Recycled Glass Jewelry

Happy Friday everyone!

Over the last few weeks I have been working on and off with making glass beads out of used bottles, that would have otherwise been trash.

The beads aren't perfect because I am not working with a rod, the glass isnt perfect, but I think the imperfections add to the uniqueness of the pieces.

Sometimes pieces break or crack, but I am pretty happy with the finished jewelry pieces that have been created as a result of this glass that could have been garbage.

I still have more photos to upload and edit, but wanted to show a couple of the most popular pieces.
Have great weekend!

Bead Table Wednesday ~ getting somewhere

Remember those components that had me artistically stuck?

Well I am getting somewhere with them this week.

There is also a heart bezel that is filled with goodies and resin which is drying on the side.

I am having a busy week - both emotionally and physically - but being able to create is my solace.  I always seem to be beaming with ideas at times like this.

Happy Bead Table Wednesday!

~Bead Table Wednesday~

It's been a busy week here with workmen in and out of the house.  I am surprised I was able to do anything creative.  Two weeks ago, in this post, I showed you a variety of components I was working with.  I am really struggling with getting these to come together right.
BUT.....I was successful with this pendant.....
I love making those fused silver rings, hammering them FLAT.....very therapeutic.....and then stamping them for some texture.

I had a headpin leftover, and it was lonely, so made this simple pendant for myself..........

I have also had my hands in clay and glaze again......

Cant wait to glaze these and fire them.  I love that owl towards the bottom right.....he's gonna be a cutie :)
Right next to him is a bezel box that I cant wait to fill with goodies and resin.
Here are a few glazed beads waiting for something creative to happen to them....

I think they may grow up to be pendants.
Be sure to go the Flickr group, Bead Table Wednesday, and check out what other jewelry artists are up to.
Happy Bead Table Wednesday!!!
What is happening on your bead table?

B.T.W.

Personally I think a messy work table shows that work is getting done!!!

Right??????

It is a little embarrassing to show this photo, but when I am in a bead making frenzy this is what happens!

And I think most artists are capable of making a real good MESS!!!  I just hate myself when I have to clean it up, and that time is soon coming!
Very soon I will be upgrading to a mixed gas torch and I cannot wait!!  I am just waiting for all the items to get to me :)

I am still working with the findings I showed you last BTW.

Here are a few beads that will go with that mix.

What is on your creative table today?
Go here and check out what others are doing on Bead Table Wednesday!

Something Finished

In one of my posts at the end of December I had a whole long list of unfinished projects that needed my attention.  This week I managed to get another one of those UFO's DONE!!

My very first crocheted pillow!!!!  All for me :)

I love the scalloped trim.

This is the back.......and this is what took sooooooooo long!!!  Rows and rows and rows of single crochet!!! What was I thinking?  I am glad I persevered and did it thought because it has a cool look.

The buttons for the closure was a bit of a challenge also, but it is DONE!!

I am now trying to decided which pattern I will use for my next pillow.

I also wanted to show you some new glass that I got in last week.

I'll soon be showing you some new beads and jewelry pieces from these yummy colors!

Today I broke down and ordered a bead annealer.  The kind you put the beads in as soon as you have made them.  Right now I am making them, then putting them in the kiln later on.  I also can't get PMC and enameling off my brain and I have the materials.....I just need to do it!

Hope you all have a very Happy Easter :)

Bracelet Blog Hop for The Global Genes Project

The Global Genes Project is a campaign to raise awareness to rare disease in children.

One of my blogging friends, Lori Anderson, is hosting this blog hop.  She too, is affected by a rare disease.

Jewelry artists were asked to make a bracelet with the predominate color being blue.

The bracelets will be given to one of the 7000 families that have a child with a rare disease to show them love, hope and support.

Here is the bracelet that i made.....

I used one of my lamp worked glass beads, a hand stamped tag *wish*, and several blue glass shell beads.

The shells, for me, represent unfolding mysteries.  I wish for these families that the mystery of their child's rare disease can be solved.

I had a hard time getting a good picture of the hand stamped tag.

Go and check out all the bracelets that others have made here on Lori's blog.

