UnBirthday Party Day!

It seems so long ago that I was sitting on my boat making a very special piece of jewellery for a complete stranger... well only a month ago and not such a complete stranger, we'd been introduced and swapped emails so I knew her name, where she lives and most importantly what her birthday month is.

Jana lives in the Canaries, a place I hope to sail my boat to later this year and she was born in February which makes her birth stone the gorgeous Amethyst. There is a lovely legend about how this gorgeous stone got its name - see my previous post which also explains why we are making celebratory jewellery for each other.

Purple, violet and all shades in between are my favourite colours so it made making a special gift even more pleasurable. But what to make from my onboard mini-stash? Would it challenge my resources? Would I have to go on a hunt for a bead shop (the one in the city of Portsmouth, UK sadly closed a few years ago)?

Over the years I have collected lots and lots of second hand beads and costume jewellery and amongst my crafting stash on the boat is a large bag of unsorted beads and trinkets. I spread the contents on the saloon table, trying not to loose any on the floor as the boat rocked and swayed in the winter winds howling round outside (it was snowing and a gale was blowing, which seems weird as I write this now in the heat of Dubai).

This is what I picked out, adding a few things from my findings box, some Czech glass pearls and the violet coloured glass beads you can see in the top left:

I'd sketched out a few ideas and decided to make a necklace with a large focal piece that would catch the light and glitter, something for everyday wear over a plain top but that could equally be worn to an UnBirthday Party. I love constructing tassels in shapes and forms.

The whole necklace was laid out several times whilst I decided what to put with what and where. I have finally learnt it, seems to figure out the whole construction before I begin so avoiding the how on earth do I attach xxxxx dilemma later on, where xxxxx could be the clasp, the focal or even simply ending a string of beads. Eventually satisfied I started assembling beginning with the focal piece.

The observant amongst you will have noticed from my first picture that the dark amethyst coloured beads were already wired with bead caps. They came to me that way and I've no idea how they were originally strung, one of the fun things I love about using recycled jewellery and beads. I simply made connecting links threaded through the long faux bone tubes to join these together.

Isn't it amazing how one material glass can look so different - the beads in the picture above look much more robust with their strong colour than the delicate translucent violet ones in the picture to the left.

Some tiger tail enabled the stringing of the last section of pale violet glass beads and pearls up to the sunburst clasp on either side.

And finally the focal piece could be joined into the necklace using a length of silver wire.

All that was left was to wrap it in a swathe of tissue and ribbon, place if in a padded bag and send it on its way....

The finished piece

And that is the story of my HBBH3.5 piece.

I'll leave Jana to tell the tale of her present to me but I will say that as yet my crazy globe trotting life has prevented me in seeing it in real life though I have viewed it via a Skype conversation with my in-laws in the UK! Roll on May 17 when we land at Heathrow and can settle at home on our boat for the foreseeable future.


PS: If you want to know more about my expat and sailing adventures you can find them here

PPS: It is a PARTY and here is a list of everyone who is celebrating - do go and meet them:

Ali McCarthy - www.northwoodscreativestudio.blogspot.com

Alicia Marinache - www.allprettythings.ca

Anzia Parks - www.anzipanzisworkshoppe.blogspot.com

Audrey Belanger- www.esperianterra.blogspot.ca

Cheri Reed - www.creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Cheryl Dunham - www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com

Chris Eisenberg - www.wanderware.blogspot.com

Christine Schlicht - http://www.marshellswaps.blogspot.com/p/visiting-bloggers-reveal-day.html

Cynthia Machata - www.antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

D Lynne Bowland - www.islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.ca

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell - www.deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com

Gina Hockett - www.freestyleelements.blogspot.com

Ginger Bishop - www.lilmummylikes.blogspot.com

Gloria Allen - www.gloriaallendesigns.blogspot.com

Janeen Burlingame - www.facebook.com/janeen.burlingame

Joana Perez Stribel - www.facebook.com/lasjoyasdejana

Lori Schneider - www.Beadaddicted.blogspot.com

Mary Govaars - www.mlhjewelrydesigns.com

Mischelle Fanucchi - www.micheladasmusings.blogspot.com

Paula Gaskill - www.lovelylaylabugsjewelry.blogspot.com

Renetha Stanziano - www.lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com

Robin Reed - www.willowdragon.blogspot.com

Sherry Baun - www.unicornsjewels.blogspot.com

Shirley Moore - www.beadsandbread.blogspot.com

Sierra Barrett - www.giraffecanhas.wordpress.com

Susan Bowie - www.susanbowie.wordpress.com

Mowse Doyle - www.mowsemadethis.blogspot.com

Cindy Muse - www.facebook.com/mritech813

Ellie Grossman - http://www.marshellswaps.blogspot.com/p/visiting-bloggers-reveal-day.html

Marlene Cupo - www.amazingdesigns-Marlene.blogspot.com

Shelley Graham Turner - www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Feather with Love

I found this fascinating challenge on the Bead Soup Cafe's (BSC) face book page. The hostess posts an inspirational picture on BSC's main page, along with a short blurb to get everyone inspired to create something. This is the fourth in a round robin event for the Non-Blogger group, though bloggers can take part :-)  Then on Feb 10th, Posting Day, everyone who has signed up posts a picture of each item they have made. This time round the challenge was a as you can see to make something inspired by the bright colours of a red macaw - a bit of a challenge as these primary colours are difficult to wear all together at once!

I decided to keep it small, simple and picked up on the "love" part of the challenge with a pair of heart shaped earrings made from silver wire. Once the wire shapes had been made - a marker pen made an excellent mandrel for the outer curve - I wired on some red glass bicones from Dubai's amazing Chinese emporium Dragon Mart to suggest the body of the parrot and made a pair of dangles using similar blue bicones and a little hint of yellow via a couple of seed beads. Et voila:

 Now I've cracked the shape I think I'll make a few more in other colours for your truely using sterling silver wire! About 8-10 cm of 0.8mm wire is required for each earring plus a headpin for each dangle and another couple of similar lengths of thinner (0.5mm) wire to attach the red beads. The latter depends on the size of the beads used. If you are doing this yourself don't forget to file the wire ends so they don't tear your ears when inserting.

Handmade Thursday

Green Glass Band

This weeks bracelet is one that has been sitting on my workbench for a while. I finished stitching the bead band last month in just a couple of days but then how to complete it? I had ideas of ornamenting the band with fringes and beaded flowers but after adding just two flowers decided I didn't want to cover up these lovely square glass beads and unpicked my additions. 

A rumage through my button box turned up the "Roman" coin, then it was just a case of creating a loop for the other end but it sat for ages while I argued with myself on whether or not to add a fringe, eventually impatience won out and I simply added the button and a loop fastner.

Seasonal Challenge

This months MJ Challenge is to produce a piece of jewellery based around the main theme of Christmas, or one of the other themes or projects in Issue 32 of the magazine. So either a unique creation, or a piece based on one of the featured projects could be entered.

I decide to mix and match basing my entry on the cross-weave technique project (MJ page 69) but using Christmassy shiney red glass beads and a rhodium plated flower pendant that looks a little like a poinsettia. By using slightly smaller beads than those originally specified the result is a open lacey collar. The interspersed seed beads are silver foil lined clear glass which just add to the sparkle. All that's needed now is an outfit to wear it with over the Christmas season!

If you'd like to enter the challenge yourself then click here for more details. It closes on November 30th, overseas entries welcome.