Bell Flower Earrings

Week 15 of Year of Jewelry is a sweet pair of earrings. Bell flowers made form little brass bells.

Once upon a time I used to get daily e-mails for the Beading Gem. I’m not entirely sure why I don’t anymore upgraded servers on her end or mine, I dunno. I don’t seem to get a lot of mail that I used to…. Anyway one of the last e-mails I remember was for a tutorial for some really sweet earrings. The original poster had tried to use bells but didn’t quite like how they turned out so she had dissected the bells to create her own. I actually liked how the bells looked so I stuck to that part of the tutorial in making my own. I may try the rest of it some day in the future but for now I’m happy with these.

Here’s the Beading Gem blog post

and the original post by Judy Larson

Thanks for stopping by!

We’ll see you next time~

It's Finals Week Next Week....

Sooo I have very limited time on Paige's computer until finals are over and done with. Term papers! On the bright side, the job we've been waiting on to get started has FINALLY started!!! Yay! Hopefully this means I'll be getting my new computer sooner rather than later!

As prom was this last weekend I thought you might like to see the finished corsage.





Don't they look good together?

Unfortunately he was exhausted, getting very little sleep the night before and ducked out on after prom JUST BEFORE they called his name to win an iPad! awww, and he could use a new computer too. Such is the way.

The school year is winding down, finals and award ceremonies are gearing up, Graduation for my baby is in just a couple weeks. Time to buy stock in Kleenex people! I was plenty teary eyed when he got his drivers license! lol

Thanks so much for stopping by! I have gorgeous Iris' in bloom in the garden today. Here's to an equal amount of beauty in your life today as well.
See ya next time!

Quickie Update = Boutonniere

Still working on corsage and boutonniere, just popping my head up long enough to show an in progress pic of the boutonniere. It still needs a pin, debating on which way to pin it :)

Corsage is coming along nicely. The beaded rose still needs a couple more petals and then I think we're ready for assembly. Debating on making it a wristlet......two nights and two days to go.



Well, I'd better get back to work!
See ya next time! Thanks so much for stopping by!

It's Prom Time Once Again

and it's our last one to boot. My baby is a Senior in High School this year. He would like the corsage to be special.

Roses to match her dress.

She would like his boutonniere to match her corsage.

So I get to make both this year. The original idea was to bead Roses in the same way I did the Stargazer for his date several years ago. While I think that will be beautiful for her, it might be just the tiniest bit feminine for him, even with the woven copper edging. What to do?

What most of you don't know is way back in December I decided I would write a tutorial for you, my blog readers. Then I was asked to write a tutorial for a magazine. I was so excited I of course said yes! and promptly gave them the one I had planned for the blog. It still hasn't published - but, if I scaled it up just a bit it would be perfect for a boutonniere..... and that is what I did!



Now we have a rose delicate enough for her and masculine enough for him! Her corsage will feature the beaded rose with woven edging and have smaller copper buds. His will feature a copper rose and beaded babies breath to match hers. Problem solved!

Now, the big dilemma. I haven't mastered a pretty seam when it comes to soldering yet. Do I chance a messy weld on the stem? I could hide any blotchiness with a ribbon, or by plating. But do I want to? I have time to think on that one a bit. I have a beaded rose to finish, babies breath to make up, and some ribboning to do still while I wait on some gorgeous Bead Caps from Fusion Beads to show up, I thought they looked just right for the base of the rose! Which is another option for hiding any messiness, hmmm

In case you were wondering.... Alex's rose is one inch in diameter, one and three quarter tall, and is made of one single piece of copper. Jade's rose is one inch and made of three pieces. The leaves vary in size with the longest being two inches.

While I'm beading and pondering my garden is waking up. I take my leave while giving you a pic of a real flower....



Thanks for stopping by!
See ya next time!

The Soup has begun to Simmer!

Our soups have made their way to each of us and I must say my partner Jennifer was very generous!



