Blues and Greens of Summer

Summer is in full swing! The days are longer and warmer and it is time to show off those pretty summer dresses. I always like lighter colors for the summer. First they are cooler and second they just look more summery. I really love light blues and greens for summer, and I feel drawn to using those colors for my summery designs. The blues remind me of a bright blue summer sky and the blues of the tropical ocean, and the greens are for the leaves and the grass. We tend to spend a lot of our time outside during the summer with barbeques and picnics and days at the beach and these are the colors that seem to represent all the summer fun.
I found some really cute teardrop shaped blue beads and paired them with some light green round beads to create a necklace and earring set that really means summer to me.

The design seems light and effortless, the perfect representation of summer to me. I could totally see wearing these with a cute summer dress.
I also found these really pretty square green beads that I wanted to use. I decided to go for one color for the necklace. I used the square beads and paired them with two shades of green round beads. I called it my Shades of Green necklace, a play off the books Shades of Gray...

Summer is Here!

This year is flying by! I can't believe it is Summer already! I have been working on some summery jewelry that make a great statement of fun! I love using a mix of lighter colors with a pop of a darker color for contrast. This year seems to be the year of dangling beads for me. Every time I start thinking of a necklace, that is the style that seems to pop into my head! I have done this style in a variety of summery colors, so there is something for everyone! I hate it when I fall in love with the style of a piece and I don't really like the color. I did not want this to happen, so I have a variety of colors to choose from.

Of course, I did make other pieces too. Not everyone likes the same style and I had other visions dancing through my head. Summer should be fun and have lots of variety. Of course when we think of summer, we think of the beach. I had some pretty shell pieces that I had been saving to make something summery and beachy. The first necklace was a coral color, it has a large focal point of a rounded triangle shell with a flower etched on it. I dangled little round coral shell pieces up each side of the necklace for piece that has movement. 

I also wanted to use some pretty purple shell pieces, but I didn't really have a focal piece for the necklace. I decided to do a simple eternity necklace with the shell pieces broken up by aqua and purple glass beads for a little variety. I really like it, and think those colors really work well together.

Summer always seems to call out for vibrant shades and jewelry that really makes an impact. We wear less clothing, so this is the time of year to really show off that tan. What draws the eye better than a one of a kind piece of jewelry that will make your friends jealous. Go out and enjoy the summer sun! Be careful though and wear sunscreen! ☺

Nice Day for a White Wedding

It's June and that means wedding season is upon us! For many women this is the most important day of their lives and they want everything to be perfect. From the dress to the flowers to the perfect hairstyle, many brides spend a lot of time choosing just the right ones to make their wedding something they will never forget. What about the jewelry? You could go for the traditional pearl necklace which symbolized purity and innocence, but that may be too old fashioned for some brides. The modern bride may be looking for something a little more edgy.
I decided to create some wedding necklaces for the many different kinds of brides. My first necklace is a little more traditional. It is a cream faux pearl necklace with graduated pearl sizes with the largest center pearl being 12mm and gradually decreasing in size to 5mm. The pearls are separated by a 4mm golden amber crystal to give the necklace a little pop of color.

The second design is a little more modern. I took 5mm and 7mm pearls and cascaded then down one side of a silver plated chain. The design catches the eye and is suited to a woman that likes to take chances and be adventurous.

The next two designs are more romantic. They are reminiscent of a Gothic or Victorian era necklace. If you choose to wear one of these designs, you really want to stand out and grab people's attention.

There is another necklace that is similar, but it also has a pop of color. This necklace could be your "something blue" that you would wear traditionally. The necklace is also in the Gothic/Victorian style an created with white faux pearls and blue crystals.

My next design is a little different. It is made of white lace in a butterfly pattern. I thought it needed a little pop of color so I added a pink crystal and a light pink glass bead. It is meant to be worn as a choker, so I used ribbon clamps to attach a small clasp and adjustable chain. Of course the pink can be switched out to match the color that the bride chooses for her wedding party too.

My last design is a combination of romantic and modern. I used white faux pearls to create a choker piece with an interesting design. To give it a little modern edge, long graduated dangling pearl chains are attached to the collar.

There are as many designs of wedding neckwear as there are brides. Each bride should look and feel beautiful on her special day.

Vampires

I know it is the beginning of summer and no where near Halloween, but I have been working on some Vampire themed pieces. You can't argue with inspiration, and you sure can't ignore it! I tried telling myself that it was too early to be working on Vampire jewelry, but that is what kept coming to mind. It's hard to get new inspiration when your mind is full of Vampires! I gave in and decided I just needed to follow the inspiration through.

I had some really cute charms that I wanted to work with, little vampire teeth and some cute little bats. Of course I needed to use red and black as the theme colors. I started with a pair of earrings using the vampire teeth. I added red crystals hanging from the vampire teeth to represent a drop of blood. I thought these were really fun! I called them Vampire Blood earrings.

