Spring Green Gold Plaid Bangle and Earrings

I packed this bangle as my travel beading project for when I went to Complex Weaver's Conference in June. I didn't work on this much during my trip and decided in the future, smaller projects, or pieces of projects will probably be better for plane travel rather than a whole bangle that's gets wide quickly. I had wanted something in case the urge to bead hit me so I pulled out the plaid pattern that I created forever ago and continued working the the spring greens from an earlier project, adding teal and gold. The nice thing about this "plaid" pattern is that I can make it a wide as I feel like. I got a bit bored with it, so it was finished a few weeks ago. 

I like to make a matching earring while the beads are all out so that was the actual finish of this set. I got around to photographing it. It's very different than a lot of my work. Definitely a brighter springy feel than I'm used to.

I'm trying to get better at not packing as many projects for when I travel. For this June trip I could have packed just the sweater (Cozy Classic Raglan) I had decided to take and my sketchbook. I got nearly the whole body of the sweater knit and I was slightly obsessed with working on it during my travels. It made my hands happy and eased my anxiety at the conference and for bus and plane trips. 

I finished and photographed this set in time to bring to Convergence Conference with me, then forgot to post this blog about it! I'm just back and sorting things out with home and work...I'll post about Conference and New Orleans eventually! This set did not sell there, so it's available for sale at the moment. 

Black Based Fade Bangle and Earrings

We went to a formal dinner that a friend is hosted on Sunday and it dawned on me that I haven't had a reason to wear a more formal dress in ages...and do I have any that fit? I looked through what I have in my closets and pulled out a few options, hoping that one I got from Grace would still work. It did and I decided to make a new bangle and earring set to go with it.

I wanted to stick to playing with color without trying to graph out any designs. I also imagined the bangle to be mostly black, like the dress. So I pulled a basic opaque black bead and a matte black to go along with colors in the dress. I made half the bangle black and the colored potions smaller sections on the other half. I was hoping that the black would help create a little more drama and I it turned out as I had hoped.

I thought I might make this bangle wider but I got a bit bored of beading the black so it's only 1/2 inch wide. Then, of course, earrings to match. I having been making my circlet earring with multiple "mini" bangle but these I wanted to keep simple. They are beaded to match the bangle, half blacks half colors. I liked them so much I decided to try a second pair with a pearl accent inside of the circlet.

These simple circlets are now available on my SHOP HERE.

The bangle and pearl earrings are headed to Crooked Tree's Gallery on Sixth this week if you're looking to shop for them. I'm keeping the "plain" circlet earring in my personal stock and might get it up on my online shop eventually. I've been avoiding the computer/smartphone a lot when I'm home so I'm slow to post...anything. I'm enjoying life a lot more worrying less about online stuff. 

Plaid Bangle and Earrings in Blues

Every time I think I'm not beading as much or I'm going to focus more on my weaving and larger projects I feel like beading. I had these blues pulled for another jewelry set and decided to find one of my older designs to use with this color combination that I am still enjoying working with. 

I like coming back to this plaid bangle, fall and winter always bring me back to plaids so it came easy. I have a few different stopping points on this design if I want to make it narrower or I get tired of the colors but I decided to go for the full width of about 2 inches wide.  

Of course, a pair of earrings to match and it's good to go. I don't quite feel like I'm done beading blues. Maybe it's a comfortable color for me, it was the color of hope for me with this election and with the turnout I am seeking comfort, cozy, safety from the things I cannot control.

The Bangle and exact match earrings will all be available at Midnight Madness in Ann Arbor, December 6th 5-11pm.  I'll be set up at Bløm Mead + Cider, 100 S 4th Ave, Ann Arbor, along with other artists and makers for shopping. (The circle earrings went to Angelwood Gallery in Grand Rapids, OH).

You can find my past plaid jewelry sets HERE.

Dark Teal and Copper Daphne Leaf Variation

In 2020 I didn't purchase any beads, I was busy honing my sewing skills and mask making for people who wanted to purchase them.  I need more beads like I need a hole in my head but sometimes it's just really nice to have new colors. I'm very driven by color and playing with color combinations. So in November and December I couldn't take it anymore and I purchased a whole bunch of Duracoat seed beads (the metallic coat supposedly will not rub off as it is a huge issue on the really shiny brilliant metallic glass seed beads) and sparkly "Cut" seed beads which give texture another level of texture to many of my pieces.  

While I was home with COVID for 2 weeks, I couldn't quite get off of the couch the first week but I could bead when I was awake. I poured over all my new colors of beads and put together this necklace and earrings set. 

Medium Leaf Earrings are 2.2 inches long from the tip of the earwire.

This copper seed bead really called to me and I don't have anything like this blue mix so there was a lot of visual satisfaction stitching these together. I feel like the metallic coated beads make beadwork feel a little more like what people usually think of "fine jewelry."  My work has sometimes been mistaken for metal rather than glass beads which makes me feel like I've gotten the look that I'm striving for. 

Small Pod Earrings are 1.5 inches long from the tip of the earwire.

Necklace is 19 inches long from the tip of the clasp to the first loop.

These will be available on my website's shop until they get on the move to a gallery. You can shop HERE.

