Creative Spark Summer 2016

For the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to be a designer for ZNetShows, a great supplier of cultured sea glass and other beads for retail and wholesale.  A few times a year, designer/artists are invited to choose from their new products and create jewelry and non-wearable art to be included in Creative Spark, an online magazine.

The summer issue has just come out, and it's chock full of eye candy featuring cultured sea glass in fun new shapes, sea glass beads, beautiful Chinese crystal beads, and glass pearls.

Two of my designs are included - a fun and lightweight cultured sea glass nugget necklace (page 31) that can be worn several different ways (including as a bracelet!) and earrings spotlighting Chinese crystals in a flat spiral weave (page 54)  that would look great with either a casual summer dress or a fancy outfit for dining under the summer stars.

This shows the bracelet option for this design - wrapped several times, with fun fringe.

Go check out the wonderful designs created by all of the jewelry artists, and if you're inspired, be sure to check out the offerings from ZNetShows!

Wherein We Dream of the Ocean

This is not an icicle...

'Tis the season of single digit temperatures and unforgiving wind chill factors.  The kind of weather when you step outside and rediscover your most colorful language.  For a Southern girl, I'm dealing with it just fine -- nothing a few extra layers of clothing and a giant puffy down coat can't help with.

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome a whirlwind trip to a warm tropical beach right about now.

Of course, my bank account might differ with that dream, so I'll channel my tropical fantasy into some beady fun.

In the last ZNet Shows design outing, I got some really fun light turquoise cultured sea glass spikes, like the one in the picture at the top of this post. The color looks like the water in the Gulf of Mexico off the Alabama coast. The beads have two holes, and the base is slightly squared off rather than perfectly round, so I always wanted to experiment with using them in a beadweaving style.

It's fun, it's breezy, and it's nothing complicated. I loved being able to use these spikes in a modified right angle weave. 

You can get an idea of the height of the spikes, and you can see the second hole (which I didn't use in all cases)

Even if I can't sink my toes into some warm sand while sipping on a cool and fruity beverage, this necklace makes me think of summer. It'll look great with my puffy down coat, too!

Creative Spark Summer 2015

Once again, I'm thrilled to have been part of the latest issue of Creative Spark, which for the summer issues, highlights the myriad uses of the delicious cultured sea glass beads available from ZNet Shows.

The beads I selected are shown above -- beautiful colors that reminded me of sand, sunsets, and lovely soft shades of the ocean.  As always, I wanted to find ways to incorporate bead weaving into my creations, in addition to some more traditional stringing.  The main idea was to keep the designs light and summery enough to be comfortable if worn on the beach (or in the sweltering heat and humidity of the rest of the country).

First is a lariat using the orange and yellow nuggets, on a piece of leather long enough to wear looped low on the chest or doubled up to fit inside the collar of your shirt.  It makes a lovely tinkling sound as you walk while wearing it.

I set aside three of the orange nuggets and wove bead bezels, along with a St. Petersburg chain neck strap.  A woman tried to purchase this before I'd even gotten a picture. 

Next I played with the green rings, making a pendant and a matching ring.  The ring is a simple peyote band woven long enough to wrap around the sea glass ring on either side - easy peasy!

Finally, I used the red and blue rounds to make a pair of earrings and a matching ring.  Don't know why I seemed to gravitate toward creating rings, but these were so fun to make.

When making the ring above, there was a stage in its creation that was a viable alternative design -- more of a starburst than a puffy urchin shape that I finally decided on.  The starburst is shown below.

Thanks a million to Hope for her hard work on wrangling all the beaders together and editing the final product.  Thanks to Bill at ZNet Shows for providing the inspirational beads to work with.  And thanks to you for going to check out the magazine and seeing the creations of all the designers!

Lovely Sea Glass

In the midst of getting ready for shows and everything else that's been happening, I got these fabulous cultured sea glass beads from ZNet Shows.  Aren't they delicious? I've designed some sea-inspired pieces that will be in the next issue of Creative Spark magazine -- can't wait to share them!

The "Whoops!" Challenge Reveal

Have you ever ordered something online (or, gasp, horror, from late night tv shopping channels), only to discover, when you rip open the package with wild enthusiasm, that it's not quite what you had envisioned? 

