FINALLY... Some New Beads!

After taking about a 6 month break from bead making for various reasons, I am back at my torch and working hard to make some pretty things! Much to my own surprise, I actually didn't lose much in the way of skills during my break. I expected to come back and have to relearn everything, but thankfully that hasn't been the case! I can't say I am trying NEW, complicated techniques, but I felt like I not only picked up where I left off, I think I am actually better for having taken a break. My head is clear, my thought process is stronger and I seem to be more confident in what I decided to tackle!

I am still in LOVE with making hearts and I make them all year long, not only when it's approaching Valentines Day. I think hearts are a wonderful shape no matter what the season, and I love the canvas this size and shape bead gives me to work on.

I have ventured into other shapes these days and I find myself favoring lager, focal sized beads, rather than making bead sets. I will still be making Pandora style beads, in sets as well as larger focal beads. I LOVE the bigger beads in the Pandora style. While they aren't really suitable for using on charm bracelets, they make great focal beads on a thicker chain and I use them a lot in my jewelry designs...You'll see more of that in the near future!

Please stop by my Etsy bead shop, Principessa Glass and see all the new listings I put up this weekend. I will have some new items in my jewelry shop, Principesa Jewels in the up coming weeks as well... There are ONLY so many hours in a day and I am trying to not run myself ragged.. I do have lots of new things planned for both shops, it'll just take a little time to get it all going. Thanks for stopping by!

A Few New Things!

I've been expanding my vintage jewelry line, most recently adding vintage, resin cameos. I am really loving the selection I am finding and will continue to add more pieces. My only complaint with these is there seems to be a limited range of colors available. I do really like the classic carnelian/coral background with an ivory image, but it's hard to find a lot that moves out of that color group. I have a couple in blue and gray currently listed..VERY pretty and more to come in a few more colors, but unfortunately, these aren't available in a wide range of color choices.

A while back I decided to try some of the Asian made crystal beads. I have always been a Swarovski crystal fan, but it is hard these days to make anything with a significant number of crystals and still keep the price range reasonable. Most people are pretty careful with their spending right now and I like creating pieces that are quality, yet affordable. I won't compromise my quality, but I can make adjustments. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this crystal is. It does lack the precision and super high quality standards of Swarovski, but it is still a very decent product. I did find a few beads on the strands I bought at a local bead show that were what I would consider unusable, but all in all, I was very happy with the beads. It should be noted that ALL crystal contains lead. This is the universal difference between glass and crystal. Swarovski crystal is... crystal and contains lead, just like any other crystal bead, or that crystal vase you have.. The metal content is what gives the clarity and weight to crystal you will not get with traditional glass.

I am continuing to play with vintage glass jewels.. always looking for new and interesting colors and finishes. I love the more unique jewels, but they are quite difficult to photograph well. I am working on getting in some awesome colors to transition to fall. Some I have coming are just YUMMY!!!!

If you haven't seen the filigree rings with vintage reproduction flower cabochons on them, give them a look! These are truly fantastic! The price is almost too good to be true...I made myself one and wear it all the time. It is fun, comfortable and very feminine! I love the filigree ring base I was able to get.. these are very nice.. they are not thin, cheap, flimsy stampings.. nor are they really stiff and difficult to size...They are like Goldilocks and the three Bears..."just right"...

I have a great selection of my Vintage Jewel Daisy Pendant Necklaces in my shop now.  Just about every combination of jewels I can get in this size, in both a silver plated brass settings and and antiqued brass setting. I am now setting all the jewels in these myself, I like the creativity that allows me. There is a limited amount of jewels in the size I need for these pendants, so I won't be able to make them in any color, but I have found a lot of choices. I am hand making most of the pendant hangers you see on the necklaces as well.

I have been severely neglecting my bead shop lately.. I intend to try and get some torching done this week and next to hopefully have a few new things to add. Please stop by my Principessa Jewels shop to see all of my latest jewelry offerings and Principessa Glass shop for artisan made lampwork beads!


I've added pages to my blog! Some are still a work in progress, but click on them and check them out! Hopefully you'll find some of the info listed interesting! Thanks for stopping by!

More Pretty Pendants!!!

Emily and I have been hard at work making more of our soldered glass pendants. I am finally getting more of her work soldered and listed, so you'll get to see what she's been up to. I've had her busy creating art, cutting glass, even wrapping the pendants in the copper tape that goes on before the solder. She hasn't started soldering yet... a bit of a learning curve there and I am just getting it down myself. I will get her going on that end eventually though!

