Memories and Thanks Blog Hop - For My Mom

A big thank you to Lori Anderson for putting together a special blog hop dedicated to someone you love! 

I chose my mom, Donna Lee Foucault, for my inspiration for this challenge. It was an easy choice since she is the reason I started crafting and designing in the first place and her encouragement has kept me at it all these years.  

My mom is a very special women. Not only is she a great mother and friend, she is an excellent artist and talented craftswoman. I tried to incorporate special things about her into this piece: 

• She is a miniature doll and accessories artist - hence the miniature sewing machine. I also used miniature dollhouse wallpaper behind the birds and lace. 
• She loves to craft and create - again the sewing machine 
• I always remember her having bird feeders in our yard and gardening - the birds and wire wrapped floral sprig 
• She loves antique lace - the black lace behind the birds I bought at a Paris flea market 
• She loves to travel - behind the black lace is a cutout that says "Souvenirs and Postcards" 
• She loves the Old West and the Victorian era - hence the old gears and slight nod to Victorian period with the design

I had more fun making this piece of jewelry then any that have come before it. I think that is because I knew it was going to my best friend, my mom.  

I love you Mom!  

Thank you for taking the time to read this along the hop. Please now check out all the other wonderful artists participating!  

FULL LIST CAN BE FOUND HERE

Color Palette Inspiration from China

My husband Brett and I spent Thanksgiving and the following 10 days in China this year. We traveled to 3 cities: Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai. We had an amazing time and along the way I took pictures of different color palettes that I hope to work into my jewelry designs. Here are just a few of the color schemes I found and admired:

Jade Green and Grey

Fuchsia, Periwinkle, and Celadon

French Blue and a Tangerine Red

Celadon, Deep Purple, and a Pinky Purple

Mustard, Jade, and Tangerine Red

Faded Brick Red and Wedgewood Blue

We did it! Climbed the Great Wall!

Bead Ruckus No. 3 Kit

The kit for this next Bead Ruckus is Halloween themed! I can't wait to get started making a Halloween jewelry design with these ingredients - 2 different owl stampings will be a good challenge.

My Pick: Vintaj Arte Metal Owl Stamping

He looks so wise and spooky!

Check out the Bead Ruckus site to see all the picks! 

Bead Ruckus No. 2 Reveal!

Well, this project took a rather meandering path. I started with the idea of a multi-strand bracelet using Savannah's bead selection that I painted orange.....well..... it just did not look right. When I was at my most frustrated point with the design, Brett reminded me that you actually learn more from your mistakes and "fails" then from your successes. He was right, I now understand how beads flow and combine better then I did when I started this project.

So, after several more attempts at this design, I finally arrived at my current necklace. I think it was the add-a-bead bars that gave me the most difficulty, but in the end, I feel that they add a really interesting element. I wanted to play with shapes with this design and ended up with a more structural look then I normally do. The big Czech glass button is really the focal piece of the design and ties it together. I hope you enjoy!

Giveaway! Win a Handmade Necklace

I am sponsoring my first ever giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a pretty bead woven necklace designed and created by me! The necklace has an Art Deco feel and features tiny Japanese Miyuki beads in shades of gray, metallic raspberry, silver, and black.

For full details and to enter, visit the Bead Ruckus site! Giveaway ends September 30th.

Good Luck! 

My Beading Table - Work in Progress

Here is a sneak peek at some of the design process that went into my Bead Ruckus Challenge No. 2 design. The design is actually done and will be revealed later this week, but I wanted to share the creative process.

I was inspired by my Alphonse Mucha wall calendar to go with a yellow, orange, blue, and white theme for my project. Only one problem: there were no bright orange beads in my challenge kit. Solution: paint them orange with my Vintaj Patina. I needed a way of suspending them in place so I took my side table, flipped it upside down, and suspended the beads (strung on wire) between the legs. I then painted them. As I was painting, the beads would actually spin on the wire which prevented them from sticking to it. It's not pretty, but it worked!

After the beads were dry, I grabbed every ingredient that I thought I might use and laid them all out on my work table. I don't like having to get up mid-design and hunt for supplies. This is the point where the actual designing begins.

Part 2 of this post will be the reveal of what I made with all these ingredients :)

Close-up of painted beads

Bead Ruckus: Challenge No. 2 Kit Revealed

It's already time for another Bead Ruckus! Challenge kit number 2 has been revealed and I can't wait to start designing. If you are not familiar with Bead Ruckus, please check out the Bead Ruckus blog with all the details on this fun challenge. Five jewelry designers each select one jewelry making ingredient (without telling the others what they are choosing), then they all have to come up with an original design using at least some part of each selection. You can alter the ingredients any way you like (painting, smashing, covering, etc.) and you can add anything else you like to the project.

Selections: 
Megan: Silver Plated Deco Square Toggle Clasp
Fig: Silver Plated Pewter Add A Bead Connector Bar
Savannah: Czech Glass Bead Mix - Topaz and Yellows
Julie: Antique Silver Plated Drop Spacers

And then one other supply was chosen by Julie since one of our members could not participate: Pale Amazonite 2mm Round Gemstone Beads

Let the designing begin!