Kind of what I imagine online dating might be like...

Cynthia Machata, the glorious woman behind the creations at Antiquity Travelers, had one of those "whoops!" moments when she ordered some glass pearls from ZNet.com.  When she expected to get some dainty grey beads, she ended up with some bodacious, bold 16mm beauties.  And a conundrum as to how to use them.

So she invited some friends to figure out what to do with these big balls. What does one do with Big Balls? (Now there's a sentence I never imagined I'd write!!) They brought to mind several ideas, which I had to pare down to be able to accomplish them amid the complete lack of free time that my new job leaves.  But I hope I've turned "Whoops!" into "Wow!"

First up, Big Balls become Beach Balls, when you add some equally bodaciously-sized shell beads.

These are wonderfully light beads, with the clasp in front for added fun. It may not be completely visible in the photo, but there's a lovely grey swirl throughout the shell beads that the pearls pick up beautifully. While I may be a beadweaver, I also apparently enjoy rocking some big beads, since these 20mm shell beads came from my stash...

Then, as anyone who came of age in the late 70s might do, I thought of Disco Balls!  So I added some woven beaded beads (made with crystals I had previously gotten from ZNet.com) to channel the glam.  

The sparkle is fairly subdued, balancing the size and subtle glow of the glass pearls, on a delicate sterling chain.  I don't go to the disco anymore, but work often calls for me to be in evening dress, so this necklace is probably going to get worn A LOT.

Thanks a million to Cynthia for the chance to play with these, and for the push to get back to beading and blogging. Go see what wonderful things these other folks have created with these Big Balls -- I know they'll make them from "Whoops" to "Wow!"

Linda    http://lindysdesigns.blogspot.com/

Bobbie     http://www.beadsongjewelry.com/ (thanks for visiting!)

Christine   http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/

Hope    http://www.craftyhope.com/

Therese  http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com/

Val  http://missvalscreations.blogspot.com/

Cynthia  http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/

Creative Spark Summer 2014 Reveal

My beads for the Summer Days and Nights ZNet Shows design challenge. Aren't they yummy?

I am so thrilled to be on the design team for ZNet Shows! They have the most delicious cultured sea glass, crystals, and other fun things that are perfect to create your own gorgeous creations.

Several times each year, we are challenged to create pieces from ZNet pieces that are sent to us, sight unseen. This time, the challenge was to create daytime casual looks AND dressier night time looks, both featuring the cultured sea glass.  Here's the link to Creative Spark, the online magazine of all of the designers' creations.  But if you're interested in the thought process (yes, there actually was one!) behind my pieces, read on.

I know the selections were sent at random, but I would almost think some good elf was sitting on the shelf when the packets were doled out, because I am an incurable sucker for this spectacular shade of teal/ocean blue, and the soft lavender reminds me of the inside of a seashell that you might find on a sunset stroll down the beach. I opened the package and made very happy sounds. "Squee" was likely uttered.

I wanted my designs to relate to each other somehow, and decided that the necklaces would involve chain, and the earrings would have some movement.

The cultured sea glass shapes are strung on leather, with ZNet Show chain leftover from another design challenge. I made the toggle from one of the dumbbell shaped beads, which inspired the bracelet:

You can see more clearly here how I used the dumbbell as a toggle.  Even though it's drilled end-to-end, the shape allowed me to tie the leather securely around the middle for a lasting connector. Now if only my torso was shaped like this bead...ah well!

The adorable starfish beads screamed to be the focus of the earrings, and the lentils dangling from the leather provided the casual, swinging mood I was looking for. These got worn the day they were made. Like I said, I am a completely sucker for this color.

Now for the dressier pieces.  First up, the necklace, again with cultured sea glass and chain, this time sterling silver chain from my own stash.

This shade of blue is a little lighter, a little more subtle, and a perfect foil for the delicate purple. I can see this necklace being worn to a romantic picnic on the beachfront or to a candlelit dinner overlooking a beautiful mountain vista (two of my favorite summer destinations -- not that I'm channeling my own vacation wishes here or anything...)