It's been a lot of fun creating these! More than I had ever thought it would be. We spend hours sitting at the table pouring over pages of digital art, working out each design until it is just right. While I know some people make the same pendant designs over and over, we are just making each one once. You may see the same art pop up again, but we won't be using it in exactly the same way twice. I like things that are made that way. It's nice to offer something that is not only handmade, but unique as well.  I have been putting a soldered jump ring on the bottom of about two thirds of the pendants we are making and wire wrapping Swarovski crystals and pearls directly onto them. I love the little bit of sparkle it adds and what girl doesn't like some embellishment??

We have a nice selection of Holiday themed pieces, and an ever growing pile of witty and sassy ones. Emily has quite the sense of humor and has come up with some pretty funny pendants! I like things in life that don't take themselves too seriously, since life itself, often tends to get all too serious.. I like anything that can liven things up a bit and lighten ones mood! We try to make some that are just middle of the road.. you know, Pleasant.. fun... nice... But don't expect to find a Hallmark card... Just not our style!

My Facebook Fan page is the first place all of my listings get shown, then they are later listed in my Etsy Jewelry shop and Bead shop. Stop by my Facebook and see what is new, or just drop by Etsy to see what has made it to be listed. I do sell quite a few things directly from Facebook, so many things never are shown on Etsy. Thanks for stopping by!

Whats New....

Here's a peek at a few new things that are now listed in my Etsy shops. The jewelry pieces are in my shop Juniper Gems and the beads are all listed at Principessa Glass. Some of these items have already sold and some are still available.

I've been making a lot of hearts these days! I found a brass press that makes a truly awesome plump, consistent heart and I just love the results. It still takes a bit of skill to use, its not a simple load and press kind of deal, but it does allow you to make beautiful, nicely sized hearts, that are of a consistent size, with a nice crisp finish to them.

I have also embraced the trend of making beads directly onto vintage/antique skeleton keys. First I do love hunting in antique stores for these little treasures, and then of course, you know I do love making beads, so its fun then to put my own signature of sorts, on this little piece of history. I have been selling some in my bead shop and converting some into necklaces that are sold in my jewelry shop.

I have been gearing up for fall working on more organic looking beads and warm toned color palates, but I am also pleases to see the color forecast for fall has some very nice colors in it this year, not so neutral based. Lots of reds, greens, plums and purples and plenty of blues as well.

I do have an eye towards the winter holidays and have been testing out colors, shapes and designs. I will likely start offering my winter/ holiday beads in early fall. As always, I list all of my bead and jewelry listings on my Facebook within minutes of posting to Etsy. I have also started putting them on my Twitter. Thanks for stopping by!

New Jewelry Pieces!

 Finally I have made and listed some new jewelry pieces in my Juniper Gems shop on Etsy. It has taken me a while to get things together since I started selling beads online at the beginning of this year, but I hope to continue to be able to add things on a regular basis.

I made a couple of necklaces, which is a fairly new thing for me. I wanted to do something that utilized the Pandora style beads I make, but in a different way than the traditional bracelet or a single bead slid onto a chain for a necklace. When I bought a troll bracelet for myself last year, I noticed in their catalog that they had a necklace concept, kind of lariat style necklace, that is anchored with a large silver charm. I have since seen several people doing different variations on this same theme. I wanted to do something that was unique to my style, so I have decided to make my version anchored with my pretty, plump, lampwork hearts. The chains don't have clasps on them, (unless you want one) and are long enough to slip over your head. This allows you to change the Pandora style beads that come on the necklace with others you may have or if you purchase more, giving you the ability to change the look of the necklace with ease.

I am also taking some of the vintage skeleton keys I have been making beads on and making necklaces out of those. They have a very vintage style to them, using antique natural brass chain, wire and charms, as well as Swarovski crystals, pearls and anything else I think looks good!

I have some new bracelets listed, with many more in the works, all featuring my own artisan made lampwork beads. I am finally doing what I set out to do when I learned to make beads! I wanted to be able to make beads for my own designs and have them be exactly what I wanted, not buy what was available from other bead makers. I have always loved buying beads, but often times, I couldn't get exactly what I wanted, or too many of one thing, not enough of another... Now I am finally utilizing my own skills to suit my needs! I really like this new aspect! I of course will continue to sell my beads, but up until this point I wasn't making them for my own jewelry designs.

I have really enjoyed the growing relationships I have made with all the people I have met through facebook. I post all of my bead and jewelry listing there within a short time after I put them up on Etsy, so it's a good way to see what is new, quickly and easily and stay connected with all the goings on in my crazy life! If you haven't already become a fan, pop over and become one today! Be sure to stop by my Etsy bead shop Principessa Glass and see what is new, and Juniper Gems for jewelry listings. Thanks for stopping by!

Loooook! New beads!

