It's just hot

The car showed 109 when i turned it on about 220p this afternoon. 
The reading had dropped to 106 by the time i got home.
The a/c is set at 84 and still it comes on.
Weather Channel showed 107 at 4:30p
No real chance of rain in the forecast
Excessive heat expected for the next few days.
wow

That makes me want to stay in and BEAD!!!!!  Like this.  Which is from a design at Bead&Button online.

Cool, huh? 

tilas (hematite)

Swarovski bicones (4mm jet, 3mm fuschia

3mm bugles (black)

15/0 seeds (gray opaque luster)

...a(nother) work in progress...ha ha!

Today i have a pair of earrings and a necklace to share. 

Earrngs first.  Remember these?  Bullet casings and glass rondelle beads.  Well, darn if i didn't sell this pair!  There's just something about bullets as earrings that appeals, i guess.  So i wanted to make another pair but didn't have the heart to do the exact same thing again.  I thought turquoise might go well with the brass but nothing said pick me.  And then i found some extremely fake turquoise beads.  Perfect!




I chose brass wire in 22ga since it fit through the top drilled holes of the bead, and did a briolette wrap to attach the bead.  Then i added a seed bead or two to keep the turquoise (-colored) bead from sitting too far up in the casing 'cause i wanted it to have movement.   The 5mm round on top is to steady the wire so it doesn't wobble around in the large hole at the top of the casing.  Once you wrap the loop above the 5mm round, the whole deal snugs down and seats itself over the hole.  There ya go!

And the necklace?  As a gift to myself for my 60th birthday - which, the more i say it, the harder it is to believe it's true - i made a necklace with rubies and Swarovski crystals.  huh.  Not my usual choice but i thought whot th' 'ell...if not now, when?  So here tis.  Natural ruby cut in faceted rondelles, paired with Swarovski crystal bicones in sand opal and dorado 2x.  woohoo!  Rubies and crystals all the way around to a gold-filled lobster clasp and 2" of chain.  wheeeeeeeee!  i just looooooooooove the rocks indeed i do!



Monday, Monday....

And here it is Monday...which is kinda like a day off in that the shop is closed although there is usually something that needs attending to, most generally paperwork.  But today?  I went outside about 9:30am and watered since it's been so hot and dry.  And i went to the shop and picked up the trash and recycling about 6:30pm.  Inbetweentimes?  i loafed.  i lounged.  i lazed.  i read another couple of chapters in Book 5 of the Song of Ice and Fire saga.

i was a bum.  it felt...weird, so after i got back from fetching the trash, i made earrings.

omg!  i know, right?

Don't get too excited.  My plan was to make several pair and thus move along in the 365/365 challenge.  Rather than accomplish that, however, i spent way too much time tinkering with today's  offering.  No worries.  "..tomorrow is another day." (-Scarlett O'Hara, on more than one occasion)

anyways.  i started out simple but the design called out for more and before i knew it, i was thinking in patriotic detail! 


This box holds most of my glass beads.  From it i picked this strand of blue lentils that i bought probably four years ago and had not cut apart until today.  They're such a pretty blue! 

On the first attempt, i combined a blue bead with a red drop.  The inspired moment was deciding to put the 8mm twisted jump ring through the drop hole instead of attaching it with a briolette wrap.  Then several design false starts until i got this far. 

Still lacking oomph and pizzazz and all that jazz until BOOM!  Fireworks lit up the design station!  Make it red white and blue! And make each bead component just a lil' bit different...

for each earring:
(1) blue lentil-shaped glass bead
(1) white round glass bead
(1) red drop glass bead
(2) 2mm silver rounds
(2) 8mm twisted jump rings
brass and silver-plate wire
ear wire

Open the 8mm jump ring and thread it through the hole of the drop.  Leave open.  Using 18ga brass wire and simple loops, make a component with the round white bead.  Add this component to the jump ring holding the drop and close the jump ring.  Using silver wire (it's thinner, probably 22ga)and 2mm silver rounds, make a component with the blue lentil bead,  again with simple loops. Open a second 8mm jump ring and add the white/red component and the blue.  Close the jump ring.  Attach the other loop of the blue component to the ear wire.  Repeat for second earring. 

 i'm not a huge fan of holiday jewelry but the Fourth of July IS next week.  Then we've got the All Star game right here in KC and then the Summer Olympics begin towards the end of July.  Star spangled summer, baby!  Now's as good time a time as any to wear the home colors!

