AJE Component of the Month for May 2014

The gorgeous components this month are created by the talented Sue Kennedy of SueBeads.  She gave us the choice of one of her amazing pressed glass cabochons and several of her new pressed bead design...chiclet beads!  It was a really hard choice, but I chose a cabochon and received a gorgeous purple one!

I first thought that I would practice my soldered bezel setting skills, but kept trying to think of something different.  I settled on creating a woven wire "lace" bezel against a copper flower back plate.

I wanted to keep the necklace simple, but wanted to incorporate some different color than the copper and purple of the cab.  I remembered these sweet little Czech glass "twin" beads I bought a while back.  Not sure what I was thinking...am not a seed beader!  I devised a way to wire-wrap them into a chain though and they work perfectly with the purple cab.  I added a second strand of copper "hammered bar" chain I had in my chain stash.

Wanted to add a dangle beneath the flower, but couldn't figure out what.  I remembered some Czech glass teardrops I had bought and they really complemented the purple cab and the Czech glass in the chain. I oxidized everything with LOS and let it tumble for an hour or so.

This was such a fun piece to make and you all know by now that I am a sucker for Sue's lampwork!  In fact, I purchased one of the 1st pairs of chiclet beads she posted, and just last week, swooped in for 2 more pairs!

Thanks for stopping by!  Go show some love to our guest designers and the AJE team!

Guests

Shai Williams

Erin Prais-Hintz

Kari Asbury

Carolyn Lawson

Merja Sundstrom

AJE Members

Susan Kennedy

Diana Ptaszynski

Linda Landig

Lesley Watt

Caroline Dewison

Francesca Watson

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Rebekah Payne

Keirsten Giles

Kristen Stevens

February AJE Component of the Month...

This month's gorgeous component is by the fabulous jewelry designer, Francesca Watson!

I received a lovely  pink one!  Being addicted to torch-fired enamelling myself, I really appreciate the work Francesca put into these...those little fine silver pebbles are such a sweet element!

My inspiration was a necklace I made for my sister recently (no photo, of course) that has a front toggle closure with the focal hanging from the loop, and extra chain attached to the toggle to hang down behind the focal with more embellishments.  I had hoped to do something similar, adding additional enameled components...alas, it is still a work in progress.

I created a sterling toggle clasp and attached the component.  I cut some copper discs in 2 different sizes, dapped and curled the edges, then enameled them in pretty pastels to complement the pink...Easter colors!  Using sterling balled headpins, I attached them to copper chain

It looks great lying down for picture taking, but the discs don't hang correctly when on.  I am going to exchange the sterling wrapped link holding the toggle to the chain with a small copper jump ring, so that it will be closer to the chain and not so wiggly, and adjust the discs so they hang better.  I have already started taking it apart and realized it was not going to be done by today, but wanted to show you my concept...which will probably be completely different when it is done!

Go and see what others created out of these lovely enameled discs...

Participating AJE Contributors

Kristi Bowman-Gruel - http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/2013/02/aje-february-component-of-month-reveal.html

Jenny Cameron - http://glassaddictions.com

Jenny Davies-Reazor - http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog

Susan Kennedy - www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Linda Landig -  www.LindasBeadBlog.com

Melissa Meman - http://melissameman.blogspot.com

Kristen Stevens - http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/

Francesca Watson - http://www.francescawatson.com

Guest Designers

Dawn Horner - http://www.northernadornments.com/

Kym Hunter - http://kymhunterdesigns.blogspot.com/

Kay Thomerson - http://kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/

Shelley Graham Turner - http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com/

Sandi Volpe - http://sandivolpe.com/

Spring Fever Ramblings

Having a 9-5 job when Spring decides to flirt with your senses is totally unfair!  Granted, it has been  a very mild winter here in Maryland, I am so ready for warmer weather, green grass, and flowers!  The spring-like temps yesterday and today have me unfocused on my admin work and chomping at the bit to go and dig in some dirt!

