Holiday Matchbook Notebooks

I made some holiday themed matchbook notebooks today that would be great as a stocking stuffer, in a goodie basket for family/friends/neighbors, or just as a little holiday note.

Each have 10 blank white pages inside for little notes and are featured in holiday colors.

I think I'll be including these in our goodie bags this year for our neighbors. But in the off-chance that anyone would be interested in set of 12 for themselves, let me know and I can get them done right away and sent to you with plenty of time before Christmas!

Cheers,

Beka

Holiday Helpers

I have a very fuzzy 'holiday helper' (at least he thinks he's helping) who likes to hang out around my art desk when I'm working on cards, jewelry, boxes...pretty much whenever I'm working on something at my desk. Today, I've been working on Christmas cards for the family and he thought I needed to use stamps.

That's our Clark...our fuzzy and sweet troublemaker. *sigh* At least this time, he didn't decide to tear through the house only to land and slide on my art desk, knocking everything off like he did the other night. >.<

Do you have any holiday helpers that like to "help out" around the Holidays?

Cheers,

Beka

Getting Into the Spirit Of Things

The title says it all!

I love Christmas and all the little decorations, cards, treats, etc. and I love making Christmas cards. I got some new stamps recently. I've been trying out the clear ones and I have been loving them! Especially when you get to use a coupon at Michaels or Joann's and your significant other stands in line right behind you so you can use two in one shot! *grin*

I've been working on coming up with some new designs but it's been going slow due to work and life in general but I have been making an effort to put in some time when I can at my art desk. I finished a cute and simple 3x3 card set with a box this morning as well as a gift box for a friend's house warming party tomorrow. I don't have a picture of the git box yet but here is a picture of the card set here in my shop until I can get my photo account to behave:

Merry and Bright Card/Gift Tag Set

My shop has been sparse lately because I was gone most of the summer but now that I'm back and getting back into my routines you'll definitely see more items showing up in my shop. I will be getting five days off over the Thanksgiving holiday (thanks to working with kids) so I hope to be able to put many more hours in at my art desk.

Thank you all for taking the time to stop by my blog occasionally! Have a great rest of your weekend!

Cheers,

Beka

I Have Returned!

After a long break of dealing with family stuff, life, and work in general, I'm back to the crafting game! I will be taking it slow just because there's a lot going on but I am happy to be back crafting. With the holidays just around the corner, I'm going to be focusing on holiday inspired jewelry, boxes, cards, thank you notes, and anything else that comes to mind. Once I finish a project, I'll post it up here to the blog before posting it to my ETSY shop.

I hope you all have been enjoying the fall season! Happy crafting everyone!

Cheers,

Beka

Jittered Nerves and New Items

Ah yes, the nerves have now started to set in since we are down to 5 days before the big trip! I have never been on an airplane for 10-12 hours before and flying over water doesn't help either. I keep reminding myself that once I get on the plane, I can focus on my beading project, writing, movie watching and the occasional drink and before I know it, I will be in Edinburgh hitting the pub with my hubby and laughing it all away.

I spent a little time in my office upstairs with my taped thumb all immobilized and ready to go and I created a couple pairs of earrings I rather like.

Berry Dagger Earrings


Dark Wine Gypsy Chandelier Earrings


I have them already listed up in my ETSY shop (please see the link on the right side of the page).
I will probably try to get a couple other items done before we leave for our trip but nothing too strenuous until we get this thumb issue under control.

That's all for now!

Cheers,
Beka

Special Poll!

Hello everyone!

I have submitted a name for a contest being held by BJohnson Jewelry! The contest requests the applicants to name the item. The prize is a pair of lovely golden filigree earrings created by Bettina Johnson. I would love to own these gorgeous earrings so I am asking all who pass by here to please stop by here and vote for my submission 'Isabella' in the open poll.

Thanks to all and have a great day!

Cheers,
Beka

Reacurring Injury and Adventures in Nowhere

So my thumb is at it again. It's been burting the past couple of days and does not feel like the usual muscle soreness from overuse. I have a large hard bump in the joint area (where the thumb connects to the hand) that feels more like bone than an irritated muscle knot. There's now joint popping and massive stiffness if I don't use my thumb which is usually while I'm sleeping. Our theory is possible Osteoarthritis since I fill all the symptoms but we won't know until I get in to see a doc. Unfortunetely, I won't be able to get in and get this all examined, x-rayed, etc until after we come back from the UK so I have to wait.