Summer solstice

I had a post for you on Flag Day but the ol' pc blacked out and wouldn't revive in time so onward.

Tomorrow is the summer solstice. From there we slide minute by minute towards early dark and cold.  Winter is coming.

But there's plenty of summer left, y'all!  So let's get out there and play!  And if you want to throw a few beads into the mix, who am i to complain?

Project update:  kyanite necklace...FINISHED.  go me!  It's just at 18" which is a tad long as the beads start to hang at sharp angles instead of flowing as you see them here.  I've got it pulled up to shorten it a bit.  But because it's a hook clasp, it can be shortened by a link or two and still sit nicely.  woohoo!  i think i'll wear this one!  First, though, i'm gonna put a protective coating on the metal beads since i'm not real sure exactly what kind of metal they are.

Next project:  beadpoint...ONGOING and going and going and....ha ha just kidding.  No, really . I see progress but it's slooooooow.  So cool, though.

 

And lastly but not leastly...a loom project.  Just 'cause i just didn't have enough projects in the works.  This has 1.5mm leather on the outside warp threads.  Warp being the long threads and weft threads going across.  I'm using 11/0 seeds in silver lined rainbow colors. Ain't it purty?  It's probably already long enough for a wrist band, if not a little bit too long, but dadgummit!  Looming is like eating peanuts:  you just can't stop even though you know you've had enough.  So it goes. 

Bead on!

Venus in transit and other fun stuff

photo from
 www.space.com

So who saw Venus make her way across the sun yesterday?  While i can't claim to have watched this celestial phenomenon in its entirety, i did crush an exposed cannister of film, yanked the innards out, rushed upstairs to catch the sun before it set behind the trees, and actually spotted Venus on the face of ol' Sol.  Pretty freakin cool!  (i'm also proud of myself for having remembered in time!)

Back in bead land, stuff is still happening though, it seems (and it could be real) at a slower and slower pace.  I have been working on all the in-progress projects and am prepared to provide you with a pictorial update of a couple of them.

First, the kyanite necklace.  As you may remember, the consensus was to continue with links instead of beads and i had found some "mystery metal" beads to incorporate into the design.  Here's where we are with this project.  Quite time consuming to make each little link, i must say!  But lookin good, i think.

The next question is:  kyanite centered or off-centered?  The answer will determine where i place the clasp which will likely be a hammered hook and eye combo.  The final length will be about 18".





 


Then the beadpoint.  o.m.g.  This is gonna take a while.  In fact, this is probably gonna take so long that i will only. ever. in my lifetime. do this one project.  But what a project!  Check this out and tell me it's as cool as i think it is!

And, finally, i made another pair of earrings!!!  WOOT!  These are actually for my friend who had her 59th birthday last weekend.  Margie is one of the craziest people i know.  True to her own self.  Constantly in musical motion.  Party on, my friend!  And i hope to see you some day real soon!!






Supplies:
(2) small dyed magnesite peace signs
(2) 4mm Swarovski crystal beads - clear AB
(2) ball tip head pins

Thread 'em up and twist a loop at the top.  Peace!

earrings alert

It's Memorial Day weekend, Sunday to be specific, so i hope you are spending good quality time with family and friends and giving a moment's thought to the men and women who have fought for the freedoms we enjoy.

Update on the kyanite necklace.  The consensus vote was for hammered links and i have to agree but i'm not satisfied with just links.  It still needs substance and interest.  I'm thinking i want to stay with metal. I like the seeds.  They're just too small.

So we've had these mystery metal beads at the shop for some time.  You can see the strand in the top right corner.  I bought them from one of the itinerant African traders that waft through from time to time, always on their way to somewheres else.  They're not real elegant; the holes are kinda large and the seams are obvious but the color is good, and adding a bead to each link will sort of mimic the kyanite bead/link effect and give weight and interest to the links around the back of the necklace.

