Crocheted Wrap Bracelet

I love the wrap bracelets that are so popular!  In fact, I've got a file full of tutorials stored on my computer!  This one is crocheted with waxed linen cord and hot pink lined clear seed beads.  I learned to do the square knot slide closure which I really like.

 

I like the button closures, but if I may rant for a bit, I get really frustrated with the selection and price of buttons in our little area.  Actually, shopping for any type of craft supplies requires a 45 mile trip, unless Wal-Mart has it, which is a 20 mile trip.   I know there is so much available online, but there are some things you just want to see and touch before you buy!  I do have a button box full of old (and not so old) buttons, but you know, there isn't always just what you need.  And there's the annoyance factor of searching through about a thousand buttons for just the right one!

So.... that's why I like the sliding knot closure, you don't have to search for a button that matches and it's adjustable so you don't have to worry about it being exactly the right size.

This bracelet is going to be part of a birthday gift (from my Mom) for my nephew's fiance'.   When she asked me for a bracelet for her, I tried to think of something a young woman would like.

My nephew was in the Army and was recently discharged.  While stationed at Ft. Hood, he met the girl of his dreams and proposed!  They just arrived back in Kansas last weekend so I haven't had a chance to meet her yet, but from what I hear from everyone that has, she's a doll!  Unbeknownst to them, my sister snapped this photo while she was visiting them in Texas. 

Aren't they sweet?

~Thought for Today~

"Take each other for better or worse, but not for granted."

~Arlene Dahl

P.S.  Is anyone else having problems with Blogger's "Preview" button?  I haven't been able to use it on my last several posts.

Purple Convertible

Necklace, that is, not a car! 

It converts from a long necklace to a choker and bracelet and the pendant is detachable so it can be worn several different ways.

I've seen this done but this is the first time I've ever done it.  It actually came about by accident.  When the original necklace was finished it was just a little shorter than I intended.  I actually like these necklaces in a shorter length, but I think most people prefer them longer.  I had extra beads so I decided to add the "bracelet", which can be attached to the necklace with toggle clasps, adding length.  The shell pendant is really pretty large.  Since some of us might not be comfortable with such a large pendant I attached a spring ring clasp to it so it can be worn with or without it. 

Hope you're having a great week!

~Thought for the day~

Our days would be happier if we gave people a piece of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.

"Mermaid" Wire Crochet Necklace

It was fun to work with these bright colors!  The shell pendant and ocean colors make me think of a mermaid and the green wire seaweed.

There are six strands of peridot wire with tiny seed beads in green and blue with an iridescent finish and some 6/0 gold lined green beads.  Each strand is a little different. 

The weather has been beautiful this week!  I'm sure there is more winter to come but this has been such a nice break!  And look at the gorgeous sunset we had the other night...

"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.” 

~Elbert Hubbard

"Victoria Lynn", a Victorian style necklace

"Victoria Lynn"

Quite a long time ago I was the winner of this beautiful focal from the blog of  LLYYNN.  Lynn Davis creates amazing hand cast pewter components.  She describes her pieces as "invented vintage and fauxtiques" and they are awesome!  Please check her blog and her Etsy shop to see more of her work.

This piece has been on my desk since I received it, just waiting for the right thing to come along.  In my last order of wire I ordered "Gunmetal" and it was just the right color for it.  The beads are Czech Fire Polished in a "Luster" mix.  All in all, I think it has a very Victorian look.

  Thanks, Lynn! 

~Today's Quote~

"Every day tell at least one person something you like, admire or appreciate about them."

~Richard Carlson

Thanksgiving Wishes

"Autumn Bounty"

~a necklace on gold wire in rich warm colors that remind me of the bounty of autumn.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day full of family, fun &  food!

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

~Author Unknown

"Nomad" Black & Silver Spool Knitted Necklace

When I saw this pendant from Blue Moon Beads' Global Nomad collection I immediately thought how perfect it would look on a spool knitted necklace.  I used silver wire, adding an opaque black 6/0 seed bead into each stitch, slid the pendant on and finished it with silver end cones and a lobster clasp.   

I do two craft shows each year.  The first one this year is next Saturday, the 20th, at the "Pecanfest" in Chetopa, KS.   If you're from our area, come check it out!  There will lots of fun things going on.  I'm looking forward to some homemade fudge from the "fudge lady"!  She has so many kinds to choose from but I always get Cherry Mash cause it's my favorite!

