Introducing My Bead Soup Blog Hop Partner- Karla Morgan of Texas Pepper Jams

Guadalupe River under Interstate 35 in New Braunfels, Texas
image from Wikimedia Commons

 

 

 

 
My Bead Soup blog hop partner is Karla Morgan of Texas Pepper Jams  is from New Braunfels, Texas.  Karla and I have lots in common.  We have participated in the same blog hops together.  She has been in the Bead Soup Blog Hop 3 times.   We were both design partners for Blu Mudd and We are currently design partners for ZnetShows.  Karla is presently working on learning better techniques with patina and  torch.  She loves wire, copper, kumihimo, any kind of stones, seed beading working with leather, ribbon, macrame, etc.  I am also working on working with patina and metal.  I love all kinds of beads and textiles.  She and I have both been married to our husbands for over 3 decades.  She and I both enjoy traveling.

We differ in one major area.  One of her passions is cooking. She and her husband currently are involved in developing pepper jams, marinades, sea salts, salsas and pepper infused candies, in particular fudge, toffee, peanut brittle. They love creating new recipes that feature their jams.  Their cooking is available in their Etsy store Gruene Acres Cozy Kitchen.

Let us just say cooking is not one of my passions.  Eating is more my interest.  Lucky for me my husband is a good cook.

I do love making bead soup.  Look at the ingredients that I got from Karla for my Bead Soup!

Bead soup that Karla sent me

 Karla sent a wonderful mix of beads--agate from Guadalajara, Mexico, coral, chinese crystals, lava, shell, carnelian, jade, and moss jasper.  She included a vintage lucite focal that was her grandmothers, and a copper clasp that she made.  I appreciate her thoughtfulness in giving me lucite that was her grandmother's.  Of course, her mix would have to include the map of Texas that she made from copper.  I am looking forward to creating with this rich soup.  Stop by May 6, 2014,  to see what I do as well as the hundreds of participants in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Hop.

Celebrating Spring with Inspired by Nature Online Magazine

Click to view Bay Moon Design Spring Collection 2014 on GLOSSI.COM

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back and relax as you enjoy looking through "Inspired by Nature"online magazine.  It contains some of my newest spring jewelry and cards from my new as well as some favorite recipes, spring sayings, fashion tips. 
 

Earrings Everyday Challenge: March 2014

Golden Pearls with Brown Crystals by BayMoonDesign

This month's Earrings Everyday Challenge gave me the opportunity to create some earrings fit for a special spring occasion.  For this challenge I focused on the rich brown and beige colors and circular and angular patterns in the challenge picture.  

Potter's The Tailor of Gloucester

When I was a child Beatrix Potter's books fascinated me.  As a mother, I made sure that the Easter bunny always brought one along with chocolate and jelly beans.  You tell I love this month's Earrings Everyday Challenge.  The image from Potter's  The Tailor of Gloucester has much to be inspired by in it! I can't wait to see what others were inspired to create from this piece.

Thinking about Spring Fever Challenge by As I Stare at My Bead Table Wednesday

Spring Flever Challenge beads beads are on my table today

My bead table has a lot on it today.  I am finishing a bracelet which involves wire wrapping lots of dangles.  It doesn't involve much creative thought just time so I have my Spring Fever Challenge beads on the table so I can think about what I want to do with them.  There are 3 packs which consists of a surprise flower focal set from Lesley Watt of TheaElements, a  bird bead set from Caroline of Blueberribeads and a length of red silk from Claire of Smitten Beads.   All 3 ladies are from the United Kingdom. Each bead is handmade and individual.  Everyone in this challenge has different beads.  We can make as many or as few designs as we like with our pack, and can add anything we like from our own stash. We must keep our plans a secret until the reveal and blog hop on April 16th. The only thing I know for sure is that I won't be using the sweet leaf bead because I broke it within the first minutes of getting it out of the package when I dropped it on the ceramic floor of my condo in Florida.  I am really sad about that!  I have applied patina to some natural brass leaves just in case I might want to use a leaf, but I just don't know yet.  Stop by on April 16 to see what I end up doing.  Also, there are some terrific jewelry designers involved in this challenge and I can't wait to see what they do.

If you would like to see what others shared today from their tables, links to these Bead Table Wednesday blogs can be found on Heather Powers blog.   Next Bead Table Wednesday Blog will be March 31.

Celebrate Spring 2014 with Creative Spark

One of  BayMoonDesign's  designs using ZnetShows gorgeous pink crystals

The Spring 2014 issue of 'Creative Spark' has been released.

This online magazine is full of stunning pieces from the ZnetShows design team using their Chinese crystals and sea glass. There are also inspiring quotes, a  book review, beautiful spring palettes, crafty tips, and more. As a  ZnetShows designer, I received some gorgeous beads to create with.  I have several pieces in this issue.  So, get a cup of coffee or tea, and sit back and enjoy this issue. 
 

Click to view Creative Spark - Spring 2014 on GLOSSI.COM

Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge-Week 4

 
It is Week 4 of the Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge and this week's assignment:
Make some findings and use them in your jewelry.  It can be earwires, clasps or chain.  You can make them out of anything - anything.  Wire, metal, beads, seed beads, polymer clay, metal clay - whatever is calling your name, jump in and give it a try!

