Meet Cammie

Even before Chewie, our toy poodle, died of thyroid cancer, we decided that we would never buy another dog.  There are just too many that need to be rescued.  :(

K-9 New Life is an all breed, no-kill dog rescue organization in our area.  They do really good work and we support them.

The mission of K-9 New Life is to take in dogs from shelters when they have run out of time or are injured or too sick for the shelters to handle. We provide them with health care, rehabilitation, training and a loving foster home until they can be adopted. Our focus is to give these less fortunate dogs a second chance to live the happy life they deserve.

  They have a facebook page that I follow.  So we saw the story of Tuesday unfold.  Tuesday was rescued last Fall.  She was due to be spayed when she surprised everyone with the fact that she was pregnant!  She gave birth on October 30th to 6 pups, 5 of which survived.  While no dog could fill the hole in our hearts after Chewie died, we wanted another dog in our lives.  So we checked to see if any of the pups were still waiting for adoption and there were two left. 

We scheduled a visit with the foster mother, Donna to see the two pups, Chloe and Penny.  Since Tuesday gave birth in her foster home and her pups were raised in a home environment, they were all very well-socialized.  Donna very graciously gave her home for what I can only describe as "Puppy Romper Room"!  The pups were four months old when we visited.  Of course we left with one!  We chose "Penny" but we renamed her Cammie.  Since all the pups were together, they really did not know their names and all would come if you called just one.

Shortly after we got Cammie, I saw a beaded dog collar and thought to do a custom one for Cammie.  I wanted to do her  name and have paw prints on either side.  So I set out to make a pattern.

I figured out how wide and long I needed the beading to be to cover a nylon collar.  Then I made an excel grid so I could start playing with the design pattern.  You can see in the photo that I went through several iterations before arriving at the desired paw print shape.  

Next I used a Guitar/Belt Strap loom to create the beadwork.  I chose bright pink and a copper color to match Cammie's coat.  

After beading the pattern, I sewed the beadwork onto some ultra suede to attach to the nylon collar.

And here is Cammie showing off her personalized collar!

We are very grateful that we can provide a good home for this sweet dog!  Thank you Donna and K-9 New Life for saving Tuesday and her pups!  :)

Happy Beading!

Betsy

Spiffy Jewelry Designs

Tuesday's Treat :)

Tiffany is one of the newest Red Panda Beads customers and the owner of Spiffy Jewelry Designs.  She has been making jewelry since she was five years old, starting by simply stringing beads.  She now creates her unique designs using new ideas inspired by nature and her traveling experiences.  She looks at anything and everything for inspiration, from small plants to huge sky scrapers.

Tiffany likes to incorporate Swarovski crystals with Delica seed beads.

She also likes to use sterling silver findings.

She weaves other types of beads together to create her colorful pieces.

She incorporates other elements, as well, such as beach glass.

Tiffany prefers to work with FireLine when creating her designs.

She calls this piece "Metallic Swarovski Elegance".  The weave in this design is very unique and one that she is most proud of.

Not only does Tiffany have her etsy site, but she also displays her work at various craft shows.  She plans to add many more designs to her etsy site after the show season ends in August.  So be sure to look for more stunning designs in her etsy store this fall.  :)

Happy Beading!

Betsy 

Chain Maille

Summer is here and I always enjoy creating new anklets to wear with my sandals.  I've been meaning to dive into Chain Maille ever since I added the Artistic Wire Chain Maille Rings to my website.  

So what better way to experiment with the rings than to use them for the basis of my new anklet?

I began by assembling my items.  I chose the Non-Tarnish Silver 20 Gauge 3/16" rings.  I decided to do a simple modified Italian link and embellish them with some Miyuki 3.4mm Drop or Fringe Beads.

I really like these inside color drops.  You can see the vivid orange through the peridot colored glass.  They just seem so bright and summery!   :)

I chose this heart and key toggle clasp - I think it adds to the overall theme of the anklet.

The Italian link is a simple chain maille pattern - it starts out with two interlocking sets of rings and you keep adding more sets until you get the desired length.

I tried using two pairs of pliers - but found I was more comfortable with my trusty jump ring tool.  You simply slip it on your finger and you have a handy tool to grip one side of the jump ring while you use your other hand with the pliers to open and close the rings.  When I tried with two pairs of pliers, I kept dropping the rings!  I guess I am way too clumsy to be a surgeon!

Once you have the desired length you add the descending rings with the added drop bead.

Here is the finished anklet.  This was a quick and easy way to jump into chain maille (pun intended)!  I can't wait to move on to more intricate projects! 

Happy Beading!

Betsy

Crystal Mixes, variation on RAW

May is not only the month with Mother's Day but it is also has my mother-in-law's birthday. So I wanted to make something special and unique just for her.  I've been contemplating the Swarovski mixes that I carry.  There are the same great colors as the Bead Soups by BeadSmith.  But when I've worked with crystals before, I usually stick to one color crystal per piece.  There are at least five colors in these mixes - and some that I would never think to use together.  So I decided to pick the mix that suited my mother-in-law best and go from there.  She really likes purples, lilacs, periwinkle and similar colors, so I went with the Lilacs mix.   Here are the colors in this mix.....

I decided to pick just two of the colors in the mix - otherwise I felt the piece would be too busy.  So I picked these colors....

I knew that I wanted to play around with RAW and these crystals, but I wanted to spice the design up a bit with other beads.  So I picked complimentary Rocailles.

