January 28, 2011

Another Pair of Earrings With Teeny, Tiny Beads

So once again, I have made a pair of earrings with these tiny glass beads. This time I used opaque purple beads with an aurora borealis finish. I wrapped the beads around these leaf-shaped hoops that I made a couple weeks ago.


January 20, 2011

My New Labradorite Earrings

I have a new pair of earrings that feature lovely labradorite. I made the long metal components by hammering pieces of wire, then wrapping them around a mandrel (which in my case, is usually a socket from a socket set). I made another set of these components to use in another design, but I am afraid to try it because it involves using my little butane torch right next to a gemstone bead. I am just hoping I don't break the bead!

January 19, 2011

How to Inspire Creativity – Part I: How the Internet Can Help Inspire Creativity

I am starting a new blog series on creativity and inspiration. I haven't yet decided how often I will add to my series (probably once or twice a month). My first installment is How the Internet Can Help Inspire Creativity. I have included a number of web links to sites that I feel can be helpful.

Color and Texture

Color Matching
There are a number of websites devoted to color blending/matching. These sites are wonderful  when you are trying to find colors that coordinate with another color. Some of these sites will allow you to save your custom-created palette. Here are some of my favorite sites:

  





Photos
Photos are great for inspiring creativity. A photo of a flower, for instance, can help inspire a new project based on color and/or texture. There are many sites to find photos, but here are three popular choices:







  





Words and Fonts

As someone that writes descriptions for jewelry, I sometimes find myself looking for new adjectives to describe a pair of earrings, for example. When I need to get ideas for writing my descriptions, I will sometimes visit one of the following sites. The first two links are good sources for finding the names of particular colors.
Words

Fonts
Let me start by saying, I love fonts! I have been downloading free fonts for a long time now. There are so many styles to choose from, and then you have the dingbat fonts. If you have a photo-editing program like Photoshop, you might already know all the fun things you can do with fonts and special effects.

January 16, 2011

Nature in Miniature - A New Treasury

I created a new Etsy treasury this morning, titled 'Nature in Miniature'. I love miniature items, as I often find myself using tiny beads when I create my jewelry. And of course, I love the natural world!

January 10, 2011

Earrings with Red Swarovski Crystals

I have a new pair of earrings that I just finished photographing today. I guess with garnet being the birthstone of January and Valentie's day coming up, I have been in a 'red' mood! I have another pair of red earrings in the making, using garnet briolettes.

January 06, 2011

Frost and Labradorite

When I first started buying jewelry supplies years ago, I decided to buy seed beads in various colors and shapes. I don't even quite remember what I was planning on doing with them, but I recently re-discovered these cute little frosted beads. I have them in two different sizes and when strung next to each other, create a nice texture. I knew right away that these beads would look lovely with labradorite, so I stung them on my handmade earwires and attached a briolette. I even decided to buy more of these little beads in a few different colors.

January 03, 2011

A Quick Pic of My New Earrings

I am about to photograph some earrings that I created right before the holidays. I took a quick picture of all five of my new pairs of earrings. The earrings on the far left were a challenge to make; a lot of delicate wire wrapping!