A Christmas Puppy for Santa!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  Ours was wonderful.  I very much enjoyed spending time with our family & friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We had freezing rain and snow which made for a hazardous trip for some.  I'm so glad everyone was able to make it here and safely home. 

One of the highlights of our Christmas was surprising my husband (Santa himself!) with just what he wanted for Christmas~an Old English Sheepdog puppy! 

Photos Courtesy of Lou Stine Photography (my very talented sister!)

 I'm so glad she was able to capture the moment for us!

Due to the hustle and bustle of the holidays I haven't made any new jewelry lately. 

Hopefully things will be at a slower pace now that Christmas is behind us. 

May the New Year bring Joy and Prosperity to all!

~Today's Quote~

Families are like quilts...

Lives pieced together,

Stitched with smiles and tears,

Colored with memories,

And bound by love.

"Merry" Inspired by Grandma's Jewelry Box

This necklace was inspired by a found object challenge from Erin of  Treasures Found. The challenge for this week was "Grandma's Jewelry Box" ~  to make something new out of an old treaure in your jewelry box (or someone else's!).

This brooch belonged to my grandma.  I think it's just beautiful.  I keep it in a dish on my dresser and usually wear it during the Christmas season because of it's beautiful red color and shape. 

I used assorted gold beads, Czech Fire Polished beads and some small Swarovki crystals in red, and gold wire.  I attached the brooch with a jumpring without harming the original pin back.  What a fun challenge!

~Today's Quote~

"Memories of a loving family linger in the Heart."

"Penny"

This one is called "Penny" for obvious reasons! 

I used small seed beads, two cut 6/0 seed beads, and Czech Fire Polished beads, all in shades of copper on dark copper wire and added a small copper pendant.  I'm always drawn to copper.  It's just one of my favorites!

~Today's Quote~

If you don't like something, change it.

If you can't change it, change the way you think about it!

"Madison" & Anniversary of Wire Crochet

"Madison" is created with Rose Quartz beads on silver wire and has matching earrings.  There are a lot of  beads in this one, assorted shapes and sizes.  Most of them are fairly large so it's a nice chunky one, yet the  soft shades of pale pink and white give it a delicate look. 

This month marks the anniversary of my journey into wire crochet.  On November 21st last year our daughter was in a serious car accident.  She was hit by a drunk driver who didn't stop at a major highway intersection. While sitting with her during the weeks after the accident, I began experimenting with wire crochet.  The journey has continued  for a year now and I still love it!  I'd like to thank the ladies I have "met" online for their kind words and encouragement and the ladies locally who have purchased my designs!

I'd also like to say how thankful I am for the blessing of family.  I love you all and am so thankful for every one of you!  Happy Thanksgiving!

~Today's Quote~

Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments.

~Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Muriel"

This is a single strand necklace using Mother of Pearl beads with a few creamy colored seed beads in between and a pretty Mother of Pearl circle pendant. 

I had a booth at the local "Pecanfest" yesterday.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by!  It was an enjoyable day and as I write I'm enjoying some yummy cherry mash fudge that I purchased there!

~Today's Quote~

Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?

Swarovski Crystal Volcano Teardrop

Is this GORGEOUS or what!

Crystal Volcano is a perfect name because it's an explosion of colors! 

This was taken in indirect light.  It's even more vibrant in direct sun!

 My thanks to Artbeads for allowing me to choose this pendant as a part of their blogging program.  It's a 24 x 12mm Faceted Teardrop Pendant in Crystal Volcano from their beautiful selection of Swarovski Crystal.  Take advantage of 10% off  your purchase through 12/31/09 with the "Share the Savings" discount!

Use Coupon Code SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0424.

It may work it's way into a piece of wire crochet one day, but for the time being it's simply strung on a black velvet cord.  This really allows it to shine!

~Today's Quote~

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;

they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

~Marcel Proust

For Ann, #2

This is the second necklace I've done for Ann.  The first was in shades of blue and was posted last July.  I received a call from her asking if I would make another necklace for her to match a favorite pair of earrings.  The earrings are shown in the photo along with the necklace.  The necklace is done in shades of amethyst and purple using Czech glass fire polish beads and glass seed beads on silver wire.  Thanks, Ann!  I hope you'll be happy with it!

~Today's Quote~

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass,

it's about learning to dance in the rain.

