More of the new ideas I have been working . . wire wrapping strung beads

Digging around in my stash, I find a project box full of ideas . . . well, it did have a purpose but now I have just forgotten or just dropped the idea out of the important list.   But it gives me fun things to try.   I must use the stash for something.

Like these beads: 

some glass beads of various shapes along with some round cracked glass and plastic faceted beads.  Oh, the possibilities.

Just trying out some ideas with the different colors of wire: gold, silver and copper.

The silver on this one is ok.  I think I could have done it with a smaller gauge wire and double wrapped.  I could do another one.  Maybe???

Not sure what I was doing to the one on the left.  I strung the beads than wrapped them but the uneven shape of the beads made the wire uneven too.  Then I had a harebrained idea to take a really. small gauge (28?) to bind it in the middle.  hmmmm, not so great. Took a 24 gauge wire and worked it around in a circular fashion like weaving,  Still sort of a mess.  Not sure I like it but if I let it sit it might be OK.  The one on the right looks more like an ornament.  I used copper and rose gold wire

I have some more beads I can try different takes on this idea.   But I have other things I am trying to learn and/or perfect.  

It is an endless process.

Lots of new ideas . . . Part Three

I have found so many tutorials through Pinterest that I have to try some of them.   I think it will take me awhile to get around to all of them.   Here are some of the results from two of them.

I found this cute idea for a charm pendant.   I made it first in a lighter weight gauge of silver then went to the heavier gauge of copper.  Not bad for first efforts but I do need more practice.

I decided to show how the charm pendants can be used.  Here I used some stitch markers as charms.  I think it is a great idea for a way to carry around stitch markers if you are a crochet or knitting person.   

I did a bit of tweaking on the copper charm pendant and it looks a bit better.   I have added a couple of items to show off its use.   I like it.  Maybe someone else will like having one of these.

Another tutorial that I found was another wire wrapping style.   This one takes beads that have been drilled and strings them in a circle shape then wraps wire around them.   Of course, I tried one with 6 of the same beads as in the first example  Then I made another and another.   Why not??   The tutorial suggested trying different sizes and different numbers of beads together.

The one of the right is the first one I made.   The one on the left is two different styles/colors of fresh water pearls which I have had in my stash for awhile (of course).  A bit lopsided but the more I look at it, the more I like it.

This next one is a blue tiger eye stone in the middle surrounded by blue tiger eye beads.  Not sure I like it but someone might.   If not, I can always take it apart and do something different with the stone and beads.

This last one was a thought that popped out of my stash when I was looking for other beads.  Just big plastic shiny beads that I had not remembered.   They make up nicely for a decoration/ornament and I have some colored wires that have been languishing in my wire stash.  I think they turned out well.   Too bad I don't have more of those big plastic beads.  I could have made a lot more of them to give as gifts.

Lots of new ideas swirling . . . Part Two

After the "Caged Beads" class, I took a "Stacking Rings" class to learn a bit more about the process of soldering.   I liked it so much I signed up for 2 more classes learning about soldering.

Meanwhile, I've been practicing more swirls . . . along with a few other things.

The snowflake obsidian

Showing off the amethyst combined using rose gold wire with the matte rose quartz and some other practice swirls.

After all this swirling, I was looking on Pinterest for shawl pins.   Don't ask me.   I just tangent off on things  . . .  I am a tangential speaker and thinker.   I drive myself crazy sometimes.  This is one reason I try to do so many projects at one time and never finish anything.  Hmmmm, that isn't really true.  I finish lots of things.  

I am working on  a few things using a wire jig (thing-a-ma-jig??).  Now that is interesting too.   I bought this little device a few years back because I wanted to work with wire.  Seems like a good time to pull it out, right??  I have actually used the jig as background  in recent photos for some reason.  It is a metal sheet with holes in it for inserting pegs to form a design.

Instructions I read in a tutorial, said to draw a design on a piece of paper then place it on the jig.   Then insert pegs into the holes following the drawn design.  Following in design, wrap wire around the pegs to obtain the form of the desired object.

I did it twice for practice.  First with a lighter gauge silver craft wire then the heavier gauge copper wire.

