Bead Peeps Swap N Hop - Package #2 Received!

 As the leader of the group, Bead Peeps, while matching we had a "spare" person....so I picked up a 2nd partner....and what an adventure it has been! =)

Jessica lives in Alaska and has just had her 6th child.  She's SUCH a strong woman!  I can't imagine having 6 children, let alone...living in the bush.....homeschooling AND being a wife and mom.  Whoa!

I sent her package a few weeks ago and you can see what SHE received here:
http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com/2015/03/swap-n-hop-partner-2-has-received-her.html

And THIS is what I received:

 

Some gorgeous spacers, some hearts and a beautiful "message in a bottle".

 

A beautiful lampwork bead, some blue quartz chips, some heart clasps and a beautiful blinged out crown.  

The deets - So, Jessica made the lampwork piece - oh so gorgeous! I LOVE pink and blue - like LOVE it!  So, that will be fun to play with.  I'm going to see how I can add the hearts in.... I haven't worked with something like that before so that will be a challenge for me. 

She also made the stunning message in a bottle, which features a verse about being healed.  I have struggled for nearly 12 years with chronic illness.  God has used that sickness to bring me to a new place in life, where I'm *artistic* and for those who know me - that's weird.  Before getting sick, I had no CLUE I had a lick of artistic ability inside me.  Isn't that incredible?  This beautiful gift that comes from the ashes of a life that *I* thought was the way life would be, from then until forevermore.  

Going to be interesting to see what comes from these pieces..... so many options....so little time. 

Check back here on May 2 to see what I've made and check out the blogs of the other participants, too!

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The Thankfulness Challenge

Sooooooo I'm a little late...but I love the piece and can't wait to share =)

I created this piece a few days ago and really fell in love with the colors.  It reminds me of all the great things in life - fall, warmth, coziness, nature, my family (my father is an INCREDIBLE gardener) and the greatness of God's creation.  These colors are all found in nature and it's a blessing to be able to celebrate them, in jewelry.

 

Make sure you stop by and check out all the other participants and thank you again for stopping by! 

Featured Artist:  Cova Cobalt of Cobalt and Copper
Your Hostess:  Marybeth Rich of Forest of Jewels

Participants:  

Gina Hockett of Freestyle Elements
Carolyn Lawson of Carolyn's Creations 
Shaiha Williams of Shaiha's Ramblings
Lisa Knappenberger of LiRaysa Designs
Bianca Medina of Medibeads
Lee Koopman of Strega Jewellry's Blog
Mowse Doyle of Mowse Made This
Linda Anderson of From the Bead Board

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!