Scroll down to the bottom to see the list of blog participants and check out all the wonderful bracelets.

I hope I am not posting this too early, but I am getting ready to leave for an art show so I needed to get this posted before I left.

Creative Project #28 ~ last day of the creative challenge.

I am kinda sad that this creative challenge is over.  It has kept me so inspired throughout this month!  Although like I told you in a previous post I joined a new group called "Creative Everyday".  I wont be posting every single day about what I have made, instead weekly, but I still will be creating everyday!

Some days were a crunch to get something creative done, but it was well worth the effort to make the time to do it.

So today I made some more beads. I am hooked on making headpins.  Here are a few of the batch I made.  You will have to wait and see the rest when they are in a piece of jewelry.  I have lots of ideas for these little gems.

I got hooked on making these pins when Cassie Donlen, of the Glass Beadle, had a giveaway on her Facebook page for some headpins that she made.

I WON THE GIVEAWAY!!! WOOHOO!!!

Cassie is an amazing glass bead maker, and has a great video out if anyone is interested.

Cassie then asked on her Facebook page how others made their glass headpins.  She made hers on the end of the mandrel then attached the wire with epoxy.  I wrote in and told her I made mine on high temp wire, but then I wanted to try her method since the wire can be tricky if it isnt completely straight.

The last couple of days I have been making them on the mandrel and kind of like that way.

Here are the awesome headpins that Cassie made, and I won....

I got to pick out the four I preferred.

I cant wait to use them with one of her toggles I bought last year.

Have a great week!

Creative Project #27 ~ a beady kind of day

Today was a day of catching up on some rest as well as melting some glass.  I go into another zone when I make glass beads.  It is like my own little zen.

Here are a few of the batch I made today....

I also designed a new necklace to go with this ceramic pendant that I got out of the kiln on Friday.....

and have started to make some of the components.

The day ended with several rewarding hours of agility training with our agility club and my wonderful potcake, Trixi.

It has been a fun and busy weekend.....I love it!

Creative Project #17 ~ when supplies are low

I have let myself get dangerously low on my fine silver wire supply, and the urge to create jewelry hit me today so I had to turn to copper.  One of my favorite sayings (I am not sure who's quote) is "Do what you can with what you have".

So that is what I set out to do with my creative challenge today.

I learned how to make the coiled circles from an issue of Step by Step Wire Jewelry.  In the magazine they were on a silver necklace as spacers, but the copper worked just as well.

I strung the pendant on two satin ribbons for an elegant necklace.

Yesterday I told you about my asterisk blocks I was working on.  I worked on them some more today.  Here are the pressed and trimmed blocks.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

Creative Project #13 ~ Artbeads Winter Enchantment Challenge

As you know from previous posts I am an Artbeads Design Partner.  The challenge that was recently sent to us was "Winter Enchantment".

Down south, in the tropics, we don't see snow and cold is in the 40's if we are lucky!

On cool, crisp days all the colors seem brighter and more vibrant.  The ocean beams and the trees are screaming green because it is a comfortable temperature for them.
I went with a blue, green and silver color palette.

The design was simplistic with sterling silver chain, a sterling silver toggle, some sterling coiled wire and my lamp worked beads. This toggle was perfect because it looks like a branch from the trees who's color I was trying to capture.
There are so many neat toggles at Artbeads that it was difficult to decide which one I wanted to use.

I am calling this necklace and earring set "Winter Colors".

I am so in love with the diamond cut rollo chain that I got from Artbeads that I have already ordered more.  It is on sale right now so hurry over and stock up!
These earrings are so light that you cannot even feel them on.

The bead just floats below your ear.

I went a little crazy adding beads to the toggle, but I was having so much fun with the beads being the perfect color and adding the coiled sterling silver wire for some fun and texture, that it was difficult to stop.

This design is a lot simpler than I normally do, but it seems that the designs I have in my head to do now are headed in that direction.  We'll see what happens!
Hope your weekend has been fantastic!


The Artbeads.com products in this post were provided as a promotional gift by Artbeads.com, as part of their Design Partner & Blogging program.  I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion - good or bad.  My comments and opinions about these products are my honest, personal opinion and I have not been paid for any endorsement.

