ZNETShows Summer Challenge Blog Hop

Back in April I was notified that as part of the ZNETshows Design team I was part of a new challenge. This one was a Summer challenge.  The theme was 'Summer Days and Nights' and focused on their Cultured Sea Glass. We were to go to ZNETshows website and pick out the 2 colors we'd like to design with to design a daytime 'casual' set and a nightime 'dressy' set.  We were also sent a few other colors, beads, findings to go along with the sea glass we chose. I was interested in working with their red and black seaglass, so sent off my choices.  I thought I had a picture of the stash I received, but I can't seem to find it on my compurter. But what I received in the following pieces was the red sea glass, black sea glass and purple tube beads. The other beads I had received from previous ZNETshows challenge.  But these are the beads I used:

For the Dressy set these are the products I used :

Purple barrel nugget beads found here:

Jet Black Barrel beads here:

Glass pearls, Clear crystals and Oval Purple and Black beads (a type of dyed jasper).

For the Daytime set:

Anklet

Sand dollar beads in red, here:

Hourglass beads here

Earrings:

Small concave square here

Fish here:

These were all fun to play with. I hope you like what I made for my Dressy Nighttime set and my Casual Daytime set. 

Daytime (casual): This is 'Fun in the Sun at the Beach'

Nightime (dressy): This is Evening Mystique

Be sure to check out ZNETshows website for great sea glass and other beads, the ZNETshows blog for more about the design team and the other participants and the new ZNETshows magazine that has more about the design challenge and participants also.

ZNETshows Winter Pearl Challenge

As part of the ZNETshows design team, our newest challenge was for the Winter Glossi.  It is a Winter Pearls Challenge.  We were to pick out 3 pearl items and 2 other items, either crystals or base metal.  These are the items I picked:

Pearls

BDS1868-17 glass pearls teardrop round Beads 0 Raspberry Color K0588  9x7mm 

BDS1894-22 glass pearls round Beads 0 -off white K0822   16mm 

BDS1923-02FIVE glass pearls rice Beads 0 Butter Color K0121(15.5-in-str)  6x4mm   and

Crystals

RT250-05AB Chinese crystal designer glass cube Beads faceted 05AB-Cherry Red AB (50-pc-str)  4mm

 Base Metal

M0513-AS Base Metal Alloy leaf Necklace antique silver tone Chains-antique silver  about 3-9mm 

I have always wanted some of that leaf chain to work with, so this was a great opportunity.  Now I knew those 16mm round glass pearls would be large, but I guess I didn't realize HOW large. LOL  I had googled the size and it just didn't register, I guess, because when I received them, I was in shock for a little while.  I hadn't ever worked with something that large and round.  So, this has been a little bit of a challenge for me.  Here's a picture of what I picked and received.

I knew I wanted to make a sweet pair of earrings with that leaf chain and some of the small rice pearls and the cherry red glass cubes. I love the way these turned out.

And I finally decided I wanted to make a bracelet with some of the large round Pearls.  During all this time, my son and daughter-in-law have been here visiting and helping us do some work on the ranch, so I've been limited in my time to work on my designs.  But she suggested I use some of my pink silk/fiber in my bracelet and necklace design.  So I got it out, cut it up, accordion folded it and punched through it with a large darning needle and strung it between the Raspberry teardrop pearls and the large Off-white Pearls.  I added a small silver toggle clasp and love the way it turned out.

The necklace has been giving me fits, though. I just haven't liked any design I've come up with so far.  But I finally decided to try this. I strung some of the large Off-white Pearls with the Raspberry teardrops and the pink fiber.  Then in the center I added a section of the leaf chain as the focal with the small Red glass cubes and the Butter rice pearls as dangles.  I think I like the way it turned out.  Hopefully ZNET and Hope will like it too and feature it in the ZNETshows Winter Pearl Challenge Glossi coming out in December.

To see more of my Jewelry or Stained Glass, Mosaics and Fused Glass items for your Home and Garden, check out my shop, KayzKreationz.

