Holiday Catalog has arrived!

Visit Una Tia Especial more information!

***Update - December 20, 2009- The following items have been sold:

ZigZag Bracelet
Amethyst Floral Lampwork Bracelet
Terra Cotta Chandelier Earrings
Multi Color Cat's Eye Necklace
Turquoise Blue Sea Multi-Strand Necklace
Jupiter Swirls Set


Remember to check out my Etsy store for more items!

Una Tia Especial - The Remix

Check out this video I made courtesy of Animoto to highlight some of my favorite pieces!

To Oxidize or Not To Oxidize???

I've been working with sterling silver for some time now but I only recently learned how to oxidize silver. What a transformation! It really adds depth to the pieces.

Here are a few examples....

Before:



After:



Before:



After:



Before:



After:



What's your preference?

Ring Crazy!

Rings are my new obsession!

They are so versatile and relatively easy to make. The beauty of them is that they can be made with sterling silver or artistic wire and you really can't tell the difference!

Here are three affordable rings I made in less than an hour!

Swarovski Crystal Copper Cosmic Ring


Swarovski Meridan Blue Rivoli Ring


Swarovski Volcano Rivoli Ring

Gala Ring

Last night I learned how to make a ring! Never did I anticipate making a ring when I started making jewelry. Angie K. taught a class at Need 2 Bead on creating a Gala Ring using seed beads and Swarovski crystals. Boy, was it easy! The hardest part was choosing the colors!

The one I listed in my Etsy shop and the one shown here is not the one I made in class. The one I made in class was a light amethyst Swarovski crystal and you can see the drilled hole due to the light color. It takes away from the ring. Not cute. At all.

So, last night I made this Gold and Metallic Green Iris Gala Ring. Enjoy!

Hodgepodge

I've made many jewelry items over the last several months and taken hundreds of pictures. I didn't always blog about each piece, so I've decided to make this hodgepodge post.

Earthtone Spiral Bracelet - I'm addicted to beadweaving! I love the simplicity of the weave yet how intricate it can be with the different sizes of seed beads and the true rainbow of colors available!



Byzantine Bracelet - I recently expanded into chainmaille. You may have read about my diamond chainmaille bracelet a little while back. I posted a Tweet about it and it got the attention of another chainmaille blog and seller, Chainmaille by MBOI, who tweeted back at me and that's how I found the site to purchase my first Byzantine bracelet kit. I love the elegant look of this weave. The sterling and copper combination is just magical!



Triangular Peyote - Going along with my new found obsession with beadweaving, I bought a beadweaving book. I'm in beadweaving heaven! I picked this weave not realizing it was peyote stitch. Several other beaders have groaned when peyote is mentioned, but I found it delightful! The bright green and silver lined crystal beads really pop against each other.



Black and White Cabernet Bracelet - This weave was taken at Need 2 Bead. It was my first exposure to ladder stitch. I love this bracelet! It's so simple yet so elegant. (I say that a lot, don't I???) I think that's what I love most about beading. The simplicity of it all and the elegance.



Semi-Precious Stone and Crystal Wire Wrap - This is another creation thanks to Stacy at Need 2 Bead. Thanks to this class, I became addicted to working with wire. The beauty of this bracelet is that it can be made in any color combination. The volume of stones and crystals out there is endless!



Cocoa Bliss Necklace - This right angle weave necklace was the first class I took at Need 2 Bead. I made four other necklaces within a week of taking of the class. This necklace really is elegant. I think it's perfect for a wedding or prom.

RAW Tennis Bracelet

I have always admired the Right Angle Weave Tennis Bracelet at 1 Stop. When Need 2 Bead offered a RAW Tennis Bracelet class, I signed up immediately! They used seed beads and 6mm Swarovski crystals. After I took the class and picked up the technique, I decided to take a stab at making the 1 Stop bracelet. It uses 3mm Tierra Cast Heishi beads as the base and 4mm Swarovski crystals.

I like them both for different reasons.

What do you think?


Seed Bead RAW




Tierra Cast RAW

Egyptian Coil Links Bracelet

Working with metal is fun and exciting because you can do so many things with it! Last week, I took another class at Need 2 Bead to learn how to make the Egyptian Coil. The pattern made is from Laura Pacino and she calls it Lotz of Links. I want the Egyptian Coil to be the focal, which is what I'm focusing on.

The beauty of this link is that you can use a lot of the coils to create a striking bracelet or even necklace.

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.

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.