Lorelei Eurto's Blog, page 9

Throw Me a Bone!

Yesterday was a full day of designing and in my opinion some pretty great pieces were produced. I know they'll find their adoptive parents soon.... I hope. Look how cute they are!?







Find adoptions instructions HERE: www.loreleieurto.com

Pretty Palettes May Reveal

 This month's Halcraft Pretty Palettes challenge snuck right up on me! And I just realized that I didn't really have time to photograph the beads when they arrived! So sorry about that!

Blogging has definitely taken a back seat to all the other things I've been doing.

This month, May's beads. Oh My Goodness. Such beautiful emerald greens.

The inspiration for this month is this photo of gorgeous succulents and orange flowers.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to receive all of this month's beads, but only received the greens.









These are the beads I did not end up using ....  NO reason really, other than that I ran out of time and created my challenge pieces very very last minute. As is expected lately with me.  ACK.



The beads we received are:
Bead Gallery® iris luster hematite squaresBead Gallery® 7 x 12mm natural shell ovalsBead Gallery® 11.5mm white shell lentils Bead Gallery® white reconstituted turquoise disksBead Gallery® 2mm hematite aqua luster cubesBead Gallery® 6mm green aventurine roundsBead Gallery® 6/0 emerald mix Czech glass beadsBead Gallery® 10mm green jasper roundsBead Gallery® green dyed quartzite chips
SO! Finally!
Here are 3 pieces I have created based on this months inspiration!

This first is a bracelet with copper accents, and some of the 10mm green jasper rounds and one of my recently created Nunn Design Bezels with a clover. I also included a FIND YOUR FIRE polymer barrel by Swoon Dimples on a piece of grey Leather from Beadshop.com

I created this sweet firefly which was inspired by a bee clasp in Candie Cooper's book Metalworking for Beaders.  Check it out on Amazon! Instead of soldering my piece, I did a cold connection of a screw rivet instead. I created a link out of it by punch holes in each end.

The clasp is made from a plain ol' copper washer, and I paired it with this copper link-turned-toggle bar.


This was such a fun piece to assemble- and I love all the different elements.





Next up, a more simple design. I used the  Bead Gallery® 7 x 12mm natural shell ovals and just did a long simple necklace using more of that grey leather from Beadshop.com and a I beaded in a couple of vintage Boot buttons for a little extra MOP love.


Handmade Jewelry does not have to be always so complicated or over the top.... but sometimes it's hard to really get out of that mind set when creating. For some reason I always feel like- if it's really simple- it won't be interesting enough or flashy enough.

But I love this piece and I could see someone wearing this all summer long. It's a great every day piece!

Here is a close up shot of the boot buttons!



And finally the piece de resistance..... A chunky beaded necklace- asymmetrical of course- with some pops of orange!

The large flower polymer lentil at the left is one I have had in stash for a very long time, from ArtyBecca.  I used the Bead Gallery® green dyed quartzite chips, and the 10mm green jasper rounds with the Hemetite cubes as small spacers between the beads.  



The clasp is made from a hollow Porcelain bead from Round Rabbit Extra with some more metallic leather cording from Beadshop.com.The metal turtle button which I found in my stash and I really can't remember where it even came from.... is just so perfect with all these other components.

I hope you've  enjoyed this month's pretty palettes pieces! If you follow the Halcraft blog, feel free to create your own pieces and include your link  on the blog post to share your pieces.

These pieces are now available for sale on my website 

Memorial Day Sale

To celebrate Memorial Day, I am offering a 30% discount on all orders placed today. [Exp.May30] Coupon is valid in my Etsy and my Website.

New things in the Webstore today!

THE WEBSTORE LINK HERE.

Pretty Palettes April Reveal

Let me remind you the beads that Halcraft sent me to complete the April Pretty Palettes Challenge....


From top to bottom:  
Top: Hematite 2 x 4mm Item # 80315Amber Dyed shell teardrops Item # 87403Rhodonite 12mm rounds Item #86559Reconstituted Turquoise Stone 10mm Item # 87196Mint Glass 6mm Rounds Item #82672Acrylic Lentil link Item #87476Lavender Painted glass 6 x 8mm rondelles Item #84844Pink Czech glass 6mm Faceted  mix Item #91564
The inspiration this month is this beautiful watercolor inspired print from Heather Powers Art.



Beautiful  colors, a gorgeous flowing floral motif perfect for Spring! Which has finally FINALLY landed in upstate New York, I'm glad to say!

