Busy with bracelets

Yesterday I whipped out eight bracelets using leftover stones from a variety of projects.  They're all about the same length, in a variety of colors and patterns, depending on what I had available that worked with them.
Picture-taking didn't turn out too well as you can see--the camera won't focus on the foreground, whether it's the front of the bracelet or just the bracelet in general, only the background or the back of the bracelet, no matter what I tried.

 

 



Name:  N/A

Price:  Malachite and silver $20
            Green aventurine and gold $10
            Sapphire, Swarovski, and antique copper $15
            Blue lace agate and silver $10
            Garnet and silver $10
            Peach/Red aventurine and antique copper $10
           Rhodonite, blackstone, and silver $15
           Yellow jade and silver $10

Length:  all are about 8 inches

Amethyst Blossom Vine pendant

This is what I do on quiet, rainy Friday evenings since I'm not dating.  I was half-watching a Ninja Gaiden walkthrough, letting my hands tease ideas from my brain for the pendants I have lying around.  Throw in a batch of homemade popcorn, a glass of milk, and a cat for company and, well, this was the result.
This pendant is a nice piece of amethyst, wrapped with a tarnish-resistant brass wire vine and Swarovski bicone "buds", accompanied by pressed glass leaves.  I didn't follow a guide, or any photo for inspiration, just let it tell me what it wanted to be.

 

Name:  Amethyst Blossom Vine pendant

Price:  $25

Length:  pendant is approx. 2 inches by 1 inch, including bail

Mom's birthday necklace

Didn't realize I hadn't posted this here!

I had a hard time deciding what to do for Mom's birthday (the 28th), when I suddenly hit across a series of ideas.  I was originally making this style of bolo in a bright blue-teal, and she had remarked how much she liked it and wanted to see me finish it.  But I haven't gotten around to it due to lack of finding ideal fringe beads.  Then, during Bead Day with my niece, she commented how much she loved these buttery-yellow seed beads a friend of mine had sent me.  Bingo!
So I started to bead the bolo chain.  Then I realized I didn't have a ring for it.  So I rummaged through some things until I came across a metal ring necklace I'd bought on clearance with the intent of using spare parts for another project (but had found a better alternative), and decided one of the links would be perfect.  I still wound up one or two fringe beads short, so I smuggled the unfinished work home last weekend, snuck to my favorite local bead shop, bought a couple beads, went home, smuggled my bead box and the project upstairs while she was busy in the garden, and finished putting it together.

 

Name:  N/A

Price:  $40 (original not for sale)

Length:  about 30 inches

Oranges n' Lemons

This necklace is named after my rose, Orange N' Lemons, given the color scheme.  I used up some handblown cane glass, the last of my fire opal Swarovski bicones, yellow-orange rondelles, and flat yellow Czech glass rondelles with gold metal seed beads.  Bright and cheery, and even a little bit refreshing to look at.  I don't do much with crystal (or sparkle), and strangely enough I don't do much with fire tones like these despite the fact that I'm drawn to them.

 

Name:  Oranges N' Lemons

Price:  $25 (reason: cost of cane glass and Swarovskis)

Length:  about 19 inches

Fiery Swarovski necklace

I made this today after an early afternoon of housework.  Three different Swarovski bicone colors, antique brass rounds and findings, and gold spacers.  I thought I'd ordered antique brass spacers, but I guess not.  I like the color contrasts between the bright gold and the brass, though.

 

Name:  Firesong

Price:  $30

Length:  19.25 inches

Bejeweled bangle, version 2

I enjoy doing wire-wrapping quite a bit, and a few weeks ago to round out a supply order (needed new stringing wire) to get free shipping, I added supplies to make another bangle bracelet.  I have to be careful making these, as I use a good length of wire to anchor the Swarovski crystals, and my cat finds the movement of the wire irresistible.  She played with the wire on this one as it got shorter and shorter, and got more excited the shorter it got, so used her claws more, and wound up smacking my hand more and more as we went along.  I finally had to chase her away so I could finish.
I guess you could say this bracelet got Cassie's stamp of approval.

Name:  Bejeweled 2

Price: $25 (reason: Swarovski crystals and time spent)

Length: 8.5 inch bangle

Luminous Heart earrings

These are the earrings that match the previous necklace.  I made them using Swarovski crystal hearts and sterling silver.  They're really sparkly!  The color is "luminous green" that shifts shades from pale green to peachy to clear, depending on outfit and lighting.



