I waited to take pics this morning because it was cloudy &  pics come out better in good light. The first necklace has a diamond shaped  foiled focal in blue, aqua, &  silver. It is attached to the necklace with a seed bead loop. The strand is made of 8mm blue miracle beads, aqua peacock AB pearls, aqua 4mm bicones, 6 &  8 mm blue bicones, &  corrigated pewter bicones. The necklace closes with a lobster clasp. Necklace #2 is a lighter blue color. I started with the lampworked focal by Tanya McGuire. It is wavy blue on white. I complemented it with 4mm white pearls, air blue opal bicones, blue &  white swirled pressed glass nautilus beads, twisted cats eye glass ovals, &  blue AB seeds. A toggle clasp closes this piece.  I may try to retake these pics when the light is better, because they both look lots better than the pics show. Hope all of you have a good weekend. I know I will. I'm going to be beading as usual. It's so great to be able to do this every day.

The necklace I am posting today is much more in my comfort zone. I like blue/aqua a lot. The rondelles I used for this design I bought from a stone seller at a bead show before I knew that I needed to keep track of what they were. I believe that they are amazonite. The match  very closely several strands that I do have marked. I put 3 of the rondelles together with silver bead caps on both sides. Between the sets are 2 white pearls. The center has 3 aqua glass diamonds &  2 silver foiled clear ovals that have aqua squiggles on them. It closes with a silver toggle clasp.  Now back to more bead fun. Hope you enjoy your day.

Hi, I have 2 necklaces in orange to show you today. The first is bright orange colored glass beads with Black, bronze &  light wood heshi beads. I started out to make a single strand, but it grew. I wanted a bright color combination for a woman who is bold.  The first strand is orange ribbed tubes and hearts in sets of three with alternating centers. Between the threes there is a wood heshi , 2 matte bronze size 6 seed beads, a black bicone, 2 more seeds &  a wood heshi. The center focal is a wire wrapped black briolette, one of the orange tubes, &  a wavy hemityte flat round. The middle strand is seed beads. The inner strand has the sets of 3 that are 3 of the same hearts &  tubes. This time I used a bronze bicone &  black seeds. All of the strands are connected  by a black connector . The top is gunmetal rolo chain. There is a gunmetal lobster clasp for a closure. The second necklace is also on chain. This time it is gold plated. Both strands are made of  small red sardonyx coins spaced with size 6 seed beads in transparent orange &  topaz &  mother of pearl tubes. For the center I wire wrapped a triangle shaped piece with craft wire. The strands are connected with a pewter 2 to 1 that is gold plated. Now I'm going to work with a different color.

Good afternoon, I would like to catch you up. Saturday evening I finished the necklace &  earrings that I called jade coins.  It has links made of jade coins with red jasper rounds on both sodes. The second links on that strand are made with wire wrapped beads in 20 gague magnetic copper. (In case you don't know what magnetic wire is, it is the wire used in making windings for electric motors. It has a coating so that the wires don't short out when they touch. It is richer &  bolder than regular copper wire & i think that   the coating should help protect the wire from turning green.) You can see the difference in the picture of the clasp which I also made. The core wire is regular copper &  the wrap wire is magnetic. The links  in the first strand are joined together by bright brass jumprings.  The second strand has links made with a tan pearl center, dark topaz crystal rondelles, &  small orange firepolished beads on both sides. . The links are joined with brass chain. This necklace is long. On Sunday I took a class with one of the bead masters, Diane Fitzgerald. The necklace is called stairway to heaven.  The class was great. I didn't finish mine, but I'm going to show it to you in progress. The pic doesn't do the necklace justice. The rivoli center reflects a star pattern that I couldn't show in the photo.  I will be very proud to wear this one. Yesterday I went to Rochester with my son. I planned on going to the bead shop there as I haden't been there before, but surpsise I should have checked first because they are closed on Mondays. Oh well I did stop &  get beads  on our way home from  my friend Chris at Bead Rush . & I got some diamond drill bits for drilling more stones. As I was starting supper my nephew called. His best friend bought the contents of a storage shed at an auction &  there were beads  in it. So I sorted beads last night until 2:00 am &  finished this morning. Lots of the beads were plastic which I don't use but there were a few treasures in the boxes. I will use some of the plastic beads to teach my niece's daughter to bead when she gets a little bigger.  So this afternoon it's back to my creative play.

It's a cloudy day today but I'm not letting that get me down. Yesterday I made a necklace with large green ceramic rounds knotted on leather. The second strand is seed beads &  small green glass accents. I will show you the pic of how it looks now. I plan on glueing the knots &  adding a green silk strand the next time I get to a bead store. I started the second necklace last night &  finished it this morning, so I'll show it to you also. It is made of mable tubes, orange flowers, adventurine rounds, bronze bicones, twisted orange glass swirl beads, &  dark orange glass ovals. I am not an orange person (my Mom is), but since pantone  selected tangerine tango as the color of the year I figured I better make some orange pieces for my show.  Now I'm going back to make another orange piece while I have the orange beads out. Hope all of you enjoy your day. It sounds like we might see 70 degrees again tomorrow!!!!