Unfortunately, I have suffered with an off and on headache over the last 3-4 days...just when I think it is gone, it's knuckles tap me on the side of the head again..."I'm baacckkk"!

My day on Earrings Everyday....Confetti!

Here are a couple more pairs of earrings I created a while back featuring my new love of  bezel cups...

Handwrought copper  disks with faceted blue chalcedony; lampwork by SueBeads

Sterling disks with tiny turquoise cabs;  Picasso finish Czech glass drops

Have been working on some custom orders...including a silent auction piece for one of my co-worker's Breast Cancer fundraiser and a special gift for my son's Scout leader...she has been his den leader all the way through Cubs, and will continue into Boy Scouts.  Hope to have photos of these to show soon!

Speaking of Scouts, B crosses the bridge on Saturday!  Will take lots of photos!

Oh, I almost forgot...I am still going to have a giveaway based on my Bead Soup leftovers...will get a post up soon, I promise!

Hope you are all enjoying the spring-like weather and aren't stuck inside at your desk!

BTW - Czech Glass, Spring Flowers, and a Giveaway!

Because it is Bead Table Wednesday,

because it is Spring,

because I love Spring Flowers,

because I am still not over my SBS Wire cover high,

and, most importantly,

because you all totally rock,

I would like to give a special reader an assortment of Czech glass beads to create your own "Spring Flowers"!

All you have to do is leaf me a comment (get it? I kill myself!) and answer this question:

"What is your favorite Spring flower?"

I will choose a random comment on Saturday morning (April 2).  Make sure you include contact info!  I will choose an assortment of beads from my stash...enough to make a couple pairs of earrings or pendants.

I love all flowers, but my all-time, forever, favorite Spring blossom is the daffodil!  My Mama always had a yard full of them...I don't remember ever having crocus, so the dafs were always harbingers of Spring.  We called them "buttercups" and I still do, even though I know that an actual buttercup is a totally different flower.  Mama had lots of varieties..the simple ones you see on the roadside, really ruffly double ones, bi-color, white ones, and paper-whites. One year after she died, I dug some up to bring home with me to plant in my yard, and the bulbs had been there so long that I had to get help to dig them out.   Every year when my meager collection blooms, I kick myself for not having planted more the previous autumn....this year I am definitely going to do it!  Sadly, I don't think I have any more of those heirloom ones from Mama.  I need to make a trip back down south to raid my sisters' yards!

Here are a few I picked yesterday...pretty, aren't they? They are in my favorite McCoy vase (another addiction of mine).  I should have taken the photo somewhere else, though, because my milkglass cake plate is distracting :)



So, what's your favorite Spring flower?

May 1st...Garden Walk

It is an absolutely gorgeous day today in Frederick, Maryland...almost hot!  A lot of yard/garden work to be done but we seem to be moving very slow so far :)  I went to Weight-watchers, worked out and came home to the 8 yr old still in his jammies playing his DSI, and hubby in the basement practicing electric guitar...at least a load of dishes was running!

I picked up the camera and took a walk around the yard to see what is blooming today..

This unopened iris looks like an alien pod...

I absolutely love old-fashioned bearded iris...can you tell?  My Mom always grew them in all colors.

This is a gorgeous purple clematis I've had for several years...just starting to put out its flowers.

One of my hubby's favs...lily of the valley...I always think of Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy" singing "I'm Lily...of the Valley..."

Phlox, dianthus or "pinks" as I grew up calling them and an unknown shrub that was here before us...I kept it because I love the little white flowers!

We just planted this small japanese maple...we had some shrubs that were damaged in all the snow and ice we had this winter, so we yanked them out.  Behold one of my plant stakes made from old wrought iron fencing embellished with lampwork beads!

Okay, this is just a mess...a couple summers ago, I planted lemon balm because I love the smell, and in Latin, it is means "sweet Melissa" :)  Unfortunately, even though it smells divine, it takes over your yard and is really difficult to pull out.  I haven't decided what to do with it yet!