"Mother Nature"

I mentioned awhile back that I had bought a box of beads at a garage sale.  These are some more of them.  At the time I thought I'd never use them, just not really my style, but of course I didn't get rid of them!  I was looking through them the other day and saw possibility.  Wood, bone, & turquoise.  Together they all had an organic feel.  I mixed them up and started stringing.  That's the magic of wire crochet!  Just string them up and see what comes out!  Copper seemed to be the accent to use with this scheme.  I used tarnish-resistant copper wire and added a textured copper washer.  The earrings are smaller copper washers that I also added texture to. 

I'm sure most everyone already knew this, but I just recently discovered that you can click on the picture and get an enlarged version.  This shows a lot more detail!

~Today's Quote~

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Simplicity" Wire Crochet Necklace

This necklace is sparkling "Simplicity".  I can just visualize this on a bride, with the bridesmaids wearing the same design in the wedding color! 

These beads are from Artbeads beautiful selection of Swarovski crystal.  It's a single strand crocheted on non-tarnish silver color wire with a 4mm Crystal Silver Shade Swarovski crystal  in each stitch.  A Swarovski Galactic Pendant in Crystal Silver Shade is attached with a silver bail.  The matching earrings are simple long dangles.

~Today's Quote~

There will always be stones in your path...

It's up to you whether you build a bridge or a wall.

"Chelsea" Wire Crochet Necklace & Giveaway Winner

First, Congratulations to Amanda.  Your name was drawn for the bracelet giveaway!

This is a different style using the Autumn Jasper chips

and bronze wire.  When I added the bead cap to the bead

on the pendant I thought it looked like a little acorn!

~Today's Quote~

These words of wisdom come from my future son-in-law:

Tough times don't last, tough people do.

Smart guy, huh?

"Bella" Red Magma Wire Crochet Necklace

I would like to thank Artbeads for allowing me to join their blogging program!  Artbeads has a huge selection of Swarovski crystal beads and pendants.  This gorgeous sparkling necklace was created using 4 mm bicones, 6 mm Bicones, and a beautiful Galactic Pendant, all in Crystal Red Magma. There are also matching earrings using the 4mm and 6mm Bicones along with 6 mm Rounds.

I wish you could see the beautiful color and sparkle of these beads!

~Today's Quote~

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. 

It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us."

~Ashley Montagu

Halloween Bracelet Giveaway!

I've been thinking about doing a Giveaway for awhile now and thought one of these little halloween bracelets might be a good place to start!  These are from my September 24 blog post. The winner can choose their favorite from the three shown.

To enter, just leave a comment!   Due to the shortage of time, this will be a quick one!  I'll draw a random number at noon on Friday, Oct 23.  If you don't have a blog, please be sure to include your e-mail address so I contact you if you're the winner.  Happy Halloween!

"Kyra" Autumn Jasper Wire Crochet Necklace

I wish it was April instead of October, but I do love the colors of fall!  Autumn Jasper is so pretty.

This is a nice chunky necklace.  It's heavily beaded with Autumn Jasper chips crocheted on bronze wire and loosely braided.  The large oval pendant is adorned with a little accent made from a Vintaj brass piece.

~Today's Quote~

"The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs."

~Charles de Gaulle

"Laurel"

This one is different than any I've made before.  The "centerpiece" is three strands. It's attached on each side to a single crocheted chain with large copper jumprings.  It's all done on dark copper wire.  I'm really not sure what these beads are but I think they're glass chips.  The picture really doesn't show the beautiful color of these.  They have a little bit of a shine to them and look like a yard full of fall leaves!

~Today's Quote~

Four things you can't recover:

The stone.....after the throw.

The word.....after it's said.

The occasion.....after it's missed.

The time.....after it's gone.

Halloween Bracelets

Can you believe it?  I'm actually ahead of the game!  That never happens!  It seems everywhere I looked in the last month I saw Fall & Halloween.  I found these Halloween charms and thought they would make cute bracelets.  I used 6/0 seed beads crocheted on black wire for all of them.                                             

Our local dollar store already has Christmas stuff out.  Ew!  I don't even want to think about that yet!

~Today's Quote~

A hug is a great gift--one size fits all,

and it's easy to exchange.

"Josie"

"Josie" is a mix of amber, bronze and antique gold. Glass seed beads and bugle beads are crocheted on bronze wire. I added a Vintaj natural brass filigree ring and a Czech fire polished bead attached with a large brass jumpring. This is one of my all time favorites!

