It's funny how things develop.  Sometimes I just let my projects make themselves.  Here's what I mean.  I started working on a beading project - it was going to have a geometric element to it - that's all I knew.  So I started to make an open-beaded square.  But then one side ended up shorter than the other, but it was kind of interesting!  So I decided to repeat it again - accomplished.  That's when the ideas started flowing.

I got out of my stash some cubic zirconium pieces that I've had a while.  I positioned the off-sided squares on either side of a pear-shaped cubic zirconium, and viola!!!  It looked like a bow!

And that's where the idea for this necklace came from!

As you probably know, I've also been intrigued with viking knit.  So I made the supporting structure of the necklace in a sturdy 22-gauge wire which I formed into a viking knit rope.

At this point in writing, I have yet to finish it.  The viking knit rope is done, I've worked the custom clasp.  Now it's time to assemble.  The moment of truth!!!!

Here's the finished product!!!!!!!  (I love these beads - so shimmery.  Not too over the top, they almost look vintage to me.  Kind of a nice shimmer.

I love the look so much that I actually will tough through the technical issues with them, i.e., bead breakage while working with them, and their ability to cut through average beading line with their edges.  So it takes a while to work with them in an especially sturdy, fray resistant material.  Also, it takes lots of patience to make sure the delicate beads don't break.  But the good news is if the beads can stand the pressure they get while beading, they will stand the wear afterwards!  And their absolutely stunning!  (I also made my Calla Lily Necklace and Earrings with these type of beads.  I love this finish!!!)

Well, I plan on entering this necklace into the Etsy Beadweavers Challenge for January.  So if anyone wants to drop by and take a look, here's their site:  http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/.  (Between 9 - 15th of January 2013 you can vote for your favorite entry.)  I don't mind if you feel like voting for my entry either!!!  :-D

P.S.  This will be available in my shop - if you'd like to visit it, see the link below!!!  :-D

Until next time, have fun!!!

Terah
TerahClassyCreations.etsy.com

SALE!!!!!

Here's just a quick reminder that I'm having a Pre-Black-Friday-Sale!!!  Everything in my shop is 25% off!  Yep - you can save before the craziness starts.  And it's on-line so it's even better - no crowds to fight or lines to wait in!!  It's good today, November 1 through November 22.

So here's the tip:  Just enter the coupon code:  PREBLACKFRIDAY at checkout.  It's just that easy.

Oh, and here's some of my latest additions you may not have already seen (just for fun) :-D.

For those of you who are fans of beadweaving, don't despair - I still love to create all kinds of things from tiny beads and will get back to it very soon.  Right now I'm just having so much fun with the diversity of techniques and things that can be made using wireworking, knitting, and stamping.  I'm hoping branching out in these areas will eventually lead to more & more creations that combine most if not all of the techniques into more stunning & unique art (wearable & otherwise).  We'll see where all this leads me!!

So for now, have fun with the sale!!!  Remember November 1, 2012 - November 22, 2012 enter the coupon code: PREBLACKFRIDAY at checkout in my shop, TerahClassyCreations.etsy.com!!

Sincerely,

Terah

TerahsClassicCreations, a.k.a.,

TerahClassyCreations.etsy.com 

Make it Personal!!!!

Make it personal!!!!  That's what always makes the best gifts.  It's perfect because lately I've been honing a new technique - stamping.  Again, my sister's wedding gave me great opportunities to try this one out - little keychains with their names & dates - it was a lot of fun.

The beauty of stamping is ultimate personalization!  I can stamp someone's name on a tag, a message, a monogram, a date - whatever!  (Of course depending on how big the metal tag is.) Right now I offer tags in my shop as an add-on to my jewelry.  The small tags don't take away from the beauty of the jewelry, but add to that special gift by adding the recipient's initials (monogram).  This could branch out into keychains, pendants, wine tags, favor tags, etc.  The possibilities are limitless!!!!!

So here is an example of one of my stamping experiments:

The following picture is of one of the latest additions to my shop.  The metal tags on the earrings are left blank so you can personalize it with your monogram, a name, or a short message!!!  Wouldn't this be a great bridesmaid's gift?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112786673/personalize-able-earrings-dangles-with

But here's the latest jewelry addition:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/113449346/viking-knit-bracelet-in-copper-navy-blue

It has my hand-stamped label on it, but you can have your own initials stamped on it instead!!!

Have fun!!!

