Big Give Away at La Bella Joya

Marcie the creator of La Bella Joya is giving away  Sherry Serafini's Sensational Bead Embroidery book.

Go on over and visit her blog and get in for a chance to when this fabulous book.  If you do not know about Sherry Serafini, she is a wonderfully talented bead embroider.  My goal one day is to do something as fabulous as one of her creations. So if you are interested in bead embroidery go visit Marcie's blog page and while you are there check out some of Marcie's wonderful works of art. 
http:/labellajoya.blogspot.com

Margie and Me Color Challenge

The reveal day has arrived, the following are my pieces:

This piece I named "Arizona Sun" because it reminds me of Arizona.  The piece is made with a stone (Jasper I think) that I got in a grab bag from a LBS.  The bezel is size 11 Toho orange and rust cylinder beads.  The next ring around the stone is 4mm Czech gold fire polished crystals which if the light is hitting it just right it shows a plum color.  The next ring is size 8 cylinder Lt. orange seed beads.  The last ring and bail are size 11 Toho rust color cylinder beads.  The pendant is strung on a Tan  18" corded necklace.

I did two pieces in this color pallet.

This piece I named "Amanda May" the pendant is based on Laina Goodman's "Compass Rose" design in Beadwork's 2011 Favorite Bead Stitches magazine. The pendant is made with a 12mm very light creamy yellow glass pearl.  The seed beads surrounding the pearl are size 11 orange Toho cylinder and size 8 cylinder Lt. tan beads. The points are 6mm brown glass pearls and the two connecting pearls are 4mm ecru. The drop at the end is a faceted dark gold glass bead and the bezel is size 11 orange Toho beads.  The necklace is made with size 6mm and 8mm brown glass pearls, size 8mm dark gold faceted glass roundels, and size 12 very light creamy yellow glass pearls, the clasp is a silver plated togle.  The necklace measures 18" and the pendant is a 3" drop.

I made a necklace for this color pallet.

This necklace's focal is a Cellini spiral made with size 11 Toho black and brown cylinder beads, size 8 blue silver lined seed beads and tan cylinder seed beads, size 6 light blue seed beads.  Two silver plated bead caps make an illusion of one bead cap on each end of the spiral. I used sizes 12 mm and 8 mm jet faceted glass beads, sizes 4mm and 6mm Czech blue fire polished crystals, and silver plated 5mm daisy spacer beads in the rest of the necklace. The clasp is a silver plated S hook and eye. This necklace measures 20" long.

Thank you Marcie for have this color challenge it was fun.  I can't wait to see what colors you come up with for June's challenge.

Happy beading Y'all
Therese

Dagger Necklace and Earrings

Well I finished the necklace and thought I would share it with you my new blogger friends.
Feel free to let me know what you think good or bad.  Constructive criticism is always a good thing.

I don't know what kind of stone the daggers are made from, but I do know that they are died.  I used 4 mm silver plated corrugated beads between sets of four stones and a silver plated pillow square between every four sets of stones.  The necklace measures 18 inches long.

The earrings I made with 22 gauge silver wire with the 4mm silver plated corrugated beads between the stone beads.  I ran out of ear wires, but will get more tomorrow.

Happy beading Y'all
Therese

More Treasures

Ok I know that I just posted new treasure just a few days ago, but when you are a beader you can never get enough treasures to work with.  I went to my LBS Highstung Beads Shoppe owned by Sherron (Sherri) Schaefer a wonderful and talented lady.  Her blog is www.beadgypsie.blogspot.com go and visit and if you live in the Montgomery, AL area go visit her shop she has all kinds of neat goodies for you to drool over oh I mean choose from, you will be glad you went.

I found these very colorful dagger beads that are going to be made into a necklace for a friend of mine, they are right up her alley. I've never worked with lentil beads so I got some in two different colors, some 4mm stone beads they are died a lavender color, last but not least some seed beads in sizes 8 and 11 one can never have enough seed beads.

I'm going to get started on the necklace for my friend tonight because it's calling to me and I have to make it.  You all know how it is when your muse is whispering in your ear you just have to listen.

Happy beading Y'all

Therese

My first wire hoop earrings

I made these earrings with a good friend's taste in mind, since they are for her birthday. ;-)

These earrings are made with the left over twisted wire I used for the Tree of Life pendant I made earlier this month.