For the bracelet, I used the lovely lavender barrels in a matte finish. This was my opportunity to try making a chain, so what you see is completely fabricated from 18-gauge sterling wire. It is really slinky and sensuous on the arm.

Finally, the earrings.  They're pretty simple, but since there's a fair amount going on with the necklace, I thought simple would be good.  Plus, both beads are suspended from the same headpin, so they swing gently and independently as you move.

 Thanks to ZNet for the opportunity to create with such lovely materials. And thanks to Hope Smitherman for editing Creative Spark and for so kindly nudging each of us to remember the deadlines. Please go check out the online zine, and check out the individual blogs of each of the design team, where they'll give you a more in depth peek into their creative process.  Here they are:

Amy Severino

Andrea Trank

BeckyPancake

BobbieRafferty (you're here!)

BR Kuhlman

CharlieJacka

ChristieMurrow

ChristinaMiles

ChristineStonefield

CynthiaMachata

CynthiaRiggs

DonettaFarrington

HopeSmitherman

KashmiraPatel

KathyLindemer

Kay Thomerson

KellyPatterson

KlaudeteKoon

Lee Koopman

Lisa Lodge

RenethaStanziano

SandraWashington 

Shaiha Williams

SherylStephens

StephanieHaussler

TammieEverly

I'm Only A Few Weeks Behind

For no apparent reason, I have recently lost all concept of time.

Two weeks ago, the newest issue of Creative Spark, featuring designs using beads from ZNet Shows, went live.  Several of my designs, along with the work of many talented designers, are included, and I should have shared the publication immediately!

So without further ado, here's the link -- please go check out the lovely things everyone made!

A Welcome Taste of Spring - At Least In The Bead Room

The weather here has finally warmed up for a couple of days -- enough to melt the snow off the yard and turn the sheets of ice on the sidewalks to lovely, lurching puddles of slush. Not warm enough to wear shorts (despite what the guy in the grocery store parking lot thought when he got dressed this morning), but enough to see a glimmer of promise that spring will, indeed, come soon.

And another harbinger landed in the mailbox today, when the latest assortment of beautiful beads from ZNet Shows showed up. I'm thrilled to be a member of their design team, and today's delivery was a surprise selection of crystals and sea glass for the next issue of Creative Spark.

I mean, really, how luscious are these? Soft glows and bright sparkles. Fantastic shapes, a wonderful mix of sizes, an inspiring collection of possibilities!

So despite what the weather is like this weekend, I'll be channeling visions of warm breezes, soft spring pastels, and perhaps a Derby hat or two.  Creative Spark will be published in early March, so I've got to get working...

Creative Spark from ZNet Shows

A few months ago, some members of the design team for ZNet Shows were invited to take part in a challenge -- the theme was Rings and Bling.  If the chance to choose components from their wide inventory to work with wasn't enough, everyone's creations were going to be included in an online publication, Creative Spark.

Needless to say, I jumped (in an enthusiastic if not entirely ladylike way) at the chance.  I scrolled through the website making selections, sketching ideas as I went.

The earrings above are just a taste of what I made.  I got to do some beadweaving, some stringing, and even some wirework.  The necklace below may end up being an early Christmas gift from me to me -- you never know!  I've been a good girl, I swear.  Just trying to help Santa out, you know...

Creative Spark was edited by the multi-talented Hope Smitherman, and she did a fabulous job.  I'm thrilled to be included alongside some of my favorite designers.  Go check out the ringy, blingy eye candy everyone made.  I'm on pages 53 - 59 (got a little carried away with all the yummy components!).

Diamonds in the Rough

A couple of months ago, the good folks at ZNet Shows invited me to be part of their design team. It's a chance to work with a wide assortment of their cultured sea glass and other wholesale beads.

The latest challenge is "Diamonds in the Rough" -- I was invited to select beads and other components that have gone under-appreciated in their catalog, and make something that might spark ideas for other jewelry makers.  So I chose some things that would challenge me and played!  In case you're interested, the ZNet catalog numbers are included in the photo captions.

