Beads Of Courage Art Charm Swap!

I love being a jewelry designer that contributes to charitable events I participate every year in "Flood the Streets with Art" which takes place on Black Friday, I also join several blog hops and then sell my creations and give to local charities. One of my very favorite is the Art Charm Swap which once a year is hosted by Jen Cameron

This is how it all begins. Designers sign up to create an Art Charm. We are placed into groups of ten. Each designer makes 11 charms to swap with each member in the group of ten. The eleventh charm is kept by Jen and she auctions it off for Beads Of Courage.


What do you do with the charm? Well you can make a bracelet or a necklace or tie them to your cell phone! Each charm is a work of art! Beads Of Courage is a wonderful organization that gives away beads (made by glass artists) to children suffering from life threatening illnesses to celebrate milestones they reach in their journey to wellness. Go to their site to see all the wonderful things this organization does.

The auction will be any day now as soon as we fix a small glitch. I will let you know the exact date so stay tuned. You can bid on any of these charms to help the children. All proceeds go to Beads of Courage as all artists donated their beautiful charms for this event and Jen donates all her time to running the Swap and the Auction.. Did I tell you the theme is Fairy Tales!


Here are my charms. I hand wrapped each piece and added a handmade glass bead to the top of each charm.  I donated 20 charms and used three different designs

These are all the other designers.  Just go to each one and see what they made and deside which ones you would like to have and start the bidding!

Marianne

Alenka Obid

Andrea Glick

Angelique Gentry

Brooke Bock

Caroline Dewison

Cassi Paslick

Catherine van Alphen

Charlene Jacka

Helena Hatten

Jen Cameron

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Kathy Lindemer

Leona Smith

Lesley Watt

Lori Anderson

Marianne Baxter

Melissa Trudinger

Michelle McCarthy

Patty Miller

Sheila Prosterman

Susan Kennedy

Terri Del Signore

Vanessa Gilkes

Pretty Palettes July Reveal!

Erin Prais-Hintz who is the host and Brand Ambassador for Halcraft sent me some beautiful beads that she personally picked out for the July Pretty Palettes Challenge.  Erin chose me to be her partner this month.

Unfortunately I threw my back out so it has been difficult to create as much as I wanted to.  I will be making several other pieces if you check back on my blog.

So anyway here are the beads:

And the inspiration photo

 I especially liked the blue iris glass on silver chain.  Very sparkly but you can't really capture all the color well in a photo without the right lighting, but they so remind me of the twinkling in the night sky.  Here is a close up:

The focal is abalone shell that I thought went well with the beads and the inspiration theme.

Here is the finished necklace.  this piece hangs really well on the neck.  I made it 18 1/2 inches with the cute Star clasp.  You could actually wear this during the day or night.

Here is a close up of some of the other beads.

 These silver sliders will be part of the next piece I make.  If you check back next month I will show you what I came up with. I also will have a pair of earrings to go with this necklace.  Unfortunately my back can't be in this position any more to finish more pieces.



Thanks Erin for choosing me to play along as your partner.  Can't wait to see what you make!


Please follow Erin's Blog for more of her work and the big reveal on July 27th will be on Halcraft Pretty Palettes

Don't forget to visit my new website www.simplyseablime.com and sign up for my website so when I launch in the fall you can see all my new work.
Marianne

Pretty Palettes July Inspiration Challenge

I am so excited to be chosen as a partner in the Halcraft Pretty Palettes Challenge hosted by the talented artist Erin Prais-Hintz.

Erin sent me a slew of beads that she personally picked out from Michael's that hopefully inspires me to create jewelry using the inspirational photo below.

The theme for this month's Pretty Palettes challenge is Starry Night.

picture credit : Ryan Hutton: Unsplash

I have a friend that has taken many photo's of the night sky at a place called Sea Ranch where I used to live so this challenge was perfect for me. I love the sky with all it's beautiful stars and planets and colors. Bright and Sparkly!


Thank you so much, Erin, for inviting me to be your partner! I know I will have fun creating the jewelry!

Please check back for the reveal on July 27th.

Marianne

Swap N Hop REVEAL!

May 15th is finally here.  I have been making jewelry like mad!  My partner Laurie Vyselaar really outdid herself with all she sent me.  I still have so many left over beads that I will have to keep on making jewelry even after the Blog Hop is over.  First I will show you the cute boxes she did.  She put different colorways and beads in each box.  Aren't they cute

The first necklace I made was using a Donna Millard handmade glass bird bead.  Just a beautiful bead in various shades of purple.  Laurie also sent me a beautiful purple and turquoise glass headpin.  I added some glass purple and turquoise beads I had in my stash and wire wrapped groupings of beads.  I love it!

I then made a bracelet with a magnetic foldover clasp.  Laurie sent me this beautiful glass bead.  If this is your bead please let me know for credit.+

 Simple bracelet but so versatile and can be worn dressed up or down.

 Last I made this necklace and earrings with a polymer clay focal that Laurie made.  She used a warm goldie bronze color and I paired it with some glass lampwork beads that she made  some glass disc beads and some beautiful in teale, green and blue all in deep colors which makes this fabulous for fall.

                                                           this is a close up of the leaf. Also the bumpy bead in the center is a handmade bead by Shawn E. Turner

 These are the earrings I made with some glass"0" beads hanging from the bottom.  Love the colors and this is probably my favorite set.  On the right is a close up of the beautiful colors in the ribbon

 These are a pair of earrings I made that have handmade glass beads in turquoise and purple and I paired them with purple polymer leaves that Laurie made.

