Holiday Lariat

As I mentioned earlier, despite any evidence here, I have actually been fairly busy designing and creating.

Imagine my delight (and surprise!) when the Photo Fairy, the Download Fairy, and the Editing Fairy paid me a visit yesterday! PF took over 500 photos, and her sisters downloaded and edited all of them. Woohoo! No sign of the Listing Fairy yet, though.

Now I have some projects to share with you - pardon for a few days while these are holiday themed. You're not really tired of the holidays already, are you?

This is a lariat I designed around mid-December. The pretty lampwork peppermints had been for sale in the bead shop for several years, and I started to hope no one would buy them - I love them!

My original plan weave the entire lariat in a red and green spiral stitch, adding the peppermints about 6 inches from each end. But I didn't have anywhere near enough of the beautiful velvet red Czech fire polish beads I was using in the center of the spiral, so I had to come up with plan B.

I found some Czech pressed glass rondelles in green and in clear, some green Czech fire polish beads, and some red Czech pressed glass bicones, and played around with different patterns, and came up with this result. I love it, and am so glad I didn't have enough beads to make a lariat-length spiral, because this was quicker, and more festive, too. In my opinion. Keeping this one! 

The Latest

Still staying really busy with the shop!

Yay!

We had a holiday party last week at the shop, and may I just say: Champagne punch. We had some kick-ass champagne punch. And a lot of fun! It was absolutely pouring rain, complete with thunder and lightning, but we had a great turnout, and a terrific time.

I have very little time to be creative, but I spent about an hour yesterday photographing the things I have made since I bought the shop - and over the next few days, I hope to have these listed either on Etsy or Artfire.

In the meantime, here's a preview:

I love this beaded byzantine bracelet! I used 16 gauge copper rings, and gorgeous cobalt blue lampwork beads.

I made this Sunday as a sample for the chainmaille class I'm scheduled to teach in January.

Love that chainmaille!

Classic black and white herringbone bracelet, made with white 4mm glass cubes, and black size 6 seed beads, and then embellished with black size 11s. Then I found this great vintage black and white button to use as a closure.

This is one of the more popular beadweaving classes I teach.

I came upon this gorgeous freeform carnelian cab which had been set in a sterling silver bezel.

I paired it with carnelian rounds, big chunks of citrine, and big silver Bali spacers.

These are the matching earrings.

I taught myself the Dutch spiral, and this is my first attempt - I used size 8 Delicas, in a rich mauve color, and dark pink galvanized elevens.

It started out to be a simple rope, but then I saw how well it went with this gorgeous painted jasper focal, and here's the result.

I stiched a large bail with the same beads as the rope, and added some embellishing fringe.

This is a fun bracelet - simple peyote stitch using 3 different sizes of seed beads, which gives a ruffle effect.

This bracelet is royal purple, but purple never photographs well for me - maybe I'll learn the secret one day.

This wire wrapped bracelet was a nightmare!

I love the colorful ruby in zoisite focal bead. I love the bracelet, and it fits like a dream, and is very comfortable.

But it is truly one-of-a-kind for me, because it was the hardest thing I have ever done, and I will never make another one!

These aren't the only things I have made over the last 5 months, because several things have actually already sold, but I still hate that my creative time is so reduced by the amount of time and energy it takes to run a small business!

So, Happy Holidays to everyone, in case I can't get back here anytime soon!