How Time Flies!

Has it been over a year and a half since my last post??? It hasn't been due to a lack of anything to say. "Life gets in the way". How true those words are. Since my last post, I have graduated to wire work. And, once I conquer my fear of fire, a torch is in my future! Hmmm, since my marital status will soon be changing back to "single" maybe I'll find a use for that torch afterall.
So, since my last post: I have opened an Etsy shop, BeadsOnHand and joined an Etsy street team; in fact, two teams. I have found that I enjoy teaching braiding, and often learn somethin new with each class. I got up the courage to do two Christmas craft fairs last year (and did fairly well, thankyou!). And, a very important "and" here, have learned how to use an easy version of PhotoShop. It's an older version and much less expensive (okay, so I'm a cheapskate, but it does everything I need).
Oh, and the beads have started talking to me again. Maybe someday they'll tell me where the bead holes go at night?

What a Difference a Color Makes

What a difference a color makes! This is the same focal bead as in the June 1,2007 entry but with a new braid. I had intended to mirror the focal's colors: turquoise, dark amber, and black, in a braid. Unfortunately the result was busy, busy, busy. So, let's put things away and play another day.

I love this bead. It was hand made by Tim from The Beaded Lily in Italy. It's gorgeous: all blue, warm orangey honey, cream, and black; even a couple spots of goldstone inclusions. I happened to take it with me to a bead show. It was a good excuse to go to the show (if we really need an excuse) hoping to find some other beads and finish that necklace. A very nice saleslady from http://www.kazuribeadseast.com/ helped me pick out some nice warm caramel colored beads to bring out the amber in the focal.

Next: how to bring everything together? Better braid colors!!! What goes better with caramel than chocolate? And: just a little flash of a brighter orange (paprika, actually).

And of course, every time I look at it I get a really bad craving for chocolate. Isn't it a good thing this is for sale? (Yup, you guessed it! I am selling something, my secret is out. And if I can figure out how to get the address of my Etsy shop in the conversation, you'll be the first to know!)

Memory Wire: A solution for bad memories?

Whoops! This blog completely skipped/slipped my mind! Looks like it's time for more memory wire! This is another memory wire bracelet, this time with Swarovski "Tahitian color" pearls (I didn't know how gorgeous Tahitian pearls were until Aden Angier posted some of his work on the now defunct Reasonable Insanity. Run, don't walk to the nearest jewelry forum now! He's on a couple of them and I will be adding their addresses soon.) Tahitian pearls have a blue/dark gray/almost black depth to them. The next best thing is a Swarovski pearl.They have the weight of a true pearl. And Swarovski also suggests color combinations for each color of their pearls. So: here we have Dorado (gold AB, gorgeous), indicolite (a clear dark blue/teal) and crystal copper (no explanation needed). How much easier could things get?

Wellll, trying to get the wraps to line up on top of the wrist and wrap around enough of the wrist on the bottom, is enough to make some artisans to swear of memory wire off altogether! This particular bracelet was strung and unstrung for hours. To complicate things, my wrist is a bit smaller than the average size, so I have to be very careful in sizing these bracelets. (Not bragging on my small wrist, am gritting my teeth in frustration!)

So, hopefully, no more long absences. Sharing the delight of creating jewelry is a wonderful feeling. And sharing the frustrations helps to make them a bit smaller.

My First Link!

I am proud to announce my very first link to a jewelry artist: Zoya Gutina.
Her sites are: http://www.mylovelybeads.com/
www.gutin.org/beads
I am proud because she is truly an artist with seed beads. You may see her work at the above sites and on the Reasonable Insanity forum:
www.reasonableinsanity.net/
In fact, check out Reasonable Insanity for all the jewelry information you could ask for!

Memory Wire--Best Thing Since Sliced Bread!

This is a memory wire bracelet I made for my husband's aunt. She's undergoing chemotherapy right now and I thought she might need a bit of cheering up. The beauty of memory wire is that it keeps its round shape no matter what. You can bend it, stretch it out, use it like a Slinky (anyone remember those?), and it will always hold its shape! And no clasp is needed because it wraps around and around your wrist!

I've only been in the jewelry designing community for a couple of years now but am continually amazed at how we find comfort in creating something beautiful and giving it to comfort the receiver.

This was made in her favorite color: purple. (I confess: I love purple too.) The crystals are tanzanite Swarovski bicones, very close to a clear purple. Now here was a problem: the aunt's skin is quite delicate and the crystals have a rather sharp edge. Fortunately, the fresh water pearls were larger than the crystals, and hold the crystals away from the skin. And, the pearls are very smooth.

Have you wondered where the title of this entry comes from? Many years ago (almost 80 or so) "store bought" bread wasn't sliced. Then came the great idea to slice it! Truly a time saver, if you have ever had to slice bread, piece after piece. Back to the present: no clasp need for a memory wire bracelet? Wow! That's the best thing since sliced bread, absolutely, especially for those who have problems with clasps on bracelets.

Why the "BeadsOnHand"?

It's been almost three weeks since my last post! So I thought I'd do a piece on where the name "BeadsOnHand" comes from.

I started out wanting to make rosaries. The only ones available here are the quickly made (read "cheap" here) plastic beaded rosaries. Nothing wrong with plastic beads, some of my best beads are plastic. It's just that they shouldn't look like plastic. So I made a few and they were donated to various church auctions in hopes of drumming up a little business. The results? Some one asked (almost a year later) can you put rose petals in Swarovski crystal beads? No, I can't do this although it sounds like a wonderful idea. May take a trip to Austria and research it with the Swar folks. Seems that the person had heard the words "rose petals" and "Swarovski" mentioned together. The results: petals encased in crystal beads. Nope, just beads made from rose petals (where the name "rosary" comes from, made by nuns many centuries ago) and used along with the Sw. crystal beads.

As you can see from the photo: the bracelet is made of beads, on a wrist (or hand). Get it? Beads on a hand??

Next: why memory wire isn't just for kids anymore! Or: A Senior Moment with Wire!

Stop and Smell the Roses--the Japanese Way

Every one has heard "Stop and smell the roses", meaning: slow down, take some time and enjoy where you are (always assuming you really are somewhere that's enjoyable). So, what does this picture of stepping stones have to do with roses? Quite a lot, actually. The answer is in the concept of enjoying the moment.

This is a picture of a stepping stone path across a small stream in the Asticou Gardens, Bar Harbor, Maine. (No, don't worry, I am not going to share the details about vacations that bore absolutely everyone.) The garden is a wonderful collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, a sand garden, and various trees. The atmosphere is peaceful, serene. Each turn of the path brings you out onto another spectacular view. You would hardly believe that this particular garden really isn't all that big, just 2.3 acres. There is so much to see, all packed into this small area that one is tempted to walk along, looking, saying "Isn't this pretty?" and keep on walking.

The stepping stones? They are spaced just far enough apart that you must take care not to fall into the stream. And this means you have to stop and check where the stones are. And, while you are taking some time doing this, you become aware of the surroundings. You see the calming water, perhaps fish are swimming underneath your feet, you feel the cool shade under the trees, you hear the leaves rustling in the breeze, you might smell the fragrance of the blooms.

You have now experienced the concept of living in the moment with all of your senses. You have truly stopped to smell the roses.