Posts Tagged ‘Handmade Jewelry’

So life here is busy. Running three businesses tends to keep me on my toes.  Sadly that means I don’t get to update this blog as much as I like.  It’s in the back of my mind, but there is always something that must come first.

Well, enough of that.  I have so much to tell you about what I’ve been doing!

Firstly, I am crafting like mad.  Much of it isn’t jewelry but costuming for the live action role play I am a part of.  If there is interested I might post pictures of the sewing I’ve been doing.  Sewing takes more time than it should because I’m not really very good at it, so I spend much of my crafting time fixing the errors I’ve made.  Eventually I should be able to cut down on the mistakes, but I’m still waiting on that part!  I know all you lovely people come here to see sparklies so I’ll share what I’ve been doing on the jewelry side first.

I have multiple sets of earrings I have put together.  Earrings are quick and easy and always make me feel like I’m all dolled up.  On those days when I am feeling like a mess and a half I toss on some eyeliner and a pair of wild earrings and I actually feel pretty.  Feeling good about yourself is half of what makes the day go well!

From left to right: These gold chain earrings are made from a necklace I found at a goodwill.  I had enough of the necklace to refashion it into a matching necklace.  I made them for one of my characters that misses the sunshine of her home.  The gold was perfect for her.  The silver axes are for another of my characters.  Her name is Alice Cooper and she takes after her namesake fairly heavily.  These earrings are so metal they were perfect for her.  The third pair is a pair I made because I love the look of them.  The last pair was a beautiful find.  I found the drops at a local craft store and fell in love.  Gold and black with iridescent sparkles.  So yummie!

Secondly I’ve been working on a steampunk/dieselpunk themed section of jewelry.  I bought these cogs and gears in a bundle and have no supplier to replace them, so all of these are limited edition unless I can find a regular supplier.  They are put together with a strong adhesive so there shouldn’t be any issue of them falling apart in the heat like there would be if I had used hot glue, but seeing as how they are metal they WILL get hot if exposed to direct sunlight.  Talking from experience here.

I love the steampunk genre, even as it’s picking up in popularity.  I’ve had my eye on the scene for years now, watching the creativity that comes out of it.  I figured it was about time I dip my toes into the style and express my beauty.  These pieces were prototypes of pieces for a more military look but I think they would work for any engineer or tinker that wanted some flair to spice up their costume.  Of course, I am perfectly happy to wear these things on a daily basis.  They are just so much fun!

There will be more of these coming as I still have quite a few gears to play with. Bwahahaha!

I am planning on making these pins and necklaces, and I have a few ideas for bracelets too.  I found a pin back that can turn into a necklace so I might just grab a few of those to give folks options if they want to switch between pin and necklace.  I admit I loved the winged one so much I expanded on the idea to make something much more ornate that kept the wings.

How much fun is that?  The more I play with these gears the more ornate they get, which really shouldn’t be a surprise given how I love my little details.

As always, if you see something you like, I take commissions.  I’ve not been able to take decent pictures to get all of these up on the store, but rest assured, I have plans to get them there soon!  I have earrings and some new bracelets and necklaces that need to go up soon as well.  I will be setting aside time to do all of this later this week, so hopefully things will get updated very soon.  Thanks for your patience and I can’t wait to see what you think about all the new pieces!

Needless to say life has been keeping me busy and I love it!  I am at my most creative when my life is filled with things to do, I just have to makes sure I take the time to actually create and not let that aspect of my life fall to the wayside in favor of all the other things that I need to get done in all the other areas of my life.

Life is short, make stuff!

How has winter been for you?  We have had a massive amount of snow here and I for one will be glad when it gets warm enough that I can open up the windows and air out the house.  Not to mention seeing the grass again!  I am so used to spending at least one weekend a month out in nature, camping or hiking.  Something where we can get out and stretch our legs a bit.  Sadly we have been so sick the last two months that we have had to skip our nature weekends!  I miss it terribly!  I would love to get back out into the wilds and breathe deep.  It’s so relaxing.

Despite the wave of illness that has kept me from heading outside, I have been able to work on several crafty things lately. If I can’t get outside, I might as well make the most of the time I spend inside!  I figured I would share a few of the projects with you to let you know I am still alive and kicking.  Life has been super busy here at The Jeweled Heron and once the sun returns I will take pictures of my new creations and post them in the store!  As always if you see something you like, let me know.

Seeing as how I love lists, (Big shock coming from the girl who likes to organize her beads eh?) I am going to organize my thoughts into a nice list for you all.

