What Makes Jewelry Special...

Yesterday I finished a copper filled charm bracelet for a teacher. My oldest daughter had participated in an after school academic activity for several months and the supervising teacher became an endeared role model for her and the other students involved. I wanted to create something very special for her to show her how grateful I was in spending so much of her time, effort and patience with this very involved activity. Many of her weekends she had these teenagers at her home working on a difficult project, creating skits, set design, and building structures, a multitude of hours!

This piece of jewelry needed to be special in every way! So I carefully picked a color scheme that would go with every season, every outfit and could be worn with the most casual apparel as well as her Sunday's best. Warm and sunny copper was the choice with sunset hues of gemstones, taupe colored crystals, bronze shell beads and dazzling copper disc charms with each of her children's names hand stamped on them. As I was wrapping the gift I was hoping that this gift would really be the symbol for a grateful voice. What she does day in and day out is not easy even though she makes it look that way! Her job is an important one that isn't always acknowledged. I finished tying the bow and whisked off to the high school. 

My daughter met me in front of the school and we both went to the teacher's classroom. She looked so surprised when we presented her with the little wrapped box. We asked her to open it and shared how much we appreciated all that she had done. When she unwrapped the gift, tears filled her eyes. She gently exclaimed how beautiful she thought it was and was taken a back when she realized that her children's names were stamped on each charm. We insisted that she put it on to see how it looked. It was a perfect fit! She then gave her wrist a little twist and there was that favorite sound that I so love, "the tinkling", like tiny bells of celebration! Pure joy to the ears and also to the heart!

A Snowy Day on Deerpark Lane

This is the street where I live and it's an unusual site to see it look like this. This is Charlotte, North Carolina located in the low lying Piedmont area of the state. A rock's throw from the South Carolina state line and a two and a half hours drive from the Blue Ridge mountains. This is truly a rare occasion and one that this neighborhood likes to celebrate. It is especially exciting to the kids who woke up early to hear the words, "SNOW DAY, NO SCHOOL", from the local news station. Time to find those buried sleds in the garage, blow up those inflatable tubes and find any piece of durable plastic that's big enough to put one's posterior on and find the biggest hill so that you can fly!  For the rest of us we will sit back and watch the multitude of birds at the feeder. Look for the snowmen and women popping up in various yards. Keep the hot chocolate warming on the stove and add another log to the fire. It's been a memorable day for everyone and one to keep for the scrapbook.                                                                                                                      

What's in a charm?

When I was a little girl one of the first pieces of special jewelry that I received as a gift was a charm bracelet. It only had a few charms on it. One of those charms was a mustard seed incased in a little glass bubble. Another was a charm my mother had as a teen engraved with her initials. Charms were attached throughout the years when graduations, travels or new friendships happened. Charm bracelets were like scrapbooks in my day and if you were lucky enough over the years you would have collected lots of special shiny silver or gold trinkets that were a celebration of where you had been and what you had become. What I loved most about wearing a charm bracelet was not the little trophies and trinkets but the unique "tinkling" sound that the charms made whenever you lifted your hand. It was an angelic sound to me kind of what you might imagine tinkerbell sounded like flitting through the air...you know, magical!

                             

I've seen a lot of charm bracelets recently and I'm happy to see them make a come back into the accessory scene. There are lots of new and interesting materials and themes to these recent designs. Some of them have so many charms attached to them I just can't even imagine the amount of time it took to attach all of them much less decide which ones go where. I thought long and hard about creating a "Beadliotheque" version and set out to find what materials would make a signature charm bracelet and I think I ended up with the right ingredients. The best surprise of all was in the lightness of the brass was the sweetest, most angelic, high pitched, "tinkling" sound I've ever heard! I think the fairies would be pleased. You can find these charm bracelets listed on my www.Beadliotheque.etsy.com site.

Patriotic Dreams

 In just a few days we will have a new president. It is going to be a historical and emotional moment with all of the world watching. One word was used frequently during the recent campaign, like a much needed thread to hold worn pieces of fabric together. That was the word HOPE. The first part of the mending process has been realized and the next stitch is to come. It is going to take an enormous amount of effort from the ground up to find solutions to our current problems but where there is hope there is strength. We have a new opportunity upon us and I hope that we all will take a moment to reflect on where we have been historically and where we are headed.

I have a renewed sense of pride in the red, white and blue. I have been collecting "patriotic" beads, lampwork, charms and even a patriotic button for a toggle.  I wanted to make an entire bracelet from all of these colorful treasures. It took a few years before I had accumulated enough baubles to create the "perfect commemorative piece" but here it is in all of it's glory! It is my "piece of pride" for my president, my country and the hope that "WE the PEOPLE...", will find more peace, more economic assurance, health and well being for everyone in the near future.    

