From Kids Earrings to Sophisticated Necklaces to Wedding Jewelry...

Knowing that I start work in a little over a month (I AM LOVING THIS SUMMER-off STUFF!), I have been spending whatever minute I am not busy at church or with the house on, you guessed it, making jewelry :) Ah, this is the life. Where to being?


A few weeks ago a girl from my church was wearing some super cute earrings. I told her that I liked them... her mom told me that she loves wearing glamorous earrings...  but not the price tag. I told them I could teach her how to make them herself for free. Next think you knew, I had two 11-year old gals (the first brought a friend) and her mom at my kitchen table ready to learn! Making dangle earrings really is quite easy (and after this whole teaching lesson I am going to make a tutorial and start selling DIY earrings kits for kids - not sure why I didn't think of that before!), and these kids (and adult) got it with little instruction! Here is what they created in less than 2 hours!:

Needless to say, I was quite proud :)

Next on the list was several sets of bridal jewelry. Someone contacted me on Etsy awhile back and asked if I could make several sets of my pearl ball necklaces with matching earrings, though change up the color a bit to include white pearl ball rather than a salmon one. Consider it done!

After I sent Laura her earrings and necklaces (I threw in a set for the bride, too!), she wrote:
"I just got them- they are beautiful!!!!!!  I love how everything turned out- thank you so much!!  Thank you for including an extra for myself :) I put it on immediately haha (figure it has to go away till the wedding, but couldn't help myself)- they are so beautiful!!! Thank you so much for working with me on this- was a pleasure!! :) would def recommend to anyone who asks. Thanks again!!!!!!"


I also got a last-minute phone call from a few friends at church stating the need for a mother-of-the-bride necklace for a wedding a few days away! The gals brought the dress that the MOtB planned to wear and we collaborated to make a necklace/earring set of pearls and crystals - my favorite! Best of all, I spotted the MOtB at church the next weekend wearing the pearl and crystal earrings with white jeans and a blue shirt - it was an unexpected match made in heaven! I have since duplicated and posted the earrings on Etsy - thanks for the inspiration, ladies!

Last but most certainly NOT least, one of my most favorite customers turned dear friend (whom we met via this blog, actually!) commissioned me to make a necklace with a rather unique source of inspiration - the colors and art she plans to use for her baby's nursery! Nilsa plans to wear the necklace at her maternity photo shoot in a few weeks, and asked that we focus on turquoise, lime, and orange based on these pieces of art she is loving from Etsy (check out Nilsa's blog for the link to each piece!):

Focusing on the vibrant orange, turquoise, and lime color scheme Nilsa requested, I started by sending her a picture of some beads I had on hand that might work:

From there we agreed on these beads:

Now for the actual layout. I had some lofty ideas for this project, but after a few failed attempts, I knew I could easily do something like this as seen on Michael's.com:

Nilsa and I agreed on making the necklace 3-strands and measuring right above the bust... so I went to work and sent her these pictures along the way to make sure we were on the same page:

After getting her OK, I finished the wire strands off and put it all together on the toggle clasp!

This project was a great way to use some of the more upscale beads I have been collecting but too afraid to use up :) The turquoise, jade, and crystal beads make for one mighty fine statement necklace, if you ask me, and it's not made of plastic! Can't wait to see your maternity shots, Nilsa! Congrats on your pregnancy and thanks for allowing me to be a part of the celebration!

Oh, and I almost forgot. Bead Up has some VERY exciting news! Not only am I now an official business in the State of Missouri (it only took me 2 hours total to get it done - amen for the Midwest!), but I have set a date for the Second Annual Cupcakes, Cocktails, and Creations party! I have been working with local artists and bakers to get some other vendors in on the party, which will be held in my house (again, hooray for Midwest suburban super sizes!). Buckle up, Kansas City, and start saving your spare change!

So save the date for August 28th from 2-5! I couldn't be more excited!

Earring :: Ideas :: Inspiration

Poet and feminist Audre Loude once said: "There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt." I have heard this said before of any art form, that there is no "new" art, only reinterpretations of ideas already established. Think about going to a museum, be it modern or antiquity. Have you ever left feeling a deep impulse to just create? Something, anything -- so long as you get your say in the process of making something out of something else. I guess it's the same for those who watch sports and then feel motivated to go to the gym (said activity does not have an effect on me, unfortunately). 

That said, one of my main source of jewelry ideas is spending time in the jewelry department of stores such as Target and Macy's or browsing them online. I have been known to get lost in the sea of Etsy products and sketch some ideas from there, too. This past week I found some super cute earrings at Target and, with the new stash of jewels from LA's jewelry district, one pair lead to two pairs lead to seven new pairs of earrings:

This is the original from Target, priced at $40:

And here is the Bead Up version, priced at $19:

Amethyst, Agate, Pearl, and Crystal earrings, $19 

But then I figured, why stop at gold? Silver rocks, too!