I chose inside color lined 8/0 Rocailles to match each color of crystal and I also chose a 15/0 transparent silver lined Rocaille that I felt would work well to pull all the colors together.

I chose to soften the angles of the crystals a bit by using the 8/0 and 15/0 Rocailles as spacer beads.  I alternated the colors based on the colors of the crystals in the pattern.

I did not like silver or regular gold for the clasp - so I went on a hunt and found this rose gold toggle clasp.  The color works nicely with the scheme.  After I had the clasp and jump rings in the rose gold color, I realized that I did not have an rose gold 'French' Wire!!  That is my preferred method to attach the clasp.  So after sleeping on it, I realized I could use the 15/0 Rocaille beads, just like the 'French' Wire to coat the beading thread and protect it, while nicely highlighting the clasp.

I also had a slight set back when I realized that the jump rings were closed and I needed open ones to attach the clasp.  

But never fear - I used my side cutter pliers to make "open" jump rings and they worked great!

Here is the finished bracelet.  

My mother-in-law loves it!  :)

On a side note, if you are planning on trying to sell your work online, a photo is worth a thousand words - literally!  When I started the photo session for this blog, I really liked the way the bracelet popped when it was shown against a black velvet back drop - but the camera did not!  So it is really important to not only have the correct lighting (full spectrum) but you really need to experiment with the back drops and back grounds too.  The only difference in the photo below and the others in this blog is the color of the back ground.  Same lighting, same camera, and same settings on the camera.  Who'd think the color of the back drop would make such a difference?

Happy Beading!

Betsy

Gifts from the heart

Hand made gifts are unique and often more meaningful than  any gift card or other more expensive gifts.

My grandmother's (my mother's mother) birthday is next week and I always try to make her something, that is special and unique.  More often than not, it includes beads!  Of course, that is a given.

She collects angels, so one year I did this picture for her.  I did this on my loom using 11/0 Delica Beads.  The gold beads in the ribbon and candle around the angel are real gold plated beads.  I mixed opaque, matte and transparent silver lined beads to create texture in the angel's dress.  The background was done in matte beads, so the angel would stand out even more.

This year, I decided to use some of the Preciosa 4mm Bicone Crystals I've recently added to my store.  I'm making her a bracelet and earring set.

Since her birthday is in April, I am using Crystal AB crystals. I like the sparkle that the AB finish adds. They are on the right in the photo below.  I wanted to make the set more interesting than just plain Crystal crystals - give it some color.

My mother died when she was 45.  Even though my mother was already an adult with her own children and grandchildren, she was still my grandmother's oldest girl.  A parent should never have to bury a child.  So, in honor of my mother's memory, I am using Alexandrite AB crystals in the bracelet as well.  My mother's birthday was in June, so these represent her birthstone.  Pearl is also recognized as the June birthstone, but I like the Alexandrite better.  Alexandrite is a unique color that changes color in various light sources.  Under the light bulbs, it appears light blue, but in the sun light, it turns a very pretty pale violet.

I've chosen the simple RAW pattern for the bracelet.

Only this time, each connecting crystal will be Alexandrite.

I chose a simple hook and eye clasp, so my grandmother will not have to struggle to put it on.

I used 'French' Wire again to attach the clasp, but I did not cut a piece long enough.  The end of the clasp rubs the ending crystal on the bracelet.  

So I took it apart, and used the shorter piece as a guide to cut longer pieces.

Now the clasp has plenty of room to move around.

I used the same length of 'French' Wire for the eye end.

I repeated the process to make these earrings to match the bracelet.

And here is the finished set.  It is even prettier than I imagined it would be and I know my grandmother will cherish it not only for it's beauty, but for the meaning behind the crystals.  She will have a beautiful reminder of her daughter, made by her daughter's daughter.  I could never "buy" anything this perfect for her.

Happy Beading!

Betsy

Matte Crystals???

When I started selecting the first colors to be added to the new Preciosa Crystals section of my website, I noticed they had crystals with a Matte finish.  Isn't the whole ideal of crystals to have them sparkle?  Needless to say I was intrigued - enough to order some of the matte ones and see just for myself.

So I chose the matte aquamarine crystals and thought to make a bracelet using both the matte and regular crystals.  I wanted to do the RAW crystal bracelet again and use the matte crystals to frame the regular ones.  I really liked the Spiderwire and used it again in this project. 

To finish the bracelet and add the clasp, I chose sterling silver French Wire

I cut two lengths for each end of the bracelet.

I chose a small toggle clasp for this bracelet.

Then I began to attach it....

I began by placing the length on one of my needles....

and added the clasp...

Then I ran the 2nd needle through the length of French Wire..

Next I began to weave both ends back through the RAW stitches...

Then I tied a surgeon's knot to secure the clasp.  After cutting the threads away from the knot, I used my Thread Zap to melt the end of the Spidewire.

I repeated the process for the toggle end of the clasp and here you can see the clasp closed.

Here is the finished bracelet.

I must say I rather like the effect of mixing the matte crystals with the regular ones.

Next I decided to do earrings to match.  This time I wanted the earrings to be in the same RAW stitch....

I used the same technique to attach the ear wires with the Spiderwire and French Wire.

Here is the complete set.   So my skepticism has been replaced with appreciation for these matte crystals!  :)

Happy Beading!

Betsy