lindsey marcella

jewelry time

I played with some of my beads today...it was fun, especially since the only thing I've been doing with beads lately is taking pictures of them! I made these pretty earrings, and thought I'd post a little teeny tiny photo tutorial. I won't go into explanation of the steps, but if you need help you can refer to my old tutorial here, or email me!

You don't need a lot of tools to make earrings! For these, I would suggest some flat nosed pliers, wire cutters (or nail clippers!), and round nose pliers.

You'll of course want some beads. Everything here except for the wire can be found in the shop, but you can substitute these for any beads of your choice. I like the flower cap look though, so it's up to you!

2 lengths of 5" long and 2 lengths of 3" long 24 gauge soft wire
2 white milk glass beads for the bottom dangles
2 creamy pearls for inside the 'flower'
2 lucite flowers for petals
2 brass flower caps
1 pair of earring findings

 

Layer the beads for the top dangle in order, and add a spiral twist at the end of the longer 5" wires to hold the beads on. Make a small wrapped loop at the top, attach to the earrings, and close. I bent my earrings to shape. For the bottom dangle, thread the milk glass beads onto the smaller 3" wires and make a single loop at the bottom. To attach to the spirals, make a larger wrapped loop. Done! These are so fast and easy to make. If you want to make this exact pair of earrings, but don't want to buy a ton of extra beads, let me know and I can always put together a special (and less expensive!) bead kit for you.

I also made a super fast but so pretty necklace. I used these vintage links and some chain that I haven't listed yet. Just thread it on, add a clasp, and it's done! I really love the gold tone with the sterling.

Fun stuff! Now back to not so fun cleaning and organizing.

pure and simple

I picked up one tiny skein of Rowan purelife (organic cotton) and immediately put it to good use. (Both of which are available here.)

I've got some more ideas for these pretty necklaces in the works too!

Busy as a Bee

I'm not really doing a lot, but I don't seem to have enough hours when I get home from work to do what I want to. I haven't worked on my quilt at all this week...I think the only thing I sewed was the hem of a pair of pants! I did get to make a lot of jewelry though, which was fun. And finish up a good book. And catch up on some recorded tv...but still! There's always something else I'd like to be doing.

Tuesday at the craft hour was great! I'm so glad I did it, and thanks again to Natalie who set everything up! I made the tutorial, but didn't bring it. I think it would have confused beginner beaders. Maybe I'll post it here sometime. I had a decent sized group, and was able to sit with almost everybody one on one to show the steps. Most everybody had to leave early though, so I didn't get any finished photos.

Have you seen the Macro photo challenge? I love the macro setting on my camera. I use it almost exclusively when I take jewelry pictures. It gets such nice, crisp detail. I'm not going to post a macro picture each day this month, but maybe here and there. Here's a shot from my desk...

You can't see it, but there's a little flower under the blue cone. The cones themselves are cool too - they're vintage german glass. I got the last 2, so they were perfect for these earrings. You can see my poor sheet of paper too. I usually only keep one piece on my desk, and scribble it up until you can't read it at all. Then I get a new one. Works for me!

Wrapped Up Again

I like doing too many things: sewing, quilting, crochet, knitting, reading, making jewelry. I can't do it all at once either! So it kind of rotates daily/weekly/monthly/yearly. Today I'm back on the jewelry swell. Maybe it's because I've got that class tonight? Who knows. All I know is that I made some earrings that I love, so I've got to list them on the jewelry etsy fast!

And many more...what would I do with my time if I didn't make things?!

Getting Ready

I've got 30 of these jars all set for my teaching session tomorrow night. I have to admit these were fun to make, and fun to look at too. I have 5 different colors of the main crystal drop:

The only things that I still have to do are cut the wire and make up my PDF tutorial. I wanted something that they could bring back with them, in case the jewelry bug bit. Speaking of, the jewelry bug hit me yesterday while I was finishing these up. I went and made a whole new Etsy, this time just for my jewelry. Crazy me!

Giving Thanks

Thank you all for being part of the blog world! To show some appreciation, I've created a special sale just for blog readers. I have just refreshed my website with new items, and added a special coupon code.

Get 20% EVERYTHING listed on my site from now until the end of the day Friday, December 7. There is no minimum order requirement, and you can use the code as many times as you would like. When checking out, enter the coupon code:

HolidayBlog

...and your order will automatically be disounted. The site will then take you to complete your order securely through PayPal.

Here's a peek at what's been added:

Regularly $18, but with the sale it's only $14.40!

Regularly $8, but with the sale only $6.40!

As always, everything ships free and will be ready to be gifted - either to yourself or a friend!

+made+

My Day

And lots more to come.

hello, lynda!

Thanks for reading my blog! I wanted to let you know that I have your bracelet all fixed up here. I really like the beads!

I'm not going to be home for a few weeks, so e-mail me your address and I'll stick them in the mail for you!

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I didn't do any sewing like I wanted this weekend, but I did actually get a lot done. All the necklaces from yesterday, plus a ton of new earrings still waiting to be photographed. Also a lot of cleaning. The front craft room has a floor! I already need to rearrange my fabric shelves-they're overflowing! Which is a good thing, so thanks for all the presents and swapping that caused it!

The other day Derek asked if I had any more bookmarks, like the one I made for myself awhile ago. He wants one. I was hesitant because I don't have any "guy" fabric, but then he cleaned out his closets and I got some of his old shirts. I think they'll be perfect. Maybe I will do a little sewing this weekend after all...

In the groove

I have not only made some new necklaces, but have added all of them to my shop! I was in the mood for something new, so they're not the normal Lindsey things. I love them all though, and hope you do too!

Here's a peek at them, but for more information you can go to Lindsey Marcella.