Mid-Week Mutterings - Artbeads CZ design #3

Half-way through the week and I'm half way through the wonderful assortment Cubic Zirconia Beads I received from Artbeads. This time I'm using the 7mm 'burnt orange' coin CZ beads with CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements Indian Red bicones and gold vermeil beads embellished with a wrapped, coiled spiral of very fine gold wire around them (click picture below for better detail). The necklace is going to be dainty - what's pictured below is about 10" long so far from end to end not counting the drop which is about an inch and a half.

I received two CZs in this color and I'm using one as the focal. The second one will be a dangle at the end of the chain. I'm constructing the chain by hand using gold filled oval jump rings. Because I only have a short amount of time in the evening to work with, I can only show the work in progress today - hope to come back and update with the finished piece in a day or two.

On Friday I'll be asking you to comment on your favorite CZ piece from this week as your entry in a random drawing for a $25.00 Artbeads gift certificate. The winner will be drawn on Saturday and will get their certificate directly from Artbeads, so I'll be asking you to email me your full name and email address, if you're chosen.

For a chance at a $100 Artbeads "Holiday Cheer" prize go to their Facebook page to read how and enter.

Hope to see you tomorrow when I share another Artbeads CZ design!

FTC compliance notice of material connection: some of the CZ elements, as noted above, were provided to me for free in exchange for design purposes and/or promotional consideration by Artbeads.

Not Going to Be a Lazy Saturday Around Here

I didn't accomplish all that much yesterday - got my workspace tidied up a bit - there were little gears everywhere and bags and piles of beads, but they're mostly corralled now. I want to get as much done this weekend as possible for the show which is now less than a week off.

Even though I spent a lot of time doing clean up work yesterday, I did make something - this is the necklace I worked on for most of last evening. I used gold vermeil spacers, Czech glass spheres with really intricate faceting, some ornate Czech glass I found ages ago at Global beads and hadn't, until last night, figured out what I was going to use them in.

I'm not sure what the larger beads are called (if you know, please leave a comment and enlighten me!) but I'm very fond of the lilac tinting and hints of gold on the ends and the lovely way they're faceted (click on the picture for better detail), tiny lilac glass spacer beads, and gold filled wire eye and head pins for the connections in the draped center section. I'm thinking it needs a name, but I'm terrible at coming up with good ones.

I need to do new tags, set up new display stuff that optimizes the very small space (my table last year was about five feet long, I think) and organize some containers of pre-sorted stuff to work on, because in Artist's Alley, where I'll be, the requirement is that you focus on working on your art, not selling.

Well, as I may have mentioned here or there, I took the plunge and entered a couple pieces in the BeadStar 2009 contest, didn't make the cut, but I really didn't expect to either this early in my learning curve. I'm sure I have a long way to go, but if I hadn't at least tried, I wouldn't have learned anything.

The entries that did get selected are fabulous. Please visit the site and vote for your favorites. I'd be very interested in a conversation about the finalist selections and what sets the finalists apart from the crowd.

Moving on - here's a fun necklace I made just the other day to go with one of my favorite tropical flower patterned camp shirts, that I wore to the bead tour on Thursday. I used the brightly colored shell heishi's from The Beadin' Path May bead club goodies and some other bits I had in my stash.

(click to enlarge)

Here's one of the pieces I entered in the contest and put off sharing until I heard what made the finalist round. I'm almost embarrassed to post that it was an entry, after seeing the amazing and intricate pieces that were selected in the crystals category. I used my best quality supplies - all sterling silver and Swarovskis. The wire wrapped loops are made with very fine gauge headpins and wire - tedious, but ultimately rewarding work. I really love the balance plus the bit of asymmetry in the center, and simplicity of it, personally.

Please come by tomorrow - I've got a wonderful Wandering Around the Beadosphere post prepared!