I have to say, I am not seeing much change, yet.

These are the pieces that have been sitting out.

And the ones in the bag with the air squeezed out.

The Chalk bag.

And the Silica bag.

Of course, I don’t know about you, but I really don’t expect to see anything for several more weeks.

I’ll keep you updated.  Thanks for following along.

Hugs,

Beth

I stopped by Michael’s today while I was out and picked up a package of 10 Sterling Silver Plated Earwires.

Then, I got out my packet of Silica Gel.  Now, I have to say, if I were going to traveling from show to show and using this product to prevent tarnish, I wold probably sew some fabric packets in a bright color so that I could easily keep track of the gel.  This is not something you want a child or a pet to eat.  It swells up and….  well, you get the picture.

But, back to The Experiment.

As I said, I wanted to use four identical piece of Silver Plated metal for The Experiment.

Here they are fresh out of the package.

I put the first earwire in a plastic bag with loose silica gel.

Now, if I were going to do this to travel from show to show,

I would probably sew a brightly colored fabric packet to hold the gel.

I would not want a child or pet to get hold of it and eat it.  But, so that you can see what I did, I left it loose.

I put a second earwire in the bag with the bead from yesterday.

This bag has nothing special in it.

It has just had as  much air removed as I could squeeze out.

I added a third earwire to the bag with the bead and the chalk.

I also removed as much air as I could from this bag.

The fourth earwire is sitting out in the open with the third bead from yesterday.

I plan to run this experiment for two weeks and then post the results here.

I have also been asked to put the most tarnished piece at the end of the experiment into the bag with the chalk.

Hope you all find this information helpful.

I know, if nothing else, it will satisfy my curiosity.

Hugs,

Beth

Joan asked:  “My question is how to keep sterling silver & silver plated earring wires from turning black. I have tried keeping the earrings in plastic, open, doesn’t matter. I just had to swap out a dozen or more earrings to different earwires. Know anyone who wants a bunch of sterling silver earwires? I’m not going to use them anymore if I can’t keep them from turning.”

I put the question out to the members of the design team and here is what they had to say:

Sue from SuJen Designs says:  “I only wear SS ear wires, if they start to get a bit dull I put then in a jewelry cleaner and they come out perfect. I have some Silver plated as well an have no problem.. Not too sure why yours are turning on you.”

And Viki from FDEskzer Designs added:  “There are special zip-lock bags with anti-tarnish coating inside.  Nothing else prevents getting  tarnished long-term unless the findings are coated with rhodium.      Short term zip lock bags can work, but the air needs to be pushed out of the bag completely.

And Jennie, The Bead Doodler suggested:  “I’ve heard keep sterling silver away from air.  Keep it away  from light and keep it in a bag with a piece of chalk. ”

I, for one, just make sure that my ear wires are labeled very clearly as Sterling Silver when they are on display.  And if the customer requests, I will polish them before I package them for the customer.  I know those bags also work, but they are a lot of work to pack and unpack after every show.

Jennie’s idea made me wonder.  So I have decided to give it a try.  I will be doing a experiment for the next two weeks of so.

I took three Sterling Silver balls from my stash and polished them with a silver polishing cloth.

Then I got some chalk.  I think this package was $0.50.  I chose to use white chalk just to make sure that there would be no colored residue on the silver balls.

I put one bead in a plastic bag by itself.  I tried to get as  much air out as possible (A).  A second bead, I place in an identical plastic bag, but I added a small piece of the white chalk.  And the third silver bead, I left out exposed the the air.

I am going to leave these sit for two weeks and see what happens.  Be sure to check back and see what happens.

Hugs,

Beth

You can feel spring in the air where I live.

It is time to celebrate the Irish culture.

I am part Irish by birth, but on St. Patrick’s day, everyone is Irish by association.

One of my favorite treats on St. Patrick’s day is Irish Soda Bread.

I thought I would share my favorite recipe with you.

It is from Keepsake Quilting.

Hope you like it as much as I do.

