Craftacular! Craftacular!

It's coming!  Meet my new baby - I've named her Craftacular.

This is the first show I am hostessing that is not at my home.
My husband gave me the stinkeye when 200+ people showed up at our house one night last December -
so this year I have found a friendly venue and am having an event there.

A wonderful mix of local crafters and artisans are bringing their goods - it should be great fun.

Still Hammering

Just a plain bracelet - simple hammered and rolled bronze links with a sterling silver clasp.
Light ivory glass with copper green glass decorations.

Simple, little headpin earrings.

Easy and fun to make - these are on sterling silver wires.

I would love to stay and chat but there is so much to do.
The feast is here this year. From dusting to dog grooming it's going to be a very busy day.

Love Charms

I love torching hearts.

Everyone knows they're my favorite bead to make.

Lately I've been having fun adding little fetish objects to their bottoms. Making them into love charms.

Some of the hearts are left leave plain - for the purists.
But I am the kind of gal that believes more is more, more or less.

Autumn Charms

A big charm bracelet made with glass headpins and pearls.

It's pure treasure.

It has huge headpin roses.

I adore it and if no one buys it - it's mine.

Podlings

New pendants - the glass is wound on the end of the mandrel to form a bead with a hole only on the top.

I think I must have been reading some Dr. Seuss the day I made these.

So Many Earrings - So Little Time

I forgot to photograph these before I put them on their stinking cards.
So, their glamor shots are not all that glamorous, sigh.

All of these earring will be in the More Fire Glass Holiday Sale.

The Joys of Jello

In the midst of all the holiday jewelry making spasms - I took the time to do a big birthday necklace.

Of course she loved it.
She loves everything about Jello, except eating it.

It was a grand party.

Balls Out

Giant pendants.
 

Made with big, round glass beads - some are hollow, some solid.

Last week I bought a dapping block, helicopter punch and some metal blanks and started making my own bead caps. Plink, plink, plink with my big brass hammer.

Making bead caps is lotsa fun. My 'old roadie' husband is nearly deaf so the incessant hammering is not bothering him. Alas, the dogs, who usually sleep at my feet when I am making jewelry abandon me while I am hammering my little heart out. The old one just glares at me as he shuffles upstairs to find a quiet place to continue has seventh, essential, nap of the day.

These pendants turned out exactly the way I had envisioned them - which rarely happens.

I've been wearing this one (above) all week. It's on a nice, long cord so it's fun to fidget with.

What's now at the top of my tool wish list?
A disc cutter.

Blossom Earrings

I don't want my earrings to look machine made, I don't even want them to look handmade. I want them to look like they just fell off a plant.

The finished earrings are starting to pile up!

Lots of brightly colored pearls mixed with my glass.

All the hand hammered ear wires are sterling but I am experimenting with some colored wire in the parts that do not touch your skin.

I love the spring green wire in this pair used as the stem of the blossom.

Some tiny, flashy gem stones in the mix too. This pair has little faceted labradorite dangles.

Weird Blossoms

I have been making so much jewelry.
Being over tired and feeling overly decorative at the same time can lead to some pretty fanciful earrings.

These are completely over the top.

Red and black glass flower beads dangle on the end of hammered copper stems. These stems are wrapped with tiny yellow rice pearls and bronze wire. At the top a pair of off mandrel green leaf charms and hammered sterling ear wires.

I haven't decided yet if I will make more of these.
Are they just too big for mere mortal lobes?