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Amber Small Bead Necklace With Swarovski Crystals

I thought would share with you a pretty little necklace I made in 2009.  It has 4 very small amber handmade (lampwork) beads which I made under my torch.  I strung my handmade beads with Swarovski crystals, sterling silver beads, and seed beads.

Closeup of my handmade beads and the Swarovski and silver beads.

I would love to design a one-of-a-kind special necklace for you.  Please contact me.

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Happy Thanksgiving.

Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I am back to blogging and creating new jewelry.  Look for new posts and pics coming in the next few weeks.  Will get back in full swing after the holidays. So sorry I have not posted in such a long time.  What can I say, life happens.

I leave you with this collage of some of my work.  The background is a hand painted silk scarf I designed with butterflies, a pair of black and blue handmade (lampwork) beaded earrings, and a black, red and white memory wire bracelet with a handmade (lampwork) black, red and white focal bead.

A Collage of my Work

Wishing each and every one of you a blessed holiday season.  Christina

To follow my blog, click on the purple diamond on the right hand side of the page under the links section.  —————->

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Wine Bottle Cozy

Here is the wine bottle cozy I crocheted for my Mother-in-Law for her birthday.  She loved it.

The Yarn was Red Heart Collage and the color is Landscape Green.

I just love how the greens and pink of the yarn were blended and came out so pretty.

I added the ruffled rows around the top to make it more ruffly after the draw string is pulled.

The two beads on the draw string are two of my lampwork (handmade) glass beads.

 

Here is the pattern I used: http://www.yarntomato.com/patterns/wine-bottle-cozy/

I made a few changes. I skipped rows 12 and 13, (the two rows where you add the beads) because I was not adding beads.  I did 6 rows of sc after changing from the bottle bottom and starting up the sides, but that was going too slow, so I changed to dc and crocheted to 9 inches from bottom.  Then switched back to sc for the last 1/2 inch.  For the top edge, after I finished the pattern, I wanted it more ruffly than the pattern called for, so I did one row of sc working 3 sc in each stitch to force it to ruffle and then another row of sc working 2 sc in each stitch, continuing to force it to ruffle.

Then made my draw string and added two of my handmade (lampwork) beads to the ends of the drawstring after I threaded it into the cozy.

Happy crocheting.

To follow my blog, click on the purple diamond on the right hand side of the screen below the links section–>

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Upcoming Blogs

In the next few weeks I will post some blogs about free form design, i.e. designing a necklace or bracelet when you have not drawn out a sketch in advance.  As in the pic below.

This is a carved bone pendant, strung abstractly with 6 of my handmade glass beads (lampwork) and various bone beads.  I dropped the beads on the bead board and let them fall where they may, then strung them. 

Most of the time I am very symmetrical in my designs, making each side of the necklace match, left and right of the focal piece in the center, whether it be a bead, a carved bone pendant or a fused glass pendant I created, but occasionally I get a little wild and just drop the beads and string them.  (My husband likes it when I do.  The necklace in the pic is one of his favorite pieces.)

Maybe you purchased some semi-precious gemstone beads or just some glass beads, and you have been looking at these beads in your bead box for quite some time trying to figure, what am I going to make with them.  How do you take them from just being a pile of beads, just sitting around the art studio, to finished jewelry?  I will do some layout on my bead board and shoot some pics and post them to give you a concept of how I get creative, whether symmetrical or abstract, how does one come up with a design. 

How do I get ideas for my designs, you ask?  I look at the seasonal color charts that are published and I look at clothing magazines and jewelry design magazines.  I get ideas from various places, nature, leaves, flowers.  I never copy anyone’s work.  All my pieces are my originals, but I can look at someone work and get a basic idea and then create my own unique piece from there.

If you have any questions, please post them.  I will try my best to answer them.

Christina

 

To follow my blog, click on the purple diamond on the right hand side of the screen below the links section.——>

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Holiday Greetings

Hello everyone.  I trust you had a wonderful holiday season.  My family and I had a fantastic Christmas!!!  Haven’t done much jewelry making the last few weeks, and have not posted to the blog.  With the closing of my art gallery, getting ready to leave for vacation and being gone, there was not much time to make jewelry.  I just posted a couple of pendants to my Etsy Shop. So for today’s blog I will show you those.

This Necklace has a carved bone pendant, 2 of my handmade (lampwork) beads, and copper beads, strung on a Sterling Silver Chain.  To see more pics and find out more info click here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65488100/carved-bone-pendant-copper-beads-on

Blue and Red Pendant is fused glass with 4 of my handmade (lampwork) beads strung on red rubber cord.  To see more pics and find out more info click here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65487462/blue-red-fused-glass-pendant?ref=v1_other_2

Coming soon, I will post a blog on making fusing glass pendants.  I will also be entering some pieces in the Manatee County Fair and will keep everyone apprised on that project.


Wishing a very prosperous New Year to everyone.
Christina