Kate from Libra Creations on Etsy created the following 3 stunning pieces of jewelry from this unique one of a kind raku bead set. The chain maille which includes a Byzantine weave for the one necklace, a Byzantine and Mobius combo for the second, and a Mobius weave for the earrings is beautifully done and really sets off the beads nicely.

Be sure and check out these awesome creations as well as the rest of Kate’s beautiful items in her Etsy store.

If you don’t know how this contest works, check out the F.A.Q for all the details.

The contest will be closed at 11:59pm central time on Saturday June 30th. At that time all those who voted for me will be put into a hat and a winner will be drawn.

Up for grabs are two fun and beautiful focal beads. One with turquoise and yellow stripes, and the other with a blue and white encased swirl on black. Retail value of $32 but yours for free if your lucky

Click on photos for full view…

OK, well it’s not a bead at all I recently took a class with Loren Stump(who totally rocks!) and just like with every other class I’ve taken, it broadens my work and leads me down new paths.

I’ve done blown vessels in the past but never thought to turn them into sea shells or small vases. Thanks to Loren I’ve learned this fun new addictive technique. They are bit harder to make compared to a solid bead, due to the size and heating requirements. If you don’t keep the whole thing hot, it cracks and falls off the blow pipe ruining all the hard work and time put into it. At that point it usually ends up in the bucket of water and the process starts all over again. Its a tad discouraging when that happens, but they are fun to make and I hope to have some more blown sculptures list soon.

Alice of Stone Soup Jewelry who sells on Etsy, made this beautiful bracelet using 3 of my tribal lentil beads. The beads are accented with hammered sterling silver rings, topaz-colored glass rounds, sterling rope spacers, and finished off with a hand formed swan clasp.

I could go on and on about how much I love this piece but I think I will let the picture do the rest of the talking .

I originally intended on running a jewelry contest but after further consideration, I decided to change it to something a bit different and easier to do. Although I may bring back the customer jewelry contest idea in the future. I just didn’t want to exclude anyone who might not be the jewelry making type. So now everyone can play!

If you want to know how this new contest is going to work, check out the FAQ for all the information.

I know it’s the middle of May but I love running these contests and just might start the first one this week to sort of kicks things off. Stay tuned for the update!

When wearing this watch, time just might stand still for you. Only because you’ll be looking at this one of kind watch every chance you get. It was beautifully made by Kathi of Care to Bead using a number of my etched amber and purple spacer beads.

When shopping around and buying lampwork beads, would you rather buy focals, or is it sets of beads?

When it comes to making beads I have somewhat of a bead attention deficit disorder(BADD) and usually have a hard time making sets of beads. My mind is always all over the place wanting to try different designs. So if you look at my etsy store you’ll see 23 sets and almost 200 single items (buttons, pendants,focals). But I was thinking maybe I should just buckle down, concentrate, and get some sets done if that’s what is more in demand.

So what kind of buyer are you? If you select other, which I’m not sure what that other would be, let me know what it is by leaving a comment as well as your vote. I always like to include that option just in case

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If you know anything about folklore you know about the curse of the evil eye. People in the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Europe (and other areas I’m sure) believe that some people can bestow a curse on victims by the malevolent gaze of their magical eye. The evil eye means different things in different cultures, ranging from disease, bad luck, or even death. So those wanting to protect themselves from said afflictions would often wear jewelry containing the “Evil Eye” to ward off the curses and other bad mojo.

Since I have a show coming up where there will be mainly a psychic/spiritual crowd present. I thought the evil eye beads would be a good idea to bring with. They are fun to make and really unique, and hey, they might just save your life. OK that was a joke, or was it?!

If you were to buy one of my pendants (or any jewelry item for that matter) and had your choice of the necklace material to string it on, what would that be? If you choose “other” please leave a comment on what that “other” would be.

I am asking this because I would like to know if I should add other types of necklaces to my store besides the sterling silver chains already there.

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No, I don’t have a big ego. The weather is warming up finally and that means so is my glass studio, witch in turn makes me hot . Last summer was horrid! I got sick a couple times for not drinking enough H2O while working and sweating my butt off. Its hard to keep the room cool with the kiln running at 960 degrees and the torch going at 2000 degrees plus. But like they say “no pain, no gain” right? But I have no complaints believe me, making lampwork beads is a serious addiction. I enjoy every minute of it, sweat, heat and all.

I have my very first “show” coming up in about a month and I am trying to get at least 250- 300 items stocked up. I don’t anticipate a massive selling day but one can never be to prepared. Would hate to show up with 50 things, sell half and then have an empty table. I will be bringing mostly pendants and focal beads, some earrings, and maybe a couple bracelets as well. Wish me luck!