Drumrolling, part 2

I had to resort to plan B.  The focal, the way I showed it in the previous post, just didn't hang right once I had the necklace portion created.  I was afraid of that, but was so excited that I had gotten so far that I felt I need to try various things before giving up.  Luckily, I was on a bead play date with my friend Sally the other day, and she suggested that I make them three separate pendants, (as I had originally thought) that can be changed out, depending on  your mood.  And ONE of them has a pin on the back - so it can be worn as a brooch.  I really like the simpleness of plan B better, anyway, I think.  How about you?:

This is focal piece 1, with the simple spiral rope necklace.  Each pendant bail is large enough to slide off the rope:

Here are the second two:

All in all - very happy with the result.  Hope they're a seller! 

And on a sort of related note - I LOVE the affect that the closed cover of my laptop gives to the background of my jewelry pieces.  I used to take the time to lay out fabric, or find the right size display, but I gotta tell ya - I love the contrast of the gray background. 

Now I've gotta come up with another project!  Probably bead embroidery, as my play date the other day consisted of actually showing Sally, previously just a stringer, how to bead embroider.  And wouldn't you know?  We've addicted another one!  She was so excited to learn not just bead embroidery, but peyote stitch too.  She still has to learn to attach the backing (sometimes the most boring part, I think), and also what to do about finishing the piece.  But all in all - how fun that I taught someone else one of my favorite passions?  I know that what she's going to want to focus on for our next few dates, so I better be prepared.  I may have to loan her a Sherry Serafini or Jamie Cloud Eakin book too.  Those will really push her over the addiction edge!  LOL!
Peaceful beading everyone,
TTFN

Drumroll, please

Actually, TWO drumrolls.  The first - I made it to 7700 visitors!  7702, as a matter of fact!  YAY!  I wish I had a way of knowing WHO my lucky number visitor was - it almost seems prize worthy.  
And the other drumroll - and I apologize to the readers who feel back patting and horn tooting aren't cool - because I'm patting AND tooting today!  lol!   My dream of how I wanted Vintage Wynter to be changeable, from a 3 focal piece pendant, to one single - has been realized....I honestly don't know where the ideas come from, I believe something higher than myself is involved in my creativity lately - but here is what it looks like so far:

After much thinking, and planning, and a little bit of trial and error with some box clasps (thanks, Sally!), I came up with the hook and eye idea.  I still need to add bails to the top of each - I haven't decided about whether I want a big peyote bail on them all, or if I just want to create seed bead loops.  I will be creating a simple spiral rope for the necklace, using all of the purples and the white.  Unfortunately, I had to order more of one of the purple colors, and wouldn't you know, during a week with a government holiday, putting the mail behind a day.  So this may be where I stop with this piece for another day or two.  I'm very please with how it looks so far, though...

This photo is how the center pendant will look (minus bail), when worn alone.  I really love the dangles, which help disguise the eye rings needed for the hooks. 

The only part about this necklace that didn't quite work out as I planned, is that I had originally thought about making EACH pendant so that is could be worn separately.  Having used the hooks on the side pieces, though - they don't look quite right just hangin' out there alone. 
So anyway - this is what's on my bead table this Wednesday!

Peaceful beading,

TTFN

Soooo close

Only 55 more views and I'll have had 7700 people visit my blog!  So glad you've been stopping by, and I hope many of you are returning readers.  I will probably have some more changes for the blog soon - including a link to my reopening Etsy shop!  Not sure when - so I'm not putting a time frame on it - but hopefully by mid April (before the East Lansing Public Art Gallery ART! Expo).
Vintage Wynter is coming along, for those of you that have been reading about it. That 3rd piece of the 3 piece focal is driving me MAD - but I'm not ready to give in yet. Can't remember if I posted the update with the progress of the other two pieces, so here it is:

There will be little tiny box clasps between each piece, along with large peyote bails.  They will attach to each other with the box clasps to be worn together, or remove the side pieces and wear the center leaf piece alone.  I know, right?  I can't wait to see if my vision will actually become reality as easily as my mind THINKS it will!
Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Do you Pinterest?