Pine Ridge Treasures Seasons Blog hop

If you're looking for my ZNETshows Summer Challenge and Giveaway, click here
But first check out my reveal for the Season's Blog Hop below. Thanks
 Recently I signed up with Lisa Lodge from Pine Ridge Treasures for her 'Season's' Blog hop.  We were sent a package of beads to imitate either a season of the year or a season in our life and had to design something.  I fell into my usual forgetfulness and forgot to take a picture of the entire package of beads. However, here is what I have left and you can see what I used in my pieces. 

 I had the hardest time with this.  I couldn't figure out what to make, although the soft purples, white, some black, dark purple crystals, clear and muted white crystals and teardrop beads all evoked 'Winter' to me.  There is also some snowflake charms, some wings, a couple of great purple focal/pendant beads and some grayish/mauve smaller beads along with a couple of silver/pewter keys and a toggle clasp.  I haven't gotten anything to work for the purple focal/pendant beads yet, but for some reason I also kept thinking of when I was younger and how much I liked the 'hippie' look with all the fringe and dangles. (I still do and wear a lot of fringe and dangles) so I decided I needed a 'hippie/fringe/dangly' bracelet.  I really challenged myself with this as I have never done any chainmaille before, but I wanted to make this a chainmaille/hippie bracelet. So I ordered some enamel jump rings in colors I felt would also feel kind of wintry and match the beads and set to work. I picked a very simple/basic chainmaille piece called WiggleMobius as it looked fairly easy for my first piece. While the chainmaille part of it wasn't a problem at all, all the dangles like to drove me insane.   I can tell you, I'm really tired of wire-wrapping right now, but I got all my dangles made with the seed beads (which I don't use much), the white muted teardrop beads, the dichroic clear/purple square beads and the black pearls.  Then I had to start reopening jump rings to attach all the dangles without messing up my bracelet. But I finally got it all done.  I added a simple clasp so as not to detract from the chainmaille and dangles.  This took quite a bit longer than I figured.

Finally I made a wintry pair of earrings with the Snowflake charms and some more wire wrapped dangles using some of the clear crystals with the purple/mauve seed beads, the muted white teardrops and the black pearls.  I attached them to some silver plated earwires. 

 I'm still working on the purple focal beads and the wings.  I have a great idea for the wings, just haven't quite gotten it to work yet.  Hope you like my 'Winter'/'Hippie' kreationz for the Seasons blog hop.  Be sure to check out Pine Ridge Treasures blog for the full list of participants in case the links don't work here.
Your Hostess: Lisa Lodge, Grateful Artist
 
Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Cassi Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Stephanie Sanner Haussler, PixyBug Designs

Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes

 

Karin Slaton, BackStory Beads

Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution

Lori Jean Poppe, Lorillijean Creative Corner

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Alicia Marinache,  All the Pretty Things

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Toltec Jewels, Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends

Lennis Carrier, Windbent

Erin Kenny, Beadifultherapy

Tanya Goodwin, A Work in Progress

Cilla Watkins, Tell Your Girlfriends

Renetha Williams Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Sierra Barrett, Giraffe Can Has

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shirley Jones Moore, Beads and Bread

Dawn Horner, Northern Adornments

Charlene Bausinger Jacka, Clay Space

Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Miranda Ackerley, Daze and Days

 

For more of my Beaded, Wire-wrapped Jewelry, Stained Glass, Mosaics and Fused Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden, check out my shop, KayzKreationz.

Bead Soup Blog Party-3rd Reveal

It's finally here. I'm in the last reveal (the 3rd one) for the monstrous Bead Soup Blog Party.  Lori Anderson of Pretty Things blog hosts this every year and this time around, there was about 540 participants from all over the world.  The basis is this: you sign up for the party, she matches you up with a partner, you communicate, exchange beads and then get to work designing something with your 'soup' from your partner. You have to send and use a focal and clasp, along with a few co-ordinating beads. You are only required to use the focal and clasp, but it's so much fun trying to use everything you receive.  This is my 3rd or 4th soup, can't remember for sure.  And my partner this time is Ann Sherwood  from Ann's Blog.  Be sure to check out what she made with the soup I sent her.  If you want to see the soup I received from Ann, click here. 

