Bead Table Wednesday: New Beads

Retail Therapy

I’d been feeling a little low lately and that led to some serious bead retail therapy shopping…. This picture doesn’t even show it all–oh my!  Here’s what’s on my table now:

New beads and pendants

The strands of glass beads and the ceramic beads in the little bowl are all from Shipwreck Beads. Fortunately – or unfortunately, (depending on how you look at it), I only live about 15 minutes away from Shipwreck.  Those red and black beads are so-o-o cool!  The round ceramic charms are from Bo Hulley Beads. You can sorta see that I already made one pair into earrings.  The green and brown leaves and the deeply textured rounds are from Chinook Jewelry.

H-m-m-m, what else have I gotten?  Well, these from DaviniaDesign:

Venetian Glass from DaviniaDesign

and these from Free Individual:

Handmade bronze metal oval beads from Free Individual

and this from Golem Studios:

Poppy pendant from Golem Studios

and finally this from MartiC51 !

Green Banana Owl - How cute is this???

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I encourage you to visit the BTW Flickr group and  see what is on other bead tables.

Happy Camper

Happy Camper Necklace

Dichroic Glass and 5th Grade Camp

As some of you may know, I work part-time for the University of Washington as a field supervisor for student teaching interns.  One of the student teachers I worked with this past year was teaching a 5th grade class that was earning money to attend 5th grade camp.  The school had a kiln and the classroom teacher knew how to fuse glass.  So she created an after school glass club where students could learn how to make a variety of fused glass projects, which they would then sell to defray the costs of going to camp.  When I first started visiting this class they were selling dichroic fused glass pendants.  They ran this venture as a business.  They had business cards, they tracked their inventory, and their expenses and income.  All the proceeds went to helping defray the costs of 5th grade camp.  I looked through their extensive selection of pendants and selected the one you see here.

Happy Camper Necklace

I felt I was contributing to a good cause and the pendant I selected is very nice.  I decided on a contemporary, asymmetrical design.

Happy Camper Necklace

The turquoise, bow tie shaped beads on the right, are vintage German glass.  The metallic black, tip drilled glass beads feel really silky in the hand (yes, I am a very tactile person).  The clasp is sterling silver and the length is adjustable.

Happy Camper Necklace

I decided to name this the “Happy Camper Necklace“, since the purchase of the pendant helped send those 5th graders to camp. And believe me, they had a blast there and learned a lot about science, social studies and cooperative work.

Later in the year, the kids also made fused glass wall vases, light catchers and garden markers.  What a great way to integrate business skills, art, math, science (properties of glass), and social skills!  Way to go 5th graders!

The “Happy Camper Necklace” is now available in my ArtFire shop.

♥ i heart macro ♥ – Sunflowers

Sunflowers

Its time for another ♥ I Heart Macro Sunday! ♥

Sunflower

Sunflower

sunflower

Good morning, sunshine!

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Lori of Studio Waterstone  hosts a weekly blog hop of close-up photos.
Visit Lori to get links to more great macro shots.

Bead Table Wednesday: Bead Soup Goodies

Bead Soup Package Arrived!

My goodie package arrived this week from Lori Dorrington, my lovely Bead Soup Party partner.  Lori is not only a jewelry designer, but also a lampworker.  Can I tell how excited I was when I read that on her blog?  So I had my fingers crossed that she would send me some lampwork goodness and she did!

Everything in her package was all neatly labeled.  Just look at all these goodies!

Bead Soup Goodies

I love the way the garnets pick up on the garnet color in the lampwork.  I can hardly wait to get to work with these!

Bead Soup Beads

So that is what is sitting on my work table today.  Thank you Lori!

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I encourage you to visit the BTW Flickr group and  see what is happening on other bead tables.

Pantone Fall Color Trends

Look Gorgeous This Fall!