On the right side are three links using the metal beads and hammered effect.  On the other side is a hammered link with a metal bead and seed beads.  Dunno.  Not quite there.  But getting closer!

  

Annnnnnnnd i made a pair of earrings!  What a great day!  These are 10mm glass rings and 10mm silver jump rings attached to post earrings.  Light and swingy in fun colors!  Just right for summer and oh so easy!   Gotta love 'em.  Check back soon.  I'll have a photo of my progress on the beadpoint.  It is soooo coool!! 

kyanite continued

Well, we needed that rain but it sure let loose for a bit!  And we lost power at the shop.  And i voided a valid ticket.  <sigh>  But on the bright side!  Voyager Beads is in da bead house!  Through Saturday.

As for the kyanite necklace, i hauled it to the shop today to figure out a way to finish it.  I only need 8" or so of length and i don't want to get too tricky and take away from the kyanite beads.  I did find some pretty little tri-cut glass beads in the trunk show offerings that had potential.  No little kyanite rounds.  Nothing else.   hmmmm.  Then i remembered these brass seed beads.  These are little 11/0 round seeds that have been plated with brass.

Got some plated stringing wire - bronze - by SoftFlex and a couple of gold-filled crimp covers.  And this is where i am with it.

Which way should i finish this?  With the brass seeds as on the left?  And i'm thinking bring them all the way around the back of the neck to the beads on the right and crimp to a hammered hook that will hook into a link.

But i can't shake the idea that i should just go all the way around with hammered links, ending in a hammered hook.

What do you think?

beadpoint and more

We just got these in at the shop...Lucite flowers and leaves in complementary color combinations are too cute!  There are 60 pieces in each package.  (From the really nice folks at The Hole Bead Shoppe in Bartlesville OK) 

Anyways, onward.  I've been working fairly steadily on the beadpoint project and now have 6 entire rows completed!  woohoo!  .It's a s-l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-w process.  And i'm limited to working during daylight hours because i can't see at night without cheaters AND the  handheld magnifying glass that comes with the OED (a teeny tiny print dictionary).  Total eyestrain.  But!  i can see the pattern beginning to emerge and i'll tell ya what it's pretty cool!  And i really like the frost opaque seeds for this project.  Just don't look too closely at the stitchwork.
eh. 

So while i'm waiting for daylight, i found these kyanite beads lying on my dresser amongst all the other beads and trinkets and dust. My first thought was to make earrings but that's so yesterday. (just kidding!) I picked out some 18ga NT brass wire and linked three or four of the beads with simple loops. That wasn't it. The brass and the gauge looked good with the kyanite but the loops were plain and uninspired. hmmm.

So i hammered them. Sweet! Now i just have to decide how to make this long enough for a necklace. I need about 8-10 inches. More hammered links? Seed beads? Small, like 4mm, kyanite rounds knotted on silk? Leather? wheeeee! the possibilities are ENDLESS!  Check back.  Maybe i'll finish this one!

yet another project

Remember these?
(just checking!)

So in order to break up the potentially boring row-by-row narration of the beadpoint project, here's another little something i've been working on for, oh, a while. 

These seven strands of button pearls came from the Gem and Mineral Show here in KCMO a couple of years ago.  They are a beautiful peacock color about the size of a half pea, in the 4-5mm range.  Button pearls are domed on one side and kind of flat on the bottom.  They are often half-drilled for use in earrings and pendants.  They can also be side drilled and strung for bracelets.
The strands i bought are drilled top to bottom so they "stack" when strung, with the flat bottom sitting on the domed top of the next pearl.

Anyways, my first idea was, naturally, the most difficult and time consuming:  knots.  omg.  Them are some little pearls!  And there are lots of them!  So i quickly backed off that idea, but, liking the drape that silk gives, i used silk cord and just strung the pearls.

In the photo you see the pearls and the card with the silk, but what the heck is that other stuff?  It's French wire, or bouillion.  It's tightly coiled wire that's used to protect the silk from abrading against the rings of whatever closure you are using.  You snip off a short piece maybe 3/8" or so, then run the needle through and.....hold on....isn't a picture worth 1K words? 

