An Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine war upon your face.
May the rain fall softly on your fields,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I have always loved this little blessing.  I wanted to share it with you today.

I do not bead on Sunday, but the Fusion Beads challenge for March suggested that I make something green today.  I have been beading all month and have made a lot of green items.  I don't have to make them today, only wear them.  Have been wearing them all week, by the way.

Hope to get this blog caught up this week.  I have been 'frought' with problems.  The beading went well, the photos not so great, but the computer was el busto.  My hard drive died.  I have been using a simple minded back-up computer that Dan had sitting around in his office.  It has nothing on it but the internet. AND it is the slowest computer on the planet.  I might be getting my email, but accessing the sites there is so impossible.  It takes forever to go to any site. (besides the silly computer just shuts off at random)  I am not used to that.  It drives me to distraction--I just give up and decide to read it later.  It is not easy to get computer time on the house computer either.  When it is not in use, I am otherwise engaged.

So, I have no access to my pictures, to my Excel, or anything.  I do hope it is not lost forever.  My last off computer backup on the bead inventory was quite a while ago.  Many, many items were put in since then as I have worked diligently to inventory all the boxes of beads that were sitting around here.  I shan't do it again.  It was months of work. 

The same day the WiFi router died and there was no access to even my email on my Kindles.  I have been dead in the water.  Woe is me.  But I kept on beading and have a great pile of jewelry made this month in accordance to the March Challenge.  I hope to have a new hard drive installed in my sad computer in the next couple of days so I can publish all my month's work. 

So until then  May the road rise up to meet you. . .

Preview of the coming week.  Catching up is hard to do.

Use A Bead In Your Stash.

Today:  Use a bead that's been in your bead stash forever!

Where do I begin.  My stash is full of beads that have been here forever.  I chose Jade--with green being the COY and March and all.  I collected a goodly stock of Nephrite Jade a long time ago.  The time is now.

First, the earrings.  One pair of lovely carved shamrocks are made into an earring set along with Sterling Silver earwires and other findings.  They are precious.  They are also lost.  They were worn to work today for St. Patty's Day early--not open on Sundays.  Then I decided to take them off and use the Celtic Charm earrings to go with the gold necklace I wore.  Alas, they are now missing.  I took them off at work and cannot find them anywhere.  

If and when I do locate them, I will put them in this blog.  So sad!

Use Swarovski Mini Bead in an Earring

Today:  Use colorful Swarovski Elements mini beads in a pair of earrings!

Done--planned ahead and ordered a few of the new mini flat rounds in green, of course.  They are small.

This Saint Patrick's Day earring is all Irish.  Included in the earring are gold Celtic design beads and gold shamrocks with the emerald green mini bead in between;  an breeze to make and a fun earring for the holiday.

See:  Celtic Charm:

Make A Piece for Girl's Night Out

Today:  Make a piece for girl's night out with lots of sparkle and go get your bling on!

My girl's night out is Book Club which I missed last night.  I don't do bling at Book Club.  I do have the perfect string of high quality quartz crystals found in my stash to make a real snazzy necklace.  Will add on when complete.

Use Your Favorite Seed Bead Mix

Today:  Use your favorite seed bead mix in a design.

Pass for today.  Do I have a favorite seed bead mix???

There is one that I purchased for a necklace I designed last year for a contest.  (See Come Summer, Aug. 19, 2012.)  Another string of seed beads and 4 mm Swarovski crystals was to go along with the necklace.  

I will try to add that and show and tell for today's challenge.  If I can find them.  Where is that black  hole anyway??  

Finish An Unfinished Beading Project

Today:  Take a step back and finish an unfinished beading project!

Now let's see.  Which project do I want to tackle first?  I chose an old one.  Again the inspiration comes from Stringing Style by Jamie Hogsett,  Pearl Cluster, cover and pg. 60.

While ordering beads, many moons ago, even many years, I found just the perfect cherry/cranberry colored pearl beads and knew they must be made into this necklace.  No focal bead was found.  Then some fun red wiggle wire appeared and was purchased and set aside for the piece.  Last year a lampworked bead showed up that suddenly said, "I'm the one."

