A Worthy Cause

In case you were wondering what to do with that extra material, there's a young lady from Kentucky, Michala Riggle, who makes bracelets, donating the proceeds to a charity which conducts research on autism. String some basic bracelets and/or donate the supplies !

Here's an exerpt from her website:


With just $7.35 cents and a passion to help kids like her brother, Evan, Michala Riggle, age 12, started doing the only thing she knew how to do...make bracelets. See what happened!

Beading Sales!

It's been really busy around here with the family and work... unfortunately, I haven't been beading much recently. We also started getting some minor renovations done around the house, and the baby is now potty training.

However, for those who do have the time, Soft Flex is having a show at Ward Warehouse this weekend. This is always a really cool bead show because they bring in suppliers from throughout the country. On island, it's hard to find certain types of things, for example, lucite, porcelain, and discontinued Swarovski in interesting shapes. There are also super high end strands of all sorts of gemstones which are typically sold by the piece locally...

So there are great deals to be had for high end jewelry makers and those who enjoy challenging themselves beyond your standard stretchy crystal bicone bracelet.

If you can't make it to Ward Warehouse, Bead It! in Kailua is having a silver trunk show in their new location. Apparently, we're getting a Whole Foods in Kailua, next to Longs. So, Bead It moved across the street, next to BookEnds.

Anyway, they do these trunk shows at each of their shops about once a quarter. Typically, you can find a lot of charms, Bali style toggle clasps, hoops, and decorative links. Sometimes they have smaller blanks for metal stamping. Pretty much the same stuff you can get online from Rings & Things, but without the handling fees for smaller orders and without having to wait for shipping.

Maybe it's just me, but when I buy things, I always have a project. When the product is purchased online, sometimes the product isn't quite what I expected or can't be used for what I had in mind. Going to these shows, even if you can't buy everything you want right away, is a great way to put hands on some of these materials so you have a better idea of what you're looking at online.

So there you have it! Go have fun!

Tsunami Alert

Fortunately, it ended up going as predicted by the experts and there was no loss to life or property.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers!

Wire Wrapped Quartz Pendants

Although I haven't had a lot of time to myself lately (the hubby is still deployed), I did take some time last night and made a couple of playful pendants out of quartz.

I bought this strand when I was playing around with different ideas for my wedding jewelry, so it's about time I did something with these.

When I first started working with wire, I was obsessed with neat, tight wraps. Honestly, that gets boring after a while. It's a lot more fun to play with the wire and make something different... however, artistic creativity should not be confused with sloppy carelessness. Typically, even the artsy wire wraps start out with the neat, tight wraps to ensure the integrity of the piece.

Anyway, clear quartz is considered (by those who believe in the power of healing stones) as the "master healer." It treats physical conditions as well as emotional... but in particular, it is said to calm its wearer, aid concentration and memory, and help motivate positive action.

Doesn't that sound perfect for school?

Hee hee. My son is a fidgety kid. He is constantly talking and asks a million questions. I doubt that would stop if I somehow managed to create a quartz piece he would actually carry. But, it's a nice thought, right?

Pencil Urchin necklace

Until recently, I haven't made many necklaces. Part of the reason is that when I first started beading, my most of my previous crafting experience came from sewing... therefore, I was drawn to beadweaving and other intricate, time intensive, eye straining techniques.

Obviously, in the end, my impatience got the better of me. Besides, while I do wear chunkier bracelets, I don't wear beaded ropes around my neck... For daily wear, I like delicate chains and simple but unique focal. Actually, I personally like sturdier construction on bracelets, since I am rough on jewelry. Maybe it's weird that I like such delicate chains...


So anyway, this particular CZ pendant is a 9x36mm Light Amethyst faceted flat teardrop. Buying things online can be tricky, since the concept of scale can easily be misconstrued. I actually got two of these, intending to make a pair of killer, dramatic, threader earrings. When they arrived, however, I immediately recognized that this piece is just too spectacular to get lost in a pair of earrings. And so I made a necklace instead. :) This is a really beautiful cut -check out the firey sparkle and delicate color!

