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

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.*

Current Projects and a State of Chaos

Well, we're down to 10 days before we move! There's still lots to pack up, including my art desk, the computer, and everything for my ETSY shop. It has been really busy trying to get everything together, sign paperwork and pack and it has left little time for artistic creation. I am hoping that after we move and settle, I can get back into the swing of things and build up my shop.

That being said, I have a current pic from my art desk (well, from a small portion of my art desk) of what I'm working on currently. I'm going to try to finish it before we move but because I have been so busy lately, I am not 100% sure that is going to be possible. But there's nothing wrong with trying now is there?



I really enjoy the mix of the deep, warm wood with green and silver metal. There's something about that combination that really speaks to me. It will be a necklace with a matching pair of earrings and I am thinking I will sell it as a set.

I have also completed a pair of nice drop earrings that I think would be lovely for the summer.



I bought the bead caps at a little bead store in Eugene, OR when we were visiting my husband's parents for Mother's day. If you ever happen to be in Eugene, OR and love to make jewelry, be sure to check out Harlequin Beads. They have a great selection and friendly sales associates! I love popping in there when we have some spare time and are in the area. If you do make it there, make sure to sign up on their mailing list. You will receive postcards with special deals almost every month and the one they send for your birthday includes a special bonus!

Happy day to you folks!

Cheers,
~Beka

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

We're almost done with this whole staging process for the house and it will be up on the market this Friday. I feel like I can breathe again. *laughs* We've been going nonstop for a few weeks now, getting everything cleaned and packed. We had the Realtor come today to do a final walkthrough to make sure that everything looked good and it does. The photographer comes tomorrow to take pictures and then all we'll have to do is keep the house clean! Woo!

I was able to get back to my art desk for awhile to work on things for my ETSY shop again. It felt like ages since I was able to do any work and it was nice to work with my hands again. I took a picture of what part of my desk looks like at the moment. I have a butterfly bracelet made from antique materials up at the top that will go up on the ETSY shop soon. It's the light version and the dark version will come soon. I just started the base construction for a new necklace there which is why it's bare and doesn't have a space for a clasp yet. I wanted to get the overall style construction done first so I could start to visualize bead colors, shapes, sizes, etc. I think I'll go for some nice pastel colors with black glass pearls to offset the pastel shades and bring some edgy-ness to the necklace. Haven't decided what to name it yet. Have any ideas?

Cheers,
~Beka

Another Modern Picture Frame Necklace

So I made another Modern Picture Frame Necklace just to experiment with the frame and see what kind of designs I could come up with. I used the long rectangle frame this time and wire wrapped the frame with lime glass beads from Blue Moon. I left one less on the left side there because I wanted to hang a charm there instead. I was thinking about doing only part of the frame wrapped with beads but went ahead and did the whole thing. Maybe the next one I'll only do part of it...symmetry is overrated. :P I used the same kind of chain as the other Picture Frame Necklace since it's nice and sturdy and used as 'S' clasp again with a matching charm.

I wore it to work today and it held up very nicely. I work with kids and am constantly moving around so it gave me a chance to see how sturdy it was. It never gave me any issues.

I'll be putting up the Picture Frame Necklaces on my etsy site tomorrow I think so if you might be interested in either of them, please check out my store Enchanted...By Beka.

Thats all for now. I need to help the husband with rebuilding the banister!

Cheers!
~Beka

Beads, Wire, Tools....Oh My!

I managed to get a few more supplies at Joann's today since they were having a 40% off sale. For 4 items, it only cost me $3.50! Nice! Since I am starting to accumulate more of certain colors, I've finally started moving some of my beads into the larger container which makes room for other colors I want to get like light orange, yellow...summer colors.

I'm going to be starting on a friend's commission here soon: an aquamarine wire braid bracelet, much like the ones I have up in my shop. (Like that one over to the left.) I got some black wire so I can do a dark one and see how that turns out.

It looks like I might be doing some work on a good friend's wedding. Woo! I'm honored, honored, honored! I'm working with a few ideas to present that are elegant and stylish and hopefully they will be good enough! I'll be posting pics during the process for show and to get some feedback.

That's all for now. I"ll have more once I start my next projects!

Cheers!
~Beka