From Parts to Pieces (Jewelry Pieces that is).

I've had a few days to mess with some of the parts that I bought a couple of weeks ago at the Bead Fest show.  I think I also showed you a picture of my purchases the last time I was able to go to Scottsdale Bead Supply.  Some of the parts from both of those trips have now made it into  pieces of jewelry.

When at Bead Fest, I found a charming clay heart pendant with lustrous colors of copper, green and just a bit of blue.  I also found some beautiful square lampwork beads that are crystal clear on the outside but the inside is swirled with copper, green and, of course, blue.  In addition, after I had purchased the pendant and the lampwork beads (still not sure of what I was going to do with them), I continued to wander around the show looking at everything.

When I look at things at a bead show or sale, I don't just look with my eyes.  I also look with my fingers.  I'm forever picking up things and feeling their weight and texture.  There is just something about having these components in my hands that makes me know what to do with them.  I do order components on line sometimes but when I do, I really struggle to know if they'll work for me.  It is almost like if I can't touch them, I can't really see them.

Anyway, during my wandering, I found some lovely fire polished Czech beads in a shade of green that complimented the other beads I had already purchased that day.  Of course, they went into my bag of goodies too.  At this point, I knew I was going to make a necklace that utilized the clay heart pendant, the lampwork beads and the green fire polished beads.  I wasn't yet sure of what it would look like.  Often, when I'm buying beads or stones, I pick out colors that I like and that compliment each other but I don't really know what I will be making out of my purchases.  That usually comes later when I'm sitting in my studio playing with my purchases.

Now I was back at home and ready to begin the creative process.  I got out all of my recent purchases and began to play with them, laying them out on my work table and adding accent pieces that I already owned.  I usually play around until I know what it is that I want to create.  In this case, the first thing I wanted to work with was the lampwork beads described above.

This is what I ended up with:

The next step is to polish it up and get it listed on Etsy and Artfire, which I am hoping to do this evening.

As you can see from the pictures of my stuff, I have a lot of other beads and findings that I've purchased recently.  I tend to end up making about 90 - 95% of what I buy into jewelry right away.  There are always a few things that I love but don't quite know what to do with.  These just go into my stash (which is unbelievably large, some say large enough to open my own bead store) and get pulled out each time I come home with new beads or stones.  I've made several other items from this collection of stuff which I'll get up on the blog as soon as I can.

How do you shop for beads, stones and components?  Do you know what you are going to make before you choose your supplies?

Mother's Day

Well, another Mother's Day is coming up soon.  It used to be a holiday to which I paid very little attention.  For years, I would pick up the phone and tell my mom "Happy Mother's Day" on the big day.  Some years, I would actually buy her a present or send her a card.  We were not big on celebrating these little holidays.  I think I always spoke to her on Mother's Day but we usually lived far apart and there was no stopping by to bring her a small gift or a smile on that day.  I guess I wasn't always such a good daughter.  My life was busy, I had kids and a job of my own, and it was just another day, right?  At least I thought so.  Of course, I always thought that my mom would be around forever.  And, if not forever, at least for a very long time.  But I was wrong.

Now, Mother's Day has a different effect on me.  I don't have anyone that I can say "Happy Mother's Day" to.  I can't give her a call and chat about what is going on in our lives.  I can't send her a small gift to let her know how much she means to me.  I can't even send her a card.  She has been gone for a long time, 20 years.  How can it be possible that I've lived for 20 years without hearing her voice or seeing her smile?

Now, Mother's Day is a day like any other for me.   I always get a call from my kids and their families,  and it's great to hear from them.  But mostly  I spend the day missing my mother, who by the way, was the most irritating person I've ever known.  She was also the smartest, silliest and most loving person I've known.  She was as far from the perfect mother as I was from the perfect daughter.  However, we managed to muddle through.

I don't just miss my mom on Mother's Day.  I miss her every day and still, even after 20 years, when something good or bad happens to me, I always think I'll pick up the phone and speak to her.  She always knew exactly what to say to me.  But I always miss her more on Mother's Day, a day we all set aside to show our mother's how much we appreciate everything they cheerfully do for us.

So, if you're able to this Mother's Day, share the day with your mother.  Tell her what she means to you and make some memories to sustain you through the long years you'll be apart.