Hugs,

Beth

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups sifted flour 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar	1-1/2 cups dark raisins (optional) 2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional) 1-1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk 1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine the flour, baking soda, sugar, salt and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the raisins and caraway seeds and mix well. Add enough buttermilk to make a dough, mixing with a fork until the ingredients are moistened.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes or until well mixed. Shape the dough into a large ball and place on a well-greased baking sheet. Flatten the dough into a 7-inch circle and cut an X that is 1/4-inch deep in the center of the circle.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when rapped with knuckles. Remove the loaf to a wire rack and brush with the melted butter. Let stand until completely cooled before slicing.

Thank you to the Beaders who participated in the Challenge Calendar projects.

Thank you to those of you who got kits and made a piece to enter in the contest.

And Thank You to the Designers who provided kits and encouragement.

I hope everyone had a good time and maybe learned something from the experience.  I know that I did.

Now, for what you have all been waiting for.  The announcement of the winners.

Third Prize — $3.00 in Beady Bucks

goes to :

Ellen R.

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Second Prize – $7.00 Beady Bucks

goes to:

Andrea D.

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And

First Prize — $10.00 Beady Bucks

goes to:

Joan M.

Thank you, again, to everyone!

Hugs,

Beth

I am good with words.  I know how to put them together into well organized, grammatically correct sentences that convey my thoughts clearly to others.  I have been doing it for many years now.  In fact, I went to school to perfect the craft.

Words are comfortable for me.

But beads and charms and findings?  Well, I must admit, I have a bit of trouble putting things together sometimes.  It is one thing to come up with a bead weaving pattern for a bracelet band, an amulet bag, or even a pair of earrings.  It is another to make a pendant and then turn it into a necklace.

I have decided it is time to work on learning to make better compositions. 

Right now, this is what my work table looks like.

It has a little bit of everything.  Beads, findings, tools, torches and my Valentine’s Day roses from my DH.

It is quite a mess.  Much like the jumble of thought in my head when I try to put together these posts.

I know the rules for writing.  A sentence has to have a subject and a verb.  A paragraph has to have an opening sentence, a body and a conclusion.

But what about design?  What are the rules for making a great piece of jewelry?

Obviously, this pair of earrings was not my best work.  They were fun to wear for Halloween, but I would have loved to make them more interesting.

I have been surfing the web and watching a lot of videos lately about enameling, collaging, and  “stringing”.  I found some great videos and some wonderfully inspiring eye candy.

Then I went out and bought some metal filigree pieces and got out my focals and cabachons.

I decided to focus on this piece today

First, I glued this resin cameo onto the center of the filigree piece.  It was quite attractive as it was, but has you could see, I had a lot of stuff I wanted to play with.

So I started by adding the leaves.  One rule that I know from my quilting is that the eye is more comfortable with odd numbers of objects.  1, 3, 5! These are good groupings.  And any grouping larger than 5 is too much for the eye to see.

Another rule that I learned while I was learning to paint was that good uses Triangles.  The groupings and the items should all be arranged in triangles.  It is pretty easy to do.  This is how the piece ended up.  You can see the triangles.

I also added a pair of earrings.  I just could not stop.  All they need now are the ear wires!

Hope this composition about composition helps you with your composition.  Step out!  Try something new!! 

Compose!

Hugs,

Beth

Four beaders posted photos in the album.

Each shared a beading or beading related project that they have been working on and one, Ellen R., had a sense of humor.

Ellen shared a pile of ironing.

(Gotta love Ellen!  Even when she is sick, she makes us smile! — Feel better soon!)

This time I put all the names in a hat and drew a winner.

And the winner is:

Cindy R!

Cindy worked on a Zuma Blitz Stained Glass Eagle this weekend.

She will be receiving a Beaders Grab Bag from Bouncing Wolf Creations.

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Bead Soup Necklace Challenge Update

Hope everyone is working on their pieces for the Bead Soup Necklace Challenge.

If you have not ordered your kit yet, today is the last day.

Entries must be posted by March 1 and Viewer’s Choice Voting starts on March 4.

You can order your kit here.

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The coupon code for the 15-18 has been extended one day.

We had some technical difficulties that cause it to go up late.

So, you have one more day to save 15% site wide.

VAL158 is the coupon code.

Weaving,

Embroidery

and Stringing, right?

Weaving includes the family of Peyote/Brick Stitch techniques,

and Loom/Square Stitch.

Embroidery uses a series of stitches to attach bead to fabric.