Beadliotheque Joins The Artfire Site

In the expanding world of handmade goods there have been some new sites to pop up. One of those sites is called Artfire. You can find Beadliotheque there with a studio full of different items to choose from than the Etsy site. There are many similarities to Etsy, the navigating through the individual studios and choice of menu items is  almost identical. There is a tool for choosing your favorite items or studios, you can contact the individual artists and actually recommend a bid for the item that you are interested in and payment is through Paypal. So try it out and see if you like this new shopping experience. To find Beadliotheque just click here  http://Beadliotheque.artfire.com and you will arrive in the new studio, enjoy!I

Etsy Shop Feature by DLPom

Etsy Shop Feature: Beadliotheque
This is the first in a series of features on fellow EtsyBead Team members.

 

 

 

 

It is sometimes easy to diminish the “art factor” when it comes to designing beaded jewelry…but after you read and see the lovely creations by Kelly of Beadliotheque, I’m sure you will agree there is much art involved here! I asked Kelly to answer a few questions about her work and her life:

Q1: You have a unique style to your jewelry. Where do you get your inspiration?

A1: My inspiration comes from the materials I typically gravitate to. It might be an extraordinary piece of lampwork, a fancy gemstone, an unusuaI ceramic button, a carved bone bead, etc. But there is always something unique about one element in each piece that I do that started the “creative juices” flowing. I work very diligently to challenge myself to put “unlikely to get along” materials in a complimentary situation. That means that I have to look at the materials and find common ground among them.

 

 

 

 

Typically for me it’s color, that’s the starting place where I am most comfortable and confident and it’s where I have the most fun! Next is the choice of shape of the components. I tend to create mostly bracelets at the moment because it is more difficult to find “great combinations” of elements in a shorter piece. Working out the mechanics of the closure is also challenging but very satisfying when I have a finished product. Last is the overall pattern. I ask myself a lot of questions. Does the bracelet, necklace, or brooch have enough interest from the beginning to the end of the piece? Have I created the very strongest and boldest relationships among the various components? Would I take great pride in owning this particular piece of jewelry? If I answer “no” to any of these questions it’s back to the drawing board.

It takes a lot of trial and effort until it comes together and you have that “magical moment” when you feel that all the elements have come together and you have created a harmonized, unique piece that someone else will also find beautiful!

Q2: Is Etsy your full-time job? What other things do you enjoy?

A2: My etsy shops are my full time work. I also have a destash shop, Beadlstyx, which is full of left over beads that I tend to accumulate in no time at all! This shop directly supports Beadliotheque in purchasing new supplies and keeping the bead cycle alive and well.

 

 

 

 

I have a big case of Etsyitis. I love my etsy friends and the warmth of the artistic community. It’s a virtual village of constant inspiration and unique commerce like no where else! I shop, research, convo, laugh, cry and when I’m lucky enough I’m sometimes able to have show and tell with my extended family and friends. I send them emails when I’m picked for a treasury or win a contest! It’s such a positive environment that it becomes addictive in the best way!

I am also a “swim Mom” and anyone that has a year round swimmer in their family knows how much time and effort is involved in pool side support.

Q3: What is your favorite jewelry piece from your Etsy shop and why?

A3: Currently in my shop I have two favorite pieces one is “Sunshine and Cupcakes”. I absolutely love the lampwork by CharlestonBeadworks and “Twylight” with the most precious button toggle by Moonsie. Each of these bracelets have such a “child like” exploration of color and materials. They were both so much fun to make and l love the way they both turned out from beginning to end. Each of the artists whose work I used are lovely Etsy friends and I love being able to use and promote products made by other Etsy artists.

Tribal Rainbow is my “prodigy piece” because it made the FRONT PAGE of Etsy! One of the biggest highlights of my Etsy career!

 

 

Q4: Favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite vacation destination?

A4: If I have to choose ONE favorite color it would have to be RED and all of its cousins, especially purple and orange.

My favorite food is DEEP DISH PIZZA!

Our family goes on an annual beach trip to Holden Beach, NC every year! We book the same house because the rear of the house faces the marsh and the intercoastal waterway to the ocean and from the front of the house it’s just a short walk to the beach. It is located at the end of the island on a culdesac street so it’s very quiet and peaceful.

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Kelly. Please take a moment to leave a comment here and visit her shop!

www.Beadliotheque.etsy.com

Visit my shop on Etsy for more creative accessories for the neck, wrist and wardrobe. Beadliotheque offers handmade, one of a kind, bracelets, necklaces and brooches with interesting materials in unique patterns and textures. These pieces are more sculptural in nature and really functional art than traditional jewelry. Fun, funky and unusual is a policy for this shop.

Celebration is in order January 10th! It's Beadliotheque's first anniversary on Etsy! It's been a great year! I have met wonderful people through this business. I have the most thoughtful and appreciative customers. The artisans on etsy are so supportive and I have established many lovely friendships. So there will be a party with specials and treats to celebrate this first anniversary!