~Today's Quote~

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

~Charles M. Schulz

"Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining"

Beads in whites and greys like a cloudy sky and an occasional silver sparkly bead prompted the name for this necklace.  

I was thinking about this as I was making it so I thought I'd type the phrase in an internet search.  This is a portion of what I found:

Idiom Definitions for 'Every cloud has a silver lining '~ People sometimes say that every cloud has a silver lining to comfort somebody who's having problems. They mean that it is always possible to get something positive out of a situation, no matter how unpleasant, difficult or even painful it might seem. 

I also learned something new today!  I had to look up the definition of "Idiom".  In case you don't know either, here is what it is: 

Definition of Idiom ~ A phrase which has a meaning that is commonly understood by speakers of the language, but whose meaning is often different from the normal meaning of the words is called an idiom. 

So the thought for today is to remember to be positive and alway's look for the silver lining!

A "Winning" Combination

"Audrey"

In earlier posts I told about winning a couple of blog giveaways.  This is a combination of beads that I won.   The larger beads are 8mm Fire Polish beads in "Crystal and Rose Porphyr" that I received from Jewelry by Jessica.  (Porphyr beads have "swirled" colors.) The seed beads are some of the seed beads that I received from JustATish.  They're a perfect match!  Thanks again, girls!

The center section is crocheted and I made a matching spool knitted "chain" to connect to each side.  I originally planned on attaching regular chain but nothing I had looked right so I decided to add the spool knitted pieces.

I like to give them names so I'm going to call this one "Audrey".  It's such a soft romantic piece and that name just seems to fit to me.

~Today's Quote~

"You may delay, but time will not."

~Benjamin Franklin

Isn't that the truth!

"Colors of Fall" with Artbeads!

As an Artbeads design partner, we're celebrating the gorgeous colors of fall!

For the beginning of my design I chose this beautiful Copper Heart Shaped Leaf Pendant.  The selection of pendants is huge, so this wasn't an easy task!  But I fell in love with this one.  I dangled it from the top but it also has a piece on the back for stringing it horizontally.  I used copper wire to compliment the copper on the pendant.

I chose the rest of the beads from their glass beads.  I chose rust picasso roundelles, carnelain opal, chestnut coral and siam from the Czech fire-polished beads for most of the design.  I was not disappointed in the colors!  I love them!  I also added a second strand of 3/0 Dark Copper TOHO beads and finished it off with a 12mm copper-plated curled toggle clasp from their selection of clasps.  I liked that the curled design of the toggle clasp matched the swirls on the pendant. 

I liked the colors together so much that I decided to use the leftover beads and copper wire to crochet this pendant.  I really like the look of it on a leather cord!

Thank you, Artbeads, for allowing me to work with these beautiful beads and to celebrate the glorious colors of fall! 

Disclosure: I am a Blogging for Beaders partner with Artbeads. The above noted items were provided to me free of charge, to be used for design purposes, or for my honest review of them. I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

~Today's Quote~

Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

~Howard Thurman

Apricot Bling!

Wow, this necklace is sparkly!  I love these beads combined with the bright copper wire.  They're Czech Fire-Polished beads in "Metallic Apricot".  Each bead is half metallic and half clear apricot.  They match the copper wire perfectly.  The color makes me think of Rose Gold.

Have a nice weekend!

~Today's Quote~

Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how.

~Author Unknown

Blue Turquoise Grotto & Copper Necklace

For this necklace I used a seed bead mix called "Blue Turquoise Grotto", Czech Fire Polished beads in "Blue Turquoise" and "Carnelian", and some "Cinnamon Spice" bicones all crocheted on dark copper wire.  I also crocheted a matching pendant for this one. 

I'm not real sure that this color mix makes me think of a grotto but it sure is a pretty name!

~Today's Quote~

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day."

~Sally Koch

"Versatility" Necklace

This super long necklace is about as versatile as it gets!  Besides being made with multi-colored glass beads that will go with just about anything, there are several options for wearing it.

 

It can be worn as three long strands...

 

Doubled with a long and a short strand...

Doubled with even strands...

Or even tripled!

 

I added a big spring ring as a fastener which might come in handy.  You never know, it might even make a cute belt!

~Today's Quote~

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." 

~ Dr. Seuss

The Only Thing I Like About Fall Is The Colors.

Well, that's not exactly true, I guess.  Fall is very pretty and the temperature is a nice break from the heat of summer.  BUT...fall leads into winter.  Which I hate.  How can the summer go so fast and the winter drag on forever?   But fall is upon us.  It's being mentioned everywhere.  The kids are going back to school and it will be September soon.  