Can you believe it??? I finally have a few new listings up! Between trying to learn my new camera and life just constantly getting in my way, top that off with a migraine and you've got one bugger of a week, or two! I do have some great sets, at least I think so, coming up to be listed in the next few days. I have some more pictures still to work on, but things are coming along.  The new camera is amazing and would probably be even more amazing if I really knew how to use it!!!

I am thinking about taking some classes this summer on photography and Photo shop. I am sure I would learn a lot and since I am a very visual learner, so reading a manual only makes me crazy! From the class descriptions for both, it sounds like I would gain knowledge by taking both courses. It beats banging my head on the desk!

I am hoping to get my poor Juniper Gems shop re-photographed and spruced up and possibly even start making some pieces for the shop!! You know, I don't know where a day goes.. I rarely sit down unless I am at the computer and then I am working on stuff, like hours of editing for example! I hardly ever even sit down to eat my breakfast! Suffice it to say, I don't have grass growing under my feet, but yet, I can't seem to get much accomplished in a day. I suppose I might be setting unrealistic goals for myself... me... no,  not possible..

Stop by my Etsy shop Principessa Glass and see what new listings I have for this week. Hopefully I will get some torch time in soon and have some more beads to keep this momentum going...

New Beads!!

Yes...Finally some new bead sets are listed in my Etsy shop! I am working on getting a flow going, a certain rhythm to my making, photographing and listing.  If I had things MY way in a perfect world... I would just spend my day being creative making beads, maybe even spend time making jewelry again. I would have this lovely very accommodating assistant that would clean my beads, clean the mandrels, re-dip the mandrels, order glass and misc supplies, make up bead sets, take photos, edit them, and list them on the web site. Sadly... the creative... I make beads part of this life, is really not the majority of my day, unless I do silly things like stay up until 3-4am making beads. That has happened more than once this past week and it has produced some nice results. Obviously I can't keep this schedule forever, it just throws everything off for the next day, since I then sleep till noon, so my day gets started even later.. and the whole cycle gets more and more out of whack!

I am not sure what the real answer is to how this is done best, but I will keep trying to get things more balanced and have more time to do things at an enjoyable pace. If you haven't already done so, check out my Principessa Glass facebook fan page. I list my beads there when I get them put in my Etsy shop and I have a photo gallery of past and present work in there. It isn't a complete gallery, but does have most of the past couple of months worth. I will work on getting some of the past stuff in there when I find where I put all my free time... I'm sure it's around here some where, I must have just misplaced it.

My Juniper Gems shop is still open and still severely neglected! It is on my list of things to do...I was so excited to have my own beads to work with and now I don't have the time to do any thing but make the beads...Thanks for stopping by..Check out what is new in my Etsy shop!

Mothers, Photos and an Almost 16 Year Old....

My Mother was here to visit for about 6 days, we had a pretty nice time. I do think I likely drove her crazy since, I did comment on the frequent, unrequested help with driving skills, finding a parking space, and other random "helpful" suggestions. The weather was pretty nice for her stay, which made it possible to get out and see the area a bit, but we didn't get to go to all the places we would have liked, but since I won't be leaving Texas in the near future that I can see, I think she'll have the opportunity to see those places on future trips.

I have been working on getting better photo's for my beads. It's a whole different thing to get used to taking pictures of. Jewelry certainly was and is challenging, but beads are different in their own way. I bought a new light tent, lights and a photo riser, to give things a whole new look. I will be transitioning things over as I get time to take pictures and edit them. I will also be putting up new photos of all the jewelry pieces in my Juniper Gems Shop, which has been sorely neglected since I started selling beads. I will get this whole balance thing down eventually. I feel like I make small strides towards accomplishing the things I desire to  be able to accomplish on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. It's not going to happen overnight, and I am learning little by little how to prioritize and how to allow myself to take a little break from things without feeling guilty.

This coming weekend my Daughter Emily celebrates her "Sweet 16". Most days I wonder where on earth that term originated, since sweet only happens when they are asking you to get them something. The rest of the time, it's a crap shoot! You just never know what you are going to get from one minute to the next. She'll be making you laugh, and moments later be storming out of the room because you upset her in some way...??? The good things are still there everyday. She does tell me at least ten times a day that she loves me without being asked or in response to being told that you love her... she does it all on her own. I keep that with me at all times to remind me that the "Sweet" is in there, and that something is going right.

I should be putting up a few listings for beads this week, but will be a bit busy this weekend with a bowling Birthday party and a sleep-over with a half dozen 15-16 year olds. I could go torch just for the solitude!

I have decided to end my other blog, and combine it with this one. I just don't have enough time and energy to write for both, so this one will be the one that stays. Please stop by my Etsy shop and see what is new!