Want to be in-synch with fashion trends in color this fall?  Then look to the Pantone Color Institute for guidance.  The Pantone Institute is the world’s best known authority on color. They observe top designers and forecast the colors that are certain to be popular each season. Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said:

“Designers take a painterly approach to fall 2011 by artfully combining bright colors with staple neutrals, reminiscent of how an artist would construct a stunning work of art.  Much like a painter’s masterpiece, there is a certain romance to this season’s palette.”

Pantone Colors for Fall 2011

As a jewelry designer, I believe that great clothes are made even greater with the right accessories.  And even older clothes can be given a seasonal facelift with updated jewelry in the hottest colors.  Here are some artisan jewelry pieces in on-trend colors from Linda Landig Jewelry.

The Monet Necklace combines several of this fall’s trending colors and the romance that Ms. Eiseman spoke of.  The necklace starts with a beautiful pendant by Yolanda’s Clay.  Combining emberglow, honeysuckle and phlox, the pendant sets the hues for the stone, crystal and glass beads in the necklace.  This one is a real beauty! It would look great with many pastel colors, but would also pair nicely with a shell in Pantone’s nougat.  This necklace would make an especially great summer-into-fall accessory.

Pastel Necklace, Ceramic Pendant, Swarovski Crystals, Sterling Silver

The one of a kind Weekend Escape Bracelet combines Pantone’s cedar green with a radiant burnt orange and evergreen to create a classically colored but totally unique fall bracelet.

Ceramic Flower Bracelet, Cuff, Brass, Rust Orange, Green, Unique

Ceramic Flower Bracelet, Cuff, Brass, Rust Orange, Green, Unique

My Grapeade Bracelet is all about Pantone’s color phlox.  This simple bracelet creates visual interest with great textures and contrasting shapes.

Handcrafted Purple Bracelet, Pearls, Sterling Silver, Blue, Unique

The “Moonbeam Necklace” is a great choice for capturing some of the neutrals in this fall’s palette.  This one of a kind necklace pulls in hues of coffee liqueur, nougat and creamy white; along with the golden (similar to bamboo colored) needle-like inclusions that makes Golden Rutilated Quartz such a stand-out gemstone.  Wear this with a coffee liqueur colored top and be prepared for heads to turn!

Rutilated Quartz Necklace, Lampworked Pendant, Faceted Pearls

Rutilated Quartz Necklace, Lampworked Pendant, Faceted Pearls

Those are enough ideas to get you started.  Check out your closet and see what you have that will work for fall, this year, and see what may need a little updating.

What do you like or dislike about Pantone’s fall 2011 color palette? Please share your thoughts! If you’d like a more in depth look at these colors, you can read the full report at www.pantone.com.

♥ i heart macro ♥ – Ribbit

Frog Friend

Its time for another ♥ I Heart Macro Sunday! ♥

I was going to go sit by my husband on the front porch one day this week, when I discovered that “someone else” had already claimed that chair.  This little guy was perched on the top cross-bar of the chair back.

Western Chorus Frog

Pacific Northwest Chorus Frog

He (she?) sat there very patiently, while I ran into the house and got my camera.  I took macro shots from all different angles.

Pacific Northwest Chorus Frog

We have a protected wetland area behind our house.  Having so many frogs in the area is considered a sign that the wetlands have a healthy ecosystem.  This guy is a  Northwest Chorus Frog, and believe me, these guys can really sing! On spring nights their love songs are almost deafening.

A third grade class at Boston Harbor Elementary School in Olympia, Washington successfully proposed, to the state legislature, that the Northwest chorus frog should be the state amphibian.  And so,  in 2007, the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) became the official state amphibian .   Now why states need official amphibians, I don’t know.  But it was a cool project for the third graders!

Pacific Northwest Chorus Frog

After awhile the Mr. Frog grew tired of his photo shoot and started climbing down the chair.

Pacific Northwest Chorus Frog

Pacific Northwest Chorus Frog

Eventually he hopped onto the seat of the chair and then sprung off into the garden.

Northwest Chorus Frog

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Lori of Studio Waterstone  hosts a weekly blog hop of close-up photos.
Visit Lori to get links to more great macro shots.

