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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

some of My Bead Stash For Your Viewing Pleasure

so I promised to show ya'll some of the beads I bought from a vendor in Canton Texas at First Monday.  For those who don't know First Monday is a gigantic flea market where you can buy anything from beads to antique furniture to delicious junk food and to everything in between.  I have been twice and i still haven't seen the whole place!

So anyway, my in laws were visiting this past week end and we decided to go again.  i of course only wanted to go to buy more beads from that vendor.  I made another haul.  And although I don't know for sure all of the beads I bought the vendor seems pretty good at identifying them.

So here goes and I will tell you that these pics don't do justice to most of these beads:





Below is a green turquoise.  Love the shape and the variations of color in these.  There's brown, pink, white, green, black.







Next is clear quartz nuggets.  They are a really nice sized nuggets and very heavy.






These babies below are the most beautiful shade of turquoise turquoise.  They remind me of robbins eggs.  Large.  I think they would make an extraordinary necklace.






Below, these round discs are chalk turquoise.  They are a very light shade of blue.  The vendor explained to me that chalk turquoise is real turquoise but it's crushed and then put back together in different shapes of beads.  I love these beads and think they'd make a show-stopper of a necklace.






This is more turquoise.  The color is gorgeous but it didn't come out well in a picture.  These beads have holes that would cause the beads to lay in triangles.  I don't think that came out right but you can see at the bottom how the holes run.






Then there's these babies below.  They are barrel shaped turquoise beads!!  They have cracks and everything. These are mine, mine, mine!!!





These beads are a beautiful shape and vary in size.  They are agate and the color variations are beautiful.  From black to brown to grey to off-white.  Lovely.




These red beads are actually blood red and are lead crystal.  Love the shape of these and they are a very substantial size.





These large briolettes are pink quartz.  A very light shade of pink.  They have an almost chalky appearance.




Then there's these turquoise nuggets.  They have a lot of brown in them and are a really good size.  I don't usually like nuggets.  Too much fuss for not a lot of impact.




These black beads are obsidian and when they are cleaned up I can just tell they will sparkle.


These cute little hearts are shell.  They have a lovely opaqueness (is that a word?) about them.



And take a gander at this pink coral.  That bottom one looks like a tooth was growing out of it. Yuck! But I could not resist them--less the toothy one that is.  No idea what I will do with these.  Maybe just keep them to gross myself out.





 Then there's these rocks below.  They look like a mix of some rhodocrisite (spelling?), rocks, amethyst and who knows what else.  But I really like them all mixed up together




I don't know if these are amazonite or aquamarine.  Anyone want to take a guess? Even the bead guy wasn't sure.  I think they are amazonite.



These black labrodorite beads are gorgeous in person.  They have a light but instead of blue it's a shiny silver that you get glimpses of.



And I know chrysoprase when I see it.  These suckers were a cool 70 bucks for the strand in some high end bead store.  They are magnificent.  I love that color of green and then the almost caramel brown.  Really pretty.  My mother is really hinting at wanting something made from these.  We'll see.  If she's good maybe


So what do you think of some of my stash.  I am over the moon at finding this guy.  If you ever go to Canton for First Monday you can't miss him.  Any of you beady peeps will scope him out immediately!

So that's all for now.  Hope you enjoyed seeing all of these amazing rocks.  Never thought I'd become a bead hoarder.  I've heard of  those types but never thought I'd be one.  My guy walked into my new studio the other day, looked at me sitting in the floor surrounded by beads, shook his head and walked out.  LOL LOL LOL.  Love it!!!  He said I looked like I was in some type of dream state.

See you later1

Sunday, August 31, 2014

We're Finally In our House!

So I'm back.  We've moved in.  We have cable and internet and now are working on furniture and appliances.  I'm sure my husband is now sorry he sold EVERYTHING when we sold our place in Oklahoma.  I tried to tell him that moving it was better than buying it all over again.  But noooooo he said it was no big deal!!

Anyway now waiting on a refrigerator because we are damn tired of eating out for every meal.  This has not been pleasant and my waistline shows it.  Back to the gym for me.

