Snow Day in October

Yes, you read right. I saw snow today. Yes, I did double check the calendar. Typically we don't get snow this early in Pittsburgh. Last night the weather man informed us that the last time we had snow this early was in 1972.

I'm not too happy about this snow or unexpected cold weather. I am headed on a camping trip this weekend with my daughter's girl scout troop. Fortunately, we are staying in a heated lodge, but it created a packing nightmare. Heavier jackets, mittens, hats, and long under ware were added to the packing list. I'm hoping the weather man is incorrect about any accumulation.

In honor of today's flakes, I just listed this adorable Snowflake pendant in my Etsy shop . It is a handmade cabochon made from glass and specialized paper. The cabochon is surrounded by speckled pale blue, gray, and metallic blue seed beads. The pendant is backed in slate blue ultrasuede and hangs from a ribbon cord necklace. You can check out more pictures here.

Wishing you warm thoughts this weekend. Please send warm thoughts my way. I have a feeling I'm going to be cold (at some point) the next few days.

Scallop Shell Pendant

This morning the sun poked it head out for a very short time, but just enough for me to get some pictures taken of the new pieces I've completed.

Here's another piece using the handmade cabochons I've been making. The focal piece for this one is a beautiful print of a scallop shell. I added a second tier to the pendant made from african turquoise. I love this color combination of orange, brown, and turquoise. The pendant hangs from a ribbon and cord necklace.

Over the Moon

This was my submission to this week's Thursday Sweet Treat Blog. The theme was "Over the Moon". I created this one of a kind art pendant.

The moon was created with four pyrite beads that are surrounded by a variety of seed, Czech, bugle, and glass beads. The dark side of the moon was created with several different types of black beads. A cascading fringe hangs from the bottom of the pendant. It was created with Czech and seed beads. The pendant hangs from a simple circular neck wire and is backed in black ultrasuede.

So I intended to post this to my etsy shop to keep up with my personal challenge. But due to an unfortunate glitch, my computer keeps losing it's connection and I can't get it posted to on etsy. I get the whole description typed into etsy and then try to move on to the next step and I lose the connection. This has provided an unending amount of frustration. I'm hoping the issue is with etsy and not my computer. I haven't had a bit of trouble getting things posted here.

So I'm going to say that at least I got a new item posted on the blog and hope to post this piece, plus another new one tomorrow on etsy.

I hope that your day has been less frustrating than mine.

Autumn Sunset

Okay, so here's the second day of posting something new to my etsy shop.

This bead embroidered pendant was created with a fossilized coral cabochon. It is really an incredible stone. I didn't want to do too much and take away from the stone. I added the fire opal beads for added interest. I like how they added to the circular feeling of the piece. For a simple pendant, it has a lot of natural detail. I decided to call it Autumn Sunset because of the orange hues. You can see more pictures here.

I'm hoping to take some more pictures today of the other pieces I've finished. The weather man is calling for rain, so I'd better get it done soon.

What are you trying to get done today?

New Turquoise Pendant

I've given myself a personal challenge this week. I'd like to post a new item to my etsy store every day this week. I've been steadily working on pieces for the last few weeks and really need to get them photographed and posted. I only have a few more weeks before my kids head back to school. The first week or two is really crazy. Making sure everyone has what they need and getting back on schedule is really difficult. I wanted to make an effort to pay attention to my shop while I can.

So here's the first piece...

One of my favorite color combinations is turquoise and brown. With that in mind, this pendant came together without much effort. The pendant is actually three separate sections connected by Swarovski crystals in between. The top section is made from a turquoise bead. I surrounded it with seed beads and then added the Capri Blue Swarovski crystals for detail and texture. The center section is a Mocha Swarovski rivoli this is surrounded by seed beads and turquoise colored glass beads. A coin pearl embroidered with seed beads makes up the bottom section. The pendant hands from gold neck wire, but would also look great on a piece of leather.

If you'd like to see more pictures you can check them out here.

Have you given yourself a challenge this week?

To Fringe or Not to Fringe?

Last weekend was rainy and rather cold for mid July in Western Pennsylvania. With that in mind, I created this one-of-a-kind art pendant. The piece was inspired by large raindrops. You know the kind that are huge and make a huge splat against your wind shield. 

Although I am really happy with how it turned out, I can't decide whether or not I should add fringe to the bottom. To fringe or not to fringe, is the question. So what do you think?

Custom Order

A friend of mine wanted a simple pendant that she could wear every day with just about everything. She picked a fossilized coral bead for the center. The one she picked is incredible. It is very detailed. It looks like tiny little flowers. We decided to keep the focus on the beautiful bead and surrounded it with various black seed beads. I alternated between shiny and matte to give the piece some added detail. The pendant hangs from a leather cord that has added beads on either side. The pendant is small, only about 1 1/2 inches wide. I delivered the piece to her this morning and she was very happy. So I'm happy too.

A Tutorial and Giveaway

A couple of months ago, Natasha at Thursday Sweet Treat approached me about writing a tutorial to feature on her blog. I decided to take her up on her offer and I've been busy writing, taking photographs, and rewriting. Today that tutorial is making its debut on Thursday Sweet Treat. The tutorial teaches how to make a Bulls Eye Pendant like the one pictured above. 

Here's the best part if you go over to check out the tutorial and make a comment on her blog, you could win the pendant pictured above. So I hope you'll take a moment to go check it out. The giveaway begins today and runs through midnight June 29th. The winner will be announced on June 30th. 

If you decide to make a pendant, I'd love for you to share it with me. Happy beading!

Finished

The project I showed you last week is finished. I found a little time on Sunday to complete the pendant. I used four different colors of seed beads on the top and bottom sections. The top is enhanced with gold glass pearls. The bottom was embellished with cranberry colored pearls. I backed the pendant with black ultrasuede and attached it to black leather cord. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I hope that my friend is happy too. 

What do you think?

Progress and a Pens Game

Last night was a great night for hockey and beading. The Pens and Capitals played game 7 last night. While the Pens played, I beaded. It was a good combination. The Pens had to win last night's game in order to move on to the next round. I admit I was a little nervous so it was good to work at the same time. Fortunately, the Pens won and I made some progress. It was a good night.

Start of a New Project

Last week I met with a friend to begin a custom piece. The end product will be a pendant. She picked these beautiful fossilized coral beads and a gold coin pearl. 

I found these fossilized coral beads at the Bead Mercantile Show that was in Pittsburgh in March. They are really unique. I love the detail in the beads and each one is different. The one she picked is especially pretty. It reminds me of a flower.