~Today's Quote~

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times

always with the same person."

~Mignon McLaughlin

Don't Worry Be Happy!

This is another one of my stamping experiments. I stamped "Happy" on a metal washer and added a little bee charm and Czech fire polished crystal. The beads are a color mixture called "Honey Butter" which seemed appropriate!

~Today's Quote~

"Every day tell at least one person something

you like, admire or appreciate about them."

~Richard Carlson

"Autumn" Necklace

(Sigh) ... Summer is ending and we're beginning to feel fall in the air.

This necklace symbolizes the transition from summer to fall. It includes the bright green of summer and the colors of autumn- yellow, orange, red & bronze. There are six strands crocheted with glass beads on non-tarnish bronze wire. I used a brass leaf and a glass leaf shaped bead for the pendant.

~Today's Quote~

"Try to remember the kind of September

When life was slow and oh so mellow

Try to remember the kind of September

When grass was green and grain so yellow"

Do you remember this song? We used to sing it in chorus and I always loved it.

"Arianna" Amazonite & Cherry Quartz

For this necklace & earring set I used Amazonite and Cherry Quartz. This one was kind of a challenge for myself. The challenge was to use more than one color and be somewhat asymmetrical. I always seem to use various shades of one color and even though I don't usually plan a specific pattern in wire crochet, the beads are fairly balanced as far as size and color. I used a lot of Amazonite chips, tossing in just a few Cherry Quartz beads and a Cherry Quartz chip every now & then.

~Today's Quote~

"Life happens when you're busy making other plans."

~John Lennon

"Abigail"

Gosh, it's been awhile since I've had time to play!

This is a simple go-with-anything necklace in antique silver. I crocheted two strands on silver wire, then added a solid strand of bugle beads and a floral engraved pendant. The bugle beads reflect the light with movement giving it some sparkle!

~Today's Quote~

"All work and no play makes for a very long day."

"Inspiration" Necklace

I've been wanting to try metal stamping. Recently I bought a set of metal stamps and some copper washers to play with. My sister and I were talking about it and I asked her to give me a word. Her word was "Inspiration". This is what I came up with. I stamped the word on the washer and gave it some texture. The necklace is crocheted using copper and dark brown wire and frosted purple ab seed beads. The pendant is layered on a filigree square with a purple Czech Fire Polished bead and an aqua Swarovski crystal.

~Today's Quote~

"Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.”

~Bo Bennett

"Destinee" Necklace with a Skeleton Key

Like many of you, I have a great fondness for skeleton keys. My keychain itself is a large skeleton key and on that keychain are two skeleton keys that have a lot of sentimental value to me. One belonged to the front door of my childhood home and one belonged to my grandmother. I have carried these for years.

For this necklace I used a mix of antique silver beads on silver wire which combined with the key makes a very monochromatic color scheme. I added a red Swarovski crystal heart which (I think) was just the right touch.

~Today's Quote~

I had closed the door upon my heart

and wouldn't let anyone in

I had trusted and loved only to be hurt

but that would never happen again

I locked the door and tossed the key

as hard and as far as I could

My heart was closed for good

Then you came into my life and

made me change my mind

just when I thought that

tiny key was impossible to find

that is when you held out your hand

and proved me wrong

inside your palm was the

Key to My Heart

You had it all along

~Marsha Hoyt

"Ann" Necklace in Shades of Blue

This is a custom order for a lady named Ann. I've never met her and she has only seen a small sampling of my work. She requested a necklace and earrings in shades of blue to go with a dress she's wearing to a wedding later this month. She was very specific about the colors and the length of the necklace and earrings which helped a lot. I'm a little nervous as this is my first custom order! I hope she'll be happy with it!


~Today's Quote~
"Blessed are we for every day we are here on this earth
to grasp our family, friends and the beauty of each day."
Elma Evans Smith

"Cerise" Necklace

This necklace is crocheted on gold wire using a mix of beads in chartreuse, gold, and antique gold. There are different sizes of gold and green seed beads plus bugle beads in each color. I added a round filigree pendant and a "fringy" dangle. I really like this one, but of course, this shade of green is one of my favorites. The bugle beads and little gold lined beads really sparkle. I don't do too much in gold even though I prefer it because silver seems to be more popular, especially with the younger crowd.