Went to Canton Texas this weekend and bought another load of beautiful beads from one of the vendors. I am in awe of them because they have some fantastic beads.  I am totally going to upload some pics of all the goodies i've bought and I want to put some in my etsy store.  I am having a difficult time trying to decide what to sell and what to make with.  I'm such a bead hoarder.

Oh, i'm so glad we are getting settled in finally because I am going to take another class from Deryn Mentock.   If you'll remember I took a class this past spring 2014 called the Alchemy of Objects and she is a fantastic teacher and I learned a lot from that class.  I now have a new vision for my jewelry making and for using found objects

This new class is called The Art of Closure where she's teaching how to make some really gorgeous clasps for your jewelry projects.  She has taught the class before so it's not new but it's new to me and some former students raved about it.

So i'll be posting the projects we are making and talking about some of the things we are learning.  I can't say too much about anything but the techniques.  Don't want any copyright infringement charges!!!  But it's fun to share what you learn with others.

If you might be interested in the class (the more the merrier) you can read about it on her blog somethingsublime.typepad.com.  I am getting nothing for telling you about it so go ahead and check it out!  I will try to post some pics tonight.

Later!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

It's Ours!!!

So, i've been missing in action for a while now.  So sorry but so busy and stressed out.  New city, new job, trying to purchase a new home (new to us) and it's all been too much.  So I cut way back on blogging and jewelry making .

But tomorrow we finally close after weeks of sending everything but our first born (we don't have kids by the way).  Finally approved for the loan and we start moving in tomorrow after we close.  Yippy! to have our own space again is fabulous!

My sister has been accommodating and all but for a couple married 33 going on 34 years and having our own space it's been a trial.  Thank God my sister let us stay with her but time to go.  So saying all of this is making it seem real.  My plan was to get an apartment and just house hunt along with renting.  But my hubs thought it would be great to save money and pay my sister for rental instead.

I'm sure she's happy to see us go.  Not in  a bad way but she's a single lady with grandkids who often visit so i'm sure she'll be glad to have her house back.

I have made some jewelry and i've been giving stuff away just to destash some stuff I don't have to pack but i've been lax in taking pics so none to show.

I'll be back in full force by the end of the month and come back to show some of what i've made.
Until then pray that the move and settling in for us goes smoothly.

Have you had any major changes recently?

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

We Found Our House, We Found Our House!!!!

I am so excited!!!!!
We decided to just start looking every evening after work to finally find that house that we both agree'd on.  I must say it's been rough.  He has weird taste (in my opinion) and i'm sure he feels the same about me.

But anyway, we were in a little neighborhood waiting for our realtor (lovely guy with a lovely wife and new baby) so we decided to drive around the neighborhood a little to see what it had to offer.

so we drove about 2 streets over and came across these wonderful houses that looked like condos or something to me.  He said those are not condo's.  I said yes they are.  So of course the next thing was to prove each other wrong.  And boy am I happy he was right and I was not cause the more we looked and drove around the streets the more we both realized that these were indeed houses.

So, at the house we were supposed to look at was another couple with their realtor looking at it.  But by this time we didn't care.  We looked at the appointed house and it was lovely but just didn't compare to the ones we stalked earlier.  We told our realtor about the ones we had seen and he got on the phone with the listing agent and we could see it right then!!!

I was thrilled.  So, we get back to the stalked home and there was that other couple!!!  I wanted to yell out of the window move!!! I think that's our house but of course didn't.

We finally got inside and it's my house!!! I was so excited I could hardly walk around it.  It was everything I had been looking for (I know this sounds a little creepy like I found my soulmate or something) but it was a dream come true.

I only have one picture on my phone and the rest I took with hubs phone cause mine was dying.

The pictures just don't do the place justice but here goes--

Here's our cute realtor opening the door for us.  He has the cutest wife and little big green/blue-eyed baby you've ever seen.  I took a pic of little Josh but I didn't think it appropriate to put his pic on my blog.


This is from the inside of the front door. That door is stunning.  I love it.




This is the first room that I think the owners used as a "living room" but we are going to combine it with the dining room to make it a big  family room.  Don't you just love those floors.  First on my agenda is to get rid of that thick expensive carpet and try to match the hard room in the dining area.


Here's another transom above the door to the master bedroom.  I love these "old" touches in this home.



