Simply Shiny Life

I’ve been wanting to mix copper and sterling silver in an industrial feel bangle for a while, but just couldn’t find exactly the right partner. Then these fantastically HUGE coral rondelles made their entrance as the perfect mixed metal cohort.

This bangle is made of yards of sterling silver wire, copper wire, copper tubing, sterling silver round beads, mykonos silver metalicized donuts and red coral rondelles. They all sit happily on a large sterling base, closed by a swirled sterling silver clasp.  It would best fit someone with a wrist of 6 to 6 1/2 inches in diameter.

The Creative Glass Guild of Etsy (CGGE) and the etsyBEAD Street Team have joined forces for a creative collaboration challenge. CGGE members will create gorgeous glass cabs, beads, and pendants for etsyBEAD members to turn into beautiful pieces of finished jewelry. These pieces will then be donated to the Helping Others Street Team (HOST) in order to raise money for those fellow Etsyians in need.

Participating members from each team will pair up, one bead maker and one jewelry maker. The challenge is to work together to create beads and a finished product. Photos of each step will be posted here and on the Creative Minds for Charity Flickr Group, so that each participant will have a chance to display their work.

Here’s where you come in. You can vote on your favorite, and each vote (one per person, please) will have a chance to win a prize basket full of goodies. More details, as well as the rules, will be announced shortly.

Once all of the jewelry is made, and voting is done, we will be donating all of the pieces to the Helping Others Street Team (HOST), to help raise money for fellow crafters and Etsyians in need.

For more information about any of the street teams or the challenge, browse our blog!

This lovely artisan wire wrapped bracelet was a collaboration between Cornucopias and ShinyAdornments. Lampwork beads were handmade by Cornucopia. I used Lavender and wine colored pearls and transparent lavendar flourite beads connected by sterling silver. Each pearl is wrapped and ends with a swirly flourish. The toggle clasp was handmade by me.

Just in time for spring, eh?

More pics available on my flickr site

Beth P was the winner of the Birth Story contest on My Semblance of Sanity. She chose the lovely bracelet below, and I’m also sending her a coordinating pair of earrings. Her winning birth story is available on her blog It’s our Wonderful Life

Congratulations Beth!

This lovely bracelet was composed of rose and dark pink lampwork beads accented by rose quartz rounds, pink freshwater pearls, sterling silver donuts and sterling silver round beads. All joined by sterling silver wire. Very spring and very girly.

I received a super nice email from the owner of
My Semblance of Sanity Blog http://michellekemperbrownlowwrites4kids.blogspot.com/ If you haven’t seen her blog yet, you need to. It’s well written, entertaining and thought provoking.

She had seen my ad on Posh Mama, a VERY cool Ning network site, and wondered if I would donate a one of my wire wrapped bangles for a contest she was running?! The winner of the contest will choose either an existing bangle or I’ll custome make one just for her.

How dang cool is that!

I just wanted to share as I thought this was a super cool idea and I’m thrilled and humbled to be asked. I feel so Sally Field like “you like me, you really like me” .

I made the statement in a group I belong that I was done making jewelry just to “sell”. Instead, I was going to focus on creating pieces that appealed to me and that I would love to have part of my jewelry stash.

I can honestly say that I’ve been doing just that. This weekend’s work is no exception. I received some simply GLORIOUS faceted labradorite rondelles from Deb at Crysallis Gems (and Crysallis Creations). They are ultra flashy so thought a nice coil would set them off in a bracelet. What do you think?

More pics of these and the two other bracelets I made this weekend are on my flickr site