Vice or Virtue?

Lately I've been sucked into the vortex of the wide and wonderful world of internet shopping!  I must admit I never thought of myself as much of a shopper.  When I was young my Mom would take me shopping, and what I mostly remember is marathon days and tired feet at the end of it.  During which time I would have to try of tons of clothes, most of which never fit right.   Then, there was the peculiar smell the hangers would leave on your hands.  Suffice it to say, I thought I was the odd-ball girl - the one who didn't like shopping.

Then I discovered beads, books (anything I didn't have to try on), things that let me take a mental vacation, a place to go to create!!!!  Okay, so I learned I liked craft shopping!  That brings me to today.  Now that I have an on-line shoppe (TerahClassyCreations.etsy.com), I find I spend more time on the computer than I used to.  NOW I can shop without the wierd smell of hangers on my hands, without the tired feet at the end of the day.  I can just browse the endless virtual aisles of EYE-CANDY everywhere!!!!!  Wooohoooo!

So my question is, is this a good thing or not? 

Pro:  1.  I have bought many supplies lately that will hopefully (soon) become many beautiful creations!

Con:  1.  I have bought many supplies, that haven't yet become finished creations.

Pro:  2.  I can shop from the comfort of my home, and have direct contact with the shop owners (if I'm shopping on Etsy), without the wierd feeling you sometimes get when your in a small shop in person.  You know, when you feel like you HAVE to buy something because the owner has been watching you the whole time. 

Con:  2.  I feel so much more free to browse a LONG time!  So I find MORE stuff to buy!!!

Pro:  3.  It's fun!

Con:  3.  It's fun!  (Yeah, I know it's the same answer.  But the con is that it can be addictive.)

Pro:  4.  When you run to the mailbox, it's like your about to open a gift from yourself (that you KNOW you will love)!

Con:  4.  I can't think of a bad side to this!

I guess I'm just saying I love shopping online much more than I ever thought I would!  But I guess, as with anything, balance is the key!  I will be posting the things I've made from these newly bought supplies, which I hope everyone will love - I've found some really exciting things out there lately that I hope to combine in unique ways to making truly unique and stunning jewelry! Soon I'll be posting more before/afters of what I've made (like these).

I'd love to hear your thought on on-line shopping - vice or virtue?

Until next time,

Have fun!!!

Terah
TerahClassyCreations.etsy.com, a.k.a.,
TerahsClassicCreations.blogspot.com

January 2013 Etsy Beadweaver's Challenge

Well here it is.  It's time to look at all the beautiful beadwork entered for this month's challenge!  There are so many talented artists on this team and I want to share their work.  Here's a picture of all the entries:

(Mine is number five this time.  To hear the story about the inspiration behind it, visit my previous post, http://terahsclassiccreations.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-funny-how-things-develop.html.)

To see an even better picture of all the entries, visit: http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/2013/01/voting-for-january-rising-star-challenge.html?m=0.  You can even vote for your favorite between the 9th and 15th of January!!!

What I love about it, is if you click on the picture once you get to the EtsyBeadweaver's Blog site, it will conntect you to each piece's listings.  That way you can see more pictures of the piece!  If you love beadwoven art, this will be a favorite spot for you!

Have fun!

Terah
TerahClassyCreations.etsy.com, a.k.a.,
TerahsClassicCreations.blogspot.com

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