Color of Dreams Blog Hop

I chose to participate in the Color of Dreams Blog Hop (click on the picture below to reach the "home blog")

Each participating artist was given an orphan/ooak bead created by artist Patricia Handschuh of The Color of Dreams Boutique to design with. We were to create something with it and post on our blog April 6, Sunday.

Today's the day!!

I received a little round polymer clay bead with floral canes. Being a polymer clay artist myself, I know what it's like to make small beads. I don't make them very often.

As for my dream? My dream is that everyone may experience beauty during their day. A garden, a smiling face, a giggling child, a piece of art... whatever makes them feel alive.

I chose to use a coppery chain and clasp, and used the clasp as part of an accent in a necklace, bringing it to the front. I hung the little bead on the clasp. Then I created my own sculpted leaf beads, and antiqued them. I used my friend Bonnie Polinski's ceramic flower beads and one of her ceramic rounds as well as some sparkly crystals and more of my leaf beads to create a dangle as the focal.

Check out the rest of the artists in the hop:

Honorary Artist: Patricia Handschuh

Patricia's blog:            The Color of Dreams        
Patricias Etsy:             The Color of Dreams
Hostess: TJ                Jewel School Friends
Kay Thomerson           KayzKreationz
Audrey Belanger          Toki No Hourousha

Alicia Marinache          All the Pretty Things
Terry Carter                TappingFlamingo
Lori Schneider             Bead Addict
Jenny Kyrlach             Wonder and Whimsy
Asri Wahyuingsih         Asri's Beadwork
Dini Bruinsma              Angaza by Changes
Karla Morgan              Texas Pepper Jams
Debbie Rasmussen        A Little of This, A Little of That
Veralynne Malone          Designed by Vera
Kathy Stemke               Vintage Memories Jewelry Design
Mowse Doyle               Mowse Made This
Heather Richter             Desert Jewelry Designs
Lori Poppe                   Adventures in Creativity with LorilliJean
Jayne Capps                Mama's Got To Doodle
Andrea Glick                Zenith Jade Creations
Kathleen Breeding         99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall
Becky Pancake             Becky Pancake Bead Designs
Karin Martinez              Fairies Market
Miranda Ackerley          Mirandack
Penny Houghton           Smelly Nelly
Carolyn Lawson           Carolyn's Creations
Chris Eisenberg            Wanderware
Christie Murrow          Charis Designs Jewelry
Monique Urquhart        A Half-Baked Notion
Eve Shelby                  Raindrop Creations Jewelry by Evelyn
Cryss Thain                 Here Bead Dragons
Jasvanti Patel               Jewelry By Jasvanti
Nan Smith                   NanMade Handmade Jewelry
Sue Kennedy               SueBeads
Jean Yates                   Snap Out of It, Jean! There's Beading to be Done!
Debbie Rogers             Debbies Treasures
Marybeth Rich             A Few Words From Within the Pines
Shirley Moore              Beads and Bread
Shaia Williams             Shaiha's Ramblings
Kathy Lindemer           Bay Moon Design
Linda Anderson           From the Bead Board
Judy Turner               Silver Rains
Gloria Allen                Gloria Allen Designs
Regina Wood              Ginas-Design
Robin Reed                Artistry HCBD
Mary Goovars            MLH Jewelry Designs
Marlene Cupo             Amazing Designs
CJ Bauschka              4 His Glory Creations
Robin Showstack        The Crazy Bead Hoarder
Cynthia O'Toole          Sparkles and Sweets
Jael Thorp                 Jael's Art Jewels
Renetha Stanziano      Lamplight Crafts

Meet my Bead Soup Bead Party swap partner

This is Genea

And she makes beautiful lampwork glass beads (check out her blog)

I love the headpins. Wow.

And she is sending me a package with beads in it so I can make jewelry and show off what I make!! I'll be sending her some, too. It's all a surprise, what's in the package. Sometimes surprises are good. I'm pretty sure this one will be.

Charms

I've finished the charms for the exchange I joined on Lampwork Etc. I guess you'd say I'm in the etc. division!

So you want to see some beads, do you?

You have to get past a kitty photo, first. Ah, to be a cat on a ledge in the sun...

Here are some beads, just out of the ice bath, not sanded or finished yet. Took me forever to accumulate a pan to bake. Unique designs are not flowing from my fingers, but at least I have my fingers in the clay, right?

I love the little sparkle from the Swarovski chatons...

Bright Spots from Michal Silberberg

modern times by Michal S.

Since I'm not at my own computer or even near my own creative tools, I decided to browse my contacts' photos in flickr and find the first photo that really grabbed me.

I guess I'm desperately in need of some color therapy because Michal's gorgeous lampwork beads are just the ticket to cheer my soul and make me smile deep inside. Visit her flickr photos for a real treat... again!

Fresh from the oven!

Nope. Not muffins. Muffins would sure smell better while they were baking!!

Some spacers, focal pendants... Some I need to sand and possibly buff. I feel kind of stuck, so I decided to make some of my - er - tried and true pieces, with dragonflies and blossoms. Some have Kelly's dewdrops in them, some have Swarovski chatons (sent to me by Becca).
The square-ish focal with the blue butterfly is a custom order for my friend Deb, along with the little round basketweave accents.
I'm particularly happy with the way this one turned out:
Freshwater pearls were wired in before curing. I'm ready to do more of these!!What do you think?

Butterfly Mania

It's a good time to shop at my etsy store if you are a fan of butterflies! I made quite a few this past month, and recently listed some of that "flock"!

What I do when I'm not blogging....

I guess that would be too long for a blog post... or too short?

Not much, I'm afraid. I have been creating some beads, so I'll share 'em with you. This part of the pile 'o' beads I made recently has been sanded, but not dremel-buffed yet:

And this pile is probably going to stay matte:

And this little pile is going to get a good sanding tomorrow 'cause it's been playing in the mud (acrylic paint) *smile*:

Stars - Bokwus

Estrelas
Originally uploaded by _Bokwus_

From Susana (Bokwus), Portuguese artist (I think) A bright spot of color!! I think they look good enough to eat....

Retro muse TBO

muse photo
Tranquil Beading Oasis ebay group

beads inspired by the muse photo:

Dichroic Dewdrop magic

dewdrops on marble..........dewdrops on white paper
Same dewdrops in both pictures!

I am fascinated with the "dichroic effect" - keep in mind I'm easily distracted by shiny objects...!

Highly irregular...

Or not!

More of KellyK's dichroic dewdrops, this time from the "irregular" pile. I love the organic, yet fantasy look that these dichroic droplets give my pendants.

and another...

This is just too much fun!

Dichro Dewdrop Daisies... more!

I've been making quite a few of these, with Kelly's dichro dewdrops. I love them in all shapes and sizes. Tomorrow I will be baking some pendants with some really odd shaped dewdrops - they get my imagination flowing!

Round beads...

Some of the beads from the previous post, sanded and buffed. I'm not crazy about the process, but I sure do enjoy the results! I'm thinking of making some bracelets, but I need to wait for some new clasps to arrive in the mail.

I've been attempting to make some jewelry out of some of the stash of beads I bought before I got hooked on hand-made beads, for our church bazaar (people are looking for bargains) but I forgot that the less expensive crimp beads (some of them) are not very sturdy, and cheaper stringing wire kinks easily. Oh, and from time to time one of the "lampwork" beads will crack for no reason - except that they were not annealed! This is one thing I have learned from the people on my ebay groups. All beads and supplies are not created equal!!

So, I do what I can. These bracelets will be dirt cheap, and I'll get some practice stringing. And a reminder never to buy "lampwork" beads from a hobby store ever again (I had already decided that long ago)

Small beads and focals....

I don't normally make little round beads, but I decided to go on a little round bead "jag"... I'm thinking about creating some jewelry.

If only I worked faster or longer! I'd like to get together enough inventory to do at least one craft show this summer. I keep saying that I want to do it, and then... well, I think I chicken out.

Four years ago, a short 2 months after my hysterectomy surgery, I participated in a craft show. Unfortunately, I was far more exhausted than I expected to be and did not have much to sell. My set-up was pretty bad, too.

Then, to make matters worse, my mother had gone in for knee replacement surgery a couple of days prior to the show, and I got a call on Sunday morning that she was in trouble - a pulmonary embolism. I packed up and left for Peoria.

I have stuck to online sales since then. I need some courage!!

Butterfly Pendant

I still haven't gotten my light box set up right. I took this one in my hand under the light I would be using with the light box. I think I did better with just a flash...

In any case, I have a whole lot of other pendants I photographed, but those pictures are not worth showing... although the pendants themselves are not bad! I long for the ease of my SLR 35mm camera with its through the lens viewfinder. If only it had instant pictures like my digital!

Another Lisa V + Jael bead creation!

Front and back of the same bead.

Isn't it lovely? *smile* Thanks, Lisa, for putting a bezel around my beads!

Emerald Dragonfly

Emerald Dragonfly
Originally uploaded by julie_picarello

I absolutely love the execution of mokume gane in this collection.... Julie Picarello has a flicker album well worth perusing!!

February bead bonanza?

Got 'em baked, and my daughter has already claimed my second dewdrop daisy pendant! (the daisy pendant below, on the bottom, center) I guess I'll just have to make more!!

Here are some more of my fun, colorful beadies, all together on a wire:


I'm trying to decide whether or not to sand this one....