Therese's Birthday Blog Hop

Hi everyone, welcome.  I'm so glad you could visit today because it's a special day.  Today is my  friend, Therese's, birthday.  And for the second year she has decided to celebrate by sending some of us a gift rather than us sending her a gift!  She's a wonderfully generous person and this is how she chooses to celebrate her birthday.  I'm really grateful that she considers me one of the people she gifts on her birthday.  So, happy birthday to a wonderful friend!  I feel so fortunate to have met you, Therese. 

Last year she sent us a set of beads and a matching cabochon.  This year she went one better and made the cabochon that she sent us!!  Yes, she MADE it.  As in, she has learned how to fuse dichroic glass and made fantastic cabs and decided to send them to all the people she asked to participate.    She's amazing and her work is fantastic whether it's beading, or now fusing glass.  Since I love dichroic glass, I was so excited when the package arrived that I forgot to take a picture of the cab.  And, it is gorgeous!!  But, here is what I did with it.

 

 

 

See I told you it was gorgeous.  You have to remember that she just learned how to do this!!  I knew immediately what I was going to do with it.  I've had the instructions for Lisa Niven Kelly's wire wrapped cabochon for a while and I've wanted to use it for something special.  Well, as soon as I opened the package I knew I had found the something special.  I've done some wire "scribbling" (my name for it) before.  I used it to edge my first copper cuff and I used it on the edge of a pendant.  But, I had never done the actual bezel.  So, here was my chance. 

 

 

I'm not going into detail about the process of doing this technique because the pattern is available on the internet.  But, it's a fun weaving process that results in a bezel that can be tailored to a cab of any shape.  I randomly added some 3mm crystals and fire polished beads along with some coils of wire and some small silver round beads as I wove the wire.  The bail is made with the ends of the wires. I thought all it needed was a chain to finish it off. 

 

Here are some details.

 

 

 

 

I think these pictures show the beauty of the fused glass pendant.  The color is so rich and vibrant. 

 

 

Therese, I hope you have a wonderful day!  You're a wonderful friend and I'm so pleased to know you!

 

Here are the other participants in Therese's big day.

 

 

Alicia

Amy

Bobbie

Christine

Cynthia

Kristen

Lola

Marla

Maryanne (you're here!)

Shirley

Therese and Crystie

 



 





New wire

It's been a while!  I have been weeding out and organizing and before I knew it January was gone!  I don't know where it went, but I know I was busy and I didn't spend much time on the blogs.  I'd quickly check in and then be off to do something else.  I also didn't spend much time creating, just clearing out.  I did make a few tags which I'll share in another post.  I thought January was supposed to be a quiet month!  Oh well, I think I'm back!

I've signed up for a lot of classes this month.  The first one was Saturday at Bead Soup.  It was a wire working class with Sally Stevens.  Sally is a local jewelry artist who teaches at Bead Fest and some of the other national shows, as well as in her home studio.  She designs wonderful wire and metal jewelry.  I've loved her work since I first saw her at a local show.  The design she taught Saturday was one of my favorites. 

 

 

 

This pendant and neck wire is one of Sally's designs that I've wanted to make for a long time.  It looks so intricate but when you break it down it's really not difficult to make.  The lampwork beads are made by Sally's daughter and they are beautiful!  Here's a close up of the pendant.

 

 

 

 

We left the class with a completed necklace and I've worn it and gotten several compliments on it.  I couldn't be more pleased with it.

 

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you have a wonderful day.  January's over and we're heading towards spring!!! 

 







Wire Working for a friend

A friend of mine makes beautiful baskets.  I love baskets.  I use them to store things, but I also use them as decorative pieces.  I love the tactile and sculptural appeal they have.  Well, anyway, my friend makes these wonderful yarn baskets.  I asked her if she would make me one.  As all you knitters know, you can never, ever, have too many yarn baskets!  I was planning on paying her for the basket, but she had seen a wire and pearl ring I had made myself in a class I took at Bead Soup and she loved it!  So, we decided I would make her a ring and pendant to match and she would make me a basket!  Perfect!  Well, life, and the holidays intervened, and we're just getting our projects done.  I gave her the ring and pendant on Thursday and she's in the process of finishing up my basket.

The ring is a freeform design, so it really appealed to me.  I love the idea of using a little wire and a few small beads to make a really cool ring.  I used pearls in mine and Judy wanted pearls also. 

It uses 16 gauge wire and 24 gauge for caging the beads.  It's a very easy design and each ring, like in freeform beadwork, looks different. 

This is the pendant, which is made in the same way.  I used a bracelet mandrel to shape 20g wire and made a loop on each end, attaching a jump ring to the top.  I then strung the pearls on 24g which I wrapped around the ring.  You can use as many, or as few, beads as you want, and again, each pendant is different.  I've seen this pendant idea many times, and not always in a circular shape, but the idea of caging the beads randomly is very appealing to this freeform kind of gal!  The next one I make is going to be a rectagular one for myself.  I just have to decide on the beads I want to use. 

Well, it's a cold day here, so I'll spend it in the studio, cozy and warm, finishing up a project that never was finished before the holidays.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.