I'm thinking of getting some glucosamine and chondroitin and seeing if that helps (I hear they are good for joint and cartilage assistance)...along with more first aid waterproof tape. My thumb seems to do better when I tape it up and keep most of it imobilized.

So again, my jewelry projects are delayed however, I will be working on some beaded chokers while on the plane since they do not require a lot of heavy duty hand work. I only hope that we dont' hit a pocket of turbulance while the needle is precariously pointing at one of my fingers!

In other news, I had to go pick up my husband and his buddy at the bail out point in the Mt. Hood State Park area. We were to meet up back on one of the back roads (and I DO mean BACK ROADS) off of E. Lolo Pass Rd which is out at Rhodadendron, Oregon. I managed to find the turn and drove about 30 min without finding the next turn. I couldn't get a cell phone signal out there which meant the boys couldn't either so needless to say, it was REALLY stressful! I kept driving down the road and finally found NFD 1828. I was so excited to see it that I totally missed seeing the boys sitting there at the intersection where there was a little parking pull off. A little ways down the road, I realized that I had turned right instead of left and managed to turn out CRV around in the dinky road only to find another couple coming my way. They pulled up next to me and told me about my husband and his buddy at the intersection. I was so happy to hear that they were close by! Long story short (probably too late), I picked them up, we had lunch at BK in Sandy, Oregon, took his buddy back home and hubby and I went back home to rest. It was great to be back home.

So now that the excitement is over, I must prep for our 2 week excursion to Edinburgh and London! So much to plan, so little time!

Cheers,
Beka

New Aventurine Wire Wrap Cuff

I spent some much needed time in my office today working on a few new things I hope to have completed and in my ETSY shop soon. One project that I was able to complete today was an Aventurine wire wrap cuff bracelet.





It's for smaller wrists and mainly a practice to see what I could come up with but I like the asymmetrical design and the color of the aventurine chips against the silver metal. I would like to do a few more in this style with different beads and colors for the upcoming seasons.

I will try to post more later this week with pictures of my new creations. I should have some extra time since my husband will be out on a 4 day hike with his best friend.

Cheers,
Beka

New Template

I will be working on uploading a new template. If you stop by and there are issues, weird things or alien writing on my blog, it's probably due to that.

Now that my hand is better, I will be working on more projects. Please stop by to see new pictures to be posted soon!

Thanks for all your patience!

Cheers,
Beka

Almost There!

Good news! My thumb is almost completely healed up! I have more range of motion now and little pain. I should be back to crafting in almost no time at all! (which is great because I feel like I am slowly slipping into insanity >.<) In the mean time, I have been reading some excellent beading and jewelry making books from the library. Here are a couple I highly enjoyed:

If you enjoy making wire jewelry, I highly recommend Wire Style by Denise Peck. There are some simple and refreshing tutorials in her book. The instructions are pretty clear and easy to follow.

I also recommend Elegant Wire Jewelry by Kathy Frey. The projects are simple yet complex and have step by step instructions accompanied by instructional photos which make the instructions easy to follow.

I'm afraid that is all for now. I have a large, fuzzy cat who is begging for my attention as well as a big pile of dishes.

Cheers,
~Beka

Still Out For The Count...

So a few days ago, I hurt my thumb while working on some of my projects. (And who says that crafting isn't dangerous!) Well, I brushed it off as a minor thing and went right back to work the next day. Today, I woke to find it severely sore yet not really swollen or bruised which was lucky. Because of this, however, I am not able to work on my projects and they will be delayed for a while until I heal up. Hopefully, it won't be too long but I'm afraid to say that my stubbornness made the situation worse.

It's been driving me nuts not being able to work on my projects but I managed to get some great jewelry making books from the library to help satisfy that urge. At least I can still type and write (the injury is on my non-dominant left hand) so I will be able to continue work on my novel.

The lesson here kids...take care of your injuries, even if they set you back a day or two. that way, you won't get to the point where it sets you back twice that.

Cheers,
Beka

New Thank You Matchbook Notebooks On Their Way!

I have a new design that is just about finished but due to an injured thumb, they will take me a little longer than usual to complete them. They are so cute though and very spring/summery!



These will be great to say 'thank you' to friends/family at a party or to your loyal customers! They're also just a sweet way to say 'thank you' to anyone in general. There will be 10 white pages inside each book for notes or a personalized message.

I cannot wait to get them done. They are so adorable!

In other news, I just found out that my husband and I will be going to Edinburgh for about a week and a half which means I will need to close my ETSY shop for the duration of the trip. We leave August 7th and won't get back until about the 17th. I'll be putting up a notice in a week on the shop notice board to make sure everyone is informed. Aparently, we are going during the time they have a very large festival going on so I'm excited to research that. It's going to be a great trip. Neither one of us has been to Europe so this will be a great learning experience!

