Blueberry Cove Beads-Fairy Tales

Are you familiar with Blueberry Cove Beads?

It is a bead subscription service.

You receive a monthly curated themed box of beads.

My first box seemed like it was created just for me.

The theme: Fairy Tales.

I am not kidding.

Here's what was in the box.

I created a couple tutorials for Isobel using the beads and components in the box.

I made these easy toadstool earrings.

You can find the full tutorial here.

I tell you step-by-step how to make your own pair.

I added a few other supplies not in the box to make my earrings like moss and earring hoops.

The tutorial also provides directions for making these whimsical earrings.

I used more earring hoops and some waxed linen cord to make these designs.

There are lots of beads and components in the box....

Enough to make several pieces.

So I did another tutorial for making this necklace as well.

You can find it here.

I just added some jump rings, silk strips and a skeleton key.

If you love to make jewelry but get overwhelmed with what to choose when you go shopping, Blueberry Cove Beads will be perfect for you.

Thanks for stopping by...

Lucketts 2016

We had a great adventure last weekend...

I had the pleasure of spending the day with my daughter and 2 best friends...

We drove to Leesburg, Virginia for the Lucketts Spring Market.

The weather was wet and overcast but there was still so much to see.

My daughter and I loved this new vendor.

She upholsters vintage chairs with everything from vintage fabric to leather and cowhides....

Mmmmmm....We loved her style.

I am gearing up at home for a studio makeover and a chair like this is on my wish list....

The leather and cowhide is probably my favorite but it was so hard to pick one.

They were all fabulous!

This fun garden art is on my radar for a few windows I have laying around...

 This tepee is always somewhere in the market....

Maybe this year I will make my own version...

There is just so much good stuff we could have taken thousands of pictures...

My daughter and I were in love with those bottles...

They are covered in barnacles...

Old ladders and tin ceiling tiles turned into a screen caught our eye and imaginations...

And check out that cool chandelier at the base of the ladder...

We found what had to be the prettiest cookies ever at this booth....

Sky's the Limit is her company name.

We each got a camper cookie and they tasted as good as they looked.

More amazing tin tiles....

I have to make something like this great pallet display.

How awesome would that be outside the studio/shed?

It was a wet, chilly but fun day.

There is always so much to see.

I always leave with my head swimming with ideas.

I will have to share my finds later.  

Sadly, they cancelled the second day of the show due to wet and muddy conditions.

I am so glad we got there to enjoy it when we did...

Thanks for stopping by....

Anchors Away Multi-strand bracelet

I make a lot of jewelry.

Many of the pieces get submitted to magazines.

Some get sold.  

Some I give away.

Occasionally I make a piece for me.

To wear.

This bracelet I made specifically for me.

It is multi-strand which I love...

It gives me the look of piling on a armful with just one piece.

I wear this one all the time.

I love the beads that dangle on the ends too.

How can you go wrong with silk, clay, pearls and waxed linen cord?

Thanks for stopping by...

Workbench Wednesday...Washing Buttons

How about a quick peek of what I am working on this week...

I dumped a tin of vintage buttons in a hosiery bag and dunked it repeatedly in a bucket of hot water and Dawn dish washing detergent.

Then I rinsed, and rinsed and rinsed...

I dumped them into a strainer purchased just for such purposes (i.e. crafty stuff)...

Then I spread them out on a plastic tray and let them dry....

I ran my hands through them over and over...

I tell myself it is to spread them out to dry better...

Really it is because I have to touch them....

Touching them brings me happiness...

My heart tells stories of each button as my fingers touch them...

Next step is letting them become something new....

Stay tuned....

Thanks for stopping by....

She was a Collector of things

Last year I reorganized my beads and components.

They are sorted by color or material.

I am finding this is opening new doors when I create since so many like things are gathered together.

I have had an idea for a Collector Series.

And this was the very first piece I made for it.

I have to say, I love this one....

All the components and charms came from my metals, vintage and handmade components boxes.

This is the year I start to use those things I love and have been saving...

So you may notice some sweet little vintage wonders among all that goodness...

Like the bottle cap and brass tag...

Components that I bought and hoarded saved like the resin pieces and rhinestone bottle caps now are a piece of something bigger than themselves.

I am still on the fence about whether I keep this one or let it go to someone else...

Tassels and nests and buttons...Oh My!

This piece is called She Was a Collector of Things...

It is a bit of a biography....

Aren't those the very best kinds of pieces?

Something that tells a story?

So I am hoping this makes you want to make something that tells your story....

A charm bracelet or a necklace...

Of course it may only have a few curated charms....

Just a chapter of your story....

What are you waiting for?

Go make something amazing!

Thanks for stopping by....

Potion or Poison?

Just a little quickie post today...

For years I have collected treasures to use in my work.

I saved them, waiting for the perfect design...

They sat in jars and trays and boxes and drawers.....

No more.

My goal this year is to use those things I love.

This little blue bottle intrigues me.  

The stamped PP back-to-back make it the perfect amulet for a Potion or Poison necklace...

Vintage crystals and a vintage key compliment it.

What treasures do you have stashed that you can use today?

Thanks for stopping by....

Polymer Clay Fairy Tale Series

I love fairy tales...

The symbolism, magic and guaranteed happy endings make my heart happy.

So it seems pretty natural to me to make a series of fairy tale pieces.

Some of them are title-specific like this Cinderella inspired piece.

Others are more general like "If"....

And "Happily Ever After"....

I love the mixture of elements in this piece....

The polymer clay components are handcrafted, as well as the wire rosettes.

The deep in the forest element to much of the magic delights me...

What kinds of symbolism and magic make it into your jewelry pieces?

Thanks for stopping by...

Discarded book Cover Jewelry Displays

A few years ago I learned a dirty secret about some book sales.

Sometimes, after the sale is over, they recycle what does not sell.

This sometimes involves removing all the covers and then recycling the pages inside the book.

All those wonderful book jackets end up getting discarded.

The HORROR!

I was appalled.

But a friend saved several boxes of book covers for me for my art after one such sale.  

This is one of the ways I used the covers.

I used a band saw to put 2 short cuts in the top for the necklace to slide in.

For shows, I slide each one into a cellophane bag to keep them from getting tangled.

I am pleased with saving a few boxes of book covers from the landfill and my jewelry gets a great new display.

I will show you some of the other great projects that came from those book covers later.

What unusual items do you use for display/packaging?

Thanks for stopping by....

New Beads on the Work Bench this Wednesday...

I have spent a great deal of this spring creating my own polymer clay beads.

After purchasing Statci Louise Smith's Tutorial, I was bead obsessed.

My beads were everything I always hoped to create....

They are textured and glossy and just the way I wanted them.

Some had a wonderful, primitive, organic look.

But then my friend came for a workshop and brought some of her beads.

They were so different than mine.

  And so very lovely.

So I started playing with different finishing techniques. 

I used one she did but mine did not turn out like hers.

So I tried a few other things.  

I got some neat new looks.

I liked them in the pan.

They sat there for days.

I loved the blingy shine.

Which was so different than my other beads.

I was not sure what they would be.

One afternoon,I sat down and began knotting.

I am a huge fan of waxed linen cord for knotting.

And before I knew it, this sweet beachy wrap bracelet came to be.

Like I said, it is a change from my other beads.

And I am loving it.

I am also loving my hand forged clasps.

I love how substantial they are.

This bracelet is a double wrap.

I have a couple single wrap bracelets that I wear all the time.  

They are actually very comfortable.

What do you make?

Thanks for stopping by....