Goodbye Autumn Jewelry

Hello everyone!

I have been very busy yesterday and today working in my brand new studio space. It's the only space in the house that I feel really belongs to me, and I have some plans to spruce it up some (it IS in an unfinished basement, after all). However, when I visit my mom for Thanksgiving, she's giving me a nice rug to spread on the concrete floor, and I'm going to bring home my massive poster of Trent Reznor (this thing is enormous, my love gave it to me a very long time ago when we were just friends). It was looking rough, ragged edges, etc. But at the time I worked at a framing shop, so I sent it out to get mounted on acid-free foam core with a simple bronze frame. Well, I know exactly where that's going! There's a space on the wall right in front of my work table that is the perfect size for my massive poster of teh sexxiest guy ever :P

Not at all to say I'm not thrilled with the space (I spent a good five hours there today working on a ring I'll put up elsewhere in this post - and with a free tutorial that I should complete by tomorrow, stay tuned!) But I'd love to hang a curtain to hide this one spot in the corner that I'll never use and is an eyesore, and also I'd love a big comfy chair or small loveseat to relax and take a break from the wire a bit.

I've been working with my wire so much these past two days that my fingertips hurt! He'

Cannot for the life of me get a good photo of this but I love it and I finally used my seafoam green wire that I have literally owned for years and never used. Plus there are two teeny tiny pink montees on either side of the bead (which sparkles like craziness).

I've got the photos taken for a tutorial, just have to edit them and then post them, hopefully tomorrow.

❦  ❦  ❦

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I was born for winter. I look forward to cold temperatures the way people can't wait for the hot summer sun. But even though I love winter, I do think that autumn is just too damn short.

So, to 'keep the memory of autumn alive', I'm running a sale on the Fall-themed items in my shop, all marked down for you!

Looking for a statement necklace? This design is available in two colors, brown and bright copper. They're actually quite sturdy, although they look delicate. My favorite parts are the pair of acorns each pendant features - each necklace has one brown glass acorn and one champagne colored Swarovski pearl.

These were $25, but with my Goodbye Autumn Sale, they're only $18 each! Does bright copper draw you in? Or maybe you're more inclined to deep rich brown?

How about a sweet pair of acorn earrings? These faceted glass beads each have their own Vintaj acorn top (quite easily the cutest little finding I've ever seen). These were $10, but for the Goodbye Autumn Sale, they're a steal at $6!

A pair of lucite, somewhat translucent rich brown leaves affixed to hairpins? These are decorative hairpins, not bobby pins. They're intended to adorn hair that is already in an updo. An easy, unusual hair accessory that people will notice! They were $6, but for the Goodbye Autumn sale, they're only $4!

Prefer traditional bobby pins instead of hair pins? My Autumn Palette barrettes are just the thing to add a little touch of fall. These were $7.50 but for the Goodbye Autumn sale, they're only $5!

Today in one of my boxes I found some old lucite leaves and a bronze circle finding. It's laying out on my desk right now in this configuration, but I haven't decided on a design yet. The leaves feel wonderful in your fingers, you'll love their weighty look but light feel. We'll see what I come up with with these!

Today, I'll leave you with Trinity's single white toe <3

Til Next Time!

A New Studio Just for Me!

Hello everyone!

For a long while now, I've been suffering from the dreaded "artist's block". I couldn't even get up the motivation to pick up my pliers- hell, I couldn't even manage to put pencil to paper to doodle some designs!

But, I'm grateful that that seems to have passed. It was a matter of sheer will - you WILL create something today, Jet!

But it's true what they say about being kind to yourself- when I find myself feeling like my work is pointless or bad quality, I ask myself: 'If someone else said that stuff to you, wouldn't you be furious?' In other words, be kindest to yourself.

If it's a motivation problem, or a huge task to handle, I just break it up into small tasks and ignore the big picture. As my mom and Grams are fond of saying: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time". :3 I'm so grateful for having these two ladies and their wealth of wisdom.

So, I desperately wanted to create. I decided to ease into it, with a very simple necklace.

I've had these little metal black bow charms for god knows how long. I have them in silvertone too, but I feel like it gave me enough experience to get back into the swing of creative. I'll list it in the shop soon

These were my next attempt at getting back to my tools and pliers. I wanted to do a simple but elegant shape, with just a little wire wrapping. I could'nt resist putting them on those chains - these earrings will likely not ever stay still, which I think is the fun part.

And of course I went with green and bronze. Bronze wire is my favorite, and I just love the way it looks with greens and purples. These will go up into the shop very soon, too.

Tonight I'll leave you with Trinity, who has been trying for ages to get up to the top shelf of my shelves and finally succeeded (and of course she's sitting on my sewing box :P)

'Til Next Time!

