Fuchsia Clusters

These bold, bright earrings feature coin pearls in a beautiful fuchsia (or raspberry, if you prefer) color. Hanging freely below them is a cluster of coordinating beads. Included are Swarovski crystals in three shades of pink and 4 mm garnets.

While I can't promise delivery before Christmas, wouldn't these earrings be perfect for a New Year's Eve party?

These earrings are available for sale in my etsy shop.

New Smoky Quartz Earrings

The color combination of pink and brown has been popular for a while and I still like it. In this pair of earrings, the colors are subdued. The smoky quartz faceted coins are a light, cocoa brown and the freshwater pearls are the palest of pink.I created the earwires from sterling silver wire using first a small torch and then a hammer and anvil. I oxidized the silver and tumbled it for that shiny, steel gray finish I love. These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

To receive news of specials and sales, don't forget to sign up for my etsy shop newsletter using the form on the right!

Hello Quizzy

I found a link to this interesting quiz website on my friend Diane's blog. Just for fun, I decided to take the test myself. It turns out, I'm a Bette Davis! Here are some facts:

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Stand up for yourself... and me.
• * Be confident, strong, and direct.
• * Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
• * Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
• * Give me space to be alone.
• * Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
• * I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
• * When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

• * being independent and self-reliant
• * being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
• * being courageous, straightforward, and honest
• * getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
• * supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
• * upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

• * overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
• * being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
• * sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
• * never forgetting injuries or injustices
• * putting too much pressure on myself
• * getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

• * are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit
• * are sometimes loners
• * seize control so they won't be controlled
• * figure out others' weaknesses
• * attack verbally or physically when provoked
• * take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

• * are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
• * are sometimes overprotective
• * can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Baskets

I have a bit of a fascination with baskets of all sorts -- wicker, birch bark, rattan -- so when I found these silver ones at a bead show, I just had to have them. I've tried using them in necklaces, but the detail gets lost amid the other components. The best use of these lovelies is in earrings, where they can stand alone and be the center of attention!

I've hung the baskets on handcrafted sterling silver headpins and earwires that I oxidized and tumbled for a shiny gray finish. The contrast between the bright and dark silver is perfect. These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

Artisan Beaders Giveaway!

We're nearing the end of our holiday giveaways, so don't miss out on a great chance to win!


Today, we have a truly gorgeous necklace to give away, courtesy of Nicole Campanella/Beadwright. This is a necklace that can be worn either by a guy or a gal. The glass focal bead is silver foil with light lavender, dark turquoise and ruby accent glass. Triangle matt silver beads frame the glass focal bead. Step down to size 4mm lavender rounds. The backing is turquoise leather and the edging is 11/o Czech seed beads and 4mm ruby rounds. The necklace is done in a Dutch spiral weave with 11/o Czech seed beads that match the glass focal bead perfectly. The small yellow signature bead guarantees that this is an original piece of beadwork by Nicole Campanella/Beadwright. This necklace measures 22.5 inches long.


How to enter to win:

Visit any of the gallery pages on Nicole's site (Bead Jewelery 1, Bead Art 2, Bead Jewelry 3, Beaded Gourd Art, or Faces), then leave a comment on the Artisan Beaders blog with a link to your favorite item. We will be picking the winner** on Friday, December 19th, at 5:00pm EST, so you have until then to leave a comment. The winner will be announced shortly after, so make sure you check back Friday night. Thanks for playing!

* If you don't have a Blogger account, please leave your email address or a way to contact you if you win.
** Winning name will be randomly chosen by using Random.org

Artisan Beaders - Secret Santa Gifts

The street team I belong to on etsy, Artisan Beaders, decided it would be fun to exchange gifts this holiday season. I received the most gorgeous bracelet from Deb of Crysallis Creations. She used a generous number of tiny seed pearls, some beautiful turquoise beads, amethyst and a lovely faceted cubic zirconia in a pale peach color. I adore this bracelet with all of its intricate wire wrapping. Thank you Deb for being such a great partner and friend!