Luna's Baublebilities

So - I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.  It's just that Svenya takes up all of my morning posting time.  I've got to get this milking schedule worked out!

In spite of being busy with the cow (and the milk and the cheese!) and living in a messy house - I have been working on some jewelry projects.






Here's the latest.  It is insanely sparkley.

Molly insists that if it isn't sold by May, she's wearing it to prom.

I'm really loving right Angle Weave with czech fire polish beads.  These are 3mm with dagger beads on the bottom edge.  I've got three rows each one is embellished with something differen - 8o gold lined aqua TOHOs, Permanant finish galvanized 11o starlight TOHOs with Gold lined aqua 1.5mm cubes and for the bottom row, these incredible navy/clear Treasureology crystal rounds that I can only get every now and then. I've got to get more.  They make me drool.






I love how it drapes and sparkles.

Hope I have time for more!




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So.  I have been sooooo busy.  I won't even try to tell you about it.  Except you should go look at photos of Ruby Thursday and her mama over at The Beorningstead.  They are part of the reason I'm swamped.

School started this week.  No tears from anyone.

Molly's music teacher was cut to 8/10ths time or something (thank you, Mr. Cuomo - grrrr!)  and cannot do the musical this year.  Which is a BIG sadness.  One of the other students' moms is a talented Middle School music teacher at another local school and said she might be able to do it - so there is hope.  Maybe.

I was straight out this week with orthopedic appointments, back to school stuff, milking the cow and dealing with the milk , etc... But yesterday, I popped over to Kelly Angeley's blog, where she had a photo of her "Better With Crystals" bracelet, for which she is teaching a class on the West Coast later this fall.

Man.  I would really like to take that class.

Alas.   I live in Upstate NY and have no money so I cannot.

But I was inspired.  I didn't have any crystals the right size and only one color with enough 4mm czech polished rounds to make ONE gorgeous bracelet that I think is based on the same Rght Angle weave techniques that Kelly's bracelet is.

Gotta get some more 4mm firepolish beads!

It was a wonderfully satisfying bracelet to make.  I got it done in one evening - probably about 4 hours total.  It is so rich looking and feels substantial, it is one of my favorites so far.

I love that I found a use for these herringbone drilled pearls that have been sitting around in my studio for 4 years.

I hate that I use almost all of them on this project and have no more left to do similar things with.  (Wait - maybe I have some yellow ones.  I'll have to go look!)


It was also a very good place for a magnetic clasp.  I think anything else would have been too much.

I also opted not to put picots or any other embellishment along the edges of the bracelet.  I looked through my stash and found several magatamas that might have done the trick, but everything else just seemed to be acting as competition for the pearls and those great blue cube beads.


This one is in my ArtFire shop.  At least for now.


















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Remind me to never get a cow and have a teenager break her ankle all in the same week.  My house is a pit thanks to exhaustion & all the extra scurrying about on behalf of the ankle and new livestock. 

I'll catch up one of these days.

Yesterday, instead of washing dishes, I finished the choker that I posted about earlier. 

I think it was a good trade off. 

Brown velvet ribbon forms the base for a short bead edged choker.

I used gold lined matte aqua seed beads for the edging on the ribbon and for parts of the fringe.  Gold lined rainbow aqua 1.5 mm TOHO cubes, permanent finish galvanized gold TOHOs and some brass beads are also found in the fringe. 

Matte Rau Purple TOHO bugle beads in a ladder stitch form the large tubes which are embellished with brass beads, more of those yummy TOHO cubes and some gorgeous Orchid pearls. 

I enjoyed this project so much that I'm planning on ordering a bunch of bugles, small cubes and more interesting 11o beads soon.  I get very frustrated with the cost and selection of TOHOs on the web (and there's nothing locally) so I'm just going to order them wholesale.  They'll land in my shop as soon as I get them here.  Let me know if you are interested and I'll give you a shout when they arrive!








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You can read about THE ANKLE INCIDENT and the COW over at the Beorningstead blog.

Things have been a little hectic. 

But I'm working on this yummy project today. 

The purple raku tubes are bugle beads stitched with ladder stitch and secured in a circle - topped with some yummy cubes.  (I'm working on a wholesale order of drool worthy Tohos for later this summer - maybe kits?  classes?)

Brown velvet ribbon will be edged with seed beads - tubes, pearls and brass beads will dangle.  I'm so excited - I think I'll skip the dishes and just play with beads!

I wish I had more days like this!  It is bright and windy out - a welcome change from the oppressive muggy heat earlier this morning.  While checking my e-mail this morning, I came across this article from BurdaStyle about tassels and was reminded of this wonderful little tassel  that was languishing on my studio shelves, waiting to become part of a finished project. 

So - after taking Molly's sparkley dress down to school for her so she can wear it for her performance of Yellow Brick Road tonight (I understand her back up singers & band will be sporting feathered sunglasses)  and helping Mom & Dad Burnett with babies and wagons and trucks a bit, I came home and finished a necklace incorporating the lonely tassel.

I managed to finish the project, list it on ArtFire and make a collection featuring some other fun tasseled things from my ArtFire peers.  And it is only 2:00.  (And I didn't forget to feed the pigs!)

I seem to like this funky purple and green combination.  I don't know if it will sell, but my eyes like it.

On Monday, i was included in a very nice collection of romantic/Victorian era inspired jewelry curated by Vamp.  That collection hit the FP yesterday evening.  It is really hard to get good exposure for jewelry so I'm really grateful that she included my earrings in her collection and thrilled that it hit the front page.  I love ArtFire and the community there!

On Saturday, I taught two jewelry classes in Potsdam for the SLC Arts Council.

We had lots of fun - the best part is that one of my good friends from High School came up for the class.  We have talked over the phone a few times and have re-connected over Facebook but this is the first time in over 20 years that we've been in the same room.  It was great to see her and play sparklies with her!  There's something wonderful about spending time with someone who knew you waaaaaay back when you were young and starry eyed and more than a little stupid.  It is nice to see evidence of how age and experience causes us to evolve into our true selves - and to discover that real friends still recognize and enjoy each others' true selves in spite of the intervening years and different lives. 

I built a nice little bracelet in class and then came home and made a loooooong necklace to match it.  I love these watery blues and coppery browns. 

I also managed to get some photos of new bracelets and beads for my ArtFire Shops.

I've been enjoying working with right Angle weave to make these beautiful cuff bracelets. 



The top one is in a beautiful silver grey peacock bead and the bottom one is in a Jet Iris finish bugle bead.

And I think I've finally got the finishing touch for a special order project I've been working on for months.  I've got extra if you feel a need to splurge on an amazing bead!






Molly took lots of fun photos this weekend.  You can see them at the Beorningstead here and here.

I was included in this beautiful collection yesterday.