Hyperfocus! - Seaside Sparklies

Hello everyone! It's the weekend again and that means it's time for another Hyperfocus!

Winter is decidedly over, and as spring moves in, I'm thinking of a nice seaside retreat. I know most save beach trips for the summer, but summertime for me means long, hot, sweaty, miserable days spent holed up inside, basking not in the sunshine but in the icy air blasting from the A/C vents. Summer and I are not good friends.

Since I don't have any real plans to head to the ocean soon, I've been browsing sea-inspired jewelry and letting it spark fantasies of salty breezes and sandy toes. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite treasures out of all the oceanic lovelies I've found.

Nautical Octopus Necklace by weareowls

This necklace has an awesome vintage-inspired octopus illustration on a background of dictionary text. It comes in bronze or silver finish. Like the theme but the octopus isn't quite your style? Check the rest of this seller's wares - there's another octopus necklace in the shop done in a different illustrative style.


Mixed Metal Ombré Teal Earrings by OstaraMoonJewelry

These lovely earrings consist of three different colors of Swarovski rivoli crystals arranged in a cascading gradient that just screams 'seaside'! I see water, horizon, and sky in these lovely dangles. The different colored metal used in the finding for the darkest blue crystals is a nice touch. If you like this look, check out the rest of this shop; there are more earrings in this style in different colors available.

Mermaid's Treasure ring by fifthheaven

This stunning ring is made-to-order of sterling silver with a rose-cut sky blue topaz and features a detailed little starfish next to the exquisitely bezeled stone. Do not miss the rest of the fabulous treasures in this shop! I wish I could buy all of them!

Sea Urchin earrings by MysticPendants

These charming studs are handmade using high quality prints and glass dome cabochons. They are available in silver and bronze finish (I prefer the bronze). The glass domes give them such depth!

Ocean Cuff Bracelet by DeCumiDesigns

Oh man. Out of all my favorites, this is my favorite favorite. This stunning cuff is made of aluminum and the incredible, intricate designs in the lovely teal green waves are all entirely hand drawn. Such talent! Be sure to check out the rest of this shop - there's more of this kind of awesomeness to be found!

Sea Shell Locket Necklace by KimFong

This delicate-looking gold tone shell opens to reveal spaces to hold tiny photos or other treasures. It hangs from a simple chain studded with six champagne colored pearls. Lovely and very elegant.

Sea Shell Necklace by EightAcorns

This aqua blue colored limpet shell features a single white glass pearl in its center. So lovely and delicate! I love how it carries an oceanic theme but could be worn in casual or formal situations. Just simply pretty.

Brass Nautilus Earrings by Zephyr9

These nautilus-inspired earrings demand attention! As well they should- they certainly deserve it! I am smitten with their bold organic form. If this style has a hold on you as it does me, don't miss the rest of this shop - there's tons more to drool over. Just incredible stuff!

Silver Crab Earrings by SilverCedarJewelry

These little sterling silver crabs aren't just charming- believe it or not, they're made from castings made from real tiny crabs! The artist made them using actual crabs found on a trip to the beach. This artist makes castings of all sorts of neat things - don't miss the earrings made from castings of romanesco broccoli that demonstrate the Fibonacci spiral! (I want those SO bad!)

Jellyfish Necklace by shlomitofir

This charming necklace comes in silver and gold. I can't resist those chain tentacles; such a clever idea!

And with that, we come to the end of this week's Hyperfocus! To see more of my favorites of this theme, check out my list of Seaside Sparklies on Etsy.

'Til Next Time!

New Weekly Feature - Hyperfocus!

Hello everyone!

It's probably no surprise that I spend a lot of time online just finding and drooling over whatever unusual and beautiful jewelry I can find. Pinterest is a true enabler! I love curating my little collections (some of which are decidedly not little). Also, although my own store is not located there, Etsy, with its option to create lists to sort your favorite items and its simple integration with Pinterest means I can maintain even more collections than I probably should.

Although I do often go back through my lists and boards to marvel at the little treasures I've found and pinned, sometimes I think I could do more than just add to these collections of mine. Since I often get stuck on one theme and then go nuts pinning and favoriting items that I find and fall in love with according to that theme for a few hours (or days), I've decided to start a weekly themed feature, dubbed Hyperfocus (because that's exactly what I end up doing). I'll go through my beloved collections and post a selection of some of my favorite favorites according to the week's theme with links to where they can be found.

To kick it all off, here's this week's Hyperfocus.. Fruit!

Orange Washi Tape Earrings by PrettyKiku

I'm in love with the sweet gingham print paired with those oranges- playful, a little vintage, and makes me want a tall glass of OJ!

Wooden Strawberries Necklace by jumbojibbles

Three playful wooden strawberries on a chain. The strawberries are hand-painted and I just love how you can still see some of the wood grain showing through.

