I've been slacking on the blogging. I'm sorry. But I have been busy with beading, at least. Here's a necklace that took some time. It's a little more complicated than it looks, but really only because of getting ALL those strands hooked onto the chain without any of them being twisted.

This necklace has a lot of bling! 150 Swarovski crystals and 5-1/2 feet of sterling silver chain, to be exact! Each strand is made from 2" of chain, then 15 Swarovski 4mm bicones, then another 2" of chain. There's 10 of these strands in the necklace. There's also a chain strand without any crystals that goes after the 5th crystal strand (so it will be 5 crystal strands, one chain strand, 5 crystal strands).

The first strand starts at the 1st link after the dead center of the necklace chain. Eyeball how much you want it draping, then connect the other end to the left of the center. Move over 4 links and repeat. Do this until you've connected all 11 strands. Add a clasp, and you're finished!

Brass, copper, and gunmetal...oh my!

When most people think of jewelry, they think silver or gold. But there's a whole world of metal outside the two most favored metals. When making jewelry, remember that brass, copper, antique copper and gunmetal are great alternatives that are very cost-effective choices.

Besides being a appealing for their money-saving qualities, the various alternative metals can some times go where silver and gold can't. Brass, for example, is a must-have to achieve a vintage look.

The filigree links may come in silver or gold, but they won't give the same vintage 'feel' to your piece.

Copper is a metal that some people shy away from because it can some times be too 'coppery.' But copper is a good choice for auburn or flaming red hair. Copper can be toned down with the right beads or with being combined with antique copper.

In this pair of earring, the ear wires are copper, while the bead caps are antique copper. And in the following bracelet, you can see how antique copper gives the bracelet a look that compliments the stones...much better than a brighter silver or gold would have done.

Gunmetal is another alternative metal that works well with pieces that need to look a bit more modern or need a darker metal to make it all pull together better.

So when you're designing your jewelry pieces, think outside the gold and silver box. You'll be surprised at what lovely pieces you can create and how much money you'll save while doing it!

Themes in Jewelry

When beading, think of themes. Doesn't mean a party, simply a connecting thread. Just like the way the claimed healing power of certain stones gives a little more to a piece of jewelry without increasing the cost of it, themes can do the same thing. Think summer or any season, places, ideas - they'll all work for themes to give your jewelry that extra little something which makes each piece more interesting.

Here's a bracelet I made thinking of the ocean. The pearls gave me the idea for the inspiration. It doesn't look like the ocean - no shells or sea creature charms, but the beads come from the ocean...pearls and coral. I chose a peach-dyed freshwater (not really ocean, but close enough) pearl to coordinate with the coral. 

Even the clasp is ocean-themed. A gold-plated dolphin clasp completes the ocean theme.

Sometimes, though, a theme can be obvious. This shell necklace might not have been obvious to start with, but the addition of starfish charms leaves no room for doubt. Here's some earrings that have an obvious theme, too:

So if you get stuck with trying to create a design, sometimes the beads can speak to you in more than one way...let them! Instead of always thinking color or proportion, think themes and see what comes to mind.

Earrings, earrings. How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

Can't say enough about earrings. Not the love of wearing them, but the love of making them. Earrings can be a lifesaver if you need to make something right away but don't have a big stash of beads handy. They're great if you have beads left over from other projects and don't know what to do with them. As long as you have two beads, you're good to go. And they're the go-to project when you just don't have a lot of money to spend on beads, components, and/or findings. You can often make many pairs of earrings for the cost of one necklace.

Ever have a few Swarovski crystals left over from a previous project? Not enough to make another bracelet or necklace, but enough to take up valuable organization/storage space? Turn them into earrings!

Earrings take less time to make, as well, giving them the advantage of being go-to projects when you're strapped for time or, as was my case today, you just never know when the thunder storm is going to knock out your power! The ease in which you can crank out many pairs in a short amount time also make them desirable when you're first starting to get a business up and running. You can fill your inventory quickly.

And don't just think of earrings as a good way to use up small quantities of beads. They're also great when you have too much chain to throw away, but not enough for a necklace (or even a bracelet). These earrings could have been a bracelet, but I was in earring mode, so I used the chain to create a Swarovski dangle.

So get to it! Go through your supplies and see what you have that you had thought you couldn't use. You'd be surprised to see how much you can create with what little you have!

Magical, Mystical Beads

Ever wonder what treasures your beads may hold other than the obvious beauty they create when styled in a pair of earrings or a necklace? I love all things beading, so I decided to learn about many of the natural beads I use. I was intrigued to find that many stones are believed to hold healing powers. Whether you believe in things such as that or not, just knowing a particular bead is thought to hold healing powers, makes the bead more interesting in your work of art. It's always nice, too, when you can pass that information on to the person receiving the jewelry you've created.

Jasper is one of my favorites because there are so many different types of jasper; it isn't as costly as some other semi-precious stones; and it holds healing powers.