So... now that I've whined about it, I'll show you a new necklace with the beautiful colors of fall in mind! 

This one is made with autumn jasper chips and sparkly 8mm goldstone beads on vintaj bronze wire.    The sparkle of the goldstone doesn't show up in the picture but this is a description of it:  "Thousands of shiny flecks in a medium brown stone, invented by accident in the 19th century.  This manmade glass shimmers with every move."  So pretty!

~Today's Quote~

"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower."

~Albert Camus

"Lime Twist" Wire Crochet Necklace

  Again, one of my favorite colors!  For this five strand necklace, I crocheted a mixture of  lime, gold and antique gold seed and bugle beads on Peridot wire.  (Actually, chartreuse may be a better description of the color, but I couldn't think of a name to go with chartreuse!)  I left long ends on each side of the center section.  They are fastened to a big gold toggle clasp in the back.  The gold end cones make a nice finish on each side of the crocheted section.  There's quite a bit of sparkle to this one, too.  The bugle beads really catch the light.  This has to be one of my all time favorites! 

~Today's Quote~

The little things? The little moments ? They are not little!

The Blues

Seed beads in shades of blue were randomly crocheted on silver wire.  The four strands in this necklace were crocheted in one continuous piece.  It fastens with a bead and loop like a button and buttonhole.  I saw something similar made with yarn and thought I'd try it with wire and beads. 

On a personal note, my sister and I are going to Eureka Springs, AR for the weekend. (YAY!)  Saturday is the Worldwide Photo Walk where people from around the world meet, take a walk together and take photographs.  You don't have to be a professional photographer to enjoy the event.  

I've used this quote before but it's fitting because Eureka Springs is my "one small place of enchantment".  I plan to do a blog post some time in the future & share it with you. 

~Today's Quote~

"I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to."

~Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

"Salsa Dance" Wire Crochet Necklace

"Salsa Dance" in shades of bright orange and lime green! 

These are two of my favorite colors.  I love them separately or together!  So summery!  I crocheted the beads on silver wire and added a brightly colored glass pendant.  This one has a big fun toggle clasp.

But there is a problem.  I noticed when I decided to take a photograph of the clasp {which is poor, by the way, because I didn't want to go outside!  It's 94 with a heat index of 113 out there!} that one of the wires is broken near the clasp.  That never happens.  I don't know what caused it this time but it will have to be fixed.

~Today's Quote~

Make a wish and place it in  your heart.  Anything you want, everything you want.  Do you have it?  Good.  Now believe it can come true.  You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true.  But if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it, you just might get the thing you're wishing for.  The world is full of magic.  You just have to believe in it.  So make your wish.  Do you have it?  Good.  Now believe in it.  With all your heart.

"Au Naturale" Wood Necklace

This necklace is made with wood beads in assorted shapes and sizes and crocheted on bronze wire.  I finished it by stringing a row of beads on each side and attaching a wooden focal. 

I'm trying to get more creative with my photos because I just keep reading how important that is.  Ugh!  I take about a jillion pictures to get a few good ones!  My sister is the photographer in the family.  I wish I had her talent! 

I would love to know what works for you when it comes to taking pictures of your jewelry. 

Inside, Outside, Light box???  Any tips would be appreciated!

~Today's Quote~

The moment you stop saying "if" and start saying "when" is the moment your dreams start becoming a reality.

"Summertime" with Artbeads Necklace

Artbeads and Summertime Blogging Fun

As a design partner with Artbeads I got to choose items from their huge selection of pendants, charms and glass beads for the theme, "Summertime".  It was such a hard decision because they have so much to choose from.  I looked and looked but just kept coming back to this stoneware peace sign pendant.  I just love the bright flowers and little lady bug (and the peace sign!).  This is such a fun pendant!  The colors are so bright and it has a nice glossy finish. 

I wanted to incorporate all the bright colors in the pendant, so to complete the necklace I chose the following from their selection of glass beads:

Stoneware Small Cube Bead - Red

Stoneware Small Cube Bead - Yellow

6/0 TOHO Seed Beads Orange/Blue/White Stripes

8/0 TOHO Seed Beads in Opaque Cherry

8/0 TOHO Seed Beads in Opaque Shamrock

8/0 TOHO Seed Beads in Dark Yellow

8/0 TOHO Seed Beads in Sunset Orange

8/0 TOHO Seed Beads in Opaque White

Thank you, Artbeads!

