Late Breaking News!

I have been selected as a finalist for the Soft Flex Company's Flex Your Creativity contest! You can see all the entries here (my work is listed under Dawn O'Bryan-Lamb) and vote on your favorite.

The prizes are wonderful, too:

GRAND PRIZE:
$500 Gift Certificate

Runner Up:
$250 Gift Certificate

Honorable Mention:
$100 Gift Certificate

TOP 10 WINNERS:
Free 30ft spool
of their choice

Tuesday Tidbits - River Rock Concepts 2 & 3

As I mentioned before, Heather at The Beadin' Path sent me some glass River Rocks to create some designs with as one of their design partners. I made the first one with the amber rocks pretty soon after I got them, but the yellow ones were harder for me, as it's not a color I work with much.

I gave the rocks a lot of attention over the weekend. Finally I got an idea to jumpstart my imagination. I pulled out my Soft Flex Yellow Lemon Quartz (also comes in the Harmony Trio) beading wire and played around with clear and yellow beads, but didn't like anything I was seeing.

Then, after I'd spent some time reading Margie Deeb's Fall/Winter 2009 Color Report, I pulled out my green aventurine beads but ended up not happy with the combination of just the two colors. So I decided to try some multi-stone bead chips I'd had in my stash forever because I hoped the variety of colors would be a better balance against the large, strong bright yellow.

I strung just the chips and the River Rocks but it wasn't clicking. I got the aventurine out again and decided to use the large round beads. Still not quite it but really close. Finally, I thought I'd add one or two bright pink chips and big pink glass beads. Almost there! Made a simple pendant by using two strands of Soft Flex and more chips and curled the wires. I didn't string the large green and pink beads symmetrically on the necklace and I'm debating re-stringing them so they follow the same pattern on both sides. That's why I haven't added the clasp to this one yet. I'm really happy with the pendant, though! I'm tempted to do another necklace with just River Rocks now and a similar pendant.

The next River Rock necklace is an attempt to 'dress up' the rough glass, which I used as a solo focal this time, with some faceted glass beads, some tiger eye beads, some gold freshwater pearl disks and other miscellaneous amber/bronze/browns. I strung a length of dark amber, 3 or 4mm faceted glass rounds and twirled them around the strand.

I don't have any gold tone cones to cover the double strand ends, so I used some large holed beads...I really like how it turned out...I'm going to use this idea again.

There are your Tuesday Tidbits. See you tomorrow for Mid-Week Mutterings!

Tuesday Tidbits - The Last Trios Design, at the Last Minute, Too.

All vintage images on this page are courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

I sent off 5 submissions to the Soft Flex Company's Flex Your Creativity contest (today is the "submissions must be received by" date!) on Sunday. I had four completed and photographed by then, but I'd planned on doing a couple more over the weekend to use each of the Trios I had from the Rings & Things blog partner package back in June. Unfortunately Saturday was so hot I didn't do much of anything but sweat and drink copious amounts of ice water.

So Sunday rolls around and it's cooler and I feel inspired. So I go grab my Harmony Trio and start thinking about what I want to do. I'm not sure what sent me towards the impressionistic butterfly thing I ended up with, but that's what happened after my original "how about making a Harmony petaled daisy?" idea bombed.

This design uses the Bone, Lemon Quartz and Copper colors of the Harmony Trio with beads from two different mixed contemporary glass color mixes, orange and yellow, from The Beadin' Path.

In this design I wanted to create something sculptural, like I did with the Renewal Trio necklace I recently re-worked. I started with an idea for creating a butterfly design (well, started after I couldn't make a decent daisy, so it morphed) as the focal piece and went from there, including a smaller butterfly on the body of the necklace as well. I used a lot of crimp tubes and crimp covers to help stabilize the designs. It might be a bit challenging to see the Bone colored Soft Flex parts in the small picture, so just click it for a larger image.

Oh, and here's the early version that I felt was too plain and not quite the right balance.

Did you enter? Have you entered any other contests or submitted to a magazine call lately? It stresses me out. I don't know how often I can do it, but I do know it's worth the effort - after all, I'll be seeing my design for the Colorworks contest published in Step by Step Beads in just a couple months and I was so hesitant to enter that one.

Until tomorrow!

Tuesday Tidbits - Starring the Rings & Things 7-loop Star Connector Necklace

Yesterday I mentioned the July goodies package and said that I was getting close to finishing some designs for the remaining items. Today I can share what I've been working on with the Gold filled 7 loop star connector and some Soft Flex Trios (Tranquility) from the June blog partner offer.

The pendant and design elements are strung onto 24k Gold Soft Flex Extreme wire (which was part of my Extreme Trios prize in their Twitter contest!). The gleam and shine of the 24k Extreme is really lovely. The beads I used are glass bicones because I didn't have any Swarovski in the right colors. I know those would look better - this "Under the Boardwalk" assortment from Rings & Things would be a good choice, I think.

I wanted to use the Trio colors as embellishment, so I crimped about an inch and a half of one of the three Tranquility colors on either side of a set of bicones, then pinched it to a point to echo the points on the star. This will definitely be re-done, I've learned a number of things that I can do better (to say nothing of using Swarovski crystals instead of glass bicones) in the next version.

I had the day off today and one of the things I tried was to teach myself how to create a wrapped wire cabochon (thanks to Tammy Powley and her About.com 'how to' article). I think I'm getting the hang of it, but it's going to take more time, materials and a couple new tools before they're ready for prime time, so I decided to try a different approach. Tomorrow I'll share some pendants I've made with that approach and some gorgeous free form polished stones I received from Fable's Rocks (@MidnightReading on Twitter), beading wire and silver/copper embellishments.

Monday Miscellany - Re-work

Vintage images courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

I've been doing some re-work this weekend. I had only used two of the three Renewal Trios colors in the necklace below, so I started working on how I might incorporate another color. I've added mother of pearl, shell heishi beads and some glass bicone beads and replaced the silver charm with a Keith O'Connor Porcelain Scallop Shell from The Beadin' Path.

Before

After

Then I happened upon a jasper (leopardskin?) and copper necklace I'd made some time ago and not only hadn't ever worn, hadn't ever listed or photographed. I decided it was time to re-work it.

I had used jasper beads and simple copper loops to form a chain, then I created a focal with more jasper and a copper wire Wig-Jigged into a looped form. I added some oval copper beads on simple loops, took a few beads and the focal and moved them up, plus a chain of smaller oval copper beads. Here's the current iteration:

Tomorrow I'll show you a mixed media earring project I'm trying...assuming things work like I hope.

Hardly Looks Like the Same Necklace Now

Vintage images courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Ah, Saturday. Sleeping in. Lazing around. Well, at least sleeping in. I have so much stuff to do this weekend and next weekend my daughter is visiting again, so I'll not be getting much done then. I have a special order necklace to make, pieces to finish, and so many ideas to try. But, you're probably here to see what I've got to show for myself for today...

On Wednesday I showed a work in progress using Romance Trios from Soft Flex. This is what it looked like then:

I've been fiddling...here's what it looks like now (click picture for closer look):

It hangs a bit longer than shown - the bust is a bit short so I had to pull the chain down in the back. I like this much better! There are still some finishing details I need to do - a crimp cover here and there - but this is pretty much it.

I think you can see where I snipped the wires and crimped them to create the wisps? vines? that were once part of what Tish called the bow tie, then I made a loop at either end of the beading and fastened two twisted wire rings through them to connect it to an antiqued silver chain (from Accessories Susan). The clasp is made from a twisted wire oval I bent into a hook.

I think I may have 3 or maybe 4 entries to send in to the Flex Your Creativity contest - if you're thinking of entering (and I hope you are!) don't forget that you only have until Sept. 1st.

As I didn't get anything listed on Art Fire, per goal, neither Thursday nor Friday. I'm going to have to do three today to catch up. Fortunately, it's Saturday and I have 1) sunlight for photography and 2) all day to do it!

Here are the eight new ones I've listed so far - I'd be very interested in your candid comments about them - photography, setting, price - whatever:

Dawno

Buy Handmade

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Wandering Around the Beadosphere!

Mid-Week Mutterings - Romance Trio Necklace

Before I get to the title piece, I have to point you to Wendy Gibson's Craft Dinner post. She has created a wonderful jewelry set from a selection of vintage Lucite from The Beadin' Path that is amazing and wonderful! The pendant and bracelet feature lemon moonglow Lucite buttons used in a delightfully creative way.

Ok, on to today's necklace work in progress. When I first started beading I made some pieces with rose quartz, silver beads and matte crystal beads. 3 or 4 years later the silver has really tarnished and the matte crystal beads have a gray look to them from the beading wire I used. I don't remember what brand, but it tarnished the insides of the beads, I guess.

I unstrung them and decided to re-use the quartz (carved knots and small rounds), some rhodonite beads and light rose matte glass beads with the Romance Trios in a three-strand necklace. I've added some light pink glass leaves on pinch bails and length-wise drilled glass tulip beads, too.

It's still a work in progress - more dangles to add later. Getting too late to finish tonight for the publication time of this post at 6 am tomorrow, plus I need to get my beauty sleep!

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 - Green

I had a wonderful mini-vacation last week, which included the new Harry Potter movie and was topped off with a splendid dinner with my husband and daughter, and the play Wicked at the Orpheum in San Francisco. Besides that I got a lot of rest and reading in.

Now it's back to the usual stuff and I'll be blogging daily again.

