Bead Dreams Peoples Choice Awards

It is that time of year again.  I am honored to have TWO pieces accepted into the Polymer Clay category of Bead Dreams.  We find out next friday (the 10th) who takes ribbons in each category.  

Here are the pieces I have in the competition

 Sunset Gold Rush

and 

Zen Cairn

However, there is another way to win, and that is the Peoples Choice award.  You get to vote for your favorite!

So you can win first second or third place in your category, and then ONE person also wins the Peoples Choice award.  

If you would like to vote for Sunset Gold Rush
  


And if you would like to vote for Zen Cairn



Thanks to everyone who is always so supportive of me and my art!  You guys rock.  I am really honored to be part of this competition for a third year in a row!

Also, if you will be at Bead and Button in person, please snap a picture for me of the pieces in the case!  I would be forever grateful!  

And if you would like to buy some of my beads while you are there, the lovely Nikki Thornburg of Thornburg Bead Studio and Marsha Neal will have some of my beads at their booth #608!!!!

(Nikki's practice set up)

Drowning in a Sea of Sea Glass~ BTW!

Whats on my table for Bead Table Wednesday?  Yep, thats right............sea glass.  I am up to my elbows in it, with not enough hours in the day to work on it.  With the sea glass festival just weeks away, the ideas are flying.  My list of what I want to have done for that show is growing, and my time just keeps slipping by!  I have to crack down, begin my coffee addiction and get it done!

So here is my bead table today..............

On the trays you see are some bracelets I just layed out.  The tray on the left needs to be drilled and the ones of the right are already drilled.

I also got out some wire and solder and played a little bit last week.  I made these great circle loops to play with.  I wanted a way to make little pieces of sea glass bold.  I like them.

 However, I got this dainty ball chain to put them on, and I think the clasps are just too small for people to work.  So I tried to wire it together instead.
(see photo how it is wired to the circles ILO strung on a bail)

  It worked pretty well, but now its not as easy as making a pendant and stringing it.  I was trying to keep my time on them down, to keep cost down.  But I really think they will like them better with a clasp that is easy to use, and I really like the look of the dainty chain with the big circles.

I got a couple bracelets completed, but this is my favorite. 

Grey sea glass just may be my all time favorite color.  It is rare, and beautiful, but others don't seem to go for it much.  So I am keeping this one for me.  I find that I sell what I am wearing, so hopefully the other three like this one will sell there.
So the plan right now is to finish this style bracelet in the next two days (wire wrapped), in both silver and copper, in many colors of sea glass.

So~ I will drill by day, and assemble by night.  Next is swirls necklaces like this one in more colors, and some in copper too. 

Then earring assembly.

  Then soldering and bezels for chunky bracelets and some necklaces. 

I am very excited for this show and pray for good weather.  I love sea glass and look forward to hanging out with others who love it too.  There is nothing like a bunch of sea glass lovers getting together and talking treasure.  Makes me feel like a pirate!  So I leave you with this, a pirate song, to inspire you today, to make something from your sea booty!  (nothing gets me in the mood to create sea glass jewelry then listening to some good ole Jimmy Buffet!) 

Oh~ I wish I lived at the edge of the sea.