Earrings For You and Me

New Earrings For You & Me!

For You:

I’ve recently added 3 new pairs of earrings to the Linda Landig Jewelry Studio.  The “Pink Rose Earrings” are sweet and sassy, with bright cheery colors and pink roses on a red background.  These earrings have pretty glass beads with Peridot accents (a transparent, green semi-precious stone).

Pink Rose Earrings

I named the next pair of earrings “New Growth” because the oval stone, serpentine, is the color of new growth on plants in the springtime.  I topped the serpentine with a midnight blue Swarovski crystal and placed a matching colored faceted pearl on the bottom.

New Growth Earrings

The next pair of earrings is perfect for date night or a festive occasion where you really want to go for the glam.  Can’t you just see the “Radiant Rhinestone Earrings” with your little black dress?  These earrings really sparkle!

Radiant Rhinestone Earrings

For Me

I entered a giveaway on Lorei Eurto’s blog and I won a cool pair of her tin earrings from her Harbinger Collection!  She cuts the shapes from patterned tins, domes them and makes them into earrings.   These are super fun to wear and go with so many colors.  Thank you Lorelei!

Giveaway earrings from Lorelei Eurto

Wish List

“Star bright, star light…

First star I see tonight.

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish,

I wish tonight.”

Did you ever recite that ditty as a child?  Here’s my current wish list:

These enameled wonders are from Teka and Zoe on ArtFire.  Basically I love every single thing in their shop.  If I won the lottery, I’d buy them out!

I love the scent of mint.  I drink peppermint tea, and prefer to bathe with handmade mint infused soap. This soap is from DeShawn Marie on ArtFire.

Be still my heart…  Just think what cool earrings could be made with these shiny baubles from Booga119!

I love the raised pattern on these earrings, don’t you?

Did you know that I used to make hand dyed silk scarves? Mine weren’t this nice, though.   I love the work of Morgan Silk !

Darn this girl!  She just keeps making more and more copper components that I just can’t live without! Kristi Bowman Designs:

Wouldn’t these lampwork beads from Radiant Mind, look luscious with Kristi’s copper components?  Just sayin’

I saved the best for the last!  I coveted these earrings for a while, but now I have them–and you can have them too!  They are made by my daughter, Naomi Landig.  Aren’t they awesome? I wear them all the time!

♥ i heart macro ♥ – Pollen

Pollen

Its time for another ♥ I Heart Macro Sunday! ♥

More goodies from the garden.  I made another bouquet and then took these close-up shots.:

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Lori of Studio Waterstone  hosts a weekly blog hop of close-up photos.
Visit Lori to get links to more great macro shots.

Bead Table Wednesday: Woven Bracelets

BTW: Unfinished Projects

While cleaning up my bead room/guest room last week I realized just how many partially finished projects I have laying around.  How did I ever accumulate so many bracelets, earrings and necklaces that are only half done????   I resolved right then and there, to finish two old projects for every new one I undertook.  We’ll see just how long that resolve lasts….

Due to allergy misery, I was up at 5:00 a.m. this morning, so I grabbed a right angle weave bracelet that was about a third of the way done.  I gathered my supplies and put them on a Dollar Store cookie tray and placed that on top of my “lap desk”.  I got comfy in my favorite recliner, pulled a blanket over my legs and got to work, listening to the birds singing their morning chorus.  So here’s my “bead table” for today.

My lap desk, with my completed right angle weave bracelet.

I really like doing right angle weave.  I find it very meditative.  I’ve made several of these bracelets lately, in different sizes and colors.

I named this the “Meadow Stream Bracelet“. We used to own some property that bordered a meadow with a view toward Mt. Rainier. There was a little stream that ran through the meadow. I loved to sit by the stream, in the spring, among the wildflowers, looking out toward majestic Mt. Rainier in the distance.  The turquoise in this bracelet reminded me of that stream and the daisy button clasp reminded me of the wildflowers in the meadow.

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I encourage you to visit the BTW Flickr group and  see what is happening on other bead tables.