The piece was started, but, lo, never completed.  Pearl beads, in case you haven't used them before, have the tiniest holes.  That is why the perfect tool to invest in is a pearl reamer.  One must also use finer wire with pearl--.012 or .014 AccuFlex or Bead-A-long is the best.  The wiggle wire was not that fine.  Each pearl had to be reamed out from both sides before they could be coaxed onto the wire.  As seen in the picture below, there are many, many pearls to be strung.  Thus, the project was tabled after a while--very labor intensive.

Now complete, it was a big, huge project.  It took way more than one day to complete.  Now it is gratefully done.  Whew!  The open wires are supposed to be that way, thankfully.  That saved a lot of time and energy.  I chose the red wiggle wire because some wires are exposed;  thought it might look better than plain gold.  It really doesn't show up that much, more the pity.  Random gold beads are strung throughout the piece.

It is pretty and a bit elegant for my clothes, but I could get something new.  Ha, ha, ha.  It will look good on a white knit top with a nicer, straight skirt.  Must dig deeper.

View it:  Pearls ala Cherry:

It is a somewhat cumbersome necklace with 6 rows of pearl beads.  Three rows are attached to the focal bead.  The focal is a lampworkeded bead with flakes of gold and multiple colors.  Earrings will come later.  See focal bead:

Gold focal bead compliments the gold strung beads.

Use a Found Object in a Jewelry Piece

Today:  get creative and use a found object in a jewelry piece!

Pass today.  Found a beautiful feather, but have not yet designed a piece of jewelry from it.  Probably wouldn't wear a feather.

To fill in for this day, I found a use for a spiral bead that I keep looking at wondering what to do with it.  It is a lime green bead that has a fancy coating on one side to make it iridescent.  I combined it with a silver earwire and hung a silver dolphin from the eyepin used to connect the earring.  It is pretty and fun.

See:  Dolphin Spiral:

Agree?  Cute.

Make a Wire Wrapped Ring

Today:  Get your mandrel out and make a wire wrapped ring!

It is Sunday.  No beading today.  I will make that ring soon.  I must locate the gold wire first.  It has fallen into the black hole in my craft room.

For today:  Psalm 19: 7-10  The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:  the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:  the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:  the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:  sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Repair a Broken Jewelry Piece

Today:  We've all got one--it's time to repair that broken jewelry piece.

I have that piece.  Several pieces.

The piece I chose to repair is one of the first pieces of jewelry that I made.  The crimp bead broke and beads went all over the carseat. It is constructed out of acrylic beads that I purchased at Walmart when I first got interested in jewelry.  I didn't know they were 'acrylic' for a long time.  I just assumed they were glass.  Silly me.  I have now developed the tooth test to distinguish glass from acrylic.  By the way, they were not labeled as to content. 

I found this wonderful book, Stringing Style, by Jamie Hogsett, and fell in love with everything in the book.  I have made many of the bead projects.  At first, I had to have the exact beads and would look all over town and even in Pocatello for them.  I finally branched out with my own ideas.  

This necklace was made before I knew about beads all over town, and I bought all my beads at Walmart and JoAnns.  My first attempt was Foxy Cleopatra, pg.47.  It had some vintage beads and bells and carnelian and a fused glass pendant.  I didn't even know what that meant, but it was beautiful and I didn't find anything like it.  

My version was made with a collection of red acrylic beads from a large mixed package--Walmart, of course, and vintage gold dangles from a pair of earrings that belonged to my mother.  I don't remember her wearing anything like them so they may have been really old, before my time.  Therefore, the necklace is my Foxy Cleo necklace (my mother's name).

It has a slight oriental look because  I made a second necklace to wear with it made with oriental lantern shaped beads.  I could make it today with carnelian and real bells and a fancy glass pendant, but I don't want to.  It means more to me the way it is.

The original Foxy Cleo Necklace:

Without second necklace.

With second necklace

Gather Fellow Beaders

Today's (not) challenge:  Gather your fellow beaders and have a beading date night!

This outing or ining is scheduled for later in the month.  I am so pleased to find friends who would like to bead.  They are invited over but not tonight.

