Tuesday's Treasures: Cleopatra's Finished! And More Treasuries!

It's Here! It's Here! The Cleopatra Bangle Bracelet is finally here and finished! It took over ten hours and 3000 teeny, tiny seed beads (each individually sewn into the next) but it is finished and FABULOUS! I used glass seed beads in shades of shiny dark lapis lazuli blue and golden amber to recapture the lost opulence of Cleopatra, once queen of Egypt.
This bracelet fits over hands with a circumference of 7-1/2 inches, and is now for sale on my Etsy store. This is ONE OF A KIND! I can't get these exact blue seed beads again so get it while you can. If you would like one in a different size, I can make a similar one for you, just contact me for details...
I also managed to get into 3 different treasuries, filled with other fabulous Etsy artists Click on the links to go and see more. Above is Handmade Holidays Part 2
The one above is Plurkers Unite, from one of my Plurk buddies (see my Plurk feed on the lower right of my blog for details).
This one is Festive Goodies, with more fabulous gift ideas.

Have a great Tuesday, see you tomorrow!

Tuesday's Treasures: Cleopatra's Bangle Progress

Here is the (very Slow) progress I have made on the new bracelet. I keep getting distracted by fall cleaning, doctor's appointments and other things and have to keep putting it down. The good news is that my doctor told me I have acid reflux and not throat cancer (I'd been having a feeling of my throat closing for months so this is a HUGE relief), we got 3 new 2-drawer filing cabinets and FINALLY bought new sofas (on sale, to replace the 18 year old ones that practically sink to the floor!). The bad news is that, or course, my jewelry making has been suffering abysmally.

The base of this bangle is made with right angle weave, which I will be going over afterward in all manner of patterns to build it into a 3-dimensional bangle that feels soft as silk, yet is actually quite hefty. This bracelet uses about 50-60 grams of seed beads, each individually sewn into place with many, many yards of beading thread. This will end up containing AT LEAST 3000 beads!! Yes, I do doubt my sanity at times when doing this, but I must say, with a good TV show or movie on, a good cup of tea and a comfy seat, the time flies and I relax so much it is amazing. I will be covering right angle weave in one of my Method Mondays in the future, if you were wondering what that was :)
Here is the up close - I'm sorry for the bad photos: I took them in my living room window this morning, but as we are still fairly dark at 7AM now, the lighting wasn't so great. It really doesn't show how nice a blue these beads are - sort of an oily, lapis lazuli shade. I'll try to keep you up to date on the progress, and hopefully it won't look so pathetic next time!

Have a great day, tune in tomorrow for another installment of Arwendnesdays with Arwen the Wonder Dog.

Thankful Thursday: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

~Weathered Copper Bangle~

Last year I was given some great copper wire from a friend of mine, with the hopes that I would do something with it. It had originally been copper wiring, but had been removed from where ever it had spent its original intent and stripped, allowing it to patina naturally and wait for its new purpose.....I ran into some problems when it took me 5 minutes to cut through it (cramping my hands in the process), but kept it on my jewelry table anyway, waiting, watching, hoping for some inspiration. Imagine my surprise when I realized that, yes, sometimes the simplest design is also the best! Here is the first of a few VERY limited bangles. I sanded the wire lightly to wear away some of the patina, and gently hammered it to harden it slightly and further smooth the edges. That being said, it will easily adjust to almost any wrist size. Simply slip it onto your wrist and you are ready to go! Talk about eco-chic! Now you get to help the environment and look great doing it :)

This would also look good as an upper arm bangle - just slide it on up your arm and voila! It will adjust in size with a little bit of pressure.

I should mention that this is bare copper wire and may cause some color transfer to your skin, though some non-sticky hairspray or clear sealant may help prevent this.

I hope you like it, it will be added to my Etsy store sometime today, so please check it out!

Time is Running out!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

Tuesday's Treasures: A Bracelet for Queen Victoria

As promised, here is the newest piece of jewelry in my NeoAmour (New Love) line! This substantial piece, inspired by Queen Victoria, was worth your wait to see it!
Queen Victoria was a very strong woman. Ruling during the Industrial Revolution, she helped Britain become (once again) a super power among the world. She survived numerous assassination attempts. Widowed after many years of marriage, she never stopped mourning, so strong was her love of her husband. However, her love of jewelry and adornment was a close second - she even had a miniature crown made for 'everyday' wear! This bracelet is for her - black for mourning, but with a nice amount of sparkle.
This is one heavy bracelet! I used over 60 GRAMS of teeny, tiny Czech glass seed beads (approximately 2000 beads!!), in opaque black and silver lined crystal, that were each INDIVIDUALLY hand sewn into place with over 20 yards of beading thread. This took me well over 10 hours (I lost count after that actually - it is probably closer to 20), and is so beautiful and substantial, this is going to make someone very happy.

I will be listing this in my Etsy shop today, please let me know what you think, and please do take a gander at my Etsy shop for all sorts of delightful goodies that will make you feel wonderful every time you put them on :)

Remember to enter my monthly contest by adding your name and email to my monthly newsletter (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.