $25 worth of merchandise door prize! I spent it on silver findings.

This is the necklace set I wore to the wedding. I got a lot of compliments and it continues to be one of my favourite sets. It's amethyst coins, rounds, ovals and crystals with sterling beads & clasp.

I don't know why it won't go vertical but whatever.
I really like amethyst.