It's the last day to enter my give-away!

Today is the last day to enter my Blogiversary Give-away! You have until midnight tonight to enter. Leave a comment on the Give-away post here , if you haven't already. Thank you, everyone! Remember, I will announce the winner tomorrow, Saturday, August 1st. Be sure to check back in then to see if you won!

Every Day Heart

Okay, there...I think. Yes. No, it's perfect now. It's just what I had in mind. It's still simple and delicate but with some more interest in the asymmetrical design. I re-worked the Heart Button Bracelet from yesterday. Did I mention I've been obsessed with figuring out a perfect design for this bracelet for the past two days, now? Oh...I did mention something? Ok, sorry. I'm not usually like this. You know, usually I just bead and I'm happy with what comes out, but it was different this time. It seemed like everything I tried just wasn't quite right and every little thing and detail was like this HUGE deal! Does anyone else get like this from time to time? You know, like all crazy and stuff over your beading?
Sometimes when I make jewelry, I may make something I wouldn't nessicarily wear myself, even though I love everything I make. I really wanted THIS piece to be a reflection of me and my own personal style. Something I would wear every day. I think I finally achieved it with this bracelet! Thanks for listening to my semi-rant! Have a great TGIF and weekend!

My Heart Button Bracelet

I'm in jewelry-making mode right now. I seem to work in phases every few months. From making my ceramic pieces in the studio to taking breaks from that and working on jewelry designs and other things. It's nice because I don't get to burned out on either one that way. It's a good thing. Come August, I'm going to be working really hard in the studio getting some new ceramic pieces made.
I'm currently obsessing about this simple but sweet heart button bracelet I made. I love this heart button! I see a lot more of these in my future! I think I like the bracelet design. I am going for simple, sweet and delicate. It might need something, I'm not sure. It does have all of my favorite elements in it. Ceramic, waxed linen cord, Hill Tribe silver beads accenting the heart, sterling and gemstone dangles! Truly my heart's favorites knotted into one little bracelet.

The Earth and the Owl Necklace

Stoneware Owl pendant with earthy Bronzite, Turquoise and copper beads hand-knotted on black waxed linen cord and woven through antique copper chain.

I just made this necklace with my Stoneware Owl Medallion Pendant. I thought it would be fun to share this project with you and the instructions to make your own! I started with my Owl pendant and some waxed linen cord that I had on hand. The rest of the beads and supplies, I ordered from Artbeads.com.

Materials:

Stoneware Owl Medallion Pendant – Every Heart Crafts

(2) 1 yard lengths of black waxed linen cord (from local bead shop)

Supplies from Artbeads.com:

(2 ) feet of Antiqued Copper-plated Cable Chain

(11) 5-6mm Turquoise Rounds

(8) Bronzite Tube Beads

(23) 4mm Copper round Beads

(4) 8mm Copper-plated Open Jump Rings

(1) 2in 21 gauge Copper Headpin

(1) 12x5mm Copper Lobster Clasp

Tools:

Ruler

Scissors

2 pairs of Chain Nose Pliers

Round Nose Pliers

Wire Cutters

Finished length is approximately 16 ½” w/adjustable chain extension to 18 ½"

Instructions:

1. Cut the copper cable chain into two 8in” pieces and one 2in” piece. Set aside.

2. Bring the two 1 yard lengthens of waxed linen cord together and fold in half. String folded ends through the Owl pendant and tie a lark’s head knot at the top of the pendant.

3. Open two 8mm copper jump rings and attach them to the pendant, one on either side of the cording. Attach one 8in” length of chain to each jump ring and close jump rings.

4. Separate cord strands so that there are two strands of cording for each side of the necklace.

5. On one side of the necklace, separate the two cord strands. String one Turquoise round onto one strand and one 4mm copper bead onto the other. Bring cords together and tie an over-hand knot with both cords, about 1/2" from lark's head knot. Thread cords through a link on the copper chain. Separate cord strands and string one Bronzite tube bead onto one strand and one 4mm copper bead onto the other. Bring cords together and tie an over-hand knot with both cords, about 1" from the previous knot. Thread cords through a link on the copper chain. Repeat six more times with Bronzite tubes and 4mm copper beads.

6. Open an 8mm copper jump ring. String the end of the copper chain and a copper lobster clasp onto the jump ring. Close the jump ring. Tie both cords onto the jump ring with a slip knot and tighten knot. String one 4mm copper bead onto each tail end of the cording. Tie an over-hand knot after each bead and trim cord ends.