Creative Project #12 for February......G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y. for my 100th post!!!!!

Today is the day!! WOW, one hundred posts!!!  This creative challenge I am participating in has helped me get to my 100th post quicker than I normally would have.

This is what I decided to use for the giveaway prize:

Swirls with Swirls earrings.  As always the wire is fine silver wire and they are my lamp worked beads.  I love how that color combo turned out and hope you all like them too.

I have been selling a lot of earrings lately, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with these for a giveaway prize.

Let's go over the *rules* again:

1.  Post a comment under THIS POST for one chance to win (not on Facebook)

2.  Become a follower of my blog for a second chance.

3.  Write about this giveaway on your blog for a third chance!

4.  For each one of the above tasks you do, PLEASE write a separate comment.  This will make it easier for me to use the random number generator.

5. You will have until tomorrow when I make my next post to play :)  I am guessing sometime after lunch - eastern time.

Yesterday I showed you a terrible picture of a ring I was working on yesterday.  I got a half way decent shot this morning even though it is cloudy here.

(the ring is not included in the giveaway prize - only the earrings)

Good luck in the giveaway!

Have an awesome weekend!

Creative Project #10 for February......earrings and a few new things!!!

Yesterday I posted a pair of earrings that I said *might* be the giveaway for Saturday's 100th post, but they were snatched up.  So I am not sure what will be my giveaway....maybe something you have seen, maybe something I haven't blogged about yet.  Surprises are good :)
I spent the morning making more beads and letting them anneal while I ran some errands.

Some I am saving for a necklace, but I used one pair for earrings.

The same but different from yesterday :)

I also got some new tools in the mail today and spent some time making a glass button and practicing a flower shaped bead.
Here is my glass button still on the mandrel.   I only made one mistake.....I only ordered one mandrel, so I can only make one button at a time!

Here is my first try at a flower bead.  I thought it was okay for a first try.
The shape is somewhat close.  Just got to work on getting the petals even.....making that liquid glass *SIT & STAY*!

Here they both are off the mandrels.

I am looking forward to playing with both of these new techniques!
See you tomorrow :)

Creative Project #9 for February......earrings on the brain!!!

Just a quick Create! project today since I have been in and out of meetings I havent had much creative time.  I have tons of earring ideas in my brain.  Quite a change for me since I usually HATE doing earrings since I have to do the same thing TWICE!  Oh well, I seem to be on a roll now so I will go with it.

These were fun to make and are a combination of fine silver wire, copper wire and colored copper wire that is non-tarnish.

The shape reminds me of a birdcage or a bird perch.

I am *thinking*, but not sure yet, that these may be my giveaway prize for my 100th post.

Just so no one misses out let me go over the *rules* again.

1. Comment under the post for the 100th post (this Saturday) ~ this gives you one chance.

2.  Become a follower of this blog, thru your email, not thru facebook ~ this will give you a second chance.
3.  I will give you until Sunday evening to comment and will announce the winner on Monday.
Hope you all want to play :)

Creative Project #7 for February......Valentine's Day is a week from today!!!

I have been on quite the roll lately with my blogging!! I am very proud of myself!

For Create! day 7 I am still in feeling the Valentine's spirit, and got such a great response to my heart jewelry that I thought I would make some more with a slightly different twist.

Floating Hearts Earrings:

The glass beads are dark pink with black swirls.  The hearts are made of fine silver wire and soldered.

Just in case a matching pendant was needed, and since I had so much fun with this pattern:

I was looking through my box of finished beads, trying to decide what I would make and found I had enough beads to do earrings and a pendant.

The top bead was so much fun to make.

I had all this space to doodle on with the stringers.

Now my head is bursting with heart designs and ideas for jewelry!

Just five more posts until I do a giveaway for my 100th post! I think that will fall on Saturday.  Here is how it will work.....first you will have to comment under the post, on Saturday, for your first chance at the giveaway........BUT...if you become a follower of my blog that will give you an extra ticket in the drawing.

I am still trying to decide what I will giveaway, but will decide soon!

Until tomorrow......happy creating!

