Wow ! I have some catching up to do ! I don't know if I like this new blogger thing yet. Well, will have to just keep playing.
So it's been a very busy week this past week. Very little creative time but I did manage to put together the necklace pictured below.
I wanted to use the enameled beads I made a few weeks ago before the pollen hit and this is what I came up with so far. I'm not sure if I like it nor am I sure it will stay as it is. I like the solid black beads bringing out the black in the enameled beads however I'm not sure the shape of those black beads is right. Someone mentioned a more organic shape to match the enameled beads & I do believe they are right. The more I look at it, the more I agree. :)
I am getting closer to being able to torch again. Yay ! I can't wait. Am getting very impatient now. I got some filigrana glass I am so very anxious to use ! Filigrana rods are a solid color encased in clear & ready to use. Also stocked up on some glass at very good prices to use with the enamels. I'm ready to get back to that and the blown beads as well. Have LOTS of ideas floating around in my head. Need to get back to making some BOC beads as well. I gave up on the butterflies. They just weren't very good at all. Those need to be very special. So I will just stick with making the beads for the kids. It's all good. :)
That's all for now. Thanks so much for coming by. I hope you come back again soon. Lampwork beads or jewelry - it's all good ! :)
All things considered, when playing with these jumbo blown beads, I feel like the designs need to be simple. The focus is the jumbo blown bead afterall so everything else is secondary right ? Yes but the secondary part still needs to look good. :) I'm not a jewelry designer by any means so anything I make jewelry wise is sorta dumb luck. I put together what I like. These jumbo beads pose a special "need" though and for me, that's been the most fun - trying to figure out what the heck is going to make these big 'ole beads look good. :) Hence, keeping it simple.
So here are two necklaces I put together over the past week - give or take a day or two.
This is The Blues. I really enjoy this necklace. I keep looking at it waiting to actually wear it ! I have these pairs of beaded beads just sitting here on my work table since I made them and as I was putting together this necklace one pair found a spot. I love the combination of the beaded beads and the lampwork beads. I will be making more of the beaded beads in various colors to be added to my necklaces and whatever else. :)
This reds and black necklace is much longer than any that I've made so far. I don't know the length yet though so can't say. lol ! Anyway, I had to wait on the cones to finish it up. I'm unsure if I like it as is with that second strand of black seed beads. I'm thinking it might be too much. Why too much ? Because of the componets used in the main strand. All those shapes plus the main bead. For now it will stay together but who knows what the future holds for this one.
As of right now, I will keep making these fun necklaces with more jumbo beads. The pollen continues to be at very high levels so still no opening windows so I can make beads. sigh........it'll come. :) I am getting quite "antsy" though so I hope it's nearing it's end. Usually after 3 or 4 weeks. We are starting on week 3 now.
Thanks very much for coming by and having a peek at my blog. I hope you come back again soon !
It never stays that way. lol ! Especially for me when it comes to making jewelry. More than a few times I've said I will never make jewelry again ! I always seem to come back to it. I make beads, I have TONS of jewelry making componets, TONS of all sorts of beads to make jewelry with and the tools to do it. So yep, the saying is so true - Never, say never. lol !
The pollen count is ridiculously high - it set records here this past week topping out at OVER 9,000 one day ! A number that has NEVER been reached before in RECORDED history. Because of that, I am unable to torch for now. I needed to do something with some of these jumbo blown beads I've made so back to making some jewelry. It gives me something to do plus it's fun playing with them. I promised a friend of mine I'd make her a necklace out of some of these jumbo beads. Something to go with jeans and a tee shirt she said. I had every intention of making her some special beads however it hadn't come to light just yet. The colors she wanted were giving me some trouble for some reason. I still had every intention of making that necklace I just wanted the beads to be perfectly round. In the meantime, as I was putting together these necklaces for fun, I sent her a picture of one I had made with beads that I felt weren't so perfect but weren't bad either. I kinda liked the shapes of them. She loved it and it's now in her hands. Nice. I'm very happy my friend will get to wear this necklace. I love how it turned out.
I hope she enjoys wearing this for many years to come. :)
I've been really having fun making these necklaces. I have taken two of them apart already to make more. lol ! I took them apart simply because they were just practice necklaces. Just to see if using these jumbo beads in a wearable piece of jewelry worked. It did and so I will keep playing. :)
The one thing I've found about using these jumbo beads in jewelry - for myself, I don't want to take away from the focal point of the necklace which is the jumbo beads. The accent componets need to compliment those big beads, not draw the eye away from them. So far, the necklaces I've made are simple in construction which does that.
That said, the next necklace you see below - over the top ! lol ! Does not adhere to that statement at all and yet it all seems to go together quite well. lol !
This one was a practice piece to see how well all these beads worked together and I think they do. Because I used only one jumbo bead I was able to go a little overboard with the rest. lol ! The sparkle and shine of all those silver beads just do not show thru in this picture though. LOTS and LOTS of that in this piece. lol !
Many more pieces to come in the days, weeks ahead until that day comes I can get back to the torch again. I hope within the next few weeks. :)
Until next time, thanks so much for coming by to visit. Please come back again to see what's happening. And please leave a comment. I love to read them. :)