7. On the other side of the necklace, separate the two cord strands. String one Bronzite tube bead onto one strand and one 4mm copper bead onto the other. Bring cords together and tie an over-hand knot with both cords, about 1" from the lark's head knot . Thread cords through a link on the copper chain. Separate cord strands. String one Turquoise round onto one strand and one 4mm copper bead onto the other. Bring cords together and tie an over-hand knot, about 1/2" from the previous knot. Thread the cords through a link on the copper chain. Repeat eight times with Turquoise rounds and 4mm copper beads.

8. Open an 8mm copper jump ring. String the end of the copper chain and the 2 in” cut piece of copper chain onto the jump ring. Close the jump ring. Tie the cord ends onto the jump ring with a slip knot and tighten knot. String one 4mm copper bead onto each tail end of the cording. Tie an over-hand knot after each bead and trim cord ends.

9. On the 2in” copper headpin, string 1 Turquoise round and 1 copper bead. Attach headpin to the end of the 2in” copper chain extender with a wrapped loop. Trim wire end.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this project and instructions! Do you think the instructions are clear and concise?

Would you like to see more projects?

Also, Thank you! to everyone who has commented on my giveaway! I read them all so keep em' coming! :)

Happy Blogiversary and A Give-Away!

"Fill-my-Heart" Stoneware Pendant

Well, I have to say that you have filled my heart with all of your creativity this past year! I'm celebrating my first blogiversary this month! I'm a bit late for my own blogiversary, but On July 18th, it was exactly one year since I started this blog. Keeping the blog has brought me more than I could have ever imagined! A whole world opened up. I had no idea the amazing opportunities it would bring or the wonderful, talented people I would meet and collaborate with! Thank you to everyone I have connected with and all the support you have shown me. I am truly grateful. I can not believe what starting this blog has brought into my life.

And just how do you celebrate a blogiversary, you ask? You have a give-away, of course! To celebrate and to thank all my readers and supporters, I'm giving away this "Fill-my-Heart" Stoneware Pendant. The pendant is about 1 1/2 inches long x 1 3/8 inches wide. I could see someone using this piece in a multitude of ways. As a pendant, as a toggle pendant or maybe even as a lariat necklace focal. Fill this heart in with your creativity!

To enter the give-away, simply leave a comment and tell me:

What is your favorite Every Heart Crafts ceramic piece?

Out of everything you have seen me make, what is your favorite? Either past or present. Please look at my Etsy shop, sold items or Flickr pages, to look through my body of work so far.
Leave your comment and answer to this question by Friday, July 31st.
I will choose a random winner on August 1st.
Thank you for filling MY heart with your creativity for one whole year! I'm looking forward to many more to come! :)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Bracelets

I participated in a fun bracelet round-robin swap with 4 other talented designers, jewelry-makers and bead-makers! I was so honored to be invited into this special group! We each started the beginning elements of a bracelet, any way we wanted and then sent them off on the road. The bracelets have been traveling all over the country, collecting beads, baubles and jewels from each one of us along the way. Eventually, the bracelet that we started will find it's way back to us finished and filled with treasures and keepsakes galore!!! What could be more fun than that!

The Sisterhood:
Heather Powers of Humble Beads
Lorelei Eurto of Designs by Lorelei
Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati
Christine Damm of Stories They Tell
Me

The traveling done thus far:
To see where the bracelets started and where they have been on their journey so far, please check out the links below!

Pit Stop #1 Heather
Pit Stop #2 Lorelei
Pit Stop #3 Erin H.P.

I'm Stop #4 on the bracelet road trip!
Here's what I've added:

Heather's Bracelet

The first bracelet I worked on was Heather's bracelet. It has a magical spring-like, open and airy feel to it with it's light color scheme and winged creatures. The first item I added was my own stoneware leaf charm in a green glaze near the clasp. I also attached a pewter acorn charm to the leaf. A treat for one of Heather's favorite woodland friends! :) Once I attached the green leaf, I wanted to bring in more of that green color down the rest of the bracelet. I wire-wrapped some green aventurine rounds to Lorelei's faceted garnet links. I loved the magical "winged creatures" theme the bracelet already had going, so I continued that by adding a pewter fairy charm next to Heather's own large branch lentil bead and a vintage-look pewter dragonfly button close to Erin's custom-created bird link.

Christine's Bracelet
Christine's bracelet is earthy and full of life with vibrant greens and reds! It has a woodland forest feel to it with leaves of green, seeds and bright red berries! I immediately added my own stoneware leaf charm in a forest green glaze to the top of Erin's copper "Transformation" word charm. I thought that the leaf was a perfect symbol for the transformation theme of rebirth, renewal and change. Also, my leaf was a wonderful complement to the Earthenwood Studios leaf charm that Heather had added. I'm the last stop for Christine's bracelet, so I went all out, filling in the large brass chain with more red and green beaded dangles. I wire-wrapped on some red coral rounds, some natural red Bahi Seeds and some olive Jade barrel beads on gold-filled head-pins.

