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Just a quick entry, as it's Father's Day and I should be getting ready to go over to my sister's house for the big Father's Day lunch!

Round Rabbit heart pendant, agate, carved bone, Czech glass, wood beads. And while the clasp on this piece is fun enough, it just reinforces my need to get more pretty clasps from you talented makers out there. I finally did buy two pretty ones recently, but they didn't go with this necklace, so. 

Oh my god I made a bracelet! It's so rare, and I usually am never pleased when I do, but this one's pretty cute, I think. Another Round Rabbit bead (the star), and assorted new and old lampwork, lucite, sea glass, tagua nut, crystal, ceramic - I forget the name of the clasp nut.

Dimestore Emporium patina shells, freshwater pearls. When I brought these to the salon, 

Jeanne snatched them up right away as her commission!

Daisychain Extra bangle blank I was lucky enough to win for her blog challenge! See the link on the right side of my page to read about it. The styles were randomly selected from two textures of daisy or the poppy. And the whole time I was opening the package, I kept saying "please be the poppy!" And it was! Not that the daisies aren't totally adorable - they are, but I just LOVE her poppies. Yay! I can't wait to play around with it and see what I come up with. Be sure to check back on June 30th to see what everyone's created.

And because winning is apparently in my stars lately, I was very lucky to win these beauties from Libelulla Jewelry. Be sure to check out her blog and her etsy. She makes the most beautiful jewelry and components! She just reinforces my desire to work with metal. Some day I will.

Memorial Day Weekend

Nothing like spending an entire day of a holiday weekend sneezing your head off! Oh, stupid allergies. Anyway, I did manage to accomplish a little bit yesterday. Crazers went for a much needed trip to the groomer (photos below), and I watched about 75 episodes of American Pickers. I love watching that show, but they never pick the stuff I would want. I don't care about vintage motorcycle parts! I just know that they're amongst some really super cool old stuff that I would love, but they don't even show those things.

My first Marsha Neal order arrived yesterday, which was very exciting. You know how it's either MUST USE IMMEDIATELY or HOARD FOR MONTHS -- well, I was compelled in spite of the allergies to make a necklace right away. I had it mostly assembled last night before the extra strength allergy meds kicked in and I passed out. I just attached the clasp and focal, and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. And I got to use some of my most recently acquired gems from April's gem & jewelry show.

Friday night, I threw together these little earrings with some new pieces from Dimestore Emporium.

And that's about it on the jewelry front. I was out and about most of today, so that's all I really had time to accomplish. I'm quite pleased with the necklace though, and I have a few more exciting goodies on their way to me right now, such as this extra awesome Lynn Davis piece:

Now for some pics of Crazers on her way to and from the groomer.

She's MUCH happier now :)

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.