Another Beauty From Art Beads

Look what the mailman brought me today!   This beautiful Murano Glass swirl bead.  I can't wait to make it into a pendant but first I have to get the creative juices going.  That shouldn't bee too hard with this beauty in hand!  It was back ordered and now I can see why.  

Those are centimeters, not inches in the picture.  It's still a pretty big bead.   I have visions of it paired up with Swarovski Crystals.  Of course, I have visions of just about everything with Swarovksi.  What do you think?  

New Petite Style Earrings

As promised yesterday, here are my new little ear bobs.  They are tiny and perfect for the smaller ear.  They also allow someone with a short neck to wear dangles because they're so tiny.  They are a lot easier to make because I don't have to catch any fairies to make them!  I just have to find their garden and pick the flowers before they see me.  They come in red, lavender, pink, blue and yellow so I picked a nice bouquet for you.

Tiny Bells in Lavender

Linda Asked For Pink

Linda from Pinklilacs liked my blue Fairy Petticoat earrings but wanted pink, so here they are.  I had a dickens of a time catching two pink fairies though.  They move fast in the snow and they don't leave tracks!

Hope you all like them.  There's more information about them on my Etsy page.  Fairy's Petticoat Earrings.

Tomorrow I have a tiny little version of them to post providing of course, I can catch some smaller fairies.

Gloomy Day In The Neighborhood

Even Mr. Rogers would have trouble saying it's a beautiful day today!   It is cold and raining and so dark that my dusk to dawn lights are on and have been most of the day.    So what else is there better to do than burry myself in my studio and bead?  Nothing.  Not even a good movie on TV.  So, why am I not beading?  Beats me.  I'm just in one of those funky day moods.  

Spring has offically arrived however.  Yesterday I got out the tractor and got her running for the season.   I hauled off two wagon loads of limbs, leaves and litter before I gave out.  Oh, if I could only run as long as the tractor can!   The farmer who rents my land started plowing yesterday too.  I love the smell of fresh turned soil!  

WORK -  SANDY!!  GET TO WORK!!!!!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday.

Fairy Petticoats Are A Hit!

My "petticoat" earrings are a hit!   I listed two pair last evening and they were gone by the time I got up at 5am this morning.   Happy dance..happy dance......  Now, if I can only catch  some more fairies!  

 Hubby is wishing I'd changed my user name a long time ago.   I guess Forbes Farm conjured up visions of cow patties or something.  The Earring Boutique seems to be doing much better.  

For a closer look at the Fairy's Petticoats click here .  More colors are in the making, as soon as I catch those Fairies!  

Back To Work At Cross Roads

Hi All,

    I didn't get any beading done today!  A day without beading is yucky.  We had to start setting up our booth at the craft market today.  It starts May 2nd but we only have the days hubby is off to get it ready.  Today was mostly packing up what we left behind when we closed last December.   We also had to move some display pieces.  Oh, my aching back!  At least we have those neat pads that fit under things and make them easier to move.  The older I get, the less I want to do this!

    So, we moved and cleaned and decided what we had to go buy to start out the year.   We couldn't set anything up yet for fear someone will come in and start cutting lumber to build a new display or something.  Sawdust and stuffed animals don't go together too well!   My jewelry all stays home until the very last minute just in case someone wants to buy in online.  

    We came home tuckerd out, but the weather was half way decent so I got out the rake and started in on the lawn work.  I can only work on that about an hour at a time before I poop out.  While I was sitting catching my breath, I went online and discovered Picasa.  If you don't use it to edit your photos, you should look into it.  It's wonderful!  I sure wish I'd found it a long time ago.

   Now I'm going to crash in front of the TV.  IF I can make it back down the stairs!

Fairy Dance in Blue - Floral Dangle Pierced Earrings

I just love it when the mailman..oops postal person, brings me a new order!  Just look at the pretty blue flower beads he brought yesterday.  It is wonderful to wake up in the morning knowing there are new beads to "play" with.

In the wee hours of the morning, these Fairy Dance earrings appeared in my studio.  The little ruffle between the two floral beads reminds me of a petticoat showing under a little girls dress.  Can't you just see the Woodland Fairies wearing these as they dance in their ring?  My meadow is usually full of Fairy Rings, so I know they're out there even if I  have never seen one.

These earrings are in my new Etsy store. You can get more details about them here:

Fairy Dance in Blue - Floral Dangle Pierced Earrings

And the WINNER IS!!!!!!!

Drum roll please......................



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Doreen of Doreen's Backyard Beads.   http://doreenwilley.blogspot.com .   Doreen was chosen by random.org. 

Congratulations Doreen.  Please contact me with your mailing info.

For all the rest or you who entered, I will be having another give away shortly.  Look for details soon.

Sandy

LAST DAY To Sign Up For Our Give Away!!

It's the last day to sign up for our earring give away!   Not many have done signed up so your chances are good!  Here is the link:

http://forbesfarm.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-floral-earrings-give-away.html#links

Good luck to all,

Sandy

Happy Tuesday

Hello All,

Today is a bright, sunny Spring day in Western New York.  Why, my thermometer is all the way up to 17 F.  I know that's a minus number in Celsius!  I guess it's frozen worms for the few Robins that have returned.  In fact, I haven't seen one in a few days.  I think they flew back where it's warm.  

Sunday we got the go ahead to start setting up for the new season at Cross Roads .  That put me into the panic mode!   SO much to do yet.  I still have 5 weeks but they will fly by.   There's the cleaning and shelf moving and redecorating of our booth to do along with all the chores that will be demanding my attention here.   I still have to order merchandise, but where to find the money to do so?  

I was reading a thread in the Etsy Forums this morning about what is considered "handmade".  Some of the jewelers who start from raw metal and make everything were complaining about those who "just stick a bead on a stick" and make stuff you can pick up at a discount store for a few bucks.  I sure hope you don't look at my work that way!  Yes, I use premade components but I put a lot of thought into my designs.  (Rant over)

Today I am featuring one of the new earring styles I put on my second Etsy shop, The Earring Boutique .  I made them with the Red Hat Socitey ladies in mind but red and purple really do make a striking combination.  I think they came out quite elegant looking.  

Society In Red and Purple - Elegant Dangle Earrings

I Went A Little Crazy On This One

Amoeba and DNA - OOAK Spiral Bead and Copper Bracelet

I think my silly side took over with this bracelet.  I had no idea where I was going with it when I started.  I thought it was going to end up a bracelet with just a lobster claw clasp but when I got the beading done it shouted for something else.  

Look closely, the spiral reminded me of the DNA in Biology class.  Once I started forming the wire clasp it just had to shape into an Amoeba - right?  

Silliness aside, the center larger purple beads and the clearer sparkling ones are some that I received from Artbeads.com .  I was pleased with the luster they added to the beaded spiral.

Yahoo!

I had a sale from my new Esty shop!  First day it's open and I haven't even finished setting it up. I hope, hope, hope this wasn't just a fluke!

Trying An Experiment

Good Sunday morning to you all.  I trust you are having a good week end.  I hope it's much better than mine at least!   The Common Cold bug has found me.  I'm not sick enough to stop working, just sick enough to want to.

After several weeks of hemming and hawing I have decided to try a second Etsy shop just for my earrings.  I put up a thread asking for suggestions in the Forums.  People didn't like my Avatar, or my shop name, or my descriptions, or much of anything at all!  I need to do something to try and spur sales.  As much as I was happy with my Forbes Farm page I had to ask myself as Dr. Phil would say "How's that working for you?"   I heard somewhere that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.   So.....  GULP....  I opened up The Earring Boutique.   There's not much there yet.  Avatar and Banner, and that's about it.  I will work on transferring my earrings from the Forbes site ASAP.   Stop by and tell me what you think.  I hated to start over again, but heck, what I was doing wasn't working and I don't want to be labeled insane just yet!

There IS Hope!

There is hope that warmer weather is coming.  Yesterday after I posted the picutres of our snow, we went into town.  When we got home in the afternoon I found these little flowers poking their heads through the ground.  Note the drab brown state of the lawn yet.  I don't know why I'm in such a hurry for warmer weather to get here.  There's so much work to do outside.  How will I ever get any beading done?  

I did get some new beads yesterday.  They're just old "Wally-wolrd" generics.  I like the challenge to see if I can make something so pretty out of them no one notices they came from a chain discount store.  That's my goal for today providing the temperature stays below 40 and I don't get the nagging guilt feeling that I should be outside cleaning up the yard!  

I Am SOOOO Jealous!

My garden on the 1st day of Spring.



The view from my office window.  



I have been reading post after post about the first day of Spring.  I am so jealous!  Just look at what my farm looks like today.  Yes, I did take the pics through the windows.  It's too dang cold out to risk taking my expensive camera outside.  It's around19 degrees or some such horrible number!

Rose Quartz and Swarovski Crystal Earrings

Rose Quartz and Swarovski Crystal Earrings

Glass is pretty, but ho-hum... yawn......  

I started digging around in my stash and found these lovely Rose Quartz beads.  They are almost a perfect pair and were begging to become earrings.  Almost a perfect pair because Nature never does anything twice, at least not in the gem world.  

Can you believe it snowed here again!  Alas, the poor Robins who have ventured this far North are going to freeze their little beaks off today.  I will have to be happy with looking through the seed catalog for one more day.  I can't afford any of the exotic seeds in it anyway.  I'll be off to the discount store for my garden needs when and IF the weather ever cooperates.

Don't forget to place your entry for the Spring earrings I'm giving away!  So far there aren't many entered so your chances of winning are good!

Don't Forget the Give Away

Sign up below!

What I Did On My Vacation

I went shopping of course!  Bead shopping and gem shopping and I even managed to buy a few unrelated items like garden clogs and gloves.  

Yesterday I sat in my studio and put out all my pretty purchases.   It was almost overwhelming.  Where to start?  I picked this lovely blue Goldstone piece I found.  It was quite an unexpected find actually.  There is a place called "Reptile Land" on the way to my son's home.  Hubby and I both hate reptiles so we joke about it every time we drive by.  I fooled him and pulled in on the way home.  We avoided the creepy crawly things exhibits but we did have fun in the gift shop.  I can deal with the fluffy, colorful stuffed versions of reptiles.  I didn't get to see the whole thing because I found a whole rack of "pretty rocks" as Don calls them.  This "pretty rock" was among them.   Photographing Goldstone is next to impossible.  All the flecks you see are actually sparkles inside the stone!  I hope you like it.  Wire wrapping is my second love, next to beading.

Blue Goldstone Sterling Wrapped Pendant

Spring Floral Earrings Give Away!

I've finally seen my first Robin and it put me in a Spring like mood.  What better way to celebrate than to give something pretty away?  All you need to do to enter is to go to my Etsy shop, pick your favorite item and comment on it here.  Be sure to leave a way I can contact you.  I don't like give aways that require you put a link to it on your blog, but if you would like to, I will enter your name twice.  Just be sure to put a link to your blog in the comments so I can take a peek!  The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, March 25th.  I will use random.org to make the selection.  

A bit about the earrings.  They are acrylic floral beads with black Swarovski crystal centers and silver plated filigree.   They are hanging on Sterling Silver ear wires with a dangle length of abount 1 inch.

Good luck!

Inexpensive Little Flowers

I am constantly aware of the economy these days.  Who isn't?   Perhaps the shipment of smaller beads I ordered by mistake will be a blessing after all.  I can create these cute little earrings for less and they still have the elegance and shine of my larger flowers.  I have several choices of color combinations so if  I ever get back in the studio I can put some together.  I just love the endless possibilities beading has!

This set is available now at: Les Petites Fleurs - Little Flower Earrings in Pink

Look What Came In the Mail

I just love getting presents!  My first order from Artbeads.com came while I was away.  I had this pretty package to open when I got back.

Three different sizes and colors of Toho beads.  I've never used Toho before.  This will be a new experience.  I can hardly wait to get to them!  Now - what to make?

A Pictorial Tutorial - Floral Pendant

The 30 day self challenge is over.  Actually, it went by quickly for me.  I couldn't believe I finished and posted so many items.  Now, as I promised, I am presenting something a little different.  While on vacation I was able to pick up some beautiful cabochons and rough rocks that I am going to wire wrap soon.  Some of those might show up here.  I think I will keep it open to any idea that hits my poor old brain, or any you might suggest.  

Today's item is a pictorial walk through of how I made one of my floral pendants. 

Here are the components of the pendant.  I used one large acrylic floral trumpet bead (yellow)and  one smaller 5 petal bead(pink), two 6mm Swarovski round crystals in yellow, a silver plated  2" T pin, and 4 graduated sized silver plated bead caps.

Oh-oh....  This cap won't do what I want it to!  It needs to fit down over the end of the trumpet bead.  Never fear!  I have POWER TOOLS!   Out comes the Dremmel.

I used the tip shown and bored out the center to fit the bead as shown above.

Tadah!

Perfect fit!

Next the second filigree cap had to be adjusted to fit inside the trumpet bead to hold the smaller flower in place.

Now it was a simple matter of putting the components on the T pin in order.

Okay - all are in place.  Now for the part I really do not like, forming the top loop.  If you don't know how to do this there are a ton of tutorials available online.  I'm still trying to perfect it myself.  Here's how I did it in pictures.

I did forget one component in the first picture.   I added a medium sized silver plated jump ring to hang the pendant from a chain with.

Once the jump ring is in place the pendant is finished and ready to hang on your favorite chain.  I usually make a simple leather necklace to hang my pendants from.   

All Done!    

I hope you enjoyed my simple walk through of this process.  Let me know if you did and I will try to do it again.

Home and Back to Work

Hello Folks!

I am home and back to work. Grandma here is going to need a little while to recuperate from my vacation. I now know why I've heard so many people say God give children to the young. I couldn't do it full time I'm afraid. I fell into bed exhausted every night knowing my kids still had to get up several times with the baby. At least I got to sleep through the night!

I hope those of you who stopped by for my bead work will indulge an old lady the right to show off her Grandson. Here are a couple of pictures of the little squirt.  I will be back later with more beads.

I'm Home

I'm home in my own house, with my own cat and my own computer!  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

Tomorrow I'll try to get back to normal.

Win Here!

If you would like a chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate you can use for any of my Etsy items head on over here and enter.  http://sweeps4bloggers.blogspot.com/

Baby's Asleep

The baby was up most of the night so Mommy and Daddy went to work very sleepy and I have a few minutes to argue with this darn computer while he naps.   This  Granny will be glad to get home!  Sawyer is a darling little boy.  I'm just too darn old for this!  Besides, I am having withdrawals from my beading.  I didn't try to bring any along.  I would have needed a suitcase just for the beads and I still would have forgotten half of what I needed.

I did get to a very nice, very expensive bead store near by.  If I were rich as I'd like to be, I would have come home with a ton of stuff.  That did NOT happen!  I did find some glass pearls the size I used in the Victorian Splendor set a while back.  They were on sale and I can make quite a few pair out of a string.  Be on the outlook for lavender, black, light pink and light green in the future.  I need to find a cheaper store though!  They had such lovely pretties at a very dear price.  It just killed me to have to leave them behind.

I did find a great tool I have been looking for.  I had seen it on the Internet, but only mentioned and not for sale.  Up until now I have been sitting with a magnifying glass and files to get burrs out of earring wires I made myself.  This handy dandy little tool I found will file them to a rounded end.  It should make life a lot easier. 

Nap time is nearly over.  I had better get back to being Grandma.  

Hard to Blog This Week

Hi Folks,

    Just want to stick in a note to tell you all it is nearly impossible for me to blog this week.   The computer I ended up using at my son's is old and slow and I can't upload pictures.  I will be home on Sunday so I will get back to normal on Monday.  I hate being without my computer!

Sandy

We're Off

We are off in a while to take care of our Grandson for a week while his other Grandparents are in Florida.  Just found out his Pap-pap is in the hospital down there!  Poor guy, they think he has pneumonia.  Some vacation....   Hope he's better soon.  At least he can be warm while he's sick.   It's so cold and damp here. 

There will not be much beading going on for the next week.  I will probably have withdrawls.  I am only taking along the wire to make some of my crystal trees.  I knew if I tried to take beading I not only would have to pack a suitcase just for beads, I'd forget half of what I needed!   There is a wonderful bead store near my son's place.  I'm getting there one way or another this week.

I will try to post a picture or two of Sawyer.  He's not as pretty as my beads, but he's a whole lot cuter!

Just For Fun

Today we pack and get the house ready for our trip.  That means a grumpy day with the Hubby so I thought I'd start out the day with a bit of fun.  

My self challenge may be over, but my list of jewelry goes on!  These lovely ladies are not new creations.   They have been around a while.  I think they are hystarical and wanted to share something completely different than what I have been lately.  I call them Tillly and Milly but you can call them anything you'd like!

Fun and Fancy Faces - Pierced Earrings

I received these two lovely ladies in a grab bag of goodies. I was so pleased! Trouble is, I am not sure what they are made of. It is one of two things. They are either polymer clay, or erasers. I am leaning towards the clay. Either way, they , along with two Turquoise stone beads, turned into a terrific pair of earrings.

Dandle approximately 1 1/2 inches or 40 mm.

Silver plated French ear wires.

An Item A Day - Day 30

It's day 30, and the last day of my self challenge.  Can you believe I made it?  30 days straight with a new item every day.  Sure wish I could say I've sold them all! LOL  Oh well, it's been fun.  I have a ton of new stuff on Etsy and ready for Cross Roads when we open in May.   Tomorrow starts my "vacation".  I will still be working, just not at home.  Grandpa and I are off to baby-sit our Grandson while his other grandparents are on vacation in sunny Florida.  I will be taking along some projects AND there is a terrific bead store near where my kids live!   There are some perks to this trip besides getting to be Granny for a week!

Today's item is a remake of one of my favorite styles.  Vintage faux pearls salvaged from an old necklace make it special.  I hate throwing anything away that can be given new life!  I'm still trying to figure out what I can make from all the empty coffee whitener bottles we collect.   Can't make jewelry out of them.  Or can I????

Victorian Splendor Faux Pearl Earrings in Blue - Recycled Vintage

Recycled vintage white glass pearls are the focal point of these Victorian style earrings.

10 mm pearls mounted with antique gold tone filigree "petals". Blue color matched Swarovski crystals sparkle on both the top and the bottom.

Hanging from Gold plated ear wires French ear wires. 

Dangle length is 1 1/8" or 27 mm.