Disclosure: I am a Blogging for Beaders partner with Artbeads. The above noted items were provided to me free of charge, to be used for design purposes, or for my honest review of them. I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Checkout Artbeads' "The World Greatest Bead" Sweepstakes.  Click here for details!

~Today's Quote~

How do we change the world?

One single act of random kindness at a time.

~from the movie, Evan Almighty

Red White & Blue Bling Bracelet

I saw a bracelet using sequins in one of my books and being a lover of "bling" I wanted to try it!  I bought a mixed bag of sequins and as I was sorting them, the red, blue and silver ones just caught my eye.  I was hoping to have it finished for a Memorial Day post but didn't get it done in time. 

 It also includes silver lined clear seed beads and red bugle beads.  It's actually pretty wide, about an inch and a half, including the sequins.  I really think I'd prefer it on a smaller scale, but it is pretty and sparkly and has lots of Bling!

I think these would be neat for twirlers or school spirit bracelets.

What do you think of it?

~Today's Quote~

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspired by Wedding Flowers and The Wedding Story

Erin of Treasures Found::Inspiration is Everywhere does a monthly challenge.  The challenge this month is to create something “Inspired by Wedding Flowers".   I decided to use my daughter’s wedding flowers as my inspiration. 

Please note that I didn't properly follow the rules for this challenge.  I just used it as a starting point for my own enjoyment!  If you're interested in joining the challenge please read the rules!

The Wedding Story…
Once upon a time there was a 16 year old girl who fell in love with a 25 year old guy.  They decided it was time to tell the parents. The young man came to talk to my husband.  Now my husband is a big guy so you have to admire the courage it took for this young man to tell him that he was in love with his daughter!  Well, my husband told him in no uncertain terms to stay away from his daughter!  We knew him and didn’t have a problem with him personally. He’s a nice young man and we approved of him, but as parents had a problem with the age difference since our daughter was still in high school.

Well, they continued to talk on the phone, but I’m sure they didn’t see each other because that was forbidden.  (Uh huh, I’ll just keep on believing that!)  The subject of them dating kept coming up and finally my husband agreed, with strict conditions!  They continued to date through her high school years and the day came that he proposed.  The wedding plans began!


We planned an outdoor wedding for May 6 at a garden a few miles from here.  Imagine walking through a vine covered canopy, down a lovely wooded path, past a small waterfall to arrive at the wedding site.  It was going to be beautiful!  Her flowers were Stargazer Lilies.  The wedding colors were hot pink and lime green.  She walked down the aisle to "Beautiful Mess “ by Diamond Rio.  A little unconventional but that is “their” song.  That’s what I love about weddings now days.  You can be unique, you can be you, you can do anything you want to do!


We planned to have the reception there, also.  I envisioned this lovely “afternoon tea” setting with guests lingering, enjoying the beautiful gardens, while having their cake and punch. Well, that was not to be…


It rained and rained and rained.  All day.  It wasn’t sprinkles, it wasn’t pouring.  Just a nice steady shower.  There was a small chapel on the property and that was our back-up plan if necessary.  We knew it would be very crowded but it would work.  She was so disappointed and determined that she wanted to be married outside.  Luckily, one of the guests was a Boy Scout leader and, “always being prepared”, he arrived early AND he had a canopy with him! They quickly set it up for the wedding party.  We sent someone to town to buy all the umbrellas they could find and she was married in the garden!


It was a quick ceremony due to the rain.  The unity candle and reception were moved to a hall they had rented for the party afterwards.  Due to our oldest daughter “knowing people” we were able to have an arch and yards of tulle and twinkle lights delivered and managed to set up a very pretty backdrop for the reception table!

As they say, “All’s well that ends well“.  It wasn’t exactly the wedding of her dreams but it still turned out beautiful and they just celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary!

I put together a little slide show with some of the wedding pictures.

And now for the jewelry:

"Katie's Bouquet"

I used small white seed beads with a pearl finish, and pink, green and yellow seed beads as accents on black wire.  I added some Czech Fire Polished beads. The color in these beads ranges from the palest pink to dark pink.  The pendant is from a garage sale find.  I think it resembles a lily.  If I had shopped for beads for this project it would have been more elaborate, but due to the distance of the nearest bead shop and the temptations involved with ordering online I just used what I had on hand!

  I enjoyed this trip down memory lane and hope you did, too! 

~Today's Quote~

"Some see age as a restriction, some see age as a number, I see age as mind over matter.

 If you don't mind it don't matter!"