Muddy Stuff

Another trinket

2009-07-14T16:41:00.003+02:00

Just a little trinket...

2009-07-14T15:58:00.003+02:00

New earrings: Silver, Turquoise, and Swarovski

2009-06-21T08:12:00.007+02:00

Yesterday I made a pair of earrings for a beautiful young lady. (Click here to see them close-up.)

Turquoise (from Turquoise Magpie) and Light Smoked Topaz Swarovski bicones on sterling silver chandelier findings.

Idée Multicolr Search Lab Flickr Set

2009-03-09T15:33:00.004+01:00

Today I've discovered something I think is just wonderful! I stumbled across it in the course of checking out my photo statistics on flickr.com. As my blog entry title shows, it's from Idée Labs. I chose a few colors I like (you can choose up to 10) and then took a screen shot of the resulting panel of 50 photos.

I can see this as an excellent tool for any visual artist: photographers, painters, ceramic artists, clothing designers, and of course, jewelry designers. Wondering if the color scheme you have in mind will work? Try to approximate it with this neat website and see! And since some photos with light touches of other colors may also be included, you can get some great ideas for accent colors, too. Want to go heavier on one particular color and lighter on another? Click on the same color two or more times to weight it more heavily, and just once for only a little color.

I think I'm going to have lots of fun with this new find!

Kazuri and Swarovski

2008-10-31T06:28:00.004+01:00

Fairies and Angels

2008-10-30T00:10:00.005+01:00

Bluebird earrings

2008-10-23T13:49:00.001+02:00

Kazuri, Mykonos, and pearls

2008-10-21T10:46:00.001+02:00

'appy Owlowe'en!

2008-10-18T23:55:00.004+02:00

Just a little something for the season!

Will you be going to a costume party this year?

:-)

Earring "Collage"

2008-09-26T18:38:00.005+02:00

Just to let you know I'm still alive and kicking even if I'm very quiet!

This is a "collage" of earrings I've made in the past. (Click on the blog title to see it large). Hope to be making more, but these days work is wearing me down a bit.

Best of luck to all!

Blue Kazuri Earrings

2008-09-06T10:52:00.004+02:00

This pair of earrings was a late birthday present for my beautiful sister-of-the-heart Linda. (Coordinating necklace to come!) They enhance the blue of her eyes.

I just love these rectangular bead caps I bought from Via Murano. I think they go very well with the Kazuri beads (which I also love). I only bought four of them, and now I'm kicking myself. I'll just have to be sure to get in on the next Via Murano buy! Or does anyone know another source where I can find them at a decent price?

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

2008-08-16T23:57:00.007+02:00

DiGi and I got home from the second part of our summer vacation a few hours ago. We now know how to program our GPS (Thomas is the name of his one and only English-speaking voice) and actually trust him enough to let him lead us home, so we decided to come home via the back roads - as this weekend there were/are expected to be large numbers of French vacationers coming home after their August 15 road trips (The Assumption).

We told Thomas to avoid the highways and to take the shortest route, as opposed to the fastest. He took it to heart, and it took us 6 hours instead of 4 to get back. But oh, what a beautiful, peaceful drive! The traffic on the Autoroute 20 early in the journey (where the speed limit is about 90 mph - and that's too slow for a lot of the hot-shot, lead-footed drivers) was the busiest in terms of other cars, but just before we would've had to stop at a toll booth to take a ticket, we left the major roads and drove through one beflowered village after another (speed limits from about 33 mph to 60 mph). Not a good choice for someone in a big hurry, but it was perfect for us, as neither DiGi nor I like the stress of driving very much.

Anyway, while I was gone (despite the weather), I managed to make some earrings. Not the best photos in the world, but you get the idea, I suppose! The golden shadow Swarovski starfish are combined with crystal copper rondelles and coppery mother-of-pearl beads, with sterling silver findings.

The pair with seed beads, fringe beads and wire-wrapped purple glass heart dangles, also with sterling findings, was inspired by "365 Earrings You Can Make" by BeadStyle. They're destined for the ears of my beautiful-sister (the French designation for what we Americans call a sister-in-law), Jacqui.
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My First Necklace

2008-07-18T18:14:00.006+02:00

My first necklace was one I made for myself after doing a lot of reading on the internet. I found these purple fish at a European internet shop that gave free shipping with an order of 20 euros or more, and I just had to do something with them! I wasn't too sure of myself, so I decided to try something reasonably simple: a long lariat with no closing -- just fold it in half and put the ends through the curve.

Or come up with your own creative way to wrap and close it! I made earrings to match, but they're a bit heavy for me, so I seldom wear them. I think perhaps I need to redo them.

I was thrilled when one of my colleagues asked me to make her a necklace just like it! So I did. (It seems purple is her favorite color.)
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How I Got My Start in Beading

2008-07-17T11:45:00.008+02:00

This was one of my first pairs of earrings, though not the absolute first - those were gold-colored hoops with brick-red glass coin beads, accented with jasper, bone, and seed beads. But I really wasn't into hoops, so I finally took them apart and re-used the beads.

Since then I've made lots of earrings, mostly for myself, though I've made a few for friends and family. I've also made some necklaces, rings and a couple of bracelets.

During the 2006 Christmas season, it occurred to me that it would be beneficial to see what I could learn from other people who love creating with beads. I searched Yahoo! Groups and found Beadingaholics, a group of kind and talented bead artists - from novices to professionals - who share all sorts of tips about techniques, tricks of the trade, opinions, and most of all, a love of beading! I'm happy to be a part of this group, and if you're into beading, then it just might be the right place for you, too. Just one caution: Spammers are not welcome!
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