Delays and news

So sorry I haven't updated! The Etsy shop is still empty with only a few days left til Christmas and I haven't put up any new pictures but things have been picking up crazy momentum over here. The most prominent new development is that I'll be moving to Seattle in January! Coming from a small hometown, the move is pretty intimidating but it'll be an experience and I'll actually be close to bead stores (not to mention a fantastic cosmetic brand named Fyrinnae)!
I've been experimenting with a few more techniques and have sold a few items since my last post. I made a pair of ombre freshwater pearl cluster earrings and was so excited to wrap them and send the present on its way that I forgot to take pictures. Maybe I can get a picture of them on the wearer instead.
Here are the things I did manage to finish and photograph amid the pandemonium.
First is Jess, an eyepin magnesite chain with copper findings.

Then comes Vienna, another eyepin chain made of mother of pearl. The grapelike focal is made of glass and moonstone beads.

The last necklace I completed is a silver Sewanee angel coin. I wanted it to be wearable and so I bezeled it in Sewanee's university colors and hung it on a silver chain.

So that's all for now. The world didn't end and the family events are still coming, there are presents to make and sweaters to wear and people to wish well so enjoy the holidays! Til next time.



Distractions

More necklace pictures today. This is Iris, the colorful 10-strand bead crochet with dyed mother of pearl discs and glass beads. And the loop closure at the back with a fun blue bead drop and small silver shell.

I may have one or two more crochet necklaces on my mind but I think those will have to back off for now to make room for some more distracting ideas. I'm enjoying playing with different types of multimedia chains but I miss my seed beads and I have more than a few thoughts growing in my sketchbook.

My attention is also being diverted by the Coheed and Cambria concert on Tuesday :) and I'm getting increasingly excited about it. I plan to have one more post up with another completed necklace before then and when I return from Nashville on Wednesday I'll get to work stocking my Etsy shop. It's been neglected for quite some time, as the pieces I wanted to put up for sale were sold locally! In my excitement I've left the poor little shop unstocked but I think I've settled into a more regular pace now and I plan to pay much more attention to it.

But it's a Sunday morning and work beckons and makes me wish I could work in a New Mexico crafts store instead. Thank you to anyone who stops by to read what I write or to look at the pictures, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Catching Up

I'm sorry I haven't been posting recently. I've been keeping busy experimenting with new beadwork projects, decorating the tree, hiding from the Black Friday mobs. I know I keep promising real posts, but then I seem to get behind again until the step-by-step pictures are forgotten and uncaptured and my regular updates are nowhere to be seen. So it looks like this is another post that will consist primarily of pictures, without much text and description. Please bear with me.

First, I stumbled across the pattern for June Huber's "totally twisted triangle" and decided to have a shot at making one. I thoroughly enjoyed it and once learned, the pattern is easy to remember and can be done and redone without a need to repeatedly look at the instructions. A good on-the-road project, as I've found out.
Peyote stitch bezeling was one of the first techniques I learned and I wanted to experiment with a fun, eco-friendly source. Thus, the Bacardi party pendant was born. It was my first real foray into fringe.

Then I got sucked into my current obsession, which seems to be bead crochet necklaces. This first one, which I've named Aurka, is made of mother of pearl chips and a vintage mother of pearl button as the focal. The clasp is also a square mother of pearl bead with two little seashell findings. I had a lot of fun making it, although I only learned the basics of crochet at summer camp and have now forgotten how to do anything but the most basic chain. I'll work on that.

 

 

 

 

The last necklace I completed was Yllis, another bead crochet bib-style necklace, this time made of citrine chips, moonstone, glass beads, Tohos, glass pearls and freshwater pearls. It's all done in a peach-black-white color palette I'm very fond of. The clasp is another vintage button loop closure with a fun pearl dangle down the back.

 

 

 

I think I have a few bead crochet necklaces left in my system before I move on to something else but Aurka is already sold so I suppose that a few more projects in the same style can't hurt too much :) and I plan to try out a few more thread colors. Again, thanks for reading! Anyone else out there playing around with bead crochet?



Opening shop!

I opened my Etsy shop today! So far the only necklace listed is Kura and I suspect she's rather lonely in there but I'm using all my free time today to work on my current project and I hope to have it up, photographed and listed withing the next two days.
In the meantime you can find the shop here :)
Thanks for reading!

Two New Necklaces!

This is Sára, a bezeled penny necklace with headpin fringe and green bicones.

And this is Kura, a cherry blossom inspired necklace made of rose quartz, glass and seed beads.

 

I know I said I'd start making real posts, but I've been incredibly busy recently and haven't really documented my progress. I'll try to be better. Thanks to anyone who's reading this and putting up with my slow posts!

PET Plastic!

While browsing on google I ran across these really cool upcycled creations by a woman named Gülnur Özdağlar. She uses PET plastics (like soda/water bottles) to make bowls, jewelry and even chandeliers! I'd recommend checking out her website. It's full of inspiration, and it's eco-friendly too :)
I was dying to try it out, so here are the results. They don't look as masterful as hers but hey, I had fun!
Soda-bottle-bottom floral plastic bib... I'm calling it Eco-whimsy

And I made little leafy embellishments for my herringbone choker. They were formerly part of a Sprite bottle.

I have a larger project planned for my leafies, but it'll take some time to finish. Keep you posted. Thanks for reading!

Headfirst

Jumping right in, this is what I've done so far and what I'm working on.
The first necklace I ever made:

Spiral tubular herringbone choker with a Swarovski rivoli bezel clasp. Unfinished

 

My first steps into bead embroidery... before I became aware that felt isn't the greatest choice for a base.

In-progress netted choker, which I plan to finish when I get more of the same color Tohos.

More later... real posts next time :)

Lethe, Point Blank

Hey to everyone who stumbles across this blog and decides to check it out! This isn't my first time blogging, but I wanted to start over and try a new topic. For the most part, this blog will cover my forays into beadwork and other jewelrymaking arts. I'm only a beginner but I'm always on the lookout for inspiration and new techniques. If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you!
- Hannah/Lethe