See the silvery stuff at the end of each strand?  French wire.  We did a repair wherein we reknotted three or four strands of a TIFFANY thankyouverymuch turquoise necklace and TIFFANY thankyouverymuch had used the French wire. 

I'll have to extend the length a bit so i'll attach chain or something from the ring to, most likely, a hook and eye clasp. 

That cute little finding that the pearls are attached to is a TierraCast piece.  TC makes really nice quality cast pewter findings, charms and beads in several finishes.  We carry a selection at the shop. 

That's all i've got for ya.  Thanks for stopping by!  You might check in again to see if i've actually finished anything!

butterflies and beads

And we're back.  First, for the earrings crowd.  The components for this pair were given by a friend from beads she scored ok bought at Bead Blast. For all her Tim Burton-inspired jewelry and art designs, at heart she likes butterflies and rainbows, too, i think.  This pair of Fanged Butterflies is dedicated to you, C.

Supplies:
(2) butterfly Czech glass beads with AB finish
(2) blood red Czech glass daggers, top drilled
22ga black copper core coated wire
ear wires

Because the daggers are top drilled, use a briolette wrap to secure them.  Continue to run the wire up through the butterfly beads and make a wrapped loop to end.  Attach to black oxide ear wires.  Wear after dark.


And now for an update on the beadpoint project.  Much like the Big Dig of Boston, this is a project that is filled with a lot of preparation, false starts, dead ends, and the dream of making the world a more beautiful place.

(left photo)  First step.  No, not first.  Should maybe have been first; fourth or fifth, actually, but who's counting?  The assembly of the floor stand is done.  I probably have the cloth backwards or upside down but i'm going to work with it like this.  And no way will i be able to see the pattern from that distance but i should be able to configure it so it sits closer, much closer.  Bead dishes will have to sit on a nearby table. 

(right photo)  Close up of beadpoint.  I restarted the design using white Nymo instead of the black.  MUCH harder to see the thread but it looks a lot better.  I've got one short row finished and am starting up the second row.  Neato!!!  No countdown of rows for this project.  We're just going to be happy with the emerging design.  As for needles, i'm using a #12 sharp at the moment but i'm going to try a #10 beading once i remember to pick some up at the shop.

Getting that first row was, um, challenging. Why is it that the first count yields 92 beads and subsequent counts yield fewer? Or more? I had to get that first row correct so the next rows will also be right.  geez.  eyestrain.

Kente cloth is a woven textile traditionally made by the Ashanti people of West Africa.  Its origins go back centuries.  More than just a pretty blanket, the strips of kente cloth are visual representations of cultural traditions and ideologies, and a tangible symbol of wealth and prestige.  For more information, visit the website of the Midwest Global Group

i love the colors! And the geometric designs appeal to my symmetrical bent.  Here's a list of the seeds i'm using for this project.  They are all Japanese seeds but you still have to cull the occasional oddly cut bead.  I started with full tubes (about 27gms/2900 beads-can that be right?) of each color.


11/0-F402A        white opaque frost

11/0-F401           black opaque frost

11/0-F399J        dark purple frost

11/0-F399H       dark blue frost

11/0-F143B        green transparent frost

11/0-F411         green opaque frost
11/0-F404         yellow opaque frost

11/0-F405         orange frost opaque

11/0-F408         red opaque frost


That's all for now.  Or, that's enough for now!  What's on your beading table?

well hello there

my it's been a long long time.  how'm i doin?  oh well i guess i'm doin fine.  it's been so long and now it seems that it was only yesterday.  ain't it funny?  how time slips away?

On the bright side!  i've had time to think about this here earring challenge and this here blog.  It's obviously obvious that i am not gonna meet the 365 Challenge and i'm okay with that.   <sigh>   We had it going on for a good little while! and it was great fun! and there will be more earrings!  But now, wander with us and let's see where the beading path leads.

