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.

Another Holiday Smile

Here's a picture of my sister-in-law modeling her Christmas gift. This is the 2nd necklace set that I made with black and white beads. The other was fashioned in a shorter choker style.

Sister's Debut in Crimson Snowflake Set

Somehow my sister has managed to dodge the blog for almost a year. What an incredible ability to hide from my camera! Here she is wearing a crimson snowflake set that I gave her this Christmas. This is the sister that designed my blog header and logo. She's both talented and beautiful!

97 Year Old Supermodel

Here's Gram wearing her new pearl and crystal ear rings on Christmas Eve. I think the dainty style fits her small frame and the sparkle matches her beautiful smile.

A little more about Gram: I met my sister-in-law's Grandma about 7 years ago. Widowed in WWII, this amazing 97 year old woman still lives by herself, drives, plays with young children, knits for the homeless, and makes a delicious Selskops pudding - a favorite dessert from her Norwegian heritage. The last several holidays she's watched me make jewelry, patiently sitting near me and showering me with compliments. She's even accompanied me on a Michaels run and witnessed my addition to beading first hand. During the times I've sat with her beading she's shared in amazing detail the story of her childhood, marriage, and life in NYC. I am constantly amazed at her intellect, sharp mind, and kind spirit. I can't wait to design a '100 year' celebration birthday set for her!

Beautiful in Copper Tones

This longer polymer clay necklace is the perfect accessory for a turtleneck or cozy winter sweater. I styled this one with my sister-in-law's red hair and green eyes in mind. Doesn't she look beautiful in copper tones!

In Style In-Laws

Here's a shot of my sister-in-law's modeling their new jewelry. One had been asking for dangly earrings and the other a homemade black and silver necklace. I think the necklace looks sharp with a simple white blouse.

My Muse

My sister-in-law's bright hair and bold colored clothing often inspires me to design pieces with copper, gold, red, orange, and yellow. Here's a shot of my muse in her new Christmas gift.

Starring Miss Olivia Thompson

My niece, Olivia, was very interested in the clay beads. So, I made her a necklace with a few leftovers. Before she went to bed she carefully laid it on her bookshelf quietly said, "It's so beautiful." She wore it proudly 3 days in a row - Friday, Saturday and Sunday at church! If I'd known she'd cherish it as much I would have used my expensive findings . She is just so stinking cute. :-)

Hartzell Beading Party

After Thanksgiving dinner the kiddos asked me to break out the beads. Here's a few pictures capturing our fun and finished goods. This time I remembered to prepared special, kid-friendly bins with cheap and brightly colored beads. I'm still amazed that Carolyn, who is only 2 years old!, was able to string beads. What talented little fingers.

Inspirations on the Vineyard

I just returned from a 4-day weekend on Martha's Vineyard. About 5 min after we got off the ferry we were at Beadniks - a really cool , but expensive bead supply story on the island. I fell in love with their copper accessories and plan to use them with my new rustic colored clay beads. Check out the sweet clasp in this photo!

We had a blast cycling around the island and managed to peddle about 90 miles in total. I achieved my season goal of 20 miles @ 20 mph....OK...OK...I had a little help from my friends! Drafting is such a beautiful sport. :)

Out of the saddle, I was able to design a necklace as well as a bracelet and ear ring set for Marylee. I even managed to persuade a few onlookers to join the fun by making gifts for loved ones. Here's a shot of the table we took over and Steve making a birthday gift for his wife. We advised him that perhaps the wine glass marker would go nicely alongside a purchased gift.

Yummy Dinner Inspires Clay Project

Last night we sent our friends, the McMahons, home with some extra clay. (You can see Bryan McMahon in one of my August posts.) Apparently inspired by the yummy pizza we ate at Lynwoods; they sent these pictures today.

Dad McMahon calibrated the oven with a thermocouple (a true engineer!) while chef Bryan carefully places the new creation on the rack! The recipe for polymer clay is 275 deg F for 15 min.













Can you smell it?









Well done guys! You even captured the unique edges of the Pizza. While I use polymer clay primarily for beads, these pictures are a great example of other fun clay projects. You can pick up clay supplies at any craft store. It's a great creative activity for kids and adults alike.

Beading with the Kiddos

I spent Labor Day weekend with my husband's family and brought along the clay tools to spend some time beading with the Kiddos. Here's Sophia (age 3) stringing the clay beads we made. Check out the look of concentration on her face.

My sister-in-law, Diane, joined the fun and created cool clay shapes for the kid's necklaces.

Finally, here's Sophia and Caroline (age 2) modeling their new jewlery. Caroline's sad face is a result of the finished brownie. :-) The last shot is of Reagan (age 6) who helped make the beads and Kathryn, my sister-in-law, modeling a St. Patrick's day necklace. Click a picture for a larger view.

Clay Prodigy

We had our friends, the McMahons, over for dinner last night. During the course of the evening I managed to turn their son, Bryan, into a clay artist. Here's a picture of the new clay prodigy making a bead in the shape of a soccer ball! They left our house with Bryan requesting a pasta maker and a trip to Michaels for more clay! If I ever manage to land an arts and crafts show, I know where I'll find my assistant. :-)

Sexy Mom Sports New Jewelry

My sister-law-in, Emily, came through with the picture she promised; so, today's blog features a wire and crystal set. The necklace design includes Swarovski crystals and pink glass cubes separated by handmade silver links. The matching earrings feature the same wire link accented by a crystal on the bottom. I sent this set to Emily for her Birthday/Mother's day gift. Afterwards, my brother wrote me an email to tell me how beautiful she looked in her new jewlery - I agree!

Weekend Warriors

Thanks to clear skies, Vern and I were able to fly back to PA to celebrate Father's Day. I watched my niece and nephew at the Beaver Airport while Vern took my Dad and Brother up in the Cheetah. Later we flew to Grove City to visit my good friend, Jackie, and sister Mandy...and of course, no trip to Grove City is complete without a stop to Ann Taylor. We flew back to Beaver for dinner with almost the entire family (we missed you Tam & Adam). At dinner, my parents announced that not only was this weekend their anniversary....but their 35th wedding anniversary. WOW! Congrats Mom and Dad. :-)

As we enjoyed our dinner and conversation, I spotted a few past jewelry gifts and some blogging opportunities! My sister, Mandy, is wearing a St. Patty's Day inspired clay creation; my mom is wearing a wire working creation; and I'm sporting a harvest colored beaded necklace. My sister-in-law wasn't wearing a Patty creation...but has promised me that at some point tonight she'll put on her jewelry and pose for a photo. Watch this space!