Happy December

Happy December!

This year have been very challenging in many ways and just before Christmas I find myself hustling around and I have long "To Do" - list. Between all this hustling, I try to take some time for myself. Usually I do yoga. I´ve been practicing yoga past 20 years more or less and now more frequently as my job is very physical especially during Winter. Yoga and crocheting are my ways to relax.

I was happy that this year arranged local Christmas craft sale event where I was last Sunday. It also gonna be two consecutive Sundays so have to make something special for there too. People were admired my crochet earrings. Couple people said that in order to make those need nifty fingers and very small hook. It was so fun to be there and show my jewelry.

I was participated Beadtober challenge in October and here´s what I made and post in my social media channel from week 3.

Day 15 - Falling Leaves

Since this day´s challenge was falling leaves I thought to share my wooden leaf necklaces that comes in total 8 different colors. They don´t show so well in photo collage but pink one was the photo that I post on Instagram that day. If you´re interested of my leaf necklace, visit my Etsy shop.

Day 16 - Favorite Technique

Second row begins with my beaded earrings that I made few years ago. These earrings were bit challenging to make. I try to learn how to do brick stitch with beads and have bad tutorial video. I rewind it several times back and forth and trying to figure out how I´m suppose to get the bead straight up by pulling the thread. I remember to learn this technique two days and I even think it in my dreams. I try to look other tutorial videos too but each tutorial maker have slightly different style to do this brick stitch. In the end, when I finally figured this technique out, it wasn´t so hard at all but if you´re just getting started beading your own jewelry, I would not recommend to start with brick stitch.

Day 17 - Czech Glass

This day´s challenge was all about Czech glass so I thought to share my dragonfly earrings that all have matching Czech glass bead above the dragonfly. These earrings have gold plated smooth backs and very detailed front side. These earrings are my favorite from all BlueBell´s jewelry and so perfect for Spring and Summer time. 

Day 18 - Orange & Black

Final photo from second row, I made bracelet set in orange and black color. For these bracelets I used memory wire, seed beads and got few beautifully glistening orange glass beads that I used in the middle. 

Day 19 - Necklaces

Last row, in middle photo is my necklace that I made. I love to make choker necklaces from seed beads and this black seed bead choker necklace have unique cat pendant what I made without any mold from polymer clay. There´s photo of my cat who act as an inspiration for this pendant. 

Day 20 - Spooky Spooky Skeletons

First photo from last row show my skeleton earrings that I made from polymer clay and cotton yarn. I learned to make own tassels few years ago and they are pretty simple to do. Skeleton heads I molded from orange color polymer clay. I took from web inspiration photo in order to mold these skeletons. I forgot to add eye pins before I put these polymer clay work in oven so had to add small screw for both side so I can attached the earring hooks and tassels what I made. These earrings are unique pair and it´s available on Facebook shop and Etsy too.

 

Day 21 - Boo! Beads!

Last photo of all is showing my favorite beads. I chose Swarovski crystal beads since I love everything sparkle and these beads shines so gorgeously that makes me happy and they gives me creative boost. Local bead supplier said to me once that it´s completely own hobby to just watch how different beads shines 😂 I bet this is very common among jewelry makers.

~ Minna

Happy November

Can´t believe it´s November already! Time, days and weeks really flies or at least we Finnish people said that way when time goes by so fast.

As some of you may or may not know that I was participated in October IG challenge which hosted by Artbeads and in this blog post I wanted to share some of my creations from week 2. The challenge itself was fun although I was time to time little behind from posting daily task. My original plan was to create cool things from seed beads that I have but many times I ended up using polymer clay since Halloween theme creation was so much easier to make than beading.

If you haven´t read my first week post from this challenge, you can quickly read it here.

In the second week of the challenge we shared e.g. our favorite creations from this year, Halloween crafts, bead storage and trick or treat creation.

