Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Art Bead Earring Swap - The Reveal


Diana Ptaszynski - who not only makes incredible jewelry components from clay (her shop link)  - but also finished jewelry - is hosting this very cool blog hop today!  Participants were placed into groups of 3 and created 1 pair of earrings for each partner. Each earring must contain at least 1 art bead, and the ear wires were to be made of sterling silver - unless your partner had no preference (I did not!)

When Diana emailed me the names of my partners, I was truly petrified (that is a little hint about my lack of self confidence!)  My first partner is  Mary Harding - an extremely talented artist who makes ceramic beads from clay.  Just look at the details of this pendant - I have a hard enough time "staying in the lines" using a crayon and coloring book!  I could stare at this artwork all day! 

Photo courtesy of Mary Harding on Etsy
First of all, Mary's packaging was like Christmas and Birthday rolled into one:


I should have snapped a picture before I opened the package, but my excitement got the best of me!  On the gorgeous ribbon securing the box is a tiny handmade charm in the shape of a heart.  When I opened the box, my goodies were surrounded by orange tissue paper, which totally matched the orange of the handmade charms and Swarovski crystals on the fabulous earrings! 


These are the most perfect earrings - and she even made the ear wires!  Not only do I have these fabulous earrings and a charm, but she also included this gorgeous handmade toggle clasp:


Each piece received from Mary was tied with this silky smooth ribbon and attached to her cards, with a description of the item.  These little touches did not go unnoticed - and I felt so very special!!!  Thank you, Mary!


My second partner left me feeling equally petrified - Ms. Erin Prais-Hintz!  I have been reading her on-line journal (let's face it - she is not a run-of-the-mill blogger - she is a writer!) for some time now.  In addition to her own blog, she is also a contributor to the Art Bead Scene and Earrings Everyday - both of which I read daily.  The pictures she shares of jewelry designs are descriptive in and of themselves.  However, she always includes the story behind each piece, which makes the design even more spectacular and special.  In addition to her jewelry, Erin creates her Simple Truths pendants and charms.  I recently purchased one for my niece to wear on her honeymoon - Happily Ever After (you can read about that here). The pendants themselves are gorgeous....I want one of each!  Anyway, here is what Erin sent me:


Of course it has been re-wrapped as I tore open the package as soon as I got it, so my awful picture does not include details of the ribbon, which includes her signature "key". Even the box identifies the goodies contained inside - truly a "Treasure Found"!  She also included a lovely note!


Gorgeous tiles made by Marsha Neal and vintage (1948!!!!!!) lampwork beads!  I absolutely love these!  She wrote the "ingredients" for the earrings on the back of her unique earrings cards- love these!  She recently wrote a post about her packaging on one of her blogposts and it was so cool to see them in person!

I cannot thank Mary and Erin enough for these gifts - I am humbled!   And thank you, Diana, for hosting this swap!  I not only enjoyed making my earrings for these special artists, but received something special in return!  And now, I need to rethink my packaging for my own jewelry!!!
Please be sure to visit all of the participants and have fun hopping!  Thanks for stopping by!



Patti Vanderbloemen http://myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com/ <- You are here!

























Cheryl Brown www.dragonflybeads.ca



Fay Wolfenden http://www.torchfairy.blogspot.com/
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Friday, June 1, 2012

Friday and My First Attempt at Painting with Fire!

I spent almost all day on Wednesday cleaning up my workbench.  What a mess!  So, what to do?  I purchased Barbara Lewis' Painting with Fire  book, and all tools, etc. necessary to enamel some beads.  I have had this for ages.... I have read - reread - and reread again - the instructions, but just could not bring myself to light that torch!  It's not that I am afraid of fire, which I am, I was just afraid of failure, I think.  But, since the bench was all cleaned off, I decided it was time to try.


Although I did not burn any beads (yet), I need to practice A LOT MORE!  I find that I am not getting the greatest coverage on the cones in particular. I did much better on smaller beads. However, I am loving the deep blue color on the large filigree beads.  I have ordered more iron beads from Barbara and will continue perfecting this most awesome technique!

After playing with the enamel, I wire-up this pretty necklace, with gorgeous lampwork from GlassBeadArt:


I can't believe it is Friday already - time is going by so quickly lately.  I hope you have a nice weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tuesday....already?

Exactly where did the 3-day holiday weekend go??? Went way too fast...and it was way too hot and humid.  I spent most of the time in my basement creating - or at the computer editing pictures.  In fact, the last few weeks have been too hot for me...and it is still May!  ugh....Anyway, this is what I have been up to lately...

