Sue Beads

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!

Another month has passed (my popular refrain) and it's time for another Art Jewelry Elements Design Challenge Reveal!  This month, Linda Landig provided us with brand spankin' new ceramics that she just started making!  How exciting - she's really doing great things!  I chose this leaf pendant, and as usual, didn't take a photo before I started working with it!

 I consider what I made as a work in progress because, in theory, I like my idea, but in practice, it didn't turn out the way I wanted.  My idea was to use the waxed linen and wrap pearls in drops from knots as you can see. It's much harder, at least for me, than I thought.  It's very hard to get the drops to be the same on both sides of the pendant.  It was hard for me to work with the jump ring on the pendant as well.  I think the key is to do the pendant first, and work out.  I was working from the loop down, for the clasp.
 Here's a photo of what I made, I'm not happy with it at all.  If …

Yet another month has passed us by, it's time for the April Component of the Month Reveal over at Art Jewelry Elements!  Lesley Watt provided components for us for April - buttons, or clasps, however you wanted to use them!  The one I chose was right in the middle!

 As usual, I did not take a photo of the button before I actually used it, so here is a closeup! 

 I had a few idea in my head none of which really worked out.  I didn't have the right color beads, I couldn't find the right color glass to make beads, I didn't have the right color waxed linen...on and on.  Finally, I went to Michael's for a little visual stimulation.  While I was there, I picked up the citrine (???) chips and the bronze colored beads.
 I strung three strands of beads (I already had the seed beads at home, woo hoo!) and then braided them before I attached to the bronze clasp with the crimp beads.  The bronze clasp is kind of urchin-ey, so I felt it worked really well.  Plus, I'm really…

It's already time for another Component of the Month and this month, it was Melissa Meman's turn!  She sent us all copper enameled hearts, with various hole configurations.  This is the heart she sent me:

 I made a little wire-wrapped bail of antiqued copper wire (20 gauge) and a little dangle with a rose colored copper balled end headpin that I made - to get the rose color, you dip the headpin in water quickly after you ball it in your torch!
 I wanted to pull the colors in the frit (glass bits) on the heart so I searched my stash and found these wonderful faceted beads in the perfect colors!  I wire wrapped them all with copper wire I antiqued in liver of sulpher, and added small antiqued copper daisy beads as well.
 I needed a little green accent as well, and was happy I had these little rondelles. 
 The clasp was one I purchased at the same time I purchased the one for Rebekah's CoM!  Glad I got an extra one - didn't have enough time to think about fashioning one …

See my blog post over at Art Jewelry Elements for the inspiration behind this necklace today!

Over at AJE it's reveal day for the June Component of the Month!  This month, the wonderfully talented Jenny Davies-Reazor provided us with a pair of components.  Yes, I made earrings!  Jenny makes the most wonderful ceramic goodies, and when she makes jewelry she pairs her components with gemstones!  I love gemstones - if I didn't make lampwork beads, all of my jewelry would be made with gemstones!  As it was, I tried hard to make some beads to match Jenny's charms.  Jenny and I have very complimenting beads and components sometimes, and I thought it would be good to show that off.  However, I just couldn't get a good match and with the work schedule and tree disaster, I decided to go with gemstones!


The charms have an ever-so-subtle hint of brown on them, and so I chose faceted khaki quartz rondelles.


Jenny is very into myth and folklore, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about quartz.  The name means cross vein one, and has a lot of mythical meaning in Abor…

This month was my turn to provide the Art Jewelry Elements blog followers and designers with the Component of the Month.  If you may recall, this is what we're working with this month - my lampwork ruffle discs!






This turned into a very real challenge for me.  I may have mentioned I am working a lot lately, to help my boyfriend get this very large job finished up.  I have not worked outside of my home for quite a while, so it's a challenge for me to get everything done and do the whole jewelry/bead gig as well.  I had other ideas, but they did not pan out.  I probably redid this bracelet 4 times, but here's the final result!


I actually pilfered from another bracelet to finish this one.  I made it with freshwater pearls and turquoise tubes, with silver seed beads as accents.


