Mid-Week Mutterings - Bracelet Frenzy!

As promised, here's most of the output (aside from the Beadin' Path design partner bracelets I showed the other day) of my bracelet frenzy this weekend. There's one more I hadn't put the clasp on to and I've got a couple under construction, as well.

I wanted to work from the fall color palette, so I kept it close at hand as I selected the beads for these. I did consider mixing it up a bit in terms of using contrasting colors in the bracelets, but ended up only doing the one (in the center) with two colors that I wouldn't have normally put together. The bracelets feature a lot of gold filled beads and gemstones (except for the two on the far right and the copper one on the far left). I also liked the way the on the mookaite strand were pretty random, so I strung that bracelet straight off the strand with gold filled spacers between each faceted rondelle.

I used CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements bicones in each design, except for the two directly to the right and left of center, the pearls in the far left and third from the left are Swarovski, but the ones on the amethyst bracelet (second from left) are freshwater cultured pearls.

Which are your favorites? I really like them all, but I think my favorite is the dark brown and antique brass. The copper with carnelian and the mookaite ones are my next favorite.

I'm pretty close to having what I think is a fairly decent inventory of bracelets, so I may focus on earrings for a while. My inclination is to make sets - earrings that match either my necklaces, lanyards or bracelets - what do you think?

Beachcombing Necklace

Used some of my new beads last night - shell heishis and little whole shells, with tiny freshwater pearls, amber shell beads and brass Artistic Wire.

Reminds me of summer days spent at the beach, searching for little shells, chasing waves. I decided to make this with a rustic look. I used 26 gauge Artistic Wire in an antique brass finish to link the heishi shells and make the dangles.

See some additional closeup angles at my Art Fire shop!

Dawno

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Very Brassy!

Just a quick post to show off the set I finished last night. I actually had it all done but the final touches on the bracelet in time to wear to work yesterday (big all hand's meeting to attend, so I try to show off something that might get noticed, unfortunately it didn't get any comments if it did) I added the dangles to the bracelet last night.

From Top to Bottom: Bracelet, necklace, earrings, badge lanyard

Made from 3 kinds of antiqued brass chain, moonstones, brass wire beads (do those have a name?), and some cool geometric brass links.

My daughter is coming home for Spring Break today and I've been pre-scheduling some posts to keep the blog current - so keep visiting.

I hope you all have a wonderful week - I know I will!

The Long Tail, You and Me

Ok, before I go into my little essay, here's some stuff I'm working on - a while ago I mentioned that I'd started working on a necklace using some beads with a yellow rose print on them, then I took off the rose beads and put them aside. Here's how I ended up using the beads - they're on a brass chain, about 24". I was thinking this needed to be named "Ring Around the Rosie" but maybe that's just too twee...

I've also been working on this three strand antiqued brass necklace - just have to add a little extender and clasp, it's a bit small even for choker length as is.

So, what's this about the Long Tail...

No, it's not a new kind of bead or crafting technique - it's a description of the situation many of us (meaning most of us who read this and each other's blogs, I'm assuming, are like me - not a "celebrity" in our crafting niche or professional life) find ourselves in, bloggers with relatively low traffic* are at the "long tail" of the blogosphere. Maybe this is old hat for you, so I apologize, but having once been a teacher, I can't help it sometimes if I get all pedantic.

If you want to read a fairly technical, but one of the first explanations of the long tail, the 2003 essay "Power Laws, Web Logs and Inequality" by Clay Shirkey is considered authoritative essay on the long tail concept as it relates to blogs/websites.

*Relative to a number of metrics such as us vs. all web sites, or all blogs, or all crafts blogs, all beading blogs, all non-commercial beading blogs, etc. Our ratio probably improves as you head down that list towards more specialization in our niche, but it's probably still low relative to the number of non-commercial beading blogs - my site traffic in March - the all time high - was 747 unique visits.

Getting noticed is hard - but getting noticed is crucial for online sales (and in-person sales, too, but that's another post, I guess). Thousands of Etsy stores, hundreds of Art Fire (and growing) stores, all the other sites and promoters/aggregators of sites (the biggies, Digg, Technorati, StumbleUpon and "homegrown" ones like Shop Windows at Artfire).

