Monday Miscellany - Lots of Black & Gray Lanyards

People at work who are interested in my lanyards seem to be drawn to the black or dark gray ones. I ran out of those, so I spent my beading time this weekend making lanyards with jet black Czech glass, hematite, and hematite colored Czech glass. At the end of Sunday evening I'd finished 9 and was almost done with a tenth.

I've managed to get three of these listed on Art Fire for now, too. I'm going to try to get all of them, and a few others up there this week. I am also going to try and finish my Halloween necklace before our office Halloween pot-luck this Wednesday...wish me luck!

Hope you have a great week - see you tomorrow!




PS - here's the three listings I mentioned, in case you'd like to see closeups

Dawno

Sell Handmade

Monday Miscellany - Workroom Progress Made

It's not ready for a photo shoot yet, but I've made huge progress in my work room. I have all my metal beads, components and findings re-sorted into divided boxes, labeled and stacked on my work table. I've got most of my bead boxes also better placed on shelves near the worktable. That said, I have a number of bags of beads left over from projects to sort and put in their appropriate places plus the back half of the room to work through.

I did take a break from working on the room to make a couple bracelets. The first one is Czech glass faceted bicone beads and silver plated spacers.

The next one has large faceted oval Jablonex Czech glass beads in a dark teal with oxidized silver bead caps and irregularly shaped Mabe-type freshwater cultured pearls.

Both of these have small silver plated box clasps with a floral design and are 7 1/2" around. I'll be listing these on Art Fire sometime this week.

Tuesday Tidbits - Soft Flex Tweet-a-Lot Prize Revealed + New Necklace

Remember a few days ago when I mentioned how I'd won a Soft Flex Trio set in their Tweet-a-lot contest? The prize package arrived late last week - Soft Flex Extreme Trio. I want to use these for only the most special of designs and with my best beads. I've got some really gorgeous stones to work with and lots of Swarovski crystals...now I just need to figure out what I want to make with them!

Also on the tidbit front, I made a necklace that I never got around to posting about to share today. Using beautiful Czech glass luster coated faceted beads from The Beadin' Path, freshwater pearls and Swarovski bicones, I've made a necklace in the same style as the bracelets I've been creating with a variety of those same luster beads. I have no idea how I forgot to post about it before this.

I really should get more pieces up on my Art Fire and Etsy shops. I just find it difficult to work up the enthusiasm for a whole day of photography when all I have is the weekend to get everything done and there are so many things I want to do.

Drop in tomorrow for some Mid-Week Mutterings!

Tuesday Tidbits - Hypersten Bracelet and Luster Necklace

On my beads and books trip to Berkeley this weekend I found some lovely luster coated Czech glass. I got two 10", 10mm sized strands in a pale pink and light topaz, and another two 10", 10mm sized strands in pink with a coppery-pale green luster.

The unfinished approximately 17" necklace below is from the latter set. I also picked up some 4mm transparent pink luster faceted Czech glass beads which I've used as accents along with champagne freshwater pearls from my Rings & Things bead tour purchases, and "cantaloupe" color Swarovski bicones - they aren't marked as to size but I'd guess 8 or 9mm (big!), and they change color depending on the light - in sunlight they are a beautiful light green, under incandescent light they're a pale peach-pink and in fluorescent light they're a very pale gray - nearly clear (shown here in indirect sunlight). The bead caps are antique gold 8mm Tiffany style from Artbeads. The spacers look sort of 'toothed' around the center hole which creates a zig-zag pattern when viewed from the side, from my local bead shop, Global Beads.

I have an idea about using the remaining cantaloupe beads in a bracelet - not sure I'll get to it this week with my daughter in town and all. We're going to take a day trip to San Francisco later this week, I'm scoping out what bead/gemstone stores we'll try to find and visit when we're there. Also, the way the cantaloupe beads change colors (and present a bit of a design challenge) remind me to mention something I didn't really notice or think of, when I was shopping at Beads and Baubles - these crystals appeared to be light green in the store, which was brightly, but artificially lit - so they must use 'natural light' lighting there, which I appreciate.

The other piece I wanted to share today is a bracelet I made from the lovely hypersten stone I bought down at "The Bead Store" in Redondo Beach last month when I was visiting my family there. I've used black beading wire (both SoftFlex and Beadalon carry it, this happens to be Beadalon 49 strand .46mm. I got from Rings & Things but you could get Medium SoftFlex Black Onyx as well).

I used gunmetal crimp tubes, lobster claw clasp and jumprings all available at Rings & Things, along with TierraCast Luna patterned silver plated pewter pendant caps around the hypersten stones, which I have had in my stash for quite some time and don't remember where I got them, but Beadaholique has 47 pages of TierraCast items, and TierraCast 4mm scalloped silver plated bead caps around 'hematite' colored faceted Czech glass bicones. The small glass spacer is an iridescent coated clear Czech glass spacer beads from Rings & Things - I've been stocking up on many different colors of these, as they work so well with so many designs.

Monday Miscellany - Beads from Redondo Beach

I just got back from a wonderful 3-day weekend with my family. On Saturday I borrowed the car and visited a lovely bead store in Redondo Beach called The Bead Store. Found some lovely stuff, too. Blue Rhyolite, Charoite, Kyanite and Turquoise...

Plus some Hypersten/Hyperstene (what a really cool stone) and a bunch of great Czech glass - this is just a part of the glass, a strand of blue coin beads that look a bit like blue lace agate, mixed "Monet" glass, mixed Rivolis and these great lusterous pink and beige beads with a bit of a copper metalic gloss to them that really look wonderful with copper wire or other copper components. Sorry I couldn't get a great pictures, it's late and I don't have the right lighting here at the computer and I'm too tired to go set up the light box upstairs.

Since I had the new beads and had bought some inexpensive 22 gauge wire and we had time before the evening festivities (dinner out with dad, my sister & her family and my daughter), I sat out with my dad on his porch and linked up some of the rivoli's into a bracelet, complete with a clasp I fashioned from the wire.

I also picked up the Mocca Swarovski briolettes I need to finish the necklace I mentioned and showed towards the bottom of my Saturday post.

All in all, a great weekend for family visiting and beading!

Monday Miscellany - Re-work Finished, Maybe...

If you read my Saturday post, you might remember I mentioned I was going to do some re-work on this necklace:

Before

Unlike the gunmetal and garnet, I didn't take intermediate pictures, although now I wish I had. The design went through several trial and error phases before I settled on something. Here's what it looks like now.

After

I took over half of the lilac cathedral beads off of the necklace, replaced them with round faceted Czech glass beads, added extra vermeil spacers and glass roundell spacers between them to go around the side and back of the neck. Then I positioned and re-positioned those lilac cathedral beads into various configurations using gold filled eye-pin links and a few clear glass beaded links as well.

This was very tedious work, but I think worth the effort. I've put it out of sight for now and will give it a fresh eye in a day or two before I declare it 'done'. Now I have to go de-list from Artfire since the original no longer exists!

Speaking of ArtFire - I posted on Saturday that I'd listed my lava stone and red ceramic necklace and put the word out on Twitter as well. Then I got busy doing stuff (mostly the necklace above) and didn't visit Twitter or check my email for several hours. I took a peek at Twitter and saw that PandorasBones had left me a tweet saying she'd bought the necklace and forgot to ask for the extender chain option. Call me gobsmacked! I'd never sold something so quickly and that I could attribute directly to mentioning a post on Twitter about! Needless to say, I'm pretty glad I use Twitter.

Tuesday Tidbits - Mixing Czech Glass and Semi-precious Stone

Ever wish you had the kind of financing that let you buy the highest quality semi-precious or precious stones in any quantity? Me, too. And unless I win a really big lotto jackpot, I don't think it's going to ever be a reality. But, I do think that sometimes a judicious mix of stones plus matching Czech glass beads works very well. You can have a lush look at a fraction of the price.

Here's a piece I started on what seems like ages ago, when I bought a spool of beautiful gunmetal chain from Rings & Things (scroll down to read about the garnet piece, it's in the second half of the post). I'd started out working on making components with garnet on black SoftFlex, crimping and adding them to the chain.

