Friday, November 22, 2013

Designers' Sale--Nov 22-23!



Quick note--  Having a special sale this Friday and Saturday just for designers!

ATTN: DESIGNERS SALE 

Fri/Sat only! (Nov 22-23, 2013)

25% OFF these sections only: 












Use code at checkout: DESIGNERS25

These and many more at:


With gratitude for your following and hope this helps with your holiday designing!  Many thanks!  ~Sharyl

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Saturday, November 16, 2013

Lisa Lodge's "Lampwork and Clay Blog Hop 2013" - Reveal

Lisa Lodge, of  the blog, "A Grateful Artist" and store, Pine Ridge Treasures, has organized yet another amazing blog hop for jewelry designers.  This one is the "Lampwork & Clay Blog Hop," and since I love both, I couldn't resist taking part!  

Lampwork & Clay Blog Hop Participant



We got to choose our preference for a kit,  lampwork or clay.   That's pretty much a tie for me, but I selected clay this time! 

And in the kit I purchased, I received lovely pieces made by some of the best clay artists I know!   (Did I think to take a "before" photo?  Of course not!)  But there were six round beads in stone colors with hues of earthy green, pale blue, and tan made by Gaea and a mint-green leaf pendant by Marla James (Marla's Mud).

The rest of the beads were to be from our own collection, not things we went out and purchased, but that we already had.   No worries, these are my favorite colors, so I was ready to get started!


This photo highlights those gorgeous Gaea beads--all in stone-like colors!







You can see some of what I added too, various glass and stone beads the color of turquoise and a few Czech glass in brown with a sparkly finish.  There are also sterling silver accent beads and a sterling silver bail.  



Farther up the neck, are pale blue glass seed beads and Czech glass beads, then finally, hand-dyed silk ribbon in darker green, blue, and a bit of tan.  There is a slider bead in back to keep the ribbon in place and enough ribbon length to tie a bow for a nice, soft finish.

Back to the front for the focal,...



Along with the lovely, intricate mint-green ceramic leaf, I added a mood bead that seemed just the right size, design, and colors and repeated the tan Czech beads.  






My sincere thanks to Lisa for hosting this event, to the artists whose beads I had the honor of working with, and to all the other participants!   

I hope you'll hop around and see what they created too!  The list with links follows!  ~Sharyl


Hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs
Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes
Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design
Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry
Annette Rivers, MamaOwl's Mess

Shaiha Williams,   Shaiha's Ramblings
Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz
Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams
Lori Jean Poppe, Lorillijean Creative Corner

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life
Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes
Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog
Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, Sharyl's Jewelry          <== You are here!
Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation
Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera
Linda Aspenson Bergstrom, TBD

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends
Judy Turner, Silver Rains
Gloria Allen, Gloria Allen Designs
Kathleen Douglas, Washoe Kat's
Connie Tipton, TBD
Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Andrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations
Michele Dotson, Star Jewels
Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware
Jennifer Clifford, TBD
Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me
Carolyn Lawson, Carolyns Creations
Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread
Bonnie Coursolle, Jasper's Gems
Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles (reveal will be delayed a few days)

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Save 20% Nov. 16-18, 2013 at the Pre-holiday sale!
Use code:  PRE20
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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Samhain & a Sale!

Happy Halloween, Happy Day of the Dead, Happy All Hallows Eve, and Happy Samhain to all!   


Giant pumpkin on my front doorstep! 
Photo by Sharyl.

For those wondering about Samhain, it's a Celtic harvest festival celebrated during these days we tend to call Halloween, and since I have a good Irish name, I'm going with that one as the code for my sale for the next few days!   


Visit my
Sharyl's Jewelry Artfire online store
through Sat. Nov. 2 
to get 20% off 
all jewelry and components!   

Use the code:  SAMHAIN at checkout
 and get the reduced price!    

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For more Halloween fun today, please visit Tanya Goodwin's blog,  A Work in Progress, to see her delightful Halloween/Day of the Dead jewelry, a few pieces made with my metal components.  Each and every piece she makes is so very creative!



Hand beaded earrings by Tanya Goodwin.
Photo by Tanya Goodwin.

Thanks, and a happy, safe holiday to you and your families!  ~Sharyl


A new, yet very old, edition to my work room!
Details in a future post!
Photo by Sharyl.

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Friday, October 18, 2013

"Seed Bead and Metal Blog Hop" Reveal!

Welcome to the "Seed Bead and Metal Blog Hop" Reveal!   Thank you all for joining us to take a look at the special designs created for this challenge.  
A special thanks to Shirley Moore, co-host of this event, who handmade all the seed bead components that went into each packet.   And our thanks to the participants who purchased their packets and created jewelry using our components.   It is always a thrill to see our works taken and made into some new and lovely creation at the hands of talented designers, so we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for this opportunity you give us today!

We have 11 participants, including ourselves.  The list will be provided at the end of this page, so you can hop from blog-to-blog to see all the entries!   Please do so and leave a message so everyone will know you paid them a visit!  

On my page, will be not only my entry, but those of two other designers, so please keep reading, scrolling, and enjoying until the end!  

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Entries:

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson  -- (Co-host) 
"Sharyl's Jewelry"

The inspiration for my design started with this diamond-shaped seed bead piece made by our co-host, Shirley Moore. Like everyone else, I honestly wasn't sure what was in my own packet until I opened it, and that was just the way I wanted it.   





