Want some beads?

Silly question! Of course you do. My friend Cindy has a lovely shop on Etsy where she sells all sorts of delicious beads and findings. It's called Beacon Beads. Here are just a few samples to whet your appetite!

Red Coral Petal Shape Beads

Tibetan Metal Beads

These are pretty!

Tubular Lampwork Beads

Silver Plated Fluted Bead Cap

Cindy also makes lovely jewellery and sells it in her other Etsy shop, CCTexan 3.

I think she used some of those coral petals for this bracelet:

Coral Petals Bracelet

This is beautiful and bold!

Turquoise Magnesite Necklace

And this - wow!

Gold Vintage Chains Necklace

Go over for a visit! There's plenty more where they came from.

                 

Saga with a twist - update

Necklace delivered today and approved! I related some of the "saga" and made Ingeborg laugh!

On a serendipitous note, I thought I had made the necklace slightly too long but it turns out that Ingeborg was going to ask me to do just that and forgot to phone me!

In other news, I sold this necklace and bracelet to a neighbour of ours, out here on holiday.

I made the bracelet specially to go with the necklace for her. I also made this bracelet:

to go with this necklace:

but the lady liked the silver and purple ones best. I'm not sure whether to list these in my Etsy shop or the new Bluetina website. Both places urgently need more inventory but the new website has not been fully indexed by Google yet, so I'm not getting a lot of hits there. I'll think about it!

More stepping stones.....

It's the last day of September and I still haven't done my blog post for Jewelry Creators Unite in Numbers Guild on Artfire. I am a naughty girl. I am an acknowledged expert in the art of procrastination. So, it's the stepping stones approach again.....

I'm starting with one of mine that doesn't get many views. I don't know why - I'm rather proud of the photo!

Sterling Silver & Haematite Fringed Necklace

This lovely necklace from Personal Oasis is also black and features chains but it is totally different. That's what I love about handmade jewellery - you can give a few designers the same colours and components and they all come up with something unique!

Two strand necklace in black and bronze

This necklace from epicetera also has a tenuous connection the the previous two. It's black and it features chain. But look how different it is!

Heart Pendant Necklace

I've just noticed that this blog post has veered off topic a bit. It now seems to be all about black jewellery with chains. Oh well, onwards and upwards!

This marvellous creation from Midnight Whispers (that's our Yini, in disguise!) is dark and atmospheric and features chain quite heavily.

Moonstone & Gunmetal Chain Necklace

Two more to go - let's see what I can find!

Southern Emma's Boutique is one of our newest members. I found a dark and atmospheric photo that seems to fit this theme well. It looks like that bracelet is held together with large black links of chain. Very effective!

Black Ice & Retro Bracelet

Strega Jewellry has produced this magnificent necklace. Now that's a chain and a half! Evidently it's not as heavy as it looks.

Metal Disc Pendant Necklace

I quite enjoyed that! Even if it did turn out to be a different blog post altogether! Can I be bothered to scroll back up and change the title? Nah......leave it.

Presenting the "Odd Earring" Custom Charm Bracelet!

This custom service is now launched! Go see the listing in my Bluetinatoo studio on Artfire.

The description reads like "War & Peace" but there is a lot to cover! The example shown above and in the listing has eight "charms" on it and that comes out at $40.  The price could be more or less, depending on the number of earrings you have and the sort of chain that is suitable.

I hope this holds some interest for you all, as I think it's a neat idea. It certainly put some of my odd earrings to good use!

The "odd earring" charm bracelet is coming soon....

Well, I've made the example bracelet using my own "odd earrings".  I've used sterling silver chain and hand made the clasp myself. I've also worked out a nice, neat way to link the earring "charms" to the chain. I'm going to launch this on an unsuspecting world next week, when we get back from our trip to Pisa.  It will be listed as a custom item in my Bluetinatoo studio on Artfire. Watch this space.....

Some photos to whet your appetite!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen....

.....lend me your earrings!  I will make of them a special, unique, one of a kind charm bracelet, just for you!

Seriously, do you think this would go down well? I was sorting through my little box of silver oddments today, to see what I could place in my brand, spanking new tumbler and make all shiny and luscious again.  I came across so many odd silver earrings that I had an idea. You know how it is - a pair of earrings is your favourite until one of them falls out, unnoticed, and lands in the dirt.  Or in the taxi. Or on the floor of the bus. A friend of mine managed to run a single earring over with her 4 x 4 the other day!  It's not salvageable, I'm afraid.

I made a bracelet such as this just last year for a friend's 40th birthday.  This is it - terrible photograph, but it gives the idea.

After going through my own box of orphaned earrings, I realized that most of us girls must have just such a collection.  I'm thinking I might offer this service in my Bluetinatoo studio on Artfire.  I just have to work out the logistics.

Do you think people would be willing to send me their spare earrings and get them back as a bracelet? It wouldn't be dreadfully expensive. I'd have to charge for the chain, the clasp and my time, hand wrapping the charms provided.

Do let me know what you think!