Ocean Blog Hop

A while back, Lisa Lodge from A Grateful Artist blog issued a call for an Ocean themed Blog hop. I'm not really an ocean person, but I love walking along the beach searching for seashells and treasures, so this was like some found treasures when I received my beads. We were getting cultured sea glass and other beads. I quickly signed up. As usual I got so excited about the beads when I received them I forgot to take a picture of them. I was a little stumped at first with what to do with the variety. I had some starfish, some crystals, some glass tube beads, some clear glass daggers, off white heishe beads, some unique abstract shapes and a wonderful ceramic pendant. I knew I wanted to add a lot of color, since most of the seaglass was a light green or clear. For some reason, when I think of the beach or ocean I almost always think of macramé, so I also knew I wanted to do a little macramé for at least one of my pieces. So, for my first piece I made a macramé bracelet. I did loose knots around the abstract shaped glass using some of my orange and dark beige macramé cord.  I added some small orange and shades of green seed beads in between the shaped seaglass.  I used one of the starfish as the clasp and at the end made loops of the macramé cord to loop around the starfish as the closure for the bracelet.

Next I made a necklace with the long tube beads. I used long headpins to make them dangles and hung them between a series of green crystals, orange and green seed beads, the clear dagger and off white heishi beads. I also took one of the abstract shapes and wire-wrapped a dangle from one end and wire-wrapped the other end to hang as a dangle from the necklace. And on the other side I strung one of the clear/white starfish into the strand. I had a small link of chain that I attached to the necklace along with the metal circle toggle clasp. I really like the beachy feel to this necklace and the 7 wire-wrapped tube beads/focal. 

Finally I took a the last little short length of chain, divided it in half, wire-wrapped 3 dangles with the crystals, seed beads and daggers to make a pair of earrings to match. I really like the colors in this "Ocean" set and hope you do too.

And a close up of the necklace and earrings.

I'm still working on my piece for the pendant. I'm trying a new technique and haven't quite gotten it finished. So come back later this week and I'm hoping to have it done for you to see.
Don't forget to visit all the other blogs participating in the hop HERE. And don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know what you think of my "Ocean" Set. These will be available shortly in my shop, KayzKreationz, along with my other Stained Glass, Mosaics and Fused Glass kreationz for your Home and Garden.

Another ZNETshows Challenge-Artisan Whimsy 5x5 challenge

About a month ago, Artisan Whimsy had a post about a challenge for 5 people.  After you signed up, if you were picked you received a 5 piece set of ZNETshows Cultured Beach Sea Glass beads to design with.  I wasn't picked in the first round, but then Bill Zhang of ZNET decided to send a pack to everyone that had signed up whether they were picked or not. WooHoo!  In case you can't tell, I love their Cultured Sea Glass beads.  Anyway, this is the pack I received. (Yes, I actually remembered to take a picture before I started creating this time. LOL)  If you've read my blog posts before you remember I don't usually work with Blue.  But these freeform blue seaglass beads just seemed to cry out to be a bracelet.  It's a very simple design, but I like the look of it and the beachy sea critter dangles (also from ZNETshows) to make a fun, summery, beachy bracelet.  I did a simple copper wire wrap/loop in each bead, connected them all with some bronze jump rings I had, (I love mixing metals), used a copper ring I had for the toggle and made my own copper S-clasp for a closure.  Then I dangled 2 bronze starfish and 2 bronze conch shell dangles from each jump ring in between the seaglass beads.  Next, I took the 2 green rectangular beads and the 2 white square beads and layered them. I used some small green beads I had and wire-wrapped/wove them around the jump ring that attached them to the earwires and finished off with a spiral with the copper wire.  Finally I took the green fishbone beads and the small green beads that were in between them on the strand, along with some light green faceted beads I'd gotten from ZNET in an earlier design challenge and strung them with some copper bead caps and copper shell beads. In the center I added a bronze pendant bale. I then strung the 2 green conch shell beads on some copper chain along with 2 of the small green beads and one light green beads with copper bead caps on copper wire and made the focal for the necklace. I had this funky copper chain and attached the sea glass beaded centerpiece to the chain and used the simple copper clasp that came with it to finish it off.  All in all I am very happy with the way all three pieces turned out. I'm still working on a pair of fishbone earrings to match the necklace, but ran out of time.  Hope you enjoy my designs.  ZNETshows mainly offers wholesale beads, but you can also buy retail, so if you're looking for your own Cultured Sea Glass or other beads (like the starfish and conch shell metal beads in my bracelet) check out their site, ZNETshows.

 

 Looking for more of my Wire-wrapped, Beaded Jewelry or Stained Glass, Mosaics or Fused Glass Kreationz for you Home and Garden?  Check out my shop, KayzKreationz.

Blog hop starts Monday with the inlinkz links you see below.