Pretty Palettes for February

Hi there!

This is the inspiration for this February's Pretty Palettes challenge - recycled plastic mosaic tiles by BOPE.

 

Above is the palette and below are the beads Molly Schaller chose.

I love these.  I've used some of these in previous designs - particularly the turquoise windowpanes.  In fact, I used pretty much the same selection of colors in this necklace, which was in the Fall issue of Stringing, 2014.

Here's the selection of beads I picked up at Michaels:

Molly says this collection is like a sunset beach celebration.  Having just come back from Hawaii, I'm ready to go back!  So, I'll use these to get ready for more summer celebrations.

Here's what I created.  I ended up substituting some coral chips and flat rounds instead of using the dyed imperial jasper I bought.  And, the lava sea stars and white howlite rounds will be another fun summer necklace!

I'm ready for a summer fiesta now!

See the Pretty Palettes inspiration here and stop by the Halcraft Facebook page to see what other beaders have made.

Etch a St. Patrick's Day Necklace

Hi all,
It's almost time to wear some green, so I thought I'd create a new necklace in time for St. Patrick's Day.  I'm using etchall® dip 'n etch to create some soft, muted green beads to mix in with the others that I have.

Here are the beads that I will etch.  I have strung them to make them easier to get in and out of the etchall® dip 'n etch.

I found a small plastic container in my stash and taped the bead strands to the sides.

Add the etchall® dip 'n etch to cover the beads and time for 15 minutes.  Lift the beads out and rinse. Pour the dip 'n etch back in the bottle.  You can use it over and over!

I rinsed them off and noticed that only half the beads etched.

The top beads have a nice muted etched surface, but the harder dark green crystals did not etch.  There is some hard glass that will not etch with dip 'n etch.  But, I like a mix of etched and unetched glass beads in my designs.  (See this necklace where I combined etched and unetched glass beads.)

Here's the necklace I created:

Wearing 'o the Green

Etching the beads adds another dimension to this necklace with the contrast of the etched beads against the sparkling facets of the originals.  And, it's so easy with etchall® dip 'n etch!

Pretty Palettes November Challenge

Hi friends!

Today I'm designing with the Pretty Palettes November Challenge. Erin Prais-Hintz held a photo contest to come up with this month's palette.   Here's the color palette generated from the beautiful photo of lamb's ears and maple leaves by Susan Conaway.  Follow the link to her blog, which is filled with gorgeous fiber art!


Erin chose these beads from the Bead Gallery(R) line at Michaels.


Here's what I picked up at Michaels.

My favorites are the first strand; it's green banded agate and combines almost all the colors in the palette.  I also found a pendant that looked just like a lamb's ear leaf.  I added some fire agate rounds, faceted Czech glass in greenish turquoise with flecks of brown, and gold spacers.  Although I didn't pick up quite the same shades in the palette, the colors are all in the photo.

The first thing that I did was remove the bail from the pendant.  I used brass wire to make my own wrapped bail. 

To embellish the pendant, I added an antique gold oak leaf tied on with waxed linen with a few beads on the ends.  Then, I strung the pendant on a strand of the Czech glass turquoise beads.  I added another strand of the banded agate and fire agate and attached them to an antique gold rope-textured jump ring.  I tied red deerskin lace to the jump rings and tied them at a length that I could slip over my head.  I considered gold chain instead of lace, but I like the informal feel of the leather. 

Banded Agate and Turquoise Necklace

Not a very inspired name, but it's the best I can come up with for now!

Here are the earrings:

I happen to have both lambs' ears and maple leaves in my yard, so I couldn't resist placing them in the photo!

Thanks for the inspiration, Erin and Susan!

Pretty Palettes Reveal for August

Hi all!

Wow, what a busy month!  I think I've created and blogged more this month than ever!  And, with our family grape harvest and caring for one of my sweet granddaughters, my time has been full.  But, there's always time for beading!  And, Erin's inspiration was amazing, as usual.  I love how she pulls inspiration from the natural world and is so informative in her posts!  I'm all about info - before the internet, I used to read the dictionary and encyclopedias! Now, I just search the internet!

Here was our inspiration for this month - one of earth's amazing places!