And Stringing…. Well, I always had a definition of Stringing that went something like this:

“Taking a well chosen collection of bead and bead related objects and

artfully arranging them on a wire or cord to form a piece of jewelry.”

I must admit, I was not very good at it

and was often bored with the technique.

But yesterday, I decided it was time to tackle it again.

But what I found gave me pause.

I have been doing some enameling work lately.

I have been working with brass and copper blanks.

Yesterday, I decided it was time to make one of them into something “useful”.

I started by looking at photos on some sites to decide what I liked.

And what I discovered is that there is a

fourth beading technique that does not have a name.

It involved turning this:

Into this:

It required me to make lots and lots of little pieces and then put them together.

It took about 3 hours.

It is sort of a fusion of wire work and stringing.

I think I am going to call it

“Wir-ing”

But what would you call it?

Hugs,

Beth

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Don’t forget the Bead Soup Necklace Challenge!!! There is still time to get you kit and enter.  Find them here! 

Remember, you must use a kit from one of our designers.  Entries are due by March 1.  Voting starts March 4.

Prizes are:  1st–$10 in Beady Bucks

                     2nd–$7 in Beady Bucks

                     3rd — $3 in Beady Bucks

Winners are chosen by “Viewers Choice.”  So don’t forget to come by and vote when the voting opens.

People look at the things we make and they tell us how much they admire it.

Then the follow that up with “I couldn’t do that.  I’m just not creative!”

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I just got a new beading book (of course, for those of you who know me well, this is something I do all the time).

And I found a quote that I had to share:

“Creativity is a willingness to pay attention and ask questions,

and the courage to experiment with the answers.”

I think that is the essence of creativity!!

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I have a simple rule in my life.

When I am confronted with a new challenge, I ask myself:

“What is the worst thing that can happen?”

If I can live with the answer, I go ahead and try.

I even apply this to my beading.

I have recently started torch-fire enameling on copper.

The worst thing that could happen here:

1) fire,

2) burns,

3) wasted supplies.

For the fires, I bought and learned to use a fire extinguisher.  And keep it and a bowl of water close at hand while I work.

For burns… well, as I am very hands on, this is a tough one.  I have to tell myself over and over not to touch.  But even a burn heals over time.

And, for “wasted supplies,”  I don’t think there is such a thing.  Even this piece that was my first and is not very attractive taught me something.  I got to see how the enamels worked when heated.  I got to see the colors on the enamel.  And I got to see what would happen if I tried to punch a hole through the enamel.  I spend, maybe $5.oo and I learned so much.

If I hadn’t been willing to try, I would have never made these.

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So, I guess what I am try to say to each of you is TRY!!!  Experiment!!!  And don’t be afraid to make mistakes!

Even the great inventors have tried and failed.

But, like Thomas Edison, they kept pressing on.

When asked about his work on the incandescent light bulb, Edison said, “I have not failed.  I have found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

That is a creative attitude!

There is still time to take the Bead Soup Necklace Challenge.  Ask yourself what you have to lose?

Remember, you have to use a kit from one of our Designers.  You can order your kit here.

Entries are due by March 1, 2013

Hope you all take the Challenge and have a creative day!

Hugs,

Beth

I took the final Challenge for the January Challenge kit.

I was a bit selfish.  I chose to stitch up my own pattern from the 2012 Holiday Treasure Hunt.

Here is my version of “Candle Spool”

I found the Venetian Glass Bead at the top in a box when I was cleaning out.

I could not resist making this piece.

Ellen R also took the Challenge.

She is this weeks winner and will receive a Bead Soup Necklace Challenge Kit from Grandma Marilyn.

Ellen made a barrette with Viki’s  Santa Hat Panel. (Fdekser Designs)

Great Job, Ellen!

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If you don’t have your kit for the Bead Soup Necklace Challenge, remember, you still have time to get one.  Just go here and choose the Design Team member from whom you would like to purchase a kit.

Entries are due March 1, 2013, so you still have plenty of time to order and enter.

Thanks to all who participated in the January Challenges.

February’s Blog posts will feature articles on Design Theory.

And we will be having another UFO weekend, with prizes.

Be sure to check the February Gazette for details.

Hugs,

Beth