When I finished fiddling around with the garnet pieces, I decided to make it a 3-strand necklace but didn't have enough variety of actual garnet. So I got out the garnet-colored Czech faceted glass beads and went to town. All the smooth, round beads are garnets, the faceted ones are Czech glass. Here's what I thought was the finished piece:

But something bothered me about the composition. I decided to fiddle with it this weekend. Shorten here, move there - I think it's starting to look better...

...but still not happy. The garnets at the top of the outer chain - they've gotta go. I have a number of online friends and acquaintances who are writers and they all say of first drafts "sometimes you have to kill your darlings" - meaning that during editing, things will get cut out of the final draft. This apparently is true of making jewelry. I fiddled quite a bit on those garnet bits, but they aren't going to work out. Must be strong and say "bye-bye".

Where is my chain? Dug around in the still not completely unpacked BayCon bin and found it. Have hooked the tail end to the jumpring, the rest is still on the spool until I get the spacing right - links are not open on this chain, measure twice, cut once. And, to let you know that all of this is not without it's little foibles, one of the two jump rings, used to attach the 3 strands to the back piece of the necklace, went "sproing" and has completely disappeared *and* I can't find anymore just like it. Took one I was using for the clasp to replace. Will have to re-work clasp now.

Hooking on a link made from garnet glass bead and two TierraCast bead caps that match the one in the pendant. That part I'm connecting the bead to is the only part of the original third chain that will be re-used.

Link on left is in, positioned where I want, excess chain clipped off. Now for the other side.

Ok, done. Well, except for the clasp. I have to do that part, but I won't bore you with the details. New "final" piece. Will sleep on it, stare at it again later. Decide if it's really done. Who knows, could be a version 4 coming up...

Look Where The Beadin' Path Took Me!

Remember those Bead Club beads I got? I've been working on some bracelets with them!

Made with some of the "Luscious Luster" April bead club beads from The Beadin' Path. These are 10mm faceted Czech glass described as "We selected some lush yet spring inspired shades we don't usually come across at our usual glass suppliers". I chose Swarovski crystal bi-cones, sterling or gold filled beads, sterling or gold filled links and Tierra Cast bead caps, and floral embellished fancy toggles to complete the design.

These are probably the most ornate bracelets I've ever made, but the beads are really luscious and inspired me to a more glamourous look. They'll be listed at my shop on Art Fire until May 21 then they go to the con with me if they aren't already sold.

P.S. For anyone who saw this Sunday at the tail end of my Wanderings post - that was what we call a user error...I meant to cut that part and make a separate post, which I've now done. So, yeah, it's a bit of deja vu for you, sorry!

And now a word from our sponsor:

Dawno

Buy Handmade

My First Blog Review on Technorati and Thoughts About Marketing and Social Media

Ok, pictures first - lots of 'em today, so I hope you're not on dial up! Then the post.

Someone special I know has a May birthday, so I got out these emerald Swarovski rounds - not totally sure what I'm going to make, but it needs to be in the mail tomorrow...

My new assortment packs of aluminum jump rings from Blue Buddha Boutique (as mentioned in prior post) - very cool colors, light weight - going to play and play!

I was just going to order eye and head pins, but I saw these and had to have them, too - Angelite - what a lovely blue!

Needed these fire polished Czech Purple/Gold AB rounds in 12mm size to finish my Step by Step Beads Colorworks Contest submission. It's all done now, and I'm very excited to submit it. Just worried about whether or not I can get the photograph specs correct per rules.

OK, last picture! A while back Rings & Things sent me some brass frames during the Gluable Challenge month. I never used the square one, although I did try something new with one of the rectangular ones. So I got this punch to make perfect-fit squares of paper that I'll use in a collage inside the frame. I have 72 of these frames, due to a *duh* moment in making my order, so I should be able to experiment freely. Got the punch and other cool stuff from Alpha Stamps, which I had never heard of until I read about them on Barbe Saint John's blog.

That's it for the pictures today, on to the title story.

I recently wrote a very short post referencing Technorati. I've been registered there since October of 2004 with my other blog NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES and decided to register this one as well. In that little post I asked if you'd be so kind as to give my blog a review.