My mother is extremely stylish...the shoes match the purse, the necklace matches the blouse, etc. She has a beautiful outfit with a very deep pink and black pattern.  I did not want crystals, I wanted something different.  So, I searched for some gemstones and found these absolutely gorgeous gems at Lima Beads called Rhodochrosite.  Incidentally, anytime I order from Lima Beads, my order is received within 3 business days - usually 2!  They are awesome!  I made her this necklace, bracelet, and earrings to wear with her outfit.  I accented the beads with two gorgeous bronze beads from Summers Studio, a stunning bronze clasp by Lesley Watt, and brass beads. 
These earrings are made with porcelain tiles by Marsha Neal and teardrop beads by Unicorne.
More earrings, with tiles by Marsha Neal, lampwork beads by Kelleys Beads, and sterling poppy headpins by DaisyChainExtra.
Sweet, summertime bracelet with beads by GlassBeadArt, Mother of Pearl chips, and a cool, anchor connector by SuburbanGirlStudios.

My favorite pieces lately have black - not sure why - just looks so regal!  This bracelet is made with peeled paint beads by Jeannie, black lampwork beads by Leah Deeb, and gold filled accents.


This last bracelet features a stunning large focal by Marsha Neal, two stunning beads by Golem Studios, more black lampwork from Leah Deeb, and a daisy clasp from Daisy Chain extra.


Hope the weather is better wherever you are!  Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Cocktail Hour Blog Hop!

So here's the skinny...Amy Taylor Freeland  sent each person the name of a cocktail.  Our job was to google the cocktail, and use the ingredients, image, color, season it's usually enjoyed, era it became famous, or whatever else to inspire any piece of jewelry.

My cocktail assisgnment is the  Black & Tan. 

photo courtesy of http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com)
I was immediately thirsty!  Now, I am Dutch, German, French, and a splash of Blackfoot Indian.  Not a spot of Irish Blood in my genes.  However, my roots include Milwaukee, Wisconsin, so....how appropriate!  Of course, if you have ever been to Milwaukee, the beer is not usually this dark! :)

Through my research, I found the following description on Wikipedia:

Black and Tan is a drink made from a blend of pale ale and a dark beer such as a stout or porter, most often Guinness. Sometimes a pale lager is used instead of ale; this is usually called a half and half. Contrary to popular belief, however, Black and Tan as a mixture of two beers is not a term commonly used in Ireland[ due to the association with the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, nicknamed the Black and Tans.

Which led me to further research on the Black and Tans (plural):

The Black and Tans (Irish: Dúchrónaigh) was one of two ad hoc paramilitary units, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland (the other body being the Auxiliaries). The unit's nickname arose from the colour of the improvised khaki uniforms initially worn by its members. Although established to target the Irish Republican Army, the Black and Tans became notorious through their numerous attacks on the Irish civilian population.

I knew the history of the Black and Tans  (the paramilitary units...not the beverage) and their atrocities on the Irish civilians...but, this is a jewelry and/or cocktail blog hop...not a history lesson!

The Recipe To prepare a Black and Tan in the American way, first fill a glass halfway with the ale, then add the Guinness Draught (from the can, bottle, or tap). The top layer is best poured slowly over an upside-down tablespoon placed over the glass to avoid splashing and mixing the layers. A specially designed black-and-tan spoon is bent in the middle so that it can balance on the edge of the pint-glass for easier pouring.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia - I love this spoon!
Well, I happened to have in my stash a GORGEOUS focal bead by Donna Millard in -- what else -- Black & Tan!  Just look at the detail in this bead - it has been sitting on my bench for months, where I stare at it daily and admire its beauty!

Now, I have never used a focal bead of this size before. But, thanks to a Kristi Bowman, I found the PERFECT bail! Kristi's components - whether handmade in copper or silver - just breathtaking!  She works that copper with fire to create the most beautiful colors!
Photo courtesy of Kristi Bowman


Forgive the multiple shots, but I am playing with taking my photos outside in natural light versus inside with my photo lights. This is proving to be an ongoing learning process!

I used Czech glass seed beads - in Black, Tan, Ivory, and Copper, for my chain, and copper toggle.

I actually purchased some Guinness (er,,, for the pictures, of course), but I must confess, I have not yet opened the bottle (I stress the word YET)!


Thanks for providing me this inspiration for this creation, Amy! And thank you to Donna Millard and Kristi Bowman for their creativity, as well! I had a blast! 

Please be sure to visit all of the participants, and as always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Hostess: Copper Diem

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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Happy Birthday, Daddy!



May 23, 1929 - January 27, 2005

Miss you!
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