I finished organizing my beads!  It was great!  Then I found another hidden stash of beads that has yet to be organized by the new organizational system I am using.  I’m not sad about this.  I’m actually looking forward to trying to fit them in.  Does that make me weird? I have finished another pendant.  When I was working on this one I was certain I wouldn’t like it.  However, now that it is done, I’m actually liking it quite a bit.  I am going to do it in another color to see if I _actually_ like it or if it was just a fluke.  Till then, here is a picture of it. I tried my hands at another pendant pattern and realized I actually DO hate it.  I won’t be posting a picture of that one.  Seriously, it’s terrible.  I’m trying to figure out how to save it.  The more I think about it, the more I want to tear it apart and use the beads for something else.  Ugh. I finished a necklace and matching earrings!  They were super fun, and made up for the last pendant’s disappointment.  Every failure deserves a win.  This duo is my win.  I found a fun blog post about jewelry inspired by books.  It was cute!  You should check it out too. This blog is just one aspect of the Jeweled Heron’s public face.  Don’t forget you can find me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook too!  They are a great way to keep up to date with what I am working on as I am working on them!  You don’t have to wait for me to write up a formal blog post like you do here.  Likes and comments remind me that I am not alone with my beady obsessions.  *laughs* Just in case you missed it on the Facebook page.  I love skulls.  My little jewelry loving heart loves gemstones.  You put the two together and I can’t help but want them all!  Check out these amazing gemstone skulls!  So realistic and so beautiful!  I need to start a collection.  *drools*

 

Welp!  That is everything for now!  I hope you folks have a great and crafty weekend!

Because I make everything by hand you can order any of the pendants in my store in any color combination you choose! If you have a particular outfit that needs that perfect embellishment I can make sure that the colors are perfect!  Feel free to drop me a line if you are interesting in discussing one to match your wardrobe!

 

Also, because I love you guys, here is a sneak peek at the new pendant style that is coming soon!

Life has been crazy here!  Between settling into a new job, getting ready for the wedding and getting ready to move life has been busy, busy, busy!  Still,  I am still finding time to make beautiful things! I need to take pictures of all my earrings for sale but the storms recently have kept the sun out of sight which makes for very dark and uninspired pictures.  Hopefully in the next few days I’ll be able to get some good photos and upload them to the webpage.

Until then, here is a teaser of what is coming!  I loved making these guys.  Fun, lightweight and super sparkly!

Last Friday I had the honor of having a Jewelry Party for one of my friends and her Mother-in-Law.  She decided that she wanted to try her hand at the Super Simple Bracelet and was quick to gather some friends to join her!

It was a blast!  We had some amazing snacks and drinks while we worked on our bracelets and I think they all did a wonderful job!

Thank you ladies for letting me share with you my obsession with beads!

 

Finally finished EllaD2’s Morning Glory Pattern.  The petals were a little unstable when completed so I added a few crystals to keep it from wobbling when worn.  I love the extra sparkle!

This pattern was definitely easier the second time around but it still takes a whole lot of time to complete.  This piece can be made into a necklace or if you prefer, a brooch or hairpin!  I should have it up on the webpage soon!

As of today I’ve got all my current stock of bracelets and necklaces up but for four. I should be taking those photos soon.

Bracelets still to be posted:

Diamond Tila Bracelet in Black and White (yeah, hard to photograph a black and white bracelet…who knew?) Twinix Bracelet in Blues and Bronze Super Simple Bracelet in Turquoise Kyra Bracelet in Bronze and Blues

Apparently I’ve got a thing for bronze recently. *chuckles*

I also need to finish up the Zonnetje pendant and take photos of that one. But here is a sneak peek of the work in progress.

 

It’s a beautiful pattern by EllaD2, the colors remind me of the ocean.  I’ll be adding a chain and a few hand-stitched beads to finish it off.

I’m finishing up the Morning Glory pendant this afternoon if all goes well.

I still have to take photos of the earrings and post those, I need to find the best way to photograph them, but the sun isn’t out today so it will have to wait until she returns.

I have so many ideas to take to the workbench, this is just the start!  I’m looking at a line of phone covers as well, as I have found a lovely set of cross stitch phone covers that would work fantastically with beads!

I need to check to see if the local store got any of the Green Iris Superduos yet so I can finish the first Kyra Bracelet I started.  THAT one is a beauty!

So much to do!

I have added a gallery of all the patterns that are available for custom order.  Just click the ‘Gallery’ link in the navigation bar above, choose your design, your colors and I’ll make you your own personal piece!  This option is great for folks who want something to go with a specific outfit or for a special occasion!

Custom Orders work like this:

Pick out the design and send me an email with the design you want and the colors you would like it in.  If it needs to match an outfit send me a picture of the outfit so I can match the colors as best as I can. (If this is a One-of-a-Kind Order I will work with you to create a sketch that I will work from to create your piece.) Once we have decided what the piece will look like, I will send you an invoice.  To start the creation I will need a 50% deposit up front.  This fee is non-refundable.  Once the deposit is received I will begin the creation of your very own piece!  This step typically takes a week. Once the piece is finished, I will photograph it and send it to you for approval.  Once approved, the rest of the balance will be due. Once I have received the final balance I will ship the piece to you.  All our shipping is done through USPS and includes insurance.  The picture of your bracelet will be added to the pattern page on the gallery so folks can see examples of what has been done!

New designs are added when we get them so be sure to watch our blog or our other social media outlets for updates!