Ladies Fall Fling

It's hard to believe that November is just around the corner. You know what that means ... December is creeping up on us, and that means Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye!

Not ready for the holidays yet? Not sure how to prepare for upcoming events? The Northside Baptist Church Ladies Fall Fling provided an opportunity for ladies to share ideas and tips for the holidays - from online ordering tips, couponing, quick food ideas and demonstrations, and floral arrangements. I was blessed with the opportunity do a jewelry making demonstration. Unfortunately, I only remembered to take a few pictures while we were setting up. Alas, I didn't get around to taking pictures of all the tables and ladies who offered their helpful tips. Nevertheless, here are the few pictures I have from the event.

Here's the table that provided useful information on online shopping and couponing tips. It's amazing the things you are able to save money on if you took the time to search for and cut coupons!

Sara shared tips on how to make a fall floral arrangement. She provided all the supplies to make something to brighten up your home and get it ready for the fall.

Here is my jewelry making table. I did a demonstration on how to do a wire wrapped loop, as it is a foundational technique to making just about any type of jewelry, especially earrings - which is what I was demonstrating how to make. I had an Eiffel Tower display to showcase the different styles of earrings you could make using just this technique. I laid out supplies on the table that people could choose from to design and make their own earrings that they could wear and take home. I had an assortment of loose beads, pearls, crystals, etc. It was fun to see people get creative!

Here are some earrings that Wanda made. She strung some beads and put them on some hoops. The cool thing is that they matched the outfit she was wearing!

Individuals of all ages got into making a pair of earrings. Michael designed her own set of earrings - she selected the beads she wanted and added a cross charm to them. I saw her the following day sporting her lovely earrings and paired them with a matching outfit. Good job Mikaila!

It's amazing how creative people are. It's great to have opportunities like this to learn helpful tips from one another, as everyone has something to share. If you attended, I hope you were inspired to create or try something new this year!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Crowned With Pearls

When you surrender your life to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be your Lord and Savior you are adopted into His family and become the son or daughter of the King! This special piece was made with this in mind for a lovely daughter of the King. The light of Jesus Christ shines so brightly through her that everyone around her cannot help but experience the joy she possesses. So I tried to capture all of these elements in this bracelet.

First, I started off with building a wire base in the shape of a crown.

Pearls are the oldest known gem. Because of its "warm inner glow" and shimmering iridescence, it has been valued and collected for more than 4,000 years. The historical significance of pearls was something I wanted to incorporate into this piece, as pearls have been associated with royalty - just what I wanted to capture!

I wrapped jet iridescent pearl beads around the wire crown-shaped fame and added Swarovski bicone crystals at the peaks of the bracelet frame. The outcome is a crown-shaped adjustable bracelet.

If you would like a unique piece made just for you, please drop me an email!

Follow me on Facebook

See my other creations on Pinterest

City of Light

How do you capture a woman's love for Paris, it's splendor and beauty, and integrate this with the understated sophistication of this beautiful woman? That is a very hard task, but here was my attempt. :-) 

Jules loves Paris, and it is her dream to journey to this historic city. She is an artist whose creativity is seen in everything she does. So I tried to think of the historic sites that she enjoys and pieced them together in this necklace. 

The Eiffel Tower is probably the most popular and iconic symbol associated with Paris, so clearly that had to be integrated into this piece and became its focal point.  

The infamous River Seine flows through the heart of Paris, and the Fontaines de la Concorde is one of the most famous fountains in the city. With water being another key feature of the city, I tried to capture that by the use of flowing chains to represent the flow of the water.

And lastly, Paris is known as the "City of Light" (La Ville Lumière). So I selected iridescent and silver beads, along with a Swarovski crystal to reflect the light.

And voilà! This is what you end up with. :-)

If you would like something similar created for you, drop me an email!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

A Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a really special piece, as it symbolizes different things to different people. To me it is a beautiful representation of how God designed us to be - firmly rooted in Christ, bearing fruit, and one who does not wither, but rather prospers (as referenced in Psalm 1:3).

I was excited to try my hand at creating a different Tree of Life bracelet when a friend requested one. Here's how I made this one ...

I started off with different gauges of wire.

I created the ring that I would attach the wire branches to.

I created the tree structure.

I added some beads to make the leaves comes alive.

Now the tree has come to life!

... And here it is gracing the wrist it was made for.

Let me know what you think and if you would like a Tree of Life pendant, bracelet, or necklace made just for yourself by dropping me an email!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Vines

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I have been enjoying creating fun and unique jewelry pieces with wire. It's fun for me to create something that fits a person's personality.

