She made/She made March Reveal

Hi Y'all,

Wow can you believe it is almost the end of March!  Where is the time going? I almost did not get my pieces done in time for mine and Christine's She Made/She Made challenge, but I did get them done just in time to do this post.  

It was Christine's turn to choice what we would create with this month. She chose the bronze components created by Lesley Watts, and the 8 mm black lava rock round bead from the stash that I gifted to her. 

borrowed from Christine's blog

I am so looking forward to seeing what marvels Christine has created using the chosen components and beads.

Here is what I made with the almost same components and beads.

This necklace I chose to pair the lava rock beads with some glass beads made by Juli Cannon of Studio Juls. I used some silver plated wire to wire wrap the beads into a chain and then used some white rat tail ribbon and a silver plated heart clasp to finish off the necklace.  This necklace went to my friend Cyn for her birthday gift, she is a big Alabama Football fan.

My next piece is a bracelet I made with the lava rock beads and some serrated daggers  that my son Ryan brought back from York Beads when he went on a trip to New York, thank you Son!  I used size 8 bronze seed beads as spacers between the lava rock beads and size 11 bronze as spacers between the daggers. From the clasp I hung one of Lesley's bronze hearts.  The daggers flop around when you wear the bracelet.

I made these earrings with two of Lesley's bronze connector components and two of the lava rock beads. I also used 3mm cobalt blue crystals and size 8 bronze seed beads strung on to copper wire and hung from copper ear wires.

April will be my pick and I will reveal the pick in a few days.  Thank you for stopping in to see what I created, now hop on over to Christine's blog to see what she has created.  I know you will not be disappointed that you did.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Focusing on Life 52 photos - Week 12 Observe the Curve

Hi Y'all,

First and for most I would like to say thank you, thank you, thank you, to each and everyone of you that have been leaving comments on my blog posts.  I have read all of your comments, some have made me smile and other just laugh right out loud.  Thank you once again for touching my life the way y'all do.

Now for this weeks prompt on Focusing on Life 52 photos,

Sally Russick of Studio Sublime is the master mind behind Focusing on Life 52 photos.  Each Saturday she gives those of us that wish to participate a prompt for the next Saturday's blog post.  This week's prompt is Observing the Curve.  I thought oh boy this one is easy there are so many curves in this world to photograph, but life got in the way and I was down to the wire again.  I managed to get two photos for y'all to see 

My beading needles these babies have beautiful curves and well earned too.  I would not be able to make the beautiful beaded pieces I make without them.

Look at the curves on this beauty.  This antique bird cage is now the proud home of our shop Fairies at the Enchanted Bead store in Montgomery, AL the new home of the Beading Fairies, which I am a member.  The bead store has not officially opened yet the Grand opening will be the 1st of April.  The shop Fairies are there to watch over the shop while we are away.  If you look very closely about mid way down you can see one, she is dressed in lavender, there is another at the bottom of the cage with blond hair and a pink skirt.

Thank you for stopping by today, if you would like to see more curves go to Sally's blog and check out all the other curves.

Happy beading Y'all

Therese

Holiday Bling Blog Hop 3

Hi Y'all,

It is time to reveal to y'all what my partner Leanne Loftus and I made for each other in the Holiday Bling Blog Hop 3 hosted by Marlene Cupo and Shelley Graham Turner.  

The rules were simple (as well they should be, who wants the rules to be difficult) just sign up for the blog hop and Marlene and Shelley will pick a partner for you.  When you found out who your partner was, email her or him (yes you never know one time you might be partnered with a guy) find out some interesting facts about your partner and pick a holiday the two of you would like to create a piece for.  Well Leanne and I chose to do the Chinese New Year, which was February 10, 2013 the year of the Snake.  Once Leanne and I made our choice I knew just what I was going to make and set out to design it.  I knew it was going to take me a little while to get it done, so I started on it right away.  Of course once I sketched out my design I had to make an order for beads pretty 3mm ABX2 Swaroski bicone crystals in four different colors.  When they arrived I could not wait to get started.

Are there any guesses on what I created?  Ah come on now, if you know me I bet you can guess.  Well first let me show you what my partner Leanne sent to me.

This necklace is beautiful these pictures really do not do the necklace justice.  Leanne did an Asymmetrical design, using bright colored cloth cord with Asian print on one side and wire wrapped pearls and Jade beads on the other.  The awesome Chinese coin pendant is hanging from a green silk ribbon.  Pearls and a crystal are dangling in front of the coin.  I could not believe my eyes when I saw the coin, so I asked Leanne if this was something that she already owned, or if not where did she find it?  She said that she found it on Ebay!

I enjoy wearing this necklace it is just the right weigh and length, it is very comfortable to wear. I love it!

Now for what I sent to Leanne.

 A good and wonderful beady friend of mine Marla Gibson sent me these beautiful Cloisonne` beads.  They have little gold fish on them, so I felt that they had a Chinese feel to them and made a pair of earrings.

