Here are some pics from a recent jewelry party.

Here is a picture of work in progress. Big lovely mess. 

This is the "Ruffle Bracelet" made with Preciosa twin beads. They are the beads that comprise the body of the bracelet. The ruffle is is made using 6o's. The Preciosa beads were a joy to work with. The design works up fast and the incredible uniformity of the twins make a flawless bracelet.

Fresh water pearls, Swarovksi crystals and Toho silver beads. 32"-34" ...five times around the wris. How cute are these?

I discovered beads about five years ago...I should say that I started making jewelry about 5 years ago. My niece Emily showed me how to string beads and attach them to a clasp using a crimp. I was so hooked! I learned wonderful new words like "crimp" and "findings" and .825 silver and lampwork and Miyuki and Swarovski. And, many many more "new" words that describe those magical components that make up the jewelry we wear. All of a sudden the mystery of making jewelry revealed itself to me and I was in a little creative heaven. 

Prior to beading I was a painter. For those of you who ever took a decorative or tole painting class, or had the pleasure of painting on wood or tin, I'm sure you are aware of all the accoutrement  that come with that craft...the paints, brushes, varnishes, patterns, embellishments, wood shapes and on and on....anything from homemade gadgets to tons of purchased "aids" that one must have to get that perfect brush stroke or mimic the exact style of the designer. Ha! 

Although I must admit that I was a pretty good painter, jewelry design and execution has truly allowed my creative side to flourish, and I largely attribute that to painting. If you've ever worked with color, you probably understand that the transition to another medium is not that difficult. Color theory is pretty much universal in the crafts and in life. 

For me, the most difficult hurdle was trying to choose what kind of jewelry I wanted to focus on.  I knew that I could not do all of it, even though I wanted to. I found myself drawn to tiny seed beads, maybe because they are just like individual little bottles of paint. There are more colors of seed beads than there are colors of craft paint. I found myself enjoying the process of working with seed beads. I truly love all the various bead stitches: peyote, ndebele herringbone, RAW, netting, ladder and my current triumph, bead crochet. 

Please check back for future posts where I will show the process of working in these various stitches.