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

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

Starfish Earrings

I don't have anything else to show from the I Heart...Collection just yet, so for today's post, I'll be sharing this pair of earrings I made recently.  One of the things I love most about ordering from Jilly Beads, is the free little packet of beads you get with your order.  With my last order, I received these cute little starfish-like beads (glass, I think) and I immediately wanted to turn them into a pair of earrings.

I Heart...Transparency Earrings

Next in the collection are the ...Transparency Earrings.

I was planning to make a bracelet with these beads, but the inspiration for the design just wouldn't come, so I created these earrings instead.  They're pretty simple drop earrings, comprising of three sized glass hearts.  Teal at the top and two clear below.  The earwires are nickel free. 

They will be available to buy from Etsy soon!

=:x

Woven Diamond Earrings

My first post this week is this gorgeous pair of earrings I made for myself that I haven't been able to stop wearing.

The earrings feature black and bright pink fuchsia Delicas beaded in brick stitch to create this cool diamond within a diamond pattern.

 It's finished with a round gunmetal bead and silver fishhook earwires*.

My mom loved them so much that she she asked me to make her a pair.  Hers feature transparent grey Delicas with an AB finish.

The earrings will be available to buy soon in a range of colours.  I'll also be making ones with other designs which I'll post separately.

=:x

*They'll also be available in clip-on style!

Swarovski Ombre Earrings

 I had a few crystals left over, so I decided to make some earrings to go with the Swarovski Ombre Necklace. There's also a cuff bracelet, which will be featured in tomorrows post. Both were designed in my head as I was working on the necklace.

I knew the earrings had to be simple so as not to detract from the visual effect of the necklace.  I continued the ombre theme, however, with graduating colour and size to create these drop-style earrings.  I didn't use as many colours as I used in the necklace, preferring to stick to the pinker end of the red spectrum.

These along with the necklace and cuff will be available for purchase soon.

=:x

Mn (Manganese) - The Metallics Collection (Part VI)

Part 6 of the Metallics Collection is Manganese...

More photos on Etsy.

This is the first set that I actually sketched down the design that I had in my head instead of just making it straight away. 

Manganese necklace sketch

I'm not going to win any design drawing contests, but as you can see from the photo above, it turned out almost exactly as I designed.

I knew I wanted a statement focal, similar to the stunning metal necklaces that they wear on the catwalks and red carpets.  However there were two issues to be addressed.  First of all I'm not a goldsmith or a silversmith, and I don't have access to the materials or equipment needed to make something like this, and I hardly think my little hobby Dremel would be happy to cut through huge sheets of metal!  Second, metal tends to be heavy, and I prefer to make jewellery that looks like the real thing, but is actually wearable.

I discovered these beautiful rumpled rhomboids when I was looking what to spend the £50 gift voucher I won on.  I combined them with these acrylic metal twisted squares that I had left over from another project.  The silver spacer beads that I usually use didn't have the effect that I was looking for, so after raiding my accent bead box I found some acrylic metal rondelle spacers, which looked more like the lopsided circles I'd drawn in my design.

You'll notice in my design, that I only have two silver squares, which didn't hang right, so I added another with some very frustrating wire-bending techniques.  I didn't want the chain to detract from the focal, so I found the smallest chain I could.

The earrings were another problem.  There weren't any smaller versions of the squares that I'd used in the necklace, and yet just one of either the gold or silver looked wrong.  I measured both together with the earwires, and they didn't seem as long as they looked.  Only problem was, that even my longest headpin wasn't long enough.  Luckily I had left over wire from the necklace and bracelet, which I coiled into a spiral at the bottom to hold the squares in place.

As you can see, a lot of work went into this set, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Necklace: £50.00

Earrings: £32.00

Bracelet: £30.00

or buy the set: £90.00

Cr (Chromium) Set - The Metallics Collection (Part V)

Sorry I've been away for so long, but a combination of myself being ill and my Mom's hospital appointments have left me little time to update the Metallics Collection.  I'm back now and ready to show you the rest of the collection!

