Spring Inspires Butterfly

Inspired by our 50 degree heat wave (in Boston) and thoughts of spring; this weekend I created a stone necklace accented with a butterfly pendant.

Western Style

Over Easter weekend I designed this Western Style necklace using some Turquiose stones I've had for ages and a few new tube beads I picked up last weekend.

Caroline's Birthday Party

This weekend Caroline celebrated her 8th birthday by beading with 7 of her friends. Each girl selected her favorite colors and designed a strand with special magnetic beads. The finished piece can be worn as bracelet or a necklace. I also found a special Swarovski crystal heart and made Caroline a necklace for her birthday.

Beauty in the Background

I've really started to enjoy the photography side of my blog. It's interesting to see how lighting and background can alter the look of a piece. Here's an example of a necklace that I shot on both a copper and blue background. Isn't it interesting to see how the copper stands out on the blue background and vice verse. It makes you think about what part of the necklace you want to showcase - in this instance I chose the blue beads.

Here's another interesting example of 6 different backgrounds and props I tried for the pearl earrings. I started out with a blue background and ended up choosing a soft pick to represent the feminine style of these dangly earrings.

Photo Fun

This turquoise set was inspired by a necklace that one of my colleagues has been wearing lately. The style is bolder than my usual...not sure if I'll gift it or keep it!

Can you tell that my sister and I had fun with new photography props this weekend? She is a scrap-booking wizard and had more paper and props available than Michaels. She even had a neat idea for updating my blog header. I left her with a few of my handmade beads to photograph. I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

Delightfully Danish

I finally designed a pair of ear rings with the silver disks that I purchased in Denmark. They're clean, simple and a little funky.

A Birthday Gift for My 30-year Old Sis!

My sister turned the big 3-0 this weekend. Here's a picture of the necklace set I designed for her.

Pink & White Pearl Earrings

I designed these very girly pink and white pearl earrings on the way to my sister's house this weekend. Together with a nice blouse, these ear rings are perfect for softening the look of a suit.

Birthday Beadiness

Last week I celebrated my birthday...gulp, I'm getting old.

The week was filled with many surprises and "beady" highlights. My friend, Kim, kicked off our Saturday game night with party beads - notice the crazy set they saved for the birthday girl. She even made a cake for the birthday folks ~ notice my half is decorated with yummy jewelry!

The next day, Vern flew me to his family for a surprise party. Despite 'no gift' warnings, I received lots of surprises - including handmade jewelry from my nieces and nephew.

The next day, I arrived at work to find a completely decked out birthday office! I'm still finding the confetti everywhere I go. Again, despite 'no gift' warnings my colleagues made a cake and bought me Clinique's Happy perfume and a gift card to the Bead Cache - my favorite bead shop. Now I can eat, bead and smell pretty. :-)

My last 'beady' surprise was a jewelry cabinet from my husband...woohoo! Finally, no more jewelry around the house and stuffed in drawers. Can you believe this 18" by 4' tall cabinet is nearly full!

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday extra special this year. I am truly blessed to have you in my life.

Bridal Shop Inspirations

This weekend my inspiration came from a trip to David's Bridal. I tried on a marine colored dress for my friend's wedding. The dress was gorgeous - a deep, rich shade of blue! I combined the color with a necklace style that another friend shared with me for today's creation.