Beaded bracelet finished!

I followed a Nancy Cain's Jeweled Links pattern from Beadwork magazine and I am very pleased with the results. Making each component was a breeze but it took me awhile to figure out how to link them together but it was totally worth it. I will be wearing this for New Year's!

Teal Necklace

Another necklace finished! I like how teal and amber complement each other.

I am now going to finish a seed bead bracelet I started during the summer but stopped when I ran out of beads. I will share it when I finish it.

Raku Necklace

This necklace was very popular and so easy to wear with jeans or anything blue or gray. The beads are made with cobalt blue base and raku frit and then encased. Love the blue/green hues.

Pink Flowers and Freshwater Pearls Necklace

This is another one of my creations. Pastel pink beads with freshwater pearls.

Rosebud Necklace

Pink Roses on an elegant black background. The necklace measures 16 inches and the chain links are large enough so you can hook the clasp into them to shorten the length of the necklace.

Playing with dots

I made these beads to practice dots. I like how they turned out.

Crown Jewel

I went to the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza (BABE) show yesterday and had a blast! I saw glass buddies I haven't seen in a long time, bought a few beads and tools and took Janice Berkebile's Crown Jewel class. Janice is such a great teacher and I had so much fun learning how make these beautiful pendants. The picture above are Janice's pendants.

Below is a picture of mine...work in progress...I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

Pretty Flower Necklaces

I just finished a few flower chokers. They're perfect for those who look for something simple and delicate as it displays one flower bead on a 16 inch Sterling Silver chain. You can find them on Etsy now.

Two new necklaces

Here are two recent necklaces I made....getting ready for the Holidays! You can find them on Etsy.

More riveted pendants

I can't stop making these flower pendants! They're so much fun! You can find them on Etsy now.

Riveted Pendants

I made a few pendants inspired by Janice Berkbile's beautiful rivet pendant tutorial on Beaducation. The crystal pendant I made following the tutorial instructions. The flower pendants are my interpretation and adaptation for my glass flowers.

A day's work

These are the beads I made on Saturday using silver foil. I already used the black beads on a necklace. The one with blue background is my favorite so I am keeping it.

Beads of Courage

Tonight I made a few butterflies for beads of courage. I received an email from a fellow lampworker that butterflies were needed for a ceremony at Standford Hospital in a couple of weeks. It's a little saddening making these beads since they're given to the parents who lost their children to cancer but I hope that they're a sweet reminder of their little angels.

Seed Bead Bug

I started playing with seed beads this year and really enjoy them! Seed beads are not new to me but the way I am using them is. In the past I used them so string necklaces or to fill the large hole beads to keep them from wobbling around when I wire wrapped them. Now I am teaching myself (with the help of books and magazines of course) how to weave them into rich and beautiful ropes that I use on necklaces.

I made this bracelet and a friend of mine bought it the next day I finished it. I will take more pictures of the other bracelets I made.

Mosaic classes are over

My classes are over and now I am looking for materials and tools for my next project...

I learned the indirect method where you glue the tiles backwards on butcher paper and then transfer the entire piece onto the surface you want to mosaic. I made a larger trivet with turtles using this technique.

My final project for the class was a flower pot. It wasn't easy to cut all the glass pieces and find the right size and angles that fit, but I like how it's turning out. It's not complete yet...I still need to do the rim of the flower pot.

Second Mosaic

This time we tried a different method. I cut a piece cellophane and mesh and placed it on my design (in that order). I then glued the mosaic tiles directly on a mesh with Weldbond adhesive. The beauty of this method is that you can see the design through the mesh and you can attach it to the surface later without the need of transferring the tiles.

The design was made on the fly again since I didn't know what the project was going to be so I went with folk chickens and a checker border.

After all the tiles were glued onto the mesh, I applied thin set to backing board and placed the mosaic on top. I pressed the mosaic a bit and left it to dry so I can grout it later.

Mosaics 101

I wanted to take a mosaic class for quite some time now and finally enrolled in a class. In the first class I made a trivet to get familiar with the tools and the materials. First, I drew the design (a fish) onto a 6 inch cardboard square. Then I laid down the tiny mosaics and cut a few of them to fit into shape.

I found a few glass shards amongst the remnants and thought they’d make perfect fins and fish lips. I also found a glass ball that I used for the eye. Once the design was complete, I transferred the mosaics into place ( a 6 inch ceramic tile) and ‘glued them’ using thin set. The instructor mixed the thin set for us and placed it on the surface (ceramic tile) so all I had to do is transfer the moisaic pieces in small sections at a time.

More to come next week!

My website is officially closed

And I am now transferring whatever is left to this blog. I have created multiple pages where you can find the beads and jewelry that are currently available. I haven't finished posting everything but the large majority is now here, so check it out!

Sale Ends Soon!

I just canceled my website contract so it will soon cease to exist...Hurry up!

Closing Website Sale

I am phasing out my website at the end of June... I just don't have the time to update it as frequently as I'd like and I'd rather spend time making beads and jewelry. I will continue listing my items on Etsy and updating this blog.

Since I am closing my site, I am offering 10% discount on any item on my website through the end of June when my website will cease to work. Just send me an email with the items you're interested on and I will send you a paypal invoice. Enjoy!

Pink Ribbon Kitty

I wanted to share with you a custom order for a pink ribbon kitty. I purposely made a simple shape to emphasize the ribbon.

Adopted Puppy

This puppy has found a new owner and it's going to his new home. Farewell little one!

Amethyst Lampwork Necklace

I just listed this necklace on Etsy. This necklace displays one of my handmade glass beads wire wrapped in Sterling Silver. The spiral rope is also handmade by me and it measures 17 inches length. It took many hours of stringing those little beads but it was fun!

Chocolate Fish on the Bay

This glass fish measures a little over 1 inch length and has a vertical hole. This was made using Italian brown glass. You can find it on Etsy now.

Welcome!

I am trying out this blog to display all my crafty things as I am phasing out my website. I just find it too time-consuming to maintain compared to a blog so I am happily letting it go.

The picture you're seeing is a flower made out of glass.