A Matching Pair

The dangles are done!  I turned the flower dangles into a charm bracelet and had enough left over for a matching pair of earrings.  I hope these were worth the wait!

Charm Bracelet

Close up of both dangles

Earrings

Blue Bracelet

And the Bead Goes on

Over the past couple of years, I've collected enough beads and findings to fill a large craft box.  I'm slowly making a dent in my stash.

My goal is to start selling my jewelry by the end of the year.  I feel a little bit more confident after each piece.  I hope you enjoy my latest treasures!

Finally, a little pink for my wardrobe.

Adding some sparkle to my day.

Trying out some ribbon.

Dangles...What to do

I made these dangles the other night.  I wasn't sure what to do with them, so I asked for suggestions.  All responses suggested I make a charm bracelet.
  

The charm bracelet is in progress and will be posted soon!  I'm not 100% sure that the bracelet is my style.  Hmm...what should I do with it?

Where it all Began

What sparked my interested in jewelry design?

I don’t exactly remember.  I’m a bit of a craft junky and have crafted for most of my life.  As a young girl, I was obsessed with making friendship bracelets and learning all kinds of different patterns.  In High School, the obsession was with beading Rave bracelets of brightly colored dayglow beads.  I loved that the bracelets had two sides.  They were fun and childish in the daylight, but best of all glowed in different colors under UV light.  I enjoyed designing for both of the bracelet’s personalities. 

A few years ago I took a wire making class, opening my eyes to other techniques.  I was hooked.  I figured out that I could make jewelry that I bought or saw in stores.  I struggled for years, trying to find the confidence to grow my passion.  Recently, I made a commitment to myself to focus on my creative side and not to let non-perfect designs discourage me. 

I started this blog to push myself to keep up with my promise.  While searching for jewelry blogs to gain inspiration and tips, I came across something called the Bead Soup Blog Party.  Lori and her fantastic blog and party have changed my life.  

I wanted a career in design, but ended up excelling in the technical aspect of the design world.  I can express myself through my designs and share them on this blog. I am so proud to show off what I've made and it's refreshing to feel that way.  I thrive off of trying new techniques and figure out different ways of blending various techniques.  I believe I can succeed ad long as my heart and head are in it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my journey.

Wow!  Reading this over made me teary eyed.  I have suppressed the sadness for years.  I never thought I was talented enough to put myself out there like this.  I'm finally trying, and I am so proud of myself. I have no idea how this will all end up, but no matter what it will be an amazing journey that I look forward to taking.

Whipping Up A Pair

Finally, after a long week of nothing, I completed a lovely pair of earrings.  I tried out a few designs, ultimately settling on a simple blend of silver, blue and white. 

When I first started beading, I made sure to use only one color of metal throughout my pieces.  A few years ago, a beading teacher encouraged me to have fun with color and mix metals.  I did so today by adding a touch of copper to these silver dangles.

There are so many ideas floating around in my head, unfortunately, I don't always know how to execute them.  Hopefully I will have a few more pieces to share tomorrow.

Time to catch up with my favorite blogs, hopefully drawing some inspiration...maybe even for the upcoming soup!

Blog Hopping

Wow, I can't believe I this is my first post in June!  Lately, I'm struggling finishing an entire piece.  I've started 3 or 4 things and just didn't like them. 

Hoping to put an end to this creative block, I signed up for two blog hops.  I am super excited as I've never done anything like this before.  I look forward to participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party (see link to the right) and the Phantom of the Opera blog hop.

Check back soon for updates!