Flower Power pendant

This pendant has layers of color and lots of depth. The ivory flower is ceramic and made form one of my mother's old clip-on earrings. The other two flowers are made from beads. Nestled between them is a wire wrapped quartz crystal. Assorted crackle glass chips are sewn in around the beaded garden. There are also crystals, stones, coral beads, and mother of pearl.

Blue stone earrings

I spiraled and hammered copper gauge wire and then oxidized it to a dark blue/black color. The name of the stones is a mystery to me because the tag just said blue stones. I decided to make a netted frame in copper wire for the stone disc beads. The earring wires are hand made and torched to add a red/pink ball. The measure approximately 3 inches in length.

Neptune

Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the  Sun in our Solar System. Named for the Roman God of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third-largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 Earth masses and not as dense.
      A dear friend sent a lovely strand of large Angelite beads for Christmas. As soon as I saw them they reminded me of a picture of planet Neptune.  I decided to make a bold necklace to go with these bold beads. I shaped and hammered 12 Gauge wire in to pattern of circle segments and then wired them together into a chevron style. An additional coiled wire dangle was connected to add movement.  I used a home made recipe to oxidize the copper wire to a dark blue color which compliments the beads nicely. I wired the beads with black oxidized steel wire to match the antique look. Leather cord was attach to the necklace with hand made black wire clasps.

fleurs pastelles

This necklace has the colors of pastel flowers. I crocheted piles of spring, pastel colored beads in random fashion to form this chunky necklace. I used a mixture of precious stones and swarovski crystals both old and antique. The clasp is a silver toned leaf that accents the pieces well.

Walter

Walter is a "work in progress". I still need to add the chain and his little nose. This little guy is smaller ..approximately 2 inches long. His eyes are much bigger than his heart shaped body. The eyes are made with rhinestone buttons and the body is shaped and hammered and dangles with jump rings.
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02-03-2011
Walter is all done! I added copper chain linked with crystal beads, a little garnet chip for a nose and a squiggly that dangles.

Black Labradorite

The necklace is loaded with beautiful natural stones . Large  labradorite, tear drops make wonderful focal beads for this double stranded necklace. It has hematite, agate discs and deep blue faceted glass beads. Has the colors of a stormy sea. The clasp is a heavy silver toned magnet clasp.It has already found a new home.

Bird nest earrings

These earrings are a little experiment. I've seen many, many wire birds nests and thought they were so adorable. I was thumbing through a book at borders and saw this design. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the artist or author of the book. So, this is just an attempt at a design I saw by memory.  I used brass 20Ga. for the ear wires and 22 Ga for the wire nest. The beads are faceted blue glass.

Isis

Isis or in original more likely Aset (Ancient Greek: Ἶσις) was a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshiped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic. She was the friend of slaves, sinners, artisans, and the downtrodden, and she listened to the prayers of the wealthy, maidens, aristocrats, and rulers.^[1] Isis is the goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility.                  As soon as I finished this pendant, I immediately saw an "Egyptian look."  I shaped and hammered a pyramid frame from copper wire.  It has rich and deep colors of reds, gold, green and yellow. I decorated it with red faceted glass beads, copper and bronze colored seed beads, mother of pearl, citrine, jade and quartz crystal. I added a natural quartz crystal that I coiled and lace netted to the pyramid. It measures approximately 3 in. x 1 3/4 in. 

Makailah the little Goddess

This piece is named after a special baby. The centerpiece is a natural quartz crystal . I wired wrapped it with Nugold (red brass) wire. The interlocking pieces are made of crystals nuggets, aqua blue shell beads, citrine nuggets, crystal beads.

 I named the necklace after my beautiful niece, Makailah. This little goddess was born on 10/11/2011. 

In Irish, the name Makaylah means- like god. The name Makaylah orginated as an Irish name.

Happy New Year

Better late than never. I just want to wish all my fellow bloggers a Happy New year filled with happiness and blessings.

It is a time of excitement and planning new goals. A time to reevaluate my life, my ideas and my dreams. They have said, "Out with the old and in with the new". But sometimes it's just a matter of revamping the old or spicing up the old. As a woman growing older , I like to see beauty and potential in "weathered" things. :) So, one of my goals is to go through all my old, abandoned trinkets, scraps, unfinished jewelry, broken pieces and to find a new way to recreate them and save them. Cleaning my work place is a good way to begin.. another new years resolution. ;-) (organizing my desk) So, happy planning and dreaming in 2011.
Many blessings to all,
Teresa

Beads by the foot

This necklace has turned out to be one of my favorites. So far, I have been able to wear it so many different ways. I crocheted fancy jet black beads on matching black cord. This piece is over 5 ft. long. It can be wrapped up to 3 or 4 times around your neck depending on the look you're trying to achieve. I even wrapped it about 8 times around my wrist for a very bold 'eye catching' bracelet.

