My Favorite Components (part 1)

At first glance these little rubber rings may look like nothing exciting - sort of like those little rubber bands for braces.... BUT if you look closer and imagine for a moment.... ah, yes - the inspiration comes! Theres an endless list of cool things you can do with these little guys! They come in a million colors and sizes and can really add pizzazz to your jewelry! Heres a few picts to help inspire you to round up some color!!

Mermaid Harvest

I had such a good time last weekend at the Makers Market in Solomans Md! One of the coolest vendors there had made these amazing earrings out of enameled metal beads - of course I had to have a pair!! Here's a little look at what she can do with copper - and if you want to see more check out her Etsy site: www.etsy.com/shop/amermaidsharvest

Lovely to Look At!

As promised, I've been making some fun stuff from the beads that I got last week from Laura Critchfield - here's a little sample of what I've been making:

A Bang on the 4th

If any of you are spending your 4th of July holiday anywhere near Solomans MD - drop by Annmarie Garden for the Makers Market. Maggie and I will be sitting there all day (9am - 2pm) on July 2 along with a ton of other fun people - you don't want to be the only one who misses out on the fun, right? Need more info? Here's the website: www.annmariegarden.org

                                       Happy 4th of July Everyone!!

Today's Favorite

This adorable set of lampwork beads are from DewDaBeads - love the colors! They feel very 'Minnie Mouse' don't they?? You can see more of her work at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DEWDABEAD

New Earrings & Stuff!

There is nothing like going to a bead show to get your inspirational juices kickin'! I could hardly wait to get home to start playing with all my cool new toys!! Here's a few shots of what I've been working on.... enjoy!

Meeting a Creative Hero!

I spent a wonderful Sunday at the bead show in Hunt Valley, MD with my favorite daughter-in-law. I had such a fun day. I was absolutely in awe of the amazing lampwork beads - my favorites were made by Laura Drosner Schreiber from Dover PA. Even though you guys didn't get to see them in person  you can check out her beautiful work here: www.lampworkbylaura.com  - Nice stuff!

I also got to meet the folks from Parawire - I really love their wire. We set up a wholesale agreement with them so you'll be seeing lots of their amazing colored wire in the shop in a couple weeks!! (squeal with delight!!) - Come check it out, it's gonna be at great prices and you're definitely gonna want to make something creative with this stuff!

Highlight of the day though, had to be meeting my creative inspiration - Yvonne Irvan-Faus of MyElements. I've been buying most of my jewelry components from Yvonne for years but this was our first face-to-face. It was sort of like Dr. Seuss meets Rube Goldberg only with more colors and lots more laughing. If you haven't seen Yvonnes colorful, wacky, creations run, don't walk - to her shop on Etsy.

Holy Cow, check out that necklace!!