Fall Shop Update!

It's time for another shop update!

Up first, are these brand new burned leather focals…

But these are not my own work—they're made by my sister Bethanne! Gorgeous, aren't they?!

And some rustic chevron rectangle focals, also made by Bethanne. These are so much fun! Lucky me—Bethanne gave me her first pair! I've got an earring tutorial in the works to show you all very soon.

And now, a few new things from me…

So many of you have asked me to make matched pairs of my little daisy charms for earring designs… and so I'm now offering them in my shop!

Daisy charms now in gossamer white.

And a brand new daisy focal too…

Both Bethanne and I are loving this half moon shape right now. It's nice to have some different shapes once in a while, don't you think?

Half daisies in rustic copper brown. I think these would be a great station in a chunky beaded necklace… I need more time to make jewelry!!

And one last pressed flower bead in gossamer white.

In sleepy critter land, raccoons and skunks are back in stock. And… turtles and squirrels have returned in new colors—orange wood turtles and red squirrels have joined the shop too!

See everything in my shop here.

Happy Fall!

Playing with new polymer colors

A few weeks back a lovely customer asked if I had some other color options for my Dragon Shield pendants to match one of her own bead mixes and I happily agreed to let her pick through the possibilities as I was already mixing new colors.

But… since I was going to be highlighting the polymer with acrylics, I couldn't simply show the raw colors. So each color had to be first baked and painted—and how was I going to do that quickly and without just baking boring blobs of polymer?

Make some brand new focals, of course!

With the gorgeous fall weather quickly approaching, horses have been on my mind even more so than usual. Last week I dug out my riding tack, gave it a very much needed cleaning and oiling, and hopped up on horseback—okay, "hopped" is the wrong word—I'm not at all in riding shape at the moment! I went out for a short ride on both my noble steeds and it was so nice to be riding again… although, I am still a little sore today!

So, of course I wanted to make something with horses. I pulled out my favorite horse stamp that I made a few years ago, a fancy button, some richly detailed silverware handles, and my daisy mold…

Then I just played with different arrangements of the patterns… and enjoyed it immensely!

And now they're in my shop!

Well, the ones that haven't already been snatched up, that is! :-)

And this little one here… 

Mine.

After photographing, editing photos, and setting up the listing for it in my shop, I gave into the fact that I really wanted to keep it for myself and have put it on my jewelry making table for a new necklace. A bead-maker needs a few beads for herself once in a while, right?

See what's left in my shop here.

More designs coming soon!

New in the Shop ~ hand-drawn art focals… handcrafted by my sister!

Finally! Finally!

We've been anxiously preparing for this day… so many details and processes to finalize first… but at last you can now find my sister Bethanne's gorgeous art focals in my etsy shop!

For practically forever Bethanne and I have been "partners in creativity"—we aren't always working on the same project together, but we constantly bounce ideas off one another and find great support in each other. For so long we have both dreamed of spending our days making various pretties to share with you… several years ago that dream came true for me… and now I'm so thrilled that Bethanne is just embarking on that same dream of her own!

And I'm equally excited to see what you all dream up with her brand new hand-drawn focals!

Come take a peek at the first ones, now live in my shop…

Each focal is a miniature work of art—carefully and individually hand drawn in color pencils (no transfers!) on shrink plastic by my sister, Bethanne. All of her designs are her own original work, and as you've probably already guessed, her favorite motif has always been roses, but you'll also see a sprinkling of boho style wildflowers in monocromatic shades and whimsical garden posies—each one is a perfect way to add a unique touch of floral beauty to your next jewelry design!

"Florence"

This one all started as a birthday gift for me—I absolutely love the soft woodsy colors and free-form shape.

"Alice"

Add a row or two of pretty art beads in black and white… or a silk ribbon for a gorgeous bracelet!

"Emily"

Perfect for earrings or connectors on a long necklace.

"Charlotte"

I used this same pendant in my AJE CoM necklace for April.

"Rosalie" in snow white, ebony, and crimson red…

… and also in goldenrod, autumn orange, and chestnut brown

See them all in my shop here!

Another Shop Update and a Tutorial for You!

It's been way too long since I've had my pressed flower beads stocked in my shop, so the last couple weeks I got out my molds and set to work. I just finished painting (ah! painting… sheer bliss!) and here's what's up for grabs…

These ferns are brand new—I actually forgot I'd even made this mold!

These sweet wild roses are also brand new! I'm amazed at the detail that was captured!

And I made some new style Queen Anne's Lace pendants too.

I also painted a few larger feathers…

I was just playing around with colors on these, so I probably won't be able to paint any new ones exactly the same, but I'm really happy with the way they look and will definitely be making more in other colors.

See everything in my shop here!

Sweet little kitty was a huge help with the photography… 

I love this guy!

This weekend is my turn to post on AJE… and yes, I did another tutorial! This time it is my CoM bracelet with Sue's chicklet beads: Sweet Flower Dreams. Check it out here!

Also I just finished some new flower garden bunnies with a pretty grey vintage floral print. My mom is working on some matching fabric covered bead cords to go with them, so hopefully we'll be able to show them to you next week—I love the way they turned out!

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go lock myself in the studio and there won't be any new beads until the new critters are finished… yes, you read that right! Three brand new sleepy critters are in the works!

I'll probably peek out now and then and show some pretty pictures on my blog or something… but until then… happy creating!

New in the Shop ~ fabric covered bead cords… hand crafted by my mom!

You've seen a little of these fun cords popping up in some my latest designs… here and here. And also in Shirley Moore's bead soup here. Check out this fabulous bracelet she made with her cord here.

And now, I'm so excited to finally offer these soft and rustically elegant cords in my shop! These lovelies are not my own work—each one has been meticulously crafted by my mom, Gail. She works with fabrics old and new—vintage calicos, fabric shop remnants, and salvaged thrift shop finds. The fabrics are cut, gently frayed and tattered, and then each bead is hand stitched in place… all to bring an extra special touch of fiber and texture to your new creations!

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun these are to work with! The softness of texture and gorgeous color palettes are such a stunning complement to my work. I have a spare table spread out with a bunch of various art beads and glass goodies waiting to become new jewelry showcasing these cords.

Here's a peek at the first cords she's offering for sale…

"Cottage Garden"

"Misty Mauve"

She makes them in two different lengths… some with 6 inches of beads, plus 2 inches in the fabric tabs at either end…

… and then also with 2 inch beaded sections. These shorter ones are perfect for bracelets!

"Mossy Bank"

 "Sandpiper"

She has a few other cords in progress—we'll be adding them to the shop in the next few weeks. And, there's still lots more fabric to choose from (some are very limited vintage prints) and other new designs that she's just starting to work with now. Yes, we're pretty sure my mom's cords are going to be a new staple in the Tree Wings Studio shop!

We both can't wait to see what new creations you design with them!

See these first cords in my shop here.