 

Name: Luminous earrings

Price: $10 (reason: Swarovski crystal and sterling silver; personal collection) *earrings only*

Length: 1 inch

Luminous Heart necklace

I realized today I hadn't posted pictures of the second Wild Heart necklace and earrings I made about a year ago.  Part of that is because of how hard it is to photograph this particular Swarovski color.  It's called "luminous green" and at the time I purchased the hearts it was a new color.  I liked the color on the site, so wanted to make myself a set using them.  They almost seemed like "crystal AB" when I got them, in that they change color depending on what you wear, but instead of a wide range, they change from kind of a peach to a pale green to clear.

 

Name: Luminous

Price: $25 (reason: Swarovski crystal; personal collection) *necklace only*

Length: adjustable; knotted on 36 inch cord

Survivor's Song earrings

And here are a pair of earrings to match the previous necklace.  I don't do earrings very often, but these just kind of came together.  They were the only findings I had for a pair of gold earrings, and I've never used that kind of ear wire before, but they worked out well.

Name:  Survivor's Song earrings

Price:  $8 (originals sold to Lou Anne G.)

Length:  approx. 2 inches including earwire to the bend

Survivor's Song necklace

I had originally planned for this necklace to be for my personal collection, but it's too long for what I wanted.  I may have enough leftovers to make one just a little longer than choker-length for me after all, though, so wins all around.
I bought the tube beads yesterday at Von's while helping Mom pick out some beads for a pair of necklaces, but didn't pay very close attention to what they really were.  I'd intended to buy lapis lazuli (and was in that section), but I'd noticed when I was looking at them that they were missing the gold flecks.  Turns out they are dyed the lapis color, but they're actually kiwi stone.  They work very nicely with the sweater and scarf I'd purchased them to match, however, so they're worth it anyway.  I spiced up a very simple pattern with some 4mm Swarovski bicones I had left from my friend Dan's attempt at right angle weave (see the project Dutch Tartan).  I then rummaged around and found I still had gold metal seed beads to use as spacers, gold crimps, gold crimp covers, and a gold clasp to finish the project.
Taking photos for it was a bear; my camera battery was on empty, so I had to keep charging it, rush out to snap a photo or two in the dying light, recharge enough for a couple more, over and over to get what I needed before it got too dark where I shoot.
The name of this piece suggested itself to me today while I was working on it as I've thought over my experiences the last couple of days, and then over my life in general and what all I've come through to get where I am today.  My best friend once said I could write a book about my life, and though it might seem like the experiences are an unbelievable set, there's no way I could make this stuff up.
The darkness of the kiwi stone can be symbolic of the dark times people (and I) have gone through, with the gold shining in that darkness refined and tempered like a survivor.

 

Name:  Survivor's Song

Price:  $30 (sold to Dan V.; my original given to Lou Anne G. for Christmas)

Length:  24.5 inches (personal version 16.5 inches)

Feathered Feature earrings

I made these earrings for my sister as an experiment.  I'd never used feathers before, or a whole lot of chain work.  They're a spin on FusionBeads' "Great Minds Pink Alike" earrings on their Inspiration page.  My sister likes feathers, but not particularly pink, so I was torn between a color like orange, yellow, blue, or green.  I've done a fair amount of blue for her, and the little Swarovski drops didn't come in a whole lot of colors, so I settled for green.  They were very difficult to work with, but the effect is cool when they're done.
Kudos to my sister, Margot Roudebush of Whimsicals By Margot here on BlogSpot, for the photo; she sent it to me once, but it disappeared months ago.  I spent a lot of last night looking for it because I remembered what it looked like, to no avail, so she managed to track it down from her end for me.  Photo (c) Margot Roudebush / Whimsicals by Margot.

Name:  N/A

Price: $20 (reason: Swarovski crystals, time and effort) (original given to Margot R.)