I think this was payback for sending Jean all those packages last soup hop lol But I have to say, I think it's the way to go. You don't have to send a lot, but packaged up is just so FUN!! Makes me feel guilty all over again. I felt guilty when I sent it to Jean, but now I feel guilty I didn't send it to Jennifer.

Even the card she sent was super cute!



I don't have a lot of greens in my stash it's something I've tried to remedy but I just seem to be drawn to the other colors more often. So it's really cool that greens are the color she chose to send. The lamp worked pieces she made are just beautiful and I'm proud to have them.

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

The beads are very earthy green, just soft and mystical. Paired with the copper and brass they have a very woodland feel to them.

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

A fairy like feel to them. And so my Faerie Folk and Fantasy Inspiration Board on Pinterest was born.

I'm really looking forward to playing with these beads, the inspiration is flowing and I have several ideas perking. :)

Now that Jennifer has received her soup I can show you what I sent. Since Jennifer owns a bead store I didn't want to send a bunch of beads she could just pick up from any of her shelves, I took it on as a challenge to make all the components I sent so they would be new and unique to her. I feel a little guilty I didn't send more but no one else will have the pieces I sent to her :)

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon, I'll be designing with these beauties, getting ready for the reveal on Mar 30th!
See ya next time!

The beads, those wonderful little spices that make the soup soooo good!

I know I usually post on Tuesdays, I apologize for my delay. I had an uninvited guest in my bed the other night, a scorpion. The little harbinger of havoc stung me six or seven times before I could get back out of bed. Not a fun way to wake up. Being allergic to these types of things I had Benadryl on hand but that leaves me in a stupor for some time. I knew I had things I wanted or needed to do, just couldn't remember what those things were.

I loved this photo Jean had shared on her wall so much that I pulled out just about every bead I had that would work in that palette! I actually had to remind myself that Jean was supposed to create something not me!



Don't you just love the colors!!

Jean's spices are rich and full bodied themselves. Gorgeous focals, luscious gems, and beautiful colors - a feast for the eyes!

Source: Uploaded by user via Dana on Pinterest

Just look at the flash on those Labradorite brios! And the sparkle in the Amethyst! Such gorgeousness! Both focals are floral in nature (pun intended!) and that bee clasp, so cool! I love them!
No surprise then that my inspiration board is titled GARDEN GATE. You can click on either the title or the soup to visit my board. My designs are sketched out and I'm just debating the size wire I want to use before I get started. I'm really looking forward to the way the designs play out in my hands and the reveal, both Jean's and mine!

What's in the Garden.....

While I'm nursing the hubs back from his surgery I thought you might like to see what's in bloom in my garden. It will be another couple years before it's in it's full glory again, transplanting always takes it's toll but as you can see, the Iris's seem to be adapting quite well!


We have wild black berry EVERYWHERE up here it's been a battle to get it under control, but the fresh berries are wonderful and the flowers are much appreciated too, especially by the swallowtail community!


The hostas seem to have survived last years summer melt down and the peony seems to have as well. I'm pretty sure I've lost my roses but their root stock survived, it will be interesting to see what they reveal themselves to be. Sadly the deer seem to have bitten the top off of one my lillies :(


My seedlings seem to be doing well so far, the little paper pots and cloches I made for them seem to really be doing the trick - of course I think what helps most of all is the cats aka the magpies haven't discovered them in the laundry room. As of now I have cantaloupe, tomatoes, petunias and a hummingbird mix successfully started. No true leaves yet, so successfully getting them into the garden remains to be seen. It almost made 90 today, already! Getting the seedlings in the garden may be only the first major feat of the growing season. Hoping to get some more veggies going soon and get some more of my garden transplanted too!


Since writing this to put in the queue - which I forgot to do lol) the cantaloupe and tomatoes have true leaves yay! and the peachy orange Iris are blooming now too! I've even brought my first bouquet of the season in!! The honeysuckle has started blooming and the boxwood is close behind and then the air will be heavenly to breathe! If I were smart I'd cut a peach Iris and some Cherokee rose for a bouquet too, no I should wait for the box wood to bloom first!!
I love spring :)!

Thanks for stopping by, we'll see you next time!