Sue Beads

You may have noticed that we changed our name and look over at Art Jewelry Elements - we are now Art Elements.  Read all about it!


Also it's time for the October Component of the Month - this month, Jennifer Cameron provided us with these cute sugar skulls! I managed to take a photo of mine this time, before I made my necklace!

I love the colors she used, and wanted to make a colorful necklace as well! Here's what I made, using seed beads and czech flowers!  I think it's fun!




I was so happy to be able to use these czech flowers, as I am currently obsessed with them. I went to Prague this summer but was not able to find any czech beads for purchase!

Thanks to Jen for the sugar skull inspiration!  Check out what everyone else made!

Guest Designers Staci Louise Smith Karin Grosset Grange Solange Collin Art Elements Team Caroline Dewison Susan Kennedy Laney Mead Claire Fabian Diana Ptaszynski Jenny Davies-Reazor Cathy Spivey Mendola Lindsay Starr Niky Sayers Lesley Watt Cooky Schock Jen Camero…

I really didn't have a lot of creative time this month as I had a bunch of concrete work done at my house and, I don't know about you, but I can't get a thing done when people are working at my house.  The noise and dust really precluded me from making beads as it wrecked my concentration.  So I wasn't going to have anything for this month's challenge until I remembered this morning I made a tree bead in the JC Herrell class I took two summers ago!  So here it is!

I do have ideas for making more tree beads but so far, haven't done it.  I'm late to the party!

Here are the other participants please take a look at what they created!  It was a fun challenge for many people!

AJE Team Jennifer Stout Cameron Lesley Watt Jenny Davies-Reazor Laney Mead Niky Sayers Cooky Schock Cathy Spivey Mendola Caroline Dewison Guests Brooke Bock Karin Grosset Grange Merja Sundström Cindy Martin Shaw Allison L Norfleet Bruenger Melissa Trudinger Kathy Lindemer Gloria Allen Shai Williams Tammy Adams M…

It's the end of August, which means it's time for another Art Jewelry Elements challenge!  This month it was a headpin design challenge, and I am ALL OVER IT!  I have a few headpin tutorials over at the Art Jewelry Elements blog:

Flower Disc Bead Earrings

Flower Headpin Earrings

Earring Stacks with Headpins





And then I made all of these other earrings with my headpins!

These earrings used pretty filigree copper bead caps with czech beads and a size 8 seed bead.

These earrings used a gorgeous brass bead cap with a titanium hematite rondelle and a size 8 seed bead in a complementary color.

These beach inspired earrings used an ammonite headpin with titanium hematite spacers, and a gorgeous coppered aqua pumpkin bead, an indonesian bead, a wood bead, and a size 11 seed bead to capture all of the elements of the beach!

And these earrings, which are also beach themed, using an ammonite headpin, titanium hematite spacer beads, czech faceted rondelles and a titanium hematite round.

I wa…

Aaaaand another month has gone by, and it's time for the July Component of the Month challenge.  This month, Lesley Watt provided us with these awesome summery ammonite pendants to work with!  You can get some great ammonite items and more in her Thea Elements shop on etsy.

The one I chose is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the photo - the olive green colored one!  I had a really hard time with this one, probably because I admire Lesley and her art and the jewelry she makes so much that I wanted to do this pendant justice.  I went through many iterations of a design, including trying to use Lesley's tutorial that she posted here. I ordered a bunch of beads I thought would match, I had s-lon cord that was great, and I ordered the chain you'll see below as well.  But it just wasn't working for me, so I got out my beads and started trying to come up with another design.

I really wanted to use the fossil coral I had, but it just wasn't working.  Then I found my …

It was my turn for the Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month and I made baby cabochons.  Unfortunately, even though I was the host, I wasn't able to complete my project.  But I thought I'd show you what I started, anyways.


This was my original design - making a paisley design with the cabs as the focus.  I drew my design out first, and the outside edge would be picot off of size 8 beads with a size 15 stop bead.

Here's how far I got - I still have pretty far to go.  I feel pretty bad that even though it was my own CoM I didn't finish, but this is a crazy month so I guess I'll give myself a break.

I hope you visit everyone else to see what they made!

Guests
Allison Herrington Lola Surwillo
AJE Team Members
Susan Kennedy - host Diana Ptaszynski Kristen Stevens Jenny Davies-Reazor Caroline Dewison Lindsay Starr Lesley Watt Jennifer Cameron Niky Sayers Thanks for stopping by!

This month, Jenny Davies-Reazor provided us with amulets for the Component of the Month Challenge!  Yep, forgot to take a photo of the one I got before I used it, but here's what she made!

Here's the one I received.  Notice the bottom of the amulet - so awesome!




I chose the stone Angelite to go with the amulet I received.  I've always been attracted to this stone and have a small hoard of it.  Little did I know that Angelite really speaks to me!  Here's why:

Angelite is associated with the Throat Chakra.  It so happens that I am a thyroid cancer survivor.  Angelite is also a stone for creative people!  Angelite helps the wearer raise conscious awareness and promotes peace.  You can see more about Angelite on Caryl Haxwoth's page - very interesting!

So here's what I made.  I chose to keep it simple on purpose.  I was going to try and fashion some sort of "lid" for the amulet out of a silver disc, or go to Michaels and get a cork, but chose to leave it …

As another month rolls around, so does the AJE Component of the Month challenge - this month was a theme challenge and Lindsay Starr is our host - theme is EYE. 

I hope you go back and read Lindsay's original post, as it is very interesting.  I won't rehash what she already elegantly explained about the symbology of the eye.  I'll just get on with my post!  Incidentally, Michael's happened to have TONS of eye-themed components this month!  Lindsay must be right on trend!  Here are some photos I took!






I also wanted to show you the little tiny evil eye charm I picked up in Greece about 10 years ago - I was going to use it in this project, but just couldn't bring myself to use it up!  Then I wouldn't really be able to hold it and fondle it lol! I also meant to make some lampwork evil eyes, and may still, but didn't really get the chance to do that!


For my project, Kristie Roeder, a ceramist, was offering some great evil eye cabochons in the Ceramic Art Bead Ma…

This month, Jenny Davies-Reazor is the host of the January AJE Component of the Month - the theme is use your stash.  I had high hopes of getting a lot done, but between work and other life stuff, I only was able to complete one piece.  Here it is!

It's actually not completed yet because I need to make a strap for it.  But it's almost done!  I used one of  Jenny's pendant pieces and bezeled it with pretty purple delicas and red seed beads.  Then I added the czech flowers, with a stop bead, and the row of 8s with a stop bead as well.  Finally, I finished the edge with a picot edging.  I like it a lot. I wish I had time to complete more pieces, but I'm glad I at least got one done!

Please visit with everyone else and see what they made!  Thanks for stopping by!

AJE team: Lesley Watt Lindsay Starr Caroline Dewison Jennifer Cameron Jenny Davies-Reazor Susan Kennedy Niky Sayers Guests:  Terri - Terrri’s Blooming ideas Shai - Shai’s Ramblings Melissa - Bead Recipes Tammy - Paisley  Lizar…