This 'n That

This “Moonlight at Midnight” bracelet is one of my newest designs. I just love glass beads, and for this piece I chose an exquisite black with beige free style Kalera Bead for the focal component. I then looked for some glass and silver beads to compliment the focal bead. I found exactly what I needed with some 8mm Matte Glass Roundel Beads from Artbeads. I chose three different colors – Montana, Topaz and Jet. The blue, black and topaz compliment the colors in the Kalera bead beautifully!

Then on to my choice for the silver beads… I wanted something that I hadn’t tried before, so I browsed through Artbeads selection of Hill Tribe silver beads. Hill Tribe Silver beads from Thailand are made by the Karen Hill Tribe in northern Thailand using traditional tribal methods passed down from generation to generation. Purchasing these silver items helps sustain a traditional craft and provides the Karen people with a reliable source of income. The silver content in Hill Tribes silver beads and pendants is typically 95-99%, even higher than sterling (92.5%).

I found some wonderful Striated leaf beads from Hill Tribe that I thought would look great with the other beads that I used – they are unusual and have a very organic style. I also found a really nice Hill Tribe toggle clasp that I chose – Hill Tribe Silver Rounded Square Toggle. Now all I needed was some little sterling silver beads to use as spacers between the glass roundel beads. I found the perfect ones – 3mm Bright Sterling Silver Roundel Beads. I use these beads often, as they are so versatile and work great to add silver accents to pieces.

Here is a photo of my finished bracelet. I think it turned out great, and hope you like it also! I found everything to make it at Artbeads, my favorite beading vendor!

Kalera Glass Bracelet with Hill Tribe Silver

Kalera Glass Bracelet with Hill Tribe Silver

Disclosure: I have received the components used for this design from Artbeads free of charge. I am posting an honest review of said products and have not been paid to endorse said products.

Aubrey Baby Blue Hand Painted Wall Letters $18.00 These beautiful letters will add that special touch to your little ones room. Hand painted to order with your child's name.You canalsochoose a coordinating [Read more] Dwell Baby 4 Piece Dots Chocolate Crib Set $384.00 The Dots Chocolate Crib Set is part of dwellbaby's renowned collection of stylish bedding and accessories. Crib set includes play blanket, bumper, fitted sheet, and crib sk... [Read more] Sweet Baby Pink Frame $32.00 This adorable 7x 7 wood frame is hand painted and accented with a bow. Holds a 4x4 pic. [Read more]

I decided to try something new last week.  I had a few different components that I wanted to use in a jewelry design, but needed something else for the design.  I had recently received some gorgeous sapphire or teal colored copper wire that I wanted to use in a necklace for myself.  I also had a fun Scrabble tile pendant that had a black cat with a moon – I didn’t want to just hang this handmade pendant on a chain, I wanted to make a special necklace for it.  That’s where Swarovski crystals from Artbeads come in…

I decided to order some gorgeous Swarovski crystals from ArtBeads. They had been featuring Swarovski all month, with some great specials offered.  I chose a variety of crystals in various shapes and colors.  I wanted to try some new types of Swarovski components – some that I don’t use every day and some that I had never used before.  I chose crystals in blues, greens, bronze/gold and black.  Here’s a photo of the crystals that I ordered – look at all the luscious colors!

Some of the new shapes that I ordered were the Triangle Ring and the Keystone Bead.

Swarovski Triangle Ring

Swarovski Keystone Bead

I also ordered some Swarovski asymmetrical crystal pearls in Antique Brass and some Polygon crystals in Olivine, plus some round, bicone and helix shapes.

After I received the crystals, I started playing around with the copper wire and crystals – just letting the design take shape as I worked with the wire and crystals.  I ended up with a very free form necklace that works great with the Scrabble tile cat pendant.  It’s completely different than any of my other pieces, but I think I like it.   I still have some of the crystals left, and I’ll probably use those for some earrings!

Aubrey Baby Blue Hand Painted Wall Letters $18.00 These beautiful letters will add that special touch to your little ones room. Hand painted to order with your child's name.You canalsochoose a coordinating [Read more] Dwell Baby 4 Piece Dots Chocolate Crib Set $384.00 The Dots Chocolate Crib Set is part of dwellbaby's renowned collection of stylish bedding and accessories. Crib set includes play blanket, bumper, fitted sheet, and crib sk... [Read more] Sweet Baby Pink Frame $32.00 This adorable 7x 7 wood frame is hand painted and accented with a bow. Holds a 4x4 pic. [Read more]