Mother's Day Personalized Sterling Silver Swarovski Crystal Bracelet

While driving home the other day I came up with the idea to create a gift for my sister-in-law for Mother's Day. I thought using Swarovski Crystal in the birthstones of my nieces, nephew and Patty, my sister-in-law. But that wasn't enough. I wanted to really personalize it, so I added sterling silver initial toy box letters to really make it special.

Birthstones:
Jan - Garnet
Feb - Amethyst
Mar - Aquamarine
Apr - Crystal
May - Emerald
June - Lt. Amethyst
July - Ruby
Aug - Peridot
Sept - Sapphire
Oct - Rose
Nov - Topaz
Dec - Blue Zircon

Buy it for the special mom in your life!

Diamond Chain Maille

Tonight I learned a really cool metal technique known as Chain Maille at Need 2 Bead. It's essentially the joining of jump rings to create any design imaginable.

This design is a Diamond pattern, as you build up the links and then decrease them to create a diamond shape. The lamp work beads are the same ones as I used in The Love Knot.

It was much easier than it looks!

My Mom

I love my mom. I don't get to see her as often as I would like as she lives in southern Georgia and well, I live in Ohio. I was lucky enough to spend a week with her in February when my aunt and uncle visited from Germany. We went on a road trip out west. We visited my brother and his family in Kansas and then drove on to Colorado Springs to visit a friend of my mom and some friends of mine. My mom hadn't seen her friend, Ingrid, in 26 years! It was so nice for them to touch base. I caught up with a few girlfriends I met on a cruise last September and a good high school friend, Michelle, whom I hadn't seen since 1996. It was a great trip.

A month ago, I learned to create a Cellini Spiral bracelet at Need 2 Bead. It was an utter monster to complete. During the class, another participant chose really cool colors, so I bought them to make another. That was before I realized how much of a monster this bracelet would turn out to be. It took me 6 hours to complete! I vowed not to make another one. But I had those really cool colors to work with. So I decided to make one more and give it to my mom for Mother's Day.

Tonight, I finished it. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I know she'll love it.

Facebook Fanage

Oh, and I have a Facebook Fan Page for my jewelry as well.

Fanage

Check it out! :D

Do You Twitter?

Well, I apparently I do....

Tweet!

Swarovski Starburst Pendant

Tonight, I took another class at Need 2 Bead. It was the Swarovski Starburst Pendant. It's made of all Swarovski bicone crystals, 4mm and 6mm. It's a very easy pattern and can be made in virtually any color.

This one is made with Swarovski Fire Opal and AB Crystal bicones.

Stunning!

Party Pics

When I laid out everything for the party, I realized I had a TON of stuff!

Jewelry Party

I'm hosting a jewelry party on Saturday. It's one way I'm showcasing my jewelry pieces. I spent the evening organizing my latest order of beads, etc. Attendees will able to see what beads I have available and create their own custom piece!

I'm really excited about it!

The Caterpillar Bracelet Series

Last Thursday, I took a beadweaving class at Need 2 Bead and learned how to make what I am going to call The Caterpillar Series.  The pattern looks similar to a caterpillar...hence the name.  ;)

The main design is made with teardrop seed beads on a base of cube seed beads. 

The Wheatberry Caterpillar Bracelet


The Purple Iris Caterpillar Bracelet


The Buckeye Caterpillar Bracelet was made with size 8 seed beads. It just doesn't have the same excitement as the teardrops.

Rainy Days

Rainy days are good for catching up.  I've been reading up on the Etsy forums and perusing various blogs.  There are a lot of creative people out there!

Last week, I learned how to make a caterpillar bracelet.  The base of the bracelet is a square stitch with cube seed beads.  The cover is made of teardrop seed beads.   It was quite the feat to make.  It took me about four hours to complete it.

Today,  I think I'm going to try a Buckeye caterpillar bracelet.  I bought some scarlet and gray size 8 seed beads that should make a nice variation.

I'll take some pictures of my recently finished pieces soon and post them! 

Sales

I just want to thank my friends for being my best customers!  I am so very lucky to have the support of beautiful and wonderful ladies.  Ladies, who now, have awesome jewelry! ;)

Beginning Bead Weaving

Tonight, I took a beginning bead weaving class at 1 Stop.  Boy, was it simple!  I was really finished with my bracelet in probably 30 minutes, but I had to wait around for the teacher to discuss the closing phase.  She was waiting for a few others to finish.  I took advantage and walked about the store selecting new colors to make the bracelet again!

Here is the finished product! 

New Ideas

So, I'm always looking for new designs and techniques to use. I've become addicted to jewelry classes. This week is going to kill me.

• Monday night - 2 strand class
• Tuesday night - Wire wrapped cabochon class
• Wednesday night - Beginning bead weaving class
• Thursday night - Teardrop bracelet class

I'm very excited for the cabochon class and the teardrop class. Pictures will be posted to showcase the result!

The Love Knot

I was supposed to take a class at Need 2 Bead yesterday to learn how to make a love knot bracelet.  The teacher didn't show up.  

I am not a patient person.  When I want to do something, I want to do it....NOW.   So this morning, I did some searching for a tutorial on how to make a love knot.  I found one at Hodgepodgerie.   So I went back to the bead store to buy the silver and beads that I would have used yesterday and made it on my own.

The knots themselves are not very tight.  I think I either need to use a thicker gauge wire or make more coils.  I'm going to experiment using craft wire to perfect the technique.   But for my first go, I'd say it looks alright.

A New Adventure

Hi there!

My name is Elaine and I make custom jewelry.  :)

I started doing this as a way to make meaningful Christmas presents and it has blossomed into a full fledged obsession!  I opened up an Etsy shop at the fierce insistence of my friends Tina and Emily.  They received so many compliments when wearing the jewelry I made for them, I decided to give it a go!

My Etsy shop is Una Tia Especial.  It's named in honor of my nieces and nephew, Alexis, Jennifer and Kevin.  Tia is the Spanish word for Aunt.   As father is Cuban, I grew up calling my aunts, Tia.  Not one to slight my mother's sister, I call her Tante, as she and my mother are German.  However growing up in Miami, Florida, I saw my dad's sisters much more than I did my Tante Moni.   Tia is just cool.  And I'm the coolest! ;) 

I started selling my jewelry on Etsy in January 2009 and less than two weeks later, I had my first sale.  To a total stranger!  I was so excited!  It was then that I thought maybe I could make a go at this.  

I just love making jewelry.  I love taking classes to learn new techniques.  My favorite technique is beadweaving with wire working coming in a close second.   My favorite places to take classes are Need 2 Bead in Canal Winchester (five minutes from my house - yay!) and 1 Stop Bead Shop in Dublin (not so close...) :)  

I hope you see something you like!  If something catches your eye and you want more information, please don't hesitate to contact me.  I can make virtually any piece longer, shorter or with different colors.  The sky is our limit!  Let your imagination go!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope to bead you soon! :)