Contingency plan:  On the first day of March I made several pair of earring to fill in on days when I just cannot make anything.  

Tiger Eye Heart is constructed of 25mm carved Tiger Eye hearts, T/E rondelles and faceted T/E round beads.  All the findings are in Gold Plate.  An up-eye is first glued into the hole at the top of the heart,  then wire is attached with wire wrapping, the beads strung on with bead caps on either side of the round beads and earwires attached to the top with wire wrapping.  This is an easy project.
The most time involved is waiting for the glue to dry overnight.

See it:  Tiger Eye Heart Earring:

Tiger Eye is one of my favorite gemstones.  As the piece moves the gold lights up as in the heart on the left.  This is called chatoyancy and is present in many gemstones with Tiger Eye being one of the most noticable.  They are beautiful.  As the earring dangles, the lights of the stone change and dance.

Make a Piece Using Cord.

Today's challenge:  Make a piece using cord.

Not much challenge in this piece.  The focal bead is an extra large heart that defies placement in a piece of jewelry.  For the month of February it was worn on a piece of green cord (only at home) in accordance with the COY--Emerald Green.  It was warn over several new Emerald and Kelly green tops.  It wanted an idea and this piece just begged to be finished properly.

This is the result:  large glass heart, red 1mm leather cording and small red glass hearts held in place with a copper crimp beneath them.  For a clasp, a handmade dark copper hook was cooked up with copper coils as an cord end.  

Here is Hearts and Hearts Necklace:

A larger cord would be suitable. but would not fit through the small red hearts that have a hole drilled across the top instead of through the center.  There are more hearts in the inventory to play with.

Try A Different Metal

Today's challenge:  Try a different metal in your Jewelry that you don't normally use.

I use a variety of metals in the jewelry I make.  Gold, Silver, Antique Gold, Silver and Bronze, Gun Metal.  There is not much left to choose from.  Therefore, I chose a different metal finding in the stash that needs to be used.  

Recently I purchased some gold rings to use on necklaces--you know the look, many charms suspended in a circle from a long chain.  Still waiting to do that.

These circles are gold with gold wire wrapped around them.  Not the usual circle.  They came in two sizes--1 1/2 inch and 2 inch.  

Perhaps they  would make an interesting earring.  Little tails of faceted carnelian rondelles were suspended on headpins and attached in threes to the bottom of the 1 1/2 inch rings with earwires attached to the top.  

There it is:  Not Your Mother's Earring. (ps  the dangles move over to be centered easily.  Not a mistake.)

Would I wear them?  Not really.  I have a second choice to go with the Mexican Fire Opal/Carnelian necklace.  It will show up later.

Clean Up--Use Leftover Beads

Today:  clean up your stash and use up some leftovers.

Interesting idea.  I have lots of leftover beads, but they are not so easy to find.  Here is a project that used two beads that I keep running into and really want to do something with.  This is not such a memorable project, but it was fun and easy.  I need easy some days this month or I will never finish.

The beads are green lampworked beads that have a fancy gold stripe around the middle and a wavy gold line top and bottom.  Tiny bits of glass have been fused onto the gold line.  I have always kept these aside to use, but what can you do with only two beads?

I decided to make a pair of earrings.  Emerald Green is the Pantone Color of the Year so I am making many green items.  This will go with some of the necklaces that I will make.  

I consider these two beads to be somewhat regal.   A gold headpin that is flattened on the end is used to look like a tiny tassel.  The main beads are flanked with small green Swarovski bicones to add sparkle and jewel tones and fill the large hole.  The beads are suspended an inch or so down the pin from a gold jumpring to give them movement and presence.  

See The Royal Green Earring:

One bead is fancier than the other, but as my Mother used to say:  "Who's going to notice on a galloping goose."  

Learn a New Seed Beading Stitch.

I must pass on this one.  I know a new technique that I wish to learn, but the beads I want to use have not arrived.  This may be another project for another day (or month).  Seed beading is very difficult for me.  Arthritis happens.  However, the exercise of beading is good for arthritis.  

I do have another project that I would like to do.  One of them may be done before the month is over.  Don't hold your breath.

Make a piece of jewelry to give to a friend.

