Saturday 31 October 2015

Pumpkin Mandala Necklace (Halloween)

This is the other version of the Mandala tutorial I made from i-Beads by purplefiona at FionaFiona.  This is the orange and black colourway using my free gift from i-Beads - which were the transparent orange superduos.
 I used those along with some opaque black superduos for contrast as well as the black seed beads.
Instead of using crystal bicones that decorate the outside, this time I used half black, half silver crystal rondelles, which add a little extra sparkle.  I haven't made earrings to go with these.  I may do eventually, I just haven't had time lately.  Side note: I was originally going to call this Orange is the New Black, but I didn't think I'd get away with it!

BTW - I hope you're liking the new setup.  I got my mannequin reupholstered in a lovely aubergine velvet from Corset Laced Mannequins over on Etsy.  It's so much easier to show off my necklaces and see how they hang than the display models I was using.  So if you're looking for a mannequin or you'd like to spruce up one you already have, I highly recommend you check out her shop!
For the close ups I've been using one of our granite placemats.  So if you see any weird reflections, it's just the various posters I have hanging in my room - lol!  I would use a less reflective surface, but I like the effect it gives.  I do try to minimise the reflections on the post edits.

Well, that's the end of my Halloween jewellery.  This weekend I'll be getting the shop ready by photographing, uploading and editing all the jewellery I'll be selling up to Christmas.  I hope you'll stop by, as I'm hoping to donate a portion of my profits to the mental health charity that got me started on this craze in the first place.

Here's wishing you a safe and happy Halloween!
x Kym x
=;x

Friday 30 October 2015

Witches Brew Mandala Set (Halloween)

So I've already caught my mom trying to sneak this into her own jewellery box, even though I made it for myself from this awesome tutorial from i-Beads.

 I changed the colours to my own personal taste - pastel bordeaux and black matte superduos, mixed with purple iris seed beads and chinese crystals.
Obviously as this is someone elses design (purplefiona at FionaFiona) I can't sell it - this was made for me personally - and my mom when she decides to steal it!  I also made another one, which I'll post about shortly.  In the meantime here are some extra photos.


=:x

Pumpkin Netted Pearls Bracelet (Halloween)

My mom says this bracelet reminds her of the clementines you get at Christmas in the netted bags, and I'm inclined to agree with her.  Maybe I ought to change the holiday theme for this one?
 I used 12mm neon orange Swarovski pearls and placed them inside a length of black knitted wire.
I then twisted the knitted wire between each pearl to secure it before tying the ends to a silver toggle clasp.

=:x

Pumpkin Spiked Latte Necklace

I just knocked this up quickly last night, inspired by this Jenna Marbles video:


This is the Pumkin SPIKED Latte Necklace!
It features alternating Pumpkin and Gunmetal coloured acrylic spike pendants hanging from gradually reduced lengths of gold-plated trace chain.  These hang from a chunkier gold-plated round link chain.
It's finished with a gold-plated toggle clasp.
Thanks to Jenna & MOQ (Julien) for inspiring this necklace!
=:x

Thursday 29 October 2015

Anansi Set (Halloween)

Sorry it took me longer than I intended to get these photos taken. First I'd like to share the very first idea I had for my Halloween jewellery.  Don't forget to click on the photos for a better view! ;)
 I had these triple stud bridge beads from Beads Direct which I love using.  My idea was to mix them with some Swarovski neon pearls that I'd bought on sale.  As I discovered when making the focal, I had to tinker with the sizes of the pearls on the top and bottom to get the gentle curve I wanted.  I had also failed to take into account how I was going to keep the bottom beads from falling off.  As you can see in the finished necklace below, adding a jump ring and a couple of spike pendants not only solved my problem, but also adds a little something extra to the unusual design.
I attatched a chunky silver curb chain to either side of the focal and also added these cute little spiderweb charms from Jilly Beads.  Taking a step back, the finished design kind of looks like a grinning face with fangs?
For some reason I couldn't leave it there, and quickly created these earring to go with the necklace.
I'll leave you with some closeups, but please let me know what you think - would you like them to be available to buy?

=:x




Tuesday 20 October 2015

Coming Soon...

Hey everybody!

I've been away for a while again, I know, but this is because I've been designing and creating new things.  I've also been re-imaging and trying to get a feel for which direction I want to go in.  I think I've finally got the setup I want to take photos and show off my creations.  I'm going to start small, with the recycled rings, which I'll be launching soon on Etsy - once I've got all the photos done.  Then I'll show you my new creations, which I'll be uploading periodically, starting with the fun little projects I've been making for Halloween.  I don't usually like making holiday-themed jewellery, so I'm not sure if I will make them available to buy - I guess I'll just see what you think!

As for my old creations, I'm not sure what will happen to them.  I may make a few pieces from the metallics collection available again, but I think anything from before then may be disassembled and remade into something new.  Making whole collections has been a terrible strain, and I've decided it's not really what I want to do.  So I'll be putting my energy into making one special piece instead.  That said, the "I Heart..." collection will still be going ahead, but won't be available until next year - what was I saying about not liking holiday-themed jewellery? *cough* LIAR! *cough*

Anyway, I'll hopefully see you all soon with some Halloween themed jewellery and news on when you can buy the recycled rings from Etsy!

Love Kym,

=:x