Wet...

Well... it had to end...last Saturday was unpleasant to say the least...it started to rain around 9:30am and continued for most of the day. Of course it rained the hardest in the time frame when I was packing up!!! :0) I didn't venture out from under my tent to take photos because we didn't have may customers milling around, the fellows entertaining were troupers, they actually brought a tent and played for the whole morning, gotta give them credit...a little but of fun in an other wise unpleasant day...BUT...we had 4 sunny days in a row so who am I to complain!!!

I've finally managed to take a few photos...

I've had a few requests in the last couple of weeks for lapis...I can only remember one other request for this stone two summers ago, a young girl asked me to make a pair of earrings for her mother as lapis was her favorite stone...other wise not a very popular stone. I've made a few pieces with sodalite, which looks rather similar but darker, more towards navy while lapis is more towards the turquoise...at least in my eyes!
So...made with lapis, resin, glass, and pewter beads with a star to add a bit of fun!

I've used this pendant before, as I rather like it, the large rectangle stones are natural coral, very interesting, glass, and agate, finished the a sterling silver toggle...

The focal is a rather unique resin pendant with shell inlay, hemalyke, and glass beads, finished with a silver plated lobster claw. For those of you who aren't familiar hemalyke is a man made metallic looking bead that very much resembles hematite...the word hemalyke means "look alike" and the bead can be mistaken for hematite.

Next is an Argentium Sterling Silver cuff...I've distressed this one more than usual as I was going for a more rugged look this time...

Here is a fun summer choker, wood, resin, metal, agate and dyed turquoise, finished with an extender so it can be worn a little longer if need be...

Love the dyed purple howlite, but then you knew purple is my favorite color, set off with pale green aventurine rondelles, pewter and sterling silver beads...

Here is another unique resin pendant inlayed with shell, a mixture of large and small smoky quartz round stones, glass rondelles, mykonos spacers and a sterling silver toggle finish the necklace... fyi the mykonos beads are a clay bead fired in a kiln, then coated in copper, fired again, after which they are coated in fine silver... a lovely bead, they come in many shapes and sizes as well as coated with 24K gold or copper.

Cheers

Rain & high winds!

The first Market day came and went with a down pour... I arrived at the Market at 6:50am, it was overcast and the forecast was 100% chance of rain but it didn't start until I had my tent up at least. Then we had heavy rain until around 11:00am, mixed in every once in a while was high winds, thank goodness the winds weren't continuous, but gusts catch you by surprise...so needless to say very few people where out and about to enjoy the vendors! Even so it was enjoyable catching up with the people I've not seen over the winter...

Here are a few pieces I managed to photograph recently...

I've made a few long necklaces as they seem to be rather popular this year...this one is silver plated over brass and copper...
This is a favorite of mine...striking agate chunks spaced with tiny gold filled beads, with a resin leaf pendant...included are the pair of matching earrings.


Another long necklace...these can be worn long or doubled as the lengths vary ...this particular one is all sparkling sterling silver.

For some reason I'm attracted to smokey quartz...here are a pair of square smokey quartz beads, from which are hanging sterling silver stars, hanging from hand made SS wires.


Last but not least...another long necklace...as the first on silver plated copper and brass but with three gorgeous purple mother of pearl circles mixed in for a little color... purple has always been my favorite color.

There you have it for today...
Cheers

More Photos!!

The first two pictures are of an absolutely stunning pair of ruby earrings...
These earrings were a custom order from a friend who supplied the rubies which came directly from Burma, everything else is gold filled while the ball wires are gold...simply wonderful!!!
I will be making a similiar pair of sapphire earrings, in sterling silver, for this same person in the next couple of days and will post a picture when finished!


This piece is part of the Heart & Stroke Foundation collection I do...a hand cut, hammered, and sanded/finished sterling silver heart attached to which is a tiny Swarovski clear crystal heart, hanging from a large sterling silver oval link chain...

Aventurine nuggets and pendant, wrapped with silver plated wire


Hand cut, hammered, sanded/finished sterling silver dangles hanging from hand shaped sterling silver ear wires...

I love the color of these Swarovski crystals...Bali beads, sterling silver tubes and a sterling silver toggle finish this bracelet...




This is a great set...hand cut, stamped and sanded/finished sterling silver circles, the pendant is hanging from a sterling silver chain...the smaller circles are hanging from sterling silver hand formed ear wires...


Red and silver...a striking combination...coral, resin and glass beads are all wrapped with Argentium silver...from which hangs a sterling silver heart...again part of the Heart & Stroke Foundation series...


I've had people say these look like silver fish...simple but they do make a statement...all sterling silver, hand shaped...


A versatile two strand necklace and earrings...front and center is a great lampwork bead, with soladite nuggets, resin and glass beads, on silver coated wire, finished with sterling silver cones... matching earrings are included...


Cobalt blue lampwork beads and white glass dangles...wire wrapped and hanging from sterling silver ear wires...
Hope you've enjoyed the latest photos...
PS...Watch for the post I will be doing in the near future regarding the Heart & Stroke Foundation Series...
Cheers

Finally, new photos!!!

Here are a few new photos...I'm so slow at getting around to taking photos that unfortunately many of my pieces where sold on the weekend before I had the chance to take the photos...
These wonderful pink chalk turquoise balls are wire wrapped in Argentium silver, with a sterling silver lobster claw... these lovely turquoise beads remind me of pink bubble gum, you know the kind that is individually wrapped...used to love that kind as a child!

~~~Argentium sterling silver for those of you who will want to know is a sterling silver in which the metalloid germanium is replacing a percentage of the copper. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.50% copper. Argentium sterling silver is more expensive than sterling silver but it is tarnish resistant which for many is a worth the extra cost!~~~

This is a stunning piece of chalcedony with a naturally occurring cavity in which crystals have formed...this is called a "Drusy"...I often had people ask if the pendant was broken...it sold on the weekend to someone who knew exactly what it was and was thrilled with it!


Ahhh..some of my favorite charms...I'm a "sun, sand and water" person so I love everything to do with the water...here is a gorgeous all sterling silver bracelet made with me in mind...but...it went to a good home on the weekend...I will make another!!!


A sterling silver pendant, hand cut, sanded and stamped, hanging from a black leather cord...simple but effective!


This striking pendant looks like turquoise but it actually is a form of jasper...strung on a black leather cord it does make a statement!


Now from the retro collection...isn't this fun...glass circles attached to a black leather cord...


Brass, brass, and more brass, with a lovely delicate yellow glass bead...


I like these...in fact I wear a pair myself, without the stones, often...sterling silver wire, with three sparkling clear quartz rondelles...


Another retro piece...large resin beads, tied on a natural colored leather cord...it looks short in this photo but it is acutally a long piece...this went to a great home on the weekend as well...retro is popular this season!

Watch for the August "Birthstone of the Month" coming soon!
Cheers

Need a little something to wear?

Spring is here! But.....Turquoise and copper says summer!



Or what about yellow, brown and copper? Resin beads with copper spacers.


Luscious popsicle orange lampwork beads mixed with sage, brown and silver!
Don't you love orange popsicles???

Azure Islands Designs, Azure Accessories!