 And here's my pieces.  I absolutely loved the ceramice dragonfly focal she sent me. But I had the hardest time coming up with something that I thought would do it justice and let it shine.  I finally hit inspiration in a book my friend Karla Morgan from Texas Pepper Jams lent me about multi-strand necklaces.  (You have to check out their pepper jams. They're to die for!  And she's also participating in this 3rd reveal for the BSBP, so see what she made with her soup.)  So here is my Floating Free necklace with the dragonfly focal.  This was my first time trying to texture, patina and create my own bale from copper strip wire and then rivet it to the focal. I was terrified I'd break the focal while trying to rivet.  But I think it turned out great.  I used the ribbon Ann sent me, the focal, and a few of the green discs she sent. And here's a pair of earrings made with some more of the green discs and the big hole beads used in the necklace.

 
Next up, is my Sweetheart necklace made with the pink and white freshwater pearls Ann sent me and the wonderful blingy clasp she sent. I thought it went very well and matched wonderfully with the shell focal I had and the Pink Rhodondite puff beads as well as some pewter beads I had in my stash.

So there you have it.  My 3 pieces for the BSBP reveal. I'm still working on some earrings to match the second necklace and an idea for the wire knitz Ann sent me, plus the cute little pewter flower beads. I've never worked with wire knitz before, so I'm having a little bit of a hard time getting my idea to work.  Be sure to check out all the participants for the third reveal here on Lori's blog, Pretty Things.  She also has links to the first 2 reveals if you haven't had a chance to check them out yet.  These pieces will probably be available in my shop, KayzKreationz shortly.

Bead Soup from my partner, Ann Sheridan

A couple of weeks ago, I received my bead soup from my partner Ann Sherwood, for Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party.  It took me a while to get pictures of it so I could post it here.  Here's what Ann sent me. This wonderful ceramic Dragonfly focal. She couldn't remember the artist.  I love dragonfly's.  Plus the great Swarovski beads, 5 each of 3 different colors, this gorgeous blingy pewter toggle clasp, these great pewter flower beads and 2 hole connectors, this strand of tourmaline (I also LOVE tourmaline),these pearls, plus this great ribbon and wire knitz. I've never worked with wire knitz and really like the look of it, but not sure how to use it.  Isn't it a great soup?  The only problem is, I'm having the dickens of a time, figuring out what I want to do with it.  I love them all, I'm just not liking any of my designs.  I've google online several times, trying to figure out what/how to work with the wire knitz.  I've come up with several designs for the focal, but nothing is really coming together. And I'm running out of time. I have to use the focal and the clasp and my reveal is the 13th of April.  So stay tuned and see if I get past my design block with this wonderful soup and what comes of it.

And here's what I sent Ann. She said she loved it.  Be sure to watch her blog to see what she creates with the soup I sent her, Ann's Blog.

And if you're looking for some of my Stained Glass, Mosaics or Fused Glass designs for your Home or Garden, check out my shop, KayzKreationz.  You'll also find some of mine and my mom's beaded, wire-wrapped jewelry there, like this great Boot Jewelry with these Jasper stones.

Francesca Watson Art Jewelry Elements Components Challenge

About 4 weeks ago, I entered a challenge on Art Jewelry Elements blog.  Every month they have a designer offer up some of their components to winners chosen from the comments to design something with them.  This month it was a great enameled disc from Francesca Watson.  I was notified on the 12th I was one of the winners. All I had to do was design something with the component and post about it at the end of the month.  Unfortunately, Francesca wasn't able to get the components mailed to us until about the 12th and I didn't receive it until about the 16th.  I was out of town until then and then had 2 weeks worth of volunteer work that I had signed up for.  So this has been really tight for me. And then my Dad (who is 83) had to have an emergency appendectomy last Thursday (which they tell us is very unusual for anyone his age), so I lost Thursday and Friday, being at the hospital with him and my mom. So, the first idea I had for the component wasn't going to work as it involved some cutting and torch work, which I had never done and didn't have time for once I received the disc. (I wanted to try something with an old/vintage spoon, but had never tried this before)  So on to a new idea. I had started working with my new Kumihimo flat disc, and thought the colors in the braid I was working on would go great with the disc.  Unfortunately, I've been so busy, I haven't gotten to work on it as much as I thought I would.  And I have the dickens of a time finding endings for my Kumihimo braids. Hopefully these will work and hold up alright.  Anyway, I made my Kumihimo braid, wire-wrapped some small pearls to attach to the disc, wrapped small silver chain around the Kumihimo braid and attached the disc to one of the links of the chain that is wrapped around the braid.  I finished it off with a sweet little silver heart toggle clasp I won from another giveaway Blue Moon Beads.  Hopefully you like it and my picture shows up well. I was running out of light by the time I got this finished. (The material I used for the braid was actually strips of material for quilting that I cut into strips.  I liked all the color and design in them, although it doesn't show up as well as I was hoping in the braid.)  So, without further ado, here's my piece with Francesca's great enameled disc:  "All Wrapped Up"

 

 

 

Here's the list of the Participating AJE Contributors:

Kristi Bowman-Gruel - http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/2013/02/aje-february-component-of-month-reveal.html

Jenny Cameron - http://glassaddictions.com

Jenny Davies-Reazor - http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog

Susan Kennedy - www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Linda Landig -  www.LindasBeadBlog.com

Melissa Meman - http://melissameman.blogspot.com

Kristen Stevens - http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/

Francesca Watson - http://www.francescawatson.com

And here's the list of the Guest Designers.  Please be sure to visit each blog to see what they created:

Dawn Horner - http://www.northernadornments.com/blog#

Kym Hunter - http://kymhunterdesigns.blogspot.com/

Kay Thomerson - http://kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/

Shelley Graham Turner - http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com/

Sandi Volpe - http://sandivolpe.com/
 

Thanks Francesca for letting me play along with one of your fantastic enameled discs. I love it.

If you're looking for some of my other jewelry pieces or my Stained Glass, Mosaics or Fused Glass kreations for your Home or Garden, check my shop, KayzKreationz.  If you're looking for the Zinio magazine giveaway, check here. It goes to Sunday.

Nina Designs blog partner

A couple of months ago I contacted DeAnna at Nina Designs about being a blog partner of theirs. I had seen another blog I follow mention this and it sounded exciting. They told me they were't accepting partners at that time, but they would keep me in mind. At about the end of December they contacted me about being their blog partner for January. I was so excited. They would send me some of their wonderful products and I was to do a blog post about them. I could make things with them, do a giveaway, whatever I wanted. I just needed to write about it, show pictures and what I would do with their wonderful products. This is what I received. Isn't it great? Doesn't it just get your creative juices flowing?

 

Unfortunately, about the time I received their product, my neighbor decided to shoot and kill my sweet dog, Cheyenne. We don't know why as he has denied doing it. But it left me in a bit of a funk and I just couldn't seem to get anything created or accomplished.

But I've gotten past it a little and have been having all kinds of ideas for their products they sent me. For instance, with the adorable little branch beads, I can totally see a little owl bead/charm peeking out from some acrylic/glass leaf beads.  Now I just have to find some little owls or birds to go with them.  
With these brass leaves I decided they should be a pair of earrings with some little berry beads and glass leaves accentuating them.  And these little teardrop pieces were just calling to me to put a pearl inside each of the three teardrops.  So here's Berries and Leaves Earrings and Teardrops of Pearls Earrings.  What do you think of them?

I can't wait to get started on the rest of my ideas for their components.  Nina Designs has so many other great components and pieces. Plus there's this great purple silk and green leather, that I haven't decided how I want to use it yet.  The leaves can be found here, the branches are found here, the teardrops are here. You really need to check out their site to see what you can't live without. LOL
Stay tuned. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll have the rest of my ideas/pieces finished for you to check out. The 2 pair of earrings will be listed in my Etsy shop, KayzKreationz shortly.  To close out, here's my sweet Cheyenne.

(The materials above were provided as part of the Nina Designs blogging program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author.) 

I'm on the Design Team for ZNETSHOWS

About 3 weeks ago, Bill from ZNETSHOWS contacted me, saying he really liked my blog and my jewelry 'kreationz'.  He was getting ready for the Tucson Gem Mall and he said, although they make great 'sea glass' items they don't design very well.  So he was looking for some designers to send a sample box of their sea glass and crystal components.  In exchange, we would design jewelry with the pieces, send him our pictures, and if our designs were chosen, they would pay for us to ship the jewelry to them and they would display it at the Tucson Gem Mall show.  We would also need to send a business card or two and have ID tags on our jewelry to identify it as ours.  This sounded like a great opportunity and so much fun, so I agreed.  I eagerly awaited my package and here it is.  It contained some clear faceted crystal beads, some light green faceted beads, etched and smooth 'sea glass' pendants, some light teal dagger beads and chips, some light green oval beads and some silver heart and square components.  Aren't they great?

I started thinking about what I could do with them and immediately came up with the idea for my Romance Dangle Earrings.  I checked out a couple of color palettes and really liked the pink with the light green for these earrings.  Then I got the idea of using some silk/nylon ribbons I had just made and squishing them together in between some of the glass beads and the silver square beads for this Romance Bracelet.  I checked another color palette and loved the oranges with the light greens. It reminded me of Autumn, so out came Sweet Autumn necklace with the small orange agate beads from my stash, the light green faceted beads, the clear faceted crystal beads and the silver hearts.  I had 3 silver/pewter leaves that I color/patina'd with some patina inks I've been playing with and attached them.  Then I had this remnant of this great ruffly ribbon that just seemed to call out to be in this necklace. I was actually only going to use a small piece of it and attach a heart toggle clasp I had, but I think it like it long like this. It will slip right over your head. Finally, I had 3 more light green large beads/pendants and decided to wrap them with copper and add the orange agate beads for another fall/autumn themed bracelet. It also has 3 little dangles on the lobster claw clasp.  It's call All Wrapped Up. 

So I've sent my pictures in and hopefully, my designs will be chosen and taken to Tucson for display. I can't wait to hear whether they're good enough.  When they're returned to me, they'll be available either in my Etsy shop, KayzKreationz, here on my blog or on my facebook page, KayzKreationzGlassKreationz.  So be sure to check back.  Do you like them? And if you're looking for some great Cultured Sea Glass Beads to design with be sure to check out ZNETSHOWS.  And be sure to check out the other design team members HERE.

Great Giveaway from Lampwork Diva-Glass Pearls

I love this blog.  She's got great posts and gorgeous lampwork beads.  And right now she's doing a giveaway of some glass pearls she got from Auntie's Beads.  You don't have to do much to be entered.  Just subscribe to her YouTube channel and blog about it.  So be sure to check it out.  It's Lampwork Diva.
And if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden, be sure to check out my shops, Etsy-KayzKreationz or Artfire-KayzKreationz.  My Glass Kreationz also make great gifts.

Red is such a Cheery color-Jewelry and Glass

I love Red. It is such a cheery color. It always makes me feel better. But it also brings out passion in people. Whether it is passion for someone or something. It can brighten our day and cheer us up, especially if it's the color of something someone has given us. If you're looking to cheer yourself or someone else up, or just make someone's day, check out this great Red coral and pearl necklace and earring set. It's certain to do just that. And you can also help make STRINGandSTONES day by giving her that 1st sale! And if coral and pearls aren't quite your thing, but you still love red and that chunky look, take a peek at this gorgeous Carnelian necklace. It's great.

But if jewelry isn't what you're after, then I've got some great glass items that are either red or have red in them. Things for your home and garden, like a cute ladybug plant stake for your potted plants or flower bed, or this pretty little Mosaic birdfeeder with 3 little birdhouses in it. Or even this great red Poinsettia glass panel. You can find them at KayzKreationz.