Part 5 of the Metallics Collection is the Chromium Set:

More photos on Etsy.

This used to be the Electro-Shock Set, but I was never entirely happy with it, and it seems to fit in better with the Metallics Collection.

Chromium can be tinted many different colours, which I hoped to reflect in this piece. This set is a mixture of glass and metal bugles, crystal and seed beads.I knew what I wanted the focal to look like almost immediately.  A graduating fan using small twisted silver bugles contrasted with purple bugles and purple/teal toho seeds hanging from the bottom.
The strands took more planning.  I alternated the long iris twisted bugles with the wavy silver tubes, book-ended with black fire-polished crystals. Somehow one strand of this pretty mix didn't seem enough, so adding another made it stand out even more.

For the earrings, I knew that the graduating fan on its own wouldn't look right, so I simulated the shape of the Americana Earrings and with the chain hanging from the bottom it created this cool trapezium shape.

Buy the set on Etsy: £75.00

K (Potassium) - The Metallics Collection (Part IV)

Part 4 of the Metallics Collection.
I've used Ametrine (Amethyst and Citrine) and metallised acrylic beads in this set.  Both are faceted so they catch the light and sparkle beautifully in the sunlight.  The acrylic beads are great because they have the look of metal, without being heavy.   I've been looking to use the Ametrine for a while as it's one of my favourite semi-precious stones.  I alternated the beads, graduating in size on the necklace, to give it a fan effect.  I tried adding the Ametrine to the earrings, but it made them look unnecessarily clunky and I wanted to keep them light.

More photos on Etsy.

Necklace: £40.00
Earrings: £25.00
Bracelet: £35.00

or buy the set on Etsy for £80.00!

Al (Aluminium) Set - The Metallics Collection (Part III)

Part 3 of the Metallics Collection.
I found these beautiful aluminium beads from one of my suppliers, and I thought they would go with some aluminium wire I've had lying around.  So I wrapped it around one of the beads to make a ring and the Aluminium Set was born.  I tried also making bead cages for the necklace and earrings, however it didn't look right, so I left them as they are.

More photos on Etsy.

The necklace is various sized aluminium beads (13mm/16mm/20mm) threaded onto black leather cord and a silver plated toggle clasp.  It's 50cm/19.7" long.

The earrings are 23mm in length with the bead caps.  You can choose which earring style you would prefer.  If you have an allergy to nickel or are not sure, I recommend choosing the Nickel Free option.

Finally, the ring will be custom made, so please include your ring size when you order. (U.K. or U.S. sizings are fine)

Necklace: £35.00
Earrings: £30.00
Ring: £40.00

or buy the set for: £85.00

On A Sunny Day In England Set

So it's a well known fact that it's always dark and grey in England, with only the occasional rays of sunshine. I made this set to reflect that. It's comprised of silvery acrylic connectors, grey seed beads and milky glass beads to represent the clouds and clear yellow glass beads for the few rays we get.

The necklace is very long, so it has no clasp.
Length: 41cm/just over 16" - from end to end it would be 82cm/just over 32" 

More photos on Etsy.

 £70.00 (ex. shipping)
Buy now on Etsy!

Sherbet Set

Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement is intended.  These are my own interpretations of various sweets and candy using various beads.  Nothing in the Sweet Tooth collection is edible.  Please try to refrain from eating!

I must warn you, that my mom has already reserved one of these sets!  The necklace is actually one of my own designs and I hope you like it too.

The "sherbets" are acrylic and hanging between them are firepolished crystals.  The colour of the crystals will alternate, the sherbets won't.

Sherbet Set

 Feel free to choose which colour sherbets you would like for your earrings. :)

Earwires are nickel free.

Sherbet Earrings

 The bracelet I would like your input on...

I only had enough crystal beads to put on the necklace - they were a free gift - but it's no problem getting them.  So do you think I should add them to the bracelet in the same manner as the necklace, or leave the bracelet as it is.  It's up to you! :)

If you would be interested in this set or would like me to make you something similar, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Sherbet Set" in the subject line.

