This is the first piece I have made from a beer bottle cap and I am loving it.  I enjoyed making it and love the outcome.  I don ‘t drink beer very often, but have friends willing to donate their caps.  They get to drink beer and help a jewelry designer at the same time – a win, win.  This particular bottle cap was given to me while I was at Penland along with some others.  I could not resist the red on orange, I loved the bicycle with its headlight, and so it was the first to be made into jewelry.

Bottle caps are not difficult to work with if you have a few tools.  First you have to snip the fluted sides so the cap will flatten out.  A hammer takes care of getting it flat.  Then you need to boil them for 5-10 minutes to make the plastic liner come out.  Some liners are resistant, others give up without a fight.  At that point, the bottle cap is ready to be cut into the desired shape and set.  I cut two identical squares from brass.  One became the backing.  I cut an opening in the other to make a small square frame for the pendant.  I riveted all three pieces together and drilled holes to hang the key and to attach the necklace.

I suspended a variety of crystals and glass pearls in red, orange, pink, and bronze tones from the brass chain I selected.  I think the key adds the perfect finishing touch.

Photo and book courtesy of Lark Books

Beads and jewelry making mean so much to me and I love learning more about the origins and history of beads.  I also love seeing the varied designs other jewelry makers come up with and learning new techniques.  I’d love to share some of that knowledge and learning with you and invite you to participate in a signed book giveaway.  The book is “Beading With World Beads” by Ray Hemachandra and is published by Lark Books.  It is a beautiful book that shares so much information about beads of the world.  The projects are beautiful, the instructions clear and easy to follow.  It also shares tips – I’ve already found a tip about darkening brass useful.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this blog post or direct message me on Twitter @thebeadddreamer and mention the giveaway.  Be sure to include a valid email address so I can notify you if you win and get your mailing address.  The winner will be picked Friday 11/13/09 at 7:00pm EST.

When I got the book, I was so excited to try one of the projects so I could share it with you in this blog post.  I flipped through the book, putting sticky notes on the projects I was interested in.  After eight or nine stickies, I told myself – you can’t pick any more, you have to narrow it down.  It was hard, but I did.  I made this necklace, my interpretation of a design by Karen J. Lauseng.  I can’t wait to try some of the other projects.

Please stay tuned.  I have two other beautiful jewelry making books from Lark Books to give away over the coming weeks.

Last night I attended the opening reception of Artful Holidays at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News, VA.  It was a lovely reception, very well attended and as always, the art was just awesome.  Here I am in the gift shop with my dear friend and gift shop diva extraordinaire Jo Louise.  I had dropped off some jewelry a couple of days before.  At that time, the galleries were in between exhibits and the gift shop was in the process of being set up for the reception.  I tell you, gallery people can work miracles, every inch looked amazing last night, including jewelry from yours truly.

This has been a tough year for so many people and it has been a tough year for the arts.  Remember the gift shops in your local art centers, galleries, and museums this year as you shop for gifts.  They are a source of great gifts and our purchases help these vital parts of our communities survive.  Below is the lovely Tiffany who works in the gift shop and has the most beautiful smile.  Here’s hoping you all have artful, art-filled holidays.

I am a new Mac user.  I’ve spent years using PC’s and recently made the switch to a Mac.  There is a definite learning curve, but I’m doing well with the adjustment and the support folks at Apple have been great.  I have also found a lot of answers to questions in people’s blogs and other online content.  One of the things I really like about the Mac (and there are a few) is Finder – the application that allows you to see your files and folders.  It has a few options for how you can look at them and one gorgeous option is cover flow.  It’s just like on an iPod and I was so excited seeing my jewelry photos in cover flow.  This is a screen shot of the folder that contains bracelet photos for 2009.  They look awesome and I’m getting this Mac thing down.

The inspiration for this necklace came from two things – one was the red jasper cab set in silver at the top of the pendant.  The other is the blue and rust strip that sits at the bottom of the pendant.  It is a piece of painted wood that had an earlier life as a picture frame.  It had broken but I liked the colors and put it in a box to do something with – I wasn’t sure what.  I’m not a pack rat, but as a creative type, I tuck things away here and there that seem interesting.

When I started building the pendant for this necklace, I realized I wanted more dimension that just the copper strip provided.  I started digging in my box of stuff, saw the picture frame, and knew it was the right color.  Problem was, I have no experience working with wood.  Compared to my jeweler’s saw, wood saws look giant and I don’t understand the purpose of the different types of wood saws.  So, I used what I know and tried my jeweler’s saw on the picture frame and it got the job done.  I started by cutting a test strip off the frame.  I tried drilling it to see if the wood wanted to split.  The wood drilled beautifully, so I thought – this is workable.

I then cut the actual piece used here in the pendant.  The copper strip is soldered onto the silver base.  The wood piece is riveted to the metal.  I love the pendant and enjoyed working on it, bringing multiple layers together.  It only wanted a simple necklace in a harmonious soft olive green tone with the tiniest dash of blue crystals.  I obliged.

