Christmas Presents

Here are a couple sets that some lucky family members will be getting.

 

 

And the next piece:

Blue, Oh So Lonesome For You!

"Why can't you be blue over me?" Leann Rimes once sang.  Well, now you can.  And with a funky twist to boot!    I made this necklace using blue glass beads that are clear as well as frosted.  I also used teal/blue beads with blue dots on them.  The showcase beads for the necklace and earrings are blue clear class with blue glass bumpies on them.  I used small silver beads, large teal seed beads, and small teal bugle beads as well.  The necklace has a lobster claw clasp.  I just realized, right this second that I need to go back and measure my jewelry and get dimensions for height and width!  Ach!  All this info.  And pardon my sporadic entries as I am busy trying to get a stubborn surgery wound healed ASAP!  To Bead Or Not To Bead Is Not Even A Question!

Winter Romance

I love this delicate bracelet.  I used red and clear glass beads that had a hint of iridescence infused on their surfaces.  I also used round white beads that had a cloudy white effect on their surface which looked kind of like the glass that was popular in the early part of the 20th century.  Many of us may have had grandparents with pitchers and tumblers with this white cloudy or bubble glaze on them. The large red and white seed beads had a similar effect.  I used small silver beads for sparkle and little wrapped silver spacer beads to give the red beads a romantic collar look.  The silver toggle clasp matches the rope/wrapped look of the spacer beads.  The earrings showcase the large clear beads in contrast to the larger red beads on the bracelet with a sassy little red drop at the end that is kissed with a seed bead. 

Bohemian Roses Wrapped Around My Heart

This bracelet and earrings are another example of reusing and rebeading with jewelry you may have that is not functional or has broken parts with beads that are still useful.

I had a "memory wire" bracelet I bought back in Missoula, MT at the University of Montana in the University Center, from when they were having an artisan/craft show there.  

 The bracelet had all shapes of blue and white in it, but the wire was very irritating to my wrist after a while.  So I knew what to do!  Reuse the beads!  I also pulled the silver rose beads for the bracelet and earrings from this bracelet.  I shined the silver beads up with some tarter control toothepaste.  I was careful not to rub the antique black stain off the beads.

I also had some earrings with black carved floral beads from a pair of earrings that I had made years and years ago when I had no idea what I was doing.  The earrings were awful, so I took them apart and reused them in this ensemble.

The blue beads are a saphire glass color in two different shapes.  I really do need to learn the shapes of beads so I can talk the talk! 

The last set of black beads are kind of a wonky shape and break up the roundness of all the beads.  The spacer beads are large seed beads and I also used the familiar UFO-shaped silver engraved beads for some sparkle.  I added a silver toggle clasp and