Java Bead

Java Bead - Two of my favorite things combined into one name! :) Russ Powers - husband to fabulous jewelry designer Dhea Powers - combines some of the most beautiful colors and makes fabulous lampwork beads - FABULOUS!  I have made quite a few bracelets from their beads and over the course of the past two days ( half an hour here, an hour there...) I made necklace from their beads.  I posted a few "in process" photos to Face Book.

Russ' beads are made from borosilicate glass rods and the detail is simply amazing!  See the "webbing" in those beads?!  I love this!

I wanted so very much to do something different.  I oftentimes feel like my jewelry "all looks the same" except for the fabulous beads, of course!  So I was on a mission to find a new chain or link to create.  I saw a picture of some Vintaj ladder chain and thought, there has to be a tutorial out there for this chain!  I could not find one so I just played around a bit with some copper wire until I arrived at the best length and gauge to work with.  18 gauge proved too thin for me, so I used 16 gauge wire.

What I like most about the chain is that it is truly sturdy - each link is connected to the next link - not just attached via a jump ring.  And the 16 gauge wire really makes it feel substantial, too.

I added two hand rolled cocoon beads for a little more interest.  Quite frankly, the liver of sulfur bath and the subsequent buffing -- plus a couple of hours in the tumbler -- is what really made this necklace shine for me!

I have already started a second chain in silver and feel like I actually accomplished something new (new to me, that is)!

Hope everyone is hunkered down away from the nasty weather that appears to be plaguing most of the Country these days (fires, tornadoes, excessive rainfall)...ugh.. Please stay safe!

Thanks for stopping by!

Look What I Won!

So last week - late at night sitting on the couch with my ever-present IPad - I was scrolling through Facebook and someone commented on someone else's feed "Comment with the word Hoot and enter to win"...  I thought what the heck?!  So I commented!  I was comment number 345.  It was a 30 minute contest and in the end, there were well over 540 entries.

But I won!  And boy did I ever win!

Isn't this little hoot-owl just gorgeous!!  It is a handmade pendant by the ultra talented Nicole Hanna!!  I was so excited to receive this!  Even the back of the pendant is beautiful!

I will be placing this gorgeous pendant on a nice oxidized silver chain and I will relish wearing it!

I went to Nicole's website upon receiving notification of winning, and was reminded of how beautiful her jewelry really is.  You can find her website by clicking here.

Winning this beauty reminded me of how much I admire "true" wire wrapping.  One of my favorite wire wrapping books is Weave, Wrap, Coil: Creating Artisan Jewelry, by Jodi Bombardier.

Source: Amazon.com

In the Fall of 2011, I was asked by one of my nieces to create the wedding jewelry for her bridal party. Each attendant's jewelry was different  and included a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet.  I perused many designs from this book - as well as Wire Style 2 - to inspire me.    However, as I look back on the pictures from over a year and a half ago, I realize I am not that good at weaving, wrapping, and coiling! LOL!  My jewelry picture-taking ability - as well as choice for backgrounds - has also improved a little bit (thank goodness!)

My feeble attempt at weaving, wrapping, and coiling:  Circa Fall 2011

I will revisit this technique though - using COPPER - with the hopes of improving...'cause this is a technique that in my eyes is just stunning!

As I write this post on Friday evening, Tropical Storm Andrea is finally showing signs of boredom with Northern Virginia - I sure hope it dries up tomorrow! 'Cause this little guy likes to go outside rain or shine - and I prefer shine!

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your weekend!

Giveaway!!!

Julie - the most awesome lampwork glass bead artist of Outwest fame - claims to have too many beads?  Too many beads?  Is that really possible?

Anyhow, her cup overflows...so she is giving away some spacer beads....like these...

Oooh...what I could do with those beads!

These are just a few example of what I have done with her beads lately....

If you want to put your name in the hat, just go to her blog here and leave a comment!

Have a great day!

An Anniversary

June 5, 1954.  That is the date of my parents wedding anniversary.

Dad was so handsome and my mom was real looker - and, in my humble opinion, she still is!

The last picture is from our "final" family vacation in 2004.  The four of us, my brothers and sister, rented two adjoining townhouses on Sanibel Island, Florida for our respective families to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary.  

My father was a proud man.  Though you cannot tell from the picture, he was in pain, and was undergoing treatment (if you want to call what he went through "treatment") for cancer.  He died 8 months later.

I can honestly say that not a day goes by that I do not think fondly of my father, and grieve that he passed away too soon at age 75.  I grieve for him, and I grieve for my Mother.  She was only 69 when he passed.  Cancer sucks at any age. Period.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  I love you both!

Oooohhh...Genea!

Genea's Beads - so full of color, texture, and endless creativity!  That is what I think of when I see her beads.

She named this bead - Desert Serpent Jewel / Mermaid ....

Photo courtesy of Genea's Etsy Site

First of all, the base of turquoise blue DOES remind me of my past travels to the Caribbean - the water so transparent, so teal-blue, so tranquil, that one can actually feel the stress leave your shoulders.  The rainbow raku reminiscent of the sea shells found along the beaches.

Photo courtesy of Genea's Etsy Site

The tiny spacer beads - above - reflect the colors of the focal perfectly.  I like that the focal is etched, a contrast to the shiny rainbows in the spacer beads.

So what to do with these beautiful beads???  The focal is large - 25mm - and I did not just want to string it on beading wire - it had to stand out! So...

I took some very heavy gauge copper (12 gauge I believe), forged the bottom end into a paddle shape, slipped on the lovely focal, added a few jump rings in the shape of love knots - and one more cranberry red bead to complete the focal.  I forged the other end of the paddle in the opposite direction and wired this to a handmade bead connector.  I oxidized the pieces, buffed, and gave them several hours in the tumbler to add that beautiful shine!

That clasp is made by Genea, too!  I made some bead connectors from heavy gauge copper, and I wired the spacer beads to the copper links.

The clasp is in the front to the side - I could not bring myself to hide that beautiful clasp!

I had some spacer beads leftover, so I made a matching bracelet.

If you look closely in the picture above, the links for the bracelet are the same as the necklace - I just made them much smaller.  This link was inspired by a bracelet made by Cindy Wimmer in Wire Style 2 - I do love this link!

I made a simple pair of earrings - I balled up the ends of some 16 gauge copper and made some quick swirls.  Tiny deep garnet seeds have been wired to the copper ear wires (admittedly - those seeds look black in my picture....it may be time for me to get a new camera???!!)

I really love how this turned out!  Please be sure to visit Genea and see all of her beautiful, wearable art: 

Genea's Etsy Shop  

Genea's Blog

To end this post - a sincere thank you to all of those who have served our Country and continue to serve - Have a Blessed Memorial Day!

Photo Courtesy of http://www.middletowninsider.com/

Thank you for stopping by!