Oh, So Blue.

It's coming.  The Weather Channel says it's coming.  So it must be coming, right?  That snow storm that could dump anywhere from 3-12 inches on the city is coming.  I know this.  I should just accept it and wait for the thaw afterwards.  But I CAN'T!  This winter has SPOILED us when it comes to snow fall.  The snow we got last week is still out there, the longest we have had snow on the ground all winter.  And just when it might start to thaw, Mother Nature reminds us that it IS still winter.  Blech.

So in honor of my blue mood, how about a necklace that's blue, but shiny enough to make you feel good?

One night last week, I was sifting through all of my beads and noticed, just like my nail polish stash, that I have more shades of blue beads than anything else.

It's such a long necklace for taking pictures, so let's move on to the close-up shots.

I love the clear bead with the blue right down the middle of the bead.  They are even better looking in person.  And mixing the round beads with the rondelles (the squished looking blue beads) just seemed to work.  Adding the black was my way of giving the necklace a little variation.  I thought all blue might be sort of boring.

And since I have always had a love for silver, I decided to change it up and not use JUST beads.  The silver connector beads worked just right.

This is a Y-shaped necklace.  I decided to add some plain chain to the end of the Y in varying lengths and then add a few beads to make the necklace move a little more when wearing it.

The necklace has a lobster clasp.  The necklace, end to end, is about 32 inches long.


If you like what you see, hop on over to my Etsy shop and snatch it up!

-JW

Southwestern Necklace

I must admit something:  I have never been to the southwest.  I WANT to go, preferably during the winter, but I just haven't made it there yet.  I know that parts of Arizona and New Mexico are almost overflowing with turquoise jewelry and beautiful hand crafted silver beauties.  As a teenager, I was in love with southwestern style jewelry.  T a certain degree, I guess I still am.

Although I cannot make it there for now, I have something that would fit right in.

I made this same style necklace last year and a friend of mine quickly bought it from my Etsy shop.  That one was also blue but the blue was much darker, almost a navy.


I LOVE the turquoise color of this necklace.  It's so bright and happy.  I used 2 different sizes of seed beads to give it a little more depth.  The little oval shaped beads give it character.

The clasp is something I love to use.  Sometimes, fiddling with lobster clasps can be a pain.  And for this necklace, the button just works.

It's a fun necklace to wear and it's a great way to add a great splash of color to a black shirt.

As with other things in my Etsy shop, if you like the design but would prefer different colors, just hop over and let me know.


-JW

Caged.... in a snow globe?

It's mid February and the temps have been pretty mild here in Minneapolis.  The last few days were a little colder and not pleasant but today the temps had an upswing.  Sadly, when that happens, it usually snows.  And it's snowing.  HUGE, fluffy flakes have been falling for over an hour.  Luckily, the ground is warm so it's not really sticking.  (Small miracles.)

Today, I have a bracelet that was sort of a pain to put together but I LOVE the look.  It's different from most of what I see in jewelry stores right now.

Using cobalt blue, light blue, yellow, and light green crystals, I made this "caged" bracelet.  The cages are jump rings and yes, it was a little awkward getting 4 of them to line up correctly for every bead.  But the effort was worth it.  I like the way it turned out.

I used a toggle clasp because they are much easier to fasten and it gives the bracelet a little character.

As with most of my jewelry, if you like the bracelet but you aren't crazy about the colors, hop on over to my Etsy shop and let me know what colors you would prefer.


-JW

Peridot and Tanzanite Swarovski Earrings

I have always had a thing for earrings.  I know that as a teenager, I had so many that I could have worn a different pair every day for a month and still had room to play.  And my tastes haven't changed much.  Dangle earrings have always been more fun for me to wear than studs.

When I made these earrings, I sort of fell in love.  The options are limitless.  I can pump out pair after pair and just change the colors of the beads.  For the first pair of these that I made, I went with the green and purple theme.  (Not a coincidence seeing as how right around that time, my husband and I painted my oldest stepdaughters room green and purple.  I guess it was just in my head.)

These earrings are just so fun and playful.  They could be dressy or they could be the perfect casual earrings to wear out anywhere.  They also SPARKLE when the light hits them.  Swarovski crystals catch light and radiate it back out and it's a beautiful effect.

This was actually my very first attempt at using wire to wrap around jewelry.  It was a lesson that was painful at the start, easier in the middle, and something to be proud of by the time I was finished.

I made a pair of these for myself, using black, red, and clear Swarovskis.  I call those my "Georgia earrings".  They frame the face so well and you can tell people are trying to get a better look at them without looking like they are staring you down.

Just like the rest of my jewelry, I can make these in just about any color combination.  Just hop on over to my Etsy shop and message me.


-JW

Spring Button Bracelet

Is it spring yet?  Living in Minnesota, I am always hoping for an early spring.  It does get pretty cold here although after the first year, I knew I had to accept it.  And you do get used to it.  Luckily, this winter has been really mild.  It's mid February and there is little to NO SNOW on the ground.  Our yard is totally empty of snow and I am okay with that.  After getting over 80 inches last year, this is a welcome change.

But even with the little snow and higher daily temps, I am still looking forward to that day when you just KNOW that spring has finally sprung.  I long to leave the heavy coat and gloves in the house and walk to the mailbox with a light jacket and my flip flops.  Oh, yes.  It's coming.

To get you in the spring mood, I made a bracelet using some great beads with colors that have always been identified with spring.  And I just love this whimsical bracelet.  The white seed beads are just an accent to the colors.