I made these earrings using a tutorial that I downloaded from www.jewelrylesson.com by Carol Ladine Lagoski.  I think the stones in the middle are Jasper, but I'm not sure they were not labeled when I bought them, I just liked the color and they were the perfect stones to go in a necklace I was making.

Happy Creating!
Therese

New Treasure

On May 16th I placed an order with Delphine's Flower Bead Shop and I have been waiting with baited breath for the arrival of my pretties.  Well they are here and I'm so happy. I already have a design forming in my head as to what I want to make with them.  So without further ado, here is my pretty treasure from Delphine's Flower Bead Shop.

TA DA!

Since it was my first time ordering from their site I got the sample bag (top right corner) that was 5.00 but I got a coupon to take 5.00 off my next order of 10.00 or more. For being a first time customer I got to take 15% off of my first order (not including the sample bag).
3 sets of the Baby Trumpet Lucite Flowers @ 1.70 per set
1 stackable frosted Lt. orange Rose 4 pieces total cost 2.77
5 Icy green Rose leaves .85
free shipping
total order 13.92

I'm going to be off from my job that pays the bills from May 25 to May 30, so I will have the time to make the vision in my head come to life.  That is if that is what these flowers want to be, they may have a different idea in mind LOL!

A Bit More About Myself

Let me give you a brief summary of my life to this point.
I was born in 1959 the oldest of five, a child of the 60's, a teenager of the 70's, and became a full fledged adult in the 80's.  I met and married a man and had a beautiful baby boy in 1983.  In 1994 I started my current occupation as a Police Communications Officer, but back then I was known as a Radio Operator.  In 2000 my marriage ended, thus starting a new chapter in my life.  I was on my own, scary, but I was up for it.  In 2001 my Son graduated from high school, went to college, and is now gainfully employed and a home owner, I'm so proud of him.  In 2003 I bought my first house, that I'm still living in today.  In 2010 I met a wonderful man that I believe is going to be around for a while.  Well there you have it that is my life in a nut shell so far.

My Craftiness
For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination with making things.  As a young child I would gather up the material scraps from a dress or a top that my Mom would be making and make my doll clothes.  First by just tying the scraps around the doll, but when I got a little older my Mom let me use a needle and thread. I would also take boxes and make houses for my dolls and other found objects for the furniture.
When I was in school I loved art and music(not a surprise, right). I could not wait to get my hands on some paper, paint, crayons, glue and scissors.  The first necklace I made was made with painted macaroni, painted because back in the mid 60's the colorful pasta of today was not available.
In 1968 I became a Brownie, I loved being a Girl Scout.  I was a Girl Scout until I was a Senior Scout at the age of fifteen.  Being a Girl Scout just opened up my artistic talents even more.
When I was twelve I spent the summer in PA with my Grandparents.  That was the summer I learned how to crochet and I did not learn a simple stitch like the Granny Square, Oh no not me!  I want to make an old fashion lady's under garment with a crocheted yoke.  The yoke had an oak leaf pattern in it using the double and triple crochet stitch.  The pattern also called for size 1 crochet thread and size 0 crochet hook.  I worked on it everyday, but sad to say I never finished it and now it is long lost.
When I was sixteen boys took over my interests and it was not until I was pregnant with my son that I started crafting again, and I have been doing some form of craft ever since.
My love for jewelry making started in 2005, I'm now straight on the time, because I looked back through my magazines and the first beading magazine was purchased in Jan. 2005 Simply Beads which is no longer in publication.  It was in that first magazine that I saw a necklace made with bright colorful glass beads and I knew I had to make it.  So I went about looking for those beads and found them online at Fire Mountain Gems.  I love this site I have always been able to fine just about everything I'm looking for at reasonable prices.  When my treasure arrived I was as excited as a child in a candy store.  I looked at, touched, and played with my new treasure, then I got the magazine out and sat down and put the necklace together.  It turned out great and I gave it to my Sister for her birthday.  That magazine and necklace set me on the path that has led me to where I'm at today on my adventure.  I'm always amazed and thrilled when someone purchases one of my pieces.  I hope that feeling never goes away.