Tuesday, December 18, 2007

YOJ: Week 50, 51 and 52 end of the year, but not the road....

I'm cheating alittle bit here, all of the stuff I'm posting I've made in the last month or 2. It's not that the topics don't inspire me, it's just between sickness, shows, work and family, and the freaking holidays, I don't have time and I"m stressed out, and I've hardly done any jewelry in the last few weeks.. mostly plug inventory leaks type stuff. So I"m going to take the pressure off and just post the last three weeks worth, and I"ll bet money then i"ll be wanting to play and create.. and if I do, I"ll post better stuff then. Week 50: Beneath my feet, ocean floor and warm and fuzzy. Here is a lovely pendant made out of ocean Jasper. I love the triangle shape so I did the spirals to match it. Well call this the ocean floor and call it a week.








Week 51: Sleeping earth, O Christmas Tree, and Decorating. Well what is more sleeping earth than fossils? so here are 2 fossil pendants. Again dig the crazy triangle shape! and the long drop shapes. The fossils are soo kewl, I thought they speak for themselves so only the simplest of embellishments were needed.



Christmas tree.. this is a pin in copper, I think it's 16 ga, I really like this, it's a half tree, trying for something really artsy.. thought this would look cute like on a winter scarf. No one else seems to get it through. I have to keep explaining it.
decorating: I love this star!! It's very colorful.. used 20 ga wire on the frame, and used a jig to make it.. I"ve got like 3 jigs and I hardly ever use them, but I"ll have to consider them more in the future, it made making the frame really fast! And the star is very even.. then again I'm more of the freeform star type but still, very fun!! I'm thinking this technique would make great flowers also.


Week 52: Renewal of life, Fertile Valley, and promise of the Sun King. OK, total miss on this one, unless you count fertile as imagination. Here are 4 earrings I've made recently. Banded onyx, lovely stuff, just totally free forming on these. Lots of ideas are still playing in my head for the rest of the strand. Next, from a bead mag, different style of ear wires. Not sure about how much I like these, but it's a kewl idea. Then heart earrings, these turned out great! Last, another shot at different type of earrwires, I like these better than the triangle ones. There you have it, the last of Year of Jewelry 2007!! I can't wait for 2008!!







Sunday, December 9, 2007

YOJ: week 48 & 49

Here is a quickie, I've got 2 more shows and then I'm done, so I'm just trying to catch up. First is a watch made with triangle shaped pearls. They Have 2 holes, so I bought them thinking "watch". Worked up nicely! Then I played to make the earrings. I really liked the earrings, I thought it hi-lighted the 2 holes... someone agreed with me, as they were stolen at a recent show. Nope not bitter, as Karma will catch up to them. (Ok, my snarky side is thinking ear infection would be nice!!! Karma should be poetic don't you think??)





This piece is called Earth Doodles. Each link is different. I used 20 ga and fancy jasper. Matching earrings of course.


Here are just a couple of other items I've made recently, another fancy jasper piece. ( I just love fancy jasper! The colors! ) Another example of 2 holed beads, this time just in a bracelet. Love the matching earrings to this one!! very colorful, and a spiral to boot! My favorite things!



Tuesday, December 4, 2007

YOJ: Week 47: earthy contemporary

This is fossil jasper, with some pearls and sterling. I made the necklace first, really liked it, decided it needed the full treatment, so bracelet and earrings followed. Now it seems lately with sets I"ll sell the earrings 1 or 2 times before someone has to have the whole set, so I've been making 2 to 3 earrings a set, but the earrings are different. Hard to make the same thing twice!! Usually 1 fancy set, and 1 simpler set. I really like the earrings I made last in this set, with the silver hammered loops. I used 18 or 16 ga for them, and textured them with this great hammer I got at Bead & Button.. I made the hoops tear shaped to echo the shape of the necklace drops. The card is leaning against something, but they are perfectly balanced when you wear them... they swing freely in the hoops.