This took me almost two weeks to finish.  This was the only project I worked on while on my beading retreat with my Beading Fairies group.  I love how it turned out.  I am sure that someone else could have drawn a better snake, but I think that I did okay.

Thank you Marlene and Shelley for coming up with a great idea for a blog hop.  I very much enjoyed being a part of this one, and meeting and making a new friend in Leanne.

Please go and check out the others that are participating in this Holiday Bling Blog Hop 3.

Alicia Marinache

www.allprettythings.ca

Catherine King

http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com

Chris Schlicht

TBD

Cynthia Machata

http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

Dyanne Cantrell

http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com

Gina Hockett

http://freestyleelements.blogspot.com

Jennifer Reno

http://jenrenjewelry.blogspot.com

Laura Reed

TBD

Leanne Loftus

http://firstimpressiondesign.blogspot.com

Lennis Carrier

http://www.windbent.net

Lori Bowring Michaud

http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com

Marti Conrad

http://marticsclay.blogspot.com

Mary Govaars

http://www.mlhjewelrydesigns.com

Renetha Stanziano

http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com

Rita/ Toltec Jewels

http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com

Sandra McGriff

http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.ca

Sarah Goode

http://www.pookledo.com

Sherri Stokey

www.KnotJustMacrame.com

Sonya Stille

http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com

Tammie Everly

http://ttedesigns.blogspot.com

Therese Frank

http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com

Tiffany Goff Smith

http://www.southerngalsdesign.blogspot.com

Marlene Cupo

http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com

Shelley Graham Turner

www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Focusing on Life 52 photos - Week 11 The Possibilities Are Endless

Hi Y'all,

Week 11 of Focusing on Life 52 photos is all about "The Possibilities Are Endless" Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime gave us the prompt to take a picture of what represents "The Possibilities Are Endless"

So I went to what I love the best.

That's right my seed beads and other fun beads!  The possibilities are truly endless in this pile.

Please head on over to Sally's blog and see what the other endless possibilities are.

Happy beading Y'all

Therese

Focusing on Life 52 photos week 10 - All Wrapped Up

Hi Y'all

It is week 10 of Focusing on Life 52 photos this weeks prompt is all wrapped up.  Sally of Studio Sublime asked us to take a picture of what wrapped up means to us and talk a little about the subject we chose.  

So okay my all wrapped up has to do with the freeform peyote bracelet I did for the freeform peyote challenge that Karen Williams and Mandi Ainsworth hosted a couple of weekends ago.  I posted my finished bracelet on Facebook and it sold not long after it was posted (I bet you can visualize me doing a big happy dance, oh yeah!) That's right I took pictures of me wrapping the bracelet up to be shipped off to it's new home in North Alabama.

I mailed it off Wednesday of this week and I got a message from Linda on Thursday telling me that it had arrived and that she loves it and so does the Post Lady who just happens to be a friend of hers.  I do not know about the rest of you, but I am always thrilled when someone loves what I spent hours creating.  I also decorated the little box that I sent it in.

If you would like to see what the others have wrapped up this week head on over to Sally's blog and check them out.

Happy beading Y'all

Focusing on Life 52 photos - Week 9 Knock Knock

Hi Y'all,

It is week nine of Focusing on Life 52 photos.  This week's prompt is all about doors, either literally or figuratively.  My door is a new door into a new work area for me.  As most of you know by now my day job is Police Communications for the State of Alabama.  This week we moved into our new Communications Center when it is fully operational it will be top notch.  When I open the door to the Communications Center there is no telling what will be going on, it could be calm and quite, or it could be a whirl wind of activity.

  

Head on over to Sally's blog to see more doors.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

A Time To Stitch Three - Hosted by Therese and Christine

Feel free to cope badge to your blog if you are participating 

A Time to Stitch 3 : Sign up March 1-7

I apologize for being late posting the sign up, but I forgot that today was the first of March, so I copied this from my co-host's blog.  I will get a badge made up and post it later.  I really hope that y'all sign up and play along.  To see the video tutorials go to Christine's blog, she is Jane on the spot today and I am so lacking!

Time to Stitch 3 is upon us.

Sign ups are March 1-7th.

The Hop is April 20th.

The Hostesses are the same, but what is asked of the Hoppers has changed just a tad.

For this Challenge:

You choose One (or more) of the following Flat Stitches ~ Brick, Ladder, or Square

                                            AND

One (or more) of the following Spiral Stitches ~ Russian Spiral, Cellini Spiral, or African Helix. 

So you will choose at least One Flat and One Spiral for the Hop.

Whatever you get done by Hop Day, please show us.  It is a challenge.  It doesn't need to be a finished project.  And there doesn't need to be any pressure.  It's just beads, after all :-D

Please sign up here or at Christine's blog.  And please be sure we have your name, blog address, and e-mail.

We really look forward to these Time to Stitch hops because you guys make it easy and fun to put together :-)  Thanks for that.  We appreciate it!

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese