No. 21 Vacation

I’m going on several family trips this month which makes crafting and blogging a little challenging. Do you blog or craft while you travel? How do you do it?

These beads are from the NYC Spring bead show. Very simple and summery. I like to wrap small gifts in origami boxes. Pretty, ephemeral and recyclable.

Nos. 18, 19, 20 And Summer Is Here

Here they are, some light summery party pairs resting on Coney Island shells.

This pair is my first attempt at using a jig. I got mine at wigjig. Wigjig also features lengthy tutorials on working with wire, including one on how to form the swirly elements. They were originally intended to be bracelet components.

This pair involved some free twirling. I wanted to suspend the bead in the middle of the oval hoop and ended up using a jump ring to hang up the bead.

And last, but not least, some hoops strung with stone chips and seed beads. They strike me as kind of tribal something one of the Flintstone girls might wear.

No. 17 Chain Maille

I’m intrigued by chain maille. I love the beautiful shapes you can create just by linking rings together. At times, trying to follow a chain maille pattern can be like solving a brain teaser. These earrings use 6 mm and 4 mm rings. The pendants are, again, tagua nut beads. For more chain maille ideas check out the web site of the Maille Artisans International League

No. 16 Bowl of Cherries

Alright, so these have nothing to do with cherries, and yes they are very similar to this lonely one. But, hey I made them so they count toward the 99 pairs, right. Also the bottom bits are a little different from the red one. Can you tell which one was wrapped with pliers and for which one I used my fingers? In a commercial description I would say something to the effect of “slight imperfections give this jewelry their unique charm and are entirely intended by the craftswoman. . .”

No. 15 Wacky Wires

Can you tell that I’m trying to get away from the green thing? These are glass and resin beads on bits of wire twisted this way and that. By the way, the great thing about having kids is that you have wonderful props for these pictures. Although, this clock is actually mine; an “antique” from the 70’s.

No. 14 Monkeys on the Loose

Sometimes it’s all about the bead and not the fancy wire work. I like these because they have a retro feel to them and remind me of the “Planets, Moons, and Meteorites” aka “Rocks for Jocks” class they offered at my college.

No. 13 Green Grow the Rushes Ho

These slightly oversharpened beauties use beads made out of the seeds of the tagua nut. The material resembles ivory before it is dyed. They are fairly light and actually remind me more of Lucite. You can find more information about tagua nuts at One World Projects.

No. 12 Reflections

I’m on a green kick right now, don’t know why, but for some reason that is the first color I reach for these days. I guess it’s my new black. This pair features green glass beads with little millefioris finishing them off. So now you know what my spatula and my ladle look like. Kitchen implements are great for these shots I think. Hm, you think I should polish my stainless?

No. 11 Squiggles

Some more wire. This time with earring stoppers. To get this kind of spiral you take a length of wire and fold it in half. Bend over the folded tip and start wrapping the wire around it shaping a spiral. When you have about an inch left, separate the doubled up wires and make loops at opposite ends of the spiral. Here, I used a 6 inch length of wire that rendered a .5 inch spiral. By the way, do you like the double jump rings?

No. 10 One is the loneliest number. . .

For a brief moment in time and space there were two of us, but now after 72 hours I am alone. Why didn’t she secure us with some earring stoppers. Now I have to hang on this oversized martini glass surveying peoplekind without a mate. Great sadness.

As you can tell I’m in a wiry mood. I guess it makes sense. Once you learn how to string a bead you want to graduate to the lofty heights of wire work. It’s April and here is Number 10. Only 89 to go. Yikes!