Sincerely,

Terah
TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com, a.k.a.,
TerahsClassicCreations

Metal Mania

I have been off on a metal adventure!  This was actually accentuated by my sister's wedding.  She surprised me by asking me if I'd be willing to make the bridesmaid's bracelets.  I was really happy she asked me to make them!!  She had a pretty specific design in mind that involved just beads and metal.  So of course, that set me off in that direction.  I had fun making them!  It pushed me to do something "out-of-the-box" so to speak.  At least out of my box - which is always good.  My sister loves green and fall tones, so I ended up making these bracelets:

I love the open, free-flowing designs of these bracelets - there's not a two that are exactly alike.  That's the beauty of it!  Each one is unique!

On top of all that I've been learning more wire-wrapping techniques.  So here's a sampling of what you will probably see more of in my shop in the future:

As always, I'm continually adding new designs & techniques!  I've also recently bought a bunch of new beautiful supplies that are just waiting to become jewelry!  So, to keep up on the latest additions to my shop, feel free to add my shop to your favorites!!

Until next time . . . .

Have fun!

Sincerely,

Terah :-)
TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com, a.k.a.,
TerahsClassicCreations.blogspot.com

They've Arrived!!!!!

I finally can show you my long-awaited Calla Lily set!  Both the necklace and earrings feature beadweaving and wire working techniques in one piece.  I've really enjoyed learning the viking knit, so I used pink colored silver plated wire which just spoke to me when I saw it.  Then I used the peyote bead-weaving technique to create two Calla Lilies with a silky, satiny delica bead finish.  (I have absolutely fallen in love with these beads!)  The center of the main Calla Lily is a beautiful, large Swarovski Crystal in a unique, modern cut.

It's kind of funny.  When I first made the flower portion of the necklace it actually looked like a very upscale corsage!  But I attached it to the woven portion using various other technique and included a few other Swarovski Crystals & a rose quarts bead at the bottom.











The earrings are also completely handmade using the same techniques.  I'm really excited to be including more wire-working, but I still love beadweaving.  I think it opens up worlds of design possibilities when fusing the two techniques together.

To top it all off I also got these pictures professionally done!
(The credit for these pictures goes to:   Kirsten Elyse of Elyse Photography.
www.elyse-photography.smugmug.com
www.facebook.com/KirstenElysePhotography)

P.S.  I'm also working on honing some more metal-working skills - including metal stamping.  So if you're interested in any of my pieces, and would like to have them personalized, I can add a small metal tag with your initials/monogram - just let me know!

If you want to sneak a peak in my shop - they'll be available by next week - so keep on the lookout! :-)

Have fun!

Terah  :-D

TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com


 

Almost Here . .

About a year ago I promised myself I would someday make a Calla Lily Necklace.  It was a particularly good year for my garden & my Calla Lilies were especially beautiful.  So I took some snapshots and they inspired me. 

(Aren't these Lilies beautiful?  By the way, this necklace is still available. :-)

(This necklace has long since sold - but honestly - I'm just showing you the Calla Lilies, right?)

 

 

 

I've made a few things in lieu of that idea, i.e., these listings here:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/73113973/wire-work-earrings-filigree-lily-in-rosy or https://www.etsy.com/listing/107639909/earrings-metalwork-lily-dangle-with-red.  But they weren't EXACTLY what I had in mind.  I wanted to make an asymmetrical necklace with a bead-woven Calla Lily as center stage.

So after a year of deliberating, and after learning to do the viking-knit wire-weaving technique, it all came together.  I have now created the necklace I had in mind, plus a pair of matching earrings.  I can't wait to show them to you, but they are off to be professionally photographed - another thing I'm extremely excited about! 

So, this is exclusive information.  Only a few people have seen these finished pieces.  As soon as I have the pictures available, I will let you know - before they're available in my shop!  Hopefully it will only be a week or two.  So let the count-down begin! . . . . .

Inspiration Journey

A couple of months ago my husband and I went on a simple outing - just to a local garden.  (And when I say local I REALLY mean local.  Just in the neighboring town a few miles away.)  We had been to quaint little garden that was owned by a very nice couple at their home.  They had run a business growing a huge variety of irises and selling the bulbs.  The last time my husband and I had been there was before we were married - so it was time to go back.

When we got there, it looked a bit different.  The irises were gone, and the owner came out and told us they were unfortunately no longer in business.  We were both disappointed, but she kindly gave us a small tour of her existing garden, which was still very nice.  Here's a snapshot of some flowers I thought were beautiful.

Next door was a ranch that had newly-sheared Alpaca's!  They were SOO cute - so I got a shot of them too!  I just love the way they left a little tuft of hair on the top of their heads!

