This was a case of glancing at the pearls and suddenly knowing what I was going to do with them.  It doesn’t happen like that often.  Usually I have to rearrange beads and wires, add, subtract, substitute, etc., but this one came together in less that a couple of hours.  The clasp was inspired by a project in Bead on a Wire by Sharilyn Miller.

Have I said before that I don’t like wire wrapping?  I have to work from the spool in order to do them, because my hands just can’t take working with short pieces of wire.  So what did I do on this necklace?  27 wire wrapped loops.

Yesterday I made a rose quartz bracelet; today I restrung it with different beads, as it was too stiff.  Originally I had 5 rectangular beads, plus some rounds and sterling spacers, but it just wasn’t working.  Today everything seems to be coming together.  (So far) I’ve made 2 pairs of earrings, restrung the bracelet, and made another necklace (admittedly I did all the wire wrapping on the beads last night watching the Red Sox).  Pictures coming soon–I tend to do pictures in batches, since I have to edit them and have to be in the mood.

I also had my first sale on Ruby Lane this past weekend.  That took one week, as opposed to Etsy where I was on there for 5 months before I had a sale.

  That strand of pearls has colors ranging from purple to copper (I think they called them peacock pearls). 

Now that I’m on Ruby Lane I’m going to make what I want to make, rather than try to fit into a certain price range.  We have a motto at the shop: Buy in what you like, because you might have to live with it.  So there will be a necklace.  Soon….

After a week of preparation, my jewelry pieces will now be carried  on Ruby Lane as well as Etsy. 

 Well, the past two days have been an experiment in getting myself more productive.  I’ve decided I need to do things in batches (even if they aren’t the same design).  I made earrings last night (while watching the Celtics kickin’ comeback).  I make my own headpins, so I can design right on the spool of wire. I end up stringing them on the wire from top to bottom, so that I make the head of the pin last.  Snip, then a loop on the top (plain or wrapped, depending on preference).  I’ve found I have a much easier time doing a wrapped loop when the wire is still on the spool, since the extra length of wire gives me more leverage.  I make a bunch of dangles in a row this way, then later I can decide what kind of ear wire to attach.  I’ve also found that I cannot make ear wires at night–I can’t get the consistency in the sizes unless I’m fresh. 

So it seems like I don’t get anything done, but then when I attach ear wires, I’ve got three or four pairs of earrings ready.   Fab!   Then I do my pictures in batches when I get down to the shop.  I have photo lights and a light tent down there.  Now if only I could remember to charge the camera.

I just received notification that I’ve been approved for a shop at Ruby Lane!  I’ve been setting it up since last Saturday, and I just received final approval.  I’ll continue to list supplies at Etsy, but I think I’ll be moving the remainder of my jewelry items over to RL.  My first 10 items are already up, and I’ll be adding more tomorrow.  Check it out!     Until tomorrow!

Sorry I’ve been absent for the past week.  Between the heat wave we had last weekend and working on another webstore, I just haven’t had a chance to get back to the blog.  But I have been creating.  I made a bracelet with matching earrings out of some lampwork beads I received from Debby Gwaltney of Starlight Designs.  They are a beautiful violet and green on a white background.  I combined them with Swarovski crystals and Jablonex Czech glass flowers.  All the metal is sterling.  As soon as I get approval on my webstore, I’ll be adding these to it and making an announcement on this page.

I feel like I spend more time editing photos than I do creating anything.  Jewelry is so hard to photograph well!  I can’t swing a new camera with bells and whistles, so I work with my Sony Mavica and Photoshop Elements to make the pictures presentable. 

 I suppose I need to get a schedule going (ie jewelry making M, W, F; photos and webstore T, R), but sometimes things are just up in the air.  I try to do batch photo editing, but after about the 10th photo, it gets old.  I suppose I should just be grateful for any time I have to work.

I have a hutch at the shop that I finally fixed up last week for my jewelry.  Boy, put the stuff in a lit case and people are all interested.

Until next time….