On the right last but not least.  I wired a tye dye pendant bead that Laurie made in polymer clay and placed it on a purple ribbon.  Very cute for that teenager in your life.


These are all the beads I still have left.

Here are all the other artists participating in this blog hop.  Won't you join me in visiting their reveals and see what wonderful talent everyone has.
P.S.  For all who comment I will have a giveaway of one of my fused glass pendants!  I will pull a name on May 30th.
Marianne


 BY PARTNERS

Linda	Anderson	http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Natalie	Davidson	http://www.northshoredays.com
Marcy	Lamberson	http://www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com
Kathy	Lindemer	http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
Dita	Basu	Http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com
Andrea	Glick	http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/
Kristina	Peck	http://tealeavesandtinyhats.blogspot.com/
Shai	Williams	http://www.shaihasramblings.com/
Catherine	La Vite	http://www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/
Christina	Hickman	http://vintagetreasuresjewelry.blogspot.com/
gloria	allen	http://wingsandbeads.blogspot.com
Teresa	Schurter	http://treezstreazurs.com/
Maria Rosa	Sharrow	http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com
Susan	Kelly	http://mimismilesdesigns.blogspot.com
Jenny	Kyrlach	http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/
Michelle	McCarthy	http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Terry Jeanette	Carter	http://tappingflamingo.blogspot.com
Lee	Koopman	http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Laurie	Vyselaar	https://lefthandjewelry.wordpress.com
Marianne	Baxter	http://simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com
Divya	N	http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com
Kelly	Hosford Patterson	http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/
Johana	Nunez	http://www.artincendi.com
Kari	Asbury	http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog
ROBIN	REED	http://www.willowdragon.blogspot.com
Kristina	Hahn Eleniak	http://www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com
Robin Lynne	Showstack	http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/
Rosantia	Petkova	http://bairozan.blogspot.com/
Claire	Fabian	http://saraccino.blogspot.de/
Inge	von Roos	https://ingetraud.wordpress.com
Rachel	Mallis	http://mintmonarch.com
Sam	Waghron	http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk
Lori	Schneider	http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com
Fay	Wolfenden	http://torchfairy.blogspot.com
SEEDERS
Suse	Stelljes	http://pearlify.blogspot.de
Ginger	Bishop	http://www.lilmummylikes.blogspot.com
Nelly	May	http://www.smellynelly.blogspot.com
Rebecca	White	http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/
sheila	Prosterman	http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com
Catherine	King	http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com
PallavI	ASHER	http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/
Krafty	Max	http://kraftymax.net
Renetha	Stanziano	http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/
Becky	Pancake	http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com
Katy	Heider	http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com/
Deborah	Apodaca	http://deborahapodacadesigns.blogspot.com/
Heather	Richter	http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Tami	Norris	https://tamisdesigns.wordpress.com
Brandy	Scozzari	http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com
Catherine	King	http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com
Kathleen	Breeding	https://www.facebook.com/99BOBOTW/
Veralynne	Malone	http://veradesigns.blogspot.com
Bobbie	Rafferty	http://beadsong.blogspot.com
Lori	Blanchard	http://alainnjewelry.wordpress.com

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop

The Bead Peeps Hop N Swap Reveal in tonight at 12 midnight!  Come see not only what I made but be sure and check out my partner's work!

Glass Class in Forida

I had a fabulous time at my week long glass class in Florida at AAE glass.  I will be taking some photo's and will post after the Blog Hop Reveal.  I had so much fun visiting three of my nieces and 1 nephew.  I will show pictures of all the kiddies soon.

SWAP N HOP partner revealed!

So excited!  Have my new partner for the 2016 Swap N Hop.  Her name is Laurie Vyselaar.  She loves to work in wire wrapping and glass beads.  You can see her work on her site by clicking her name,  She does lovely wire work.  I will be putting all her items in the mail later this week.  Hope you will check back often to see out progress and what I get from her.  We won't reveal the final pieces until May 15th!  Rock and Roll!

Play Time

I have never been a great seed beader but when I moved to Oregon I overheard someone say they had a bead group.  So of course I asked to join.  I like to work in different media at different times.  Seems to spark my creativity not to mention it takes me away from unpacking lol.  So I found a pattern by Deborah Hodoyer and first I did it in bronze and gold.  (Sorry the photo's are not that great because I had to take them from my phone because my camera broke.)

Then I thought I would do the same in blue and purple.
I din't follow the pattern as I used a different bail and I made this one smaller.  I used spiral stitch for the ropes and then added chain.  I love them and hope you do also

What A Long Hard Road 2015 was!

 Whew last year was one for the books.  We moved to a new state after living in California our whole life.  We love it in Oregon but after living in a drought state we are now in a wet state so we are trying to get some clear days to unpack the garage.  We have however just about settled into the house although I have 5 more boxes to finish my studio.  I know I will get there but oh do I never want to do this again.
  I have been working on a few new designs but in beaded jewelry only.  I plan to spend this whole year on revamping my website, taking new classes in glass and metal, doing a few shows and getting involved in this wonderful new community.

Soon I will also be participating in a few blog hops which I love because you get to stretch your creativity, work with new designers, try new things and have some fun.
  Check back soon to see what is happening this year.
Marianne