I planted this last year and can't remember what it is called, but I love the varigated leaves and pale periwinkle blooms...it loves shade and inhabits the side yard with my hostas.

Thanks for taking a stroll with me...I am going out today to get some annuals to add some more color here and there!

Notes from the Universe

I signed up to get inspirational emails from this site called "Notes from the Universe".  I really love it, you personalize it, so it is like a pep talk from an old friend!  This is what I got yesterday...

"Little is more impressive, inspirational, or sexy, Melissa, than watching someone in the throes of action, driven by purpose, oblivious to all but their aim.  Today has your name all over it - The Universe"

Cool, huh?
And in keeping with that...here's my Arts Market Count Down Post - Day 2

Last night was yard cleanup...trash days in our neighborhood on the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month include yard waste pickup, so Ben and I worked hard outside until dusk.

I was able to work on a new piece for a bit...can't wait to show it to you, but alas, it is not ready yet :)

But keeping my pact to post new work, here is more Swarovski!  First is a necklace and earrings in sterling, featuring fuschia briolettes and tiny bicones...

Next is an antiqued brass necklace with emerald green opal. I love the "opal" Swarovski crystals, they have such a nice depth and almost chatoyancy - somewhere in between transparent and opaque!  I thought this worked really well with the big rhyolite bead.  I am going to have to go back and try to oxidize the wire I used on the necklace, as it is just too bright.

Haven't been around for a while...

and I'm sure you missed me! or I hope you did :)

No real reason why I haven't been posting much...gardening/yardwork/housework to be done, books to be read, back-episodes of ridiculous tv shows to catch up on, 7-year olds to be hugged and helped with homework...you know, nothing much!

I have loads of photos in my camera that need to be downloaded, so hope to be back soon to do that!

In the meantime, I wanted to announce an upcoming give-away, so check back in the next couple of days for that news.  Also, decided to have a last-minute Mother's Day sale!  On my website, enter the coupon code "mother" and get 25% off!  For Etsy, artfire, or 1000markets, just send me a note after ordering and I will revise your invoice.

Spring Fever!

I can not believe it is already the middle of March!  I was just saying "Happy New Year" the other day...in fact, just got around to putting way some errant Christmas decorations that I missed on the 1st  post-holiday cleanup! 

Where did that time go?  What about all my 2009 resolutions/aspirations?  My main resolution was to post at least one new piece of jewelry weekly.  Oops, haven't lived up to that one. Oh, well...not going to worry too much...Spring is almost here and I have the fever!

Spring is my all-time favorite season.  I love it when the 1st flowers start pushing their new green growth up out of the cold, sometimes still-frozen ground.  The 1st really warm days, all I want to do is go dig in the dirt.  Last weekend, we had spring-like temperatures in the 70's, but I didn't get a chance to garden though.  This weekend, of course, it is supposed to be cold and yucky, so all that new growth that peeked out could be in danger.

Here are a few things I found in my yard in the last few days...

 

Same dafs, a couple of days later

 

Some sedum, trying hard to emerge through last year's dead flower stalks and old leaves that need to be cleaned up.  This bed will be first on my list to cleanup, along with a couple of butterfly bushes that I didn't cut back last autumn.

 

The down side of gardening season is the shortage of the thing I need most...time! I will have to choose which to do...work in my beloved garden or make jewelry. 

If I could just quit my day job :)

Doo, doo, dooo, lookin' out my back door!

Wow, am I dating myself or what!

 



Yesterday, from out my back door, I saw this fatty sitting on my deck rail.  The man says he has been hanging out a lot in our yard...He especially likes the new gargoyle on the roof (which was supposed to keep the birds off - go figure!).  The man thinks he is with egg, but I can't tell the bird sex...he/she hasn't shown signs of nesting.  

After he/she flew away, I took this combined forsythia/cherry blossom shot...forsythias some of my favorites!

 

Hope your spring day is a nice one!