Lucy Earrings!

Inspired by my wire wrapped necklaces, I first created this earring style for my friend Lucy.

Made entirely of sterling silver wire, I wrapped it, wrapped it and then wrapped it some more for this tornado look. Obviously, no two earrings will ever be exactly the same, but I think that's why Lucy loves them!

All of the sterling has been oxidized and hand sanded for a vintage look. They are 1 1/4" (3.5 cm) from the bottom of the earwire.

Available for sale in my etsy shop.

Cascading Lilac Quartz

My new line of oxidized and mostly asymmetrical necklaces is providing me with plenty of opportunity to use some of my lovely finds from the Tucson gem shows. Here, I feature lilac quartz in 2 shapes -- flat faceted rectangles and faceted briolettes. Accompanying them are some freshwater pearls in a complementary shade of lavender.

Available for sale in my etsy shop.

BEAR!

There I was, minding my own business on a Saturday night. Something caught my eye outside, so I looked. At first, I thought it was my dog Xena because it was big and black. I quickly realized that this creature was much larger than Xena and that Xena was where she usually is -- asleep at my feet. BEAR! It walked up to the window and I grabbed the camera:

Okay, the picture is blurry, but my hands were shaking a bit. I've lived in Alaska for over 11 years and this is the very first bear I've seen.

Rick tapped on the window and spooked the little guy. He ambled away, taking one last look back at us:

After he was gone (how can I ever be sure he's really gone?) I went outside and took a photo of his wet paw prints on the deck: What an exciting night in Chugiak, Alaska!

Smoky Quartz ... with a twist

I adore smoky quartz in all shapes and sizes. These beads are quite large and have a unique cut. The many facets and the twisted shape make them super sparkly. The circle from which the beads hang was fused from 16 gauge fine silver wire. I then flattened it and hammered for texture. I also made the earwires. All of the silver was oxidized and then tumbled. I love the resulting shiny, steel gray finish this of this process.

BIG SALE! No Fuel Required

The brand new Etsy street team I belong to, Artisan Beaders Street Team (ABST) is celebrating with a No Fuel Required Sale!!!!

With fuel prices higher than ever, what could be easier than forgoing your trip to the mall and shopping from home?

Members of the team will be offering discounts and/or free shipping from Sunday, July 13th through Saturday, July 19th.

All items in my etsy shop will be 15% off during this time period! And, orders over $100 will ship for free. Simply check out as usual and put NO FUEL in the "notes to seller". I will issue your refund through paypal.

Please check out the goodies from all of our participating members:

http://abeleeshandcrafted.etsy.com
http://jaelsjewels.etsy.com
http://shinyadornments.etsy.com
http://catiesblue.etsy.com
http://beadwright.etsy.com
http://kaskaad.etsy.com
http://CrysallisCreations.etsy.com
http://merigreenleaf.etsy.com
http://brenda45.etsy.com
http://ccdesign.etsy.com
http://signaturesterling.etsy.com
http://vickiorion.etsy.com

Clusters!

I recently created a series of pendants using some of my larger beads. Finding new ways to use these larger components has been a challenge for me. Here are the latest creations in this voyage of discovery.

I love the minty blue-green of amazonite. This large bead is top-drilled and is softly faceted. The cluster above is made up of freshwater pearls, Peruvian opals, apatite rounds and white cupped keshi pearls.
The deep pink stone is a sapphire --- yes, they come in many colors besides blue. I have topped it with golden freshwater pearls, garnets, smooth ruby rondelles and citrine rondelles. The red and gold color combination has a regal feel.

Spectacular Alaska Scenery

Here's a quick post featuring the view this morning from the inlet where we walk Xena (the wonder Bouvier) every morning. It's not very often that it's clear enough to see Mt. McKinley(aka Denali, the Great One) from this 350 mile distance, but here she is in all her glory: