Fran's Blog

Back in Grenada

2011-12-14T11:16:00.000-05:00

I'm glad to be back in paradise as of December 6th. However, it hasn't been the usual laid-back experience so far. I was invited to be part of a "Jewelry Party" on the 9th and a Christmas Bazaar on the 11th. It hadn't even been a month since my last showing at the Wearable Art Sale and I was busy trying to get packed and organized for our 5 month stay in Grenada. There wasn't a lot of time to increase inventory.

Both the party and the bazaar were held at the same venue, True Blue Bay Resort. There is a lovely, covered area right on the water that they call the Dodgy Dock and is normally where you can sit down for a meal or lime it up at night with live music and beverages. The owners have kindly let me download some of their photos so I can talk up their resort. I've got a link to the right that you can click to check out their web site. Click on the "Specials" tab, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Click here to see some of our past events". There's a little bit of info there about the Easter and Christmas Bazaars.

All my sales here have been successful. Is it the lack of tourists in London, Ontario that make jewelry sales here a bit bleak? Who knows. Just one more reason to stay in Grenada!

Free Pricing Tool

2011-12-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

I received this pricing tool from the folks at Bead Manager Pro and would like to pass it along. It's great for making sure that you are using the most up to date price for gold and silver when pricing your jewelry pieces. This link will take you to BMP's Facebook page where you can find the info.

Gold Pricing Sheet

Computer Consternation

2011-11-07T15:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I still don't have access to a web browser on my Macbook. I have a new screen and another hard drive, but we haven't been able to get in touch with the guy who is going to do the fixing. Luckily (ha!) I have a Toshiba labtop I can use to surf the web. PC's suck. But as far as uploading photos and copying files, well everything that I could possibly need is on the Mac. I'd like to start my Etsy Store (yes, finally decided that I should do this), but I have no access to my banners, product photos or pricing information. I'll need my Mac for the show this weekend (see previous post), so it can't really go away this week anyway. As long as it's fixed before we leave for Grenada.

So I'm concentrating on getting ready for this weekend's show, and packing for Grenada, of course. Wouldn't you know it... I finally got word about the Christmas craft show in Grenada and it's Dec. 11. We arrive Dec. 6. I really hate that kind of pressure, but I think I will sign up for it anyway. That is if I have any inventory left! I was complaining to my neighbour Clifton about the possibility of a small inventory. He says, "heck, you just tell dem dat you sold evryting"! Yes, he's an island man and has a totally different perspective on life than us uptight Canadians.

Here's my "to do" list" for the show:
- make some more stretchy bangle style bracelets
- paint 3 photo clip stand bases black to match colour theme ( I will use these to hang the few earrings that I have this weekend and to use at the Market in Grenada where I sell souvenir-type jewelry)
- print sign for crystal ring prices and place in plastic photo frame
- nag Jason to print large sign with my name to put on the front of my table
- figure out how sign will hang from front of table - velcro? - magnets?
- get consignment items from Yoga place to put in show

And just because I think it's sacrilege to have a blog entry without a photo:

These are "S" scrolls. When we get to Grenada, I'll be pulling out the wire working tools and making some "S" scrolls. Yes, I'm branding myself. This "S" will stand for Selinger (and stupendous, super, self-aggrandizing...) and I will add little charms like these to my work as my signature. With these, I won't need to buy a hand stamp to make tags because I can make them myself! I really wanted to use an "F", but the stupid little cross-bar wouldn't co-operate. Effin' thing.

The Wearable Art Sale

2011-10-28T08:42:00.000-04:00

I'm looking forward to being a part of this show. I'm worried that it might be too "posh" for regular 'ol me, but it looks like a great venue to showcase my own designs.

See information about each artist on their blog:
The Wearable Art Show Blog

Please come!

New Place to Shop - as if I needed more...

2011-09-30T09:36:00.000-04:00

Indie Spotting

Computer Day

2011-09-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

I spent today on the computer, catching up on the electronic portions of my business. First, I entered recent supply acquisitions into my inventory software, Bead Manager Pro. This is very easy to use and makes pricing almost (almost!) enjoyable. Unfortunately, it took a while. My computer has always been slow and I don't know what to do to fix it. I've been reading Clive Cussler's "The Kingdom" during the hang times!

I tried on Sunday to enter some new items into my Facebook store. The app, called Payvment, can be very frustrating. If you try to edit any store preferences while entering the product, you lose all the information that you just typed in. And if you think you did something wrong and try it again? It does exactly the same thing! Today's attempt was more successful. Click on my Facebook link on the right to get to my business page, then click on "Shop Now" in the left hand menu.

Now available are the cat's eye Cube Trio Ring (at a new price!) and a new bracelet style that I'm calling "City Lights". It's made using square stitch, 3.4mm drops and 6/0 seed beads.

I was inspired by "In the Fast Lane" by Doris Coghill as published in Beadwork magazine June/July 2011. I sold one the first day I wore it for it's "test drive". Nice, eh?

8th Annual Tailgate/Giant Yard Sale

2011-09-17T06:49:00.001-04:00

Today, Jason and I will be at the Kiwanis Seniors Community Center on Riverside Dr. for their annual sale. We're selling "Moving to Grenada" stuff and my jewelry. Help us get our home ready for renters!

FranMade Sale!

2011-08-06T21:46:00.000-04:00

Get 10% off during my "ArtFire Studio Closing" Sale. ArtFire will no longer be offering a free selling feature, so it's asta la vista baby. Their only other option is paying a monthly fee, whether I sell anything or not. So, I'll keep adding items to my (free) Facebook store and am continuing to consider Etsy as an online selling point.

10% off!

Pricing Handmade Jewelry

2011-07-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

I thought I would share with you an excellent article by Jodi Bombardier about several aspects of pricing handmade jewelry. It is a process that I'm sure every jewelry maker struggles with.

Article

I have a large project list that I want to get to, but first I want to make a photo book of some of my past work. I usually have a slide show going on my laptop at shows, but with my next show, I won't have access to a power plug. I looked at Snapfish and some with downloadable software that I nixed right away, but will be going with Costco. I find them very efficient and pick up is easy.

Time to Post a New Creation

2011-06-20T16:03:00.000-04:00

I'm kinda stuck in a creative "writer's block", so I'll post some of my recent creations. It'll make me feel like I've been working hard!

The first piece was for my best, and favourite customer, my Aunt Dot. She loves the colour blue and one night we were looking at all the pendants that she doesn't wear, so I offered to make her one for Christmas. Of course, I didn't get to it by Christmas and couldn't do it until I got back from Grenada, so she received it in May!

The stone is called "Denim" Lapis Lazuli and is quite beautiful. I ordered it from Rio Grande, along with the sterling silver wire. I have Dale "Cougar" Armstrong's book, Wirework, but I haven't really taken to working with square wire. And her designs are just waaaay out there. Maybe my tastes will change as I learn more, but somehow I kind of hope not quite to that extent! I still need more practice with this technique, but Dot doesn't mind being my guinea pig.

Here's a bracelet I call "Aqua Twist" with my colour design from a Beadwork magazine pattern:

Finally, here are some more stretchy bangles to add to my inventory. This style seems very popular and is very budget-friendly...hmm... hence is popularity?! Both are made with size 6/0 seed beads and the one on the left is from a mix called Earth Tones and the one on the right is called just plain ol' Copper.

I bought these beads at Len's Mill Store, a hidden treasure for beads and a whole lot of other goodies. I went back recently and was disappointed to find that they had raised their prices! Darn. A $2.99 40g tube is now $3.99. Despicable. My complaint was met with a shrug. Hmmph. Story of my life.

No Time to Play With My Beads...

2011-06-05T15:26:00.001-04:00

I'm up on this social networking, but I don't really like the time it takes away from actually beading. I've opened a store on Facebook. (click on Blog title for link) I figure since I do my socializing on Facebook, I should have an easy way for people to find a link to buy my jewelry. I'm wondering if there is any easy way to transfer my ArtFire items to this store. Anyone know? I'll have to do some research.

I only have one item posted, but if you go to my business page, /FranMade, look for "Shop Now" on the left hand menu. Just click on that and it will take you to my store. I'm still working on presentation, so welcome any tips, especially a heads up on typos. Here's a screen capture of the page:

Earring Survey

2011-05-25T12:10:00.000-04:00

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Handmade Festival May 7, 2011

2011-05-10T09:22:00.001-04:00

http://handmadefestival.ca/

This was my second craft sale of 2011. My second sale of my beading life. It wasn't as successful as the one in Grenada, but very successful still. It was a great group of people and it's always fun and educational to schmooze with other jewelry makers. It was "Free Comic Book Day" at the main London Public Library, so the customer base was slanted toward young people in super-hero costumes. Oh well, it was very entertaining!

My booth had pretty much the same set up as in Grenada, but I added some display items that I had ordered from Eddies Hang-Up Display Ltd., a Canadian company. I had a mirror, a bracelet t-bar, a velvet lined tray and a business card holder. The necklace t-bar was back-ordered, but I had some photo holders that I bought at a yard sale that did the trick. In Grenada, instead of the bracelet t-bar, I used a wire kitchen mug hanger. That worked well too, even if it was a bit rusty! I'll have to upload the pics from my camera and post them too.

I had a nice beach theme going with some shells and a soft blue and white wrap to simulate a wave. I also had a slide show playing on my computer. I felt that I didn't have a lot of inventory and what I had definitely didn't fully reflect my work. I chose 123 images and ran them on Image Browser's slide show. One technical problem did arise - the screen kept going to sleep and going black. After some browsing and some good guessing, I figured out how to turn off the sleep function.

If anyone knows of an upcoming craft sale in November, I would be very glad to know the details. In the meantime, I'm looking for a venue here in London to show my jewelry. Any ideas?

Please vote!

2011-05-08T15:44:00.000-04:00

I am starting to enter some of my pieces into contests. "Althea" was entered into a Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Jewelry-Making Contest, and now "Flying Cubes" has been entered into an ArtBeads contest for Mother's Day.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get Christina to do the photograph - she would have done something funkier. But I guess there's nothing wrong with "what you see is what you get". If you would like to vote for "Flying Cubes", please visit Make it for Mom Challenge. Thank you!

Crikey! I need a holiday!

2011-04-19T16:35:00.002-04:00

Here are a few new designs that I will be showing this weekend at the Easter Bazaar:

The first bracelet is made from a seed from a tropical tree called a flamboyant tree. The second bracelet is made of size 8/0 beads with the peyote accent made with size 10/0. Next time I think I will do the accent in larger beads to save time.

The rings are made with Parawire 20g non-tarnish craft wire. It is so easy to work with. I had been making rings for a client in half-hard sterling silver and did my hands and fingers ever get sore! I'll have to try some dead soft and see how that is for these wrapped rings if they're going to be popular. Here are some made with the sterling silver (except for the little one on the bottom right):

My favourite? The little one on the bottom right!

I'm scrambling to be ready for the show on Saturday. With Friday being a holiday, I sure better be ready by Thursday. I'm having 2 small signs printed as well as more business cards because I didn't know I'd be needing enough for a craft show! I usually get them printed at "Selinger Inc." (get it? inc.? ink?!) and the price is better, but unfortunately, they're not available at the moment. :-(

Back to the beads!

P.S. If you can tell me how to get my white background to actually look white, I will be ever grateful.

Direction, Direction, Direction

2011-03-12T13:58:00.000-05:00

I think I've answered the "location" question. You know: location, location, location. Grenada is "it", definitely. Where else can you get a goat on your front porch...

... or cute little piglets scampering in your backyard?!

As to our future specific location, the house construction is speeding right along. Jason and Frank work long, hard hours. By the end of this visit, they'll have the back part of the house containing bedroom, store room and kitchen ready to lock up until next year. Next year will see construction of the other half: bathroom and sitting room. Here's the progress so far:

And what does all this have to do with beading, you say? Well, I've been selling my jewelry here in this location called Grenada and I've been pleasantly surprised at some of the options that have opened up for me.

First of all, I've sold more of my "Independence Day" collection at the Market in town. (Little happy dance.)

Secondly, I've been offered a space, for free, at one of the largest craft bazaars here in Grenada. It takes place around Easter and I have just found out that vendors have to be invited in order to sell there. (Bigger happy dance and swollen ego.)

Lastly, a fashion designer has opened a new store and wants me, ME, to make some jewelry to accent her clothing displays. (Holy, hippy, hair-shaking, happy dance!)

So, I'm heading off in a few different directions, maybe too many! I guess I'd better get beading!

Nicely Off Track - Althea Herringbone Bracelet

2011-03-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to say that I'm completely off track with my list of projects. I had someone offer to do my hair in exchange for a bracelet. This herringbone beauty is named after its owner, the beautiful Althea. I'm particularly proud of this one as it is my own design. Influenced by many, but placement of stitches, colour palette and colour pattern I feel are "mine". I won't tell you how many times I started it, only to have to rip it apart again!

I have another herringbone bracelet that I want to do in blues with silver. The stones down the middle will be crystal bicones. I don't have a pattern to go from, so my "practice with this magenta one should provide lots of helpful experience!

By the way, my prop - the sea shell- usually decorates the earth under a lovely coral coloured hibuscus shrub growing just outside our door.

Independence Day Jewelry

2011-02-04T09:54:00.000-05:00

This year, Grenada celebrates its 37th year of independence. I'm hoping to celebrate too by selling some jewelry. I've been busy making rings, bracelets and cell phone straps in the Grenadian national colours: red, green and golden yellow. My friend Rhonda is selling them for me at her booth in the St. George's market where she sells all kinds of local spices. I should get a photo of my display: I found a nice coral fan with branches from which to hang "de tings". I traded the vendor an earring/necklace set for it and he put it on a good flat base so that it stands nice and sturdy.

The larger seed beads are from Caravan Beads and the smaller, size 10/0 beads are from Len's Mill Store in London.

Pricing has been a real headache. For the rings and bracelets, I'd just be happy to get enough money to cover the parts. With the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC) being worth 2.7 times the Canadian Dollar, the prices soon get out of reasonable range, without having even added overhead or mark up. I'm more happy and comfortable with the pricing for the cell phone straps. These are going for $10EC. Maybe when the prospective buyers see this price, they'll grab up the bracelets thinking they're a bargoon! The glass fish beads are made in India and a got a great price for them at BeadBabe.com.

I don't have any photos of the rings, but they're basically like the bracelets, only, well, smaller. A few have added bicone crystals and a few, to match a bracelet, come in a set of three - one red, one green and one gold.

I'm a little relieved at being able to put away my Grenada beads. I'm looking forward to getting back to some beadweaving. Of course, I still have to finish a few Christmas gifts that have been rather delayed. This will require mostly wire work. Always a daunting challenge, but always worth it. Here's a good tip for doing wire work in Grenada: always make sure that you first wash all the fresh grapefruit juice off your hands before starting!

Beadwork: Herringbone Stitch - Basics and Beyond - Interweave

2011-01-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

Beadwork: Herringbone Stitch - Basics and Beyond - Interweave

Just in case anyone feels like buying me a gift... this is my favourite stitch.

Soon I'm going to post some pics of the jewelry that I'm making for Grenada's Independence Day, Feb. 7.

Soon, I promise. Pass the rum, please.

2010-12-14T18:43:00.000-05:00

If you're on my Christmas list, close your eyes. These just might be for you! I haven't gotten as far as I would like with my list, but these are done.

My thanks go to Ellen Leclaire, a local jewelry artist, for inspiring the design. (Gems by Ellen) We've never actually met, but somewhere in virtual "handmade land", I came across her signature earring design and admired them greatly. She was very kind to share her technique with me and gave me permission to make a pair of my own. I changed them a little, but the basic idea was Ellen's.

Copyright is an important issue in jewelry making and inspiration is everywhere. I don't sell a lot of my pieces, most of the jewelry that I make is for myself and given as gifts, but I always try to give credit to the original designer, especially if I have used their tutorial. Bead & Button magazine has a simple outline of jewelry design ethics and can be found here: Beaders' Ethics.

I need to do some bead shopping before leaving for Grenada, but the weather is certainly a consideration! I'm only going out in emergencies... are beads an emergency? Yup.

Everyone drive safely!

Some Catching Up

2010-11-23T13:08:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos showing the herringbone rope necklace and bracelet that I made for my Aunt Dorothy. The necklace was a commission and the bracelet was a birthday gift and a small attempt at letting her know how much she is appreciated.

We both are extremely happy with them.

Herringbone is one of my favourite stitches; it's right up there with peyote. I will have to post some links to some designers and their work that I admire.

Sorry for neglecting you, Blog.

2010-11-23T00:23:00.016-05:00

I haven't had the productive summer that I was hoping for, but I have been working on some new designs and adding to my project list. Sometimes it hard to focus on what I need to be doing with so much on the go.

Beading Projects:

simple rings and bracelets for Grenada's Independence Day
more intricate projects using Grenada colours (red, green, golden yellow)
bracelet promised to owner of craft store in Grenada
continue to add to my inventory
commission items
repairs
keep track of consignment items
Christmas gifts
jewelry for bartering photo services (thanks Christina!)
jewelry I absolutely need for my wardrobe

coordinating green ring
completed brown swirly ring!
bright pink watch band
eye glass "leash"
necklace with tree agate pendant
necklace with jasper links
herringbone lariat
etc.!

I'm hoping that with my next post I can provide some photos for you. I was hoping to post them sooner, but you can "blame it on Vegas"!

New concept for my blog: a Survey

2010-11-22T23:59:00.000-05:00

Please take part in my easy-peesy survey. No brain strain with this one. Once I see how it works, perhaps I can challenge you with one that has a little more depth. Thank you!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Sterling Silver wire does not like me.

2010-08-27T21:05:00.000-04:00

I'm in a wire wrapped ring phase. Dilemma: I take pride in the fact that I use quality components in my jewelry, but I am finding craft wire so much easier to work with. The sterling silver is just too springy and I can't control it. I've been using Artistic non-tarnish wire and I really like it. I needed to order some more, but found a good deal on Parawire, which I assume is the same. I shall soon find out.

Here's what I've been working on:

I'm really disappointed in the light grey Swarovski pearls. You can see patches where the finish has scraped off. I got some darker grey ones from a different supplier (Northern Beads) and they seem ok. I hate to dis Beads & Plenty More, 'cause they've been able to help me many times when I needed something last minute . I wonder if maybe they were in storage for too long. Or maybe they weren't really Swarovski. I should really take them back. I'll have more ring pics later next week.

New Artfire Tool

2010-08-07T11:08:00.000-04:00

As you know, I have my creations for sale on Artfire.com. They now offer users the opportunity to put together a "Collection" of products, theirs or otherwise. Mine won't appear on the front page because I am only a "basic" member, but it's still fun. I can do the same in photoshop, and in fact spent most of a day working on it. I was designing a new business card. I still needs more work. A business card ends up really, really small. The way it is now, I'd have to give out jeweller's loups with each card!

Wouldn't it be great to have enough time to have a fabulous website and make jewellery?!

The FranMade Bead Weaving Collection

Curated By: FranMade

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Beads from Nature: The Tagua Nut

2010-07-10T20:28:00.001-04:00

I just bought a large tagua nut bead to use as a necklace pendant. I really like this "sustainable" bead source idea and wanted to share.

The Tagua Nut

Da Ring is Da Ting

2010-07-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

Rings are fun. As I mentioned in the previous post, they are great for those of us who need instant gratification. All of these rings are now posted for sale in my Artfire Studio.

I found a pattern that I really wanted to try: Flirty Flower Rings. I think I found the pattern at auntiesbeads.com, but I do know that the designer is Shanna Steele. Her ring looks like this:

I really liked the look of the ring and it looked easy to make, but I didn't like the 4 crystals on the outside of the six-petal flower. I ended up giving to a friend.

The day started as a designated "Grenada Collection" research day. I wondered if I could make the Flirty Flower using Grenada's national colours, red, green and yellow. Not a keeper, but one to keep in mind if I ever have a "Christmas Collection":

Now I wanted to try my version of this thing. I knew I could do better. So here is the FranMade Power Flower. (It didn't seem so "flirty" to me...) I like this look better, if I do say so myself.

I had some other crystals on hand so did some more experimenting and ended up with this:

It ended up with this really cool dome shape. A keeper!

Then I remembered that I needed to remake a ring that I had made in Grenada so that I would have a sample to display. I wanted to make a some jewelry as a "thank you" for one of my Grenada friends, Joan. (Jewelry makes great currency, especially in Grenada!) She doesn't wear a lot of jewelry, but admired one of my more simple crystal rings. Here is a version of what I made for her and is now christened "The Joan Ring":

We now have a good example of how obsessive this beading thing can be. I don't know why, but I just had to finish this next one that same day. Yes, my fifth ring of the day.

Whew. I have another ring to show off, but I definitely didn't work on it that day. This isn't a project that I can do in one sitting, but was very, very satisfying. I love doing the peyote stitch and just getting into the "zone". The square ring is a Swarovski crystal which they call "Bermuda Blue" in colour. The seed beads are made in Japan, but I think they had the same image in mind when they named them "Tropical Teal". I wish that we had a decent bead store in London because it's really hard to match colours from online images. The first teal colour that I tried just didn't work.

How else to end, but with a pun...

The Irish lass was disappointed with the engagement ring from her fiance because it was a sham rock.

Sneak Peak

2010-06-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

After making my aunt's long herringbone necklace, I needed a change. Rings are good because they make up fairly quickly. Am I one for instant gratification? You bet! Not that the big projects aren't just as satisfying.

I decided to remake some rings that I made as gifts and finish one ring that I had started in Grenada. Plus, now that I'm back in Canada, I have my go-to-gal Christina to take some professional photos. It's hard to make something you love and give it away. Really. It's always nice to have a photograph as a memento, especially if the piece was a bit of fluke and turned out really well!

Some of these rings I will post to sell on ArtFire and and at least one (can you guess?) will go into my Grenada Collection. The "Grenada Collection" so far consists of a lot of research, but not much finished product. I'll have to post on that more as it has been quite a challenge.

Glitzy Pearls Photo Cards from Zazzle.com

2010-06-02T11:32:00.000-04:00

Glitzy Pearls Photo Cards from Zazzle.com

Just experimenting with Zazzle.com. I'm getting fazzled.

Herringbone Blues

2010-05-28T16:43:00.000-04:00

My aunt admired my green herringbone necklace, but she's not really into green. She's very into blue. So I had to rack my brain to remember how to start off the tubular twisted herringbone stitch. You'd think I would be able to remember after making one necklace and two bracelets! Once I get the twist going, it's all about staying (mostly) focused and keeping a good rhythym going.

For those interested, these are 8/0 Toho seed beads, frosted silver-lined blue and transparent blue. The thread is Nymo D and I'm using a #10 needle. The wooden picture frame is from Valu Village and used to have a print in it of dark, shiny butterflies. It's great for keeping everything I need in one place. It's not completely cat proof, but nothing ever really is.

Buttons!

2010-05-26T14:06:00.000-04:00

I just have to share with you some amazing art/buttons that I found while surfing around the web today. (The heat is making me lazy!) I started at Handmade News Blog, and after much farting around, found this awesome Etsy store: Bas Relief: Handmade Buttons and Fashion Accessories. These buttons are definitely works of art. I was only going to post a sampling of 3, but there were so many cool ones, that I posted 5. I would love to use one of these on a peyote cuff.

Lovely Lambeth

2010-05-14T19:45:00.000-04:00

I now have six of my bracelets on consignment in Lovely Lambeth. Check out the bead supply store called Jewellery Werx in the Foodland strip mall.

Gift for Ma.

2010-05-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

I love my mother-in-law. While she may not have properly taught her eldest son (my hubby) to clean up after himself, she's still fabulous. It doesn't make up for all that she does for us, but I wanted to make her a bracelet as a thank you. At first she requested something blue, but admired these purple beads and my other herringbone bracelets, so voila!

Well, not really. The memory wire that I had experimented with - all my creations can properly be called experiments - kept poking out the ends. I had put loops on the ends, but they weren't big enough. Also, the wire had been exposed to the sea air and had started to rust. So, the bracelet came home with me on our last visit for a repair. I wanted to put silver ball ends on a new piece of memory wire. I bought some new memory wire and I already had some ends on hand. I tried gluing with GS hypo cement. I tried gluing with E6000. I tried gluing with super-glue-like Bead Fix. I have some 2-part epoxy on order, but I'm going to save my gluing experiments for another future bracelet.

I ended up putting large loops on the end of the wire. Man! Is this wire hard to work with! It put up a good fight, but I finally got the loops made. Apparently, you can heat the wire to soften it. More experimentation is definitely necessary. The bracelet didn't look quite right, so I added a dangle with some purple quartz chips.

I don't think I could make any two pieces of jewelry alike. I would always find ways of improving/modifying the second one. I wonder how many I'd have to make before I got the perfect version?...

Herringbone, herringbone.

2010-05-14T14:54:00.001-04:00

This is the one project that I really wanted to finish while in Grenada. It's for me, of course, and is definitely not for sale. I love green and a really like this twisted herringbone stitch. The wrapped wire clasp on the necklace was a challenge, but not too bad for my first attempt. Well, my first attempt with .925 sterling silver wire. I practiced first with some cheap copper wire!

My whole life, I have had bad luck with losing bracelets. Yes, I lost the original bracelet for this set somewhere near the Lagoon in Grenada. So the bracelet was actually made in Canada and just finished this morning. This clasp is called a "trailer-hitch" and works well, but would be really hard to operate if you had stubby finger nails.

(For those photography buffs out there... Christina did NOT take this picture. I'm improving, but it's definitely not up to her standard, so I wouldn't want to mislead you into thinking this was hers.)

Is it May already?

2010-05-07T11:35:00.000-04:00

My goodness. See the effect that Grenada has on me? It's taken me this long to get back into blogging!

I wanted to update my fans (I know you're out there even if you never leave any comments - hint, hint) on some of the jewelry that I made during my 2 month stay in Grenada. I wasn't as productive as I had hoped to be:

The in-laws were with us for 2 weeks. (Love you Ma and Pa!)
I was there during Independence Day, so had lots of requests for necklaces, bracelets and rings in the national colours
Children are very hard on jewelry and I ended up doing quite a few repairs.
The constant sea breeze made outdoor beading very challenging.
The sun sets early, and I didn't have a task lamp so light was limited.

Here are 2 items that I have just listed on Artfire, "Crytals and Lace" and "Spice Festival":

You can read more about them at www.franmade.artfire.com.

Back from Beadland

2010-01-12T18:41:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful adventure today. I visited 4 bead stores and met a bunch of other folks like me who love beads! Not finding some supplies that I needed in London, I headed out on the road in my '94 Jetta to Paris and Brantford.

Paris: 4 Sirius Beaders

What a lovely little store. Full of light and rows and rows of little baggies of beads filling the walls and counters. It was extremely well organized - all the work of Marion, who showed me what was where. I found almost everything I needed (mostly delicas), and then some. No tear drop pearls or 3mm cubes. Back through a kitchen, into a cozy dining room, a group of women were learning the square stitch and working on a pattern. Talk of beads followed, of course, and I wanted to stay and join them.

Brantford: Alexandra's Beads

Here, I was greeted by the owner, Alexandra. She has a surprising large shop, everything is clean and very, very stylish. I particularly enjoyed her selection of semi-precious stones, even though they were not on my list! She only had a few 3mm cubes, but I found something that would work, as well as a bead reamer. Alas, no luck on the pearls, but she offered to try to find some for me. I mentioned my trip to Grenada and we had an interesting chat about making beeds from palm tree seeds and other natural sources. We exchanged cards and she'll let me know if she can find the pearls that I'm looking for.

Brantford: Designing Sisters

Here, I was greeted by the store's dog. I didn't catch his name, but he was a cutie - a wonderful mix of collie and husky with ice blue eyes. Making and selling beads was the topic of conversation as I wandered around. After the beauty of the last two stores, this one seemed a little chaotic. However, they had a wide, interesting selection. I ended up buying another colour of 3mm cubes that I liked better than I had bought at the previous store. I found some great rhinestone sliders and rondelles that I will use with the pearls, if I ever get them! There was a tempting clearance section and a huge bin of mixed beads that you could paw through (pun intended) and buy by the bag.

Brantford: Flim Flam Craft Supplies

The clerk at Designing Sisters suggested this place, just on the off-chance that they had any pearls. As expected, they had arts and craft supplies with a pretty decent selection of beads, tools and supplies, for the size of the place.

What is it with Brantford? They have 3 decent beading stores only minutes apart. It's not fair. London, however, gained a little of my respect with my last stop.

London: Edwards Glass

I was in the area and remembered that an employee at Michael's had mentioned this place. Well known for their stained glass classes and supplies, they have also been stocking beads and beading supplies for about 6 months now and also offer jewelry making classes. Their selection is small, but the quality is definitely there. I bought some big (huge!) eye beading needles. Once I get back from Grenada, I'll get on their email list and find out more about new stock and sales offers.

What a wonderful day. Tomorrow will have to be a little quieter, but I'm happy because I now have everything that I need to take with me on my "little" holiday. Beads. Ahhhh...

I have official status.

2010-01-11T21:47:00.002-05:00

Two New Things for Me!

2010-01-06T12:39:00.001-05:00

I made these two for myself, but will definitely be making more. The first is an eyeglass holder and can be converted into an ID card holder. I will need this to hold my sunglasses while I'm in Grenada! The second is a peyote cuff with the closure toggle done in peyote too. It's a simple design, but that's what I seem to go for. I was going to embellish the sides, but decided not to.

Photos by Christina. Click on image to enlarge.

Russian Sand Bracelet

2010-01-03T20:06:00.000-05:00

I had a fairly stress-free holiday for the first time in years. Last year, I was still doing Christmas cards in February. This year, I even found time to bead!

I bought a kit from You've Got to be Beading to learn the russian spiral stitch. The instructions were not very helpful. I had found some intructions elsewhere in the meantime and ended up using those. I emailed them to complain and they were very apologetic and accomodating. They sent me more detailed instructions and added a free bracelet pattern. I really liked how they were open to my feedback. You don't get that very often these days.

Anyway, the kit was called Pearl Sands and in my hands, after several attempts, it became Russian Sand. I want to make another one, but with a magnetic clasp. You wouldn't believe how strong these little magnets are.

Happy New Year to all.

Gaining Popularity

2009-12-10T14:58:00.000-05:00

This seems to be a favourite among my customers... so far. I haven't even made one for myself yet! It's made with easy-to-handle size 6/0 beads and stretchy thread. Len's Mill Store has turned out to be a good source for czech beads.

Peyote Cuff Bracelet

2009-12-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

(Christina Cuff)

This was the second peyote cuff that I made. Peyote stitched beads feel really nice against the skin. I made a couple rings too, because they don't take as long and I wanted to practice. Did I mention that you stitch through every single bead, one at a time?!

I have discovered that there was a reason some of the first beads that I bought were cheap. Not round, not uniform, some with no holes, some whose colour ended up on my fingers... I like "Delicas", small beads from Japan, the best for weaving projects due to their uniform, cylindrical shape. They fit together like bricks. They are however, very small. Not good for someone with tremors!

(zipper pull done in peyote)

I have some beads lined up for a third cuff - this one will be for me! It will be similar to the one I made for Christina (see "Christina Cuff" above), but a dark brown colour, different closure and maybe some embellishments. OK, it will probably be nothing like Christina's! I will keep you posted.

Christmas Presents

2009-12-05T19:35:00.000-05:00

See? I really have been busy. So has my photographer, Christina (Studio Kuefner), as you can see by the photos. Hopefully I won't spoil the surprise for the recipients.

These first three are of a necklace and bracelet set made with dalmation jasper cubes and black round beads.

I made a dragonfly necklace for my Aunt Dot and had enough materials left over to make a second, more modern design.

This long lariat style necklace can be worn at least 3 different ways. Casual and fun. The large bead is a piece of coral that has been dyed a nice bright red.

Here's a zipper pull or cell phone charm for the coffee lover:

2009-12-02T15:34:00.000-05:00

I had fun making this choker. My only worry is the round aventurine beads: they are dyed and due to time constraints, they are from Michaels. Hopefully, the colour won't transfer. Next time I will give them a protective coating. Something else to buy!

(photos by me - I'm learning...)

Commissions are coming in...

2009-11-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

My aunt's friend Betty Jane admired the necklace that I made for my aunt, so I am now going to make a necklace for her granddaughter for Christmas. She's 14, the granddaughter that is, so I figure a multistrand with different 4mm purples.

The Christmas presents are coming, but I'm not enjoying the wrapped loops as much as peyote!

Photo is by Christina Kufner.

My cat attempts Celllini Spiral.

2009-11-12T22:06:00.000-05:00

We just got back from the vet where they removed a size 10 beading needing and several feet of size B Crystal Fireline from the mouth of my cat, Shadow.

I thought my husband had taken my latest project to have a look at the intricate and dazzling design. Hey, it could happen. I finally found the few inches of spiral on the living room floor, minus needle and a lot of working thread. And surprise, surprise, the cat was hiding in the basement.

The folks at the emergency vet clinic were fabulous and were able to take it out with some forceps. And the best? They did not charge us! All in all, just another minor adventure in the Selinger household...

I'm on Artfire!

2009-11-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

FranMade

I'm still not sure how this thing works, but I'm jumpin' in.

More Jewelry

2009-11-11T11:41:00.000-05:00

The photos aren't great, but I'm anxious to get some photos posted. You can click on them for a larger image.

First, is a cuff made with 6/0 seed beads with a button closure.

"Dainty Delica Bracelet" is a design from a book by Tammy Powley

called Making Designer Seed Bead, Stone, & Crystal Jewelry.

Lastly, a necklace that I designed to go with the

single spiral bracelet.

My first spiral bracelet.

2009-11-10T19:08:00.000-05:00