Pine Ridge Treasures Clay and Metal blog Hop reveal

Today is the reveal for Lisa Lodge's Pine Ridge Treasures Clay and Metal Blog Hop reveal. 

This will be a reveal sorta.  It will have to be a reveal in two parts because I have before pictures (if I can get to them, camera is not being cooperative) but no after pictures.  The finished pieces are over at my beading partners' house and I won't be able to get them until later today.  I was just looking at my camera to see what pictures I have and only found the two before pictures I remembered to get before I completed the pieces that I made. 

 

I just love the clay pieces that Sharyl McMillian-Nelson makes and sells in her three shops.  Everytime she has a sale I manage to find a couple of more pieces to add to my collection.

 

I received three pieces clay pieces, one a large pendant and two smaller charms, made by Sharyl and some clear beads from Lisa's stash.

 

 

Please be sure to come back tonight to see what my finished pieces look like.  Also, be sure to visit the other designers that worked with Sharyl's beautiful pieces. 

Your hostess: Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  you are here

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs

Carol Briody, A Beads Life

Miranda Ackerley, MirandAck

Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design

Susan Anderson, La Main Tresor

LeAnne Loftus, First Impression Design

Leithleach Seodra, Alainn Jewelry

Patriot Day Red, White, and Blue Blog Hop reveal

Today is the day for the reveal of Patriot Day red, white, and blue blog hop.  I made several pieces.  The easiest ones to make were the red, white, and blue seed bead ones.  These just kinda of flowed.  I made a memory wire bracelet using the beads in the red, white and blue pattern.

I then made some hoop earrings.

I struggled a little with the next piece.  I had purchased several of these red, white, and blue pendants a couple of years ago.  I never felt I had the right combination of beads and I am not sure that this picture shows it off well.  I put a bead cap on the pendant along with red and blue jade beads and the white seed beads,  I then strung the beads.  This is a fairly short necklace so I used a toggle clasp with an extender.

I then made two different earring pairs to go with this necklace.

Thank you for stopping by.  I have two blog hops next week, one on Thursday, September 18 and another on Saturday, September 20.  Please be sure to come back and see what I have made.

Carolyn

Blue Fantasy Blog Hop

Yea!!!! I finally was about to get my finished jewelry pictures inserted into my post.

Today is the reveal of Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist's Blue Fantasy Blog Hop.  As is usual, I purchased a bead kit from Lisa that had beautiful blue beads and brass findings.  The idea is to use the beads from the kit to make some Blue Fantasy pieces.  Pictured below are the beads that I received in the kit from Lisa.

Blue Fantasy kit beads

I used the aqua cultured sea glass beads first.  I used the light aqua bone shaped beads as the center piece of the necklace and added the round dark aqua sea glass along with the light aqua faceted rounds.  

I used brass-lined seed beads as spacers along with the teardrop shaped toggle clasp that came in the kit.

I used some of the left over rounds along with the small oval brass beads and the brass spiral beads from the kit and brass lined seed beads to make a memory wire bracelet.

I was also able to make two pairs of earrings from some of the leftover bone beads and the aqua rounds.  I added a pair of angel wings to some dark aqua rounds to make one of the pair of earrings.

I just realized that I did not take a separate picture of the earrings.  I will add these later.
I had to think about what I wanted to make with the dark blue crystals.  

I always think of crystals as being very elegant.  I thought about it for a couple of days and decided to add some pearls.  I had some white round pearls and some cream rounds and teardrops.  I tried the white pearls with the crystals and didn't like the result.  So I tried the cream pearls and with suggestions from my friend Evelyn, I decided on using the rounds with the teardrop in the center.  I used some crystal seed beads as spacers.

I made some hoop earrings with the pearls and crystals.

I had enough crystals left to make a matching bracelet.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the other designers to see what they did with their bead kits.

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  (You are here)

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Gloria Allen, Wings and Beads

Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry

Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog

Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Raissa de Guzman, Abloro

Jill Bradley, Jilly Beads

 

Be sure to come back next Thursday, September 11 for the Patriot Day Blog Hop.

