Creating my own wedding jewelry

Sneak peak peeps!

So now that I know what the dress is going to look like I can finally start working on my necklace. My favorite part is that it has a low back, so I am going to take advantage of that part. I always feel like the back of a necklace should be just as fantastic as the front.
Here are my preliminary drawings that I started with. I'm working on bending wire and will get some photos of that part soon too. I have to decide on what stones I will use as well... I'm not sure yet but I may just use little tiny cream pearls.

Open to ideas too, leave them in a comment ;)

Sterling Wire wrapping project (#3)

The main portion of the necklace is coming along. I have decided to include some Spessartite Garnets that I have been hoarding. They are a delicious sparkling bright orange. I'm still not quite sure what to put with them...

I put the beads on a separate wire than the wrapping one because I want them all to face with the faceting forward rather than wrap them directly in with the work. If you have wrapped before, or looked around at work, this will probably make more sense to you. There are so many ways to do things that sometimes it gets complicated. :)

This is where I am so far... and I can feel myself getting stuck. It's natural that along the way the inspiration slows because I don't want to "try something" and mess it up. There is a little more wrapping to be done to get it stable to the point that it can handle being worn and the additional stones that will go onto it. I have to figure out what kind of chain to make too. I want it to look rather substantial and have enough visual weight to balance out the central pendant.

Have a lovey weekend all, I'll get back to it!

Sterling Wire wrapping project (#2)

The progress is coming along with the wire wrapping. One of the things I notice with my work is that the wire wrapped portion tends to look more like a pendant. I'm working on trying to incorporate it into the necklace so that everything fits together onto the necklace itself.

I've done some additional sketches that include a full scale "traced" original. You can see my progress on the actual work in the photo also. I tend to change things and work it out as I go along, for me it's a fluid process.

I've chosen a preliminary selection of Peridot, Phrenite, and Spessartite Garnet for the gemstones, but might change that up too. :)

Sterling Wire wrapping project

My favorite pieces of jewelry always tend to be the wire wrapped bits. I like the intricate details that can be created with very fine wire. I recently did a few little spirals for earrings but the ones that draw the most attention tend to be the unique shapes and intricate weaves with gemstones.

This one to the right is among my most viewed. It sports :) a collection of colorful faceted gemstones and is hand wrapped in sterling silver wire on a sterling base.

I wanted to do another free form shape so the first step is getting out the sketch pad (handmade by nightowlcraftworks) and drawing some shapes. I'm a fan of filigree and wrought iron and like to get some intricate patterning involved in the wrapping so I basically have to draw it out first. Sterling is expensive, and I attempt not to waste it on mistakes.

The initial drawing looks like this. With some modifications, I decided to go with the one on the left. I sometimes make changes while I am in progress depending on fluidity of shapes, how the wire fits together, and inspiration.

After some forming, and hammering for structure, I put the pieces side by side to make sure they will fit the way I want.

Then I think about adding components like chain and gemstones. It all comes together slowly as each component is added. I find it important to make sure things fit the way I want. Sometimes that means testing it out with copper wire too since I may not want to mess with the actual piece or potentially waste precious wire.

So this is where I am. Stay tuned for the choosing of gemstones, and components.

Playing in the wire again, thinking about handing out beads

Gotta love filigree! It takes a while to actually make it from wire but man is it ever cool! I get a little excited over the beads and wire... So anyway, I always liked the look of that old fashioned lacy filigree that is meant to embellish a central focus. And we know (we do at my house) that is a good element in design to have "strong centers". I'll do a blog post about the elements of design later on. For now I am too overly excited and beady eyed.

It doesn't help that I am going to a gem show in a couple of weeks. Which is why I am having the BIG SALE in my Vault shop to make way for the new things. But my followers already know that and subscribe to the newsletter for the even better deals... right followers?

I was thinking about having another $50 gemstone bead giveaway too... good idea? Are you watching?

I'm also gardening. Well, when I have the time to actually garden at my house I am anyway. I was inspired by the peas. Neither of these projects are complete ( you know you have 10 started too!) but one of these days as the inspiration flows I am sure they will develop.

Have a great weekend!

All wrapped up

As an intermission from the landscape design that we are installing (because the electrical and plumbing parts are not pretty and you don't want to see photos of holes in the dirt) here is what I have been doing.

I really like that I can wire wrap in the truck on the way to work. Everything is connected so there are not loose beads to get lost, which is a major bonus. Plus, I have about an hour a day that I can use that way.

So this is one finished project. It takes a while to get everything in just the right spot and know that it is actually going to work. I have a few that are unfinished because I got stuck somewhere.

The center of the heart pendant has a perfect little Peridot gemstone. It's not easy to find fantastic Peridot but I got lucky at a gemshow and found a few in a strand that I bought. I also decided that if someone is going to purchase a more expensive item from me, they will be wanting a nice jewelry box, so I got a few of those too.


This heart is one of the ones that I am stuck on. I want to add gemstones but have yet to know exactly what I want to do. It will come to me.