Although we are never out of the woods for snow until Mid May. :)










I sat down with my beads and it didn't take long at all to be inspired! I created a long beaded necklace and popped in a special handmade Bean from Swoon Dimples that reads Grateful. My sentiment - so grateful for Spring!




I used a variety of the beads, paired with some of my own seed beads as filler.  I created an asymmetrical necklace by adding a small section of just the mint green rounds along one section. When worn doubled, it has a pretty cool effect.


This next piece is a bracelet. A double stranded beaded design, with a slight asymmetrical feel that I couldn't really showcase in these photos. One strand was beaded with the Turquoise, and then faceted pink glass, and then the next stranded I started with the pink glass, and ended at the turquoise. And at the center, attached a large jumpring that holds a beautiful pewter Green Girl Studios Button.
The clasp is also handmade on this, from my friend Mary Harding. A ceramic toggle that has the same color palette as the Pretty palettes collection.






And finally a convertible piece! This month they send this Multi strand Link of acrylic lentils. Each end has a large ring, holding all the strands together. Instead of cutting all the strands and unleashing all the beads, I used the link as a way to create a necklace AND a bracelet by using some open ended S hooks I had in stash.

 Here it is as a necklace- where I added some cool box chain around the back. A nice statement necklace that really brings your attention to that gorgeous green!

 When Deconstructed-   I took the 1 S hook off, and the chain off, and left one S hook on one end of the beaded link. And now I have a Bracelet!



I would love to see if any of you participated this month in the Pretty Palettes challenge! Let me know in the comments and leave me a link!

Happy Easter!

SHOP ETSY

SHOP WEBSITE

Pretty Palettes APRIL Beads

Here is the next installment of the Pretty Palettes Challenge from Halcraft.  If you have a Michael's near you and you are interested in creating with these beads- do it!

The beads are listed from top to bottom:

Top: Hematite 2 x 4mm Item # 80315
Amber Dyed shell teardrops Item # 87403
Rhodonite 12mm rounds Item #86559
Reconstituted Turquoise Stone 10mm Item # 87196
Mint Glass 6mm Rounds Item #82672
Acrylic Lentil link Item #87476
Lavender Painted glass 6 x 8mm rondelles Item #84844
Pink Czech glass 6mm Faceted  mix Item #91564


Some close up shots....




I'm not sure what the current promotion is for Bead Gallery beads, but I'm sure you can find that information online for your local store.   If you feel like you want to play along,  get the beads, and show off your finished pieces on your blog! or Share your pieces on Social media with hash tags #prettypalettes #halcraft #beadgallery

Check back on Wednesday  April 26 for my finished pieces using this inspiring collection!

Pretty Palettes Reveal- March 2017- Bloom Where You're Planted

The inspiration photo for this month's Pretty Palettes challenge, is a gorgeous photo of Tulips with an earthy mulch background.  If you are interested in playing along in the future, keep your eyes on my blog- I will be participating next month and will show the beads here as soon as I get them. Remember back in the day when I did the Michael's beading blog hop challenge? This is a bit more organized...the idea is the same. If you can get the beads at your local Michael's feel free to play along and tag your pictures on Pinterest or social media and share the photos on the Halcraft FB page!


 The palette consists of a gorgeous leaf green, deep brown, peach, Red, and Orange .... Love colors indeed!

Here is a shot of the beads that Halcraft/ Molly sent to me!   I'm excited to see a wide range of colors and sizes of beads!  I can't wait to show you what I created...... let's get to it!


First up- A multi strand necklace using the Orange Glass Small Mix, and the Wood Rondelles. When I took the small glass beads off the hang tag, they are all pre-strung on thread so to keep things quick and easy, I attached large brass jump rings to each end of the strung beads, and voila! Half my necklace - DONE! For the back, I knotted linen cording through the rondelles so they lie flat. I used a funky ceramic button from Gaea as the clasp with a bit of leather.


In necklace #2, I used a variation of the Green Dyed Quartzite chips, wood rounds, Orange Swirl Czech glass lentils, and the Orange rounds as a symmetrical beaded necklace and pulled in this gorgeous ceramic pendant from one of my favorite Ceramicists- Eri Pottery. Half the fun, I must admit, was styling these photos :)


For this 3rd necklace, I wanted to use those large Ceramic Orange print rounds as the main focal. I separated them with the smaller wood rounds... pulled in some seed beads, and for the back of the necklace used the Quartzite chips, and larger wood rounds. The button is a fun filigree flower in a deeper Orange.   I never knew how much I loved Orange til now! I'm OBSESSED!


