Day Ten: Double Stranded Pearls

Like a gift wrapped around a leaf

Another from the idea box, well it's not really a box, more of a basket, in my head. Anyway, I'd been thinking about this for a long time, and I really love the stone pendant along with the gorgeous cranberry pearls. Though the necklace came out a bit longer than I expected, I do really enjoy it, and can't wait to have something fancy enough to wear it to.

Day Six : Eden's Comet Earrings

Oooooh, Dangles!

Ok, so I know this is the second set of green earrings in a week, but these have honestly been waiting to be made into earrings for at least three years! I came up with this design years ago, and have made a few pairs here and there for family and friends. The problem is, I can't find those goregeous colored star-shaped pearls anywhere, and yes, they are pearl! A simple star-shape irritant is put into the pearl and then it develops it's nacre over it. A really cool process. I remember being fascinated with shaped pearls since I was a little girl and I was looking through a book that had Buddah shaped pearls in an oyster that had been left too long. The concept of shaping cultivated pearls has fascinated me ever since.

I was going to make a white set, as I have these gorgeous white star-pearls, but alas, they are drilled from point to point, not symmetrically, so they don't sit right, I may have to see about finding some that do so I can get these up on Etsy. I think these are just so fun, and I love the colors. I also have enough to do a few more sets in green and a couple in blue. So fear not, it's not just a green girl's paradise. Though outside is, with the weather and the rain it's just verdant outside. I did have one of the weirder conversations with a tree while taking pictures, but then I realized, aren't all conversations with trees peculiar at least?

Awww.. Babies!

On the way out the door to take pictures, I found a few little friends... a few hundred that is! With the warmer weather or just the timing I managed to open the door to a bunch of little ballooning spiders. They are so tiny and cute, but damn do they give you the creepy crawlies. I still feel like I might have a couple on me. Josh and I both tried to take pictures, and I think my little point and shoot might have won that battle.

Macaroni!

Then on the way back inside, I found the prettiest Blue-jay feather. Since I've been obsessed with my fedora for a few days I thought I'd stick it in the band. Today has been a rewarding day for going outside. On a non-outside note, I managed to finish four and a half pattern rows in the shawl I'm working on and with some rough math, I realized that's over four thousand stitches, and possibly closer to five thousand. No wonder I like watching the television, I'm still getting so much done.

Day Two: Rainbow Stitch Markers

Little Ducks all in a Row

So it may not really seem like an accesory to everyone but to the knit set, a set of stitch markers is indispensible. They allow a knitter to mark off things like a pattern repeat, and increase, or even just the center of a peice being made. One of the major draw back of most handmade stitch markers is that they are made with either split rings or tiny hooks. Another drawback can be that the bottom of the beads is actually made with an eye hook not a head pin. A third drawback to most hand made stitch markers is that they can have either rough edges from the wire work, or they can be oddly shaped, and will catch on your work. Oh and a fourth drawback, they can be bulky or heavy, or just plain ugly... well, to me. Don't get me started on commercially made stitch markers... they are generally a snoozefest, or so expensive as to be prohibitive.

Aren't they just lovely?

Well, I've bypassed all these. I ran to my handy dandy craft roller of doom. (Pictures of said doom roller will appear one of these days, but not today.) Inside, within the plethora of jewelry goodness, I searched lovingly for something special. Not a hard task mind you, I had about four other sets of beads lined up to adorn my markers, but still a daunting one. I finally decided on a set of rainbow markers with both pearls and swarovski crystals. I bought the crystals a few years ago in a variety pack, and really hadn't found the perfect fit for the singletons in the bunch, and I also had a similiar conondrum with the pearls! To allevieate the snagging caused by split rings I used the loops from a whole bunch of loop and bar clasps. I buy these in bulk for a multitude of reasons! I am so thrilled with the way these came out, the color matching on the pearls and swarovski really make my day. They are also super lightweight, weighing less than a gram a piece.

Productive OCD and Hoarding

On a separate note, it seems that rainbows are my thing this week as I also reclaimed an old tape organizer (remember those weird reel type things that went into ... walkmen?) and made it into a display for my lovely vintage thread collection. What other way is there to organize this but my rainbow-tization. There has to be a word for the act of organizing by color, but I'll be damned if I know it.

Who doesn't love stars?

So I was heading off from lunch with girlfriends last Friday and had other things that I needed to do but decided to stop over at my favorite bead store (which will be moving soon of course). I always stop by hoping they will have a very elusive component, amazing angel wings that are great in any earring design. Moving on!


I stopped in, dismayed at their usual lack of service, and that one crazy old bird that has he bead tray on top of half the beads just sorting out her design, though she is one step up from the lady with the purse on the tables of beads! Well I found a little tiny bin, full of amazing little pieces. My eyes lit up, I pulled all of the little bits into my hands, hardly believing what I was seeing.

Colored star pearls! Now see, I am all about shaped pearls, especially stars! I have some earrings over on the right hand side that are made with star pearls. I call them my shooting star earrings. But now, oh now, there are colored pearls . I bought them in different colors trying to match each set. So now I have these amazing star pearls and don't know what to do with them! Any ideas? I guess we will have to see.