Finishing Touches

I'm lucky to have several hobbies and I'm even luckier that I can use my skills in conjunction with one another. Clearly, I love making jewelry but sometimes it can frustrate me (especially when I spill teeny-tiny seed beads all over the floor!). At such times, it's nice to have something else to occupy me. These are the times that I turn to paper-crafting.

During the holiday season, a friend of mine invited me to make cards with her and that's pretty much all it took for me to fall in love with all things paper related. Since then, I have been stocking up my arsenal which is (almost) beginning to rival my bead collection. I've purchased all sorts of cardstock, embossing powders, glues, embellishments, etc.... With all of my new supplies, I have been experimenting with different ways to incorporate my new found love of paper-crafting with my old favorite, jewelry making. It didn't take long before I came up with these...

When selling wares online, or even in a brick and mortar store, competition can be stiff. Even if your designs are fresh and unique, presentation is very important to make your creations stand out. I started making these earring cards to compliment the colors in my designs and to make my pieces stand out. Two words: BRIGHT COLORS!!! I love these earring cards because they really help bring attention to my creations. Plus, they are super fun to make!




Another welcome addition are these handmade "Thank You" cards. I like to include these whenever I make a sale on Etsy. I think this is a nice touch to set your shop apart from others and also to help the buyer remember you. These are super fun to make, too!

With the handmade marketplace, it's all about the details. It's important to find a way to make the details as fun as your primary craft!

PMC Weekend

I love working with precious metal clay but projects are so time consuming! By the time I get home from my day job on weekdays, I am too tired (or lazy) to set up all of my PMC supplies and get to work. As such, my weekends are usually comprised of two PMC "workshops" where I complete a few projects at a time.

Unfortunately, this weekend I had about five other projects that I wanted to complete, so I was only able to churn out one pair of PMC earrings. They are cute though!

Unfinished, unsanded earrings
















Finished product - Honeybee Honeycombs

The Tila Obsession Continues...

Every time I sit down at my desk to work, I keep gravitating toward my ever-expanding collection of Miyuki Tila beads. If my other beads had feelings, they would be jealous.

My most recent project served two purposes - 1) learn the single needle right angle weave stitch and 2) continue experimenting with Tilas (of course). This pattern isn't a Boxcar Annie original - I found it here:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G7MtClOvc7c/TIuKLKVA8uI/AAAAAAAACXE/UIwr2vClaxE/s1600/Cube+Delight+Bracelet+by+Smadar%27s+Treasure+with+Tila+Beads.jpg

The instructions are really easy to follow and the end result is fantastic! I used 11/0 seed beads to surround the Tila squares, which were a perfect size. The cuff ended up being about an inch in width. Typically, I favor skinnier bracelets, but the three rows of RAW units work very well.




I also incorporated a hand-stitched Tila toggle: I would recommend this project to anyone who is trying to learn RAW - the Tila beads are perfect for this stitch and I was able to navigate the project without too many errors. Also, it was quick! I was able to finish in two evenings.

Hopefully, I will be able to break away from my Tila collection for long enough to work on a project that doesn't involve seed beads...my poor eyes are tired from squinting at tiny beads!

Love at First Sight

One of the advantages of living two blocks away from the local bead store is being able to peruse all of the new inventory as it is received. I'll never forget the day I first laid eyes on the new Miyuki Tila beads...I loved everything about them! They come in a variety of finishes including matte, AB, and opaque and the neutral colors will work with nearly anything you can come up with. Pictured left are the Tila beads in Antique Ivory Pearl Ceylon.

I'm an equally enthusiastic fan of the 1.8 and 4 mm Miyuki cube beads. For a spell, I was including them in virtually all of my stitched designs. The first Tila design I came up incorporated all three of my favorites: a "ribbon" of silver 4 mm cubes are surrounded by 1.8 mm blue matte cubes. A row of Tilas on either side finish the piece.


This has easily become my favorite and most worn bracelet in my collection. To attach all of the layers, I used a ladder stitch - one of the easiest (in my opinion). I began with one Tila bead - shown here in Matte Oyster Luster - stitched the two cubes on top of it (one cube for each hole of the Tila bead), pulled the thread through one 4 mm Miyuki cube, and repeated the process for the other half of the unit. It's not at all difficult once you get the hang of it and you end up with a great finished product.

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This is my most recent design. I just completed it this evening and, I must say, I love wearing it! After some experimenting, I have found that the 3 mm Toho bugle bead works very well with the shape and size of the Tila. A unit of two bugle beads with a 15/0 Miyuki seed bead at each end is roughly the same size as a Tila. Again, I used the ladder stitch to combine the units.

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It's safe to say that I have purchased nearly every color of Tila, so more designs will follow. I'm off to a good start and can't wait to find more ways to incorporate this wonderfully versatile bead in my designs!

No News Here

I can only breathe through one of my nostrils while my husband is out having a fun night on the town. For several months, I have dreamed of starting an informational jewelry blog. Since I am incapable of engaging in anything this evening that doesn't involve sitting on the couch, I might as well start a blog that may (or may not) be helpful to others.

In the future, I hope to have updates on projects I'm working on, design ideas and possibly tutorials. For now, there is nothing because my cold is preventing me from forming cohesive thoughts.

Stay tuned for real content! Real content!