First Wire Woven Bead Cap!

Finished this bead cap last night right before I went to sleep. Can I just say that I LOVE it? It is a very well written tutorial with excellent pictures. I had no trouble at all understanding and following the instructions. I already have a pair of earrings in mind where I'll use these lovely bead caps on a pair of yummy pearl drops! Now I just have to decide on the metal color for them. I'm thinking of doing them in 14K gold filled wire to go with a gorgeous pair of gold vermeil headpins.

AJDJSS Featured Studio, LA Jewelry Designs

I decided a while back that one of the things I was going to try to start doing on my blog is a weekly feature of the Artfire Jewelry Design & Jewelry Supply Shops Guild (AJDJSS) artist/studio of the week. So here goes!

This week's featured artist is Lea Avroch of LA Jewelry Design. She has a studio on Artfire as well as a shop on Etsy. Lea creates amazing beads. She is a self representing artist (SRA member) and has had her work shown in the June 2007 Bead & Button, the September/October 2007 Belle Armoire, the November/December 2007 Bead Trends and the March/April 2008 Bead Trends.

Lea was kind enough to answer a few questions for me to share.

How did you get into beadmaking?

Hubby & I both have an appreciation for the glass arts. We have a collection of glass sculptures in our house that we've collected over the years. I saw a glass blowing demo years ago by Randy Strong & was mesmorized. I knew I couldn't handle the big stuff, but when a friend asked me to take a lampwork class with her at a local art league, I jumped on it. I fell in love immediately and have not looked back.

What other crafts have you tried your hand at?

I love beading with seedbeads, knitting and reading. I have a good friend that enjoys beading & knitting as well. We usually try to get together at least once a month to bead together. She's a much more experienced knitter than I am so I know I can always count on her with help there too.

Favorite color? (or do you have more than one?)

This is tough! I have so many colors that I love! My absolute favorites though are purple, chartreuse, teal and turquoise. I guess it's apropos since my horoscope sign is Aquarius.

Do you have a favorite technique or style?

Not so much a technique, but I probably prefer making focal beads or pendants rather than sets of beads. I prefer making one of a kind beads for this reason. That, and that I'm also bad about taking notes when I'm torching so I often find it hard to duplicate a design, especially in boro, where there's a huge learning curve as far as getting a desired color reaction from the glass. In boro, often the rods are 1 color, but when melted they're a completely different color. I find this fascinating and also frustrating at the same time.

If you won a thousand dollars what would you spend it on?

This one's easy! I'd spend it on building myself a free standing studio in the backyard with heat and lighting. My studio is currently in my garage so it's a bit cramped in there. I'd love to have a space that's all for me and my crafts!

Thank you Lea for taking the time to answer my questions and sending me a couple of pictures to use.

Day 2 Of Create Art Every Day Challenge

Here is my first piece created for the Art Every Day challenge. I chose this dichroic glass cabochon I made. I wire wrapped it in sterling silver wire adding two rondelle beads. I am really pleased with it.




















And here is the second piece I created today. I wire wrapped another one of my cabs in sterling silver wire and Czech seed beads. I love this one too!












And last but not least is a picture of all those chains I put together yesterday. I used bulk chain and findings.

Adjustable Wire Wrapped Dichroic Glass Ring

It doesn't seem like I've done much of anything lately. Today I listed this adjustable wire wrapped ring in 14K gold filled wire. I listed it as a custom listing because I will make it in any of my stock colors. Now I just have to make a color chart to add onto the listing. I plan to make one in sterling silver to list too.

I also went to my favorite local beadstore for one of their two annual wholesale bead shows. There I found all these lovely little crystal bead rondelles. I have some neat plans for these. I hope the finished products will be liked.

I am really trying to come up with some cute things that I can sell cheaply. I have taken to eliminating the time it took to make something out of my pricing code as my stuff is well liked, greatly admired and almost impossible to sell even if I sell it at cost! I really wish I knew what I'm doing wrong, right or not doing... If it's me or what. And maybe I'm just starting to have a pity party. So just in case I will bid you Adieu and find something to take my mind off the problem.

Bedroom Clean-Up & Rearranging II

This is the mess that I confronted this morning. My plans for the day were to carve another corner of cleanliness and organization out of this chaotic mess. (picture one, upper left corner)

The first step was to move everything to the right hand side of the room to the right hand side of the picture and vacuum. Step two was the cleaning of the TV, VCR, DVD player, cable box, converter and the hope chest they sit upon. Step three was bringing the TV, accoutrement's and the hope chest forward to the middle of the room, right up to the edge of the area rug. Step four was the cleaning of the ledge on the stairway wall and vacuuming some more. Step five was the moving of the storage carts and tubs of fabric into the newly cleaned area.

The last two pictures (upper right corner and lower left corner) shows the other end of my room on the same side as yesterday. The picture is taken from in front of the window. The middle one shows that section of my room in it's new found glory of cleanliness. The last picture is a close up of how this corner is a organized storage slash work area for my sewing and crafting goodies. The paper bag is for the books I've read and am planning on trading in.

I spent the evening watching NCIS while sorting jewelry supplies. I organized a bunch of findings and beads. I emptied four plastic storage boxes! I am talking about THREE cases of 48 of little plastic boxes per case plus one other storage box.

I've come up with some goals for the next few weeks when it comes to my room. If I don't I won't get this room finished and organized.

Goal #1~~~I have way to much fabric and I plan to whittle my six large plastic tubs down to five. (Four would really be amazing! And better.)

Goal #2~~~I still have a bunch of boxes, plastic bins, tubs and crates full of junk that needs to be gone through, sorted and put away. I will do one container a day until it is all put away, given away or tossed.

Goal #3~~~I need to get another bookcase and get all the books I pulled out and stacked up so I could move it to another corner and use it for my beads and stuff.

Goal #4~~~To straighten up my room before I go to bed at night.

Of course I still need to clean out the last corner in my room, dust and vacuum the shelves on the window wall and of course get that closet cleaned up. If I work on it 20-30 minutes a day it will be done in no time at all!

So far this arrangement is very comfortable and relaxing!!!