Fairy chimneys formed from volcanic rock, rise to the sky and have been carved out for churches, homes and hotels over the centuries.

This soft, volcanic rock called tufa or tuff is formed when deposits of ash are ejected from volcanic vents.  It's found all over the world from Turkey here to New Mexico to Easter Island to Italy.  Since it is soft and easy to carve, it has been used by many peoples for carving statues and building materials.  (See Wikipedia or your favorite encyclopedia for more info!)

Here's the wonderful selection of beads from Michaels that Erin picked to coordinate with the photo.  There's lots of great texture here with carved soapstone, shell, brown lava, twine-wrapped beads, copper rings and spacers and sparkly glass, but it all stays within a range of tans, browns and coppers.

The beads evoke the natural world and an ancient, tribal feel.  I used the twine-wrapped bead to make a tassel and wrapped it around a horn bead I had for the focal of the necklace.  Beaded copper chain completes the tassel.  I strung the soapstone and lava beads on twine.  Since the carved soapstone beads and copper have a pinkish tone, I picked that up with some speckled reddish seed beads in between the beads.  To end the necklace, I knotted between the seed beads and made a loop and bead toggle. 

Here is my necklace.  I decided to name it Earth Wanderer for all the places I'd love to see on this beautiful planet!

Earth Wanderer Necklace

And, here are my earrings.  The lightweight twine-wrapped acrylic beads and the wood rings make these very wearable.  They'll be perfect for fall.

I hope you will go here to see the amazing creations of Erin and her partner for this challenge, as well as all the other participants.  As usual, I admire everyone's creativity.  I always learn so much and find so many ideas that I want to try! Next month, I'm allocating more time!

Happy creating!

Terry

Sage and Pearls Necklace for Craft Ideas

Happy Spring Everyone!

If you are looking for a design for bridesmaid jewelry or just something quick and elegant, here's a necklace that I designed for Craft Ideas magazine.  It's in their spring issue and you can also find the instructions on their website now under Sage and Pearls Bridesmaid Jewelry.  This necklace uses light green Swarovski pearls and Golden Shadow briolettes and a pear pendant. 

Sage and Pearls

The Sage and Pearls version of the necklace was re-designed to coordinate with the lovely muted palette of Sage and Sandalwood wedding colors in Craft Ideas.  I originally designed this necklace with glass teardrops and pearls with a silver pendant. It works either way and would look great in whatever colors you choose!

Teardrops and Pearls Necklace

Teardrops and Pearls on a stand

Happy Crafting! 

Fall Jewelry

Hi Crafty Friends!

I'm back from vacation recharged and ready to work! Good thing because I've got a pile of projects to design in everything from needlepoint to beads to new products. I love the creative life! 

There are new fall magazines out that are full of crafty goodness! Here's one! 

Jewelry Stringing magazine just released their fall issue.  My Moroccan Windows necklace and earrings made the cut!  It's under their Wanderlust section, where you'll find other travel-inspired jewelry.  I love their design calls because it always inspires me to step out of my design ruts and challenge myself.  On this necklace, I combined bright red and yellow with gold metal beads and turquoise.  It always amazes me how versatile turquoise is! It goes with everything!

Moroccan Windows Necklace

I hope you are making time for some creative pursuits whether it's crafting or cooking or gardening! It's so important for your peace of mind to have that outlet.

Happy Creating!

Terry

Silver Leaves Necklace

Hi Crafters!

Today is the posting day for the Designer Crafts Blog Connection, so I hope you'll travel around the blog-o-sphere and view all the new blog posts(no spacesuit needed!). There will be new ideas for Mother's Day, Father's Day and other celebrations. With over 60 designers participating, I'm sure you'll find something you'll want to try!

This month I'm sharing a necklace that I designed using paper bags. I've found that paper bags are very versatile, and lately, I've been making jewelry with them. Here's one that you can find in the pages of the June issue of Crafts 'n things.

The instructions are found on pages 76 and 77 of the June issue. Yes, you'll have to buy the magazine, but it is a treasure trove of great ideas in all sorts of craft areas. And, I hope to post more paper bag ideas with instructions in the future.

Continue the blog hop by clicking on the blue Designer Crafts button along the side of my blog.

Happy crafting!