Birdie Branch Necklace Project

It's getting a little chilly out these days, so one of my favorite things is sitting inside with a warm cup of coffee or tea, and watching the birds flutter around in the trees. I made this necklace to think of these quiet moments with the birdies.

Here are the steps to make this project:

1. Cut three 24" pieces of cording. Line all three cord ends up together and insert into top hole of round woodland link. Move the link to the center of the cords.  Tie an overhand knot to secure the link in the center of the cords

2. Take all three cord ends on one side and trim so they are all even (this is the time to adjust for size to make a shorter necklace, if desired).  Put all three ends into a cord crimp and use chain nose pliers to fold the ends down onto the cords securely. Repeat this step on the other side to make the sides even.

3. Use chain nose pliers to open the figure eight loop and attach to one cord crimp.  Attach the hook clasp to the other crimp.  Use two pairs of chain nose pliers to attach the bottom of the woodland link to the top loop of the birdie link with the large jump ring.  Use the small jump ring to attach the bottom loop of the birdie link to the leaf and filigree charms.

Materials

1 ceramic woodland link

1 ceramic bird link

1 ceramic leaf charm

72" waxed cotton cord

1 large brass jump ring

1 medium brass jump ring

2 brass cord ends

1 brass hook clasp

1 brass figure eight loop

1 brass filigree drop

Tools:

Scissors

Two pairs of chain nose pliers

Think about using other colors to make this necklace, like mixing brighter seafoam and lime green with the earthtones for more of a springtime look!

Birdie Branch Kits are available on the Earthenwood Studio Etsy site here.


Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria.

October Monthly Challenge Prizes and Sponsors

Our wonderful sponsors for the September Monthly Challenge. 

We will have 2 lucky winners this month.

Earthenwood Studio

Melanie Brooks of Earthenwood Studio designs and handcrafts handcrafted ceramic jewelry, beading components and ceramic gift tiles. Melanie primarily uses porcelain clay. All of her charms and trinkets are formed by hand giving each a unique look. Melanie's work over the past couple of years have been of the Steampunk genre which has become very popular.

Melanie is donating the items show above worth $50.

 Visit Melanie on her website, blog, etsy shop #1, etsy #2, etsy #3 and Facebook.

: : :

Studio Marcy

Marcy Lamberson of Studio Marcy is a glass artist who loves making people smile through my whimsical beads and sculptures. Her little sculptures do make you smile! Marcy uses a torch and glass rods to create her characters. All are properly annealed for a long life in your collection of handmade beads.

Marcy is donating a $50 gift certificate to her etsy shop.

Visit Marcy on their website, blog, etsy and Facebook.
: : :

Submit photos of your wonderful creations using one or more Art Beads.

Revolving by Kirt Schwitters has with many different elements that can be used for inspiration: Circles, repetition, tones of green, blue and yellow, mixed media and assemblage.

We can't wait to see where your creativity takes you with the art for this months challenge! 

Please remember to put OCT ABS in the title or tag of your submission(s).  

Provide us with the artist of the Art Beads used and we always love to know all the materials you used. 
Art Beads MUST be used in your entry.

Studio Saturday with Earthenwood Studio

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

 

This weeks winner is Regina! Congratulations! You have won a Take Time message stick pendant.

Send Erin an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you.

This week we visit the studio of Melanie Brooks at Earthenwood Studio.

 

 I have had some changes at Earthenwood Studio in the past year.  This is not surprising, as a small business owner, especially one in the arts, has to constantly change and evolve.  This year has brought a change of sales venue for me, one that has changed to include new types of buyers.  I started selling most weekends at a very cool, artsy type of market called Rust Belt Market in the fashionable Metro Detroit city of Ferndale.  I found my work to be a good fit, but I also found myself adapting to the more urban and youthful customers who come to my booth to create their own jewelry.

 Jewelry and pendants with words on them have always been very popular for me.  I wanted to create a new line of jewelry with words that my new customers would like.  I became inspired by the urban landscape around me, particularly the textures and colors and style of graffiti on brick walls.  I thought this would be the perfect inspiration for my new word pendants.  I sell them at the Rust Belt and I also just started a new Etsy shop called Earthen Alternative to showcase them.

 Some words speak to us and affirm our beliefs and remind us of the things we treasure. I designed some pendants as amulets to remind us of some of those things.  Words like Peace, Home, Love, and Change.

 I have also been inspired by words that are sometimes used as insults or are derogatory, but which people are working to reclaim, to give them new meaning (or to take away their negative power by owning them). This has been the main focus of this line of pendants so far. I have chosen to work with some words that have more or an edge to them, words that can shock or unnerve or make you think.  I am not including any of "those" words here in today's post, to keep Art Bead Scene family friendly, but if you are curious you can click on over to my new shop to see them.

 This week, I have one Graffiti Tag pendant to give away. Leave a comment on this post and next week one random person will be chosen to win. The winner will be able to choose one pendant from the items available in the shop!

To enter to win, tell me about a piece of jewelry that you have or would like that features a favorite word.

Bead Show Shopping Tips

Humblebeads - booth 1212

As I prepare for the Bead & Button show, I have bead shopping and my bead budget on my mind.  Some years I have gone through the show and spent all my money in one aisle. Other years I had a well mapped out plan.  Most of my time I wander aimlessly buying whatever catches my eye as I suffer from stimulation overload.

So you hear "have a budget" all the time and that's easy enough - total cash on hand with credit available, add in first born, plan to eat crackers & oatmeal for 3 days, sleep 6 to a hotel room and there you go!  But a budget is more than a number - to get the most out of those dollars, you need a plan!

1. Research Tools. If you are planning on adding new tools, do a little research before the show and visit booths that sell them.  You can grab them in your hands, in some cases you can see a demonstration or give it a test drive.  This is the time to ask the experts questions and get some insider tips on using on a certain tool.  Decide beforehand if you will actually buy the tool there, have it shipped home or order it online when you get back.

Golem Design Studio - Booth 111

2. Take stock of your bead boxes before you go.  What do you really need?  Most of us would probably say, nothing really, but I want everything!  I'm low on clasps, bugle beads, small faceted stones.  Those are on my list. 


3. Make a Plan.  Do you have focal beads that have been sitting in your bead box forever - snap a pic of it or bring it along to find some accents.  Smart shopping is a combination of pairing up what you already have with great finds.  I've had shoppers arrive at my booth with a strand of beads, looking for the perfect focal.  One year my friend Erin shopped with a series of paintings she had printed out and was on the hunt for beads to match the color schemes. 

Julie Nordine - Booth 1134

4. Window shop before the show.  Visit websites, Facebook pages and subscribe to mailing lists of your favorite bead artists and shops that will be at the show - they often send out coupons or special deals.  You can also get a sneak peek of new work. 

5. First things first - visit your favorite bead artists at the start of the show.  They are more likely to sell out of the beads you really have your heart set on! 

Lisa Peters Art - Booth 1213 & 1215

6.  Is it in your budget to buy larger quantities?  Some vendors offer wholesale or discounts for larger orders.  If you are creating a series of designs for upcoming events, this could be a smart move.
 
7. Plan for the unexpected surprise - add a little cushion in your budget for new found items. 

8. If you have a lot of art beads in your stash, be on the lookout of spacers and accent beads from your favorite artists, you'll find the perfect match for those focals.  Add in just a few stones or glass beads and some chain for quick and easy designs.

Earthenwood Studio - Booth 1127

 9. Buy the unusual - now is not the time to stock up on headpins.  (Unless you stumble upon the deal of the century for them!) Look for art beads, stones and new items that you can't find easily at home or online.  

10. Do you have past Bead & Button purchases haunting you, deals you picked up that have sat in your bead box?  Don't let them take up mental space and keep you from buying beads that will bring more inspiration into your studio.  Either pull them out and whip up some simple designs to sell in the next two weeks or have a destash sale and send them along to a new home.  Not only will be feel less guilty about those past purchases, you'll have some extra cash in your pocket for new beads!  Win, win my friends.

Green Girl Studios, Booth 1203 & 1205

Hot Links:

Bead & Button Show
Exhibitor List

Lori Anderson shared a great post with tips for shopping at a bead show.

Disclaimer: Budget - who am I kidding?  Do you see those photos above???  And that's just what I KNOW is going to be there.  I'll be in trouble the moment I walk in the door.