Even though I had assembled the items in the packets, trying to make sure each person would have some kind of inspiration to draw on in terms of colors, fabrics, beads, etc, I found myself rejecting parts of what I had put in my own packet when I created it!   Items in my packet included:



Out of my batch of goodies, I ended up using the diamond seed bead piece (by Shirley), the 2 round green patina brass components (by me), some of the jump rings, and the sari ribbon. 

I added 9 handmade lampwork beads in greenish shades from a chain of "orphan" beads I purchased from Eleanor at LilysOffering some time ago.  I also included creamy-colored stone beads, and three types of copper beads.   


In the back of the necklace I used the soft sari ribbon. It simply ties in a bow.   It's plaid in yellow and lime colors.




For the front of the necklace, I made an embossed bail to match the lime green round disks I later used for earrings. From this I hung a lampwork bead and Shirley's beaded diamond.


 When the necklace was complete, I made coordinating earrings, using my lime green patinated components from the packet, dark green lampwork beads (still part of the orphan chain), and other small accent beads.   

I'll admit, I spent more time designing this piece, putting it together, taking it apart, trying it a variety of different ways... than I normally do.  It didn't come easy to me this time.  I was really hoping to do Shirley's piece justice and I hadn't worked with seed bead work like this before.  I certainly enjoyed integrating it into this jewelry though.   And I look forward to using my 3 little beaded balls in another piece soon! 


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 Candy Wham -- (Participant)


The package Candy received.


Candy reports, "I made earrings using the handmade ear wires, the discs Sharyl made, the (carnelian) beads included in my package, the copper twist looking jump rings, and the fabric that was tied to box. With that I wrapped around the darker jump rings sent. I also used my own gears, copper daisy beads, vintage and Czech beads and copper wire." 


The ribbon wasn't the yellow sari ribbon from her packet, but brown and dusty pink cotton batik fabric tied around the gift box.  "I had to use the fabric, I loved it!" says Candy.

 


Sharyl's Comments:  What a great idea for integrating textiles into jewelry design! I love how it's wrapped between the beads!  Framing the copper bird disks with the gears also seems inspired!   What delightful earrings!   I love them top to bottom!




 Angi Mullis -- (Participant)

The package Angi received.





Angi used the copper leaf embossed and patinated discs and Czech glass beads, along with delicate bead caps and white flower petal beads to create these lovely earrings!

And just look what follows! The multicolor brown hand-dyed silk ribbon is integrated with copper chain and shell beads...


... which make up the back of the necklace.   (Isn't the light lovely in this photograph?!)



A close-up of the copper bail by Sharyl and the twisted seed-beaded component by Shirley Moore.





A final look at the complete necklace by Angi Mullis.   


Sharyl's Comments:  I find this so beautifully done, with such attention to detail. There's even a dangle of the brown ribbon at the end of the beaded pendant! Although it wasn't at all required, it looks like Angi used every piece she received in her package! (I'm also so in awe of the photography here! The tree and lighting really make a dramatic setting for Angi's jewelry!)


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Other Participants:

I'm really impressed by what I have seen so far, but there is more to come! Please visit our other participants below:


Shirley Moore -- Beads and Bread       (*Co-Host)     
                                                  
Laren Dee Barton --  Laren Dee Designs     

Beti Horvath  --   Stringing Fool                 

Tanya Goodwin -- A Work in Progress       

Marybeth Rich -- Forest of Jewels                 

Amy Severino  -- AmyBeads                         

Carolyn's Creations -- Carolyn's Creations   

Toltec Jewels --  Jewel School Friends   


Thank you all for visiting today!  We hope you enjoy the event!  ~Sharyl & Shirley


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All jewelry and components currently 20% off. 
Use Coupon Code: FALLSALE

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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Countdown to "Seed Bead and Metal Blog Hop!" -- Final Details!

Here are the last-minute details for Saturday's blog hop!   Please let me know immediately if you have any last minute changes and I'll repost!    Hopefully all is good to go!  

1.  The participant list and links to blogs appears below.  Participants, please add this to your blog pages.  

2.  Cindy Wham and Angi Mullis, I asked for your photos and text by today (Wed.).  I'll look and see if you've sent a message to me via Facebook or my email.   You may have.  If not, please get to me ASAP!   Thanks much!   I'll need by Thursday night at the latest so I can add to my page!!!   

3.   Everyone, please have your blogs ready to post by 11:30pm Central time Friday night, so that we can all go live by midnight.    The blog hop is Sat. Oct. 19, and many people start looking for pages at midnight.  It's really a drag if the pages are not ready.   Sorry to harp on this.   

Hope you all had great fun!   I  know I found it a real challenge!   I finished my jewelry last night so I'm about to start on my own blog page now!   

I'm so anxious to see all your creations!      ~Sharyl




Participants:     


Sharyl McMillian-Nelson -- 


   Candy Wham --  (Participant posting on Sharyl's blog) 

   Angi Mullis -- (Participant posting on Sharyl's blog)  


Shirley Moore -- Beads and Bread       (*Co-Host)     
       
                                           
Laren Dee Barton --  Laren Dee Designs     


Beti Horvath  --   Stringing Fool                 


Tanya Goodwin -- A Work in Progress       


Marybeth Rich -- Forest of Jewels                 


Amy Severino  -- AmyBeads                         


Carolyn's Creations -- Carolyn's Creations   


Toltec Jewels --  Jewel School Friends   


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New winner announced for Patina Prize:

Mary Anne!

Please leave me a comment here with your mailing address.  I will not make it public.  Thanks!

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Reminder:

20% off at Sharyl's Jewelry 
all week!


Use this coupon code at checkout:
FALLSALE


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