The chain is a sterling silver link, connected via handmade bail constructed from 22 gauge sterling silver half hard wire. Due to the small openings in the links, I also used the same method to attach the chain to the clasp.

You can find this necklace and other creations online at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyLeilani

Disclaimer: The CZ pendant was sent by Artbeads, free of charge in exchange for a product review. I was not compensated for my opinion or endorsement. My opinions as expressed are my own.

New Storefront

Since my husband's been deployed, I've really been hard pressed for time to keep up with the kids, housework, and just life in general. So anyway, I finally got around to revamping the Etsy shop so that the URL matches the name of the store. :) Hey, better late than never, right?

Check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyLeilani

For now, the old store is still technically active, and items listed there are still for sale... but new items will be listed in the new store and the inventory in the old store will slowly dwindle down as the listings expire.

Thanks so much for following along!

Cutest little earrings...

Here's a cute little pair of earrings made with peridot colored cubic zirconia briolettes and 2.5mm Swarovski bicone crystals. Very simple design, a little tricky due to the small sizes, but SUPER cute!

If you were to see the 2.5mm bicones in a store next to all the other Swarovski crystal bead sizes available, you would wonder who in their right mind would ever need a bead that tiny. Trust me, those itty bitty beads are perfect for accents, wire wrapping, and all the really fun stuff! Believe me, if you do any wire work whatsoever, you will love these tiny little dew drop sized crystals.

The 6x9mm cubic zirconia beads are also really versatile. (I also got these at Artbeads.com.) They're dainty and understated, but you can tell by the way the light refracts through them, that they're made of quality materials. (Cheap beads often have facets that don't match up or aren't uniform from bead to bead. If I had one to put side by side, you would see less sparkle/fire in the lower quality bead.) These would also make really cute birthstone pendants for girls.

By the way, if you don't know how to wrap briolettes, you can find some great tutorials online. Just google "How to wire wrap briolettes" or something similar, and several videos will pop up, that you can watch for free.

I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Never the Twain Shall Meet?

A few months back, Artbeads.com sent me this Swarovski Crystallized Components 18mm Rondelle (wide hole) bead for a product review. I thought I was getting something suitable for the focal bead on a lanyard... the bead was a lot larger than I expected. (The radius is 18mm.) I guess I could have gone with the lanyard idea, but I got distracted by my Christmas sewing projects and I had a "better" idea.

This bead is the perfect size to use as an accent closure on my satin purse. Thanks to the unusually wide hole, I was able to use a heavy duty thread (normally used for hand quilting) and ensure the bead was sewn securely enough to handle repeated use. A 4mm Swarovski crystal pearl bead is used to hold the thread and anchor the bead firmly. Pictures do not do this bead justice. It is nice and heavy, with lots of faceting that throws light even in dimly lit rooms. I imagine this bead would also make a great knob/drawer pull on an ornamental box or jewelry box. Given its price relative to other Swarovski products, this is a TERRIFIC value!

It's kind of funny. When I first saw this bead, I had no idea what anyone would ever do with such a huge bead. Now, I think I'm going to have to order a couple more for some other household crafting projects I've been working on.

Candy

Yes, I know this started out as a beading blog. Trust me, I'm still beading. You just can't eat beads, and therefore I'm doing some baking/candy making for the holidays. Chocolate is fairly simple as long as you remember not to apply direct heat. Lower is better, and absolutely do not let additional moisture into the melted chocolate. You can buy the professional cake decorating stuff if you like, or just spoon the melted chocolate in a ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. Easy peasy.

Grandma's Bracelet

The latest jewelry making trend is metal stamping. It's kind of surprising, given the high price of silver and gold these days, but it looked so cute I had to try my hand at it. These silver components are all sterling (except the jump rings) and I picked them up at a silver trunk sale at Bead It Kailua.

The metal letter stamps were purchased on Etsy from Goldenprimhollow. Obviously, I need some practice in aligning the letters a little better, even though uneven spacing is supposed to be part of the "charm." All in all, I like the look of the bracelet overall. I just wish I'd gotten additional sterling ovals.

More to follow, I'm sure, as I've ordered a bunch of silver stamping blanks from Artbeads, which should be here any day.