On a Vintage Rhinestone Rondelle Kick, It Would Seem

I'm loving the cooler weather we've had here lately -- for those of you who are dealing with snow and freezing temps, it's just been in the 60s here, which makes me very happy. But with the change in the weather came strong gusty winds which means all the crap gets blown around and I've spent the last two days sneezing my head off. I didn't make much this weekend -- just a few Day of the Dead skulls which are always requested this time of year, and a pair of really cute earrings I've yet to photograph. The pieces below I made during the week.

Verdigrised medallion from dimestoreemporium, rutilated quartz, freshwater pearl, vintage rhinestone rondelle, little turquoise bead, knotted sari silk.

Carved jade, vintage rhinestone rondelles, vintage glass pearls.

In other exciting news, I got a special order from someone at the hair salon for one of my molded birds-on-a-wire pendants. Two friends saw the one that was there, but only one could buy it. So now the other one wants one too. Yay!

Anyone Want to Have a Party?

I'm on a spree, and I'm not going to stop until my wrists break! The carpal tunnel has been killing me for days. It's easy to let my lack of sales get me down, but then only so many people go to my hair salon. Etsy is a gigantic sea with kajillions of other fabulous items, though I have plenty of folks favoriting my jewelry. I really don't have everything I need (tables, tent, displays, big vehicle to haul it all around in) to participate in art/craft shows, so I've only done that twice (with shared tables). So I've been thinking it would be a good idea to have some sort of open house type thing, but it has to be someone else's house (living on the 3rd floor of a gated condo complex makes things complicated) and someone else's friends (mine are all pretty much tapped out). So I'm busy busy busy creating for the eventual explosion, once all the planets are properly aligned, etc. Anyone local interested in hosting an event for me? I'll bring food & drinks, and clean up, etc. Plus, I'll give you some jewelry for your troubles!

Anyway, here's some new stuff I've done this week.

Old & New: Czech glass, Czech crystal, turquoise, copper chain, spacers and bird.

Julsbeads lampwork pendant, copper chain & wire, hemp cord, and sari silk.

Copper wire, coral, and magnasite.

Team Treasury of the Week!!!

A treasury I created today was awarded Team Treasury of the Week by Etsy Teams. Hooray!

You can see it here!

And because the theme of my treasury is Missoni, and because it was inspired by my new Missoni for Target dress that I just got this weekend, and because who wants to look at a blog with no photos:

p.s. don't worry, when I wear it for real, I'll have on better shoes or even boots.

Mostly Earrings

I've been a bad blogger! I haven't posted since the 7th! I've been pretty busy and distracted lately, but I have had a little time to make a few things. Mostly earrings.

Some vintage bits and some new parts in the first 4 pairs. All the settings came from dimestoreemporium, along with some other goodies I haven't used yet.

Sterling chain, vintage glass pearls, and re-used AB Czech glass amethyst beads.

Vintage crystals and gold tone spacers - these crystals have some sort of silvery coating that makes them extra sparkly.

Vintage crystals & gold spacers from the same old necklace that supplied the beads for the earrings above. Same super silvery sparkle - hard to photograph.

These faces were a bonus gift, since I ordered so much from dimestoreemporium! The green beads come from a vintage deco necklace. The aquamarine and rhinestone rondelles are new.

These were my first experiment in this style of hammered wire frames - the top loops could be more even, and I'll just keep these for myself, but I love the size and movement. So much fun!

 

Julsbeads lampwork beads and turquoise leather. These were the result of a failed attempt at using the leather with a pendant, but the leather was cut, and it was just the right amount and those Julsbeads were just screaming at me and these magically happened. I love when things come to be this way!

 

This was an old necklace that needed reworking. I made the pendant out of paper clay from a silicone mold I made of an antique pill case. I've used other pendants from the same mold before, including sending one to my first Bead Soup partner. I had originally attached it to the same sari ribbon you see here, but with a thin piece of gunmetal chain. I wore it a few times, but it was too spare and needed something more. After sitting idle for a year, I finally reworked it, and I'm happier with it now. Yay!

And for the first time in ages, I'm going list all this stuff (except the copper wire earrings) on etsy in just a bit. I keep taking my new stuff to the salon, but etsy needs some love too.

Bats in My Belfry

Being the time of the season and all that, I decided to finally make my bat necklace! But instead of going Halloweeny with the color scheme, I just made it Autumny. African Opal, Carnelian, Czech crystal and copper wire -- plus the translucent resin bat. Another one I want to steal from myself, but it'll be going to the salon tomorrow; I had to give it a test run today though, right?

Long Overdue!

It's October, and for the first time in forever, the weather here in New Orleans is PERFECT! A cool, breezy 72, and I couldn't be happier about it! Of course it will warm up again next week, but for now I'm loving it.

So I still haven't finished the Bead Soup hopping -- I've been very busy with being sick, work, and catching up on Breaking Bad. Does anyone else watch it? I've watched all 4 seasons (minus the two that have yet to air for this season) over the last 2 or 3 weeks. It's so addictive! For a while, I was punishing myself about the Bead Soup hop - I wouldn't let myself make anything until I was done. But there was only so long that was going to work. I'm going to keep hopping 'til I'm done. It'll just take awhile.

In any case, I finally managed to photograph all the stuff I've made lately. It's really not that much, but at least I've gotten some stuff done. I'll try to drop it off at the salon this week and see what's sold over the last 3 or 4 weeks since my last delivery.

For any of you Spotify users, I want to recommend super talented New Orleans artist, Trombone Shorty's album: Trombone Shorty – For True. It's really great, and I'm listening to it right now.


I can't decide if this one looks too Christmasy and if the two greens clash too much, but I like it anyway. (As usual, click to enlarge any pics.)

This was inspired by my new love of stick pearls after my own Bead Soup piece. I didn't realize these were drilled at the top though - I was hoping they were center drilled like the ones I used in my Soup necklace. I added some faceted rubies I bought at the last gem & jewelry show and some gunmetal rhinestone rondelles I recently bought. I'm going to have to get more soon, 'cos I LOVE them!

New lampwork from Julsbeads plus some rutilated quartz I had, and some copper rhinestone rondelles.

Trinity brass settings, which I LOVE! And some faceted black crystal. I'm not going to steal these from myself, but I'm so tempted.

Wacky little pirate ship charms from Heather's Big Box o' Vintage Goodies. They're such cute earrings though, right?

Stick pearls, labradorite, and those silver beads are soup leftovers!

More of the new Julsbeads lampwork beads with copper drops I liver of sulfured.

Wood, jade, and agate. They're very eco-modern, as I was describing them last night.

My first ever use of cabochons! More goodies from Heather's box, glued onto some filigree rounds. So retro vintage cute.