I finally figured out what I wanted to make with the beads I received from Aunties' Beads & Jewelry Supplies.  I have seen a lot of asymmetrical bracelets and necklaces lately.  For some reason it took me awhile to get the bracelet to look balanced.  But I think I finally got it right.  This bracelet is made from 12 mm turquoise round beads , 10mm smoky quartz , sterling silver chain and twisted links.  I also attached an initial pendant. 

My Favorite Color Combination

I love the look of turquoise and smoky quartz together.  Add a touch of sterling silver and I am head over hills.  I received these beads from  Auntie's Beads & Jewelry Supplies .  They have a nice variety of beads and supplies.  The website also has many video tutorials as well as written tutorials.  I learned some of the basic wire wrapping skills I still use today from their YouTube channel.   Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to make. 

Turquoise Round Strand, Heat Treated, 12mm

Blue/Green Turquoise Rondelle Strand, 3 x 7mm

Smoky Quartz Smooth Pebble Strand, 10mm

Sterling Silver Large Cable Chain By The Foot, 5 x 8 mm

Sterling Twisted Floating Rings, 7mm, Bag of 30

Personalized Jewelry

I have been working on making personalized charm necklaces for my family for Christmas.  The necklaces are made from precious metal clay (PMC). PMC or precious metal clay consists of very small particles of silver mixed with an organic binder and water. The binder burns away, leaving the pure fine silver (99.9%). It is also Eco Friendly (100% reclaimed and recycled silver) .

The first necklace is what I am giving to some of the mother's in the family.  Each charm on the necklace has the first initial of each of their children.

Personalized Fine Silver Initial Necklace

The second necklace is a monogrammed necklace. I am gifting this on to some of my younger cousins.  It is monogrammed.  The monograms are in the order of first, last, middle.  For example:  JPM,  Jacquelyn Patrece Moore

Monogrammed Fine Silver Necklace

Both necklaces are available at my etsy shop, j. moore design. 

And The Winner Is....

and the winner is Abigail!!!

Abigail is the winner of my first giveaway.  She will receive a fine silver initial pendant (you choose the initial) on an 18" sterling silver ball chain.  The pendant is made from Art Clay Silver (precious metal clay). 

The winner was chosen using random.org .

Abigail's blog Ample Goodies lists different giveaways, so check it out.

Congratulations Abigail!!!

j. moore design LLC: My First Giveaway

To celebrate reaching 100 followers on j. moore design jewelry's  fan page, I'm hosting my first giveaway. The winner will receive a sterling silver initial pendant (you choose the initial) on an 18" sterling silver ball chain.

IMPORTANT Each comment counts as one entrance, you will have up to 5 chances to win.

Winner will be announced in one week, Friday, November 27, 2009. I will name the winner on both of my blogs (j. moore design and Simply Creative). So be sure to check one of these on the 27th of November. Here are the 5 ways you can enter:(All links are found to the right of this post or click the links below)

1. Comment that you have become or are already a follower of my blog
2. Check out my etsy shop and come back and paste a link of your favorite item.
3. Twitter about this giveaway, and follow me @doodlebugfairy
4. Become a fan of the j. moore design page .
5. Blog about this giveaway

I'm Addicted

It's official! I'm addicted to metal clay.  I have spent all of my spare time over the past few days making charms, pendants, and other things with silver clay.  

I start of with a lump of clay.

Then it is placed in a mold or free formed.

The clay is the dried thoroughly

Next I place it in the kiln.

When the clay comes out of the kiln. It is silver but it looks white. 

After the silver has been brushed with a brass brush, antiqued and burnished, this is what it looks like.

I'm So Excited

I finally have a kiln.  Woohoo!!!  Now I can fire precious metal clay, fuse glass, and anneal beads. 

I can't wait to start using it.  I will definately post pictures.

Creative Bloggers Featured Artist--Victoria Slutsky of ViSart

This week's featured artist on creative blogger is Victoria Slutsky from Israel. She is an amazing polymer clay artist. Her handmade beads are so beautiful. Victoria also crafts bowls from polymer clay. Because her work is handcrafted no two items will be exactly the same. This makes each piece special.

