My Bead Table Blog Hop - Revealed!!

 

Remember here, when I showed you what Lisa,

of A Grateful Artist / Pine Ridge Treasures,

had so graciously sent me for the Bead Table Blog Hop she was hosting? 

 

And how I told you what a challenge it would be for me since so many of the beads she sent were ones I didn't normally design with?

 

Well today's the day you get to see what I, along with the other participants, created with our stash of goodies!

 

Everyone was sent something different from Lisa's bead table and we were instructed to create things using her 'bead table stash' along with little goodies from our own bead tables. We were instructed not to purchase anything (if possible) to go along with our beads we were sent and to be as creative as possible.

So, out of the above goodies that I was sent, here's what they morphed into,....

 

First up, there's the Red, White And Blue beads which completely captured my attention - I love Red, White and Blue (Go Wildcats!!)  Of course this will get worn over the 4th of July, but also during all the U of A games!!  I know,...I live in Phoenix not Tucson any more but, I'm a Wildcat fan, what can I say!?! 

 

I took the mother-of pearl pendant that was in the bunch that Lisa sent and mixed in the blue glass rectangle beads (that remind me of Italy, by the way!) and the red disks,...and a few little seed beads and then used one of the lucite flowers and the 'blue coral' beads in the little dangles and another lucite flower as the clasp / connector.  From my own bead table I used the blue seed beads in navy and a mixed blue/white color and I knotted everything on some S-Lon cording. (the bead shop where I shop doesn't carry C-lon and S-lon and C-lon are basically the same material,...mostly the same colors/sizes, too - just FYI). Oh, and I tied on a little bow of recycled Sari Silk that I got from Hampton Artistic Yarns over on Etsy.

 

That little silver sun charm kept yelling for my attention as did all those yellow and orange beads (Colors I don't normally work with, but that I love and that always capture my attention!)

And then there were all the lucite flowers,....oh boy, what to do with these - this was the challenge!  I don't use much lucite, acrylic or plastics in my work and even less flowers,.....so these were super hard to get in the 'zone' with.  I love how all my fellow beady-peeps I follow can make these sweet flowers look so wonderful and appealing in their designs - me,....not so much. They look forced and  way weird when I use them. That's how I feel, anyway.

However, these earrings happened quite easily,....and they make me want to have spring all over again, even though I love Autumn! 

 

 

And then, I'd read a post (so wish I could remember where,...it was from a department store,...I think??  oh well, anyway) and the post had this link to a video showing how to creatively wear brooches,...Was is Nieman Marcus? Oh poo!! It wasn't, but for the life of me I didn't save it and cannot find it - anyway - back to what I created. 

 

I wanted to create something I don't make very often but really enjoy designing, so I made a fibula/brooch and used the yellow and orange beads and flowers Lisa sent along with 16g sterling silver wire and then wrapped the beads with some pretty green craft wire to make it seem more like a garden. 

 

 

It reminds me of Rome,...not because Fibulae is the Latin term for the ancient Roman brooch, but because of the sun and golden colors of the beads and because it was bright and sunny and the grass was such a lovely color of green last month when I was walking through the Palentino and the Forum and there were gardens,...and I'm getting side-tracked again!  (see,...Sidetracked Shelly!! But, you see where my inspiration came from now, right?)

 

 

So, last, I turned my attention back to the blue beads,....it's a safe bet,..me and blue!

 

I wanted to knot some of these cute blue beads into earrings and I had been leafing through my copy of Erin Siegel and Lorelei Eurto's Bohemian Inspired jewelry book again last weekend and remembered Erin's Vintage Glam earrings from page 34 and decided that something similar to those would be nice, so here's what became of those pretty blue beads and that idea:

 

 

I think these will be fun with some jeans, a white-T and of course,....a blue jean jacket!

 

I still have tons of beads left over from what Lisa sent me, but I used as many as I could for now. 

 

I do have plans for those blue Lucite pods,...earrings of course!  When I get those created I'll post them here on the blog for you to see. 

 

I want to thank Lisa for sponsoring and hosting such an enjoyable challenge.  It really stretched my creativity and was a ton of fun!!

 

Please hop on over to each one of the participant's blogs below and check out all the lovely pieces they've created - I know you will be impressed!!
 

 

My Bead Table Blog HopYour Host: Lisa Lodge
 

Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution

Ginger Bishop, lilmummy likes...

Tanya Boden, Fusion Muse

Lisa Boucher, Lisa’s Clay Happenings

Michelle Buettner, Mishel Designs (You Are Here!)