Sparkle for the holidays

These little beauties have been selling like crazy. I guess it is 'bling time' once again. Sometimes less is more. I made simple but elegant dangling crystal earrings in a smoky topaz, clear white, sapphire blue, and even opaque lavender glass. All of the findings were hand made and then hammered. I used nu gold (red brass wire) and copper wire.

Victorian goddess

This goddess/cameo necklace has a vintage "feel" with a bit of a modern twist. She is wire wrapped with copper wire and has a lot of texture and depth. The piece is adorned with champagne glass pearls, brass cameo button, lavender , blue, opaque white swarovski crystals, purple and amber glass and a green chalcedony briolette (tear drop). To add texture, I weaved and swirled a gold sheer ribbon through out the pendant. It hangs from a festive, iridescent cord and fastens with handmade copper clasps. It measures 28 inches in length but can be worn as a choker, as well if doubled around the neck.

Black Amethyst

This necklace was hand made with two kinds of wire. The frame is made from a aluminum wire and than wrapped with black oxidized steel wire. It is wrapped with amethyst beads and dangling amethyst nuggets and hematite beads.  The pendant hangs from a black leather cord. The design was inspired by a talented jeweler. Her site is called, Riqzmie Creations handmade jewelry by Yati Salem.  If you visit her blog you will find many beautiful creations and tutorials. The tutorial that inspired my necklace design can be found  http://www.riqzmiecreation.com/?p=3334

I believe this beauty may have found a new home. My sister was a sweetheart and brought some of my work to share with he co/workers this week.  I thank all those ladies for taking the time to view my work and visit my site.

The Lost Bead

I don't know the origin or history behind this bead but, I really like it. A friend of ours was walking to our house one day and found it on the side of the road. It is a bit "roughed" up but, I could see potential in it. It almost looks like a tortoise shell the way it is cut. The color varies from a chocolate brown to caramel.  It is made from plastic and is very light. It is pretty large and fits in the palm of my hand. I wrapped it in a copper netted frame and adorned it with copper glass seed beads. It temporarily hangs from a black ribbon.

Stone incense burners

If you've ever held a natural  quartz crystal you can feel the energy from it. I love having them in my room and around my work desk.  Quartz crystals are used in expanding the mind to touch the spirit world. Crystals are used to enhance the beneficial life force. Crystal water (water that a quartz crystal has been placed) has been drunk for its healthy benefits for centuries.

It has been said Atlantis was destroyed by the incorrect use of quartz crystals. Edgar Cayce spoke about an energy stone in Atlantis. Mr. Cayce's description of the energy stone fits quartz crystal. Many stones are mentioned in the bible, as well.  Some people think crystals are new age. How can something that has been used since cave living man be new age?

What better way to enhance and send out natural energies than using one when burning your incense?  I've wrapped them directly onto the burner. I plan to use different stones with different properties. The holder on the left was made with quartz crystal, yellow and green jade and carnelian. This was custom made for a friend.

Incense burners

Coming soon. Custom made incense burners. These holders will be hand made and wired wrapped with stones and metals. "Energy medicine" tools,  have been used for centuries throughout all cultures, religions and empires. They can be custom adorned for anyone's personal needs.A good source for stone properties is Magpie Gemstones. http://www.magpiegemstones.com/properties.html They offer a wide variety of beautiful stones and jewelry products.

Many Blessings,

Cercle rouge de lumière

This bracelet was made to go with the red sun choker. The name means red circle of light in French. I figured since I named the necklace in french the bracelet should be, as well.  This bracelet is made with the same vintage chain and red faceted glass beads. I cut small sections of chain links and alternated them onto stretch cord. I was very happy with the end result.

Le soleil rouge

This piece is warm and bright and sparkles brilliantly in the light. The name means The Red Sun in French. I made this piece with some vintage gold toned chain I found at an estate sale. I made a cascading collar with  wire wrapped beads and chain. The beads are a beautiful faceted red glass that glow a golden yellow in the light. The two colors remind me of the sun as it disappears into the horizon. I used brass wire which matched the chain perfectly.

Custom Rosary

I had to think a little on this order since most of my jewelry is women's jewelry. . A friend came to me and wanted me to make a necklace for their friend's cross.  He wanted gold beads but I thought gold beads looked more feminine. My hunny and I talked it over and came up with a rosary style necklace. My friend didn't want real gold so, I used red brass (nu gold) wire which matched the cross very well. The beads are black matte finished with facets that make it shine a bit. It measures about 24 inches.

Cat in a Box

Do these earrings make me look fat?

Yes, ladies it’s true! Wearing the right jewelry can compliment your appearance. The movement and the sparkle of gems will draw attention to your face and will either enhance or minimize your features. Even the length of your hair and your coloring have a huge impact on what shape and style of earring is best for you.

It’s important to be familiar with your face shape. There are 8 different face shapes, Oval, round, oblong, heart, square, rectangle and triangle.  The first shapes mentioned are soft and curved. The last four have corners and angles

 Oval ~ Slightly longer than it is wide with soft curved edges.