Just a fraction of the aggregators are sites that showcase or are about work from handcrafting artists, all of whom are doing the same sort of work you do - how to stand out from that crowd? One way to get noticed is to have lots of people linking to you from their small to medium traffic blogs or (dream come true) a few high traffic people linking to you from their blog. The ultimate would be to get a major web presence to feature you - but that has consequences (slashdotting, boing-boinged, farked - those can crash your site.)

There are ways to improve your traffic, and there are many people who've written about it. You could spend weeks going through all the sites and blogs. Let's not.

There's a group of folk who consistently link to each other - those blogs were among the first I discovered when I started reading about beading. If you visit Art Bead Scene on a regular basis you'll see they post a "The Desperate Art Bead Scene Neigborhood" feature regularly. The bloggers they feature also post those links out to their readers, this is a great way to keep good rankings in blog searches and share their traffic. Getting on blogrolls, joining blog circles...all good for getting traffic.

I was fortunate enough once to get a mention in Margot Potter's blog - my traffic for that day and the next really shot up. Leveled off, too - but that's one example of how cross linking can raise your blog's readership - at least when it happens. Building a circle of persistent readers, however, comes from committing to regular blogging about things that people are interested in, like sharing ideas, doing tutorials, providing pictures - but more than anything, I believe, comes from making connections by responding to comments, and going and commenting on your commenter's blogs.

I'm not into my crafting full time - I have a day job that pays well and has great benefits. I'm very fortunate and know it. So why do I even think about this? Well, what I really enjoy is converstations with interesting people about something I really love doing. The side benefit might be making a few more sales than if I weren't blogging and linking and commenting as much as I can, but I do the blogging and linking, etc., to make new friends.

So, to all of you who visit and keep the conversation going, thanks!


My Yellow Rose Necklace at Art Fire

Dawno

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"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.

Nouveau and Other New Jewelry

Got a start on displays over the weekend, I think I've figured out how to do what I want, but I will have to go pick up a few more items this week. I hope to have it all finished next weekend. I got a note that the table will be 8' long and have a nice amount of room behind it. I may bring the mannequin.

Worked on some new stuff with gunmetal filigree, wire and chain. The first is a single purpose eyeglass leash with iridescent dark blue India glass beads:

The next one is a necklace using an oval filigree link and jet black Czech glass faceted crystals. It's a shorter necklace, hanging just under the collarbone.

Lastly, here's a piece inspired by the Fantasy Falls project in the Vintaj project gallery. The focal is an art nouveau-style brass stamping from Accessories Susan and miscellaneous bits and beads, including rough faceted marquise cut garnet beads and a cultured freshwater pearl. It has a double chain.

These will be going up on Art Fire after the Potlatch SF convention. Hope you'll visit my shop there!

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.

It's Great to be Feeling Better and Beading Again!

I've been fighting off a rather persistent virus on top of being unusually busy at work which means I didn't do much beading/jewelry work over the last couple weeks, just too tired at the end of the day to be particularly motivated or creative. I mostly fiddled with one piece, continuing my purple fixation with this one last item before I moved on (at least regarding colors).

I used some Blue Moon glass faceted rectangle beads in amethyst with fancy bead caps and then used antiqued brass eye pins and tiny (3mm) faceted amethyst glass beads to create a jeweled chain. The necklace is about 24" around and the pendant adds a couple more inches:

Over this Thanksgiving holiday I did manage to find some time between family and cooking to work on a few things, though. I decided I wanted to make more copper pieces and I liked the way the peridot glass looked with copper - as you can see, I've made quite a few things - some are just bits and pieces that will eventually become something else - earrings or more necklaces. I'm particularly fond of the long necklace at the right - I haven't measured it, but it's probably 34 - 35" before adding the length of the pendant. The center necklace with the large faceted rectangles was inspired by the focal piece which is half of a copper toggle clasp. Next project will be to make a necklace to match the earring at the upper left featuring the foil-lined coin beads, and, of course, the other earring.

Lastly, one more Christmas color lanyard featuring a very pretty faceted glass bead in red and some 3mm green Druk beads.

I'm pretty excited about something that I've been invited to do here on my blog, and soon I'll reveal all. I hope you'll keep checking back for the news!

Less Talk, More Pictures

First, here's a chain using silver loops, jump rings, howlite nuggets and small round howlite beads. I made it so it could be worn with the toggle through any of the small loops, like a lariat or at the back.

Next a peridot glass necklace lanyard using the roundell and larger bead pattern.

And lastly, my vintage style peridot glass gem and filigree necklace. I may move the larger brass filigree bead that's near the neckline down a bit, but otherwise, I'm done.

Peridot Glass "Gems" and Filigree Work in Progress

Only one of the small peridot colored glass 'gems' has been set in the filigree and one in the center oval, but I'm liking how this looks so far. Not sure how I'm going to finish it. I've done a couple wrapped link peridot colored glass beads but they seem so plain in comparison, I'm not sure if I'll use them in the piece. May have to find some faceted beads, thinking briolettes, and maybe a chain tassel...I guess there's a trip to the bead store in the near future.

I used four filigrees to frame the center oval piece. The two between the large eight pointed backing and the large visible oval frame are practically invisible, but add to the depth and detail.

If the test setting for the small gem on the outer filigree is solid enough, I'll do the rest of the gems tomorrow. If not, I'm going to have to puzzle out how to add them. Right now I'm using the E6000 glue suggested in the 'how to' section of the Accessories Susan site, we'll see if it holds.

I Hope it Doesn't Get to be a Habit

Missed posting last night, too. Again, busy with other stuff and very little of it was beading. I did finish stringing the gold glass and pearl lanyard, just have to add the hardware now.

I got an email from Accessories Susan saying they had the large copper lobster claw clasps I've been looking for in stock, so those are on their way now. Many thanks to Accessories Susan, not only for taking customer requests seriously, but for great service. I'm looking forward to playing around with design ideas this weekend and hope to make a few vintage style pieces I can show off.

I also found a source for tablet cut rectangular beads to match some of the ones I bought at the Arts and Wine festival last weekend so now I can make sets - thank you Mermaid's Cove! One set I bought from Mermaid's Cove was just beads I liked, no mates from the festival purchase, these are "Seafoam Opal" and I'm really inspired by the colors - thinking about matching them to some of my hemimorphite stones.

Still practicing loops - found a bundle of thinner brass wire (might be 21 or 22 gauge - it's not on a labeled spool) stashed away and have run about 8 loops with beads in a string. I'm still very clumsy, wasting a lot of wire, too, but the loops and wraps are looking better and the wrapped end is pretty snug to the bead. Before I start doing work with sterling wire (thinking about Argentium Sterling) I want to be confident and certainly not waste any of the wire - that stuff's expensive. I can't even think about gold filled yet.

There are two beading techniques I still want to learn - one is knotting. A number of my favorite purchases from this and past festivals have been made with lovely knotted thread instead of wire or chain. I'm going to wait to learn and practice that until after I feel accomplished enough with the wire loops. Lastly is chain maille. I have also seen some lovely work using a Byzantine pattern as well as some jewelry that has beads or pearls inside little cages of links, and I'd like to learn to do that, too.

Well, I'm going to finsh off the hardware on that lanyard and maybe play around in my beads until something inspires my next design.

I dislike it intensely when I miss a night posting - but last night I was very busy with a number of other things I needed to do and didn't get to either beading or posting.

I tried to practice making wrapped wire loops again - this time with the brass wire and some 'toy' gold-colored painted plastic 4mm beads I dug out, and I can't remember why I bought, but have had for ages - probably some craft thing I did back when I wasn't beading. I really need to get a smaller gauge wire, though, the 20 gauge is too heavy and stiff for wrapping and I'm not getting the kind of practice I need.

I've also completely dis-assembled the rhodonite choker and been playing with some re-working on it...still not sure where I'm going with it.

This evening I decided on a change of pace and am stringing a badge lanyard. I'm using gold colored fresh water cultured pearls, gold faceted square glass beads and gold faceted bicone glass beads with large gold-plated spacer beads between them. It's got a very lush look, I think.

About 8 - 10" to go still, but it's late and I'm going to bed soon - so here's a work in progress shot taken on a beading mat that's lying on the floor: