Thursday, August 16, 2012

Another Contest...

So, today I was going through my Facebook Page and I found a post from Fire Mountain Gems. I read that they are doing a Swarovski Element contest. The submissions for the contest have to be in by September 30, hmmmm...
If you know anything about me, you know that I am competitive. I can not turn away from a good challenge. The wheels in my head began to turn and I got an idea for a piece instantly! (Sometimes I HATE IT when that happens!)
So... to the website I went and I wound up with some amazing things, like this lovely wire...
You can never have too much of this stuff right?
I also wound up with these amazingly gorgeous Swarovski sunflower beads...
Aren't they great?
I am going to try and incorporate some of these lovlies...
and maybe even some of these...

The minute I read about this contest, I thought about the "ISADORA DIAMOND" from my all time very, very favorite movie...
So, knowing that I cannot turn down a good challenge, and having these very RADICAL ideas racing through my head; I have decided to take the challenge. I need to see if I can actually create what I have in mind with the inspiration of my very favorite movie of all time, put it into action, make the deadline and possibly win this exciting contest. Follow me here to see if I can manage it all and create a piece that I have never attempted before. I promise to keep you updated!

And now for your Daily Wire Transfer!

I am back!
Have a great evening!!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign 2012

I cannot believe how fast time slips by me! I have not blogged in so long again. Needless to say, I feel guilty, but I will keep it under control. I am here now and that is what matters, right? I haven't abandoned you all, I have just been extremely busy!
Do you want to see what I am involved with right now? I believe that it is a tremendous cause and I have been busy creating pieces to support this cause. I have created this...
You may be wondering just exactly what THIS is. Well, it is a key fob. I made it and some others just like it...
300 to be exact~to be given out to women in our area.
I also made this...
And this...
And this...
These are all being given away for FREE!
I also did this...
And this...
And these...
They will be given away as a set, for FREE!
And now for the cause... DRUM ROLL PLEASE~
 This is the cause that I have donated each one of these pieces to. If women in our area get their breast exam done in the months of April, May, or June, they could be the lucky winner of one of these pieces. Some lucky winner will receive the set!
This is all part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign going on right now. The facts are stunning. Wyoming ranks 48th in our nation for getting checked for this devastating disease. You have heard it once, you have heard it a thousand times~An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...
If you are a woman and you are reading this, no matter where you live; please, for the sake of you and for the sake of your family, get checked~it may just save your life!
I started creating the pieces for this campaign in the beginning of March. I am done with these pieces and have created some other pieces that are not associated with this cause since my last blog post. I will be showing them to you after this week is over.
Do you want to see where I am going this week? Click on today's DAILY WIRE TRANSFER to find out.
I hope that you all have a wonderful week, and I will be blogging about my other pieces upon my return. Until then, may you have days filled with happiness and good fortune...

Friday, February 17, 2012

Where Will You Be This Weekend?

I will be at a BRIDAL SHOW this weekend!
You can click HERE for the details.
I have never done a Bridal Show before, so I am a little excited to do it. I have some really cool pieces that I just finished prior to being asked to do this show; like this...
and these...
and this...
and this...
 and this is newer yet...
and these...
and this...
and I will be creating a tiara to match the Something Blue... set tonight. I can't wait to get it finished. The tiaras really appeal to my design sense. I love the way that they bring ROMANCE to the table. What girl wouldn't want to be a PRINCESS for a day, no matter what age? I know that I would have loved being a PRINCESS for a day. Who knows, maybe I will still get my chance someday, huh?
I hope to see some of you at the Bridal and Party show. I know that I have a cool COCKTAIL RING that would fit any occasion! It could look something like this...
Come on over to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and check out the show!
Do you want to see what I have for the Daily Wire Transfer today? There are some very pretty things to be seen there. Go, go and have a look at all the sparkling bling on today's Daily Wire Transfer!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Games

Did you watch the Super Bowl yesterday? I did. I am not much of a football fan, in fact, my family as a whole is not much into sports; unless of course, our children are playing. If that is the case, then I will be at every game cheering my heart out as I watch my kids run the ball or dribble up the court. I love to watch them play, no matter what the outcome of the game. I just like to see them try their hardest to be the best that they can be, no matter what the sport.
I really had a lazy weekend this weekend. We went to Billings and had lunch at the Hu Hot on Saturday and then drove back through Red Lodge and stopped at Red Lodge Ales. We love to stop in here and just hang out. The boys play Foosball and Kirt and I sit and talk and read the local newspapers on what is happening in our favorite little town. We play a good game of "I SPY".  It is quite relaxing and we do it often.
I really thought that I would make some jewelry yesterday, but I wound up making tons of hors d'oeuvres for the big game instead. I made Little Smokies wrapped in Bacon, Water Chestnuts wrapped in Bacon, Strawberries filled with a Vanilla Filling, Knorr Vegetable Dip, Homemade Pita Chips, Ham Rolls (Actually, Cache made them and they were DELICIOUS!), Deviled Eggs, and this Crescent Roll Cream Cheese bake thing that is way yummy! This took me the better part of the afternoon, in fact, I was still cooking when the game started. It was good food though, so I guess the ballgame was a good excuse to cook.
Tonight Brinson has a game. It is his 2nd basketball game ever! How exciting is that? I wish we could watch commercials like this...
during the breaks, but it doesn't really matter when you are watching the best boy on the court play. I know, I am a little biased, but who wouldn't be?
Maybe tomorrow night I will get some jewelry made again, but for tonight, I am going to watch my boy play a little ball...

Friday, January 20, 2012

The Celtic Wire Wrapped Necklace

I have this streak that runs through me...maybe because my Grandmother was Irish, but I LOVE anything Celtic! I love the music, the clothing, the accent, pretty much everything about it. If you will notice, I have a lot of Celtic music geared up on my playlist when you come here to read my blog posts. When I hear the music, I get this feeling that transports me to another time and I feel so 'at home'. I guess that is why some of this Celtic design gets transferred into my jewelry.
I made a new necklace a couple of nights ago. When I look at it, I see rolling grassy hills and mist blanketing the dark sky. I can almost hear bagpipes playing in the background. Loreena McKennitt sings to me from the shadows. Would you like to see what inspires me to think such thoughts? This is it, in all it's glory...




The copper wire swirling around the green glass makes for a true Irish feel. The weaved wire gives it even more of that Celtic look. I love this piece. It took about 2 hours to create and when it was done, I felt satisfied.
I always get such a feeling of accomplishment when I create something new. Jewelry creation completes me, heart, body and soul...
I want you to experience what I FEEL when I create a piece like this, so I give you today's Daily Wire Transfer. Enjoy!!


Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Renaissance Wedding Collection

Wow! I have finally done it! I have been thinking about doing it for a long time, but I guess I really never trusted myself to do it right. I finally couldn't resist the urge any longer and I did it. I created a wedding collection. Better yet, I created my first ever tiara!

I have had an idea for a tiara rolling around in my head for quite some time. I have been trying to stave off The Fighter, but it finally got the best of me and I had to appease it once more.
Is anyone else out there afraid of failure? I am not sure if I am frightened of failure more, or the fact that I may lose precious metal if I mess up a design. As most of you know, I use a lot of Sterling Silver in my designs and the fear of wasting this precious, expensive wire grips every nerve ending in my body! I should know better than to fear the unknown so much though. I have been able to pull off most of my new challenges without a hitch so far. Of course, there is always that chance of messing something up, but maybe that is why The Fighter shows me the pictures in my minds' eye so vividly. Maybe The Fighter knows that I would beat myself up pretty hard if I failed miserably. I think I would be sickened, literally, if I ruined a large amount of Sterling Silver wire. The tiara I have created would definitely classify as A LOT of Sterling Silver wire.
Here is a picture of my sketch of the tiara design I had in my head...
 Thank gosh I am not trying to make a business out of drawing, eh? I definitely CANNOT put to paper what I see in my minds' eye, but I can usually pull it off when I transfer my visions into the wonderful world of wire work. You get the general idea, right?
Anyway, after I drew this out, I went home from my real job and went to work. I spent about 4 1/2 hours creating this...






Oh man! This thing makes me PROUD! I LOVE the way that it turned out. It is not exactly like the picture, but it is pretty close to it. I decided against the two wires extending over the top wire, as I thought it may look like antennae, so I opted not to do them. I designed the frame a little smaller, so I just went with the one S wire on either side of the Frosted Crystal Cabochon. I thought that this was enough. The sides are pretty much exactly how I pictured them. The crystals in the centers of the S wires put the perfect finishing touch to the entire design. I now find myself wanting to do another one really bad!
I had made the necklace earlier in the week. This is the design that I chose...



 I absolutely love the romance of the design elements! Just look at the yummy crystals and wire all intertwined to create this gorgeous piece. I started out by hanging the pendant on a ribbon choker, but I didn't think it was elegant enough. I then decided to weave a choker and hang the pendant from it. I wanted a crystal drop on the clasp and this is how it turned out...

Isn't it lovely?I love the way that the whole entire design flows with the weaving on the collar and the weaving on the pendant being the same weave pattern. I find it captivating!
These are the earrings that I had done earlier as well. I used the same drop crystal effect as I used on the pendant for the necklace. They are pleasing to the eye as well.


 I wanted to go a little off center with the wire wraps on the bracelet. I wanted to give the effect of a watch somehow, to mark the time. When you tip the bracelet on your wrist, the watch effect is there staring back at you, making the day stand still for a moment, a moment in time...



 So this is it, my Renaissance Wedding Collection. I don't have a buyer yet, it was not a special order, it was just a series of thoughts that I found myself dying to create and I am very happy that I did. Now I want to do a collection for a flower girl~What do you think? I am thinking rose quartz...