One thing that has captured my beady attention is beadpoint.  Beadpoint is needlepoint with a bead on every stitch.  A little bead.  A little 11/0 seed bead.  A very little bead.  Little beads and little holes in the 14 count aida cloth.  Why am i doing this?

photo from TheStitchery.com

Because a friend gifted me with a needlepoint floor frame like that one in the photo here.  Beautiful oak with wooden knobs for all the adjustables.  I can't just let it sit there! but needlepoint is not my thing.  But beads are!  So i'll try beadpoint!  This'll be great!  And, you'd think, easy.  Got beads.  Aaaahhh.  Need pattern.  Need pattern that i like.  And that will work with beads.  aaaaahhh.  Took forever but i found something.  Got the cloth.  Prepared the cloth.  Attached it to the frame.  Hemmed.  Hawed.  Hemmed again.


And finally, tonight, i tried a line of beadpoint.

Took me long enough to do this one stretch that i estimate the project will take 232 hours.  Not counting any non-stitching time.  Just threading the needle will take countless hours.  Pulling out bad stitches will take countless more.

Anybody else really excited?

But it's sooooo cool!!!!!

However, i don't like the black nymo thread 'cause it darkens the beads which i thought would work but it doesn't.  So i'll be starting over with white nymo thread. <sigh>

And, yep.  That's the pattern to the right of the framed cloth.  92 by 116 beads.  Did i mention they are little beads?

I know.  Another big idea.  And we know how well i followed through with the last big idea, right?  But ima gonna start this because I CAN!!!  ha ha ha!  Hey.  i already have a second pattern.  And a plan to chop this first pattern into bite-size pieces if necessary.

Off we go!

Earrings in a Week

Sheesh!  Has it really been a week since i've posted a pair of earrings?  'Fraid so, friends.  Mayhap i'll get back on the earring train when Terry runs off to Canada and Argentina for three weeks or so. 

Seeing as how we are still in the Year of the Dragon, these dyed and laser cut (maybe?) agate beads are right on the yen.  And a little trick with the wrapping wire adds some spice to the look.

Supplies:
(2) 12mm agate rounds
(2) 8mm agate rounds
length of brass wire
ear wires

Cut about an 8-inch or so length of wire.  I used 22gauge brass 'cause that's what i had on hand but, given a choice, i might have gone down to 20gauge.  Maybe not, though.  Brass wire is real sassy and wants to do its own thing so a heavier gauge may be tougher to wrassle into submission.

Thread the 12mm round onto the core wire just below about halfway, leaving a long tail of wire.
Push the wire tail up and mold it as closely around the bead as desired.
Wrap the wire tail twice around the core wire just above the bead, trying to keep the wraps as close to the bead as possible.
Thread the smaller bead onto the core wire above the wraps.
Push the wire tail up and mold it as closely around the smaller bead as desired.
Wrap the wire tail twice around the core wire just above the bead, trying to keep the wraps as close to the bead as possible.
Cut of any remaining length of tail wire.
Using the remaining length of core wire, fashion a wrapped loop for the bail, making a double loop if desired.
Trim wire and attach danglies to ear wires.

xie xie! (shay shay) 
Thanks!

Earrings again today...

Okey doke here we are again with another rollicking pair.

I'm not quite sure of the source of inspiration for these.  I wanted to do something reminscent of the cocktail elegance of the '50s and early 60s, perhaps in the vein of Mad Men or the women associated with the Rat Pack.  Couldn't do diamonds, of course.  Wouldn't choose to do diamonds, actually,  but wanted to bring something like that level of elegance to the finished pair.

So let's see...something with the clarity of a diamond....how about a clear quartz crystal disc?  Okay, then what.  Well, $1666/ounce gold screams money and we have these new matte gold plated items in the shop that have an air of sophistication about them.  That's it!  Sophisticated!  That's the look i'm after.

Supplies:
(2) quartz crystal discs
(2) bead frames in the new matte gold finish
(4) bead tip headpins in the new matte gold finish
(4) 4mm gold-filled rounds
ear wires in gold plate

Thread a 4mm gold-filled round on a headpin and thread the combination through the bottom hole of the bead frame from the inside of the frame.  Thread the crystal disc onto the headpin and make a small loop at the end of the headpin to secure the disc.
Thread a second 4mm round onto a second headpin and thread this combination through the upper hole of the bead frame from the inside of the frame.  Make a wrapped loop.
Open the jump ring on the ear wire and attach the dangle.
Repeat for the second earring.

What do you think?  I like the use of gold findings alongside the crystal beads.  I like the negative space of the bead frame.  I think i should get my black sheath dress and high heels out of the closet, put on the red lipstick and my hair in an upsweep.  Cigarette in the holder and a martini.  Dang.  I feel like Ava Gardner.  Where's Frank?

Earrings in April again

What a great couple of days!  An extra day off from the shop for Easter Sunday and then spending that day with our kids and grandsons.  Beautiful weather and an hour in the garden today.  Maybe all that fresh air inspired me to sit down at the beading table and - yep! you guessed it! - make a pair of earrings.

This pair came about through just messin' with the beads.  Back in 2008 or 2009, i bought some glass discs from Bokamo Designs.  Steve works in borosilicate glass which is a hard glass that was developed originally for cookware (under the trade name PYREX) and scientific glassware such as test tubes.  Borosilicate makes for a different looking bead than the lampwork beads that are made with soft glass.

Anyhoo.  The point is that i've had this set of beads for quite some time.  The problem has been that nothing i tried showed them to their best advantage.  Well, sometimes it's difficult to track the train of thought that leads to a final design so suffice it to say that i tried this and i tried that and i redid the other until i was satisfied. 

Here.  I went down and took a quick picture of the remaining discs.  A thousand words and all that.  Aren't they beautiful?  I love that shiny, translucent quality.












Fortuitously - try spellling that one with your eyes closed - i had some little glass daggers in the same bluegreens.  So far, so good.  I settled on brass wire because the warm color looked good with the discs.  Lemme tell ya, though, brass wire is SPRINGY!  But i bossed it into submission so all was well.

Supplies
(2) borosilicate discs from Bokamo Designs
(12) small glass daggers
length of 24ga brass wire
(2) interchangeable ear wires in antique brass

Thread six of the daggers onto a manageable length of the brass wire, form into a teardrop shape and secure with a wrapped loop large enough to accommodate one glass disc.  With a second length of the brass wire, make a second loop large enough to go through the same glass disc and give it a couple of wraps to seure it.  With the same piece of wire, form a second wrapped loop to attach to the ear wire.  Slide the finished earring onto the ear wire
Repeat for the second earring.   Nice, huh?  Now it's your turn.  Go to Bead Blast, coming up the first weekend in May down in Overland Park KS, look for Bokamo Designs and pick out a sweet bead or two for your collection.  Only, don't let them sit for years like i did.  Make something pretty!

Earrings in April

ha ha ha!  This picture made me laugh!  They look like sunglasses-wearing dancing teeth.

But they are actually cool skull beads given by a friend.  And they've been sitting on my beading table waiting for inspiration to strike.  Being such unique beads in and of themselves, i wanted to both highlight that and come up with a design that, with luck, would complement their uniqueness.

woooooo.  lofty, no?  But, really, that's kinda what we do every time we make a piece of jewelry.  There's usually a "most" important element along with supporting elements.  "What's your conversation?" A customer said that to us quite some time ago, and we often pass it along as a bit of designing advice.


So my conversation was these two cooly wacky and wackily cool skulls that are also an unusual color.  What you see in the photo is actually the pair of earrings; that's just a bad picture.  I did take a better one.

Supplies:
(2) cool resin skull beads
(2) 10mm copper rounds
some copper wire
(6) links of chain with rings left on
no ear wires..the kidney ear wires don't look good and i didn't have any other copper ones..so no.  no ear wires for you.

I wrapped the loops extra large and made sure that they faced front at the bottom of the bead.  Crystal rounds instead of the copper rounds would have looked mystically cool but...i didn't have any crystal so copper they are.  And i could have dangled something from the bottom of the links but i just liked the rings as the finial pieces. 

Well?  Did i hit the right design note?  Did the skulls remain the focal beads amongst complementary and supporting components?

Who cares?  They made me laugh out loud!  I love 'em!