Old School. Chevron pattern in Peyote stitch.

I’ve been working on these behind the scenes for the past couple weeks and I finally got around to photographing them today. I’ll be listing them individually throughout the day.

I love them! I like their dainty simplicity.

They are made by weaving tiny 1mm Japanese glass seed beads through Antiqued Copper small cable chain. They look adorable worn individually, stacked together or even paired with other bracelets. I’ve chosen to list them individually, but I might list some in pairs or groups later on. We’ll see how it goes!

Do you like?

I added a simple, beautiful Burgundy faceted Mookaite bead to the bottoms and hung them from coordinating Copper ear wires.

I’m going to make some shorter, simpler versions of these and probably some more long versions in different colours, as well.

They are now listed in the shop! Do you like?

No, not really dying.  I am ecstatic!

First, a little background information.

I came up with these Lattice Ribbon Bracelets a while ago. I adored them, still do, but I was very unsure of how they would be received by people. You see, these bracelets do not have clasps. What? Yes. You simply tie the ends of the ribbons together.

Now, bracelets in general I think require some assistance to put on and take off. Yes I know of “bracelet buddies” and other little contraptions that are supposed to help, but it’s likely you will have to ask someone to assist you.  Even with toggle clasps, the easiest of clasps to maneuvre, in my opinion.  SO, I just wasn’t sure if people would take to the whole tying thing.

Am I rambling?

Ok.

So, I recently sold one of these Lattice Ribbon Bracelets to a lovely gal by the name of Amy, who informed me that she would be wearing it on the day of her wedding as an accent in her favourite colour. Love it!

I was thrilled to hear that. I mean I think all jewelry designers love to be a part of peoples weddings. It’s a very special thing. But, I was also thrilled to know that people were not put off by “no clasp bracelets”.

So I sent it off to Amy, wished her well and thanked her very much.

Then today… she sent me this.

Is Amy not the most beautiful bride ever?

She completely made my day with this. I am so thrilled to have been able to be a part of her special day.

AND I am so happy to know that she was pleased with her purchase from me. Thank you very, very much Amy!

Congratulations to you and your new hubby!

to a final product!

Love ‘em!

These are now available in the shop!

Wrapped in Blue Earrings

I heard about this via bead-space.com. I think we can all agree that it’s a great cause and I am all over it! I happen to have some assorted pink lampwork beads hanging around that I just didn’t know what to do with. I do now! (pink is not a prerequisite by the way, just thought it was fitting.)

The rules are simple, but you can read more about the guidelines here (pdf).

If you wish to participate, and I hope you do, simply download the participation form (pdf) and send in your donation. The deadline is November 23, 2008.

Friggin’ genius!!

I’ve got my profile all set up. Come join me.

Anyway, I had hubby bring home a selection of washers from work and was immediately inspired by their shapes.

Those first ones seem to tarnish very easily, so those were out. The second ones I have used but they’re quite heavy – too heavy to be earrings I think, but might make a nice necklace pendant. The third one here I loved. It has great grooves in it. I have a lot of coloured craft wire laying around and beads, of course. So, I simply wrapped and beaded and made, what I think are pretty cute, little wreath like earrings.

The grooves in the washer make the beads sit perfectly into place. They were quite fun to make, actually. They remind me of Christmas and I think they’d be great for the upcoming holidays.

And as usual they are available to purchase in my Dawanda Shop.

Now, I’ve seen many a lampwork bead, but these are without a doubt the most unique and colourful I’ve come across in a long time.

I especially love the story of how Sarah came to be such an amazing lampwork artist. It is inspiring and amusing. And of course you can’t help but love the quirky names she gives to each piece.

From left to right: True Turquoise BullsEye Fizz Tabs, Tea Stained Sampler, Radioactive Topaz Mutation, Magic Teal and Salmon

Stunning, right? I am simply in love with her designs and use of colours.

She works with soda-lime glass and borosilicate (Also known as “Pyrex”) and makes each piece by hand. She is truly gifted! Every bead is made one at a time, so no two are exactly alike. They are available for purchase through Ebay, “Superstars” and she also offers a Made To Order service from her website gallery.

Take a look around her site, you won’t be sorry!

First there is Yellow Brick Road. I originally bought some item’s from them online and their service was good. They have a decent selection, but like most things here in Ireland, are way overpriced for me. I also had the pleasure of finally visiting this shop in Dublin. It’s a charming LITTLE shop, the staff were very friendly and helpful, the selection was decent. I did notice there were quite a few items there that weren’t available online.

Next we have Beads and Bling. They also allow you to shop online. When I was looking for seed beads they didn’t have any online, but they did have some in the shop. They had a good selection of Swarovski Crystals and some very nice stone. Again, the prices are reflective of Ireland. Not as affordable as in the states.

I’ve heard Dublin Woollen Mills carries a small selection of beads, but I have never been there and their website, as of right now, is down.

{ UPDATE:  Dublin Woollen Mills does not allow you to shop online. }

Outside of Dublin we have Gemini Beads. They also allow shopping online, but I have not purchased from them as they didn’t quite have what I was looking for and they seem to be even more pricey than the others. They are also located in Cork which is a little too far from me.

BDI Jewellery, located in Bray, Co. Wicklow, seems to have a lovely selection and a very nice sized shop. They also offer online shopping. I’ll have to look for them next time I’m in Bray!

Amazing Beads is an online shop only. They seem to have a limited stock and the prices are a bit much for me.

[UPDATE]

The owner of Amazingbeads.net, Sue Graham, informs me that she has recently added many more items to her shop and reviewed her pricing system. She also assures me that her friendly and efficient service to customers is second to none! I’ve taken a look myself and am thinking I may be making a purchase there soon. Sue also makes some really lovely jewelry pieces and I feel horrible for not mentioning this before.

I commend Sue on making these changes and wish her the best of luck on all her endeavours.

There are of course possibly others I am unaware of. Some just don’t seem to have websites, others I’ve found no longer exist.

I will probably, mostly stick with Etsy or even Ebay. You can’t beat the selection there and the prices are excellent. Even with shipping, most times it works out cheaper than buying here. Unfortunately.