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Mikala Coates, Maybe Just Perhaps

Marlene Cupo, Amazing Designs

Kathleen Douglas, Washoe Kat's

Mary Anne Klinglesmith Flesch, Hand Crafted Serenity

Therese Frank, Therese's Treasures

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Tanya Goodwin, A Work in Progress

Mary Hicks, Falling Into the Sky

Tina Holden, Polymer Clay Bytes!

Shelly Joyce, Au jour le jour

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Kathy Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Susan Lloyd, Designs by Susan

Cynthia Machata, Antiquity Travelers

Kashmira Patel, Sadafule .. always in bloom!

Inge von Roos, Inge's Blog

Kristen Stevens, My Bead Journey

Sonya Stille, Dreamin' of Beads

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

Sandra Wollberg, City of Brass Stories

 

 

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Beads from My Bead Table (and Lisa's)!

 

 

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

The Low Down,....

The 'emotions' roller-coaster was in full swing last week. 

From sad things to happy things, here's a little run down and also a gesture of appreciation for you at the end of this post!

 

 

• A childhood friend was laid to rest.  (this was the sad/sucky part!)

RIP My Friend - See Ya On The Other Side!

• Had a bead magazine ask for an article from me for publication in 2013! (Woo-Hoo!!)
• Found out some various designs I submitted were accepted by a couple of bead magazines (double woo-hoo!)
• Saved a turtle who decided to venture out of 'lake-land' into the "asphalt jungle". (feel good kind of thing!)

 

He's cute, isn't he?!

 

• Created Jewelry to submit to more magazines and to put in a boutique. (fun part - but I can't show you anything yet!)
 
• Listened to the adventures the Hubby and Son had while camping this weekend: torrential rains, held baby horny toads, almost broke a bridge by crossing it, chased by a swarm of bees and stung (hubby!), hit a tree head on,...with his motorbike and his head (again - Hubby!), heard bears, found gorgeous crystals and fossilized shells, helped a stranded motorist, returned some one's lost phone, saw a gorgeous rainbow, and got pictures of none of the above! (they ARE the reason I have so many wrinkles and why I twirl my hair with both hands at the same time!! Actually - more Hubby than Son - Son's the responsible one!)

 

Partner's in Crime!

 

 

• Had an awesome massage!(Thanks Debbie!)
• Cleaned the house, did laundry, got groceries. (nothing new there!)
• Stopped by Creative U and got my Creative Fix (and some supplies!) and chatted with friends!

 

Hanging with Jen @ Creative U

 

• Filled orders and shipped stuff (thank you to all my wonderful clients - you rock!)

There's lots of other things too, but this is plenty to list for now!

 

I wanted to spread some love around by having a sale over on my MiShel Designs Etsy site from now until September 7th, 2012.  

 

 

 

 

 

When you use coupon code ENDOFSUMMER45 upon check out with Etsy, you will save 45% off your total order!

 

The reason I'm having a sale this huge is because I'm clearing out my inventory to make room for some new jewelry designs coming in October.

 

The other reason for the sale is that I'll be shutting down both of my shops from the 8th of September thru the 30th of September while I'm away on vacation (more details on that later next week!).

 

Hint: There's a Roman Aqueduct where I'm going!

 

The sale is only good in my MiShel Designs shop, not my Shel's Jewelry Supplies shop.(Sorry about that, but I've got my findings priced as low as I can possibly go right now.)

 

So, what kinds of things have been going on in your life lately?  Any stories to share?

I'm going to be having a little give-a-way, sharing some jewelry pics and putting up another little tutorial here on the blog this week.  (At least that's the plan anyway - wish me luck!)

So, stay tuned and have a great Monday!!
 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Hair Twirling!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Time to Play!

What kinds of things do you like to do or create when you have one of those rare days where you can just do anything,...and your beads, findings and all your goodies are just staring you in the face?

I filled orders, finished laundry and cleaned the house yesterday so today,...it's time to play!

I love these days! 

I did snag some rather cool vintage crystals and beads on a little outing with my hubby this week.

So, now it's time to do that playing thing I mentioned!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and PLAY TIME!

Cheers,

~Shel~

**Unfortunately I have no macro shots this week, so I'm unable to play along with I Heart Macro. But you should stop by and check things out because there's some really cool pics this week!**

Procrastination,....

I’ve been working on getting photos of things I’ve created over the past few months.

Yes, I said months.

Usually I’m able to get pics with in a week or two,…but that’s not the case here lately.

I have stuff from back in March that I created during Spring Break while on the beach in California that I am just now getting around to photographing.

Does this ever happen to you? 

I mean, do you ever have plans to do things and for whatever reason, they keep getting pushed back or put off? 

Is it procrastination,…laziness,….too much to do with too little time to do it? 

What’s the deal?
 

For me, it’s a bit of all of this. 

I procrastinate.  I’d rather be doing other things.
Or like normal – I get sidetracked!! 

My hubby and son have nicknamed me “Sidetracked Shelly”. Not sure that’s a good thing!!


And sometimes I’m just lazy and would rather do this than that today.  Or this over here looks easier, more fun and interesting than this thing over here that needs attention.

(Sound familiar? Please tell me it does!!)

And then there’s times when I’m actually ready to do something and I’m working to get it accomplished and now, because of my procrastination and laziness,…well, now there’s too much to do and too little time to do it in. 

(Self-induced stress – what the heck?!!)

What do you do in situations like this? 

I mean, I know what I need to do to get all my stuff done, I just find other distractions, ya know?  

I've been updating my C.V. and some of my past classes and this kind of stuff lately too, and as I look back on the last few years I realize that I actually have accomplished quite a few things.

  

How about you?   Does it sometimes feel like you’re not accomplishing anything? 

Or, have you ever looked back after thinking that and said,

"Hey, that’s not too shabby.  I know I can do better, but it's not too bad!”

I hope so!! 

Here’s to kicking each other in the pants to keep us all going in the right direction!!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Moving Forward!

 Cheers,

~Shel~

***Side Note***

I find it a tad ironic that this post will hit just as I am ready to go away for the 4^th of July and have my shops on vacation mode – LOL!!
  

I guess this isn’t good timing – but it is what it is, right?!! 

Oh, and I was playing around with some photoshop stuff and some ipiccy things for this post.

You know,...instead of doing what I'm supposed to be doing!

;-)

Happy MiStakes

So, as I was working on some things this week, I sort of had a little mishap with these shapes here,...

They just didn't come out the way I wanted them to. 

But they're silver.  Silver's not cheap. 

Less expensive than it was about 8 to 10 months ago maybe, but it's still a pretty penny.

And, I didn't feel like setting them aside until a later time either.

Nope, for some reason, my hands just kept going and the ideas flowed and here's what they became.

Rugged, mishappen pieces of silver,....like that of an old spur perhaps, or a bridle.

So, these became "Horseshoe Pass".

Living here in the 'Wild West' can really spur your imagination.

No pun intended!  

What happy mistakes have you made recently? 

Or, what's your best-ever happy mistake?

Please share it with us!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Letting It Flow!

Cheers,

~Shel~

P.S. - Did any of you happen to catch my little 'MiStake' in the blog title today? 

Or is it a mistake,...it's kinda like the name of my company.  ;-)

BTW,...

There's a few things on my bead table this Wednesday.

Easy Beading - Volume 8

Kalmbach's Easy Beading Volume 8 arrived on my beading table this week. I've got a pair of Keshi Pearl Dangle Earrings on pages 236-237.  I was very excited to learn this!!

Keshi Pearl Dangle Earrings
by Michelle Buettner

You should see all the very cool projects in this book - oh my!  It's eye-candy central and the various designs are just delish!

Fanciful Devices - Etsy - Tutorial

Then, this past weekend, I got the opportunity to play with the tutorial I ordered from Fanciful Devices over on Etsy. Her Tribal Gypsy Bangle Tutorial.  Wow - how fun are these?!!

My attempt at 'Tribal'

Trust me when I tell you they're addicting to create - seriously!!

My White Pearls Bangles with a little Hootie!

On another note, tomorrow's the last day of school for our son.  Summer will officially be here and I'm so grateful for that.  I'd prefer it not be 114 degrees for the next 4 months, but the rest of the year really rocks when it comes to weather, so I'm not going to complain.  I will tell you that I'm extremely grateful for air-conditioning that works though!!

Arizona Desert

What are your plans for the summer - got anything special going on? Are you traveling, seeing family and friends, hanging out, having BBQ's and enjoying the season? 

Family BBQ at the Cabin

How about your creative side?  Are you crafting, beading, smacking some metal around and playing with fun stuff this summer? 

Painting at Creative U!!

I'm hoping to be teaching a couple of classes over the summer when I'm here in the Valley. 

Words on the Wall at Creative U.
So True,....So True!!

I also want to play with some new materials and create a few fun, new designs.

Front Porch of the Cabin

I'm also going to be visiting with my sister in the mountains at her cabin.

Moon over the Cabin

 I love it up there!  It's so beautiful.

There's inspiration everywhere you look!

Wild Flowers in the Meadow

I hope you're planning on having a wonderful summer, full of creativity, family, friends and all the things you love!

Linking up today with Bead Table Wednesday
over on Flickr - won't you join in the fun?!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Let the Summer Fun Begin!

Cheers,

~Shel~