http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/making-jewelry-blog.html The latest tips, tutorials, and ideas for Making Jewelry Now. en-us making jewelry Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:01:51 GMT Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:01:51 GMT making-jewelry-now.com http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/bead-tray-metal-leftovers.html I am a messy beader, I'll admit it. I'll pull this and that out of my bead boxes along with a collection of metals and go to town. I work in a variety Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:01:48 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/rag-rug.html Inspiration can come from the most unusual places. Recently, someone attempted to publicly denigrate my work on her blog by writing that I use a simple Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:45:50 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/going-out-on-a-limb.html I've written previously about my lack of confidence wrapping briolette beads despite watching many on line videos and reading printed tutorials. Just Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:41:30 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/unfinished-time.html If we apply the fantastic idea of time travel to the art form, I've found it to be forever unfinished and somehow synchronous with being finished no matter Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:33:10 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/missing-bruce.html My husband travels and when he is gone away I miss him. He was on a trip and I was playing with my beads and I found the alphabet B bead, and it made Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:31:45 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/drawerscleaning-wool-bangles.html Bangles are my favorite style and last year I started making and wearing wool covered bangles, they're soft and warm and I think they're perfect to give Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:29:29 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/dead-hard-drives.html A couple of years ago, a friend gave me two aluminum rings that had once been part of an old and defunct computer hard drive. I used those rings in two Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:23:03 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/copper-basket-necklace.html I've always been fascinated by baskets, bottles, boxes, in fact, containers of all kinds. Miniature versions of any of these captivate me even more. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:21:54 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/cleopatras-blue-goddess-necklace-neoamour-collection.html Inspired by Cleopatra, the enigmatic ruler of ancient Egypt, I created this multi strand, lampwork glass pendant necklace. Using stabilized turquoise, Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:07:57 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/lamp-work-glass-boudica-celtic-sea-necklace-neoamour-collection.html Inspired by the ancient Celtic sea, a handcrafted lamp work glass bead in sandy beige, blue and silver is accented by strong yet soft hand stitched bead Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:07:07 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/3rs-for-the-times.html Your challenge was very timely for me since I'd spent part of the holiday season reorganizing my work space. While I had a pretty good idea of what stock Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:59:23 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/rainy-day-afternoon.html It rained yesterday. Perfect time to get some good work done for the next big holiday. Can you guess which one it is? Lynda Carson Fresh Baked Design Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:51:01 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/mother-of-pearl.html Inspired by the Czech Crystal and Mother of Pearl / Blue colors of nature and the High Sierra skies. Thank you for enjoying it ! Paul and Sandy SMSdesign Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:48:14 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/swirls-of-gold-cuff-bracelet.html Swirls of 14K gold filled wire are intertwined on a sterling silver plated cuff with 14K gold wire-wrapped side accents. A contemporary design that will Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:47:24 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/circles-in-circles-pendant.html I was trying to find use for some circular pieces of copper I received as a gift from a construction site. I had previously created a necklace out of Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:17:50 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/destiny-and-desire.html Because I am a gatherer, and a collector of stuff, I always have something to start inventing with, be it jewelry, or other mixed media pieces. The necklace Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:16:50 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/handcraftedbyregina.html This is a Christmas present I made for a customer. I love leftover beads. Regin Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:13:33 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/a-link-in-time.html This necklace and earring set was made of leftover pearls and coral. I was trying a wrapping technique and decided to use what I had already started. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:12:40 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/recycled-wrist-bands.html I hate the thought of dumping electronics into a landfill, so when my 15 year-old laser printer bit the dust, I took it apart looking for steampunk items Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:11:27 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/helms-necklace.html Just recently started making chain maille (love love LOVE it!!) and this is my first attempt at Helms pattern. The necklace is silver-plated, ~50cm long Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:10:23 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/potluck-bracelet.html This bracelet is from leftover beads from other projects. This time I picked two colors--red and blue--to help refine my searching. I'm really bummed Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:09:25 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/smart-jewelry.html I wanted to make a stand alone art piece that could also be worn as jewelry, so I came up with the idea of a lily that comes off the stem to be worn as Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:08:09 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/little-turtle-brooch.html This brooch was created from a scrap piece of leather and a vintage ear ring. The leather came from a bag of scrap given to me by a friend. The ear ring Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:06:53 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/gold-crystal-pave-necklace-set.html In this piece I used gold pave beads,bright gold pearls and crystal pendant . This necklace is wire wrapped in 14k gold filled wire. Rita Dolce Amore Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:01:26 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/platinum-pearls-crystals-necklace-set.html I love creating jewelry that is feminine,elegant and classic. This set was created by using crystals and pearls wire wrapped in sterling silver wire. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:55:41 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/hearts-within-hearts.html I guess the idea I started with here was to make something a bit more organic looking, obscuring the machine made appearance of the sheet metal by pummeling Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:54:54 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/three-strand-coin-pearl-necklace.html Pearls are truly amazing! I enjoy creating pieces using different shapes of pearls. In this piece I used coin pearls in a rosy coral color with matching Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:51:18 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/custom-made-charm-bracelets.html Each item is custom made, I never make 2 of the same. So each piece is unique. Nicolett Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:47:57 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/think-pink-breast-cancer-awareness-bracelet.html Last year, I joined Jazzercise to shrink some unwanted inches. It so happens, Jazzercise will be helping in sponsoring the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:46:49 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/hand-forged-copper-wire-scrolls-with-handmade-wire-wrapped-clasp.html Handmade spirals and coils from copper 18 ga wire. Handmade clasp This piece took me about 7 hours to complete and a lot of wasted wire!!! I had so much Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:44:06 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/a-strange-collection.html I've been thinking about this particular challenge for several days. No firm ideas until I was emptying out a drawer and found two sets of blousing springs Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:54:38 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/red-and-black-rondell-bracelet.html This elegant bracelet is made with gorgeous red glass beads, black glass faceted rondell beads, silver spacer beads and small round silver beads. The bracelet Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:41:01 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/rustic-heart-on-a-wire.html Although the heart motif had been used millions of times and anyone, anywhere recognizes and understands its meaning, I was never the less challenged to Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:53:40 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/memorys-mirror-pendant-in-sterling-silver-and-garnet.html I wove together strands of sterling silver wire, forming a circle as I went. Then I used the ends of the silver wire, as well as garnet beads, to embellish Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:59:31 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/memorys-mirror-earrings-in-sterling-silver-and-garnet.html I wove strands of sterling silver wire together with fine-gauge sterling silver, forming circles as I wove. Stitched together the circles, then used the Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:58:51 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/a-checker-board-bracelet.html Here's another bracelet that began as an experiment. The initial frame started out as a series of tall loops placed fairly close together. The next step Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:56:19 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/iris-green-beauty.html Iris green faceted beads are woven together with gold colored seed beads in a flat spiral. The piece is finished with gold plated filigree clasp. Cathy Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:46:25 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/the-ocean-and-a-little-girls-fancy.html I have so many odds and ends that I keep in different places. I keep waiting for some inspiration to hit. I started with my assortment of beads and separated Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:25:02 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/grandmothers-attic.html The charms on this necklace are all items from my childhood in the 1950's and 1960's. My mom saved so many things from my childhood, and I love remembering Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:13:52 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/unhinged.html So I probably went a little off-roading with this odds and ends challenged by raiding the junk drawer in the kitchen...added a few leftover bits of leather, Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:12:53 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/tender-petals.html I received an old leather skirt as a hand-me-down, but it was tiny and hard to imagine any adult wearing it. So I set my mind to figuring out how I could Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:12:00 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/berry-cocktail.html A bountiful mix of semi-precious gemstones create a lush sensation in lavender and shimmering grey: amethyst, labradorite, lilac stone, snowflake obsidian. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:11:23 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/pearls-and-chrizocolla-necklace.html Just recognized - this necklace I created perfectly fits into major Jewelry trends of the year 2012 - bold, large necklaces and vintage (art deco) look. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:09:13 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/imperial-turquoise-pearl-necklace.html This delicate creation includes a beautiful imperial turquoise stone wrapped with a swirl of gold wire, accented with freshwater pearls and gold rondelles Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:08:21 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/pearl-bridal-necklace.html Beautiful bridal necklace with pink and white pearls, accented with simulated diamond and silver rondelles and sparkling Swarovski crystals float on a Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:06:49 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/copper-fantasy-cuff-bracelet.html Endless swirls of copper wire are intertwined on a hammered copper cuff with copper wire-wrapped side accents. A great contemporary design that's so versatile Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:06:04 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/lindisfarne-bracelet.html I love anything ancient and the design on this piece was taken from an old illuminated gospel. the medallion is made of PMC and the chainmaille pattern Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:55:34 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/willow-creek-square-cut-jasper-embroidered-bracelet.html I purchased this gorgeous square cut jasper, and instead of pulling out the green tones, decided to pick up on the rusty/bronze striations within the stone. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:54:42 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/inspire-me-bracelet.html I had a bunch of different colored glass beads laying around and I kept staring at them for hours wondering what to do with them. So I took out all my Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:53:46 GMT http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/remembering-clara.html The beautiful young woman in this piece is my paternal grandmother, the only grandparent I ever knew. She was an elderly lady by the time I was born, but Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:52:59 GMT