Fish On!

When Artbeads contacted me about their blogging topic*, "Summertime Fun", all it took was a quick glance at the new swarovski fish beads before I had a fun necklace idea! It was a hard choice at first because I was given the broad spectrum of their glass beads to choose from. I just cant seem to help myself when it comes to swarovski though!
I made a spiral rope with over 300 swarovski 4mm bicones. It also has 2 crystal copper fish beads to break it up in the front of the necklace.

The clasp is in front, and it is made up of a sparkly wheel and a handcrafted sterling silver fish hook (I made myself!).

From the sparkly wheel hang 4 fish pendant beads. 1 crystal copper, 1 indicolite, 1 blue zircon, and 1 aquamarine. The copper is supposed to look like a goldfish, but I'll admit its more brown then gold! The whole thing is very sparkly, and has a really fun feeling to it.

And last but not least, I finally finished Aprils Bead Journal Project! I started this back before Easter. and it was nice to get it done. It is supposed to look like an Easter egg (because Easter usually is in April). It has gold turtles (because they fit my turtles throughout the year theme), and presents, because both my birthday and my sons birthday are in April! The rest was just filling in the blanks.

I've finally started my May BJP, and hopefully will also get to Junes before the month is up! I'll cross my fingers, and hope for easy beading!

*disclaimer- all products received from artbeads are free of cost to me in exchange for my opinion of said products.

Mums the Word

I just got done with another one! I created this necklace for Margie Deeb, for her fall color report. It is a beautiful mustard colored cabochon, with deep red mums up either side. A couple of olive green leaves stick out underneath.
First I made a netted base in a chocolate brown metallic size 11/o seed bead. Although it is hard to tell from the pictures, it is not a circular pattern, It comes to a "v" in the front.

I made 6 flowers with a 6mm Czech glass fire-polished bead for the center, and made petals with a deep red size 11/o seed bead.

I bezzelled the cab and attached it to the center of the base. Then I attached the flowers, which are done in a basic leaf pattern and the leaves, which are done in peyote stitch.

I used a magnetic slide clasp in the back in a bronze color which match the brown beads in the netting perfectly! Easy on, easy off!

It was hard working with these fall colors right now. Ill admit I am VERY excited to start on my Artbeads summer fun necklace. It will be choc' full of summer blues, which is what its all about in the summer in Michigan, fun in the water!