~Today's Quote~

WARNING

Dates on the calendar

are closer

than they appear

"Rachelle" Necklace

This is kind of a fun one! I've had the shell pendant for quite awhile and have been waiting to find beads to go with it. I finally found these frosted purple beads with an "ab" finish that have both the purple and blue color.

~Today's Quote~

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not."

"Miranda"

This is another one of the Celestial Crystal donuts in "Vitrail". I also used Vitrail 8mm firepolished beads as accents. I am in love with this pendant! It just glows, shimmers, and changes colors as you move.

~Today's Quote~

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved -

loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.

~Victor Hugo

"Daisy Bell"

Does anyone remember the song "Daisy Bell"? Part of it goes like this:
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.
That's what this necklace makes me think of. I used 6/0 seed beads and cute glass beads in the shape of daisies and circles.

~Today's Quote~

God wouldn't have made me this creative if He'd wanted me to cook and clean!

"Deja" Necklace

"Deja" is made with Celestial Crystal in Pink AB. AB is a finish, "Aurora Borealis", which adds a prismatic effect to the beads. I've never used Celestial Crystal before but when I saw the new "donuts" I decided to give it a try. It's really pretty & sparkly. I love the donut pendant! I ordered these in a few different colors so expect to see more soon!

~Today's Quote~

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June."

-L. M. Montgomery

"Cierra" Necklace

"Cierra" is created with two sizes of brown seed beads with a slight variation in color and some 4mm cube beads in "metal teal iris matte" which really match the colors and finish of the ceramic pendant. The seed beads appear a little purple in the photo but they are brown! There are three strands, two are crocheted and one is a solid strand, all done on brown wire.

~Today's Quote~

Each day comes bearing it's own gifts. Untie the ribbon.

"Paris" Necklace, Ooh La La!

I called this necklace "Paris" because it reminds me of Paris Apartment decor. It's ooh la la sparkly! I used Jet and Rose Swarovski crystals and 3 cut Jet seed beads. I tend to hoard my Swarovski crystals because they're sort of pricey but, boy, do I love them!

~Today's Quote~

No journey is too great if you find what you seek.

"Whitney" Necklace

I thought it would be fun to start naming my pieces. This one is called "Whitney". It means "from the White Island" which seems fitting. It's loaded with shades of white and clear Czech fire polished beads and seed beads. The pendant is accented with little Swarovski crystals.

~Today's Quote~

"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time,

but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."

Pink/Green Czech Fire Polished Necklace

These beads are so pretty and sparkly. They're a combination of pink and green in the same bead. The picture just doesn't do them justice!

What are fire polished beads you might ask (or not!). If you're interested, here's a description from another website. "Fire polished beads from the Czech Republic are a faceted glass bead. The intense heat of the furnace "fires" the facets smooth. The result is warm flashes of refracted fire, boiling up from the interior rather than the intense surface reflections of a Lap-Polished bead."

~Today's Quote~

"Friendship isn't a big thing, it's a lot of little things."

Recycled Wood Bead Set

I must confess most of the beads and the pendant in this set came from a necklace that was on a clearance rack. I really liked the beads and pendant and thought I could use them to make something else. They're small wood beads in natural and olive green. I used most of the beads and findings and added some brown seed beads of my own.

~Today's Quote~

"Every time I hear the dirty word "exercise"

I wash my mouth out with chocolate!"

Cherry Quartz Necklace

This is another project that I worked on while I was gone. It's a necklace created with 3 strands of silver wire and a variety of Cherry Quartz beads and chips.

~Today's Quote~

(Mom, this one's for you!)

"May all your Weeds be Wildflowers."

National Wildflower Week

May 3 - May 10

Pink & Green Bracelets

I got to take a little "mini" vacation last week. I took a few beads with me (Beads don't take up much room in a suitcase!) and had some time to play.

In her blog, Eye for Color, Beverly Ash Gilbert asked what your favorite color combination is. http://beverlygilbert.blogspot.com/ Well, mine is pink and green! I love pink and green, separately or together, whether it's in pale shades or fuchsia and lime green! I had a couple packages of pillow beads that I hadn't opened yet and some fire polished beads that matched so they went into the suitcase. I made these bracelets, one pink, one green and two mixing the colors. They make me think of green grass and pink roses!

Mixed Metals

As my granddaughter says, This is the best day ever! I am SO excited to be the featured designer on A Bead A Day! http://www.abeadaday.blogspot.com/ Thank you, Lisa!

