Week 13- Year of Jewelry Project- Something I've Never Tried Before

Week 13, lucky number 13.
This is a project that I made using beads and cabochon given to me by my beading partner, Alicia Marinache. She sent me an assortment of beads that were so lovely, I've been using them for projects here and there... and this one is no exception.
The cabochon is a piece of glass with stripes of  turquoise and amethyst and I have to say, it was kind of tricky to use in a project like this. The face is slumped over and it is kind of difficult for me to catch the front inside the beaded bezel. Though, if I had used all one size beads, it probably would have been easier.
After the front was captured, I flipped it and finished off the back, which was a breeze!
I made the necklace in Cellini stitch, which I am not accomplished at... but it came out pretty nice I thought.
Anyway, I enjoyed making this piece which is doubling for one of the projects of my Swap n Hop that we participated in.

Year of Jewelry- Week 12-Spring is in the Air

Ahhhhh, breath deep the wondrous air! That’s Spring! That is the wonderful, fresh, clean, sneeze, sneeze, ahchoo..pollen laden air!

Heck, I don’t even mind the pollen this year! We didn’t have a hard Winter, but I took it hard. Sickness and heartbreak all through the Winter months was enough to give me the blues, so… This is something that is soooo welcome to me!

This piece was inspired by the purple leaves that I received from my bead partner from a Swap and Hop, Alicia. She sent them as well as the little pointy polymer clay flowers and I knew immediately what I wanted to make…

This is a bead embroidered bib style necklace. I used glass, polymer clay, metal, and stone in the piece, especially the ‘chain’ part of the necklace. I loved some of the beads that I received from my partner, the amethyst Czech glass beads and used them in the chain, as well as the pretty silver floral clasp that I bought a while back. I actually bought a whole package of them and keep using them sparingly. I know they aren’t special really, but… darn it, I love those things! I’d use them on every necklace, bracelet and if I could figure it out, earrings as well!

So here is the necklace.

Year of Jewelry- Week 11- Hinged

Sigh...

No, I didn’t make hinged.

This is my entry this week.

It is a sword made in copper, cut by me, shaped and fire painted.

No, I didn’t make the chain, but it is a guy thing… so it needed to be thick. Not that I can’t make thick chain, but I didn’t.

Here it is, the Sword of a Hobbit…

Big smile there… get it.. it’s small… hobbit… sigh. 

 The total size of the sword, pommel to tip is 1 1/2 ". 

Texas Independence

This is a bracelet that I made for my son's Texas History teacher. She is retiring this year, which is such a loss for the kids. She happens to be my son's favorite teacher, and she is a good one!
I made this bracelet with resin, paper, silver, copper, and brass, glass beads and silver hollow beads. .I tried my hand at engraving the Alamo, but didn't do a great job. To do it over again, I would etch the metal first then cut it out, but I was in a hurry... the story of my life!
I had fun making this, and his teacher loved it. She really liked that I put not only the Texas flag, but also the "Six Flags" of texas as well as the Texas Battle.