Wednesday's Worktable: Another Birdie Custom Order

...this time, I'm working on a bookmark for my mother! 

Well, more technically, she commissioned it for a friend of hers who loves birds.

And you know what that means: 

So. Many. Birdie. Charms.

...and a squirrel, too, as a silly touch. Apparently the squirrels love to eat the bird seed that my Mum's friend puts out, too.

I've been having a blast figuring out how to arrange them, and make them lay correctly. And, credit where credit is due: Mum actually sent me a picture of how she thought I could lay them out, and I really like what she came up with! 

I'm pretty much done with it, actually, but I don't want to show the final piece just yet. Mostly, I want to make sure I take good pictures--and, since it's a gift, I don't want to completely spoil the surprise. ;)

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Friday's Worktable: Custom Order for Evensong's Heir, Part 3!

...Surprise! I have even more to share for this custom order.

I was waiting to share this one, because it was also a surprise for the customer. You see, I made it as a surprise gift. While I don't get a chance to do things like this often, it is always fun when I have the time and resources to do just a little extra.

Remember this bookmark?

Well, I made a necklace and some earrings to match!

And, as promised, here are the earrings:

What fun! As I said, it's not something I get to do often--but when I do, I greatly enjoy it. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by for all three of my worktable posts this week... I've definitely been busy. Now, on to the next project.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! See you next week!

Thursday's Worktable: Custom Order for Evensong's Heir, Part 2!

On Wednesday, I explained that I've been working on some custom orders--specifically, jewelry to go along with the book Evensong's Heir by L.S. Baird.

And now, as promised, I get to show off the other pieces that I made! Woohoo!

Now, I actually made a matching set--a necklace, a bracelet, and a pair of earrings. They are all based off of the three main characters: Willim (the Dove), Ellis (the Thrush), and Dmitri (the Lark). While in the past, I have made pieces to go with each of these characters individually, this was the first time I made pieces that incorporated all three.

So! First up, here is the necklace:

Each beaded line of this necklace is devoted to a different character. The top line, made with lavender glass and silver pearls, is made in the colors of the Dove. The second line, made with Czech glass and copper accents, is made in the colors of the Thrush. And the bottom line, made with two different shapes of black Czech glass, is made in the colors of the Lark.

I also included a feathery charm at the end of each line in colors corresponding to their character.

Here you can see where I have shortened the necklace to the customer's specifications:

And here's another closeup, just for fun:

Because I wanted to make a matching set, I used these same elements in the matching bracelet...

...and the matching earrings:

I added the dangly chain bits to add some extra opulence... I figured it would suit the characters--and the book--quite well.

I have always enjoyed making jewelry to go match literature... it's fun to take things that make a character or setting distinct and weave those elements into a visual format.

So, there you go! Some lovely pieces that I've been working on. Come back next Wednesday to see what else I've been up to!

Until then, have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable: Custom Orders for Evensong's Heir!

Remember back in 2013, when I made an entire jewelry line to coincide with the publishing of Evensong's Heir, by L.S. Baird?

...Well, even if you don't remember, that is definitely something I did. (And feel free to do a search for them--I'm pretty dang proud of the designs I came up with.)

So, why am I mentioning it now? Because I recently had a lovely customer reach out to me to make some more designs to go with the book. What fun!

Now, I have actually already shipped these to their new home, but I couldn't help but show them here. In fact, there are so many pretty shiny things that I'm going to devote two posts to it.

First up, I made bookmarks! (Made even more fun because they are made with feathers--and Evensong's Heir is very bird-related.)

...She also ordered some of the pieces I made for the original launch. I am beyond thrilled that these pieces are going to a good home!

...Now, it does feel a little silly to use a Wednesday Worktable to share something I've already made, but I'm excited... and it's definitely something I've been working on!

And as I said above, there are a few more items to show... but those will be for another day! (Maybe tomorrow... we'll see.)

Thanks for stopping by... Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Welcome Back to Wednesday's Worktable!

I used to do something on this blog called Wednesday's Worktable. 

It was pretty much what you would expect: I would post on Wednesdays, just sharing something I was currently working on. Sometimes it was jewelry-related, sometimes not. Now, it's been years since my last Wednesday's Worktable post, but I thought it would be fun to bring it back.

Now, I realize that not a lot of people read blogs anymore, much less write them, but I'm stubborn and I like having this space to create in. So, that's what I'm going to do. If you're up for the journey, I'd love to have you along.

I currently have a lot of projects on my table, but for today's worktable I wanted to do something special.

So! I thought it would be fun to pull out another project out of my bag from last November:

I honestly couldn't remember the design I had in mind when I put all those pieces in that baggie, so I took some time playing around with it. 

Eventually, this is what I came up with:

Sweet little Lily of the Valley earrings, ready for Spring and fun new things! Oh, and for those curious, all the beads are glass. 

Thanks for joining me today... I'm looking forward to sharing more of what I'm working on as time goes on. See you next week! 

Until then, have a lovely day everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy April 2025 Challenge: Farewell to JoAnns

How in the world is it almost April already?* This year is just flying by!

I've decided that this month's Wonder and Whimsy challenge is going to be a little bittersweet. 