And thank you to my sister, who is a very talented photographer, for her sweet blog post! http://lou-2009.blogspot.com/ I think she may be exaggerating just a little!

Now, on to the necklace! Mixed metals are "in" right now. This one includes a strand of gold, silver and copper wire along with an assortment of beads in gold, silver and copper. The pendant is a "dangle" including each color and some small fire polished beads.

~Today's Quote!

"The Best Things in Life aren't Things"

Black on Silver Necklace

This necklace has lots of black glass bicone beads and black seed beads. I also added some silver lined clear beads to brighten it up a little and match the silver wire. The pendant is a little flower charm layered over a teardrop disk with a little black bead dangle.

~Today's Quote~

"Got 'er to do - Git 'er done!"

This quote comes from one of my youngest daughter's classmates! The reason I used this quote today is because along with warmer weather comes mowing. I really dislike mowing and weed- eating but because I've "Got 'er to do" I guess I better get out there and "Git 'er done"!

Something in Red

This one is a short choker style with matching earrings. It's done in all red, including the wire. It's a cloudy day so I couldn't capture how bright and sparkly it really is!

~Today's Quote~

"Cherish Yesterday ~ Dream Tomorrow ~ Live Today"

Another Copper Necklace

This is another necklace done on dark copper wire. There's an assortment of Czech fire polished beads in shades of brown, bronze and amber with a mother of pearl and copper pendant. I use these colors a lot. It has kind of a vintage look that I like.

~Today's Quote~

"A smile costs nothing but gives much."

Easter Bracelet

This is an Easter bracelet for a very special young lady, my 8 year old granddaughter. She saw the necklace made with these beads and liked it. Aqua is her favorite color right now and she commented it's "just my colors"! She seems to like the things I make so I'm hoping she'll like this.

~Today's Quote~

"To the world you may be just one person

but to one person you may be the world."

70's Style

A couple of years ago I bought some beads at a garage sale. Included was a container of all colors and sizes of seed and bugle beads. They look so pretty all mixed together, like a little treasure chest! I think there's every color imaginable. I thought it would be fun to start stringing them and see what happened. As I was working on it, it reminded me of the beads in the 70's, so I added a peace sign dangling from a little rainbow bead.

~Today's Quote~

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.

Gorgeous Coral

OK, I know you guys must think I'm my own biggest fan, but I absolutely LOVE this one!

You can't see it in the picture but the seed beads have a shimmery finish in gold, orange, and hot pink with an overall look of coral. So pretty!

I've taken advantage of the bad weather this weekend and had play time

which makes for happy time!

Sky Blue Necklace

I had to get really close to show the true color and variety of the beads in this necklace. There are quite a few different sizes and shapes, from large cat's eye to Czech glass flower beads and small sparkly glass beads to small diagonal drilled square cat's eye beads, all in shades of sky blue.
~Today's Quote~
"More than anything I must have flowers, always, always, always."
~Monet

Autumn Jasper Set

Well, it's a dark rainy day so I couldn't get a very good picture. And snow is in our forecast for tomorrow. Happy Spring, huh?

This is a month of firsts, I guess. This is the first time I've made a complete set with necklace, bracelet, and earrings. I love these colors. These are Autumn Jasper chips in shades of green and orange on dark copper wire.

~Today's Quote~

"I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to"

~Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

My special place of enchantment is Eureka Springs. I hope you can think about yours and forget about the weather outside!

Copper Bracelet

Attaching to each side of a focal is something I haven't tried before. I used one strand of brown wire and two strands of copper wire with a cluster of copper fire-polished beads on each side and attached them with jump rings. I really like how it turned out.

~Today's Quote~

"If you don't like something, change it.

If you can't change it, change the way you think about it!"

Browns & Golds

Sparkly brown and gold Czech fire-polish beads and a variety of seed beads with a solid strand of smaller brown seed beads woven in. It's finished off with a dark copper filagree pendant. This one goes to Katie if she likes it.

~Quote for today~

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

Delicate White

This one is done with a mix of white and clear E beads. The pendant is lacy and kind of pearly white.

I like quotes so I think I'll add a quote to each blog. For long as I can come up with one anyway! Warning to my family members, I may be borrowing some of yours! Only because I like them : )

Today's quote:

"Life is short, so forgive quickly. Believe slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. Never regret anything that makes you happy."