Round ~ Has equal distance all around with the nose as the center point. It is as wide as it is long with rounded edges.

Oblong ~ Elongated oval face. It is easy to mistake oblong for an oval face.

Heart ~ Wider at the eyes, temple, and cheek with a narrow chin. Soft and curved edges.

Diamond ~ Widest at the cheeks, narrow at the forehead and chin. Sharper features.

Square ~ Straight across at the forehead and along the side of the face. Strong square jawline. The chin may stick out. Distance from the top of the face to the chin matches the width

Rectangle ~ Similar to a square face but is longer than it is wide.

Triangle ~ This face is similar to a heart shape but the lines and edges are sharper and are more angular. 

The shape of your face needs to be taken into consideration when selecting jewelry. The right jewelry will flatter you whereas the wrong jewelry can just end up standing out. It helps to blend the lines of your face with the lines of the jewelry. This will create counterbalance with the necklace and earrings to your face shape and neckline. The perfect earring can light up your face.

Here are some helpful hints when choosing the right pair of earrings.

ROUND: Long earrings can help make a round face look less round. Long drops and chandeliers,  are usually the most flattering earrings for this face shape. Larger angular earrings may also work well. Stud earrings, , tiny earrings and button or ball shaped earrings should be avoided for the most part as they tend to do nothing for a round face. Round hoops may not be the most flattering earrings for a round face shape either, but longer oval or angular open designs may work.
OBLONG: Studs and button earrings tend to suit this long face shape as they bring the eye up and don't appear to be dragging the face downward. Round hoops usually look good and chandeliers can often compliment this face shape as well since they are wider dangling earrings. Multi-layered styles can be the most flattering longer earrings for oblong face shapes.
HEART: Since this face shape is wider in the forehead and narrower in the chin, the most flattering earrings for this type are often wider on the bottom and narrower on top. Inverted triangles and regular teardrops tend to compliment the angles of a heart-shaped or triangular face. Round hoops don't usually flatter this face shape, but oval earrings may work nicely.
Diamond Your goal is to choose narrow shapes that add width to your jawline

Choose the following shapes: Short and wide earrings, small tear drops and pear shapes, triangle shapes, ovals and studs.

SQUARE: This face shape tends to have a strong jaw line and larger round hoops can be the most flattering earrings to compliment the look of a square jaw. Square earrings of any size or style generally aren't the best kind for a square face. Dangling earring styles do usually work with this face shape. 

Rectangle choose earrings that have more width than depth and soft curves rather than angles round buttons, tear drops, hoops and curved edged earrings ovals. If you have long hair, drops no longer than your chin and with some width too

Triangle Choose round shaped earrings, exclamation point-shaped and Crescent-shaped ones. Not to choose earrings with clear angles, like triangle, square, diamond ones.
Inverted Triangle  try some drop or round shaped earrings, not to choose diamond shaped, and heart shaped earrings which would make your jaw narrower.

  

Remember ladies, these are guidelines only, and very few faces are shaped exactly the same.  Have a "one on one" earring party in front of the mirror and Have fun !!

Requests I don't think so

We finally got the Etsy shop up for our screen printing business. You can see Dan's first T-shirt up in the shop. This Homie The Clown shirt has completely been digitally repainted. Great idea for DJs at parties and gigs. Check back for more great designs here at http://www.etsy.com/listing/58799700/requests-i-dont-think-so

Cordelia

Abstract and beautiful necklace made from dyed coral pieces.  I used a vintage rhinestone button for my center piece. It hangs chevron style on the neck.

Belladonna

I made this necklace with dyed red stone beads. I used oxidized black steel wire to link the stones together. S liinks were formed and hammered along with black leather in this piece. The beads are put together in a graduated pattern so that it forms a comfortable collar.

Jasper and agate choker

Alternating jasper and agate discs that fall very comfortably on the neckline.

More Agates

These green agate beads extra large and make perfect pendants. Copper wire combines with colors in the stone beads nicely. The first bead has been wrapped with weaved copper wire. I then oxidized it with a mixture of sea salt and Ammonia. The chemical reaction makes a nice blackish blue color.

The second agate is a beautiful apple green peppered with black speckles. I coiled and then used a netted wire wrap and accented it with brown seed beads.

Kingman turquoise cabochon

This is the cabochon I won from Cabbing rough's contest on Beading Arts Blog. It is a beautiful turquoise cab with rivers of golden color running through it. I did a simple wrap to follow the contour of the stone in copper wire.

Green earrings

These earrings were shaped and then hammered into triangle dangles. I coiled and weaved the frame with copper wire and then added faceted green beads .They swing from handmade earring wires adorned with little jade beads. I also did some weaving and wrapping.

Autumn

This bracelet has  the pretty colors of  my favorite season. I added lots of warm stones in different shapes and sizes. There is agate jaspers, green jades, orange and amber jades, green carnelian jades, orange carnelians, aqua blue shell beads and lots of copper. They are attached with handmade rose head pins.