Feels Great To Be Noticed

Just found out my lariat necklace is featured on this beautiful Etsy Treasury designed by Wintergarden, a fellow seller on Etsy.  Blues and greens are my favorite color combination and I'm so honored she included my work. She makes fabulous jewelry using yarn and stones which is available at etsy.com/shop/wintergarden

Fall 2010 Color Trends

Pantone has released it's Fall 2010 color forecast and I'm very excited about he possibilities for jewelry.

I always adored Lipstick Red and they've included my all time favorite jewelry color turquoise which they're now calling Lagoon. Sounds good to me and I'm glad they're not only using it for summer. Living Coral and Woodbine make a beautiful palette as does Endive, Golden Glow with a hint of Chocolate Truffle. I actually have a lot of beads and stones in many of these colors and I can't wait to get to work. What do you think of the color forecast?

Head Over to The Best Bead Give-A-Way Ever!

Denise Yezbak Moore, accomplished beader and very nice person, is hosting "The Best Bead Give-A-Way Ever" on her blog. And this truly is the best give away I've ever seen. The colors are fabulous -- blues, turquoise, reds, silver, earth tones and some gorgeous silk yarn.

Head on over to her blog to find all the details and sign up. Of course, I want to be the lucky winner since the only thing I've ever won in my life is a $20 gift card to the local bagel shop, and I'm striving for something a bit more substantial. But if you win, I'll do a happy dance for you.

Here's the link:

deniseyezbakmoore.blogspot.com/best-bead-give-way-ever

Best of luck to all.

Follow Up on the Plan

After experimenting with different silver findings for the unfinished bracelet I wrote about in my last post (see below), something was bothering me. The silver was just sticking out too much and didn't seem to coordinate well with the colors in the bracelet.Of course, I hadn't thought about finishing the piece until it was time to finish the piece which is the way I always do things but it's also a major time-waster.

Then it struck me. Bronze. It makes so much sense. Perfect. The bronze works really well with the acrylic flowers and pearls; giving it a vintage feel which I love.

I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out, and even made earrings to coordinate (not match as I'm not the matchy matchy type). My whole point here is that you don't always have to have a plan in mind when starting a new design. Sometimes you just need to step away, clear your mind, and then the ideas start flowing. Do you plan your designs in advance or do you just wing it? I'd love to know.

To Plan or Not To Plan?

It's rare that I have a design in mind before I begin a new project and while spontaneity is great for the creative spirit, not having a plan can also be a real real time-waster. Like today.

I spent a good chunk of time working on this bracelet, carefully choosing the color pearls I liked and working in the resin flowers I've had for awhile, but now I can't decide how to finish it. Silver might look too heavy but I need something sturdy that will take some wear and tear and still look great. Sometimes just stepping away from a project and taking a break can get the ideas rolling. Which I really hope is the case today.

Any suggestions on what type of finishing or clasp that would work with this bracelet would be greatly appreciated.

Pearls and Girls in History

The pearl is my birthstone so I wanted to get a little history on them. When I was just a wee little girl, I didn't like the idea of a pearl as a birthstone. Thought it was boring. I wanted something more glamorous like a diamond or emerald. What was I thinking? There's nothing more classic and stylish than strands of pearls draped elegantly on someone's neck, or a small perfect pearl dangling from the ears. Plus they've been around since forever and never go out of style.

First, some interesting facts:

• Pearls are the only gem created from a living organism. 

• It's been reported that Cleopatra dissolved a pearl in wine and drank it to prove her love to Marc Antony. Sounds odd but we've probably all done worse.

• The ancient Greeks thought pearls would promote marital bliss and that's why brides still wear them to this day. All you need are pearls, girls.

How fabulous does Audrey Hepburn look with these pearls draping down her back? Pretty amazing, right?

Now how about my favorite member of any royal family?

And my not so favorite member of any royal family, her mean mother-in-law Liz? She's hiding her pearls under her jacket but we know they're there.

And of course we can't forget the nice Liz. Her pearls are truly spectacular.

These Mikimoto pearls were given to Marilyn Monroe by then husband, Joe DiMaggio. I'm sure there are pictures of her wearing them but I just love the way they look in the gorgeous box.

Do you have any photos of your favorite gals in their pearls? Please share and I'll post them here.
Happy Birthday to all the June babies out there.

Memorial Day Weekend and Trying to Work

It's Memorial Day Weekend and too beautiful outside to stay in and bead. but I've got so many jewelry projects on my desk that need to be finished. I've made the mistake of taking my supplies out to my backyard to work there which was fine until the first strong breeze came along and swoosh, pearls, crystals, jumprings, headpins, scattered all over the deck. So I"m stuck inside.

These are some items on my desk that I hope will get me going. Gorgeous chalcedony which I've had for awhile but haven't used. Someone should be wearing these colors now; they're so summery and go with everything. I think I just got an idea.

One of my bead boxes is filled with Chinese crystal that I got at a bead show in NYC. I have so many colors to choose from that sometimes the selection gets a bit overwhelming. But I love looking at the box filled with all of these beauties.

I invested in some new jewelers tools and wow, what a difference they make.. These are by Lindstrom, made in Sweden, and are considered the Cadillac, Mercedes (fill in your own analogy) of tools. These are by far the best purchase I made. Plus I'm told I'll have them for life. Skeptical, but we'll see.The rest of them are from when I just started out beading and are good old workhorses.

Anyway, I'll think of a good compromise that will keep me outside and finish my projects. And my next post will be about my new website that's under construction. Can't wait to share.