Next was a vampire necklace named Kiss of the Vampire necklace. I used black chain and added black oval beads and red crystals. The Tibetan silver vampire teeth with the blood drop is the focal component of the necklace.

My third piece is the Children of the Night bracelet. I made it into a charm bracelet using Tibetan silver bats and vampire teeth as the charms and red and black czech glass beads to give it some color. I am glad I did follow the inspiration through to the creation of these pieces. It was a lot of fun and I still plan to make some more vampire pieces as inspiration strikes.....

Cascading Styles

I have most of my beads in organizers cases by color, but sometimes I have items that will not fit into the cases like wire and other tools and items that I use. I keep them in a small cloth organizer box that you can find at most stores that sell things for your house. Mine started as a place to keep larger items, but as time has gone on other things have found their way into the box; jewelry that I started but for some reason did not work out, extra beads that I did not have room for in the organizer for that color bead and various odds and ends. The other day I decided to go through the box and try to find homes for some of the items, well I came across a pack of beads that really caught my eye. I don't remember where I got them, but when I looked at them a necklace just came together in my head.

I really love this necklace! I added it to my sea collection and named it the Sea Foam necklace because the colors remind me of the translucent colors of waves along the seashore. Every time I look at this necklace I love it more! Even the design inspired me to create a couple more pieces that are similar but not the same. I was looking through my bead boxes and came across some deeper blue beads and I realized that they matched the color of these beautiful glass heart beads that I had so I brought them out and they came together beautifully!

As you can see the design is similar but not quite the same. I added this into my sea collection too since the colors remind me of the deeper parts of the sea. I named it the Heart of the Sea necklace, the name really just popped into my head! I do love blue and have been trying to find a way to use that blue heart bead in a new and different way.
My third necklace is similar only in that it has multiple pieces that dangle down in a cascade. I have these really pretty iridescent green beads that I wanted to use for a necklace and since it is spring, what better time to use them. I used a lighter and darker green bead for contrast and an oblong marbled green bead as an interesting little pop.

This necklace needed to be in my spring collection and I named it Leaves in the Springtime. I almost named it after a weeping willow, but I did not want it to have sad connotations! Spring leaves are a sign of rebirth and new hope and I thought that was more appropriate.
Still on this cascading dangling necklace kick I decided to try and use some of my gemstones to do a more natural look. I decided to use some green turquoise coin shaped gemstones as the main focal point, but I wanted something with a little contrast to make it really stand out. I was looking at the turquoise and it has shades of blue and green and a brownish gold color, so I found some brownish gold lampworked glass beads that matched the color in the gemstones perfectly. I even made a pair of earrings to match, but did not add the brownish gold beads because it would have made them too heavy.

I am pretty happy with the jewelry I made this week. Now I need to find some inspiration for some new pieces! ☺

More Gothic Styles

I finished the piece that I had started in my last blog. I created a new series that I am calling my Wedding designs. So far I have two pieces in the collection and they are both Gothic/Victorian in style. I love the way they look and the looping and dangling design looks so intricate.

This is the first one I created, the one I started in the last blog. I think a bride would look so beautiful with this necklace. Many brides wear pearls for their wedding, I think this would stay within that theme but stand out more. I began by making the collar of the piece, weaving the pearls together to leave about an inch between the end of piece when placed around the neck. I added a small piece of chain to make the fit adjustable. I used eyepins to connect a series of pearls together to form the draping pieces and the same pearls plus an oval pearl to connect the dangling pieces. I really love this piece!

For my second piece I added blue crystals as accents. You know the saying...something borrowed, something blue....why not have the blue in the necklace.

It may be a little extravagant, but you only get married once! It would be an beautiful focal piece for a bride!
I am also planning on doing a black version for the non-traditional bride. Also black and red for a more gothic look. Maybe for a Halloween wedding! There will be more to come soon! :D

I am now a member of SRAJD!

In addition to this, I have reorganized my facebook photo albums into themes. The main themes are for the seasons and holidays, but I have also started making theme specific jewelry which makes it really fun for me! One of my new themes is the Sea, most of the jewelry is in blues and greens and has some movement.

I call the top one Tempest of the Sea since the colors are darker and more stormy
The bottom one is Sea Princess, the filigree pieces make it seem princess-like.

The other new line I have started is Gothic and Victorian Jewelry. Many of the designs include velvet ribbon or lace

I have even started working with ankle jewelry, bought a mannequin foot too!

For the more Victorian pieces, I have created two pieces so far

It is so exciting to work on these intricate pieces. I am currently working on another Victorian piece, I am going to call it my Victorian bride. I have the beginning of it completed

I will post the finished piece when it is finished!