After that, I tried a shawl pin design on Pinterest with the moon incorporated. Still a lighter gauge wire for practice.   I think I need a lot more practice but I think it is a good effort except the "stick" to insert in the body of the pin is too short.

More Swirls . . . . 

Examples of more leather wrapped bracelets I have created.  These were all done before I took off for Egypt,   I bought some great beads to add to the stash while I was in Cairo.  More bracelets and other beading to come.

I got a kit for my birthday to make garden mosaics   Strangely enough, I immediately thought about what else I could do with it other than the delivered designs.   Does that surprise anyone that knows me?? 

You all probably know by now that i have a fascination with the Khamsa/hamsa/hand of Fatima from the Middle East.   I got out the set of cookie cutters I bought and started playing around with the blue glass I had purchased for plant pots.

Then I went to my bead stash to get some "evil eyes" to play around with in the design  Not sure of this one yet but you never know.

Here you can see what I did with some of the glass i got out of the kit.   I have a feeling I could be making more than one garden decoration that has a "hand" in it.

See at the lower left corner where I have the small cookie cutters?   I have a ceramic star that came back with me from Morocco.   If I had known I might be doing some mosaic, I might have gotten a few more.   :-)

Blue Khamsa Project - start to finish

 

Colorful khamsa project . . .

This is one of the khamsas I brought back from Morocco.    How lucky I am that my bead stash has lots of blue beads to pair with it.   This will probably end up on a nice long strand of blue beads but I do have some others I might try to pair with it.

Khamsa earrings

I made these cute earrings for a khamsa loving friend.   She picked out the khamsas from the ones I brought back from Morocco,   I found the blue wire-wrapped beads at Joann's a few weeks ago.   I think they turned out nicely.

My new khamsa necklace I just put together

Taking my favorite new khamsa from Morocco and some black beads from my stash, I put together a nice necklace for me. I might have to re-do it though.   Seems I am one bead short on one side, lol.

Four stranded wire with dangles on the end

I might need to take a course in how to photograph my jewelry.   These photos just don't do justice to the rich colors of the different strands.  There is a nice light orange, two different reddish browns and a dark orange.  Maybe since these are chips, they don't reflect the color so well.   But it does look nice while I am wearing it.

More khamsas to make stuff!!!!

Some of the goodies I brought back from Morocco.  Note all the little khamsas . . . I have plans for those to be used in making stuff.   The big ones I am going to wear.  Maybe all at the same time maybe???   :-)

Colorful metallics!!!

I found these fun metallic beads and jump rings then I dug out a copper chain necklace.   I think I'll put some of this together.   Soon.  Stay tuned.

Red beads in a set: Bracelet, Necklace and Earrings

A friend of mine really liked the bracelet that I posted earlier and asked me to make her a full set.   I used wire to make the bracelet and necklace.   No stretchy elastic  :-) .    It turned out nicely but I think I need to start using something as a background that will let the colors show up better . . . at least for the smaller beads.   The little beads reflect light a bit differently than the big ones.

New bracelet project idea

I have some large flat red beads I acquired at a bead show a few years ago. An idea I was trying didn't work out so I set them aside. Now after a trip to beads of splendor and a bead show, I have some more things to move around while trying to figure out what to try..

And I have an intermediate design I am trying.   I might just finish it as a stretchy bracelet to see how it looks.   I have plenty of beads to try other ideas.

Re-doing a couple of stretchy bracelets

I bought these 2 stretchy bracelets at a small shop in Giza (just a bit down from that guest house I don't plan to go back to again,lol). As all stretchy bracelets eventually do, some of the stretch was too much and one popped. I replaced the elastic yesterday but now I am thinking I will put them on some memory wire instead.

 What the 2 stretchy bracelets look like converted to a memory wire with dangles😊

Carnelian and Red Tiger Eye Memory Wire Bangle

I put all the bits together this morning by adding some silver beads as spacers between the different strands then using some silver beads with red tiger eye beads as dangles on the end.

I am not sure about the results so will ponder whether to make changes.   Meanwhile, I am posting here to show the current work for consideration.  :-)