I used the ruffle disc as the clasp, the back I somehow finagled to make work!  I'm sure there are some kind of tutorials out there to show how to make a clasp out of a one-hole bead, but couldn'…

I can't believe it's already the end of May - time just goes too fast anymore!  Here's my submissions for the Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge for the past two week!

This first pair is made with my own enameled leaves and pretty blue czech glass and brass rounds.  Sterling earwires by me as well!


This second pair, I made for my mom for Mother's Day!  My own lampwork beads, rhinestone rondelles, filigree bead caps and sterling earwires by me, as well.

Please hop on over to the Art Jewelry Elements blog to see what everyone else made for the Earring Challenge!

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to everyone!  Here are the earrings I made for the challenge, with my own enamel beads!


These were fun to make.  Please hop on over to Art Jewelry Elements to see which earrings I highlighted this week!

Please head over to Art Jewelry Elements blog to see how you can WIN one of these funky ruffle discs!  All you have to do is agree to make a piece of jewelry with one of them and reveal it on May 31!

Today is the reveal for the Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month!  This month, Jennifer Stout Cameron of Glass Addictions provided us with a pair of glass headpins she made! 

I'm afraid I wasn't too imaginative, in that I made earrings from the pair.  While I wanted them to be dangles on something, like a bracelet, earrings just kept calling to me!  These are as close to mis-matched earrings as I will ever get!  The headpins came with a very long piece of copper and I cringed when I cut it - what if I dind't like the earrings I made?  Well, too bad, Sue, you'll have to live with it when you cut!  I feel like I need to add one more dangle to the earrings, and then I'll be happy with them!

Please stop by Art Jewelry Elements blog to see what everyone else made with their wonderful headpins!  And thanks Jennifer for the amazingly wonderful headpins!

Sorry I'm late today but better late than never!  Today is the next reveal for the Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge!  Here are my two contributions, which I will pin in a minute!
 This first pair is made with my sunny mimosa sparkle beads, and fishy charms with gorgeous blue lined seed beads!  Very summery - think I need to go to the islands?
This second pair is made with my enameled bead caps, and gorgeous blue chalcedony beads and tanzanite crystals.  I love these too! 

Please check out what everyone else made by visiting the Art Jewelry Elements blog!

It's hard to believe another two weeks have gone by, and it's time for another Art Jewelry Elements earring challenge.  Here are my entries for this two weeks.  The first is a pair of aqua blue beads I make, that happen to be some of my personal favorite beads.  The second set is from my new embossed bead series, made with disc beads from Michaels to compliment the design.  Head on over to AJE to see what everyone else made this past two weeks!

It's that time of month again already! It's the Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month!  This month, the lovely Jo Tinley, of Daisychain Designs, supplied us with one of her handmade copper hollow beads!  I chose one with flowers on it.  She showed how to make them on the Art Jewelry Elements blog and, let me tell you, it's a lot of work!  I really love her work and I hope you visit her blog and shop!


I paired my bracelet with these gorgeous blue beads I picked up at a bead show in Monroeville a week or so ago.  I meant to show you photos on my blog of what I made, but seriously just cannot keep up at the moment!  These are faceted and such an amazing color, I'm sure they're dyed but I still like them!

So this is the bracelet I made.  I love the blue color of the beads with the antiqued copper of Jo's bead.  The only issue I have with this bracelet is that the clasp is too big.  I didn't have ANY other clasps in antiqued copper and didn't have time…

It's that time again!  Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge reveal!  Here's what I made!  Both pairs of earrings are made with my little lampwork beads and Kristi Bowman-Gruel's newest polymer clay creations!  Don't you love them!  Check out AJE Blog to see what everyone else made!

Here's my latest contribution to the Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge!  The first pair are made with my latest flower beads, which can be found in my SueBeads etsy store!  The second pair are with my latest bicone beads, in a spacy nebula type design!  You can also find some of these in my etsy store, or ask for a custom listing if you like!

If you read my post from Sunday, you saw the process that took place to come up with these little flower beadies (originally posted on Art Jewelry Elements)! I used the plant poke flowers for inspiration to create these little flowers, in some of the color combos I really really liked!  You can find the little flower bead pairs in my SueBeads etsy store!

These are my two entries for this two-weeks' Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge!  Hop on over to the Art Jewelry Elements blog to see what everyone else is making!