Nancy Dale Style Wrap Bracelet

This neat wrap bracelet was made from a pattern by my friend Nancy Dale. Not only is she a sweet person and an amazing designer, but she's obviously a smart cookie to come up with such a clever and attractive way to use a variety of stray beads. This is the perfect project to use up things you only have 4 or less of, and also a lovely way to showcase a smaller lampwork bead, as I've done here.

In addition to the lampwork by MZGlass, my bracelet is made with Japanese seed beads, two-hole Czech beads, Swarovski pearls, assorted Czech glass, and some beads that are either tiger's eye or brown cat's eye. I love it because it's sparkly, but also kind of casual so it's easy to throw on with a pair of jeans or a sundress.

It's a butterfly kind of day!

 I just got back from delivering this pendant to Margaret of MZGlass. The cabochon is her work, and I did the bead embroidery. It's liberally embellished with fire opal Swarovski crystals! I like how bright and cheerful it is. As I was getting into my car to leave MZ's place, I saw a huge butterfly fluttering across her yard. No doubt, it's a butterfly kind of day!

Not only did I deliver this pendant (and take home a lampworked butterfly/moth for my own collection), but I also listed this Teal Butterfly crystal bracelet. It features lovely Pacific Opal Swarovski crystals (one of my favorite colors) and a Sterling Silver butterfly clasp.

Coleoptera Collection Conquers California

 I just handed these three pendants off to Margaret of MZ Glass so she can take them with her to LA. I'm pretty happy with all of them! I got a little bored of just using seed beads, so I threw some Swarovski crystal rhinestones in for extra sparkle. I wonder if any of them will find a new home in California?

A slightly different angle. Each one has a different bail and edging style, depending on what I thought would look best with the embroidery, and what I was in the mood to do.

Check back next week for more new beadwork!

Bold Beetle

I've been quite the busy little beader while I've been quietly not blogging. This is just one of the pieces that I've made this year. If it looks vaguely familiar, it's because this is the second beetle pendant I've made in this color way -- and there's a third yet to come! MZ sold the first one, and she wants to keep this one, so a third one needs to be made up to sell. I also have a blue beetle, a pinky-purple beetle, and an orange butterfly all waiting to be pendantified, so I need to bead faster!

MZ Beetle Pendant!

 You may remember that in February, MZ gave me one of her new beetle cabochons to work into a bead-embroidered pendant, so she could inspire prospective customers. Here's what I came up with, using Delicas, Japanese seed beads and some Czech three-cut seed beads. I really enjoyed working with the bright color palette in this cab, it's pretty far out of my usual muted olive and bronze palette :) For more beautiful lampwork, please visit MZ Glass. For more bead embroidery, visit my shop, Handmade Jewelry by Erthe Fae Designs.

Gem Show 2011 Recap!

Gem Show 2011 is more or less behind me! I still have two shows to go shop at, to get some supplies and more wooden necklace displays, but I've wrapped up most of my shopping and all of my working. Speaking of working, above is a picture of me at work! This is just a fraction of the Beyond Beadery booth. It really is bigger -- and has a better selection -- than a lot of bead stores I've been to.
But enough about work, and more about beads! I only took pictures of part of what I bought. Above, a cool heart bead (with an octopus!) by Christi Friesen, and some beautiful raku cabs by MAKUstudio. Mak is based in Phoenix, so it's pretty likely I'll be getting more of her yummy clay in the future!
And here, lampwork beads by two of my favorite artists! The tree and two sets are by JC Herrell, and the beetle, caterpillar, and other set are by Margaret Zinser. The cab is actually going to go back to MZ, in an embroidered pendant. I'm very excited about the project!
Of course, I had to get some steampunk goodies! The key with lampwork on it is by Kerri Fuhr. I've been admiring her work on Etsy for a long time, so I was really happy to meet her in person! The enameled pieces are from C-Koop, and I actually have a lot more than I put in the photo. I have more of the new TierraCast components on the other side of the photo, too! And I got the "Lolita" skeleton cab from work, and also have a smaller one to work with.

I've also got a big bag of seed beads, a bunch of chain, and some new crystals. I can't wait to get designing and bring some exciting new pieces to Handmade Jewelry by Erthe Fae Designs!

My MZ Glass Prize

You may recall that back in October, I took 2nd Place in the MZ Glass Design Challenge. Well, I finally collected my prize winnings this past weekend! Margaret was clearing out some old beads, so my $300 credit went a long way! Doesn't the central beetle remind you of old trade beads? He's definitely going to be made into something tribal.

The 3d butterfly is a new design and I knew I had to have one. If you want one, too, you can visit MZ's Etsy shop, where you can also see the new bees and caterpillars!

And just because I like showing off, here's the winning necklace again:

Operation: Buried in Beads

Operation: Buried in Beads began when I decided it was time to clean and organize my bead collection. I quickly became overwhelmed by the amount of bead clutter that I had accumulated and joked on Facebook that it might be easier to use up all my beads than put them away. We all had a good laugh, but the truth is that I did have an awful lot of beautiful beads just sitting around, and it really seemed a shame. They needed to be made into jewelry.

So I've been quietly working on this goal, occasionally posting about it on Facebook. My latest Artbeads.com project (which I can't post yet because I need to mail it to someone and I don't want to spoil the surprise) kicked it off by not only using all of the things that I had just received from Artbeads, but also some nice stone beads, and then I put everything away right afterwards. This was followed by the two skull projects, and now today's two necklaces (which I'll talk more about in tomorrow's Etsy post).

The above necklace is one of two that I made today, and it serves as the perfect illustration for the importance of this personal challenge. The lampworked beads are from the first purchase that I ever made from MZ Glass, so they've been in my stash for years. They're accompanied by some glass from last year's NY trip and lava from the Rings & Things show in May. Old and new came together in a beautiful way, and I put a little dent in my pile of beads.

I feel like a winner!

I am pleased to announce that Beetles Are Lovely, Too won Second Place in the MZ Glass Design Challenge! If you'd like to see the other winners and read about the judging process, MZ blogged all about it. Spoiler alert: all of the winners used beetles! They must be MZ's most inspirational beads ;)

That was just one highlight of my awesome weekend... I'll post about the belly dance tomorrow!

Beetles Are Lovely, Too!

You saw the sneak peek last night, now here's the real deal! My newest necklace, Beetles Are Lovely, Too. It was created for the MZ Glass Design challenge and features one of Margaret's Doodle Bug focals. I simply had to have this bead when I saw it and I've been toying with design ideas ever since I brought it home. I knew it would involve spirals, leaves, and would stick to the simple black, white and green palette of the bead.
I settled for doing something very similar to Elvensoul, except that I reversed the strung and woven sections. Since the focal is pretty substantial, I wanted to wire-wrap it and suspend it from SoftFlex instead of trusting its weight to beading thread.
And since I needed some nice shots for the design challenge, I got to experiment with photography. I really love this textured green paper! It provides some color and pattern to the image without detracting from the necklace.
But the black-to-gray gradated photography background is really where it's at when it comes to challenge entries. Nothing says "I am a serious jewelry artiste" like an overpriced photography background :)
And here's where the necklace gets its name! I love beetles, so of course I had to have a beetle that says "lovely" on its underside :) Plus on bad days, I can pretend that the bead is reminding me of how lovely I really am. Hey, we all need an ego-boost sometime!

Teaser!

Here's an awesome photo I just took of an awesome necklace I just (ok, like three hours ago) finished! More tomorrow :) Or more likely later today by the time most of you read this.

Can you tell that I just ate two decadent cookies and I am SO hyper? Oh my goodness.

Don't forget MZ's challenge!

Margaret Zinser of MZ Glass has extended the deadline on her design challenge! She's now accepting submissions until October 1st, so you have one week left if you had something in mind but thought you'd missed your chance.

Don't forget that you can submit multiple designs! I already submitted Inana at Dusk (pictured above), and I may enter a second necklace if I have time to finish it.

For details on prizes and how to enter the contest, click here to visit MZ's blog.

Cicada Interlude

Ok, I know you're expecting vacation pictures, but check out this totally wild cicada that was on my screen door the other day! I like cicadas because they are so quintessentially insectoid -- the giant eyes, the shimmery wings. During monsoon season, they fill up out trees with their constant buzzing (which sounds absolutely nothing like the constant buzzing of Japanese cicadas in anime, in case you were wondering), but you almost never actually see them. In fact, I've lived here for over 16 years now and I think the first time I saw one of our cicadas was last year!

Sadly, this one died shortly after I photographed it. I almost wanted to pick up its little bug carcass and use it for some sort of jewelry project, but I know nothing about proper insect preservation techniques and I figure that MZ would not appreciate me showing up at her door step and saying "Teach me your bug taxidermy ways!" (for reasons including the fact that I'm pretty sure it's not called "bug taxidermy.")

So instead I'll settle for having photographs of its vibrant black and yellow body and beautiful cicada wings.

MZ Glass Design Challenge!

Just a quick blog post before I go pick Chris up from the airport (yay!). I wanted to let you all know about the MZ Glass Design Challenge, which I helped brainstorm (I love brainstorming!). The name says it all... Margaret Zinser is challenging you to design with her beads. In return, she's offering up $1000 worth of bead prizes! $600 for 1st, $300 for 2nd, and $100 for 3rd place.

The complete rules can be found in this blog post. I think one of the best rules is that you can enter as many times as you want, so you don't have to try to decide which of your design ideas is best, if you have multiple beads and multiple ideas (I sure do!). Also, the fact that designs in all media are welcome, it's not just for jewelry designers. I for one am hoping that someone will make a doll with butterfly wings. Just saying.

Expect further blogging this weekend, as I had numerous subjects I wanted to talk about today, but this one won because I've been meaning to mention it all week and I didn't have to take any photographs first.

Inana at Dusk

You may have noticed this necklace in the picture from my solo. I created it Friday afternoon, specifically to go with my teal silks. I already had the ceramic and rhinestone-embellished beads, but I needed a focal... which practically landed in my lap on my first day of my new job, when I admired the lovely teal and gunmetal bead and MZ said I could take it. Gunmetal lampworked spacers, indicolite Swarovski crystals and faceted freshwater pearls provide the perfect accents between the larger beads. I also added a floral crescent moon pendant, because it's pretty and I wanted a big focal.
I call this necklace Inana at Dusk, because by the time I finished draping myself in silk and veils, painting my face with makeup and layering on as much jewelry as I had packed, I couldn't decide if I looked like a goddess or a prostitute. And so my crowning jewel is named after the patron of temple prostitutes, the daughter of the moon god, Inana.

If you're enchanted by the lampwork focal in this necklace and would like something similar, make sure to check out MZ Glass. Margaret makes a lot of tribal-appropriate lampwork!

(Full disclosure: yes, I now work for MZ Glass, but I was pushing her beads long before I was her employee!)

A Bounty of Beautiful Beads

The colors are a little off on this picture... but look! Beautiful beads (and one cab)! From gem show! Clockwise from the top:

A coil/spring bead from JC Herrell. Not only is JC fun and awesome, but her team won the Flame Off this year! GO JC! And teammates! WOOO! I have no idea how I'll use this coil, but it's really fun and called to me.

Brand-new butterfly wings from Margaret Zinser. I saw this pair on Facebook and called "dibs." Clearly the bead gods were listening to me, because even though I didn't get out to the MZ booth until 8 hours into the show, and even though the wings were hot sellers, both of them were waiting for me :) I also picked up a little set of spacers that looks nice with them.

Raised floral cab by Dolly Ahles. I liked the flatter floral cabs that I bought in September so much that I had to get one with a raised clover flower this year. Isn't that green just luscious? Dolly is doing some amazing floral beads, too, some even have tiny 3d butterflies on them.

Greek Math Bead, a gift from my friend Deborah Gray-Wurz. Deb is addicted to making Barb Switzer's complicated little beaded beads, and she made me one in beautiful shades of green and brown. I love it!

Keep your eyes open for more gem show goodies and some actual stories as the week progresses!

The Other Side

Did I mention that the awesome beetle bead is two-sided? I love this, because it makes me feel like I have a secret. Well, it's actually not much of a secret, because it flips around when I'm wearing it, but still. I love Margaret's double-sided beetle beads and am glad that I finally own one. Now to see if I stop at just one...

Last night we spent a large chunk of class practicing for our recital, which is two weeks from tomorrow! I'm very excited about it, and not as nervous now that I know the format we're doing. I probably will not get stuck doing a move that I barely know (stupid Ancient Egyptian Combo!). Also, we were cleared to accessorize however we see fit, so it's time to make a trilobite necklace. Why yes, I do like bug jewelry. Why do you ask?

Today I decided to spend some time focusing on making things for myself. I've been shoving my personal projects off to evenings and weekends, while spending my days wondering what I should make to sell, and drawing a blank. So until my inspiration changes, I'm going to stop stressing about stocking my shop and just let my muse do whatever she wants.

My awesome beetle

If you'll remember, last month I was practically bouncing with joy over the awesome beetle bead I'd purchased at Margaret Zinser's open house. Here it is, in the necklace that I made with it! First I wire-wrapped it into a pendant, flanked by some earthy faceted pearls, and accented with two silvery bells and a little kuchi dangle. Then I strung it up with more pearls, Thai silver spacers, carved bone beads, and the cool jade beads that I bought at the Rings and Things show earlier this year. The clasp is a pewter hook and eye clasp that I picked up in NY with the idea of using it in a tribal necklace.

I love that this focal bead has the look and feel of an ancient artifact. When I wear the necklace, I often find myself petting the beetle -- the softly matted glass is smooth, like a well-worn river stone.

I also love the fact that these neutral colors go well with a lot of my costumes. I can wear it with earthy greens, or all manner of browns, and that's half my costumes right there!

A good day

Today was a fun day. Chris and I went to the gym, where he managed the workout despite only having one usable arm. This impressed quite a few people there. I just hope that he didn't over-do it with his right arm. We'll see how he feels tomorrow!

Then after we cleaned up, he dropped me off at Margaret Zinser's open house. You may already know that Margaret is one of my favorite lampworkers, which makes it even more awesome that she lives just 5 minutes from my house, and has open houses a couple of times a year. This time she also had the lovely and talented Anne Mitchell there displaying her beautiful fine silver jewelry. I spent an enjoyable couple of hours chatting with them and the other bead and jewelry people who came in and out of the house while I was there. And of course I bought a few pretty things, which I'll take pictures of tomorrow.

Chris left his usual Saturday game long enough to pick me up, say Hi to Anne and Margaret and tell his broken thumb story, then he took me for a quick deli dinner, ooohed and aaahed over my goodies, and dropped me off here at home, where my puppies were happy to have me home.

Now I'm going to kick back with a bead magazine and a mug of tea, and maybe get my zillage on in a bit.

Best Bead Today!

It was a small show today, and not very crowded at all. There were no cheap Afghani coins (I really should have bought several strands last year!), the cab guy from last year wasn't there, and Jane's Fiber and Beads did not have the seeds I need for Cthulhu.

That said, I still had fun! Chris talked me into buying a glass ring as my first purchase. Then I purchased the beads on the right, a mini-focal and four spacers in black and raku. Lousy picture, so you can't see the beautiful rainbow colors. They'll make a nice goes-with-everything necklace. In the center, some new beads from Green Girl Studio (well, the Medusa coin isn't a new design, but I like mine so much I decided I should make one up for sale, too). On the left, three gorgeous lampworked cabs from Dolly Ahles. The top two are for me, hopefully I'll have time to make them into something before Tahoe, because I have the perfect dress to go with. The bottom one is for the brooch swap at Tahoe.

I'm very happy that Best Bead has moved the September show to the same location that the February show is held in. It's more convenient, the perfect size, and the vendors who I spoke to all seemed to be happier with it. Now if they could just attract a few more awesome vendors for my shopping pleasure!