According to Peaceful Mind (http://www.peacefulmind.com/stones1.htm), jasper promotes "organizational abilities and courage to assertively tackle a variety of problems. This explains why jasper stimulates the imagination and transforms ideas into action....It can benefit us with support during prolonged illness and has the ability to re-energize both the etheric body and the physical body. Jasper resonates with our bodies since it is a microcrystalline variety of quartz, therefore this is the reason why it brings tranquility and wholeness when it is around us. It balances yin and yang.

Wow! What a variety of benefits that jasper brings the body and soul! But if you keep researching, you'll find that the different jaspers add more healing qualities...the reds, the greens, ocean jasper, etc.

I like to make jewelry based on these purported healing qualities of stones because I find it fascinating (even though I have to admit that I'm not a true believer) and feel that sometimes a little placebo could go a long way. If your customer thinks it will help, it just may. And the added information you pass along is free, but adds value to your piece.

Bringing the Past Into the Present

Old jewelry can be a great starting place for beading projects. Sometimes they're falling apart and need rejuvenating. Sometimes they're falling apart and just need a complete overhaul into something entirely new. Sometimes they just need to be rescued from the past and brought into the present. Styles and trends change, even in jewelry; and retro doesn't always work.

For today's project, I took an old freshwater pearl necklace that had an aging clasp. The silver was looking more like gunmetal, so it was time to go.

I liked the simplicity of the necklace, but it needed a silver clasp, not a silver-wannabe one. Plus, it needed a little kick to ramp up the style just a bit. So I removed the clasp and restrung all the pearls. I didn't take away any of the integrity of the original design, just improved on it.

It's still a simple, minimalist freshwater pearl necklace, but it's been restrung to give it a longer lifespan; and it enjoys a new clasp and a little kick in style.

Just by changing the clasp (a simple sterling silver lobster clasp), the necklace was improved. But the Tribe Hill silver cones gave it that little oomph to improve without overpowering the original simple style.

It's very easy to update old looks in jewelry. Just a little imagination and you can manage to keep the original style AND bring the piece into the present style-wise.

Breaking the Rut

I've been happily churning out earrings every time I sit and bead. Earrings are fast and fun so they appeal to my ADD. But women do not live by earrings alone, so I had to break out of my happy place and work on something besides earrings. Luckily, I had Swarovski glass pearls, and who can't create when they sit in front of Swarovski?

My problem, I've found though, is making two strands work with the lengths. Do any of y'all have that problem? I have the bead board with the measures, but I still seem to always make one strand too long or too short. This piece had to be corrected before it could be labeled "finished."

Multi-strand necklaces are my achilles heel. What's yours?

To Shop or Not to Shop

Tomorrow is the last day of a sale at one of my favorite online bead stores. Do I buy more, to get the most of this really good deal, or be happy with what I'd already bought earlier in the week? Decisions, decisions.

I have a few places online where I shop. There really isn't anywhere near me that I can go to in person, other than JoAnns or Michaels. Where do y'all buy your beads at? I appreciate any hints of places that offer great prices or unique beads.

For those starting out, check the sites carefully before deciding to buy. Not all sites are created equally, and they can often differ depending on whether you bead for pleasure or for business. Most places will offer discounts based on volume buying. Some offer free shipping, others don't. Catch there is - make sure you check the prices carefully. A free shipping site may have a higher cost on the merchandise. Not always, but it's always best to look carefully to be sure.

Also, make sure to sign up for newsletters from the sites you decide on. Why miss a good sale because you don't like spam? But be careful here, too...some sites get a little over-enthusiastic about sending emails, though you may have the option to curb some of the correspondence if it gets to be too much. Fire Mountain Gems, for instance, will send emails almost every day if you click on all the options they offer, but they do give the opportunity to say that you prefer to only hear from them once a week or whatever. My two personal favs, artbeads.com and fusionbeads.com only send  emails once a week and that's how I hear about their sales.

Be creative and open-minded when choosing where to shop. Pretend you're in the grocery store and comparison shop. Sometimes a price looks good until you break it down to the per-bead price. Then you quietly back away and RUN!

And if you find a site that is to beading die for...let me know!

Earrings made from beads ordered from fusionbeads.com. Design idea also came from their site on the Inspiration section.

Ready to Rumble

Now that I'm all moved in, I can finally get back to work. Yay! First order of business was, believe it or not, painting! Yes, painting, not beading. My craft/work room was a depressing dark beige and it needed a spark of color to get the creative juices flowing.

My granddaughter acted as my professional designer. She chose a light purple called Lilac Bouquet. I think it works. It's a nice cheerful color without being too overpowering. After that, letters of inspiration on the wall, and the walls were done!

I still have to get some minor rearranging done and some serious organization accomplished, but the walls kept me from working because I didn't want to drag anything out if there was going to be paint on the loose. The rest can be worked around my beading. The walls couldn't. But now I'm ready to get down and dirty and into some serious beading. Who's with me?