It seems to be the new craze right now, and it's very addictive.  I spent so long on that site this morning, I used up all of my precious quiet bead time before the dogs and hubby got up!  That's pretty bad/sad.  But it's fun - and informative, and dangerous all at the same time.  Fun to see what others - complete strangers, close friends, and even family members, like and find interesting.  Informative because of all the great IDEAS pinned - decorating, crafting, clothing - it's a wealth of information, with links back to the original sources, which will in turn have even MORE ideas.  It really is a wicked circle.  And it's dangerous, because it's made me already want to make some changes that involve buying new storage items, and I've got lots of ideas for my garden for summer.  And the recipes.  Oh, my goodness, the recipes.  We'll have extra ingredients for some scrumptious stuff on our grocery list for weeks to come!  Even my husband is a follower, and has asked me if I saw this or that, and would I make him that cookie or cake recipe.  It's give us something to talk about other than dogs and bills for a change!
Another reason to use it - it's a great marketing tool!  More and more of us that are designers, creators, and artists in one genre or another are pinning to boards that are shared and re-pinned, and re-pinned, and re-pinned again.  Talk about exposure! 
If you haven't tried it yet (I'll be surprised - it seems as though EVERYONE is Pinteresting) - here's the link.  You can browse a little bit without signing up - but it's really worth it!  http://pinterest.com
It's easy, it's free, and it's sooooooo fun!
Have a peaceful, Pinterest-ing Sunday,
TTFN

Sneek Peek

Yesterday's Bead Table Wednesday beads are becoming something quite unique - just as I suspected.  And of course,  NOTHING like what I originally envisioned.  Here is that sneek peek of where I am this morning.  Heading out for my yearly optical check up, though, and because they will be dilating these baby blues, I may not get back to this until later this evening. 

The name that came to me for what I had together yesterday was "Wynter's Path".  However - the pearls have given it a much more vintage look than I had expected, so it is now "Vintage Wynter".  I have two more sections to add to the main focal, sort of a bib affect, I THINK.  I am also considering working some thin silver chain into the actual embroidery too.  Once again - totally different than I envisioned.  That may have to be ANOTHER piece!
Have a peaceful, beady Thursday, everyone
TTFN

UFO's (No, not THAT kind of UFO) & Bead Table Wednesday

I have a HUGE basket of UFO's that I've been gathering pieces and parts for, yet the NEW ideas just keep on coming, and THOSE are the ones that seem to feed my creativity lately.  So instead of choosing from the UFO's - I put this all together this morning, just in time for Bead Table Wednesday.  The idea and design came from my favorite soap opera, The Young and The Restless.  Their stylists have been doing a great job lately of putting some unique pieces on a couple of the actresses - and the seeds of this piece - which has already named itself "Wynter's Path" came from a piece Genie Francis' character was wearing.  So I grabbed my sketch pad, and took note of the general design - very 'bib' like, which is very popular right now.  I'm sure that mine will look NOTHING like the piece being worn, (hers was in much darker colors, for one thing), but I love how it helped give birth to MY idea - which will, in turn, be unique.
Here's what has been gathered together to begin "Wynter's Path":

I'm thinking some Russian Leaves, and definitely some bead embroidery.  This one probably won't come together in a day or two like "Harlequin" did - plus I've got to stop and do actual non-bead THINGS this week (horrors!), but I'm liking what I have scetched and planned so far.  Keep in mind, though, that even though I sketch things out sometimes, they still go off in their own direction more often than not.
Enjoy - peaceful beading,
TTFN

Unexpected surprises

This is why occasional organization and cleaning of the studio space is a good thing.  The beginnings of this piece were put together almost immediately upon receiving the beautiful flat matte rock from a friend that had recently found it on the Maine shoreline.  I had those great matte black and white agate, and thought they'd go great together.  Into the 'not quite ready for bead time' drawer they went.  And were finally salvaged on Saturday.  Along with a plan - finally.  So out it stayed and I began working on it immediately.  THIS is Harlequin:

I hadn't planned to make it quite so detailed - sometimes black and white deserves a simple design.  But general consensus when posting the preview on Facebook was to - and I quote Dot Lewallen: "Fringe and more fringe".  Even my mother agreed.  So fringe I did.  And I'm glad.
I also just received word from my friend in New York state for whom I made the wonderful "Jewels of the Nile" necklace, bracelet and earrings.  She's coming into to town this weekend, and will plan to retrieve her lovely jewels then.  YAY!  I'll hate to see it go, but can't wait for her to wear it, and I hope she truly enjoys them.  I'll always have Holly's beautiful photos to remind me of it too:

Another free day tomorrow before continuing my busy week, ending with a fun birthday party for my 9 and 7 year old great-nieces - I'm planning to create little beading monsters by gifting them with bead boards, tools and fun colorful beads!  More competition in the family!  lol!
Peaceful beading,
TTFN