Bracelets in my Porcelain Jasper Collection

This bracelet features the colors around the stone in the herringbone necklace. It is one of my favorite styles to make, always using different materials to make them unique.

The bracelet below is a new design for me which came about because I did not have enough of one of the beads to finish my design as planned. When I learned I couldn't get more of the bead, I purchased some 6mm porcelain jasper rondelles from my local bead store and sat with the bracelet until I created a closure as well as added more than an inch to the width of the bracelet. I plan to create bracelets similar to the alternating row part using a Czech glass button closure for some of my lower price point items offered for sale at my Art Fairs. Wish that it fit me, but it's for a 6.5 inch wrist.

This woven bracelet was inspired by the pueblo sands pink color in the porcelain jasper collection. I have created a few peyote stitch bracelets using delicas and seed beads of various sizes (gives the scrunched look) and wove up perpendicular to the base of the bracelet for the center. This one has some old Czech glass tiny bugle beads with seed beads for the unique decorations and a 20mm round rose quartz button with an opening in the weave for the buttonhole.

New Pictures

The top photo is a bracelet I created for the July Secret Garden Challenge of the Etsy Beadweaver's Team. I was running out of beads for the base of the bracelet and had difficulty finding a new supply. So I put it aside for a while. Then I realized I didn't have a gold filled three strand clasp. After that the Muse abandoned me. I knew I wanted a lacy edge but only had delica beads and I usually use smaller charlottes or size 15 seed beads. After a time I settled on using the delica beads, but wanted smaller 24 kt gold plate tiny seeds; I went into shock at their price! Got the best price available (almost $20 for a little tube of beads) and proceeded to finish it, not realizing I made a pattern with the transparent pink and blue beads! Guess the Muse had her own plan!

The other two bracelets are my traditional right angle weave bracelets done in Swarovski white pearls which I always pair with silver. One has Swarovski crystal ab bicones with the pearls.

These bracelets need the black background, and I will be making a better prop to pose them on. Still working on the lighting, too. There are some light sapphire bracelets and a peach bracelet and earrings that are at the photo editing stage. Light sapphire is one of the "colors" for December birthdays, so they will be added to my shop soon.

I've got a Black Friday Etsy special on some of my items going on at least thru Monday. Other specials will follow.

Remind Me of What I Loved

Welcome new followers! I've been mentally composing posts, but not writing them--sorry! I'm trying to make items for consignment shops for fall, when my heart wants to hang on to summer. Here are a couple that won't be on Etsy any time soon, but if they have your name on them, contact me and I'll be happy to arrange their availability for purchase.

In the past, I read a lot of books by Caroline Myss, even attended a couple of workshops held locally when I could afford them. Now I'm getting her free emails. One I remember being helpful was on the topic of "Remind Me of What I Loved".

We usually love simple things, sharing ordinary parts of our lives, people who were there for us. Personally, I often find myself dwelling on things I can't change, things that are not positives for anyone. She wrote much more eloquently than I, to remember those things in the past that we loved. When I do that, my body feels so much more relaxed and peaceful. Something simple like my aunt letting me hold the bouquet of lilacs she cut to bring into the house when I was about four years old. She also told me I was "a pain in the neck". So which one do you think I loved? I can still smell those lilacs!

Care to share your loved memories?

More Endive, Rose dust and Purple Orchid

I've listed two days in a row! Two more items in my series. I have a bracelet ready for the camera, another just started, pearl beaded beads and more peace jasper waiting for a bead order. These items are less exciting but more affordable (under $200).

Peaches and Cream

I put aside my project that I photographed last time. Today's mail brought 3 colors of 8 mm Swarovski bicone beads and a few tubes of size 15 seed beads in fall colors. I now have a transparent rosaline to embellish that project with. But instead of working to complete that bracelet, I started a new one with lipstick red, chocolate truffle, and rose dust in a 50-40-10 ratio. It is a two strand flat spiral weave similar to two of the bracelets photographed here. Yes, it reminded me of chocolate covered cherries and it was the color combination that called to me most from Margie Deeb's 2010 Fall Color Report. As I worked on it, I knew I had to order more beads; the big question is just how many. The color combination will be wonderful for Valentine's Day, too. I will share photos here because I can't decide which consignment shop I will place it in.

This week I completed two of the pictured bracelets and made beaded bead earrings for the three flat spiral bracelets. The embellished ladder stitch bracelet is made from the size 11 seed beads used to connect the flat spiral bracelets plus size 8 delica beads in cream. All will soon be listed in my shop (more pictures are also on flickr) displayed together. I want to see which one is more popular. When I started my shop, I had a lot of ladder bracelets which no one seemed to be interested in except the ruby red two which are renewed in my shop. I'm also experimenting with pricing as a set with earrings. I'd like to make a series of bracelets in a color palate in a couple of styles for my lower and mid price points. Any feedback on your preferences would be appreciated.

If you haven't been on etsy recently, the listing item pictures are larger and four across and 6 rows on a page.

Sneak Peek Photos of New Bracelets

These are both flat spiral weave bracelets. The blue and white one has Swarovski air blue opal crystals and is similar to a necklace I made last year which has white vintage seed beads which I ran out of so the bracelet has a modern square white bead.

The one I finished today has bronze Swarovski pearls and bronze keishi pearls--really interesting colors because they are pearls not glass--and ceylon topaz Swarovski crystal bicones. There are also 3 seed beads, size 11 cream, size 13 vanilla, and size 14 gold inside clear ab. The black background is black leatherette--no more magnified lint. I took the photo so it should be in focus magnified as much as you can, so click away on that skinny bracelet!

Activity

I have been absent for personal reasons and hope to be able to get back to photography tonight.

I finished an air blue opal three strand flat spiral weave bracelet and am in the process of a bronze and ceylon topaz with keishi pearls two strand bracelet similar to the pink bracelet I used for art fair entries.

Speaking of art fairs, my last application came back a wait list, so that's three wait lists in August & September. My next event is an Art Spree in downtown Chicago as an Illinois Artisan in mid July. I would love to see someone I know visit among the thousands who walk the atrium lobby of the Thompson Center. The "strangers" who stop generally become friendly after pausing to look at my jewelry!