Some background: as those who live in the states might know, JoAnn Fabrics is closing. If you're not familiar with JoAnns, it's a craft store chain that has been around... for a long time, honestly. I think the first store opened in  the 1940s, and then became a chain in the 1960s? Something like that. Suffice to say, it's been around since I can remember... and I have a lot of very, very happy memories of going there--both with my mum, and with my friends.

And now it's closing.

I won't go into the reasons--mostly because I don't really know them, and starting to look into it has made me sad. So! Instead of dwelling on that, I've decided to dedicate this month's challenge to going there, buying a few final strands of beads, and making a final tribute to the happy times I've had there.

The bead aisle is still pretty full!
I imagine it will get more sparse as the discounts increase.

Here are some of the treasures that I purchased... 
we'll see if I end up getting any more.

Also, disclaimer: I'm sure I'll also use beads from my stash, if the design requires it. I just want to make sure that the JoAnns beads get a chance to shine.

I am resolved not to make this a sad thing. I will miss the happy times at JoAnns, but I know that there will be other opportunities to make good memories. I just want to acknowledge the role this store has filled in my crafting journey, and say a quiet "thank you" for being a place for me to explore sewing and beading and all sorts of other things... and, above all, for being a place that I could share crafting with my friends.

Change is hard, but it's not always bad.

So! Come back on Friday, April 25th, to see what I ended up making. Even if we can't go together in person, I can still share my beading with my friends--here online, if nowhere else.

Thanks for stopping by!

--

* - Yes, it's still March... I'm posting this a day early, because tomorrow is April Fool's Day here in the states, and this is not a joke. I figured that would be all right.

Wonder and Whimsy March 2025 Reveal: Mocha Mousse Madness

Hello everyone... Guess what time it is! 

That's right: it's reveal time!

As you might recall, my challenge this month was all about brown. And not just any brown... this particular Pantone-selected brown:

I had a lot of fun with this challenge. 

Now, I realize that I always say that, but it's true! Challenging myself to make things under certain constraints is always fun for me.

For this particular challenge, though, I had an obvious starting point. Back in January, I received the Monthly Fun Pack put out by The Bead Place; it's a fun collection that they put together around a different theme each month. For January, as one might suspect, the theme was Mocha Mousse.

How convenient, I thought. What a great place to start for this challenge.

...And, as a special bonus, the pack also included a swatch of the color printed out and glued to the front of the bag. That was incredibly helpful for matching the color--and for taking pictures!

So! For this first set, I used only the beads included in the pack--and the swatch to show you just how close the match was. :)

Those are the earrings (yes, without the earwires added--oops).

I also made a matching necklace:

Included in the necklace are Czech glass, sunstone, faceted glass, and toho seed beads.

Amusing note about the necklace: I had forgotten how much I don't like stringing necklaces. I much prefer using wire. 

My main reason? 

Because I keep having to restring it. Hah! Making this particular necklace, I had to restring it three times... once because I dropped it, once because I messed up the pattern, and once because I realized I didn't like the color seed beads I originally chose. The final result is definitely worth it... but I think I'll continue to stick with wire!

...Which is what I did for the second set. 

For this set, I used some beautiful Czech glass beads I found on Lima Beads. The color is called sueded gold ash rose, and they are just the right shade of brown:

Pretty close, right?

First, I just made a simple necklace using just the 8mm rounds:

...And then I got to work putting the leftover beads together with some matching shiny things I had in my stash:

Here is the final result!

It is slightly longer than the simple necklace, so the two can be worn together or separate.

This necklace is made of Czech glass (even the bicones), copper, and mother of pearl heishe beads. The pendant is chiastolite, I believe.

And did you notice? It's actually asymmetrical.

Another fun note: I picked the bicones because their shape is reminiscent of the pendant, and I picked the copper coin beads because they are are divided into four quadrants--again, like the pendant.

Overall, I'm very pleased!

So, there you go! Those are the pieces that I finished for this month's challenge. (I actually made two Russian spiral pieces, too, but I haven't woven in the ends yet. If I remember to post pictures when they are fully done, I will try to do so!)

Thank you so much for stopping by today to see what I've been up to! It was a great deal of fun working in a very limited colorway, trying to match a very specific shade of brown. I even have a few beads leftover... we'll see if they show up in some of my later creations, too.

Thanks again... I hope you have a lovely day, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy March 2025 Challenge: Mocha Mousse Madness

At long last, I have finally decided on what my challenge should be for this month.

Honestly, it is what I was hoping to do back in January, but January was a month of recovery and relaxing. I have no regrets as far as that goes... I definitely needed a chance to rest.

...Besides, if I did this back in January, then I couldn't use this name:

March Mocha Mousse Madness

This is a bit of a nod to my dad... He really, really likes watching March Madness (which is the NCAA college basketball tournament here in the U.S., for those who don't live in the states). 

Add to that the fact that I have been wanting to make jewelry using the 2025 Pantone Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, and, well, the two names just sort of flowed together.

So! Ta-da! March Mouse Mousse Madness was born.

As one might expect, that means that this month, I will be making jewelry inspired by this shade of brown. And it's a very particular shade of brown... not too tan/yellow, but not deep mahogany. This should be interesting.

Come back on Friday, March 28th to see what I create!