Sue Beads

I was lucky enough to be picked by Jeannie Dukic of Jewelry By Jeannie for her Echo Creative Club Challenge for July!  She sent us some gorgeous polymer creations she made, and we were to make something from them!  I made three somethings!  I was excited about the pieces she sent me because I love the ocean and the beach and all things summer! I made these earrings with her starfish charms. I made some lampwork beads in an ocean color to go with them, and used bead caps that look like urchins! The second piece I made was this simple cotton cord bracelet - I used a button that mimics the sand dollar she sent me (below) and used her starfish charm and some other sea creature charms! Finally, with the sand dollar, I made this necklace!  I used the same lampwork beads and urchin bead caps, along with gorgeous czech glass ovals to create this sea-worthy necklace!  I hope you like what I made!  You can see everyone else's creations by visiting their ...

I'm currently on Etsy Stalker !  Please go visit Violet's blog, leave a comment, and you will have a chance to win the above beads from me! 

Beads of Clay invited 10 wonderful Jewelry Designers into our Team in order to show you how you can use our Ceramic Beads and Pendants in your Jewelry Designs.  This is the first of many Design Challenges for them.  Here are The Components: This is an Eclectic Grouping of Components. They wanted to give the Designers a REAL challenge! Do you think they did?  I do!  It was a real challenge for me!  First we received the black and white photo and didn't know the colors of the beads.  Then we received the beads! And The Folks that Donated Components: Raku Rectangles - Duane Collins-Elements Pottery Beads - Marsha Neal Minutella- Marsha Neal Studio Beads - Golem Studio Pendant - Shaterra Clay Studio Vintaj Chain and Bead Caps - Marla James Here's what I made; the initial challenge was a necklace, but I also used some components to create two bracelets.  Between getting ready for Bead Fest Philly, my vacation and my nasty monster mi...

Nope, that title doesn't mean what I'm sure you think it means - that I've been on vacation from making beads.  I have been on vacation, but the bead making has continued.  I have been trying to make inventory for Bead Fest Philly in August!  I will make a post with a free coupon for entry, and my booth number, and some shots of my inventory so far, but this is just a bead porn post about some beads I bought while on vacation! I went to Hilton Head Island for 10 days (as I usually do in the summer) and there's a bead shop there called High Tide Beads.  It's a small store, but nice.  They go to Tucson every year and stock up on on some cool beads, and show some nice lampwork beads from various artists - I hope to make it into their shop as well.    I picked up these gorgeous faceted "angelite" beads - I never heard of this before, looks like a rutillated quartz to me - does anyone know?  Anyways, they are a gorgeous blue!  Then these ...

While I was away, my Echo Creative Club Guest Spot Beads arrived from Jeannie Dukic !  Aren't they great!  I can't wait to get to work on them!  Stop back on July 25th for the big reveal!

Kristi, of Kristi Bowman Design, created some fabulous big hole components and decided to have a challenge! I did not win one of the giveaway beads, but I did purchase one to take part in the challenge! I love the one she sent me - sunflower! I had an idea in my head immediately what I wanted to do!  I created the disc bead from a peach colored Bullseye glass, and connected it to the big hole bead with a floral copper bead cap and a copper disc, and a hand-made balled-end head pin!  I made the bail, too, as a way to connect it!  Turned out quite cool! I used this gorgeous copper patinated clasp I received from someone (sorry, someone, I believe is was from a bead swap or challenge) because it just matched so perfectly. I used GORGEOUS sunstone beads that I had in my stash, and copper seed beads in the design too! I made the necklace slightly asymmetrical by stringing the sunstone beads that way, and finished the necklace with copper chain and a gorgeous oran...

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Interweave and asked if I wanted to participate in Lorelei and Erin's big book celebration this weekend!  Of course, I said YES!  I love both of those ladies and to help celebrate their book is a great way to tell them how much I admire them!  If you haven't seen it already, here's a photo of the cover - it's a sweet book! I wanted to make something inspired by a design in their book, and I finally settled on making this bracelet after Erin's project, Fleur-De-Lis.  It's on page 89 of the book, if you want to take a look at her design.  I always like to use my own beads in jewelry that I make, although I don't always have to.  However, Erin used some corrugated wood beads and they looked very similar to the ribbed round beads I make, so it ended up being a perfect way for me to incorporate some of my beads.  I made the beads in a very light amethyst color, and coated them with orchid enamel.  I love the lo...