The Clay that Wanted to be what I didn't want it to be, but it became what it wanted to be

I needed to use up some clay.

I had accepted a challenge to create a textured object such as a bowl.

So I gathered up the clay.

I put them in a ball and mushed and twisted and turned and flattened.

I was determined to make a bowl.

Well, my first attempts just didn't work.

I decided I'd make a coiled bowl.

That's when the clay took over.

I had no choice.

This is what happened.

Sticks of clay that became earrings.

Braids became a bracelet.

Flattened clay became feathers for a pendant in my necklace.

I had no choice.

The clay rules!!!

Jujees Jewells - I discovered a Great Store on Etsy!!!

Now, I don't buy jewelry often, 

but I did from this store!!

Jujees Jewells

I bought some earrings!

Well, all right, I'll show them to you, but you can't have them!

Aren't they gorgeous?

Like I said,

they're mine and you can't have them!!!

However, she does have many wonderful items in her store.

Check this out!

How about this beautiful bracelet?

Click HERE to learn more about it!

Julie calls it Christmas, but with the red, I'd wear it all year!!!

Julie calls these 

White Sugar Bead Earrings.

Click HERE to learn more about them.

These are so much fun!

I'd wear them all the time!!!

 Isn't this cat necklace adorable!

Click HERE to learn more about it!!!

I just love her store!!!!

Get over there and check it out!!

What fun!!!

I HEART this store.

JujeesJewells!

More Shopping! This Time it was the Mall of America!

I was very good at the Mall of America.

Jo Ann and I hit the mall running!

Of course we had fun!

We started our journey at the IKEA store where we had lunch and shopped,

then, in 5 minutes we were at the mall and parked.

We went from store to store.

At last, we hit Beadniks--a bead store,

and I was very good!

I found this wonderful fossil!

I'll be incorporating this into a necklace, somehow.

Not sure yet, but I think it will be beautiful.

Look at these lovely beads.

I see these in a multi media necklace.

Last, but not least, thick leather and a clasp to make a bracelet, but first, I have to make the beads!

Tomorrow I start on those!!

See, I was good!

This was fun!

JoAnn and I enjoyed our time together.

Even though we saw each other 8 years ago,

we picked up like it was yesterday!

Love 'ya, Joan!

No, it's not a typo, just my name for her!

The Popcorn Bracelet

It's no secret!

I love popcorn!

I also enjoy making popcorn beads!

I made this bracelet to take with me to the Bead and Button Show,

but,

because I was hooked on red and purple at the time,

I didn't take it with me.

So, I just want to show you the bracelet and encourage you to make one of your own.

It doesn't have to be like mine.

You can design it any way you like.

It's fun to wear, too.

Now, I don't have the photos to show you, but here's how you make it.

You are simply stringing the beads on to the beading wire.

I made 18 popcorn beads.

If you know someone who makes glass beads, or if you make them,

HERE'S

 a quick tutorial on how I make these beads.

You will also need 

21 4mm bicone crystals

The amount might vary depending on your wrist size.

You need a clasp.

I love my toggle clasps.

You will also need beading wire and two crimps.

Crimp covers are optional.

Begin by adding 1 crimp bead and one piece of your toggle to the wire.

Crimp your toggle in place.  

Add and alternate one crystal and one popcorn bead until the wire is a fit for your wrist.

I needed to add 3 more crystals before I added the other crimp and toggle piece.

Add the other end of your toggle and crimp it into place.

Optional:  Cover your crimps with crimp covers.

Ta-Da!  You are finished, and you have a fun bracelet to wear!

I hope you enjoy this!!!

Another Piece of Jewelry for the Bead and Button Show

It was clearly a last minute idea,

but,

it worked.

I made two new pieces of jewelry to wear to the Bead and Button Show.

I leave tomorrow.

Anyway, to make a long story short,

I deliberately left one at home because it was just too big and didn't go with the rest of my jewelry.

It's a popcorn bracelet, and I'll show you that when I get home.

Anyway,

I decided that I wanted a bone bracelet.

I love making bones and skulls.

There are no skulls in this bracelet, just

bones and crystals.

I am wearing it with another bracelet, and,

unless I can make more bracelets while I'm there,

this will have to do.

See, how fun?

I added both silver wire and silver foil to my beads!

Now, I'm thinking,

should I make more bones for my Etsy store?

What do you think?

I like the neutral ones, and I like the colored ones.

If you were to buy some bones from me,

what color or colors would you choose?

Let me know!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The Necklace is Finished and We Have our Winners!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!
Wear some green to feel good!

 Part 2!

The necklace is finished!!

Now, realizing that this is a heavy necklace and that I want to make a coordinating

bracelet and earrings,

I need suggestions!

Here's the necklace, and it looks great on!

I wore it all afternoon today!

So, what do you think?

It looks better on than in the photo.

Now, I need to make some earrings and a bracelet.

I'm drawing a blank on these.

Any suggestions?

NOW,

drum roll, please,

we have our Winners!

Cabs #1: Trina!  I'll be in Touch!

Cabs # 2:  Shirley  I'll be in touch!

Necklace:  Tammy!  I'll be in touch.

Congratulations!
I'll get these out in the mail to you next week!
Thank you for participating!
PS:  I tried to post the random number generator, but I couldn't figure out how to do it,
Again.
Sorry!

So Where'd You Get that Bracelet?

Mary Clare and I were having breakfast at Perkins one morning.  She said, "Before I forget, here's that bracelet I was telling you about."  Truthfully, I had forgotten.  I saw it and said, "Wow!  I like it!  Where did you get it?" 

Mary Clare looked at me like my kids do when they think I've just something stupid.  "You made it for me," she said.  "I did?  But where did you get the beads?"  I was totally puzzled by now. 