Color Movement Bracelet and Earrings

I ordered these neon green delicas (I think the color is called kiwi) thanks to Pinkhot_UK using this color Miyuki seed bead in her Instagram posts. I needed to have that color in my stash, but I did not have a plan for it...  So the kiwi delicas sat in a zippy bag with these other colors I had thought might look good with it until a design came to me.  

A design never really came to me.  I just needed to see these colors together so I decided to create a bracelet where the colors moved from one to the next. I realize that I haven't made a 2-drop peyote bracelet in a while and decided to video this one being made because I was pretty sure I could do it in one sitting. Which I did!  I then made the earrings the next two nights.

When I was making the earrings I couldn't decide which direction they should hang. Green top to blue bottom or blue bottom to green top.  So I asked Bryan since he has a good eye for design and he picked for me.  The second night, as I was making the second earring he was pointing out that the colors are representative of a horizon and he liked the way the color moved downward in an earring form where if it was flipped the other way the color would feel like it was moving upward. I work on these while I'm winding down in front of the TV at night, It's nice that he is often able to give more thought into my work than I am capable of after I'm pooped out from working. He's a night person and my brain works better in the mornings. It's jsut lovely having him next to me noting my work as I make it. 

Below is the video of the bracelet being beaded:

I also made this grey mismatched pair of earrings, which I like really like, I just decided they probably didn't need their own blog post:

Beaded Blob Earrings in Southwest Colors

I don't make this beaded blob earring style often enough. I just love them, and when I do make a pair the next thing I know it's been sold or they're off to a gallery.  I put together a really fun color pallet with the Wide Southwest St. Petersburg Chain Bracelet and decided to apply it to my beaded "blobs."  

These are heavier than my earrings usually are but they have a nice swing and a lot of personality.

I was thinking of beaded blobs from the past, here are a pair from 2016.

A blue pair from 2017.

And a purple pair are in this post from 2010 (before I started mixing colors and bead sizes).

Do you want to see these new earrings in person?  I'll be at Art Feast 2021 in Old Town Lansing on August 21st, 10am-5pm!  Come visit, check out local artists and food trucks!

Long thin Wrap Necklace/Bracelet for CCFF 2019

I always have a jewelry piece that I'm working on.  Sometimes I get them done quickly because I can't put them down, sometimes I slog through a little bit at a time between other projects.  this one I slogged through because when I wasn't at work, I was focused on the River Terrace Church Installation.  This piece wraps to be a long, medium or short necklace, or wraps multiple times to be a bracelet.

This inspiration for this piece was a new dress I picked up at Grace Boutique in Old Town.  I decided it was perfect for one of the weddings I have to go to this summer, but also I wanted to wear it to the Capital City Film Festival Red Carpet event.  When I started this piece, I pulled all the different colors of beads that would match the dress is 15's, 13's and 11's.  My initial thought was to create this necklace in the St. Petersburg Chain Stitch (see below), but that was quickly scrapped.  It had too much going on, the stitch needed to be smaller and simpler.

Simple stitching is not my forte, but with all the color options I could still give this piece a complex feel.  5 feet, 9 inches later with a vintage clasp from my grandma's old costume jewelry I came up with a smooth multicolored blend of seed beads with little leaf and pearl accents.  This piece is very lightweight with a nice hang, almost like a very light rope.

You can barely see it in the above photo, but you can see the dress and how it didn't need a lot of extra pizazz with it's jewelry.  Honestly, the cut of the dress on my is just ok, but I absolutely fell in love with the fabric and print of it, it's very pretty and comfortable.

I chose this length so that I could wrap it 2, 3 or 4 times and wear it from a choker to all different lengths.  When it gets bothersome at work and I'm worried I'm going to snag it on something, I wrap it up to a choker or around my wrist.

Little Leaf Detail

Bracelet Pile

I'm just posting this now as a breather from finishing the huge River Terrace Installation and getting ready to lecture and teach at the Needlework and Textile Guild of Michigan next week to a sold-out workshop.  I can't believe I got everything done the week of Film Fest between floorset at work (rearranging the entire clothing sales floor for the new month and new clothes), volunteering at the Film Fest and finishing and hanging the River Terrace piece. What a whirlwind!  

Group Photo from CCFF. Film fest is always one of my favorite Lansing events,

this photo honors the pre-digital camera age where, due to Bryan's height, 

his head always got cut off in photos.

Double Hive Bangle in Teal, Turquoise and Grey

Spring has been poking around here and there and some brighter colors seemed to perk up my beading productivity.  I recently finished this double hive bangle with 4 filler colors and matching earrings.

Due to how the pattern falls with the hive bangles, this one ran a few beads wider than my usual bangle designs.  

This double hive bangle can be purchased HERE.

The Teal Hive Earrings can be purchased HERE.

With shows coming up, I've been wanting a good fill for my tiny bangle stands, so any beads that are sitting in my travel trays are game to be stitched into my layering pieces.  I've finished a number of them recently.

This bangle is for purchase HERE.

You can purchase this bangle HERE.

You can purchase this tiny bangle HERE.

This bangle is available HERE.

This bangle is available for purchase HERE.

You can purchase this bangle HERE.

Purchase this bangle HERE.

Purchase this bangle HERE.

And last, but not least, the original dream earrings that provide a nice mix of color and design.  This pattern is taken from my very first large graphed bangle design.

You can purchase these earrings HERE.