Last night I checked my page, and saw that a dear friend of mine had posted a review. The generosity of her comments left me speechless, honest. This was me: " ... "

I've been thinking lately about how a little-known indie artisan gets the word out that they have things they'd like to share, sell, say... Well, blogging is one way, but people need to know to read your blog. Not easy when there are eleventy gazillion blogs about every kind of craft imaginable. Ok, I Googled craft blogs and there were 19 million hits, beading blogs, 16.2 million hits. Not quite eleventy gazillion, but close enough.

Now, I primarily blog because I like to. I'm a social person, extroverted and the beading thing is pretty solitary, so it's my social outlet. (this explains why it may seem like I'm stalking you when sometimes I comment on your blog, or respond to your comment here, about 3 minutes after you post - it's just that I'm starving for conversation!)

I also like to think there are some people who read this and enjoy my posts. I also realize that there's a marketing aspect to this now. As I was talking to my daughter on the phone we got to talking about why that's important.

I don't think it's enough to just have good stuff out there and hope that people will find it; they won't unless you give them some breadcrumbs to follow through the wild forest of the internet. I think you have to go find people you feel are kindred souls, make connections, share jokes, links, help each other out, pay it forward when you can. It's not that I'm looking for you to be my customers, but that when we share in this online conversation it makes us more visible on the web to potential customers - for *all* of us.

Someone lands here, doesn't really like my styles, but is gaga over Tish's or Lisa's, or anyone else on my blogroll. And, I hope, vice versa. Blogrolls, links, reviewing each other's work...fun for us, good for us. It's why I'm going to do my Sunday Dawno's Wanderings Around the Beadosphere, and I hope that someday some others will share in the fun, too.

And, just for fun - I posted on my other blog about my internet addiction along with a fun video clip about Twitter. Would love it if you'd take a peek!

"It was here that I decided to quit before I went embellishment mad"

Before I dive into this, thank you again to Margot Potter for the link to my "Mondrian" inspired choker, in her latest blog post, and to a whole bunch of new crafting/beading/jewelry artists I am following on Twitter and who so kindly have followed me back!

Speaking of Twitter, I tweeted this last night "I'm always wondering, while making vintage-style pieces, when I should stop adding stuff. It's like Granny Ogg and how to spell bananananana".

I really like baroque and complex work, but I also like symmetry, simple lines...it's like having some kind of multiple design personality complex. So when I use intricately textured or ornamental components, it's challenging for me not to just keep adding and adding more chains and dangles and detail, or alternatively, not to add any.

I think last night's work (which was the finishing touch on the pendant I'd started working on weeks ago and put aside unfinished to think about) turned out as a balance between my impulses.

I'll start with the pendant - I received a set of different colored cabochons (all called 'jade' but I think they're another stone that's been dyed, so I'm calling this one 'faux yellow jade') and thought I'd try using some of the brass stampings to wrap them into pendants. I chose a rather large stamping called Maltese Cross (Item S40, Accessories Susan) for the base, and another one called Filigree to Wrap Stones (Item S38, Accessories Susan).

I wrapped the filigree around the stone with the Maltese cross in-between to hold all three pieces together. Then I bent three arms of the cross up and then curled back over to get the setting seen above.

The next thing I did was start experimenting with the chain. At first, right above the pendant, I used some Japanese glass beads with pale yellow rose decals on them, and then put the filigree beads you see above, on the chain as well. I wasn't happy with the rose beads, so they went, but I liked the filigree beads. By the way, there are three tiny yellow faceted Czech glass rounds inside each of those filigree beads to give them a secret inner glint.

I still found the chain a bit dull, so I added the pale yellow faceted Czech glass bicones. Then I looked at it again and wanted to embellish the pendant just a teensy bit more and added the chain loop and then the two chain dangles with the same pale yellow bicones at the ends.

It was here that I decided to quit before I went embellishment mad.

My shipment of silver ox filigrees came the other day, so the next vintage style pieces I do will probably use those. As I mentioned in a previous post, I think the silver will be a better color for Spring and Summer, the brass just seems to say Fall and Winter to me.

