Holiday Sparkle

Can't resist a little sparkle for the holidays! I made this pair of earrings to go with my LBD I'm wearing on Christmas Eve. Faceted black onyx rounds, gold faceted Czech glass beads and Swarovski crystals are hand knotted on black silk beading cord. I know...these beads are such a deviation from what I would normally chose. I'm not usually into the glitz stuff. I think that's why I'm finding these so exciting, because they are different from what I'm usually drawn to. And the gold. The gold is different, too. I never do gold. I'm feeling the gold and I'm digging the faceted gems and crystals. Must be all the twinkly lights and festive glitter everywhere that has stolen my mind. Still, even that is out of the ordinary. I don't remember wanting to make sparkly things last year. I think it's the silk cord that brings these earrings to a place I want to go. It adds that touch of fiber and natural texture that I find so appealing. I love the elegant drape of the cord, too. It gives the same effect as a delicate chain. I finally came up with a way to create dressy earrings that I enjoy making! These will be my signature fancy earring from now on. 

Oh...and I was having so much fun with the silk cord and the sparkles that I made this pair of faceted gem drops, too! I can't wait to make more of these earrings.

Happy Holidays! 

I hope it's merry and bright and full of sparkle for all of you!

Nora Story-time!

I haven't shared much of my daughter, Nora here on the blog lately. Here's a video we took of her just today! She's nearly 14 months old now. Please enjoy Owl Babies story-time with Nora Siegel.

Art Bead Bookmark

Did you like my handmade beaded and braided bookmarks? If so, head on over to the Art Bead Scene blog today for a free tutorial on how to make them! I hope you enjoy my project and Happy Holidays!

Beaded Bookmarks

 

I've got books, books, books on the brain lately and rightly so. Lorelei and I will be doing the final edits and will be getting our very FIRST look at our completed book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords over the Christmas holiday! A very special gift for me, indeed. I came up with this idea of making a beaded and braided bookmark as a celebration of sorts and also as a way to create and share my joy and excitement with others as I wait in great anticipation for the release of the book! I'm really excited about how my projects came out. I just had to share. I'm giving these as holiday gifts this year to family and friends. Everyone as been so supportive over the last year and this is my way to express my gratitude for that special support that was needed and given during the book writing process. I really like that it's something other than jewelry, but still expresses my style, esthetic and materials I love using in my jewelry designs.

Looks great holding your place in your favorite novel! Or these bookmarks would certainly be perfect to use along side your favorite beading book, don't you think?...just sayin'. :)

I think these will make great gifts, even for the guys! The guys on my list are getting one, like this bone bead one pictured above. 

Hmmm...maybe I could make up a tutorial for these so you can make one for yourself or give as a gift as well. Would anyone be interested in that? Let me know. I would love to share this with all of you, too!

Artists Helping Artists

Several artists in the blog community have decided to band together to help a fellow artist in need. Each one of us is conducting a silent auction to help raise funds during this time of hardship. All moneys raised will go directly to the artist in need.

I'm offering my "Rainfall" earrings below:

 Rainfall Earrings

 Modern and stylish bohemian chic earrings with a long, dramatic drape! Perfect for the hip, fashionista in your life or maybe that person is you! If you're an earring girl like me, you will love them. These earrings are light weight and so much fun to wear. Beautiful red aventurine gemstones are hand-knotted with precision and hang from artisan-made hammered and antiqued 25mm copper rings. Ear wires are also hand-forged antiqued copper. Earrings measure 4 inches long including ear wires. You will receive the earrings pictured above packaged in a pretty organza gift bag.

This is a rare opportunity to own one of my original designs!  You won't want to miss out.

The starting bid for these earrings is $20.00.  International participants welcome! Shipping costs will be included in the winning bid amount. Auction closes Sunday, December 11 at midnight.

Would you like to be the winning bidder?

Please leave a comment along with your bid. If you are the winning bidder, you will receive an invoice after the close of the auction. There must be a way to contact you. If you have email preferences turned off in your profile, please leave your email.

Many people are auctioning items to help out! Please visit these other artists below and place your bids!

List of participants:

Heidi Post http://expostfactojewelry.blogspot.com/

Marie Cramp & Lori Anderson http://skyejewels.blogspot.com/

Barbara Bechtel & Staci Smith  http://secondsurf.com/

Erin Fickert-Rowland http://elysianstudiosart.com/

Keirsten Giles http://www.cerebraldilettante.blogspot.com/

Andrew Thornton http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

Karen Totten http://starryroadstudio.blogspot.com/

Kristi Bowman-Gruel http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/

Nan Emmett http://spiritrattles.blogspot.com/

Maire Dodd http://mairedodd.blogspot.com/

Amanda Cargill Austin http://www.seashoreglassgirl.com/

Janice Everett http://jlynnjewels.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com/

Shannon Iko Chomanczuk http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Justman http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/

Kerry Bogert http://kabsconcepts.blogspot.com

Patricia Gasparino http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/

Erin Seigel http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/

Courtney Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com/

Other Fundraisers:

MaryAnne Carroll at LMAJ http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2011/12/5-huge-giveaway.html

Sneak Peek!

I thought some might like to see this.
Interweave Press recently released this preview of our upcoming book.
Here's a sneak peek look! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Interweave.comhttp://www.interweavestore.com/Jewelry-Making/Books/Bohemian-Inspired-Jewelry.html

Bohemian_Inspired_JewelryBLAD_web

Secret Stuff and Snaptastic Photo Results!

Hi all! I apologize for it being so quiet around here. Blogging will most certainly become more of a commitment in my immediate future, that's for sure. I was recently offered an amazing opportunity to join a well known group blog. I'm so excited! Joining a team like this will definitely help me make blogging more of a priority. Can't wait to share the news with you on that soon.

Also, I've been working hard on all secret jewelry stuff, lately. Mostly magazine submissions for 2012...and one other really BIG secret thing. At least, it's big to me. No, it's definitely big. Eeek! I'd be playing where all the professional jewelry girls and boys play if I got this. I haven't heard anything back yet, so wish me luck! I really want this thing to happen. I think it's the direction I want to take my jewelry career for the future. I wish I could tell you more, I just don't want to get too ahead of myself here, so I just can't go there. I know. I hate cryptic messages from people too, so I understand if you dislike me right now. ;)

Anyway, in other news, I finished up Kerry Bogert's Snaptastic e-course! Yay! I learned a lot and I'm improving on my jewelry photos tremendously! I still need a little more work and practice to be where I want to be overall, but I'm happy with the results I've gotten with the information Kerry shared in her course. You can still take the e-course, you know. Just click that link above. I highly recommend it! Here are a few of my new photos I took and edited while taking Kerry's e-class:

 Rainfall Earrings

 Blue Jean Baby Leather Wrap Bracelet

 Exotic Wishbone Earrings

You can see a few more on my Flickr page!