Red bead necklace...my version

 I was looking through the Fire Mountain Gem catalog and I saw this stunning red necklace.  The catalog directed me to their "Gallery" and provided a list of supplies needed for this gorgeous necklace.  It did not however provide the directions for assembly. The necklace would have cost me several hundred dollars ( using the suggested crystals and gold findings).  I however, purchased similar acrylic beads and gold finish findings at Walmart for under $20.00..including earrings. Jewelry doesn't need to be expensive!!!


What do you think of my knock off necklace?

Wyoming bound

I also made a simple pretty necklace for my friend Sherry in Wyoming....A silver chain with a large beautiful peach/pink pearl and a few aqua colored beads made a nice color combination.

* "MOP" #2 necklace

My second attempt at finding a use for the many extra imitation...(very shiny and pearly and vintage all the same) "MOP" buttons I've acquired lately. I used wire only (no silk cording) and wired every button and pearl on one strand (twisting the beading wire and button together as I went).  When completed to the length I wanted, I then took a thin wired ribbon and wrapped in around the center wire. This covered the wires and gave support to the buttons/pearls. I attached a traditional silver lobster claw closure to finish.




























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I Love tools!!

I love tools!!
My husband introduced me to pipe cutters and benders.
I've been making all kinds of copper and aluminum beads now thanks to his help. Copper tubing can be expensive, but I found relatively inexpensive rolls of copper tubing used for refrigerator water lines at Home Depot.  I've mostly been making beads, but this was the first necklace I made using a curved piece of copper and wire and
strung with other beads on a thin
copper chain.

second copper tube necklace

First Copper  bead  Necklace

Black MOP shank buttons

What to do with a bag of beautiful silky black, MOP, carved shank, vintage buttons? String them like beads!

I had one problem: I had two kinds of carved buttons. One group was carved thinner than the majority of the other buttons and they did not bead well (they didn't overlap right). So I made a pendant of sorts of the flatter,thinner, buttons and then strung the other thicker buttons for the necklace strands.



 I attached a ready made silk cord (from Asian City store) which saved a lot of time and I now have a silky smooth strand of black pearls....I mean MOP buttons.!

MOP button necklace #3: Count beads!

Button update: 

I found some stiff beading/knotting cord at the Asian City store in West Jordan, Utah  (Love the store!) and made another attempt at making the MOP necklace...including more bead work. It turned out great, but took 3× the amount of cording than expected. All those knots take up a lot of string!! And the necklace turned out longer in length than expected. I had the whole thing tied up and finished...or so I thought. ...until I noticed I was a section of beads too many on one side. Grrrrr. I don't mind tying knots, but I really hate untying knots... teaching me an important lesson:

 Count beads Sheila! Count beads!

Purple birthday

I needed to make some different type of jewelry after making all those MOP button necklaces. So I pulled some beautiful purple beads together to make a birthday surprise for my friend JoAnn.

The necklace was really pretty,  but purple is a hard color to photograph. ..This picture really didn't show the lovely purple beads at their best.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Captain!