 

 

 

Well, this doesn't have a lot to do with my creations, but you never know when some flowers like these will end up in some of my beaded jewelry.  Or, maybe I will be inspired to use more Alpaca fibers in my knitting!  When I do, I will think of this cute creature with it's big eyes!

Actually, speaking of flowers, I did make a calla lily necklace that was inspired by my own garden - I hope to share that with you in the next couple of weeks!  It combines bead-weaving and extensive wire-work in one piece. . . so until then,

Have fun!

Sincerely,

Terah

Make a Statement . . . Bracelet - Coming Soon

I'm pretty excited about this bracelet!  It's a very wide version of the Marquis Buckle Bracelet (Here's the original version:  http://terahsclassiccreations.blogspot.com/2012/04/heres-lookin-at-you.html).  It's actually a whole other pattern for the band that I was trying out.  I designed it and decided to double the width of the band just for fun!

It took quite a while from design stages to actual finished product.  But I just finished it today, and couldn't wait to tell you about it!  The color is a vibrant turquoise/teal color.  The band has matte, shiny, and ceylon finishes in a swirly pattern.  I don't know why, I just love little swirls - they're so free, but classy at the same time.

I paired it with my newly-designed Marquis Buckle that I actually created while writing my tutorial for the Marquis Buckle Bracelet.  (If your interested in that, here it is:



http://www.etsy.com/listing/104092298/pdf-pattern-beadwoven-marquis-buckle)

I will hopefully have the pattern up for this bracelet in a while.  In the meantime, I'm sending it off to a professional photographer.  (Yay!  This is a first.  I'm sending a few other new pieces off along with this one.  I can't wait to see how they turn out!)  For now, you'll have to settle for my pictures of it.  :-)  So. . this will be coming soon to a TerahClassyCreations near you!

Oh yeah!  and I included some pictures of it in-progress on my new "About" page in my shop!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/TerahClassyCreations/about/

Enjoy!  And as always, have fun!

Terah
Terahs Classic Creations, a.k.a
TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com

Nautilus

A few years ago I stumbled upon a book called Beaded Beads.  I can't remember who the authors are, but it's a nice little collection of beaded beads to try out.  I found it at my local library, and now I can't seem to get it anymore, but I did try this amazing seashell bead.  I was drawn to it because I'd never seen anything like it, and I'm always drawn to the new, the untried - the challenge.

So I made the little Shell Bead in purple and white.  I was so excited when I finished it, but then I didn't know what to do with it.  So it went into my "Idea" box.  About a week ago I was going through the box and  rediscovered my cute little bead.  Suddenly everything clicked!  I don't know why I didn't think of it before!  I just added some bead caps, did some wire-wrapped loops to attach it to a chain and keyring, and voila!

So now I have this beautiful little treasure that looks like a beaded Nautilus Seashell.  The best part is that it makes me think about how people say you can hear the ocean in a seashell.  So when life is hectic, just glance down to this little keychain and think about the soothing waves lapping the seashore.  It may just be the small little thing that can make you smile - I know it made me smile!

Enjoy!

Terah
TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com

Patterns & Fibers!

Since we've last spoken I've gone through a knitting craze!  In that time I made a lace scarf that can double as a wrap.  I like the traditional white ones like they make in Estonia, but that's just too traditional for me.  I LOVE COLOR!  So I made mine up in blue and green.  They way it turned out, it just seems to be perfect for an ocean wedding.  You know, when it gets a little chilly in the evening just wrap it around your shoulders and voila!  (Plus the colors just remind me of the sea.)

To see more:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/103424069/lace-scarf-wrap-stole-in-soft-blue-green

Now I'm working on a yellow one!  We'll see where that one goes!  It's a wool-silk blend yarn that's a buttery color.  I love it.  But I'll talk more about it later...

Not only that, but I just finished my PDF pattern for my Marquis Buckle Bracelet!  (If you can't remember what bracelet I'm talking about, here's a link to my post about it: http://terahsclassiccreations.blogspot.com/2012/04/heres-lookin-at-you.html)  It's been a while in the making.  So if you love to bead, here's the link:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/104092298/peyote-pattern-beadwoven-marquis-buckle.  You can also find me on Craftsy.com now!  Here's the link for my pattern store there too:  http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/22269.



Have fun!

Terah
TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com
TerahsClassicCreations.blogspot.com

One-Year Anniversary!

