Jumble Love's a Winner!!

I'm proud to share a big announcement:
My creation called Jumble Love won the Beading Daily Glass Design Challenge bracelet category!!!

This is major news for a major! :)

I used cool Lisa New beads combined with handcrafted glass discs and some vintage glass to come up with this half-stringing/half-wire-working combination.

Check out www.beadingdaily.com to see the challenge results.

Thanks for the support!!

Alicia's Amethyst...

Soft, rounded chunks of amethyst combined with fun quartz shapes led to a fun necklace for my friend, Alicia. I found a great glass flower bead that I used in my free-form funky centerpiece.

I'm so feeling the violet!!

Feeling Loopy

I've been taking a lot of cold medicine lately, so that has me loopy...haaaaa

Actually, when I say "loopy" I mean I came across a design in a magazine that used these beading hoops to form circles of beads. I decided to use the method with the hoops to form loops around some of my great new Lisa New lampwork beads. The big beads hang loose in the center of the beaded hoops. I love asymmetry, so I had some fun with the pattern of beads on the loops. These are great spring colors, so it was fun to dig out some of the beads I found in Hawaii along with some other crystals and seed beads for some cool combinations.

Enjoy!! Have a loopy Spring!!

Little Blessings

Little girls are certainly blessings...especially when they go glam for their special occasions!

These are mini four-inch bracelets for some very special little ladies who celebrated their christenings recently. I was able to help them complete their ensembles with these precious Swarovski crystal & pearl bracelets complete with tiny cross pendants.

Whatever the occasion...a custom piece of jewelry can make it even more special!

Big Business! Thanks Elaine!

Big news in the land of big business...you can see some of my pieces at Elaine's Wearable Art in Bedford, Pennsylvania!

Thanks to Elaine and Juli for the help moving into the big time!!

Here's a picture of a yellow & gold multistrand necklace on display with a great outfit at the shop. :)

Going Halfsies and Fractionies

I tried something different tonight by making halfsie bracelets--half made of assorted lampwork, glass, and stone beads and the other half made with cotton fiber or leather tipped in silver crimps. It was all about fun color combinations. Orange, pink, and green all together? I think so!!

So, maybe they're not perfect halfsies, but "fractionies" doesn't sound as good. haaaaaaaa

Going Big & Blue

Tonight my inspirations were princesses...what fancy creations could I come up with?

I went with crystals and blues...I love the baby blues of the crystals & chalcedony in this piece. I got to do my favorite freestyle sculpting for the focal part of this piece and then went with an off-center clasp. It took a while to get it all balanced, but it was worth it...

Hope you like it!

Charming Cherry Blossoms

It's springtime in Washington, D.C., so that means it's time for the cherry blossoms! I came across this fantastic glass bead by artist Calvin Orr that jumped out at me and demanded a cherry-blossom-inspired necklace! So, using vintage glass, Swarovski crystal, and lots of seed beads, I came up with this great necklace. I love it...and I hope you do, too!

Darling Doggies!

Coco will tell you...I'm a cat person. But, I recently created a bracelet for a dog-loving Mom of a friend of mine. It was an elegant little silver charm bracelet with Swarovski crystals and pearls, but what made it personal and special were the charms...I was able to find sterling silver Shih Tzu and a Lhasa Apso puppies in just the right size.

Here's what she had to say to her daughter in a thank you note: "I was quite surprised with the darling bracelet you sent me. I just love it--I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really, really love it. Your friend does lovely work--I love the design. I like silver jewelry--just never really had any. Thanks again." How neat is that!?

My friend and I collaborated to come up with just the right combination of beads and puppy love for this project (thanks, SS!) There are all kinds of charms out there (you can search for tons at artbeads.com--the link's over to the left), so if you're in the market for a personalized gift, think outside the box and let me know...we could work together to come up with something really special and unique!

Chunk-quamarine...

I couldn't resist a strand of big chunky aquamarine stones when I visited a little shop in Alexandria. They've been waiting on my table for the perfect opportunity...and here it is...

I mixed them with some center-drilled pearl discs, some aquamarine discs, and some pretty blue magnasite stones. I ended up with a more elegant piece than I expected since it started off with big chunks.

Love it!

Spring it On!!

This is probably my favorite piece ever!! I used so many colors it has me thinking of Easter and being with my family--especially my egg-coloring nephews--and celebrating life...

This is another Lisa New orphan that I mixed with some random Czech and vintage glass to come up with this crazy combination. I got the great endcaps from The Bead Gallery at the recommendation of Michelle and I LOVE them! They pulled the three colors of leather together perfectly!

Smokin' Spring

It was a gorgeous March day today, so the sunshine had me thinking of flowers and spring...but, I really wanted to work with these dark and sexy smoky quartz nuggets. I mixed the rough nuggets with some shimmery seed beads for a little spring flower centered on a chunky necklace. I used up the rest of the nuggets on a nice chunky smoky bracelet. So, it may not look very springtime pastel, but it's smokin'! haaaaaaaaaaaa

One-of-a-Kind Pendants

I worked with some more Lisa New Design beads tonight...they just make me smile when I get to pick through my stash to find coordinating colors and textures to go with them. You can see a pretty pink and gold one that I matched up with a funky mix of recycled glass, Swarovski crystal, a cat's eye bead and some silver spacers. The other one is a teal and silvery mix that I matched up with some neat green handmade ceramic beads and a few random stone and seed beads from elsewhere on my worktable. :)

These are truly one-of-a-kind pieces...from the handmade focal bead to my own eclectic additions. If you need a special gift made just for you and your occasion...think of a neat piece of jewelry! Send me a note and we can come up with a design and a price range that will work for you. :)