Many hours have passed since I wrote that last paragraph...

I think I'll have one more choker frame idea to share soon - been working on another experimental piece, trying something new again, and the way it's deciding to design itself (yes, this piece is growing rather organically since I didn't know where I was going with it, I just started playing and off it went) is looking like it belongs on a choker form. I've been absolutely obsessed with this since about 9 PM and it's now after 2 AM. I think it's nearly done...

I'll leave it a mystery for now and you'll just have to come back and see what it is sometime this weekend.

It Was Longer and Curvy-er but I Twisted It Up

Been busy, busy with day job - had a business dinner last night, lots of meetings today. Did manage to finish a glass bead badge lanyard to match my outfit, and I wore it with a brass stamping and bauble necklace into the office today.

The beaded badge lanyard uses pinched sphere Czech glass beads in peridot and tiny (2 or 3mm) faceted jet black Czech glass rounds. It's about 29 - 30" (my tape measure has wandered off, maybe a cat stole it?)

The necklace features one dangle on a bit of chain made from two peridot Czech pressed glass flower beads with tiny pearlescent seed beads. I used a long headpin to stack the beads, and a tiny brass bead just above each yellow seed bead that is mostly hidden in the flower, so the yellow ones would show.

The other dangle is a freshwater cultured pearl. I then looped them both together through a jumpring with a glass teardrop in peridot, and that through another thicker jumpring attached to one of the swirls in the stamping.

The brass stamping (Accessories Susan "Poppies in the Wind") started out much longer and curvy-er but I wasn't satisfied with how it hung as a pendant, so I gave it a twist to shorten and center the piece at the top where I fasten the chain through another jumpring.

Did you notice that I got a cool new graphic to add to my sidebar from Rings & Things? I'm a blog partner - nifty! They're having a comment contest there through the end of the month (and each month) - leave comments on their posts and be in a drawing for a surprise goodie pack.

Vintage Style Set Made with Clear Glass & Brass Filigree

Fast post, it's late and I need to get to bed, but I just finished up some new, as well as re-worked old, pieces tonight. The necklace was one of my first experimental pieces using filigrees. The earrings (the earrings are what are hanging off the necklace) and lanyard necklace are new. Filigree, chain and large lobster claw clasp, Accessories Susan; tiny brass spacer beads Ohio Beads; clear Czech glass beads from Blue Moon clear glass mixes, except for the long oblongs in the lanyard, which were from Bead Gallery, purchased at Michael's.

Finished Five New Pieces Today

I was very productive today! This morning I was thinking about what else I could do with those light topaz beads I had used with the blue yesterday. I decided to go for a darker contrast color, and after a bit of pulling out this and that, came up with olivine deep cut nugget Czech glass (I just did a review of this bead and noticed that Artbeads is having a 20% sale on their Czech glass through Feb. 5th - sounds like a great time to stock up!) and garnet (stone) beads.

The spacers are from a necklace I bought 4 or 5 years ago and wore maybe twice in the first year and it's been hanging on my necklace tree ever since. I decided to unstring it and make other jewelry from the parts. I'm not sure what metal the spacers are, but after all these years they're still bright and tarnish free. They're also pretty heavy for their size.

Then I was wondering what else I could make with the olive beads and pulled out some 'green lace stone' (really, that's all it says on the label) and was going around with just those two colors but it lacked something, so I started pulling out more this and that. When I got to the rhodonite beads, I knew I had found what it needed.

The green lace stone came in a set with the squares and small round beads, so I took the round ones, more rhodonite and some pale olive faceted bicones to make the next one. After that I remembered I had some yellow "turquoise" cubes with a diagonally drilled hole and thought those might be interesting with the remaining green lace stone. Again, it needed color, so I pulled out some amethyst glass bicones.

I liked the amethyst and green, so I used the remaining olive glass beads with the amethyst bicones for this last one.

I did some photography and have three of these up on Etsy. Tomorrow, more photography and more listings, possibly more beading. I'd like to know what you think of the photos I used in the listings - if you have a moment, please look and let me know.

