Wheelie Earrings

I had several Wheelies left over from the necklace I made, so this morning  I made some earrings

Experimented with making my own ear wires.  I don't think they turned out too bad.

Hope these wires don't cause allergy problem with my ears

Wheelie update

Remember these?



I really couldn't come up with more than one way to make these into jewelery, so I revamped the design a bit to include a hole and a bit different center.

Believe it or not, the dots on the side are the same color as the little melon beads. Just goes to show that the surrounding colors make a big difference.

Bead Soup update

My bead soup partner, Julie Bean, featured my Bead  Soup Party Mix on her blog yesterday. I was so flattered by the nice things she said about me and my beads. This is so new and exciting for me... I am so happy that I joined the Soup.  Thanks to Lori Anderson for all her hard work putting this all together.  Not only do we get to exchange great beads but we meet new people and expand our horizons outside our comfort zone.

If you want to read about my beads(from someone other than me), here is the link.  Julie and her fellow Beadaholics have a great blog, chalked full of ideas and information.  Well worth the reading. I am so glad that Lori partnered me with her.

http://www.beadersblog.com/  

If you don't have time to check out Julie's blog,  here is a picture I took of my beads before I sent them off to her.  I will have a hard time waiting till the big reveal to see what she does with them. 

We have a new home in California!!! Whee!!!!!

Bead Soup Beads

I didn't get around to blogging last night. I spent most of the day working on my Bead Soup project and my shoulders hurt a lot, too much to use the keyboard.  I am definitely outside my comfort zone, physically and creatively.

I did get a really good start on it.  Now to figure out how to put  all the bits together. This is so much fun!!!!

Julie has been so generous with her Bead Soup Kit, I have a lot to work with and hope to do them justice.

Bead Soup Plethora from Julie Bean

Julie had read my blog and saw that I have both a black and and a white kitty. She picked the cutest focal for me with this in mind. I love it. 

Here is a close up of this great focal. It is a ceramic piece from Golem Design.  So many colors to work off.

I just wish my kittes got along as well as these two.

Bead Soup Partner

I have been very remiss about blogging the Bead Soup Party.  A very stressful week at work.... Computer went down for almost 8 hours.  That started the week, and then my supervisor and good friend Jen announced that she was leaving to pursue a new career. She is going into the IT side of laboratory medicine. It is a great opportunity for her but will be increasing my stress load greatly as I will be stepping into her place  until we can find a new supervisor.

Thank goodness I have beads to help destress.

My beads arrived on Thursday from my Bead Soup Partner, Julie Bean.  Julie is part of  Beadaholique, a great online beading source.  They have instructional videos and lesson, besides a huge inventory.  I can't wait till I have more time to check out everything.... I have not even begun to crack the surface of what it has to offer. (I do love the Steampunk ring and will have to try it with PC)

 Check out her site. You will not be sorry.

http://www.beadaholique.com/

This also links to their blog "Strung out"  which is chalked full of tips and techniques. I have to really fight off the dreaded Blogistis disease and focus on trying to work up a good design from all the great beads Julie sent.  (still have to take pictures so showing them off will have to wait till my next writing, hopefully to be written when it cools down later this evening)

Bead Soup Party Pack is almost ready

I finally decided on which beads to send to my bead partner.  It was hard as I am so critical of my work, but finally found some I liked enough to share.  Then I realized that I really didn't have any coordinating beads.  So I spent the last couple of days making some to go along with the focal.  Now all I need is the clasp.  Thought I had one but discovered the only one in my stash was silver, and that would not do for the colors I had picked.  So, off the bead store tomorrow morning to find the perfect clasp.

I am a bit nervous about this as my bead partner is an experienced beader.  But this is her first time doing the Soup, so we are on the same experience level there.  So much fun.

Anyway, here is a picture to tease you all  (I figured out how to edit in Picasa - lots of fun effects there)

Bead Soup Party Mix

My Next Experience

Well, I did it. I signed up for the Lori Anderson's  Bead Soup Blog hop/exchange.  I had such a great time reading about it a while back, that I wanted to try it myself.  I am number 314 - there are a lot of beaders out there participating.

What you do is get partnered with another beader from the  list. Then you exchange - the rules are you send a focal, a special clasp (no lobster) and co-ordinating beads - no junk, only the good stuff that you would want to get yourself.  And you have to have a blog to let everyone know about it.  And, on the big reveal day, I get to show off what I made.

I am not that adept at jewelery design per se, but I am trying.  And am doing this to force myself to make something outside my comfort zone.

Lori says that your don't have to make your own beads but since that is what I do.....I wonder who my partner will be.  I have been reading some of the other blogs, and there are a lot of interesting and talented artist out there. More blogs to read.... Clapping hands with joy....

And now for a moment of cute.....

So Hot....too tired to even chase Prince

If at first...

All artists experiment. Our lives are filled with "what if I .... " It makes our days exciting.

Sometimes they work ....  sometimes they don't (my "bad" giraffes).

 And some times they don't work for you but someone else likes them (hey, Cathy... you have to show me sometime what you did with the bad giraffes).

Here is my latest attempt to design.   I am trying to work up a scarf ring.... trying being the operative word here.  This design will only work with a very open weave scarf and the pin drops out way too easily.  Back to the drawing board, as the old saying goes.

But this pattern did lead to the next piece I am going to share.  I plan to wear it simply with a slip knot cord.  I really like how the colors turned out.

Kinda reminds me of the time portal from the old Star Trek Series.