This is the master bedroom looking into the master bath.  It's kind of dark and it also has expensive carpet which I intend to get rid of.  Hubs thinks i'm crazy but we came from a house with all hard wood with nary a carpet to be found and I love'd that about our last house.  So it'll be a tug of war but I WILL WIN!!


Now this is the master bathroom which needs some work but I kind of like the old  glass-tiled shower.  What do you think?  The huge tub is jetted and 2 windows surround it.




This is a weird little space just outside of the bath.  It's tiled and open to the sky so I think it's a little area to look at while you take a bath.  Hubs says he'd put a big tree in a big decorative pot out there and maybe a little bench and call it a meditation space.  Like he meditates!!!! Please.  It's a little odd for me.  Think i'll ask the owners what they did with it.






This is the outside of the home.  I wanted to show you how close these homes are but couldn't get the other home in the picture.  They are called "garden homes".  This house is on a corner of the neighborhood so the back is surrounded by this brick wall on the street side.





This is the staircase up to the second floor.

This is the wonderful closet in the master bathroom.




And look--a built-in hutch in the bathroom!!  I love it.





Another shot of the living area.  That hutch looking thing in the corner is another built-in.  It housed the old fashioned tv (I say that like I wasn't around for those big ol' tv's).  Has a pullout thing for the tv to swivel on.  Don't quite know what I'm gonna do with that.  Any ideas?  Our tv is one of those huge flat things that will go on another wall.  We shall see.  I love that the whole house has wooden shutters.  Talk about expensive! We were always too cheap to get them for our last house.  Maybe too poor too.




This is a shot of the kitchen from the dining room.  Don't really like the tile but hubs thinks it's great. Mostly because he thinks it would cost a fortune to remove and replace.  This house is built to last.


Another view of the kitchen looking into the little dinette area.  It's small but there is a nice dining room at the back of the kitchen.  Don't know why they had 2 dining rooms.  It's not like i'm a great entertaining hostess or anything.  Maybe i'll get into it who knows.



Another view of the front.  Nicely landscaped.  Again, not big at all and the hoa takes care of the front and the back.




This is a view of the backyard which you enter from the kitchen.  You can see the wall on the right.



This is the side yard sort of.  Not much landscaping to do but I certainly will be planting something pretty there.  That deck is made out of that composite stuff which will last for years and years.





Just a view from the top of the stairs and that is the door to the master bedroom.


So that's the tour.  It's not a huge home.  Just big enough for the two of us and my mom if and when the time comes.

So I need you all to keep good thoughts that it's ours!!!  We should know by tomorrow because the husband is out of town on a trip and should be back then.  Once we hear, let the decorating begin!!!

Oh yea i've been so busy house hunting that I totally haven't made a piece of jewelry but the girls at work want me to bring some jewelry to work for them to pick through so if I can remember i'll do that.  Maybe after tomorrow with some good news I can finally relax and make some more pieces.
Keep those positive thought coming our way!!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Addition to Etsy Store

Hi everybody-

this is just a note to tell you that I decided to add some destash items to my Etsy store.  I have so many beads and things that I think it's the right thing for me right now.  The prices are really good because I'd like to lighten my load of stuff before we finally move into our new house--whenever that will be.

I'm selling beads and will be putting various findings in the store.  So, if you are interested please check it out here.

Haven's made anything this week.  I think too lazy and wanting to rest after work.  Hopefully I will find some energy somewhere this week to make.  I haven't even gone antiquing this week.  I surely wanted to but just couldn't muster up the energy to even do that.  And it's one of my fav things to do.

The house we put an offer in on and someone else made a better one so back to the drawing board.

Until next time.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

It's Been Awhile!

Since I last blogged.  This full-time job thing is killer.  But i'm enjoying bringing home a paycheck.  I haven't had (or made) a lot of time to blog or create jewelry but i'm hoping to change that.  I've decided that I will post at least every Sunday.

I have made a few new pieces that i'm happy to show you because I think they are really pretty.  I'm still fascinated with vintage rhinestone pieces including buttons and brooches.  I have gathered quite a collection at this point and i've got to start using them.

