I love chocolate, yes I do. I love chocolate, how 'bout you?

OK... I think the title says it all. I love chocolate in all shapes and forms... cookies, cake, ice cream, brownies, donuts... I could go on but I won't because it's making me hungry. When I found out about this giveaway, I just had to share it. One 2 Try is working with Bella's Confections to bring us all an awesome giveaway.

You might wonder what they are giving away. Well, they are offering 2 Modern Collection Gourmet Fudge Tins and Bella Bites Fudge Cups. The flavors will be determined by Bella's Confections.

When is the giveaway? The giveaway is going on until May 10, 2010 at 11:59 PM (Pacific time).

How do you enter? Swing by One 2 Try's blog for all the entry details!

I hope you are all as excited about this giveaway as I am!!!!

Jewelry Poll

So, generally I just make jewelry that appeals to me. Thus far, this method has worked well for me. However, my ultimate goal is to create jewelry that appeals to others... and that others will want to buy. So in an attempt to help me create pieces that others will like, consider taking part in this unofficial poll. Just leave a comment answering one or more of the following questions. I don't have anything to give away, but I would really appreciate your input... and who knows, the next piece of jewelry could be the one you fall in love with!

1. What type of jewelry do you wear most often (earrings, bracelets, watches, necklaces, rings, etc...)?
2. What style of jewelry do you prefer (elegant, simple, flashy, funky, etc...)?
3. What colors do you like?
4. What themes do you like included in your jewelry (flowers, geometric shapes, mod style, butterflies, birds, snowflakes, holidays, etc...)?
5. What other things describe the jewelry you like?

I really appreciate your participation. I want to start broadening my offerings, but I'm not sure what people want. I live in Guam (no, really, I live in Guam) and am away from mainstream fashion for the most part.

Kell

Friday Follow

Welcome Friday Followers!!! I hope you see something you like on my blog and I look forward to checking out your blogs and finding some new cool people! My blog is dedicated to my experiences with jewelry making. I make all kinds of jewelry and am branching out into accessories as well. Bead weaving is probably my favorite technique, but I also work with wire wrapping and simple bead stringing regularly. Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Friday!!!

Some Old Favorites

I decided to give a lot of handmade gifts last Christmas. I had a great time making them (and thinking about what each special lady would like and trying to bring it to life). Some of my favorite pieces I've made were Christmas gifts in 2009 and were inspired by some of my favorite women. I thought I'd share the jewelry and a little bit about the women who inspired me to create them in this post:

I made this necklace and earrings for my mother-in-law. She is one of the nicest and most selfless people I have ever met. I wanted to make something special for her, but I wanted it to be simple enough that she could wear it regularly. I know she likes blue (and it looks awesome on her) so I started shopping for blue beads. I found the pendant on the necklace and the beads on the earrings at a store. I combined them with beads I already owned and wire work to create something funky and beautiful for a woman who is beautiful inside and out!

My aunt was the next lady on the list. She is a funky and cool lady. She is whimsical and bohemian. When I think of her I think of warmth and beauty. So, I couldn't help myself when I found the glass beads used in the earrings. I actually found the beads in the bracelet months earlier and thouvht of her. I was saving them until the right idea struck me. As Christmas drew closer, I came up with ideas that I thought would suit her style and would do her justice. I just love the warm colors in these pieces, and every time I see the pictures I think of her!

I created this necklace for my brother-in-law's girlfriend who I had never met (and still haven't, but am looking forward to meeting her in a couple of months). I only knew what I could figure out from his facebook page, so I was shooting in the dark on this one. From what I could tell, she was a fun and cool girl so I decided to go with a twist on a standard piece. This necklace has different shapes and colors of fresh water pearls, but they are woven together in a non-traditional way. I was inspired by the pictures I'd seen on my brother-in-law's Facebook page. When I posted pictures on my Facebook page, I received lot's of comments about this necklace, so I was pretty sure she would like it! She did!

I created this necklace and earrings for my sister-in-law. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful extended family, and my sister-in-law is a great addition to my life. I've visited her in her home city and vacationed with her in sin city. She is a cool woman who likes jewelry that is simple and elegant. The necklace is made of dark blue sand stone rings and white fresh water pearls. I thought the color scheme kept the piece elegant, but the mixture of stone and pearls kept the piece young and cool. The earrings were a lucky accident. I was playing with my beads and wire when I stumbled on them. As soon as I saw the finished product, I knew they were meant for her! This jewelry is elegant and young at the same time... like the woman who inspired them. She's young and fun and I love her to death!!!

This final set was created for another young lady I hadn't met. It was part of a family gift swap. The person I was buying for is a young woman who is crafty herself. I wanted to create something that was funky and cool and would appeal to her artistic side. This set may be my favorite jewelry I've made to date. I love the way the wire mixes with the mother of pearl in the beads. I hope she likes the jewelry as much as I do!

Spring Beads

In a little over a week, the movers will be here to pack up all my earthly belongings... and I won't see them for two months. So, I decided to make good use of the beading time I have left. I was inspired by spring and the beautiful weather it brings. I felt compelled to work with my hands... so I created a series of spring themed beads.

This is how my evening began... with tools and supplies strewn across the living room

table (I don't work at a desk or beading table... I prefer to sit on the floor and work at the coffee table). I had a picture in my head of what I wanted to see at the end... and I hoped I had the supplies needed to get there. After about 3 hours of work, I had a series of beads (okay, okay, there might not be enough beads to be considered a series, but I did create a few beads that I really like).

At the end of evening I actually had something to show for my work!!! The first few beads I created were inspired by flowers. I created two roses and a tropical flower (it isn't a specific kind of flower):

I also made a butterfly to go with the flowers:

After creating the flowers, I moved on to creating some more traditional beads. These are simply spherical beads with a scrollwork pattern on them. They are simple, but I still like them:

My final few beads were inspired by my favorite spring activity (OK, if I'm my honest, it's one of my favorite activities no matter what season it is), SCUBA diving. I made a couple of sea life beads:

Friday Follow

This is my first week joining Friday Follow. Those of you who are checking out my blog because you saw my link in the Friday Follow list, Welcome. I'm a bead artist who is documenting her trials and tribulations (both in life and in creating jewelry) in blog form. I look forward to meeting you all! Thank you for checking out my blog!

Beaded Scarf Update

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while probably already know that I have undertaken a HUGE endeavor. I'm working on creating a scarf that is about 6 inches wide (and I'm not sure how long it will end up being) that is made completely of beads. In my last post about the scarf, I shared the cherry blossom pattern I created for the scarf. The pattern made me happy and it seemed like the very essence of spring (although at this pace it may not be finished until Christmas).

Well, I've invested about 15 hours of work in the project so far and I have about 60 rows complete. You can see the pattern starting to show... it is almost identifiable as cherry blossoms!!! I know I have hours and hours of bead weaving ahead of me, but I'm really excited to see how the pattern turns out.

Because it is such a huge project, I'm working on it kind of sporadically. I have to work on shorter projects as well or else I will feel like I never accomplish anything. Every now and then I need the gratification of looking at something pretty and sparkly... and most importantly, DONE! I'll keep plugging away, and as I do, I'll keep everyone updated on my progress! I hope you enjoy the pictures of the work I have completed so far, and a couple of close-ups of the flowers.

Found a Use For Those Special Beads

On Black Friday, I shopped at a local bead store (The Bead Hive) that was having a big sale. While shopping the sale, I picked up some basics like seed beads and clasps, some pretty glass beads, and some stone beads. Then, I turned around and there were these really cool acrylic beads with a cool victorian print on them. I had no idea how I would use them, but I just knew I had to have them.

From the day I bought them, I tried to think of ways to use them... but nothing seemed right; nothing seemed special enough. I knew I wanted to use bright colors to contrast with the black and white pattern of the beads. I also knew I wanted to make something kind of funky since the pattern is a little stuffy and proper.