Today I have a salmon colored 3 strand to show you. It started out to be a short necklace with salmon &  cream colored chinaware roses. But as you may know beads have a mind of their own. I used dyes malaysian jade irregular chunks,  coral cupolini, pearls, firepolished beads, hearts, bicones, &  seed beads. I made links with silver wire  &  connected them with brass chain. The third strand is seeds &  accents strung on beading wire.  A brass lobster clasp was used to close this necklace.  This necklace is 39" long.

3 in pink today. The first 2 are from yesterday &  the third one is from this morning. The first one is made of pink dyed crazy lace agate rondelles in sets of 5 &  spaced with pink glass flower spacers. The accents are pewter flowers. The focal is 2 pink lampworked flowers on wire. They are spaced with 2 of the crazy lace agate's. The clasp is an oval toggle. Necklace #2 is a much light colored  pink. It  is made of pink foiled beehives &  a foiled heart center. I used speckled pink beads &  transparent pink rounds that I think are rose quartz. I used pewter spacers, transparent rondelles,  &  3mm corrigated  sterling silver rounds as accents. Everything is suspended on chain &  closed with an oval toggle clasp.   The third necklace is also suspended on chain &  closes with a round toggle clasp. The heart at the center is of clear murano glass and it has a varigated pink flower inside. I used varegated pink rondelles &  rose glass pearls. The drops are pewter. I guess I'm on a pink kick because I'm going back for more. LOL!

Funtastic!!! That's what Saturday was. I went to the cities for a stone drilling &  shaping class. I came home with 5 pieces that I need to finish. It was really fun. So no jewelry on Saturday Yesterday I made a piece with a one of a kind lampworked bead that I bought from Perfectly Adorned at a bead show. I used green 8mm firepoilished beads to match the green in the focal bead. I also used tree agate rondelles &  creamy ovals. The hemalyke (metalic looking dark grey) beads also pull color from the focal. It is all hung on brass chain & it has a antique gold plated pewter clasp that mimics the look of brass.   I guess this was a learning experience. I need a 2 to 1 connector not a jump ring for this necklace to lay better when worn. . I also need to make the inner strand longer. I will update this piece the next time I go to the bead store. The second piece I am showing  I made a while ago. It was my first attempt at a clasp &  it didn't turn out well so I never wore it. I made a new handmade stering silver 18 gague wire clasp &  this time I can be proud. I was looking for something not normallly used in jewelry &  I stumbled on electrical resistors. This piece is  made of the resistor, seed beads &  smooth &  twisted rings.  I wire wrapped the rings with different colored &  sized wire to make it brighter &  more fun. Everything is linked together with jump rings.  This is a long necklace. The earrings are resistors also. They have bicone crystals at the bottom. I hope you like this fun &  funky piece.

Hey it's a good day. This morning  I have 2 pieces to show you. The first I made for a friends Mom who has  a metal allergy.  I used green adventurine round beads &  rondelles in sets of 3. They are framed by green swarovski crystals. The creamy ovals are fluted carved bone. I also used 2 darker green prarls at the center &  wood heshi as accents. The drop at the center is Indian moss agate. The clasp is a button &  seed bead loop. It is all strung on fireline.  The second piece I called patriotic. I started with a red, white, &  blue chevron bead center. The focal has blue rondelles &  a blue firepolished bottom. It also has a red round &  white seeds. The necklace is 3 cobalt short tubes with seed beads between. I alternated white rounds &  snow quartz ovals with red firepolished centers. The clasp is a silver oval.  Now  I can get back to my beautiful beads.                                                                               Later

Well I got it done. It's a two strand. I used 3 tigereye rounds seperated by matte bronze size 8 seed beads. On both ends of the link are dark topaz rondelles. Link 2 has a bronze bicone center. Small  light grey glass pearls are next. Followed by matte tigerskin jasper rounds. The ends are bronze flowers. I disassembled chain that was made of white glass with brown marking into 2 bead sections &  used them as links. The fourth link has a smaller bronze bicone center flanked by transparent grey glasss beads. Next comes small brown pearls &  then 2 sises of brown seed beads. The links are attached with brass chain. This is a long necklace. Pic 2 shows close up.