Cheers,
Beka

Pendants!

I've been on a pendant kick lately I guess because it seems that all I want to do is make pendants! I figure why not indulge and see what I come up with.



The silver one isn't finished yet. I still need to hammer it and choose beads to make charms for the loops along the bottom. The black wire looks great but can be a pain to work with since it can be easily scratched to show the metal underneath. While working on the black wire pieces, I was really loving my nylon pliers. If you don't have a pair and you make jewelry, I highly recommend you get a pair.

I'm hoping to get these guys close to finished at the end of the week so I can list them up this weekend in my ETSY shop.

Cheers,
Beka

New Pendant And More To Come!

I've been fiddling with black wire the past couple of days and came up with a start of a pendant. I like the combination of the black with hues of purple. I'll be working on making the beaded necklace part over the next few days.



I plan to work with the wire some more to come up with some other designs. My husband and I will be home this weekend (thank goodness) so I'll have some extra time to experiment.

That's all for now. I'm waiting for the guys to finish getting the new batch of brewed beer set.

Cheers,
Beka

Going Out Of Town...Again...

Yes, we're going out of town again. This time, we're going to the coast...the Tillamook area to be a little more specific. I'm really excited about it because I love Tillamook cheese, yogurt and ice cream. We're also going to do a nice hike in the area. It'll be nice to be at the coast again. It's been awhile since we're been to the coast and it'll be nice to get a dose of salty coldness.

I've been working in the office upstairs and have a few peices that will be ready to go up on my ETSY shop either tomorrow or when we get back from our short trip. Here is a picture of one of the pieces:



I also have a couple wire wrapped hoop earrings and a free-form wire cuff bracelet that are just about done. I will post pics of them when they're ready to go!

That's all for now. Time to go pack up!

Cheers,
~Beka

Many Thanks!

Many Thanks Matchbook Notebooks are up on the ETSY site today! These are great items to say thank you! Each book has 10 off-white iridescent pages for notes or for a personalized message. I just love these little books and I try to include one or two with my orders.

If you find this is something you're interested in and want more or a custom order, just let me know either here or through ETSY:
Enchanted By Beka





Cheers,
Beka

The Wedding

My friend got married yesterday to his soul mate! It was a wonderful wedding full of personal touches that couldn't help but make me smile and laugh. My items were featured throughout the event and I have a some pictures to share.

Favor boxes:


One of the beaded barrettes:


My favor box on a table:


Unfortunately, I was having trouble getting clear pictures of the jewelry but if you look at my previous posts, you will find pictures of the jewelry. Just search for the Red Court Necklace. I will hopefully have more pictures at a later date.

Cheers,
Beka

Berry Bliss and More!

I've spent a lot of time in my office the past couple of days due to the creative bug and I've created some really nice pieces!

Berry Bliss Necklace


Blue Cornflower Necklace


Antique Brass Birdie Bracelet


6 Strand Memory Wire Bracelet


6 Strand Memory Wire Bracelet Back View


These items and more will be up on my Etsy shop no later than tomorrow. I'm currently working to make sure I have all the pictures ready as well as my signature gift boxes for each item!

Have a great day everyone!

Cheers,
Beka

New Items

So I'm back in the saddle again since I am taking the summer off. I spent some time yesterday finishing up some earrings and a necklace I have been wanting to make and complete before we moved. I love them. They have a great nature feel to them with the greens and the berry colors. They make me think of going berry picking in the summer with my family like I used to do many years ago.

Here are the earrings:

Believe it or not, the difference in the green color beads gives it a little something extra. I do plan on making a variant of this style with slightly different colors.

Here is the necklace with the earrings:

The necklace also has a berry motif. The picture really doesn't do the jewelry justice since it's old and having issues focusing amongst other things. I really look forward to replacing this camera soon.

I should be back in my office working on some more pieces to be putting up in my ETSY shop soon and I can't wait to share them all!

Cheers,
Beka

Settling In

We are in the process now of settling into our new home. It is going to take some time to get everything unpacked and paint a few rooms but we are very happy with the house and the neighborhood.

As soon as things get a little more settled and I have been able to unpack all of my beading/craft supplies, I will be back in the creating saddle again. I have many ideas and I can't wait to share them with you all!

Until then, here is a bit of random information:

*Did you know that the most commonly used seed bead size is 11/0. You would need about 21 beads to string an inch of 11/0 bead size.*