Just Beading Around

What have I been up to?  Well I must admit it certainly hasn't been blogging. Since opening my 2nd etsy shop I've spent lots of time trying to promote it and also trying to stock it , which means beading and creating.  So here are few of the items I've created and I still have more yet to photo (let's not even think about writing up descriptions for etsy's listings ... ugh!)

Above ... Long beaded spiral rope necklace with a side of hand linked chains.

Above ... back of long necklace,  showing the vintage Czech glass Ivy leaf button that I used for a button clasp.

Above ... close up of a beaded bead, can you imagine that it takes over 100 beads to create this one beaded bead?  Thought the bead caps looked cute on it.

Above ... close up of one of the genuine yellow quartz beads.  It is incredibly faceted (impossible to see that in the photo) and is gem quality yellow quartz (my check book can vouch for that as it took a chunk of money to purchase a strand of them!)

Above ... I like the fact that it can be worn multiple ways and even doubled to look like 2 strands.

Above ... another, but different combo of beaded rope with chains.  This one is a multi-strand necklace.

Above ... love the colors of the russet red with the topaz aurora borealis

 beads, and the combination of gold and brass chains.

Above ... October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in honor of this I used a very special rose quartz and sterling silver pendant that features the awareness ribbon.

Above ... I fashioned the necklace out of Delica 11/0 Jet Black, hex-cut seed beads.  Made it a triple strand using AccuFlex 49 strand cable, sterling silver crimp beads, sterling crimp bead covers, sterling jumprings and sterling silver heart shaped clasp.

Above ... close up of clasp ... it is solid sterling, not hollow, not concave on one side.  It is one lovely little clasp. I used tiny 3mm Czech glass faceted beads on both sides of clasp as I didn't have any rose quartz beads that were small enough (I wanted the necklace to be easily removable so that pendant could be worn on different chains, cords, ribbons etc. so the beads had to be small enough to slip through the bail opening).

Above ... this side photo gives you an idea of the how thick the sterling is on the bail and the ribbon decoration that cradles the rose quartz heart.  It's substantial and would take a lot of force to bend that chunk of sterling.

Above ... Since I contributed my first pair of beaded cube earrings (lovingly called Monte Carlo) to a giveaway in hopes of attracting some traffic to my new shop, I decided to make another pair.  These are in aqua blue and silver.  Earring wires are sterling silver and handcrafted by me.

Above ... trying to create two identical wire teardrop hoops was the hardest part of making these earrings.

Above ... And they are nice and long and flirty and swingy, which I adore.

Above ... close up of beaded cube beads.

Plus I have a necklace and 2 pairs of earrings yet to photo ... and then there's that dreaded description to write up on each and every one of them.  So that's what I've been up to (in between doing laundry, cooking, cleaning house etc.).  How about you?  Any new products that you've made?  Trips that you've taken?  Songs that you've sang ? :)