And finally a bracelet! I kept with the asymmetrical theme, and used the orange rounds, small wood rounds, Large wood rondelles, and Red dyed Quartzite rounds in a fun but funky beading pattern. I used a pewter toggle from Tierra Cast. The Wood flower focal is from deep stash. To add some movement, I tied some of the green quartzite chips to the ends of the linen cording.Love this one!
I had such a good time with this Pretty Palettes challenge. I hope you all join me next month! I will definitely be showing the beads here on the blog when they arrive, and you canget to your local Michael's stores to get yours!
Happy Beading!

Come on In - it's Bead Soup Blog Party!

Welcome to the Bead Soup Blog hop!
If you are new and aren't familiar with the blog hop, here's how it works.  We (the participants) were paired up with a partner and the object of the game was to swap our most coveted hoarded beads, along with coordinating pieces if we chose to.   Once we got the beads in the mail, our only task was to create something using the beads we were sent and to blog about it on Hop day. Which is TODAY! yay!
My partner this go-around was the lovely Ann Schroeder.  You can find her blog and what I sent to her, HERE> ANN'S BLOG ....BUT WAIT! Don't go yet!!  You haven't seen MY piece yet!
So as you can see above, Ann sent me a wonderful assortment of coordinating beads.  The top Left was the Piece de Resistance.   A lovely Ceramic lentil from Joan Miller Porcelain.  She also seen some Wooly Wire, some faceted stones, a lovely handmade hook clasp, Linen cording, Sari Silk, and a couple of strands of glass.
I have to be honest. I procrastinated. I only just created my finished piece, yesterday. YEP. Yesterday!  Nothing like working under pressure eh??
So I sat down this morning, and pulled out my beads.... and let them do the talking. It didn't take long! They had a lot to say!

I created a long Lariat style necklace using the Sari silk, the Joan Miller focal bead, and some of the stones and glass beads. I added in my own wire, and pewter Bird button from Green Girl Studios.

I am on a total bird kick lately so it was not a surprise that I pulled in a bird element for my finished piece. 

Flipping around online today, revealed that there is one overwhelming trend these days that cannot be ignored. The tassel. So I knew I wanted to incorporated some sort of tassel element in this piece.


I used the linen cording, to string the glass bead dangles. And frayed the bottoms of the cording for a bit of a more rustic look- to go along with the Sari silk.  On the ends of the silk, I added wire wrapped beads.

The Focal bead- is strung on the linen cording, and anchored onto the silk with knots.  The bird is anchored above the focal bead, And the silk is doubled and knotted, creating a natural button loop at the end, that attaches to the button at the front.

I wrapped wire around the silk necklace, and thread on a few of the faceted stones, for a little extra interest, and it provides a bit of structure to the necklace itself.




 I really dig it! It's just what I had envisioned and I think I showcased Ann's favorite beads in a unique and funky way! I can't wait to see what she thinks of it ... and I can't wait to see what she created!

Here is the blog hop list!

Happy Hopping!

Lori AndersonClaire FabianJennifer StrehlerRochelle BrissonAnnita WilsonMelissa TrudingerLoralee KoltonValerie TilghmanMischelle AndradeElizabeth Bunn




Marianna DeLuca WehnerJohana NunezJenny KyrlachElizabeth HodgesLennis CarrierCandida CastleberryMary GovaarsSandi JamesArlene DeanKristina Eleniak


Nan SmithNadine EdrisDenise McCabeDonna Marie HannaAudrey BelangerNicole RennellRobin ReedGail ZwangTerry Jeanette CarterDonna Hoblit




Ann SchroederKlaudete KoonVeralynne MaloneLorelei EurtoAnn  SherwoodJackie LocantoreMowse DoyleDorit WoldengaCheri ReedDolores Raml


Palak UdeshiLaurie VyselaarHeather CanepaDorothy SupriSharyl KingElaine RobitailleHeather MarstonTerry MatuszykAndra WeberD'Arsie Manzella





Julia Lund-TrottSooz AnzaloneKarin KingLeona SmithTania SpiveyJasvanti PatelDanielle KelleyShai WilliamsJacqueline MarchantErin Kenny 


Becky PancakeKelly SchermerhornRenetha StanzianoRana WilsonJanine LucasKelly Hosford PattersonAndrea GlickJoanne BellSarah StroverSam Waghorn



Helena HattenJackie RyanBridget TorresInge von RoosKrafty MaxKelli NelsonIveth CarusoRebecca EdnieAmy SeverinoSandra Wollberg


Blanca MedinaDyanne Everett-CantrellSamantha WescottChristine StonefieldSilke GroeberAlenka Obid


Kathleen A BreedingJoyce BeckerPam FarrenDivya NSherri StokeyTerri DelSignoreKate GonskaKim HutchinsonJean WellsCJ Bauschka