This Masai wedding necklace is part of my personal collection and it has been a much loved treasure for years.  A professor from a local university traveled to Africa as part of a project she was working on.  While she was there, she purchased this and many other beaded items directly from the women who made them, paying them what she felt was a fair price.  She brought the items back to the US and I was lucky enough to find out about this and purchase this necklace.  I have it hanging in the hallway and love passing by it, seeing it, and when someone brushes past it, hearing it whisper a very pleasing sound.

These necklaces are a great craft project for children.  I helped my nieces make them and they enjoyed it.  You will need to start with some paper plates – the kind that is a little waxy on one side and plain paper on the back.  Cut out the center and punch holes for the beads to be strung at the bottom.  You can also punch a hole at the top and add a bit of ribbon or string to hang it.  The children can then paint the back of the plates and add strands of beads.  You can add little coin, bell or other charms at the ends of the strands.  Three to five strands are a manageable number – you can do more if you have an older child who has the patience.   Children who visit my home are always a bit captivated by this piece.  It is long – about four feet and they just stare up at it.  They loved being able to make their own versions and take them home.

In my city, there is a little bit of waterfront that yields wonderful treasures.  It’s not really a beach.  It’s more like an area with rocks and tall grasses near some warehouses and office buildings.  Over the years, I’ve managed to collect a few objects that I knew would be beautiful as jewelry.  For a long time, I did not have the skills to do anything with the pieces.  They sat in a box and I would run my hands through them every so often – things worn by the sea can have such a nice feel.

The blue ceramic piece in this necklace was found at this waterfront area.  I loved the color.  I loved the v-shape that is now at the bottom.  I loved that part of it was broken and then smoothed by the water.  Maybe it was a hexagon?  Doesn’t matter – I think I like it better this way.  I set it in sterling silver with four shorter prongs and one really long prong that curves around nestling in the crevices.  I elaborated on the color blue by adding a lapis stone at the top.  Most of the time, I make beaded necklaces for my creations.  This pendant said no – it wanted the simplicity of a chain only.  I said OK.

I am cold-natured so the first nip in the air sends me running for something warm.  This fall, cardigans seem to be everywhere and I love how well they work with jewelry.  Layering is still a strong trend and cardigans are perfect as the top layer over a shirt or tee, the middle layer with a shirt underneath and a jacket on top, or the bottom layer worn as a shirt.

Photo courtesy of Banana Republic

I love this look from Banana Republic.  To me, this outfit is about hard and soft contrasts and subtlety in textures and tones.  The cardigan is very soft in color and the ruffles add more softness.  The jeans add a bit of edge.  They are worn-looking and distressed, adding texture.  The necklace adds hardness and some fluidity.  The length works because it falls clear of the neckline of both the cardigan and shirt underneath.  A very short necklace would also work with this look.  Jewelry could also be used to bring a tiny splash of color.

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

How beautiful is this outfit from Anthropologie.  It has a vintage feel to it.  I love the colors – everything is soft except for the mustard top peeking out from underneath and the red punch from the signature necklace.  I think this outfit absolutely needs a strong necklace and I like the length of the necklace, falling slightly above the mustard top.  Love it.

Photo courtesy of Garnet Hill

A bit dressier and more romantic note is set by this cardigan from Garnet Hill.  The necklace is bold enough to hold its own against the patterned sweater.  Yet, because they are in the same color family, the cardigan and necklace do not fight each other for attention.  She’s wearing a dress underneath.  I could also see this cardigan dressed down with a chocolate brown shirt underneath and jeans.  Warm and pretty.  Sounds perfect for fall.

I was watching TV the other day and saw an actress wearing shoulder duster earrings and I thought to myself – are those coming back again?  I remember in the late-80’s when shoulder duster earrings hit the scene.  They were fun and like all fads and trends, eventually made way for the next new thing.  Fashion is so very cyclical.

I love watching today’s youth discover the trends of the 80’s or 90’s.  It brings to mind something my mother would tell me – “Everything old is new again.”  Meaning that trends from the past come back, sometimes reworked with a modern twist or element.  But that very little was really new.  Of course, every generation thinks it is the first to discover things.  Just part of the natural flow of life.

Here is a picture of my mother from the 50’s.  She is holding my eldest sister.  I’m not sure about the bangs, but I would totally wear the jacket.  My Mom never did pierce her ears.  Of course you know I would have on earrings too.  Love you Mom.

The blue/green beads in this necklace and the small teardrop stone in the pendant are the gemstone chrysocolla.  It’s a gemstone I was not familiar with until recent years, but now love using.  It’s a gemstone that is beautiful and relatively affordable.

Chrysocolla is a mineral that is made from hydrated copper silicate and can be found in many parts of the world, including the United States.  It is mostly found with or associated with other types of minerals that include; quartz, azurite, limonite, cuprite and secondary copper minerals.

Folklore and legend has it that Chrysocolla is associated with tranquility and peace, intuition, patience, and unconditional love. It is thought to offer gentle and soothing qualities.

I’ve used black to set off the beautiful colors in the Chrysocolla stones.  The cabuchon in the pendant is black onyx, both it and the Chrysocolla were set in sterling silver.  You cn see this necklace at the design stage in an earlier blog post.  I chose black glass beads to accent the Chrysocolla and then softened the design with crystals in a color named Pacific.