I found the vintage blue rhinestone brooch at my fav antique store a couple of weeks ago.  It's large and blingy just like I like it.  I think this is the largest brooch i've used.  It's not signed so I thought i'd use it with these gorgeous gemstone beads.  They are a beautiful blue that goes perfectly with the brooch.  I wore this one to work one day just to see if I got a reaction and wow did I!  I had 5 women ask where it was from and how they could get one.

I added a long dangle at the back to give it more interest back there and used the same gemstone beads and a clear crystal.


This necklace is one of the prettiest ones i've made yet.  If you like bling it's listed in my  shop now.  So go check it out.



I found the vintage button with a star design at another antique shop that's a bit farther away from where I live but there is a lady there that is a button freak (her words).  She has some amazing buttons to choose from and is happy to tell you all about them.  Really nice lady.  so I found this vintage rhinestone button that I fell in love with mainly because it reminds me of the Texas flag.
the beads are faceted lapis which I bought a while ago.  I love the look of the blue with the bling.
I also listed this one in my etsy store. It's about 19 inches long including the focal.


And then there's this necklace.  I have been searching high and low to find one this vintage rhinestone buckles and finally!!! I used half of the buckle to make the necklace below.  I bought the beautiful beads at a bead show so I don't exactly know what they are gemstone wise.  I'm thinking they are chrysoprase because they are a beautiful green color and faceted.I made a sterling hook clasp for the necklace and it's about 20 inches long including the focal.
I haven't worn this one to see if I get comments but my friend is clambering for it.  We'll see.
Lovely, lovely.  I'm so glad I found that buckle.  Now i'm looking for more of them to incorporate into my jewelry.

I've blogged about this one before but thought it's worth showing again.  I love all the pink with the black mixed in.  That pink rhinestone brooch I bought from a Facebook group that destashes and sells stuff and it is really pretty with the bow at the bottom.  The beads are rhodonite and pink/black faceted agate beads mixed together.


The pinks are not "matching" but the colors all blend together well.
My flex shaft is working miracles in my life and i'm so glad I splurged and bought it.  I have put holes in different objects and pieces of jewelry components, polished with it and there are uses I still don't know about yet.  If you are really into the jewelry making thing then i think it's worth saving up to get the best flex shaft you can buy.  Mine is a Fordham that is said to be the best.


Oh, yeah, we think we've found our next house.  It's in a lovely gated community that's small and very well established.  We are now jus waiting to see if the current owners will accept our offer so we can move in before the end of summer.  I will be so glad to have a home of my own again.  I love my sister and appreciate her willingness to put up with us awhile but I think it's time to move on.  Here's a little peek at what it looks like.

This is the back of the house which I love because the yard is full of mature trees and there's plenty of shade for the Texas heat that has already arrived in early July.

This is just some landscaping in the back by the pond that runs thru the whole neighborhood.


The owners built a little sitting deck right over the pond (the pond has not so pretty water in it at the moment) but it's a nice little spot to chill in the evenings and weekends.
So everyone say some well wishes for us to finally get back to our lives and owning a home of our own!!! Stay tuned to the saga of offers, counters and yeses and no's.

Oh, a few more pieces to show-earrings.

I found these cute little earrings and knew I had to have them for the little charms.  The components awesome type of blue material with inlaid mop representing the moon and the stars.  I took them apart and attached some blue crystals and silver plated chain and it made a beautiful pair of earrings.  A lady at my job bought them.  I really was planning to keep them for myself but she admired them so much I sold them.







I made these little magnesite earrings to go with the necklace below it.  Since the necklace is really busy I thought some simple little earrings with a pop of red coral would't over power.



These little charmers can go with that large blue rhinestone focal necklace without being "too much". They are made with the same blue gemstones and some clear crystal briolettes that look blue because they reflect the color of the beads.


The earrings below are made with some religious medals I bout on ebay.  The medals are not vintage but you wouldn't know it by looking.  I just hung some simple clear crystals on them and made some sterling ear wires.  I have worn these many times and have made 4 additional pairs for other ladies who like them.

So that's all for me now.  I'm going to go and make some jewelry on this quiet Sunday morning and be praying that we get this house.  By the way, it happens to be right down the street from my best friend so i'm excited to see if it all pans out.  Later peeps!!!