I'm celebrating the one-year anniversary of my shop:  TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com!  Okay, the anniversary was actually in April, but better late than never right?  So I'm having a belated one-year anniversary SALE! 

Now through June 10, 2012, everything in my shop is on sale.  You don't need a coupon code - everything's already marked down.

So have fun with it!

Sincerely,

Terah
Terah's Classic Creations, a.k.a.
TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com

Venturing Out to New Things!

For some reason, the last few weeks I've been in one of my learn everything binges.  I've been engrossed in the viking knit technique.  It's really pretty, and I've been wanting to learn it for a few years.  I finally decided to go for it!    This necklace is the result.

There's actually more of a story to this necklace.  The pendant is something I found on a spur-of-the-moment girls-day-out I had a while ago with my Mom.  It was so memorable for a couple of reasons.  It was really nice because I went to Sonora (a cute little town in the foothills of California with lots of quaint little shops).

We decided to look around a little and went to a park area, and believe it or not I actually ran into some people I hadn't seen in years!  It was a family that my husband and I had stayed with in Panama a few years ago on vacation.  They happened to be in the area only briefly and had decided to go to Sonora that day!  What an AMAZING coincidence!  So there's some really good memories associated with this necklace.

It was a great little vacation day, and I finally put it all together to make this cottage-chic style necklace.  I call it my "Rose Garden" necklace because of the pearls that I added to the pendant.  They look like rose buds to me that are climbing up a pearlescent wall.  (Incidentally this pendant is a shell that has pearls captured in the surface - also called a Blister Pearl.)

So then I added a ribbon to the back of the necklace.  It clasps on the side using an "S-hook" style clasp.  On the other side is a little bow - to add just a touch of sweetness. . . .




So - you thought I was done?  Ha!  Well later this week I also decided to tackle a project that has been a long time in the making. 


I've actually been a crocheter and knitter for a while in addition to my jewelry fetish.  My grandma taught me the basics of crochet when I was young and I wanted to expand my skills.  So I started a project that was quite large - a blanket! 

I've actually been working on this big blanket for a while.  It had been tucked away, and I thought it was a good time to take it out again.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I thought I had a lot farther to go, but it was almost done. (It had been with me on a few vacations over a few years - something to do on long road trips.) 

So this week it was completed!  Ahhh!  As many of you creative types probably know - it seems like there's always a few projects that sit half done for a while.  I love the feeling of going back to it, and finally putting the finishing touches on it - it's SO satisfying.  The result is this cozy number.  

By the way, the ribbing on this blanket came from how my grandma taught me to crochet. It's a variation on the regular technique.  I learned later that most crocheted fabric doesn't have this effect.  (It comes from inserting the hook through one loop instead of two when starting the stitch.)  Since, I love ribbing, AND this is a direct result of my grandma's teaching, it makes me love it even more.

ALSO, this is my first addition to my shop that includes fiber work - something I plan to include more of in the future as I have also gone crazy for lace knitting!

Both the necklace and the blanket are available in my shop:  www.TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com!

So next time. . will it be jewelry?  Will it be fiber-work?  Mmmm....you'll have to wait and see!  ;-)

As always, HAVE FUN!

Sincerely,

Terah
Terahs Classic Creations, a.k.a.
TerahClassyCreations.Etsy.com

Nautical

What would you think of if someone told you to make something with a Nautical theme?  That's just what Etsy Beadweaavers did.  I made something a little more abstract, representing the bubbles in the ocean, using grey and blue seed beads, swarovski crystals, and a metal focal piece with inlaid crystals. 

But if you'd like to see what everyone else came up with, feel free to visit: http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/. Take a look!  You can vote for your favorite through May 15, 2011. 

So take a look at all the wonderful pieces everyone made - a feast for the eyes!

Sincerely,

Terah
TerahClassyCreations.etsy.com

Sunshine in Darkness

Recently a friend that was an essential part of my life growing up, specifically in my teenage years, is suddenly gone.  I still can't believe that it happened.  He was an innocent civilian that was doing his job, when someone gunned him down out of nowhere.  I still can't believe it.

The day of his memorial was surreal, and I can only imagine what his family must be feeling.

Of course, as it is part of my way of coping, I had to escape.  This little flower offered to brighten my day - a little bit of yellow sunshine on a dark day.  The result is this necklace.  Instead of my usual project that takes a VERY long time to create, I needed something different.

This necklace seems to be a little symbolic somehow - the dark obstacles that life sends our way, but how eventually the sun will come out, and everything will eventually be put to right (Rev. 21:4).  Hope out of darkness.