Erin Prais-Hintz's Bracelet
With pearls, full beaded clusters and sophisticated colors, Erin's bracelet is rich and opulent! I added my own stoneware leaf charm in a rich brown with a touch of green to Heather's olive branch lentil. I accented the leaf with a green pearl. To play off the other beaded clusters in the bracelet, I wrapped clusters of pearls in green and bronze along Lorelei's purple bead links on the right side of the bracelet. I also added a small brass bird charm to go along with the small gold bee on Erin's hand-made clasp. The birds and the bees! And what would Erin's bracelet be without a key on it! Last, but certainly not least, to make it truly Erin, I added a small copper key charm next to Erin's own custom-made"Enjoy the Day" link.

Lorelei's Bracelet
L's bracelet is fun, funky and playful with a twist of lemon/lime whimsy! I knew I wanted to play off of the design and colors in the bottle cap focal. To bring out the lemon leaf design on the bottle cap bead, I attaching a larger green glass leaf charm to it. Then, I interspersed some smaller green glass leaves with gold veining along half the bracelet length. And of course, I had to add one of my own stoneware leaf charms! I attached one in a green glaze to the end of the bracelet. I also wanted to bring in some more of the turquoise color, so I added a sleeping beauty turquoise round to the large brass ring and a smaller turquoise round to the bottom of the green goldstone oval bead.

My Bracelet
Lastly, here's my bracelet so far! I just love all the beautiful treasures everyone has added! I love the two strands and the texture of the cord and chain! I'm going to try mixing chain and cord in some of my own designs! I also adore the colors and mix of beads and charms! On my bracelet, I decided to tie off the cording and added two small sterling silver balls to the end of the cord.

Well, the bracelets have already left and hit the road for one last time before they head home! They are headed for their 5th and final stop. Christine Damm of Stories They Tell will be adding the finishing touches to each of the bracelets. I can't wait to see them all finished!

Thank you to everyone for joining me on this fun bracelet adventure!
Leave your comments and let me know what you think!

I Met L!

Yes, that's right, people! The one and only, Lorelei came to meet me at my bead shop! As some of you may know, L is currently on vacation with her husband. It just so happened, they ended up booking their little getaway just miles from where I live and work! When I found out where they were traveling to, I was amazed at how close they would be, to my hometown of Amesbury, MA. I decided to contact her and let her know and see if she would be interested in meeting. After all, when might there be another opportunity like this to meet an online friend that lives far away? I had to seize it! Luckily, L agreed it would be fun to meet!

We made arrangements and so today, on their drive up to N.H. where they are staying, L and Joe made a pit stop in Amesbury, MA. to meet me at The Riverwalk Bead Shop & Gallery, where I work! What could be a better pit stop for L than a bead shop, I ask you?! None, I tell you! Poor Joe, he was in for a loooong wait!!!

I saw them driving into the parking lot. Gah! She was here! It felt a little surreal meeting her in person, but it felt really natural, like seeing an old friend, since we have gotten to know each other so well online. Before going into the bead shop, I showed them around town a little. We grabbed some lunch at Flat Bread Pizza, the best place in town! L and Joe treated! Thanks, for the pizza, guys!!! After that, we strolled up and down the Powow River that runs through the center of town, then it was on to the bead shop!

We dropped Joe, armed with the laptop, off at the coffee shop right next door. Hope Joe was OK with some coffee and WIFI for a while! I was so excited for L to see my bead shop and to show her around. We looked at beads and talked about beads, jewelry, etsy, magazines, and blogging, of course! The time went by way to fast. It was so nice meeting L in person and connecting with her. I got to see the real person behind the blog. Now, I can say I know her. She has such a softness to her personality. She is very sweet, friendly, and easy to talk to. The conversation flowed naturally the whole time and we chatted about everything. I had a great time with her AND Joe. I really appreciate them both for taking the time to meet me and visit for a while. I hope to get the opportunity to hang out again sometime.

Owl Medallion Pendants

I have my stoneware Owl Medallion Pendants back in the shop! These Owls could work nice as a focal piece in a jewelry design for the July Art Bead Scene Challenge. Check it out here. With the stoneware, earthy colors, primitive feel and animal theme, these pendants would make a great art bead choice this month!

Sand Dollars are Back!

Porcelain Sand Dollars are back in stock in my shop and just in time for the Summer season! Hurry they are going fast!
It's time for some beach jewelry! I'd love to see your summer designs with these pendants. Don't forget to post your pics in my Artist's Gallery on Flickr!