The first is a pair of earrings made with some Murano style glass puffed squares.  I dangled some red crystals from gold plated chain, and added them to a jump ring behind the Murano squares.  Easy peasy, but lots of swingy fun.

PT472 Gold foil Murano pendant
chain and beads were my own

These Murano donuts are quite blingy, with a silver background.  I dangled these from a fine link sterling chain, and then dangled some ZNet cultured sea glass nuggets from more chain.  I like how the muted color of the sea glass compliments yet tones down the sparkle of the donuts, and the chain lets them swing beautifully.

PT466 Silver foil Murano donut pendants
cultured sea glass nuggets

This necklace combines another Murano style puffed diamond, knotted on waxed linen with these glass quartz ovals in the most ethereal shade of blue.  I also included some of ZNet's barrel spaces and crystals.  The clasp is my own creation.

PT472 Gold foil Murano diamond pendant
SCBDG47 sky blue glass quartz oval puffed beads
ZNet antique copper spacers and green crystals

Finally, I must subconsciously want to go to the beach, because this necklace makes me feel like sand and surf.  The Murano style teardrop is paired with a shell rectangle, knotted simply on waxed linen and highlighted with sea green matte crystals.  Can you hear the roar of the ocean?

SCPDG256 black lip shell pendant
PT471  Gold foil Murano teardrop
ZNet matte crystals

I think these Murano beauties would be terrific in bead embroidered pieces as well, and will be breaking out the seed beads to work with them soon.  But the designs above are, hopefully, accessible for beaders of all experience levels, and can be dressed up or down to suit your tastes.  Thanks to Bill and the great people at ZNet Shows for providing me with another chance to stretch my creative wings with their products!

Going To Tuscon

No, not me.  But five of the pieces I made as part of the ZNet Shows design team were selected to be featured in their booth in the Tuscon shows this month.

I'm thrilled!  While I'd love to go to the Tuscon shows and enjoy a little bit of the sunny Southwest, to send these little pieces of myself is pretty cool.

If you're in Tuscon, go by the ZNet Shows booth and wave to my babies!

ZNetShows Design Team Reveal

(Heads up - this post is photo heavy, so you may want to refresh that cup of coffee and settle in for a bit...)

A few weeks ago, I as one of a number of people invited by Bill Zhang of ZNetShows to design some jewelry using his company's cultured sea glass beads.  Once I picked myself up off the floor from the dead faint of surprise, I said yes and kept watching the mail for what I figured would be a bead or two.

As I described here, what I got was a veritable treasure chest of goodies to work with!

This photo doesn't show a couple of packets of base metal components
that were included -- oops!  You'll see them in the final projects.

And here's what I made with it.  First up, three pairs of earrings:

ZNet Shows sea glass ovals suspended from peyote stitched loops

Another view

ZNet Shows sea glass donuts, Chinese crystal, metal barrels in antique copper finish

ZNet Shows sea glass with mother of pearl ruffles from my stash
(these mother of pearl beads were a BEAR to photograph!)

Four necklaces:

ZNet Shows sea glass shell shapes dangling from doubled length of copper chain

Here's a view of the whole thing - I love how it drapes when worn

ZNet Shows sea glass pendant, clear faceted Chinese crystal,
sea glass rounds,and silver tone beads
(my own fabricated sterling  clasp)

The necklace to go with the earrings above - ZNet Shows sea glass
nuggets and  Chinese crystal.  The mother of pearl ruffles and coral
beads were from my stash.  I made the clasp with an arc-shaped
ZNet Shows sea glass component and a loop of coral beads.
Again, the luster of the mother of pearl made this a bear to photograph nicely.

 And if you know me, you know I had to break out the seed beads sooner or later:

ZNetShows sea glass marquises, sea glass rounds, bead embroidered.
All suspended from multiple strands of silk rattail,
with my own sterling fabricated clasp.

And finally, a freeform peyote bracelet.  This one was the result of my wanting to use the absolutely adorable sea glass starfish as a clasp.

ZNetShows sea glass starfish button, Chinese crystal in a couple of shapes and finishes,
base metal barrels in antique copper finish.  I added lots of my own seed beads.

Big thanks to Bill for letting me play with these great beads!  I hope I did you proud.