Happy Fourth of July Sales at BayMoonDesign and on First Friday Art Walk

 

 

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful fourth of July weekend of family and friends.  

 

 I am offering a 10% discount in my BayMoonDesign Etsy shop this weekend to help you find some jewelry and cards for your summer occasions.  Just use the coupon code INDEPENDENCE at checkout  to get the discount.

 

 

A few of my new summer pieces that available for purchase here.

 

This is also  First Friday Art Walk Weekend Event at many other Etsy shops. 

Every month the members of the AWETeam (Art Walk Etsy Team) come together to share their new, seasonal appropriate, holiday, etc work on our "event" thread.

 

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by Patricia Johnson

 Make sure to check out all of the individual items that  AWETeam (Art Walk Etsy Team) are showing off this month during First Friday Art Walk Weekend.

Bead Table Wednesday-SUP

My Stand Up Paddleboard

Bead Table Wednesday was started by Heather Powers and is for sharing what is on our bead table.  This week I have a pair of earrings inspired by SUP.

If you don't know what SUP means that means you don't live near a body of water like an ocean, river, lake, or pond.  SUP is short for Stand Up Paddleboarding.  I found a wonderful article on how the get started with stand up paddleboarding.  It is a great sport that you can get into for about $1,000.  That will get you a good board and paddle.  You can also rent the equipment just about anywhere near a body of water.  I always recommend renting equipment before investing.  You can even get inflatable ones which makes the board extremely portable.  This type comes with its own air pump, paddle and traveling case.  I don't recommend starting out with an inflatable one, but after you master a regular one, you would be fine with the inflatable and can enjoy the benefits of having a very portable board that can even go on an airplane.

Lewes Beach Delaware

The advantage to this new sport is that it enables you to enjoy the sights and sounds of a body of water and get a great work out.  I have tried this out on Blackwater Sound in the Florida Keys and Lewes Beach Delaware.  My first ocean venture was Sunday morning when the beach was relatively empty.  I didn't want an audience!  I did pretty well for my first venture on the ocean.  I did learn that 1 foot waves are not idea for a novice like me.  I may do some more practicing on the pond by our home before giving the ocean another try.  It was a lot of fun and I highly recommending giving it a try.

As I mentioned my adventure gave me the inspiration for a great pair of beachy earrings.

Seashell Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I love the yellow of the lampwork and the delicate shells.  What looks like sand on the yellow is a fun feature on these earrings.  I think they are perfect earrings for a summer day and are available for purchase HERE.

What are your thoughts on this new sport?  Have you given it a try?

Bead Table Wednesday and Cuff Bracelets

Bead Table Wednesday is designed by Heather Powers to help share what is on our table today.  It is only fitting that I should have 2 bracelets that I made using a tutorial from a blog post of Heather's.  The bracelets call for using peanut beads.  I have been wanting to get some and use them for awhile now.  You can find peanut beads at Whimbeads.com, Fusionbeads.com or BelloModo.com.  I ordered mine from Whimbeads. Both bracelets make use of memory wire.

image from GraphicStock

The first, five strand, cuff bracelet is inspired by the ocean and one of my favorite activities--sailing.  I used blue peanut beads and with a silver sailboat charms and made a few dangles.

5 strand cuff bracelet by Bay Moon Design available for purchase

 My second cuff bracelet made use of 2 different colors of peanut beads and some tiny copper beads.  I attached a copper bird and nest on one end and on the other, a copper butterfly.

Copper Cuff Bracelet with bird and butterfly charms

By the way, I word to the wise.  I used a bead spinner just as Heather did.  I had used a bead spinner before with seed beads and beading wire.  I'm not nearly as proficient with it as Heather. I am sure she can whip these up in minutes.   She has probably had much more practice than I have.  It took me an hour for each bracelet.  I honestly don't think I couple have beaded them by hand.  The memory wire and the small size of the hole in the peanut beads is far more challenging than the size of the hole in seed beads and beading wire.

Both bracelets are available for purchase in my online shop.

A Few Fall and Winter 2014 Jewelry Trends

Geometric Jewelry


I want to take a look at a few of the trends in jewelry this fall and winter 2014 that I have found. I looked online, in bead shops, and fashion magazines at popular shapes used in jewelry. I found that geometric shapes are big.  Examples include edgy, modern spikes and chevrons, waves, lines, and stars are popular. 

Geometric shapes from GraphicStock.com

I also wanted to see what some popular colors are trending.  I found blues like cobalt blue, royal blue. They are slated to be big this Fall, and I love the shades Pantone includes in their Fall Color Report, especially when paired with the trendy neutral, Aluminum. I am happy to see blue returning. It is a favorite of mine.  Another favorite of mine is big and that is black.  

These are a few of the trends that I have noticed.  I will continue to search and would love to know what your thoughts are.  I plan to do another blog on this topic and would like to add your thoughts.