Again, the look.  "YOU made them."  "I did?  I did?"  Wow!  I really like them!
She said, "I do, too, and I wear it a lot because it's so colorful and I can wear it with so much."  "I really made those beads?"  The look.

I guess so!  Aren't they fun?  I plan to make more of them now.  Especially since my skill level is so much better than when I made this bracelet for Mary Clare. 

I really made them?  I was better than I thought.

My Meditaion Charm Bracelet

Taking the time to

pause and lift our minds beyond ourselves,

sometimes called meditation, prayer, being one with the universe,

has been proven, scientifically, 

to heal, rest, improve

our minds and bodies.

Finding the time, however, can be challenging.

Today, I made the first step towards making time in my day to take a mini vacation without leaving.

I made a "Meditation Bracelet."

 Each bead in this bracelet has a special meaning to me.

When I touch it, I stop.  I pause.  I get away from it all.

I'll share some of the bead meanings with you.

The heart helps me to remember that I am loved by God.

The rosebuds are my children who are the loves of my life!

 

The pearl charm reminds me of those precious, few trips to the ocean where the waves crash on the shore and the ocean sings.

The striped bead reminds me of the time we took a trip to the zoo and a HUGE tiger walked over to the glass, looked at me, and licked it's lips!

(The tiger was huge!  I was an adult when this happened!  It's not a childhood memory!)

What else could the cupcake mean?  I love cupcakes!!!

From this angle it's hard to tell, but it's a bird.

Why a bird?  Believe it or not, there was a time in my life, I wished that I could be a bird.

Do you ever make jewelry with a meaning?

Tell me about it!

Easy Peasy Tutorial - A Free Quick No Sew Fabric Bracelet

Yes, I said,

NO SEW!

Are You Ready?

 

 Begin by cutting up old T Shirts.

One strip, from 3 different shirts, about an inch wide, will do to make this bracelet.

 

 Here's one strip cut.

Pull the yarn taut to curl the edges.

I used white, pink, and black for my bracelet.

I cut 24 inches of fabric for my bracelet.

I also cut the seam open.

Tie the yarn into a knot at one end.

Braid the yarn to fit your wrist.

If you want a snug fit, make sure the ends meet.

If you want a looser fit, braid a little bit more.

 

 

Take one piece of fabric and pull it up.

Bring that fabric up, around, and through as shown in the photo.

Pull the knot tight.

Form a loop.  Make sure that the knot on the other end of the braid will fit snuggly through the loop.

The knot needs to stay in the loop.  The loop and the knot are your closures.

 

 Tie knots at your fabric ends.  Trim the fabric to just above the knots.

Your bracelet is finished!

Enjoy!

If you don't want to tie knots, you sure don't have to do that.

I think the bracelet looks great either way!

Having Fun with Totally Twisted by Kerry Bogert

I've had Kerry Bogert's book, "Totally Twisted" for over a month now! Since I decided that it was time to get to work and make new jewelry for the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee next month, so I pulled out the book and began to make "Bang-gals." What fun!






























Here's the finished product! I love both of my "Bang-gals!" They are bright and colorful, and so much fun. They look great on, too!

Now, I'm going to show you the Bang-gals as I wear them. I want you to ignore the age spots and wrinkles. Just look at the Bang-gals!
















These are going to look great when I go to the Bead and Button! Thanks, Kerry, for all the great inspiration in your book! I love it!

Look What Came in the Mail!

And it was wrapped so beautifully! Look at that bracelet! Isn't it gorgeous!!!!

Thanks, Erin, from Treasures Found-Inspiration is Everywhere. Erin is hosting challenges in her blog. The rules are simple. Using the theme, make a piece of jewelry.

The first challenge was:
Seek inspiration in the hardware store.
The second challenge was:
Your Grandma's jewelry box.
(That's the one where I became the winner of the random drawing.)
The current challenge is:
Your sewing box. I'm still working on my entry for that one.

These challenges have been a growth experience for me. Thank you, Erin, not only for hosting these challenges, but for helping me to see that Inspiration is everywhere. I'll never look at a hardware store, a jewelry box, or my sewing box again in the same way. You've helped me grow in ways I never would have thought I could grow.

Anyway, back to my prize. The packaging was beautiful! I almost hated to open the box and the ribbon. Gorgeous!





















Erin also included a copy of Bead Star. She's featured in this magazine. I can hardly wait to take the time to read this magazine completely! Again, thank you Erin!





















I plan to wear this a lot, not only during the holiday season, but well into the New Year! I am so thrilled!!! Can you tell?

Once in a While, I do make jewelry!

Just thought I'd show you a few pieces I've made. I do make jewelry once in a while!

















I actually made this bracelet a little while ago. I love it! It's a very dressy piece!





















This necklace is a mixture of so many different beads. It's part of my random nature!





















I made this necklace using lampwork beads that I made from Chalcedony glass. The headpin is one I made, too. Fun!

That's all for now!

What I've Been Doing With the Economy Being So Bad

There's a lot of advice out there about what to do when sales are poor. With the economy being so bad, my sales are poor. Here's what I've been doing. I have been promoting and promoting my work. In the meantime, I've been learning new skills. (All of this has been good advice.) I love copper! I've been working with copper wire to learn new wire working techniques.

I started out by coiling wire in reverse coils to make this bracelet.







How about this ring? (Luckily, I don't turn green from wearing copper!) It's coiled, too!

















This lead up to a pattern I love!
Egyptian Coils!
Did you know that this pattern is over 4,000 years old. Jewlery made using this design has been found with mummies in ancient Egypt.


















Since I needed new jewelry for the Bead and Button Show, I decided to make a necklace to match the bracelet!

















I'm one happy camper!