Rose & Violet Crème Set

Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement is intended.  These are my own interpretations of various sweets and candy using various beads.  Nothing in the Sweet Tooth collection is edible.  Please try to refrain from eating!

Rose and violet are such delicate flavours, I thought it best to keep this set simple.

Rose & Violet Crème Set

The necklace is comprised of alternating pink and parma violet coloured glass pearls.  Then there is the pink glas flower for a pendant.

Pendant

The earrings are just two of the pearls hanging from nickel fre earwires.

Rose & Violet Crème Earrings

The bracelet is on a coil of memory wire, with flower spacers.  Please note: In future versions, the "rose" pearls may differ than those shown. :)

If you would be interested in this set or would like me to make you something similar, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Rose & Violet Crème Set" in the subject line.

Fairy Satins Set

Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement is intended.  These are my own interpretations of various sweets and candy using various beads.  Nothing in the Sweet Tooth collection is edible.  Please try to refrain from eating!

I'm not actually a fan of Fairy Satins, to me they always looked prettier than they tasted!  So I bought some dyed shell nuggets to imitate them.  The necklace is then tied up in a pink satin ribbon.

Fairy Satins Set

 For the focal, I hung a fairy charm from a connector and then threaded AB (Aurora Borealis/Reflective) acrylic cubes with a few random shell nuggets.

Fairy charm

AB Acrylic Cubes and Shell nuggets

 The earrings are similar to the focal on the necklace, except I just hung shell nuggets from the bottom.  The earwires are nickel free.

Fairy Satins Earrings

 For the bracelet, I alternated shell nuggets and acrylic cubes, then added some chain for length.  I may need your wrist measurements to get it the right length.

If you would be interested in this set or would like me to make you something similar, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Fairy Satins Set" in the subject line.

Sugared Almonds Set

Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement is intended.  These are my own interpretations of various sweets and candy using various beads.  Nothing in the Sweet Tooth collection is edible.  Please try to refrain from eating!

I found these pastel colored, drop shaped glass pearls and thought they'd be perfect to represent sugared almonds:

Sugared Almonds Set

 I attached the glass pearls to four lengths of gold and silver cable chain.

Sugared Almonds Necklace

 The earrings are the glass pearls on gold chain hung from oxidized brass filigree connectors.  The earwires are gold plated so they should be suitable for those with nickel allergies. If you do find them uncomfortable, however; try coating the earwires with clear nail varnish. :)

Sugared Almonds Earrings

 The bracelet is a bit different, as the glass pearls are spaced by gold beads on silver chain.  The bracelet will require measurements. :)

If you would be interested in this set or would like me to make you something similar, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Sugared Almonds Set" in the subject line.

Strawberries & Cream Set

Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement is intended.  These are my own interpretations of various sweets and candy using various beads.  Nothing in the Sweet Tooth collection is edible.  Please try to refrain from eating!

Strawberries are my favourite fruit and there is something quite British about a bowl of strawberries and cream in summer.  This set is going to be like the Jelly Bean Set, each one will be different because it's a mixed bag of beads. :)

Strawberries and Cream Set

The necklace is a mixture of glass beads in shades of red, white and pink, with white pearlised seed beads spaced between them.  The seed beads are donated from a beaded bag belonging to my mom.  The "pendant" was a clip-on earring and the ribbon ties were from candles from my friend Maryann at the One Stop Pamper Shop.

Ribbons

The earrings are a mixture of shapes, diminishing in size.  The earwires are nickel free.

Strawberries and Cream Earrings

For the bracelet I decided to try a charm bracelet style.  I'll probably need wrist measurements, so it doesn't end up falling off your wrist! :)

Strawberries and Cream Bracelet

The ring is another bling ring style so it matches the charm bracelet.

Strawberries and Cream Ring

Strawberries and Cream Ring - worn

If you would be interested in this set or would like me to make you something similar, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Strawberries & Cream Set" in the subject line.