First off, I got some great news via Twitter - the Soft Flex company ran a Trios giveaway and I was one of the winners! Sara, at the SoftFlexGirl blog also posted about it on Saturday, but I just found out today. And to complete the circle of synchronicity - Sara went to see Wicked for her birthday, too!

With having just seen Wicked, and having recently finished reading a fabulous book titled, Green, by Jay Lake, I was definitely feeling the urge to make something green.

So, I started by getting out my Renewal Trio to make a bracelet with all three colors (Green Emerald, Chrysoprase and Peridot), plus carved aventurine flowers (from my trip to Beads & Baubles in Berkeley), faceted prehnite ovals and briolettes (Fire Mountain), chrysoprase Druk beads (Artbeads) and small, green, Czech glass disk beads (Rings & Things). I added silver crimp covers over the crimps (#2 Beadalon silver plated crimp tubes) and another crimp cover around the three strands between the first beads and the clasp.

Then I went a bit nuts.

Now I'm trying to figure out how I can make this a necklace instead...

(Additional beads added: round aventurine beads, iridescent green glass beads from one of The Beadin' Path's bead of the month selections, green Czech pressed glass flower beads, more Czech glass disks and really tiny faceted light green Czech glass rondells.)

See you tomorrow!

Monday Miscellany - Rings & Things June Blog Partner Review Continues: Three Soft Flex Trios Necklace Experiments

Over the weekend I experimented with my Soft Flex Trios which were my choice for the June Rings & Things blog partner's review. The first one used Amethyst colored wire and an assortment of purple beads I got from a bead of the month club run by Elise Matthesen. I curled a couple of the wires using my round nosed pliers to add a bit of a sculptural look. I also figured out the Figure-8 knot, thanks to the SoftFlex website.

The next one I did using Quartz (white) Soft Flex from the Romance Trio and a number of Swarovski drops, beads and briolettes as well as some glass roundel spacers. I used an Opaline bead in the center, from a strand I got at the Rings & Things bead tour plus clear, translucent white, and opalescent beads I've collected from various sources (including a great Etsy shop, Prolifique) for this one.

The final one uses two shades of green from the Renewal Trio - Emerald and Chrysoprase. I used some sea-green pressed glass and Czech Druk beads, as well as a silver plated shell charm that came with May's The Beadin' Path bead club. I wanted an 'under the ocean' look to this one, so I again used the round nose pliers to curl the wires. I thought that would give the impression of a bed of seaweed and I thought the circles of Chrysoprase Soft Flex, with the Jonquil Druk beads looked rather like bubbles.

As always, I'm very interested in your thoughts about these ideas.

Don't forget to write reviews of products on Rings & Things
to be entered in their June-July contest.
Deadline is July 31.

Thursday Feature: Reviews & Interviews - Soft Flex Trios from Rings & Things

This month Rings & Things provided their blog partners with the opportunity to select what product(s) we wanted to review. I've been reading about the Soft Flex Trios on the Soft Flex Girl's blog as well as at the Flex Your Creativity Contest and the free patterns on the Soft Flex site. So my selection was a variety of Soft Flex .019" diameter, 49 strand Trios. Each Trio has three coordinating colors on 10' rolls.

The wire is color coated stainless steel with a test strength of 26 lbs. They say it can be knotted, which I tried with some light yellow quartz beads and the bone color from the Harmony Trio (Bone, Lemon Quartz and Copper)

The beads curved instead of lying along a straight line when I tie simple knots between them, so I went to the site to see what they recommend, which is a figure 8 knot. I couldn't figure out how to get the knot tight to the bead, however, and until I learn how, I won't be using this for knotting.

The pricing at Rings & Things is lower than the list price, but you do have to meet their minimum purchase requirements and there's a small additional cost for purchases under $50. The plus side is a full selection of trios, quantity discounts, and great customer service (plus a candy treat in the package).

By the way, if you do get a product from Rings & Things, there's a contest on this month - you only need to submit a review to enter.

There are several things I want to try, but first I decided to make a quick and fun necklace using some glass beads I'd gotten from various bead mixes. I used three strands, quartz (white) and Rhodocrosite (light pink) from the Romance set and Pink Tourmaline (a bit darker pink) from the Mystical set. I used a large sized tube crimp that all 6 strands fit into (unfortunately, I don't know the exact size) to form the loops for jump rings at the ends so I could add a clasp.

I also knotted the strands as tightly as I could against the last beads on each side and then left the rest of them bare to show off the color. Unfortunately, I had to do some adjusting and one side got a bit kinked. I'm hoping that the weight of the beads might pull out the kink, but I'm not too optimistic. Next time, I'll forgo the knots. The small pink beads between the larger glass ones are strung on just one of the three wires, by the way, to allow some additional color to show.

(click to enlarge for detail)

I'm having fun thinking up new things to try with these colors and may even make something I feel good enough to enter in the contest (deadline is September 1, 2009).