When I wear bracelets, I have a problem with getting them on myself without help.  It's terrible when it's a lobster clasp or similar.  I am 34 years old.  I should be able to put on my own jewelry, right?  That's why I love this closure.  It's just a simple button closure and it's really easy to put on yourself.  If you can button your pants, you can button this bracelet.

If you're itching for spring like I am, maybe a bracelet like this one is what you need.  If you are interested in it, hop on over to my Etsy shop.  I can also make this same bracelet using different colors, if you prefer.  Just hop over to Etsy and ask!

-JW

Wrap Necklace

Jewelry trends seem like they change daily.  Just when you have what is "hot" and "now", the trend has moved on and you have a necklace hanging on your mirror or buried in a drawer and you can only hope that the trend will cycle back around again, like most trends seem to do.

Luckily, layering necklaces seems to last throughout each trend.

I have always been a fan of multi-strand necklaces.  Part of it may stem from not being able to choose one necklace to wear at a time. Normally, I try to match up 2 or more necklaces that I have and wear them together.  It makes more of a statement and I like that.  I either wear one necklace with large beads or ornamentation or a wear 2-3 necklaces with smaller beads and much less ornamentation.

This necklace is my seed bead Wrap Necklace.  It's deceiving at first glance.  It is one LONG strand that you wrap around your neck.  I like it because it actually gives you options.  The less you wrap, the longer the necklace.  Or, wrap it more and make a thicker choker.  The entire strand is about 5 feet long so it's up to you how many times to wrap it up.

 I love the different blues in this necklace, and the black making a little more of a bold statement.  The blue is beautiful but the black stands out and draws your eye to it.

Hanging from each end of the necklace are 2 silver flowers. It adds a little something to the strands of beads.

 Between each color of beads, I inserted a single silver bead that looks really pretty when the light hits it.  I think it adds a little kick to it that wouldn't be there if it was just seed beads.

If you're interested in this necklace, hop on over to my Etsy shop and check it out.  And if you like the necklace, but would prefer a different color combo, just ask!

-JW

The Butterfly Y- set

Every woman has a favorite piece of jewelry.  That quirky bracelet that dangles from your wrist, or that flirty pair of earrings that shines just enough when the lights hits them, or that necklace that lays just right and gets those admiring looks.

I am no different.  I have my favorites and in this post, I'll share mine.

Since childhood, I have been a huge fan of butterflies.  There are so many types, some found only in a certain corner of the world.  And the colors.  The COLORS!  Some butterflies have the most beautiful shimmer in their wings or the most gorgeous shade of blue, my favorite color.

That's part of the reason that I LOVE this necklace.

 The whimsical butterfly hanging from the end of the Y shape of the necklace, watching it swing when you move as if it's trying to fly, just makes me smile.

And I LOVE the colors.  I was browsing through my favorite in-town bead store, The Bead Monkey, and I was drawn to the blue and green beads, seeing the lines and swirls in the beads.  I love that some of the beads are more ornate than the others.  Adding the gunmetal beads, to me, just added a little edge to it.  They stand out in a great way.  And to add a little more movement, I added the larger black beads.

The butterfly was a find from Fire Mountain Gems.  This is an AMAZING site to find deals on beads and all of the findings that you need when creating jewelry.  I just love the intricate pattern making up the butterfly.  And at the last minute, I added the green and blue beads to get just a little more dangle and movement.

I had quite a few beads left over once I made the necklace so I went on to make a bracelet.  It doesn't have a butterfly like the necklace but then it doesn't need one.  It's just a little compliment to the bigger piece.

And even after making the bracelet, I still had a few beads to play around with so I thought why not make some little earrings to finish off the set?  I wanted to keep the earrings simple so that the main focal point when wearing this set would be the necklace.

The blue beads in the earrings are what made me want to use these beads from the start.  You can see the lines and they make the beads a little more interesting than if they were plain blue.

This set is so fun to me.  I made another version of it using black and red beads and a black butterfly and when I wear it, I see people checking it out.

The necklace, earrings, and bracelet are available to purchase in my shop on Etsy.  You can buy all three or just one piece that you must have.

Thanks for reading!  Come see the shop and browse.
-JW

Welcome, jewelry lovers!

Welcome to my world of beads and sparkle!

I have been a jewelry lover since I was a kid.  Anything with beads or sparkle has always caught my eye.  When I watch my favorite TV shows, sometimes I find myself paying more attention to the necklace on a character than what they are saying at that moment.  But the older that I get, I get more particular about the type of jewelry that I wear.

We've all been out shopping and seen a fantastic necklace or bracelet... only to see the price tag and laugh in disbelief and disgust.  Or, you see something you would love to have IF ONLY the colors were slightly more you.  Sometimes, it's the length that you have a problem with.  Sometimes, it's just "too much" if you like things that are more simple, but still eye-catching.

That's why I started making my own jewelry.  There are SO many bead sites out there and in town where I can find the right colors and styles and use them to make my own creations.

I look through magazines, check websites, and watch TV shows to get inspiration for the pieces that I make.  I find a design that I would love to tweak and go from there.  And there are SO many options out there, so many styles to re-create or tweak to make it more you.

I will be posting my creations to this blog as I post them to Etsy.  If you see something that you like, hop on over to Etsy and check out the shop.  I have great rates on shipping and at times, I can do custom pieces based on something already posted.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back often.


-JW