New Bracelets Loaded--Earrings Coming Soon!

This weekend has been all about jewelry.  I spent Saturday making 23 pairs of earrings and today creating new bracelets, and photographing all of the new jewelry.  This bracelet is entitled "Box Of Violets".

For more information on the new bracelets, and of course, more pictures, just check out my web site HERE.

The earrings will be added to the web site once all of the pictures have been sorted and edited.  Look for them in the next few days.

Have a great night!

Web Site Updated - More Purple Pix

Just a quick one tonight since its getting late, but I wanted to let you know that additional (and larger) photos of the "Purple Knight" and "Purple Squire" pieces have been added to my web site. 

Now you can see them in  more detail and even run them as a slide show, as you can with all of my pictures on the website.

For the whole scoop, click HERE.

Sleep Tight!

What Goes With A Knight?

A Squire of course!  

I was quite productive last night, completing the bracelet that matches the "Purple Knight" necklace, getting my beads cleaned from the weekend and finishing the last disk of Battlestar Galactica before the Friday night premiere.

The only thing I didn't get done was my blog entry, so I'm making up for that now.  

This charming bracelet, which I've titled "Purple Squire" keeping in theme with the necklace, features two of the "Deep Purple" hollow beads, sterling silver wire and toggle clasp, and a hand-woven Byzantine chain in aluminum.

The focal of the bracelet has been left straight, but can also be bent to curve around the wrist if the eventual owner prefers.

Since the chain is aluminum, which will not tarnish, and the beads are hollow, it a very light weight piece of jewelry and should be quite comfortable to wear.

This bracelet is designed to fit loosely on a 7.5 inch wrist, but, since it is chain mail, can be expanded or shortened easily to fit just about any wrist.

Driving Miss Daisy

Our evening out at the play was a lot of fun.  The First Folio production of "Driving Miss Daisy" was quite charming and warm and much more like the movie than I would have thought.

If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out.  It's sure to give you a wonderful evening of entertainment as it did for us.

Have a great day!

Do You Like Purple Knights?

I took my latest chain mail design, entitled "Purple Knights" to work today to get everyone's reaction to it and to see if it needed to be lengthened when the ladies tried it on.

As fate would have it, several of them were wearing purple or coordinating colors and it was great to see it on them.  They all seemed to really like it.

This necklace utilizes several of my "Deep Purple" hollow beads and disks in conjunction with a striking Byzantine weave chain which I designed around the beads.    A simple "S" clasp is used currently, but I will probably trade it up for a more ornate "S" clasp or a toggle when I get some more in stock.

I wasn't sure I could work beaded sections into a chain mail necklace and have it come out looking like I wanted, but I was apparently wrong.  I love how this necklace hangs and I hope this type of design will be very popular at upcoming shows.

I know I promised this would entail a matching bracelet, but I haven't finished it yet (its half done).  Actually, I will have three matching bracelets when all is said and done since the size of the beads and length of the beaded sections would have made one bracelet way too big once I started connecting them with chain mail.  While I could have worn the larger size, I'm not making bracelets for myself...it would look funny on me.

A Package Arrives

My latest glass order arrived today in a large box that I cannot wait to rip into.  With everything going on tonight, I just didn't have time to open it and inventory the glass.  It will happen soon I can assure you since I have several new colors and more colors that I've been out of for a while.  Lots of cool beads coming soon!

Tomorrow Night

I may not have a posting tomorrow evening since Robert and I going to see a new play at First Folio Shakespeare Festival in Oakbrook.  The play we're seeing is "Driving Miss Daisy", and I cannot wait.  Having seen the movie several times, I cannot imagine how it would be produced on the stage, but I guess I will find out tomorrow.

If we get home early enough, I will let you know how it was, but the update will probably need to wait until Wednesday night.

Have a great evening!

I'm Giving My Kiln A Workout

This has been a very busy weekend here with making new beads,  chain mail jewelry and updating my website.

New Beads Made (LOTS OF THEM!)

I was on the torch both Saturday and Sunday and created several sets of beads that I'm planning on using for earrings for the upcoming shows.  I'll probably add a few pairs of earrings into my Etsy Shop as I get them made since I have made enough for at least two pair of earrings in most of bead set designs.

There are a few of the designs that I'm not sure how they will come out until the beads cool, so I've only got enough of those for a single pair of beads.