Orange Banana Fruit Tart Plugs by babypietattoo

Something a little different - these adorable polymer clay orange banana tarts are for those with stretched ear piercings. Just charming!


Real Kiwi Pendant by RealFruitJewelry

A slice of actual kiwifruit preserved and set in resin. It looks good enough to eat! Don't miss the rest of the delicious looking fruit jewelry in this shop.


Miniature Oranges and Lemons Ring by artyResin

This bold resin ring has an irresistible sphere packed with citrus set upon a filigree ring band. A delicious statement piece!


Strawberry Botanical Earrings by Agnera

These sweet, delicate resin earrings have tiny, real strawberries suspended inside. They're so graceful and elegant! Be sure not to miss the other lovely botanical jewelry in this shop.

Clementine Ring by MiniatureMarketplace

This playful ring features a little half-peeled clementine- it looks ready to eat!


Red Tomato Necklace by EvelynMaeCreations

Technically a fruit! I love the vibrant red enamel on this tomato- and I love the playful notion of wearing a tiny tomato around your neck :)

Miniature Lemonade Pendant by NeatEats

This tiny glass jug of lemonade looks so refreshing. The little lemon slice on the rim of the pitcher is the perfect touch.

And that brings us to the end of this week's Hyperfocus on Fruit! I'll aim to focus on a new theme and have it posted by the end of each weekend :) Hope you enjoyed this selection and maybe found something new to treat yourself with! :)

'Til next time!

A Peek at my Methods

Hello there!

I thought today I'd write a little post about some of the things I use to do what I do. Not the regular stuff - everyone knows what pliers look like - but instead, the things that I pull out and set up in front of me every time I sit down to work with some beads and wire.

First is my sweet little apple box! It's actually a sewing box, and I found it for a great price at a discount store- I wasn't looking for it; it found me! I saw those cute little apples and knew it had to be mine. I am a sucker for cute fruit prints- the only way it could be better is if it were a citrus pattern instead :D At one point it actually had a handle on the top made of thick wire threaded with big apple green colored plastic beads, but sadly, the handle broke off with repeated use. I did salvage the beads though (of course!)

This little box is exactly the right size to hold all of my many pliers- I think I've got eight different pairs of pliers in there! Another thing that lives in my cute apple box is...

My cute little tape measure. It was a freebie in an order from Fusion Beads, and really it's just a cheap little measure but I prefer it over my 'real' sewing tape measure because it's retractable and compact. And the price was right! :D

No wire wrapping session can start without wire- and currently all of mine lives in this cute kitty cat trick-or-treat bag that my mom gave me last Halloween. 

She knows Halloween is my favorite holiday (I even got married on Halloween!) and of course I adore cats so she got it for me as a surprise. I just love his purple ears!

Now that the tools and the wire are out, it's time to pull out the container of scrap wire.

It's just an old fast food container (washed of course) that my Grams gave me when she realized I created a lot of bits of short wire when I worked. I use this little container and the wire in it all the time! Before I cut any wire from a spool, I dig through my scraps to see if I already have something that will serve my current purpose in there- and many times, I do! This is also where I get my 'temporary' wire from - some wireworkers use masking tape to hold wires in place as they work, but I never liked doing that; instead, I grab a short scrap of wire and use it to temporarily bind together wires I'm working on.

The bead box comes out next. What's wirework without beads? Now, keep in mind, this is just a small selection of the beads I own. I have at least five more of these boxes filled up, plus various plastic bags and cardboard boxes and assorted little containers.... actually I don't really know how many beads I have. I don't even know WHICH beads I have! :D This is a good thing though, because now and then I'll come across a box with beads in it that I forgot I had and it's like getting brand new beads!

The next item I gather is my sketch journal. It's a beautiful peacock book with metallic gold detail and a magnetic closure I found on Amazon. It seems that this particular book is no longer available on Amazon, but there are many more books with different, just as gorgeous designs by Punch Studios available. (They make beautiful nesting boxes too- I want ALL of them!)

I initially intended for this book to be my 'Happy Book' - my aim was to write down only good things that happened each day. Eventually though it morphed into my sketchbook; although I still write journal entries in it on an occasional whim.

Even the pages of it are beautiful- here's an example of some of my notes about one design I worked on awhile back:

When I'm not taking notes and measurements, I use it as a daily sketch journal- my aim is to fill one page a day with doodles and sketches, no matter how 'bad' or 'weird' - many of my favorite pieces started as ugly little scribbles in this book!

When working with wire, it is inevitable that eventually you're going to need to form a smooth curve or circular shape. There are mandrel pliers out there that can help with this, but why waste the money? I bet you're surrounded by mandrels of all different sizes if you just look around for a moment...

Here's a selection of my mandrels (I also have a real actual ring mandrel, but I really only use it to size rings, go figure). From left to right- a battery for my electronic cigarette, an actual mandrel made specifically for making jump rings (I use it often, but surprisingly enough, never for making jump rings), two slightly different sized tubes of seed beads, a mechanical pencil, a fine point Sharpie marker, a Revlon lip stain marker, and a wine cork. All have come in handy at one point or another.



Lastly, perhaps you have noticed the tan and white chevron design background in most of my photos (and in all of my shop photos). It's just a sheet of scrapbooking paper I picked up at Michaels.

It has gotten a lot of use (abuse may be the correct term) - it is full of creases and curls and ragged edges and small tears.

But, for whatever reason, this well-used piece of paper still looks great in product photos! It looks awful in person but in photos its flaws just aren't as apparent as long as I don't deliberately call attention to them :D

I actually bought a number of sheets of scrapbooking paper when I first opened my shop; some light...

...and some dark.

Ultimately after testing and holding the papers this way and that, placing different items on them, just plain staring at them, I decided the dark papers were too serious looking and I liked the tan and white chevron paper the best - it's clean and casual and friendly looking, I think. And it has served me well!

Hope you enjoyed this little look into my 'process' :) Today I'll leave you with my sweet monster Neo, all snuggled up under the covers :) 'Til next time!

Adventures in Cross Stitch and Blackwork

Hello! It's been awhile as usual, but during that time I've been busy! I developed a sudden interest in embroidery. My family got me a gift card to Michael's for my birthday and when I went to spend it, I happened upon this gorgeous cross stitch kit by Dimensions, featuring a flamboyant peacock. It's an ambitious pattern but I've gotten quite a bit of it done...

pattern at Amazon

...but in between working on the peacock, I discovered the joys of blackwork embroidery (thanks to Pinterest!) and so I picked a couple smallish patterns to complete:

pattern on Pinterest

pattern on Pinterest

As you can tell, for awhile I only had purple embroidery floss, haha. I finally picked up some black floss and am now in the middle of this design (click the link below to see the full pattern). I intend to use red floss for the heart shapes in this pattern just for something a little different.

pattern on Pinterest

And I've been busy on Pinterest in general pinning all sorts of things. Have a look at my Blackwork board for a ton of free blackwork patterns.

That's all for today. I'll leave you this time with Trinity telling me to take a break from stitching. 'Til next time!

Spiral Stitch Variation

Hello! Just a quick post today- I wanted to share a little tip I discovered awhile back on how to make your spiral stitched ropes more... spirally :)

A recent post on the OTTBS facebook page asked us members to post pictures of our very first beaded creations. This spiral stitched bracelet here I think was my first (but my memory is faulty), and I remember liking it because I added an extra step to it to make the bracelet more solid and less slinky- I didn't like how the bugles kept moving around, so I added one last stitch to the completed bracelet (look at that awful toggle, lmao!)

Looking at this old photo, it made me want to revisit spiral stitch, which I haven't touched in quite awhile! I decided to go with some delicious faceted cylinder beads (I believe they're Toho's) with a taupe coloring and an iridescent sheen, spiralled around some 8/0's in three metallic shades. I implemented my 'trick' for this one too, and here is the result!



Unfortunately the photo really doesn't do the iridescence justice, but here you can see the tight spiral I was able to achieve with the regular garden variety spiral stitch we all know and love. This rope is rather stiff, but not so stiff that I can't make a bracelet out of it, or a necklace.

If you look close, you can see my trick implemented here in this photo. All I've done is run a thread down the length of the rope through the first bead in every 'set' of small beads. In case that doesn't make sense, here's a photo of what I'm talking about.

Here you can see what I mean- my needle is stitching through the first bead in each set of beads stitched around the core of 8/0's. When you complete your rope (by the way- if you want to do this trick, make your rope longer than you think it should be, because it will shrink when you do this), ensure you have a decent length of thread on your needle, then run your thread through the edge beads of each spiral stitch, as shown. When you get to the end of your rope, pull tight- the rope will curl up and tighten before your eyes! (I find this extremely satisfying for some reason, haha). I like to knot at this point, using the tail thread that is inevitably there from where you started the rope. Then, I go back up the rope using the first seed from each spiral stitch on the other side. I hope this makes some sense.

Regardless of what you decide to do, it will turn out beautifully. Without my 'trick', spiral stitch forms a slinky, supple rope with a straight column of core beads surrounded by spirals of outer beads. My trick forces both the spiral beads AND the core beads to spiral around each other, creating a more sturdy, substantial rope. Either way is great! Just do what seems to be best for the project you're working on :)

For now, I'll leave you with this video of Neo licking the condensation off of some beers, haha. 'Till Next Time!