I desperately needed this assignment to push me in a direction that I have been resisting.  I looked at Heather Powers suggestions for projects and selected her sun clasp as a project that I would like to tackle.

Sun Clasp by Heather Powers

I have some copper wire that looked to be the right size for the project and I gathered my tools and I studied  her written directions and drawings which are shown below.  I also looked at the Video from Beaducation on creating the perfect wire spiral.

Sun Clasp

Materials & Tools:

16 gauge copper wire, round & chain nose pliers, wire cutters, small anvil and ball peen hammer.

1. Cut 8" of wire. Create a wire spiral, turning the wire 6 times around the center with the flat nose pliers. Hammer the spiral flat and texture with the ball peen hammer. Push your thumb against the underside of the spiral to give it some dimension.

2. Make a loop at the end of the wire and turn it under the spiral.

3. Wire-wrap a loop at the other end, trim wire.

 

 

To make the simple wire clasp, I cut 3 inches  of wire and used a  hammer and added texture as in step one. (Tip: you can use a sharpie marker to create the large loop on the clasp. 

 I followed directions Simple clasp from Connie Fox.

Sun Clasp by BayMoonDesign

I am happy to report that the project is done.  I found making the sun clasp easier than the simple clasp.  I admit to not following Heather's advise and using a Sharpie because I didn't have one, but I will get one for the next time. Connie's directions are excellent but I ended up with a different shape than Heather's.  Next time,  I will try for Heather's design and then I will have 2 designs to use.

 I am calling this a success!


What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.  

 

Bead Table Wednesdy and March Art Bead Scene Challenge

Wing Necklace available in BayMoonDesign Etsy store

Today is all about finishing my wing necklace for the March Art Bead Scene Challenge.

Birds on Riser from Adolf Dietrich and Brandi Hussey's color palette for it

I love birds so I was thrilled to see them in the March Art Bead Scene Challenge piece Birds on Riser from Adolf Dietrich.  I love the colorful birds in the foreground.  I thought about using a bird as a focal, but when I saw Brandi Hussey's color palette for the challenge I was reminded of a green clay wing that I had by Blueberribeads.  The green wing and some green czech beads I had were perfect colors for this.  I wanted to add some brightness and use orange and brown so I took a natural brass chain and applied some orange and brown patinas to it.  I also used some orange seed beads.  Since the art is has simple lines, I created a necklace that is uncluttered and has clean lines. 

I now feel satisfied with my finished necklace  inspired by Birds on Riser .

Mojo Challenge Week 3: Back to School to Create a Dream Catcher

Dream Catcher Necklace

Heather Power's Assignment for Week 3:
It's time to go back to school! Learning something new is a super way to get your jewelry making mojo kicked into high gear.  Find a project in a book, magazine or online (tutorials and videos are perfect for this challenge) and create a piece of jewelry inspired by the project.

I found a perfect project for this assignment.  I won a Dream Catcher Kit by Erin Siegel awhile back and decided this was the perfect time to pull it out and complete.  The kit contained everything I needed except the chain to finish this necklace.  I added a Vintaj natural brass chain and clasp to finish it.  For anyone interested in doing it without the kit Erin had a great Dream catcher tutorial as well as lots of information about the origin and legend of the dream catcher on her blog.  It is a fun project that anyone can do.

Week 3 assignment -DONE!

Bead Table Wednesday

Hot Pink, Triple Wrap Bracelet available in my BayMoonDesign Etsy Shop

Bead Table Wednesday is designed to help share what is on our table today.  This hot pink leather, triple wrap bracelet is done and moving off of my table and into my online Etsy store.  Sometimes it just takes one bead that lands on your table to inspire you to get a piece finished.  That was the case with this hot pink bracelet.  I had all of the parts to this bracelet on my table for awhile when I got this pretty pink flower charm by Humblebeads with a recent order.  Right away I new it was perfect for this hot pink leather, triple wrap bracelet.  I am so glad Heather included it in a recent order.  It motivated me to make this spring bracelet.

AJE February Challenge-Fluttering Hearts

Lavender Heart by Melissa Merman

Way back in January, I spotted some gorgeous hearts on an Art Jewelry Elements Blog by Melissa Merman.  She hand-fabricated them with copper, with enamel and glass frit and asked for voluteers to use them in a piece of jewelry.  Of course, I volunteered and lucked out. I was picked!   If I had a chance to select the heart that I wanted it would have been the lovely lavender one that I got.

Fluttering Hearts by Melissa Meman

All of the Melissa's  hearts are just over an inch in diameter and are organically formed of copper, enameled and embellished with glass frit.  Connector holes are varied.  My heart has 2 holes on top sides and 1 at bottom.  The heart at the bottom is just perfect for the tiny silver key that I attached.  Since the heart is metal, I thought that using all metal would work well.  I took a natural brass chain, lobster clasp, and some jump rings and put blue patinas on them to match the blues in the lavender heart.  I added a crystal dangle with lime to bring out that color from the heart.  I ended up with a lavender heart necklace that I love!  Thank you Melissa!

Lavender Heart Necklace available at BayMoonDesign Etsy Store

Please visit Melissa's blog to see what the others did with their heart.