Here we go again.....

Hey Y'all -
I took a break from blogging so that my AWESOME Swap N Hop pieces would have some of their own time and space... well...the time has come to move on. =) 

And now for my next trick!  Not really - but you know - gotta make it exciting.  I was involved with an AWESOME challenge where we were sent handcrafted ceramic beads and a mystery bead in clay.  Our job was to combine all the pieces into a necklace, earrings and bracelet. 

This set was a struggle for me, mostly because I felt a little "ocean themed" out, which I didn't even know was possible.  BUT! I think I did a pretty smashing job, if I do say so myself. 

Beads were provided by Firefly Design Studio and Tealwater Designs

What we were sent (I chose the sandy brown set)

All of the pieces I made

The necklace features Amazonite and white AB seed beads, which spell "Ahoy" in Morse code

This little guy was an adventure.  Never use embroidery floss to crochet beads.  UGH!

These little friends were the most popular of my pieces.  Swarovski crystals make ANYTHING more awesome!

And finally.....a key chain.  Byzantine chainmaille

Thanks for checking out my pieces!  I'm pretty happy with them and I can't wait to wear them!  Hooray!!



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Hey - what's the on the back of your neck?

Continuing the series on Whys It So Expensive?!......

So, we've talked about the wire....we've talked about special beads.... now, the fun part - CLASPS!  One of my favorite things about making jewelry is, as I refer to it, "righting the wrongs of jewelry designers past", CLASPS!  We all know them....the little springing thing that you have to practically rip your fingernail off to get pulled back, and then do a dance with the necklace to get into the teeny tiny little hole that they've provided to latch to.  BLEAH!  Guess what?!  They don't have to be so horrid!  It's true!

My favorite types of clasps are magnetic, toggle and hook & eye.

MAGNETIC
How much time do we WASTE trying to get those little springs into the little hole, while the bracelet flips and flails around our wrists?  There's no need! Magnets all the way, baby! Many older ladies comment "Oh this is so great for my arthritic hands"....honey it ain't great just for those hands - how about ANY hand?  What I love about the magnets is that all you have to do is get them close together and they do all the work for you!  How wonderful, right?  Here's a sample of some pieces with magnets....

https://www.etsy.com/listing/115818697/square-champagne-gold-bracelet

Here's a sample of a *necklace* with a magnetic clasp.  This piece was begging for a beautiful clasp!  The crystals on the clasp matched and it was a perfect fit!  What's great about this clasp is that it can be worn in the front OR back - making what I call a "2-fer" - 2 pieces for the price of one... wear clasp in front or back! =)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121690359/mother-bridal-pearl-and-purple-crystal


















TOGGLE
The next type of clasp to talk about is the Toggle.  One of my favorites!  It is, in simplest form, a circle with a bar that comes up and through the center.  VERY easy for anyone to do.  In it's more extravagant form, it can be worn in the front or even on the side.  Here are some examples:

I'd wear this in the back - but you can see the toggle clearly
https://www.etsy.com/listing/178824158/pink-purple-clear-ab-necklace-quartz

Beautiful Leaf clasp - worn in the front or back
https://www.etsy.com/listing/160691973/lime-green-turquoise-and-antique-copper

HOOK & EYE
And one last, for today's lesson - the hook and eye.  You can see on this piece the little hooks on either side of the orange bracelet, in the front (yes! the orange detaches and can be worn as a bracelet!  Another 2-fer!).  In this case, since I wanted the bracelet to be easily removed, I went with this type of clasp.  It's very classic, and gets the job done...but I will say, it can be a little tricky getting that hook into the teeeny tiny little hole - but MUCH easier than the springs =)  These types of clasps are also good for necklaces which are don't have a lot of weight, because the toggle does need some downward force to keep it in place (if that makes sense).

(Listing coming soon!)

Until next time!