(Metalless) Bling for a Wedding Fling

Few things ignite my creative urge more than being asked to help a bride create some memorable wedding jewelry for her bridesmaids. Crystals, pearls, rhinestones, and shimmer are standard for most lineups. My pal Cheryl of Cupcakinitup' asked Bead Up to custom create some necklaces for her bridesmaids which focused on the plunge neckline of their pink dresses and incorporated black and silver. One little glitch, though - one had to be metal free! At first I thought nothing of this... but then the more and more I thought of how to indeed incorporate crystals and findings and clasps and closures, all of which are often metal based, the more I realized how much I rely on metal in my creations - from as large as metal beads to metal string to metal clasps to even metal crimp beads. 

Though Cheryl said that I could make the metal-less in a whole separate style, I wanted to take the challenge to make something that looked like crystals and glitz and glam, but that all the women could wear. After tearing apart some plastic-based jewelry I found at a local accessory store and investing in some silk string, we had this (the metal version):

Bet-cha can't tell which one is metal and which is metal-free? :) 

Thanks for letting me glitz-up your gals, Cheryl!

Long time no blog!

I always thought it suspicious when bloggers disappeared from their online life with no indication as to why. Did they die? Did something horrible happen to them? Were they mugged and their laptop taken? Or, most likely, did the aliens win?


I am sad to admit that I have been that kind of blogger over the past year. I won't make up excuses because I know I have been spending my time well and fully, though sadly at the expense of my jewelry business :( Over the past year, we moved from Los Angeles to Kansas City, I enrolled in a hospital residency program, we bought a house, adopted another dog, and on and on and on. Just as the past year has been busy with a ton of random things, I too have managed to get myself fully involved in a tom of random projects - all of which has compromised Bead Up's time yet have led to another super fun hobby/business. That's right, I've picked up another craft... Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you... Batter Up:

Yup, watching Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes has left me thinking, "Hey, I bet I could make something fun and delicious, too!" So I took it upon myself to learn. After making a big ole' raspberry lemonade cake rolled in fondant and polka dots, I took it into work to get rid of it. Instead of coming home with just an empty cake platter, I came home with orders from people who wanted more! Though I never had the intention of selling my experiments, I have had a blast being ::paid:: essentially to get to know my cake making tools and techniques. It's a win-win! 


After a lot of thinking, I have decided to expand Bead Up to include it's sister project, Batter Up! Bead Up, Batter Up, and a link to this blog can be found at my newest website, christynk.com. 


As soon as I fully move into my new craft room and unpack a bunch of new Bead Up supplies I picked up while in LA a few weeks ago, Bead Up will be back in the swing of things! Stay tuned, and thanks for staying loyal!