I am so blessed to live in the Pacific Northwest, and to be surrounded by lush greenery. Despite the unusual hotter weather we've been experiencing this summer, praise the Lord that many plants continue to grow and flourish! The sides of the roads are still covered with blackberry vines and other plants. The vines inspired me to create the following ...

I wrapped some thicker wire with thinner wire.

I created some waves and swirls that reminded me of the views I see wherever I go. I molded it into the shape of a ring, and this is what I came up with.

If you would like something special made for you or a loved one, drop me an email!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Love Lines

Wire has become my favorite medium to use when making jewelry lately. It's versatile and you can mold it into a number of different things. The other great thing about molding wire is that no matter how many times you make the same item it is never the same. Every piece is completely unique.

This time I tried my hand at making something for my FANCY friend. I took some wire and molded it into a word that reflected one of the many wonderful attributes that my dear friend possesses - Love.

Here is the completed piece. It's amazing what you can do with wire!

If you would like something special made for you or a loved one, drop me an email!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Simple Sophistication

The great thing about creating jewelry is that you can create a piece that matches someone's personality. This bracelet was created for a dear friend with "simple sophisticated" taste who has a fun and spirited personality.

While stones and crystals are great, I wanted to keep things clean and simple. As a result, I opted to stick with classic gold and silver wire and forego the use of jewels for accentuation purposes. 

I decided to pair the wire colors in such a way that they would accentuate one another. In doing such, I created a nine wire stranded weave and encased silver wire with gold wire.

I used pinch crimp ends and added a chain so that it would be adjustable in size.

And here is the finished item gracing the wrist it was made for. :-)

Would you like a similar bracelet made for you? If so, please email me!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Swirled!

Much of what I make starts off with someone having interest in a particular item and asking me if I can create something similar. This time it was making a wire swirl ring. 

Wire swirl rings seem to be popular these days, as they are fun little decorative items to wear. They are also fun to make since you can do different types of swirl shapes - making them thick, thin, changing the direction of the swirl, etc. Here's what I came up with.

I started out with some gold colored wire.

I shaped it to be a 6.5 ring size.

I pounded it out a little with a hammer to give it some texture so it wouldn't be too flat.

And there you have it … a wire swirl ring!

If you would like one, drop me an email! I am selling them for $10 including shipping within the USA. The ring can also be customized (please note that additional charges may apply).

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Follow me on Facebook

Fit For A Bride

Rayna asked if I could help her out as she prepares for her wedding next week Sunday, June 14th. She wanted to have a custom hair ornament made that matched their wedding colors - ivory and cranberry. I was overjoyed to help, and plus you can't say no to a bride!

She sent me pictures of different decorative combs, mentioned what she liked from each, and asked me to incorporate that into her comb design. She also wanted a hint of gold added since she plans on wearing a pair of her mom's gold earrings.

So I gathered a few supplies ... Some wire, a few small ivory flowers, a cranberry colored rose flower, some ivory elongated pearl beads, some gold beads, some ivory colored leaves, tape, and a comb.

I started off with making the individual pieces that I would put together. First, I made the gold and pearl accent pieces. I strung the beads and twisted them into mini leaf-like shapes.

Next, I put three flowers and a leaf in a bunch, which I wrapped together. 

Then I arranged the pieces, wrapped them together along with the rose, and fixed them on to the comb. 

And viola! A custom hair ornament fit for a bride. :-)

If you would like something made for your wedding or special event drop me an email!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Tree of Life

Tree of life pendants have become really popular these days, so I thought I'd try my hand at making one. I figured I would start small before I ventured into doing something on a larger scale. Here are the pieces I used to make it - a round ring, and pieces of wire.

I twisted the wire to create the shape of a tree.

I could have cut the excess wire. However, I wanted it to be different from the typical tree of life pendants. To add a unique flair to it I opted to create swirls with the end. In essence I ended up making what looks like a fruit tree. :-) What do you think?

Let me know what your thoughts are. Feel free to email me!

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my other creations on Pinterest   

Green Light

London has a bold and bright personality, and so a pair of unique earrings needed to reflect just that. I was thinking something big ... something long ... something in a shade that would complement her fair skin. 

As I played with ideas, I molded some wire shapes and joined them with chains. To bring out some flair I used peridot Swarovski crystals since they are vivid green with a hint of gold, and the bicone cut of the crystals reflect a lot of light. The end product was a unique pair of chandelier earrings that look great on her!

If you want a pair of unique earrings that match your personality and style let me know! Drop me an email!