Here's the necklace I made for my sons friend. She likes brown &  earthy colors. The donuts are ceramic. I put a grey  opaque bicone inside them. On either side of the donuts are beads that my friend Ruby brought back from Hawaii. I think that they are a seed pod or nut of some kind. Then comes tan nugets with spots on them. Followed by tigerskin jasper nuggets. The end bead of these links are dark topaz crystal rondelles. The second kind of link I made have a dark wood round center. Next to the wood are grey glass pearls. Then I put tigerskin jasper nuggets. The ends of this kind of link are bronze glass flowers. I used silver non-tarnish craft wire to make the links. Each link is joined together with brass chain &  I used a brass lobster clasp. I will do better with my next pics. I took this at night &  I won't do that again.   I have another necklace almost done so I'm going back to finish it. Later

Good Morning, Today is a beautiful sunny warm day where I am. Hope all of you are having the same. I made this necklace yesterday. It is a rainbow of colors. I made links of snow quartz, adventurine, pearls, metal,&  glass. Each link is joined by a 7mm jump ring to a pewter ring. This necklace  can be worn with lots of colors so it is very versitile.  It is long enough to put over your head with no clasp so you can put whechever color you are wearing forward. Hope you like it. Now I'm going to make a gift for one of my sons co-workers birthday present.

Hi, today necklace is made with orchid wire accents. Most of the time I make a necklace &  then make earrings to go with it. This necklace was made to go with 1 of the  pairs of earrings that I made for the January earring challenge. I used pearls, crystals, &  other purple colored glass &  added gold beads &  filigree to punch it up. The necklace has 2 strands at the front &  1 strand afted the orchid wire marquise. It closes with a gold toggle clasp.

Hey hope all of you are having a great day. I haven't got much jewelry done in the last few days. I did get to have a girl day with my nieces baby,which is great for me becauce I have only sons &  grandsons.  I went to the twice a year Twin Cities Bead Bazaar Saturday. It was great to be imersed in that many beads most of the day. I got some cool stuff that will be in my beadwork soon. Anyway, here's todays edition. It's a nod to the popular long 3 strands.  I used teal glass flat rounds  with bronze &  white markings connected with small brass chain &  jump rings for the center strand.  I also  used aqua crystal rondelles &  teal rounds to this strand to add some texture. I used Bronze colored glass tubes, flowers &  bicones with chain for the middle strand. The outermost strand is 3 colors of teal size 6 seed beads &  a few bronze seeds. I did the center strand on teal leather first but the leather that fit through the beads wasn't sturdy enough to hold the weight of the beads so I fixed it. Now back to a purple necklace I'm working on.

Good Afternoon everyone. Yesterdays  necklace needed some adjustment so it didn't get finished untill today. It is much nicer for the redo. The center is a cloisonne bead that I wire wrapped into a focal. I used  crazy lace agate 2 hole beads in a turquoise color, royal blue firepolished beads, &  smaller green firepolished accents. The clasp is a beautiful royal blue button &  a loop of seed beads. The necklace is a choker length. I also made a bracelet that can be used as a necklace extender giving you more wear possibilities. Finally there is a pair of earrings to go with the set.As always I use wire guards or french wire to make my items more durable &  more finished looking. I also cover my crimps with crimp covers. Now the beads are calling me for the next project. 

The last couple of days were very busy for me so no computer time. Here's 3 pieces that I got done &  haven't posted yet. The first is an enameled marquis shaped pendant. I wire wrapped the green foil beads & seed beads  with gold wire to echo the marquise shape. I used green seed beads, green firepolished beads, &  light blue matte glass to complete the necklace. I handmade the clasp &  the bail ( the thing that holds the pendant) for an artistic look. The second piece is tree agate &  snow quartz on chain. It's simple but I like it. Number 3 is red glass beads with twisted gold bugles &  gold filigree bead accents. I also used gold chain on this piece. The focal is red drops on chain. It didn't photograph well laying flat so I'll post a new pic when someone else gets home to take a pic of me wearing it. The center looks like a cluster of red grapes when worn. Now I can go play with my beads some more. Hope you have as much fun today as I will.

Here's 2 necklace sets from last night &  1 from this morning. The first one is made of enameled  puffed coins in silver for the pendant. I used dyed blue agate, sapphire firepolished, &  pewter.I added blue pressed glass flowers for accents. The second one is sodalite rounds with black bicones. The pendant &  donuts are ceramic. I hung it all on black rolo chain. The third set I wire wrapped foiled green flat coins &  seeds with 18 gague gold wire. I made links from emrald firepolished beads, light blue sea glas beads, green seed beads &  gold filigree tubes. I joined all of the links with 2 jump rings for exrta security. The bail &  clasp are handmade by me. The pendant is a gold marquise emameled with light &  dark green &  light blue.  I try to find unusual components so that my jewelry is unique.

Hi, today I want to post a necklace &  earring set I made last night. The pendant is natural blue adventurine set in a sterling silver bezel. I used blue sponge coral tubes as accents. The larger round beads are also blue adventurine. I chose a silver toggle clasp. Please follow my blog to see more of my designs. I am getting ready for my first show in April.