Bonnie CoursolleBarb FernaldNoemí BaenaDana PhillipsKaren FirnbergMichelle  Escano CaballeroNatalie EttingerValerie NortonRachel Mallis




Denise MilwardBobbie RaffertyVonna MaslankaElisabeth AuldHannah RosnerCarla FryTerri GauthierTeresa FischerTanya GoodwinBarbara Judy


Leanne LoftusCarrie StalcupLori SchneiderJoelyn BissingKate DufourGail PovedaKatie Nielsen-NunezPam DeBoerDee Elgie



Judy JacobsElisabeth MatouschekShawn ElkinsSally RussickSusan McClellandTracy StillmanRobin Lynne ShowstackMarianne BaxterMaria Rosa Sharrow



Therese FrankSandi VolpeLeslie ScholzJoan WilliamsLaura GuentherLiz EngriserB.R.KuhlmanBev BreisingerRadel VelaKim Dworak



Carol DillmanAlice CraddickJaneen BurlingameLeah CurtisAnn Marie HodrickDonna MillardHajer Waheed KhalilLucy ClasenMichelle McCarthyMaria Rios
Babette Cox
Nadine Davidson

Laurel's Bead Box- Dreaming of Mermaids

Who doesn't love a curated box of beads where all you have to do is pretty much assemble the beads?! I certainly do because it takes the guess work out of it, makes things a bit quicker,  and easier!


Meet my friend Laurel of Laurel Moon Jewelry. She's the mastermind behind the Laurel's Bead Box- be sure to follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelsBeadBox/

Laurel was kind enough to let me try a box- and she sent me the current blue green Dreaming of Mermaids themed box.  I agreed to review this box because I have been a long time fan of Laurel's etched copper pieces, and you may have seen them pop up in my designs in the past year. I kind of figured whatever it was she had up her sleeve was going to be great, and I was right.

First of all. Get a load of this- it comes in this awesome reusable round box. I LOVE that!



But the magic, is INSIDE!


Taken from the ETSY listing:
This is the special edition "Dreaming of Mermaids" debut box! It contains:

*a handmade ceramic wave pendant by Melanie Brooks from Earthenwood Studios

*a handmade ceramic "Dream" pendant by Diane Hawkey

*a handmade pewter mermaid bead by Green Girl Studios

*a handmade etched copper mermaid pendant featuring an amazing design by Cynthia Thornton from Green Girl Studios and etched by me - Laurel Moon Copper

*an assortment of freshwater pearls

*an assortment of apatite, cooperite, and amazonite semiprecious stone beads

*an assortment of faceted Czech glass rondelles

*an assortment of shell pendants

*an antiqued copper beadcap

*an assortment of vintage German glass beads

*a thread tassel

That's an exceptional collection of components that all coordinate together for the Mermaid theme! I love a good ocean theme, especially in the dead of winter when all I can think about is having sun on my face. This box retails for $40. You could also check out the rest of the Etsy shop to get any other additional beads and components to go with this collection- Laurel has a large inventory of premium beads!
It didn't take me long to get creating with this set, and I sat down and created two pieces so far. I haven't used all of the components yet. I still have a few more things to work with but have set them aside so I could hurry up and get this blog post up. 
I made this necklace first- using the Pewter mermaid pendant, pearls, stones, etched copper pendant, and large shell pendant. I brought in some other freshwater pearls and clasp from my stash to finish the piece off.

This awesome Curlique hook and eye clasp is from Stinky Dog Beads- and I pulled it out and wondered how the heck I was supposed to use it. I think it could be used with leather and some glue. But I decided to use some brass wire and created attachments with wire wraps.

The second piece I created was a bracelet, using the Diane Hawkey Dream charm, and thread tassel. I pulled in some glass drop seed beads, and some glow-y matte sea glass beads from Stinky Dog Beads. The vintage shell shaped button pulls it all together! I really love both of these pieces!



All in all a really fun collection to work with. If you are looking for a bead kit with EVERYTHING you need to finish a piece of jewelry, this isn't it. This is a collection of focals and beads that can be used with other beads and components such as findings and wire- from your own collection- finish a piece(s) of jewelry. But, most of us have this stuff on hand, right?? I think it's a fun way to challenge yourself, and get thinking a little bit outside the box. I probably could have tried using all of the components together in one piece, but instead decided to make several pieces instead. 
There are kits available in Laurel's Etsy shop now ! Snag yours now and be sure to tag your finished pieces on social media #laurelsbeadbox so that we can see all the different interpretations!