Bead Boutique Contests

The Bead Boutique is the local bead store that we go to buy fill in beads and findings. About twice a year they have a contest where you buy a set of beads that you must use in a piece. You add your own beads to what they give you. These are the pieces that he has made for the past three contests. The girl won third place, the turquoise won second and the pink one was a first prize winner.

Glittering Glass

These pieces are examples of dichroic glass. One the glass is cut, it is fired in a kiln to smooth the edges. Once they are done, there is a special grinder blade to cut around the edge of the glass so that it can be wrapped with silver. When the sun hits these, they really shine and glitter.

Tiger Beads

The glass beads on this necklace are all handmade lampwork. If you look at the larger ones carefully, you will see they are striped. We call them tiger beads. This necklace looks good with browns, yellows, and those popular animal prints.

Some Sympathy and Others

This is just a variety of cards with flowers that happens to have two in the selection that are sympathy cards. I never had sympathy cards made up ahead until just recently. It just didn't feel right to me. At craft shows people were asking for them. When I told people I didn't like making money on others sadness, most people told me it was just a part of life.

Lettuce and Tomato

Jim calls these hand made lamp work beads his lettuce and tomato beads. I think they look like turquoise and coral. The red beads are hollow. He starts with two discs like the green ones and pinches them together. The hot air gets trapped between the discs and puffs out forming the sphere.

DVD Tin Scrapbook

During the past year we have had a lot of babies born and weddings to attend. I made scrapbooks similar to this one as shower gifts. The first picture shows the outside cover of the altered tin. The second picture is the first page you see when opening the tin. My friend Whitney gave me this kit Sunday and I made it up right away. I think it is my best scrapbook tin yet. Sorry to those of you who received an earlier wedding tin.

Paper Clothes

With one exception, you should be able to tell that each of these cards either is a piece of clothing or has clothes on it. Just in case you can't tell here is a summary. You should find two men's shirts, two aprons, a onesie, a woman's coat, a tux, a woman's dress with purse, and a bride and groom in their wedding attire. I wish I could say the ideas were my own, but they were CASEd from SCS. My supplies are from Stampin Up, JoAnn and Sizzix.

August Birthdays

Most of us think of peridot as the August birthstone. I know I do. Onyx can also be used as an alternate stone. This is an onyx and sterling silver necklace and earring set. He even made the setting for the stone.

Happy August birthday to Heather and John.