Sky Blue and Freeway Daisies

The last two nights I've been rather worn out from some long hours on the day job, so I didn't accomplish much and felt even less like blogging. I had the day off today, however, and completed my state sales tax return, and have all my documentation ready for my federal and state income tax, which I have prepared by a local CPA. As soon as my husband's W-2 comes in, I'll be getting that out of the way early this year.

Made a short trip to Michael's to pick up just a couple things I needed to finish some pieces I had started working on and some large sheets of scrapbooking paper to use as backgrounds for photography.

The first piece I needed to finish off with my purchases is this lanyard necklace, made with spiral faceted light sapphire blue Czech glass beads and light topaz faceted bicone glass beads - I started it with pale yellow bicones I had, but there weren't enough of them to make it long enough for a lanyard, so I replaced them with the light topaz ones I bought (enough of) today. It's 29" long, which is a good length for eyeglasses or badges.

The next one I made today, continuing my blue and yellow mood. I knew I wanted to use these translucent pale blue pinched oval beads and bought the transparent light topaz ones to go with them. This one is 32" long.

In both cases, I was thinking about how we're already getting that clear, crisp blue spring sky and the yellow flowers that are already starting to come up in the plantings in front of the house, even though it's still January. I have no idea what they are, we rent and the owner does all the lawn care both in front and in back of the house. The flowers look like a daisy, but are low to the ground and when they're not in bloom, the plant's leaves make a nice year-round green ground cover - I think it's the same plant I've heard called a 'freeway daisy'.

Adding Lanyards to New Necklaces

You may recall a post about a necklace, bracelet and earring set I made with "camouflage" stone (still don't know what kind of stone that is - and I would love to get more of it). I made a matching lanyard so I could wear the set to work. The lanyard is quite long at 35" but works beautifully as a proximity reader badge (no need to swipe it, just get it in front of the reader at about 2 - 3" distance and it's recognized) lanyard - not much need to bend to get the badge lined up with the reader. I used the same metal spacers and camo stone, added black Czech glass druk beads and gold plated seed beads.

Then I decided to match the knotted blue necklace (outside) with a lanyard (inside) using the same larger pinched bead and druk beads, but no seed beads. It also includes the silver plated bead caps and seed beads. It's 32" long.

Tomorrow, It's Back to the "Real World"

Vacation has come to an end - I look back somewhat wistfully, but gratefully, on my time off. My children were home; Christmas, I think, did not disappoint anyone too much, and certainly not me as I had all I could want and more.

Getting back to the reality of the day job will be a bit challenging, as I have so immersed myself in those habits and luxuries one is able to when their time is all, and only, their own. Sleeping in and staying up late will not be possible for many months as I have used up all my vacation time and will need to let it accrue before I can take more than an hour here or there if necessary for appointments. It's at the end of a prolonged vacation, like this has been, that I wish I had been foresightful when younger, and saved up for an early 'retirement' and could dedicate these years after turning 50 exclusively to the creative and enjoyable things I love most.

A few things I had thought to accomplish during my time off, I did not rouse myself to do, so next weekend or the next few evenings, I will have to take time for them - there are deadlines that must be met for things like the final 2008 accounts for taxes. Other things are not so urgent, but still need to be done if I want to increase my chances of more success in 2009.

So, before I go to bed and truly end my vacation, I'll share the work I accomplished today - I'm really enjoying making knotted necklaces much more than I thought I would and finished three strands today and am nearly done with a fourth.

These three may be made into a triple strand necklace - haven't decided yet. All are crafted from Czech glass beads (except for the seed beads, and I have no idea where they were made, having long discarded the original containers) strung on black size FFF Gudebrod silk.

The next is made with black ceramic tubes, embellished with yellowish-ecru designs, found at Global Beads quite a while ago, round shell donut beads strung through the center with black Czech glass disks, two sizes of black druk beads and small black seed beads to keep the knots from slipping through the rather large holes. I used Create Compliments #2 nylon thread, doubled, as the stringing material, needing something thin enough to go through the holes in the shell donuts but strong enough to carry the weight of the ceramic beads without stretching - so I hope the label "Super Strength, No Stretch" lives up to its promise.

Good night, all. Here's hoping we have pleasant dreams and a trouble-free Monday!