Check out my other creations on Pinterest.

Follow me on Facebook.

Heart Shaped Face

In my February 7th blog entitled "Uniquely YOU" I talked about accentuating your look. Believe it or not, earrings can do just that! In addition to choosing earrings based on a certain style of interest, you may consider choosing earrings that highlight the shape of and best aspects of your face. In order to know what type of earring best suits your face, you will have to determine the shape of your face. 

For this blog entry I will focus on the heart shaped face. A heart shaped face has features such as a forehead that is wider than one's cheeks, and cheeks that taper down to the chin. Here's an example of a heart shaped face.

For a heart shaped face, earrings with elongated lines and curves will help to balance out the face. By doing such, focus is drawn to your lovely eyes, cheekbones, and jaw line. Women with a heart shaped face have many earring options to choose from, including teardrop, chandelier, and dangle earrings. Here's an example of teardrop shaped chandelier styled earrings made by leicoconut that would be lovely for a heart shaped face. The sapphire crystals, coupled with the light blue rectangle glass tubes add an interesting contract to the face. 

Stay tuned as more helpful tips are posted, as well as pictures of people just like you who have used earrings to accentuate and their style and play up their best features! Drop me an email if you'd like me to make something to accentuate your style!

Follow leicoconut on Facebook

Check out some of my earring creations on Pinterest

Visit my Etsy store

As Good As Gold & Silver

Diane wanted a customized seven strand wire bracelet that was fun and had dimension. Rather than something monochromatic, she liked the idea of mixing colors. This made for a fun experience, as we were "breaking all the rules" when it comes to the mixing of metals.

The base of the bracelet was made by weaving gold and silver wire together. She liked the color combination of green and yellow. While green and yellow look great together, I stepped it up a notch and selected some unique Swarovski crystal colors to add the dash of dimension I was looking for. I used Swarovski crystals in peridot because of its vivid green shade with a hint of gold and light topaz because of its astonishing yellow hues.

And voila! By breaking the rules of mixing metals and not using the standard color shades the following bracelet was created - something fun and perfect for the advent of spring that was exclusively Diane.

If you would like a customized bracelet made for you let me know! Drop me an email!

Check out my other creations on Pinterest.

Follow me on Facebook.

Fit For A Wedding

This page is supposed to be just for the jewelry I make. However, I've been getting harassed about posting a pix ... So here you go ...

Here we are decked out for a wedding in Miami.

It just so happens that I had some crystals and beads that matched my dress. Hooray! So I made the following set of earring to go with my dress ...

Cobalt blue in my favorite color ... White it may not totally match what I was wearing, I thought I would add a little different shade to my outfit by creating a 7 strand wire bracelet with sapphire colored Swarovski crystals. The other bracelet I made that was in a previous blog post is a 5 strand wire bracelet. I wanted something just a little wider to go with this outfit.

If you like any of the pieces, let me know and I can create something just for you! Drop me an email!

Check out my other creations on Pinterest.

Follow me on Facebook.

Too Funky To Be Square

Wanda is a fun-loving funky woman with a delightful demeanor. She loves bold designs, long earrings, and bright colors, especially the color purple. I wanted to capture all of these endearing characteristics when creating a pair of earrings for her. So I created an angular design by using open hematite squares and filled them with blue stone blocks. The blocks are a deep shade of purple and are covered in light purple flecks. I added light purple Swarovski crystals to add some sparkle and flair to match her sparkling personality.

They totally match Wanda's style perfectly, as she is "Too Funky To Be Square!"

Let me create something funky that fits your personality! Drop me an email!

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Follow me on Facebook

Woven With Love

This bracelet was made to grace the hand of a truly lovely woman whom I am blessed to call my friend. It is a handmade copper / silver woven bracelet embellished with sapphire and clear Swarovski crystals. 

This was woven with love just for Gabi :-)

Drop me an email if you would like me to create something unique for you!

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my Etsy Shop

Sophisticated Mirna

Mirna is blessed with a lovely face. She has a lot of flexibility when it comes to selecting earrings, as all styles of earrings are flattering on her. I wanted to create earrings that would draw attention to the elegant shape of her face without adding extra width. So I made a rendition of "Winter Crossing" specifically for her - short chain earrings embellished with crystals in her favorite shade of blue that lead down to a floral shaped cross.

As you can see, they enhance her sophisticated and stylish look without detracting or being overpowering. You look great, Mirna!

If you would like something unique created for you, feel free to drop me an email!

Check out my other creations on Pinterest

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my Etsy Store