Length: 4 inches

Green Impression Jasper necklace

I have a thing for interesting stone patterns.  These bright green Impression Jasper tube beads were right up my alley, so I designed a necklace using them, antique copper metal seed beads, fern green and peridot green Swarovski bicones, a copper Swarovski square pendant, and copper findings.  The copper draws out the brown in the Jasper quite nicely.  This is also one of the longest necklaces I've made.  I wanted to keep it simple to display the different patterns in the stone.  The pendant can be adjusted to sit like a square, or diamond; the copper jump ring is loose enough.



Name:  Jade Jasper

Price:  $30 (reason: amount of stone and Swarovskis used)

Length:  24"

Graduation Bracelet #2

Here's the second project I did for the girl graduating this weekend.  She told me one time she loves the Swarovski color Crystal AB, so I incorporated it into this "extreme bling" bracelet.  I used silver spacers, Swarovski pearls in two sizes, and Swarovski crystal bicones.  I like how it turned out.

Name:  Amethyst Glow

Price:  $20 (reason: Swarovski crystals; original given to Mahlie)

Length:  approximately 8.5"

Graduation bracelet #1

A girl I work with is celebrating her graduation this coming weekend, and loves "bling."  I asked her if she'd like me to make her anything, and she said she really likes bracelets, so I made two for her.  The first is a mix of Swarovski crystals: teal, burgundy, and the new teal/burgundy blend released earlier this year.

Name:  Twilight Sparkle

Price:  $20 (reason: Swarovski crystals; original given to Mahlie)

Length:  approximately 7.5"



Dan's Dutch Tartan, right angle weave Swarovski bracelet

     Dan's newest beading project (and adventure) is finished!  This time it was, as I've said before, learning the right-angle weave, using four different Swarovski colors to keep the pattern clear in his head.  FusionBeads gave the four-color instructions the nickname "tartan" because the effect looks plaid (theirs was red, orange, yellow, olive).  So for now, until he can think up an official name, we'll call this one Dan's Dutch Tartan.  Why?  Because he's Dutch and it looks tartan.  heh.  Colors used: fern green, peridot, sapphire, and dark sapphire.

Name:  Dan's Dutch Tartan


Price:  $35 (reason: Swarovski crystals, time, and effort; personal collection)


Length:  6.5 inches

Medium Vitrail Heart Earrings

     I really like the Medium Vitrail color Swarovski crystals.  So I decided to make a pair of earrings to go with the Wild Heart necklace I made.  Kept them very simple.  They look rather rainbow-toned here...there's actually a lot more green in them than the pictures indicate.

Name:  Medium Vitrail Heart earrings


Price: $10 (reason: Swarovski and sterling silver; personal collection) *earrings only*


Length:  1 inch

Wild Heart Necklace

     I'm generally not that big on Swarovskis.  They're expensive to make a relatively substantial piece, they don't have all the colors all the time, and often they don't have the color I like in a shape I like.  Sometimes, however, I find a particular color I like, and a particular shape that sparks creativity.
     In this case, I ran across the relatively new shape called Wild Heart (came out last year), in a relatively new color for that shape: Medium Vitrail.  I've always liked that color, and though I'm not particularly fond of hearts, this one just struck me as perfect for a necklace.  It looked like stained glass.  I also bought a pair of small, standard heart pendants in the same color to make a pair of earrings to complete the set.  I wanted to keep it simple, so just used waxed cotton cord and tied sliding knots so it's adjustable.

Name:  Wild Heart


Price:  $25 (reason: Swarovski crystal; personal collection) *necklace only*


Length:  adjustable; knotted on 36 inch cord

Margot's Congratulatory Bracelet

     My sister, photographer Margot Roudebush (blog: whimsicalsbymargot.blogspot.com), recently challenged herself and worked extremely hard to get certification to teach yoga classes.  She had to memorize a bunch of routines and be tested in them over the last two weeks or so, and passed last weekend with flying colors.
     I wanted to give her something to congratulate her, and picked out materials for a necklace which is still in the works because one of the things that arrived didn't match (a downside to online shopping).  Shortly after I ordered the materials, I found these really neat hand-blown glass beads on another site and knew they would suit her just as much, so now she's getting two gifts instead of one.
     Oh, if you look at the top of the photo, you can see Merlin's paw descending to step right on the bracelet when I was trying to take the picture; it's why it's mostly shadowed, too.

Name:  N/A


Price:  $30 (reason: hand-blown glass, Swarovski crystals; given to Margot R.)


Length:  about 8 to 8.5 inches