March 3 was Sunday.  I do not bead on Sunday. 

Instead I offer this:  Exodus 20:8+   Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God:  in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter. . . 

Later in the week I remade a watchband that was given to one of my good friends.  It was too large.  I rearranged the beads and replaced some of the extra large ones that I thought would eventually annoy her.  I do not care for extra large beads on my watchbands.  She is not a flashy sort of person and I think she will be happier with her watchband.  If not I will put them back in.  One cannot always know the desires of other people.

I did not take a picture of the band.  

String a Beautiful Necklace

Today's challenge is to string a beautiful bracelet or necklace and crimp away.  That is a simple challenge.  I brought out all of my personal stash of beads--things I bought for myself, for something I saw in a book, or beads that I bought at the Gem Faire.  As a rule these beads are for me.  I found many beads to make into jewelry and got so excited to start that I couldn't go to bed.  I just wanted to bead.   No housecleaning, no laundry, no cooking--just beading.

This is the first project that I think fits the challenge.  First to credit the inspiration:  The Book:  Bead Journey,  Jewelry from around the world, Bead Style Magazine Books, pg. 82.  Mexico:  showcase Mexican Fire Opals, by Lindsay Haedt.

I will never be able to afford Fire Opals.  I priced some at close to $300 per strand and this necklace took two and one-half strands of similar style beads.  I used some gorgeous faceted carnelian rondelles that I had in my stash.  I purchased them for  considerably less.  They are extremely handsome beads but  perhaps have less fire that opals.  I do love carnelians and was excited to get this necklace made.

(Side note:  According to my Brazilian friend, these are not the color of carnelians that come from Brazil.  She says that Brazilian Carnelians are darker and red.  I was not impressed be the red carnelians that I saw, but from Oriental Trading Company you can't expect first quality beads.  I wait to see some pretty red ones.)

The beads are simply strung together with random gold spacers.  I chose to use plain spacers because my gold beaded spacers were not shiny, but antiqued.  It was finished off with a gold plated magnetic clasp.  I used a heavy duty clasp because the carnelians I used were larger than the inspiration opals and would weigh a lot more. Stringing this many beads was tedious.  Then crimp, crimp it was done. 

Here is my necklace:

Somewhat ho-hum on the fabric I chose for March.  May fix that later.  

The necklace is 29 inches long and 7-8 millimeters across.  The earrings will be explained later.  They are another day's project.  I do like this necklace. It is perfect for all the orange clothes that were purchased last year when the Pantone Color of the Year was Tango Tangerine.  (Think "The Wiz" for an exaggeration of the COY--That was Ariane's first thought.)

Finally!!!!

Today is the first day that I could go outside to take some pix.  It is still winter-like, but a little warmer.  It is overcast and windy and some of the pix are a little too bright, so I moved the bright pieces in the house.  I don't like the light in the house for pix as a rule.

I am starting with a  montage (sp?) of jewelry made for the first part of the month.  I arranged them thus when classes were coming over to show what I was doing with my beads.  

That it may show up in the proper order I will treat this as the post for March 2 even though it March is almost over.  I may not catch this all up before the end of the month; I have Pack Meeting, work, women's conference and Easter.  See what I can do today.

Time Marches On

It March 2013 and I am challenging myself to bead daily again.  This is craft month and Fusion beads is doing their March Beading Challenge again.  I am up for it (once more).  Last year I made it to March 6th.  Let me pass that date this year and keep on beading.

 

The first challenge is to make a pair of earrings.  Easy peasy.  I have made at least 6 pair of earrings so far.  I must admit that this first pair was made in February for fun, but I now have made one in silver to sell.  I hope to get a spot on a farmer's market this summer once a week.  I think earrings are the easiest to make so I may just feature them.  

Hearts of Green is made simply with a partially drilled green aventurine heart to which I glued an up-eye and then constructed the earrings--one pair in gold for me and one in silver.  Add a very simple wire wrapped beaded rondelle and Swarovski Palace Opal Crystal and voila, it is done.  We don't want to start out too hard and get discouraged.

Taking the pictures was discouraging.  Not the best.  The beads really do match the hearts better than it shows.

  

With Silver

With Gold