Spray of Leaves Necklace

It's been a while since I've posted - sorry to have taken so long.  Summer is such a busy time!!  (But I have to say something about teals and aqua blues just say summer time over and over again.)

I went to my friend's day spa and she mentioned that she likes greens and blues, and it got me thinking. . . Yeah, green is so natural and earthy and blue is so cool and soothing!  So right away I bought some big blue (more like teal) circular shells and started digging through my stash!  I came upon these great Czech beads I had bought for another project that I had long ago given up on.  (They weren't uniform enough in size for what I was working on at that time.)  For this project, they were perfect!

Paired with the copper spacers and clasp, I think the metallic green and blue of these leaves look fancy, but yet still organic.  I worked the leaves randomly in different sizes and then arranged them much like a florist would the greenery in a bouquet.  When I found what I thought was the perfect "arrangement" I stitched them together and added touches of pearls to mimic a milky little raindrop nestled in among them.  (I must give the credit for the leaf technique to the book by Diane Fitzgerald, The Beaded Garden.  If you like flowers, and you like to bead, you'll love this book!)

So this is what I ended up with - the Spray of Leaves Necklace!!

As a thank you for the inspiration she gave me, this necklace and the matching bracelet & earrings will be available at my friends shop, Studio 12 Urban Day Spa!! SOLD

 P.S. - My monitor is on the fritz right now, so I can't tell which picture is the best (which is why I added so many).  I would love feedback on which picture everyone prefers!

Trillium Trio

I hope you enjoy this necklace - yet another adventure in asymmetrical design! It was inspired by the Labradorite rondelles I found at my local Gem Faire. Once I got them home, I rummaged through some books to start up the idea process, and again the book Shaped Beadwork by Diane Fitzgerald did it for me. The project for Trilliums (the little flower in the necklace) really inspired me. It's very fun and fast to create. (Relatively - as fast as seed-beading can get!) I added the Russian Leaf off the side to offset the three Trilliums, and the pendant was off a necklace that I've loved for years! The metal components are sterling silver plated. Of special note is the clasp which is the vintage-style design (which works like a box clasp, but in an orb shape). This would be the perfect something old (recycled pendant), something new, something borrowed (maybe not), something blue (definitely!) for that special wedding!
***Available***