Blue Fantasy Blog Hop - will be late

I am sorry but I will be posting my pictures later today.  For some reason my pictures are not downloading to the computer or my Kindle so that I can insert them into my post.

Here are some pictures of the beads that I received from Lisa.

As you can see, I had some beautiful beads to work with.  Please be sure to come back and see what I made.

Thanks to   stopping by.

Carolyn

Bead Stampede bead show in Tacoma

I visited the Bead Stampede bead show held at Freighthouse Square in Tacoma WA.  The group of sellers was small but different enough that everyone should be able to find something.

I found some blue vintage German plastic connectors along with some pretty turquoisey blue beads (I forgot to ask what kind they were) that I plan to use with the connectors.  I also found some purple bicone beads.

Then I found some lampwork beads from Lara Lutrick.  She had a nice display of Halloween/autumn beads where I found lots of goodies.

I also found a couple of Christimas beads that she had hidden away.

Lara's next door neighbor (they were sharing a table) Lori Bergmann also had lampwork beads and I found a bunch of spacers that I could use with Lara's beads.  Lori also had brown spacers which I can never find so those were snapped up quickly.  Both ladies are on facebook and are semi-local (they live north of me but not a ridicous distance away) so I think I will be buying more beads from these ladies.

Lori's spacers.

Here's where I ran out of time.  It was 4:45 and they close at 5.  Not enough time to see what the other two or three vendors had or to revisit the other vendors.  I did manage to get in one last purchase from another lampworker, More Than Beads, another semi-local artist.  I always enjoy seeing what Donna has been making.

Thanks for stopping and be sure to stop by the bead show if you are in the Tacoma WA area.

Carolyn

Dark Bloom Challenge Blog Hop reveal

Today is the day for the reveal of Andrew Thornton's Dark Bloom Challenge blog hop.

To participate, you had to purchase a Design Kit.  This kit features a selection of Japanese hex-cut seed beads, premium Czech glass (both vintage and new), iron corrugated rounds, an iron filigree bead, lampwork glass, Irish waxed linen, a gunmetal toggle, vintage moon-glow lucite, and recycled African glass beads.  The kit also includes a Luxury Bead Blend.

Each kit comes with a special, handmade component that remains a mystery until it arrives at my door! The Mystery Component might actually be more than just one bead or pendant.  It's always a surprise.  The Mystery Component is publicly revealed about a one month before the actual reveal day.

For this challenge, Andrew made polymer clay coin pendants.  He saw a similar stylized flower motif on an old Roman vessel and thought that he would translate it into a jewelry component.  He used a dark purply-black base and then hit the raised details with violet Gilder's Paste.

I always try to do Andrew's beads justice and am never sure that I succeed.  I was able to make a bracelet which I forgot to get a picture of, a second bracelet which I did get a picture of, a necklace, two pairs of earrings, and some wine glass charms.

For the necklace I used the mystery component, the Czech glass beads, the recycled glass beads and the gunmetal toggle clasp.

I next made a set of four wine glass charms using the matte seed beads (pink, purple, and gray) from the luxury mix.

I made a bracelet from some of the smaller beads.

I made a couple of pairs of earrings.

I have a few leftover beads that I will be using in the next couple of weeks and I will have an "after the blog hop reveal".

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit the other participants in the Dark Bloom Challenge. 

Hannah
Karin Grosset Grange
Carolyn Lawson
Holly Baldwin
Jeanne Steck
Ann Schroeder
Kari Asbury
Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Alison Herrington, Geri Colgrove, and Crystal Lombardo Farrell
Here is a link to Andrew's blog:  dark-bloom-challenge-reveal


Carolyn

Dark Bloom Challenge reveal postponed

Andrew has had to postpone the reveal for the Dark Bloom Challenge until Thursday, August 14, 2014. 

But here is something to whet your appetite.

I made something with these beads.

and this bead.

and these beads.

and lastly these beads.

Be sure to come back next Thursday, August 14, 2014, to see what everyone has made.

Thanks for stopping by.

Carolyn