In the meantime, I am making gemstones on a chain. They are really classic looking and easy to wear. I made myself a shaded grossular (green) garnet necklace that I have been wearing almost every day.

Following are some that are still available for sale :) I have also been working on some bolder pieces as I have heard people wanting to see more bold necklaces in my shop... To me "bold" means both larger beads, more contrast, and more drama. So I came up with these:

Heck, most of these are still available so if you see something you want, don't hesitate to get it :)

I resolve to be organized!

Some may say I am already organized, like my sister (for example) who is, we will say, not so organized. I'm sure she thinks I'm a bit of a freak, but will not say anything because she tends to benefit from it.
So for those who do not already know that I am slightly obsessive with things, I'm laying it all out there. I spend much of my time keeping little tiny individuals in their place. Over the last... few years (we'll say) I have developed a favorite way to keep my beads in their place.

I love the clear glass top tins that I keep my flowers in. They come in a little square container with a foamy pad on the underside of the lid. My only complaint is that the container itself is not clear. But really, for the ease of storage they are one of my favorites.

They come in different sizes too, so they are good for the little beady things, and the bigger beady things.

Ya want some? (Yes you do!) Consider it your New Years Resolution gift to yourself. :) Just search in the containers section of my favorite online surplus store, they have some great things!

American Science and Surplus

Another little beauty of a box is this one that I found at a Asian market store. It's totally clear with a clear lid that fits over the top and it holds my seed beads perfectly! I have no idea where to find this online.

However, Tap Plastics has some great options that are very similar. It's really worth a look to find the perfect size container for your particular craft. They have retail stores as well as the online shop.

Then there are the flip top tic-tac style containers. So far they have held up to my gentle
use. I like these because they make it so easy to see what you are looking for! I have mine arranged by color so I can just pull out what I need in a second. They have actual little hinge buttons rather than the thin plastic fold over that always seems to eventually leave you with a lidless container.

These are becoming more widely available over the last few years. The prices are competitive too, which is nice to see. I get mine from Fusion Beads because of the free domestic shipping and they are local and nice people to do business with.

Another obsession I have, that feeds my need to be organized is to scrounge around and find boxes at garage sales and thrift stores. This is a cute little box that holds my unruly wire stash. It's an old Merle Norman box that I found at grandmas garage sale. I love that is is hinged and has a clear top. It's also very sturdy , which works great for the sire since it is a little heavier than the beads.

So there you have it, my bead storage methods. It's definitely worth it to be organized and know what you have. Cause noone want's to spend time looking for things when they could be crafting!

As the addiction developes...

I got some silver. I have been practicing with the plated silver and now I have the real silver and it is so pretty and shiney...

This is my practice:The next thing is to decide which gemstone looks best with it... I actually have some Swiss Blue topaz! That's fancy and so pretty...

Yes, I will be selling my practice. Then I will sell a sterling version of those that I really like. so stay tuned...

First attempt complete....

Original post on this topic: http://liciapots.blogspot.com/2008/06/learning-how-to-wire-wrap.html

This is the first attempt at wire wrapping. I got about halfway done and started doing the earring rounds (because there is no such thing as one project at a time) after finding a fun "weave" that I liked. I don't even know what to call these weaves, I'm sure they have a name. I'll have to find a wire wrapping terms website or something.

In any case, this is what I came up with on my first try. It looks like a first try to me also... I'm not sure it is saleable. The second try is just above the photo, and I like it much more so far. I'm using more intricate wraps on the second try, and more components.

EARRING UPDATE: I am keeping the first ones I made, but pair #2 is for sale on my Etsy site.
go buy it! :)

Do I keep them, or do I sell them?

Over the last couple of days I have been messing around with wire. I even bought some since I liked it so much. Usually I am hunched over some seed beads, methodically counting each bead. I realized that with wire wrapping, I can lean back and just weave. It's similar to knitting a simple pattern... no hunching. I like not hunching.

These are the no hunching earrings. I like them, and cannot decide if I should sell them ($40) or keep them for my greedy little self. They are silver plated (because using sterling at this point would be wasteful considering the goofs) with glass pearls. Simple, elegant...

Learning how to wire wrap....

I was just baffled by some of the wire work available on Etsy! There are some phenomenal pieces. I felt inspired to learn. I decided to wing it and create something of my own. There are plenty of tutorials, but I like the challenge of learning by doing it on my own.

So this is what I have so far. Originally it consisted of 4 seperate pieces of 20 gauge wire, and they are all connected by smaller 28 gauge wire. It's just basic silver plated craft wire to start with. I will see later how comfortable I feel using sterling. You know, maybe I will try it when it is so expensive that I have to mortgage my cat.

There is a woman Eni Oken who makes some great jewelry and also offers her tutorials at her website. The Etsy seller who is responsible for inspiring me to twist all these little loops is Magdalena of Magdalena's Atelier who sells thru her Etsy shop.

Check it out, you will be amazed!