Finally, after having the beads for months... after taking them out again and again to look at them and dream I found a pattern that would do them justice. It's a pattern that I could do with any color beads, that is funky and fun. It's a really cool twisty necklace that's made by weaving seed beads. I tried it with two colors -- red and teal. Both came out beautifully!!! I have to say, this is one of my favorite designs and I can't wait to experiment with other colors. This design is definitely worthy of those super-special beads I found... and I still have a few left for a special project!

Thank You Janie

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently visited Miami for a week of house hunting. Our awesome real estate agent, Janie, had endless patience with us while we looked at houses, and more houses... then a few more houses. She took us from neighborhood to neighborhood, making appointments... then rearranging appointments as we changed our minds about what we wanted. She took us back to the houses we liked the best again and again.

After all the searching, she helped us put in an offer... then put in another offer when we were unable to come to an agreement with the sellers... then cancel our second offer after inspecting the property... then put in a third offer... She was amazing. I know it doesn't sound like a lot... and you might think "of course she did that, it's her job," but it was more than a job. She helped us make sure we found the right neighborhood for us, the right house for us, and make the right deal for us. She treated us as friends rather than clients.

For all her work and caring, I want to thank her in the only way I know how... by giving her a hand-made gift; something that took thought and time. I noticed that she wears dangly earrings a lot, so I tried out a new pattern and put them in the mail a couple of days ago. I hope they're a pleasant surprise when they show up! She deserves it!

If you ever find yourself looking for a home in the Miami area, you should definitely contact Janie. She is prompt, courteous, knowledgeable, and caring. She realizes that purchasing real estate is more than a business transaction... it's choosing your life for the time that you live there.

Jewelry Swap

About one month ago I started using social media to try to promote myself as a jewelry artist. I didn't really know what I was doing (and still don't in many ways), but almost immediately I met a really cool chick named Dawn who writes a blog called Designs By Dawn Marie. She was so adorable and nice that I just couldn't help but become friends with her.

Within about a week of meeting each other, we were following each others blogs, following one another on twitter, and developing a friendship on Facebook. Well, Facebook was the catalyst for this story. While looking through each other's photo albums, we fell in love with one another's jewelry. Dawn had the great idea to swap jewelry so we could indulge ourselves.

Dawn saw this blue woven cuff I'd made and liked it... but thought it would look better in purple. I was so excited about the idea of swapping jewelry that I started on it immediately. Within a couple of days her custom bracelet was done and in the mail.

For the other side of the swap... I fell in love with Dawn's Scrappy Neclace (along with most of her other designs) that is displayed on her Facebook Page . Since she had just sold the necklace, she set to work creating one for me... and it turned out awesome!!! I just love the colors and whimsical nature of the piece. I have no idea how she does it, but it's gorgeous. If you are a jewelry lover, you should definitely check out her Blog and her Facebook Page. You won't be sorry!

Hiatus

Okay, okay... I've been remiss in keeping up my blog recently. I have a good reason though. I've been in Florida house hunting for our move in June. It was a great trip and my husband and I discovered a neighborhood we love and found a house!

Unfortunately, house hunting was not conducive to blogging. We woke up every morning and toured different neighborhoods to find just the right one. Then, we met with our agent and toured homes for the remainder of the day. Our evenings were spent touring neighborhoods again (to make sure we found the right place, we had to see what the communities were like at different times of the day and check out traffic patterns). Most evenings, we arrived back at our hotel around 9 pm and conducted internet research about the houses we wanted to see the next day based on what we discovered earlier in the day.

It was an exhausting week filled with jet lag and hours of running around... but it was well worth it. I am looking forward to our move (although I am a bit apprehensive about being without our stuff -- not to mention our car -- for up to two months as it is shipped to FL) and cannot wait to settle into our new home, our new community, and our new life!

I promise to update the blog with more about my recent beading endeavors including my progress on the cherry blossom scarf, some new necklaces I created, a jewelry swap I participated in, and another set of earrings I created. Keep checking back. I'll post about everything that's going on in the next few days!