Pink and Pearl Earrings, $18

Then I saw these earrings, originally from Anthropology but no longer on their site:

Which turned into my interpretation (based on the materials I had on hand, of course):

Pink Crystal Drop earrings, $19

And these Anthropology earrings:

Turned into these Bead Up earrings:

Pink Briolette Earrings, $20

Then I just kept going!

Gold and Leaf Gemstone Earrings, $20

Cerulean Blue and Gold Hammered Hoop Earrings, $16

Bridal Pearl and Crystal Earrings, $17

And while I was at it, I remembered a sketch I had drawn last week based on a design I saw in a bead magazine:

Which turned into this -- a new spin on an old classic!

Brass Birdie Goes to its Nest Necklace - Turquoise

I think this is the most productive jewelry makin' day I have had in awhile! 

Here's to another one!

Stocking up at the LA Jewelry District!

Knowing it would be one of my last times in LA for awhile, I made SEVERAL trips to the jewelry district to stock up for my Fall Line and whatever is to follow thereafter! I went a month before we moved and stocked up... but then went back a few weeks later and stocked up again... and after making the 200 necklaces sale, I went back when I was in town one last time and fully stocked up - again! That makes 3 full stock up trips - which resulted in these:

::ah!::

::pearls!::

::and gemstones!::

::and turquoise!::

::and crystals!::

::and findings - oh my!::

In addition to stocking up on jewelry for my fall line, moving cross country, planning my hub's ordination, and making those 200 necklaces I mentioned last week, I made sure I didn't forget one of the most important tasks on my list -- an outfit (and coordination jewelry!) for myself to wear to the ordination event! I found a chic pink dress with a high collar early long before the event and the move (on sale at Macy's!), and topped it off with my hub's black tie as a sash and some CUTE Steve Madden shoes! I knew I needed to make a fun and bold necklace to coordinate. During one of my many re-stocking trips downtown, I spotted some pearls and immediately knew what to do... here is the final outfit! (Sorry that picture to the right is ghetto-tastic, it's the only one I have of the whole outfit)!

Sue's necklace looks like mine - because I custom made it for her last year!

And on a final note, I finally got a job here in KC! I will be serving as a chaplain at a large Trauma Level 1 hospital downtown - and the best part is that it doesn't start until September! Which means I have between now and then to totally tackle all these supplies I have accumulated and make a killer Fall Line! Yeehaw! Here are a few previews of the line, in a semi-4th of July fashion!

Yee-haw Cowgirl It Up necklace on Etsy

The Chuck: All-Star necklace on Etsy

Happy 4th of July!

Trading Jewelry for Makeup

It's Monday, which means time to share more Bead Up projects with y'all! I have been so blessed with a great community at church that has really taken a liking to Bead Up. When I look around the women in my congregation, I smile because I have made jewelry for a good 50% of them! One of my favorite customers from church bought one of my favorite little sterling silver necklaces at my jewelry show last October: A few weeks ago she told me that she wears the necklace often, though would love a matching set of earrings to accompany the coral, pearl, and turquoise beads of the necklace. She also requested earring that were about 1.5" long and that I use ear hoops that clasp in the back so she doesn't lose them. Done and done! One of the unexpected joys of making jewelry is that I have been able to use what I have created as gifts, payment, or items to trade for others! A gal pal of mine from high school is a Bare Escentuals consultant and has been proving me with at-cost make up since I switched to the line last summer. This shipment around, she asked if I could pay her back in Bead Up goods! She was hoping that I could make her future mother-in-law a birthday gift of wine charms. My pal said that her F-M-I-L was super girlie, likes glitz and sparkle, and loves wine! I rushed to Michael's to buy some sterling silver "girlie" charms and came up with these: The charms include a stiletto heel, decorated heart, purse, and Eiffel tower ('cause what can get more feminine that that?!). I also added several different colors and sized of pink crystal beads on the little silver ear-hoops. Here is what my gal pal had to say about them: "Omg love the charms...... They are perfect. The Eiffel tower couldn't be more on target, there whole house is decorated 'country French' and has a couple rooms with Eiffel tower stuff in them!" Glad that worked out - I thought I was taking a gamble on the Eiffel tower charm! Finally, thanks to everyone who participated in Nilsa and my GIVEAWAY last week! We had 52 entries! The winner was actually a Bead Up client who originally found my Etsy shop through Nilsa's blog a few months ago! Now I must get to work - there were many outfits on the red carpet and I have much to discuss on this week's Fashionably Friday: Oscar Style post! Have a great week! In the meantime, if you are the Bible Devotional type, check out my contribution to my friend's blog as she aims to study the whole Bible through blog posts in a year!