I'm very pleased I was able to get so many beads made this weekend since I need to ramp up production for shows.  My kiln has been running all weekend with a full load, which is really great.  I can't wait to get them out and take a look.

Lots of pictures are coming, so stay tuned for those once I get the beads cleaned and photographed.  I'll be photographing the beads before being made into earrings and will be updating the web site with them soon.

Chain Mail Jewelry Update

My necklace ensemble that I started working on Friday night is still in process.  The necklace is completed and I think it looks stunning.  I'm taking it to work to see how it fits some of ladies there since I'm not sure if I need to extend it or not.  

I promise, pictures of the necklace are coming.  I'm also working on the design for the matching bracelet which I cannot wait to get started.  I think it will be awesome (nothing like confidence, right?).

Web Site Updated!

OK, with everything going on getting applications done for the two art fairs completed, I've neglected my web site a bit over the past week and half or so.  So I took a little time on Saturday to update it with several new galleries of pictures.

Come check out all of the new pictures in the site's What's New section!

I hope you all have had a great weekend, and I look forward to talking with you again soon.

Have a great night!

New Jewelry In The Works

Attention all you purple lovers out there...

I've got a new jewelry ensemble in the works, and it utilizes my first set of hollow beads that I ever made.  

The bead set being used, "Deep Purple",  has been rolled in a wonderful frit which gives thema  mottled and varied hue;  the set also includes coordinating disk beads.  I'm so anxious to show it off to you, but I've just started it tonight. 

The new ensemble will be a necklace and matching bracelet created in chain mail.

I've been thinking about taking this set of beads out of my shop for a while since I have been visualizing using it a new design, but I wasn't sure if the design in my head would come out looking right or not once it was put together.

I evaluated several different construction techniques and ruled out several of them until I settled on the chain mail design connecting beaded components on sterling silver wire.

I should have the two pieces done by the end of the weekend, and I can't wait to show it to you.

Until then, I hope you have a great Friday! 

Come See The Blonde Tiger. It's been Chained!

I like to keep my promises.  Sometimes it's not always possible, but I like to keep them when I can.  Tonight I can.

As promised, I have another new necklace design featuring a warm pendant that reminds me of a lightly colored blonde tiger.  The pendant hangs on a long, handmade chain of copper and aluminum in the elegant Byzantine design.   Allow me to introduce you to "Blonde Tiger, Chained".

This necklace is long one, over 24 inches, but it's worth every inch.  Warm colors just ooze from this design and its especially pleasing to me since I made the whole thing from start to finish. 

 

The copper rings have been toned down a bit in this design by using an aluminum ring in between the copper rings that hold the sections together.  I decided upon this design while contemplating making my second chain mail design.  

I didn't want to duplicate the same exact chain from the first design, so I opted to make this minor adjustment and see what happened. The result is a little more subtle warmth in the chain that, I think, matches the warm colors in the focal well.

I've posted this necklace, and last night's "Byzantine Twilight" into a new gallery on my web site if you would like to see more of these necklaces.

What do you think of this new necklace?

Have a great night and terrific day tomorrow!

Welcome To Byzantium!

Today I took two new necklace designs to work to see what they thought of the new chain mail design that I learned at my class a couple weeks back.  I wasn't sure what they would think or how they would react, but I wanted to see if they thought the designs was worth pursuing since they're pretty good at predicting what others will buy.

To say that the necklaces were well received, would be an understatement.  The loved the necklaces! One of my coworkers, who had seen the rings that I made the chain from, said that she had no idea that this was what I was planning on making with the rings.  

This is the first of the two necklaces (the only that is complete at the moment), for your review.  I've entitled this one "Byzantium Twilight" since the chain design is a Byzantine weave.

This chain incorporates copper and aluminum rings in the design with an organic focal bead that I made at Bead and Button last year during class.  A copper toggle completes the chain and makes putting on and taking it off very easy (since I'm such a klutz!).

This necklace is mine, and I cannot wait to see the reaction of others when I wear it.

I'm planning on having several of these types necklaces made up when I go to shows and see what folks think.  The focals can be anything from a large grape or tree bead to a simple organic focal for a more subtle look.

I'm hoping that this particular style will be popular with men as well as women.  

What do you think?