dear gertrude, won’t you come out to play?

modern vintage, or vintage modern? I have a new Artbeads challenge piece to share. The challenge this time was to combine old and new, vintage and modern. I had strongly wanted to incorporate an actual vintage component into the piece, but I had to accept the fact that I just don’t have anything vintage that [...]

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everyone needs a little.

new sparkly bits. I have new treasures to share from Artbeads. The theme this time was “winter”. After thinking for a bit I decided to design some jewelry inspired by the simplicity, austerity, and colors of winter. First, here are some of the beads I used – sparkly Czech fire-polished beads and gleaming pearls. These [...]

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i’m inspired by sparkly things.

just a little word. I finished the cards I was working on, the ones I was originally going to submit to Somerset Studio for their “simple pleasures” theme, but then ran out of time to finish them. I’m very happy with how they turned out. I’m calling them my “encouragement cards” – pretty little cards [...]

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andromeda & those girls.

new treasures I have delightful treats from Artbeads to share. The theme this time was autumn-inspired beads and/or components. I decided to stick with a current favorite – antiqued-brass components. I selected some pretty chain and a beautiful leaf pendant. And for the perfect and necessary touch of sparkle, my perennial favorite, Czech fire-polished beads. [...]

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chocolate ice cream, pickles, and french toast sticks. with syrup.

new goodies! I have new treasures to share from Artbeads – this time we were allowed to choose from anything on the website, in celebration of spring. So hard to choose! I ended up going with antiqued-brass base metal components (I’m going for an antique sort of spring!). As soon as I saw this leaf [...]

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happy valentine’s day.

Heart: the essential or most vital part of something. (from Merriam-Webster.com) pretty little hearts In honor of the day, how about some Valentine’s Day beads and components? These pretty sterling silver heart charms (and one key!) are from Artbeads. I want to make a charm bracelet with them but haven’t had time yet. These charms [...]

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you’ll shoot your eye out!

glorious sparkle If you like all things sparkly as do I, then check out these stunning Cubic Zirconia beads from Artbeads. The sparkle is simply amazing! I used the pendant and beads to create this necklace and earrings set, along with antiqued-brass chain and findings. The facetted CZ drop pendant has a lovely weight to [...]

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