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