Summertime: Part 2

As I promised here you get to see how my "Summertime" piece for my review for Artbeads.com came out.  Above you can see it after I used wire to attach the sections together and added beads to the outside edges of the pieces (this also covered up the wrapping that joined the sections).

The neck section is made up one length of chain and one of links of the 9 x 6 mm roundelles and some of the smaller beads.  I had enough of these to also make a bracelet and earrings that coordinate with the necklace.

A close up of the necklace on the white allows you to see some of the details like the wraps around the edges better.  All of the colors of the Glass Beads that I chose really ended up working well and there are some I am going to have to get more of,  I am thinking that maybe I will have to combine some of them with sea glass.  (If you would like to see the necklace I made with sea glass please visit my Face book page.)

The bracelet really allows you to see how truly interesting the Roundelles are,  very cool.  I ended up with 2 strands of links and 1 of chain for the bracelet.

I used some chandelier findings that I had and used some of the last of the Czech beads that I had left to make the earrings.

Here you can see all of all three pieces as they are laying flat,  you can see the back of the necklace this way.  I am really happy with how this piece turned out and Wayne says that he really likes the pieces that I have been working on lately with this technique of wire and beads together.  And to think it all started with a class to learn the technique and the inspiration of the Swarovski Seashell Pendent.

Disclosure...As a reviewer of products at Artbeads.com, I receive the Swarovski crystal pendant and Glass Beads above free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Summertime

It is that time again.  Another opportunity to review products for  Artbeads.com.  I have really been enjoying this as it has allowed me to try things that are new to me but also it has challenged me to come up with jewelry using different products.  This time our theme was "summertime" and we had the choice of products in the Glass beads, Pendents and Charms categories.  You could give me glass beads any time since it s a broad category and there are sooooo many wonderful choices in there.

 I got my e-mail shortly after having returned from Wire Fest in Philly and having taken a class from Dallas Lovett that includes both wire and beads that I just adored.  I came away from that class inspired to play more with the idea of combining beads and wire; that inspiration is coming into fruition in two pieces, this happens to be the first one I have finished.

After spending hours looking at Artbead.com's website and trying to figure out how I wanted to interpret "Summertime" I narrowed it down to using the Swarovski Shell pendent as my focal and working from there.  Beach, ocean, and shells; they all feel summery to me.  I decided to go with blues and beiges to bring out the colors of the water and sand.  The photo above is my original sketch.

One of the most exciting moments for me is when the beads arrive.  It is a combination of looking at all of the new gorgeous beads and know that it is time to make my ideas come to life.  What will it look like when I finish it?  Will it have the look, the feel the energy that I am striving for?

Here you can see all the beads laid out.  Mmmm, yummy makes me want to head to the beach.  The Swarovski Seashell pendent in Crystal AB was everything I could hope for.  It picks up the blues and the beiges depending on the angle of the light reflecting off of it.  I chose TOHO seed beads in 11/0s, 8/0s and 6/0s.  In colors like Matte Apollo, Stone Blue, and Matte Natural Picasso all of my colors were everything I could have wanted and more.  I also chose 3 mm and 4 mm Czech Fire-polished crystals,  choosing only 2 of each size was really challenging even knowing I was going for blues and beiges.  The Blue Tiger's Eye and the Crystal Picasso ended up being my favorites.  And last but not least were the 9 x 6 mm Roundelles in Yellow and Cobalt blue both with a Full Picasso finish, both were to die for.

Besides a drawing as a guide and piles of beads this project also needed another really important item.  Wire.  I chose to go with Sterling Silver in 20 and 26 gauges.  One of the things I really like with pieces like this is the challenge of figuring out how to execute them.  How to turn a sketch and piles of beads into the vision I have for the piece.  The photo above is the first step in making it happen,  this will become the center of the piece.

Here you can see the center section finished.  You can see how the seashell is looking more yellow than in the earlier photo of it.  I think I may have to make another necklace with just this center section as the focal,  you could use any pendent you want in it and have a really nice piece.

The first of the two side shells starts here,  figuring out what beads to use and in what order is part of the fun here,  Using the largest beads along the outside edge of the curve allows the beads to follow the curve without needing partial rows or gaps between rows.  

This gives you an idea of where the piece is headed.  I made each of the sections separately because this would make it easier to work on.  The biggest challenge of working on this type of project is to keep from tangling the wire on things or poking yourself with it.

Here we have the first of the side shells.  It was an unexpected benefit that you can see both a shell and an ocean wave cresting in it. And this is where I will leave you for the day.  What will the piece look like when all of the part are finished and put together?  Will it seem like "Summertime"?

Disclosure...As a reviewer of products at Artbeads.com, I receive the Swarovski crystal pendant and Glass Beads above free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Trip to Boston and Bead Fest.

As usual lately I am behind myself. I need to get back into the swing of things and get back to blogging more regularly. Wayne and I had a great trip to Boston in the last half of July. Attending the Change of Command for the USS Constitution was a really neat experience even if it was a bit on the rainy side. In the afternoon we had a great time with all of Tim and Mary Ellen's family and friends at the local brewpub.

Wayne and I also spent some time going to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on Saturday. I had a really good time there and enjoyed seeing her eclectic collection of art.

We stayed at a nice hotel and had some good meals and spent some time just taking it easy. Over all it was a wonderful trip.

On Monday I got back from a wonderful long weekend up in Philly attending Bead Fest. I took 6 classes and over achiever that I am finished all of my projects before I came home. I had good teachers and enjoyed every class. I found it interesting the difference I felt in my energy between the wire classes and the stitching/seed bead classes. Stitching is much more zen like for me and I could just relax into doing it, I have to think more for the wire and so although still fun it isn't as calming for me.
On Thursday during the day I took this class with Stephanie Everett. We made a necklet that has the clasp in the front that you can hang different pendents on. I managed to get two pendents made although I made them with my style and techniques instead of hers since I already know how to make wire wrapped cabs. Stephanie is a good teacher, I had taken a chain maille class with her last year.
Thursday night I took the Herringbone Hoops class below with Cristina Amador I managed to get 2 pairs of earrings done in the 3 hour class and love how fun and easy these are to make. I picked up the herringbone wrap really quickly. This was Cristina's first class in English and she did really well. The room was a bit darker but we all managed.
Friday I got to start working on this stunning bracelet (below) It is called Davida's Dream and is by Amy Katz. The piece as you can see is gorgeous and her instructions were well written, always a plus. She was a lot of as a teacher. She ended up with 6 of us in her class that were teachers so she was impressed at how well we did. Even those who were slower were more what she was used to for average. I got my piece at least 3/4 finished in class and finished it up on Saturday night while I was waiting for Dave and Renee to come home from their anniversary trip. I stayed at their house and although we didn't get to spend a lot of time together Dave made a wonderful supper Sunday night and we talked and they got to see the color samples that I have so far for the house.
On Saturday during the day I took Three Wire Wrapped Earrings class with Debora Mauser. This was a fun class and I got to try several new things with wire. My favorite are the dangle earrings on the right. I really enjoyed playing with not quite matching earrings and trying and mixing different techniques and metals in one pair of earrings.
Saturday night I took a just for fun class. Crystal Elements with Leslee Frumin was that a fun class. I know have these 4 little pieces to play with. I think the beads would be ultra cool on a simple chain necklace or bracelet. They were really quick to work up and look wicked cool.
Sunday I took my last and most elaborate class. It was Wire Wrapped Copper Collar with Lamp work Bead with Sally Stevens. Her daughter Shannon does the lamp worked beads. I wanted my piece to be asymmetrical and really liked how it turned out. I like the combination of lamp work beads with the metal and how all of the different textures work together in this piece. I had sore thumbs once I was done with this one. I am enjoying watching the copper start to slowly patina before my eyes, each day it is a little different. Who needs liver of sulfur when nature will do it just fine.
I didn't have a lot of time for shopping on this trip which is just as well since I had no trouble spending my money in the time I did have. I only ended up with a couple of seed beads, but didn't need anything specific in seed beads so stuck to what I did need. What a great time.

Wire Fest

I am really glad that I had the opportunity to go to Wire Fest in Philly this year. I came back from 2 1/2 weeks in Iowa and Wayne and I headed straight up to Philly from the airport. I am also lucky since Renee, Dave and the boys who are part of our chosen family live nearby so I could stay there and didn't have to get a hotel room for the stay.

I chose to take 3 classes from the same instructor since I wanted to focus on learning more about doing wire wrapped cabochon pendants with the hopes of being able to start teaching classes at Bead Boutique since no one was currently teaching that and there had been requests. All three of my classes were with Char Jorgensen. She was a great teacher and we had fun and learned a lot. The top photo are the 3 pendants that I made in her 3 classes. The turquoise one is not quite complete since I am planning on adding drops from a loop on the bottom and one in the middle of it.

I had a good time at the Bead-In on Saturday night as well and as I sat working on the background for my BJP project I got to talk and laugh and enjoy the company of other beaders/wire workers. I spent all of Saturday afternoon shopping and had no trouble spending plenty of money. I even managed to get more seed beads from Jane's Fibers and Beads. I also bought a wonderful book for anyone interested in wire wrapping. "Wire Wrapping: The Basics and Beyond" by Jim McIntosh is a great book and I believe that with it you could start from scratch and teach yourself wire wrapping of cabochons. There are step by step directions and photos.

The second photo with the purple background has my wire fest pendants and the first 2 wire wrapped pendants I had make taking classes at Turquoise String Beads in Fall River, Massachusetts from Isaac Silva. He was also a great teacher and I would have taken more classes with him if we had stayed in that area.

I spent some time after getting back re-reading all of my instructions for my classes and starting to read my new book and figure out what I wanted to start with teaching and how I wanted them to look. I am going to be starting with two basic wire wrapped cabochon classes that are a combination of the ideas I have seen or learned form my instructors and the book. Once things settle down and I have time I will work on designing some intermediate classes as well.

The first 2 photos on the black are my 2 basic class samples and the others are some that I was making to practice my skills and just for fun. I have plenty of cabochons to play with and am looking forward to finding time especially after our move to play with them and try different techniques and build on the skills I have at this point. I am sure that I will keep an eye out for more cabochons so that I can keep making more pendants and other cool stuff.

I almost forgot to mention that my wonderful, amazing and very supportive husband bought me a set of wire wrapping tools from Rio Grande that includes several very nice pliers, ring mandrels, and other goodies that will make my wire wrapping even that much more pleasurable. What would I do without him?