First photo shows my favorite creation from this year. It was bit hard to choose just one but eventually I eneded up with my newest addition - Crocheted anklet that I made this Summer. The anklet project was fun to make, I never had crocheted with beads so that was completely new thing to me. I thought that crocheting beads would be difficult but surprisingly it wasn´t. I enjoyed to make these anklet from Toho seed beads which I love to use in my beading projects. These beads have beautiful milky effect surface with silver lined inside. Toho beads are high quality glass seed beads and they also consistent quality so you will get clean and nice beaded jewelry.

Second photo shows day 9 task which was Fiber Fun. I chose beautiful yellow tassel earrings which I made while ago. For these earrings I learned to make tassels and used 100% cotton yarn to make the tassels. These earrings comes in four different colors and each one I have combined with different colored wire which I have hand shaped. When I looked these earrings, they make me happy. These are statement looking earrings but still light as feather when you wear these.

Third photo shows my crocheted bracelet. I chose "Survivor" because October was breast cancer awareness month. This month remind me of my favorite Finnish singer whose fan I have been ever since I was 11 years old. My favorite singer had breast cancer about five years ago and  when I saw the news, it stopped me. I started to think why I liked her songs so much and how much fun I had in her gigs. She had brought me so much joy when my life was so depressing and I was experience hard times with my mom. I´m really happy that she survived from that cancer and looking forward her new album. I chose multicolored green yarn for this bracelet because green is color associated with vitality, nature, tranquility and health. I have more these kind bracelet in different affirmation ring such as "Happiness", "Joy" etc.

Fourth photo shows my Halloween crafts. For some reason I wanted to make skeleton heads. I originally planned to make the skulls from beads but couldn´t find nice tutorial in order to practice so I molded these heads from photo that I took from web. It was fun to work with polymer clay. If the work was ruined, you can always roll the clay in your hands and re-shaped it however you like. I´m pretty pleased with these skull heads that I made. I also made my very first pumpkin that day. I added small leaves. I have no clue which kind leaves pumpkins have but this little pumpkin have tiny ordinary leaves that I also hand shaped. I give my BIG Thank You to my dearest friend who guided me through my polymer clay creation. I couldn´t do them without her inside tips and advices 💕

Fift photo shows my "Withcy Vibes" earrings. Witchy vibes day task was bit hard for me since I couldn´t find classic witch hat beading tutorial that I would like to do and this day task came quickly and hadn´t any time to order missing supplies. I live in small town and there´s no craft store anymore. I usually order all my jewelry supplies from online and occasionally buy them craft store if I visit bigger city. So this day I though to share my tassel hoop earrings that have three faux suede leather tassels that I have attached into stainless steel hoop. These earrings goes well for modern witch.

Sixth photo shows my "doughnut earrings" that I made from polymer clay. Challenge was to create something for the National dessert day and my first idea was to make doughnuts. I thought they would be easier enough for me to make since I´m not so talented polymer clay artist. These doughnuts was fun to make though. My friend have perfect polymer clay color for the doughnuts that I used and I made orange icing with black sprinkles. I tried to make realistic looking icing by molding it freely with my fingers. It was bit difficult since icing needed to be thin as possible but too big for the doughnuts. Even placing the icing on the doughnuts had to make carefully since I didn´t wanted to ruined my texture that I made on the doughnuts.

Final three photos shows my bead stores where I keep all my jewelry supplies and beads. I bought long time ago two black boxes with two different sizes plastic drawers. These were actually sold as a toolboxes but as a jewelry maker I only saw how neatly I can storage all my jewelry supplies and I labelled each drawer so I can find more easily specific jewelry part what I need. These two boxes have served me well and they were also very affordable price to buy. Money saving tip: So next time when your husband or boyfriend goes to buy tools, go with them. Surprisingly many men´s tool fit also for jewelry making like side cutters, different tool boxes, hammers, files, sandpapers etc. which cost many times much more in jewelry supply store. 

Here was my second week update. Many jewelry that I made during this October challenge can´t be find on BlueBellJewelry´s Etsy shop yet but I´m working on to add them in the shop as soon as possible. Next time I will write about December´s birthstone "Turquoise" so stay tuned and have a wonderful Autumn.

~ Minna