Stepping Out of My Color Comfort Zone

Not sure how many of you have noticed, but every piece of jewelry I have created this month has been in blues and greens (maybe with a hint of purple).  So last weekend I had a gift to make and decided to throw in some RED!  This friend has adopted a potcake, and for those of you that don't know......potcakes are the Bahamian mutt.  Like this one here......

That is my potcake Trixi.  Potcakes are smart dogs who are always willing to please.

Here is the necklace I made as a gift.  "Potcake Love"

I am having a great time with the book "Totally Twisted" by Kerry Bogart.  Every jewelry artists need to take a look at this book.  Great techniques and even some tips on color.

This necklace is made up of sterling silver and copper components, as well as copper colored wire (that is non tarnish) and my own flame worked beads.

As I was looking back over my photographs of the jewelry I had made this month, I could not believe that EVERYTHING was blue and green, or some shade close.  So for this necklace I threw in some red to push myself outside of that color comfort zone.

I also have components pulled for two more necklaces.  One color combo is pink and green and the other is red, orange and pink.

Hopefully I will finish those in the next few days, and be back to share those finished pieces with you.

Summertime Creations

Summertime is a favorite season for so many people.  It is when beaching and boating are most popular, and everyone works on their summer tans.

This month at Artbeads.com their theme is "Summertime".  I am now a design partner with Artbeads.com so I was able to choose some items from the Charms, Glass Beads or Pendants categories to work with, review and blog about.

Being a lamp worker I was very happy to pick from the glass beads category.  I picked the 14mm Crystal Fish Bead in the Silver Shade; some Czech Glass Nautical Shells; a Picasso Square Bead Strand in cobalt, white and purple; and TOHO Round Seed Beads 8/0 in Lined Aqua Opal, Lined Dark Aqua and Lined Cobalt.  Glass has the right amount of sparkle and shine,  I was not disappointed in any of these products, and would like to order more for my *stash*!!

For a pendant I chose a Plated Pewter Elongated Heart Picture Pendant.

Then finally, I chose a few Sterling Silver Mermaid Charms to complete my summer pieces.

Here is the first piece I made.....

I filled the heart pendant with sea glass and shells, then sealed it all in with resin.  I also hung one of the mermaid charms in the front of this pendant.

I used 3 strands of the TOHO seed beads and mixed the Crystal Fish Beads with them.  I then continued the necklace with the Picasso Square Beads and the Glass Nautilus Shells beads.

On the other side I did some sterling silver wire work along with some of my lamp worked beads and a glass disc and sterling silver hook for a clasp.

I absolutely loved the nautilus shell beads and the square glass beads and will be ordering more of these.  The heart bezel pendant will also be in my next order.  I was making these myself from sterling silver, but these are so easy to work with and can keep my costs down.

Here is a close-up of the pendant.....

And another picture of the entire necklace.....

I also think the Crystal Fish Beads work so well with the seed beads and add just the right amount of sparkle.  Who doesn't like *sparkle*!?

Of course no necklace is complete without a matching pair of earrings, so here is what I made using the seed beads and Sterling Silver Mermaid Charms. These mermaid charms are the perfect size for earrings.

From another angle.....

Still having beads left over from Artbeads.com and ideas popping into my head I came up with this abstract, art quilt which I am calling "Bahama Bubbles".

After piecing and quilting this art quilt, I hand stitched the seed beads on to look like bubbles and then stitched on the Nautilus Shell Glass Beads, as if they were on the ocean floor.  Both the lined seed beads and the glass shell beads add just the right amount of quirky-ness to this piece which measures about 7" x 11".  Here is another picture of the quilt before I added the blue nautilus shell beads, and when the sun was out.......

So even if you are a quilter, or mixed media artist, remember to try out other objects on your artwork.  Even items that are normally considered for jewelry artists!  Think outside the box!
I hope these items inspire you to make something summery and get ready for the summer season!

The Artbeads.com products in this post were provided as a promotional gift by Artbeads.com, as part of their Design Partner & Blogging program.  I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion - good or bad.  My comments and opinions about these products are my honest, personal opinion and I have not been paid for any endorsement.