Constructing New Pieces from Sale Purchases

I've had a cold for the last several days, which makes me a bit fuzzy brained, so I haven't had enough concentration available to blog about the pieces I've been working on lately.

I saw some bracelets on sale at a department store in the mall in Fayetteville, made from large silver metal links connected by small rope patterned open links in gold metal. I didn't particularly like the bracelets, but the links gave me ideas for some jewelry I would like, so I bought four to disassemble and use the links.

This first necklace uses the large silver links, silver jump rings, and Brazilian "flashy" kyanite stones I bought back in the summer, on silver eye pins.

I also wanted a more delicate piece with the kyanite, so I made this one using the Bead Gallery silver circles as bead frames, like I did in some previous pieces, for a small round silver bead, silver eye pins connect all the bits and pieces. I really like the kyanite - it has depth and a lovely shimmer; I hope I can find more of it.

The next one uses the large silver links, some smaller silver ones I've had lying around for a while, and two gold jump rings to connect them.

This last one uses the gold rope pattern links and silver rope pattern links from Sterling Effects. I like the double chain look, although I kind of wish I'd had enough to do a triple.

Each of them were made to sit at approximately collarbone length. In my next post I'll show some gunmetal and hematite pieces I've been working on.

I'm hoping to feel better in the next day or so and do some major reorganizing of my workroom. I particularly want to create a workspace with a longer surface that I can set up some specific areas for the tools and equipment I need to start trying things like poly clay, metal clay and resin.

Happy Holidays - Christmas Eve Post

I began my long holiday break after work today, won't be back in the office until Jan 5th.

Both of my adult children are here, with their respective significant others, for Christmas. Fortunately for me, their SO's families live near by. The gifts are wrapped and under the tree, which still needs to be decorated - my daughter and I will do it today. We've a very, um, eclectic selection of ornaments including strange sequined animals, Star Trek, delicate hand painted glass, and billiards themed. It will be a special tree...to say the least.

I have a couple things I want to accomplish over the break, one is to figure out my California Sales Tax return (due at the end of January) and get it filed and paid. I didn't make that many sales this year, unfortunately, but I want to establish the part time business as legitimate since I do deduct expenses on my federal tax return. I am hopeful that I'll have the opportunity to do 3 or 4 conventions next year - I've gotten an email from the dealer's room coordinator for the World Fantasy Convention that will be local that I'm on the mailing list. I know to keep an eye open for LosCon much earlier this year and I'll check out BayCon again, which was a lot of fun last May. The other con I had hoped to sell at is Potlatch coming up in February, and I haven't gotten any response from the dealer's room coordinator yet, so I'm worried I might not get a space, again...oh well, keeping my fingers crossed!

The other thing is to try and get my workspace sorted out - the room I use for beading is also my home office and prior to getting into beading served as a "library" of sorts for my books (I am a voracious reader and my collection is probably over a thousand books as I can't seem to part with any of them - although a lot are in the garage and in storage). There are also bins of office supplies and other stuff that came home with me when I was moved out of a closed office into a cubicle and then just miscellaneous stuff that I can't find a place for elsewhere in the house and don't want to put in the garage. I'd really like to move out all the books, set up a fairly long and deep table surface for a beading workspace, get some shelving for all the supplies and maybe a pegboard for tools. If I can get a start on it next week, I can do the rest in phases over the weekends. Of course, it's been rainy and if the weather stays that way, it will mean moving stuff outside, prior to deciding if it goes to the garage or elsewhere, will be a problem.

So, before I finish this post, which might be the last one for a few days, here's my most recent finished project.

I started this in Fayetteville last week, it's a bit labor intensive so I didn't finish it there. I thought it was a fun use of the two different sized circle spacers from Bead Gallery.

I used red and green roundel beads inside the larger circle spacer bead, like a bead frame, and smaller glass beads with silver linings in the small circle spacers along with a solid silver metal disk between them, all on silver plated eye pins joined with Beadalon EZLinks. A larger EZLink attaches the final loop to the eyeglass holders. Finished length is 30"

Trying New Techniques With Copper Wire

I'm doing more practicing with various wire designs. I saw a picture of a necklace made using what the designer called "spring links" and thought I'd give it a try. I assembled my bracelet by first making a long coil of copper wire on a Beadalon jump ring maker. Then I cut jump rings to make the double link chain portion and sections of coil for the springs between them. To make the spring link you bend up half of the final loops on the coils. It's harder than it looked, I had to toss several attempts, although I cut more jump rings from the portions that were still intact enough. I decided to stop at bracelet length, added imperial jasper ovals on embellished copper headpins and made a simple hook and eye clasp from copper wire to finish it off.

The next thing I decided to try was a simple design link of wire between bead sets with wrapped wire loops. I used round nose pliers to create the four-leaf link. It took some experimenting but I finally figured out how to make them to my satisfaction. I have a small Wig Jig, but the pegs are pretty tiny and I was looking for a larger loop as I deliberately choose a larger size for the wrapped loops since the square bead is substantial and I thought the larger loop looked better. Normally the loops I make are pretty small, so I had to keep reminding myself to start the loop lower on the nose of the pliers than usual.

The square glass beads were among my Fayetteville purchases, the other beads are small and medium black glass Druk beads and a copper disk bead with a simple black pattern I bought at Global Beads. I'm going to make it about twice as long as shown. I'll probably finish it with a final four-leaf link and a copper hook like the one I made for the bracelet.

Absent getting all the materials to solder the links on both pieces, I'm going to have to figure out how to secure the open links and jumprings somehow, because the copper wire stretches and I don't think the loops won't hold up all that well.

Three New Necklaces Today

It's great to be home! I relaxed today with my beading, making three new pieces today. First I decided to get out some of the new gunmetal colored components I found at the ACMoore store in Fayetteville and my hematite beads. I used some 'black diamond' colored Druk beads to make it less monochrome. I'm not sure I'm finished - my daughter is visiting and she suggested adding more chain to the center, so I may play around with this one some more.

Then I felt like making another Christmas themed necklace and made this eyeglass leash. I used red and green cathedral glass beads, red and green faceted rondells and antique gold filigree beads.

Then I decided I wanted to finally make something with the handcrafted art-glass bead I bought at the Art and Wine festival back in September from Susie Harper. This features the silver ring spacers and light sapphire blue round glass beads I bought in Fayetteville along with some light sapphire blue Druk beads from Artbeads. In order to keep the larger circle spacers open, I used two headpins on each one to create the loops. I 'threaded' the Druk beads into the smaller circle spacers with eyepins. I'm very happy with how this one turned out. I think the circle theme perfectly compliments the design of the glass bead pendant.