Trying something new

When we were checking out the fantastic bead store in Branson, it was obvious that the shop owner was quite the fan of wire wrapping. I'd taken a break from wire for a while, since silver was pricing itself out of my studio, but she mentioned trying copper, and I was inspired by her many cuff bracelets that she had made. This one, is my first attempt:



I don't know exactly what those beads are, but aren't they fun? Some sort of composite, I think, but they were nice and chunky, and just what I needed!! This particular design was actually pretty easy, so after I make a couple more, I may write up a quick tutorial for it.

I remembered over the weekend that I'd gotten some metal plated cabochon settings in a grab bag (not a good grab bag like at Auntie's beads... this one was pretty much a bust). I'd been reading that gold and pink were a hot color combination for spring/summer, so I thought I'd give this a shot. There is gold leaf mixed in with the 2 pink tones, and I paired it with my favorite accent color, stringing it from silk ribbon. This really does scream summer to me! It's just gorgeous in person, and not too big - only about 1" long! I also made one in shades of olive green, with Navy, Denim, and Purple accents.

So what have YOU been working on this week?

The March of the Snowmen...

The snowmen are beginning to appear in my shop, and are marching their way back in to peoples' homes!

This is an ornament made for someone who loves Oklahoma State University, and her husband loves Nebraska, and they have two rambunctious beagles.
And this one is available RIGHT NOW in the shop! It would make a great wedding gift - "Our First Christmas."

I also cranked out a couple of flower pendants last night with gold-plated filigree metal backings - one with an olive green base, and another with a pink base. I'd already started on the green one when I read about how hot pink and gold are as a color combo right now, so I figured I'd do that one also. I'll have them listed soon, I hope!

With regards to my questions in the previous post, I decided to go ahead and order some sterling silver filled wire, along with some copper wire. It should be here tomorrow, and then I'm going to try my hand at making a cuff. I have some really neat composite beads that I picked up in Branson 2 weeks ago that I have in mind for that particular project already!

Silver, *sigh*

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the cost of sterling silver is skyrocketing! When I started using sterling silver, it was around $14 per troy ounce (a measurement for precious metals), and now it is hovering around $40 a troy ounce, approximately 2 years later. I really love using sterling silver, but more than that, I really want to keep my prices affordable, while still making a little profit.

Recently, several jewelry supply companies have begun carrying a product called "sterling silver FILLED" wire. This has been expanded to small beads and clasps as well at some places. I'm including a link to one of the current suppliers, so you can see the difference between silver filled, and silver plated (which I don't use TOO frequently, due to it's tendency to rub off). You can read more about it HERE.

So, here's what I want to know - should I start integrating some of the sterling silver filled products into my jewelry (particularly the wire, but NOT ear wires or clasps) so that I can keep costs lower for my customers, or are you willing to pay more for true sterling silver? Please answer in the comments, and THANK YOU!!

I'm giving away a pair of earrings!

But not here:-)! Bear with me - this is going to be kind of long... A couple of months ago, my husband came home, and began telling me about a story he'd heard on the radio about how children in Eastern Europe are sent to orphanages if they are born with special needs. This obviously affected both of us greatly, as our own son has special needs. I filed it in the back of my mind, and a few months later, as I was convalescing during a particularly nasty case of bronchitis, I came across a group of blogs about families who had adopted children with special needs from Eastern Europe. I remembered what Erik had told me, and read all of these stories with great sadness, and also great hope. I was hopeful for these children because there are wonderful people in this world who are able to raise the thousands of dollars to rescue these precious babies from the orphanages. You may be wondering why it is that I am saddened by the situation in another part of the world, when there are children here in the US that need as much help... I'll tell you! I worked in the foster care system for almost 5 years - in both direct care and case management, and I am fully aware that there are flaws in our system, and that children here are in very bad situations as well. However, in most Eastern European countries, the system is completely broken. Children are placed in cribs, and left there all day - no toys, very little interaction, and for most, not enough to eat. When they grow older (the age depends on the country - it could be as young as 4, or as old as 8), the child is transferred to a mental institution. A MENTAL INSTITUTION. VERY few children are adopted from an institution, and most just languish away and die. This is a true tragedy, because the only "flaw" in these children is that they were not born "perfect." To make matters worse, there are adoption judges in some countries who will not allow these children to be adopted. They feel that children with Down's Syndrome deserve no better than to live out their lives in an institution, rather than with a loving family who WANTS them. We can't change their syndrome, but we can help the children. One of the blogs I came across while sick posted a call for donations a couple of weeks ago. She was going to host a fundraiser and a giveaway, to fund the adoption account for one little boy. Here is the link to her blog, as well as the instructions: HERE By the way, what did I donate? Why, these! And after seeing some of the other donations, I wish I'd been able to do more...

I know money is tight for everyone right now. I'm not asking you to donate anything, but really, even $1 helps. I didn't do this to try and get my friends and customers to give their funds to a child they will never meet... but I hope that in doing this, I have opened your eyes to a true human tragedy, and maybe you might be inspired to do something too.

I'm ready for spring!

Right now, as I look out the window, the sky is gloomy, and overcast, and it's been raining off and on all day. I long for green grass, brightly colored flowers, and my vegetable garden! So with that in mind, I made these two pieces the other day, and both are listed in my Etsy shop.

These earrings were inspired by the photograph for March in our Arizona Highways 2011 calendar. It was a macro-photograph with large fuchsia flowers, smaller orange flowers, with green foliage and small cream colored flowers. They aren't colors I would traditionally mix together, but I thought it came out beautifully! (and they aren't heavy either!)

I really love the color combination of brown and light blue, and continuing in my floral mood, I created this bracelet! I've had the light blue glass round beads for months, and hadn't used them yet, so I mixed the clay color to match. It's like getting flowers, jewelry, and chocolate all in one package! It's strung on stretch cord so it's really easy to wear.

I've been down with The Plague for the last 2 weeks, but I have more ideas in my head for flower beads, because I love them, and they are FUN! They are surprisingly easy to make, so I'll try to post my process when I make the next ones.

The first day of Spring is in one week, and you'd better believe I have my countdown set!!

Something new

Sometimes, I really get the itch to try out a new clay technique. I had been wanting to try out making these little embroidery-style flowers for a while, and recently, I had my chance! I made the pendant below on a light silver base, with rhinestone centers. It was actually easier than I had anticipated. (It also sold very quickly out of my store!)


I wanted to make MORE in that style, so with the Pink Variscite stone from my grab bag in mind, I created the beads below today.
I'll line the whole necklace out tomorrow, but I think I might need some smaller turquoise beads to go with it. I'll have to go through my stash in the morning. I like the gold with it, because it looks really great with the green, especially... I've had all of these Vermeil spacers sitting around for almost a year, but I think they will work well in this project.

Time for another Giveaway!

In honor of my second anniversary selling on Etsy, I thought it was time to do a giveaway! I made this necklace mostly from components from my grab bag (it's a pretty simple piece), and I really like it! A crystal heart and pink rose hang from a silver-plated link with flowers on it, and that all hangs on leather and ribbon. The leather/ribbon is approximately 18" long, and closes with a barrel clasp. The dangle/pendant is about 2.5" long.

Here's how you can win: leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about spring. You can earn additional entries by blogging about the giveaway (just leave me a link in another comment), or tweeting it (again, leave a link!). I'll be choosing a winner on March 7. Good luck!