Check out her blog at http://www.visart-dali.com/ . Victoria also has an etsy shop.

Photo Keyrings

I rarely carry pictures of my kids, but I always have my keys and cell phone. So I decided to make key rings with their pictures.

First, the resin mixed according to the directions and black resin dye is added. I then poured a thin layer into the resin mold.

I waited for the resin to become tacky to the touch (this took about 4 hours). Then I placed the picture on top of the black resin. While I was waiting for the resin to set, the pictures were prepared by coating them twice with Mod Podge. This seals them to keep the resin from seeping through.

Another batch of resin is mixed. This time it was left clear. This mixture is poured over the picture. This was left to harden for 24 hours. The resin covered picture is then sanded to remove any rough edges. Then a hole is drilled so a jump ring can be inserted. Finally it is dipped in clear resin and left to dry. Once it has dried completely, the jump ring is inserted and attached to a keyring.

My First Etsy Listing

I have finally listed my first item on Etsy (http://jmooredesignllc.etsy.com/)! Yea me. I made these as a tribute to the Lakers winning the championship tonight. They are made of amethyst chips on sterling silver headpins and chain. I then attached it to sterling silver ear wires. These earrings are simple yet beautiful.

Check out my other blog (http://jmooredesignllc.blogspot.com). I will give away different a different pair of earrings every month to those who follow my blog. So be sure to click on the follow button on the right side of the page.

The Cheapest Photography Light Box I Could Make

I am learning to take better photos of my work. In my research I found that I need to light my pieces better. While researching light boxes, I came across this wonderful blog called Strobist (http://strobist.blogspot.com/). It has all kinds of information on lighting for photographers. There was this one post that described how to make a photo studio for under $10 (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html). It was very easy to follow and this is how mine turned out. I know its messy but I just threw one together to see if it would really work. IT DOES! My pictures are coming out much better. I don't even have the lights placed on either side and I can still tell the difference.

Here's what you need to make one a box, get it to fit whatever you are photographing. You also need a box cutter, tissue paper, a ruler, tape, and a poster board. For lighting, you need to inexpensive lights. So if you are looking for a way to light your work better, here is a very cheap way to do it. I spent $3.

For complete instructions and a video click on this link http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html.

My latest creations

Here are my lasted creations. I am having such a hard time to naming the things I make. You would think I would be able to come up with a name...LOL. I get brain freeze when it comes to that.

I found the glass green square beads at Michael's. I liked them but I did not know what I was going to do with them. I was playing around with them a couple of nights ago and came up with this design. I alternated a 4 mm silver bead, a square crystal bead and the glass green square bead. I finished it off with a silver clasp. For the earrings, I just followed the same pattern.

For the amber glass bead set, I alternated the elongated amber glass bead with two different silver antique beads. I finished it of with a clasp. For the earrings, I followed the same pattern.

The Care and Cleaning of Sterling Silver Jewelry
I found a very good article on How to care for and clean sterling silver jewelry.
The link is below.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/129536/the_care_and_cleaning_of_sterling_silver.html

I Want This

I want a kiln so bad. I have been looking for a used one but I have not had any luck. I want one so I can work with precious metal clay, learn glass fusing, and a lot of other things.

It is a Paragon SC-2 Silver & Glass Kiln with Bead Door and Window. It can fire precious metal clay (silver, bronze, gold, and copper), decals, china paint, enameling, and glass up to 2000°F. The SC-2 plugs into a 120 volt outlet. So it can be used in a standard household plug. This particular model comes with an optional bead door and viewing window. The viewing window is used with glass fusing. It's necessary to keep an eye on the glass. You must wear protective eye wear when looking into a hot kiln. The bead door is used to anneal beads.

I have been looking at this for over two months. It's a bit expensive (at least for my budget) but I think I am going to break down and get one.

Earring Frenzy

I was in the mood to make something. I made the easiest thing I could think of...EARRINGS. I love making earrings. You can be as basic or as wild as you want to be and it doesn't use up all of your materials.

Dangles

I recently fell in love with the way stiletto earrings (dangle earrings) sway when you were them. I especially love the way they catch the light as they move. Here are a few of the sets that I made. I am also learning a few ring making techniques.

First Mommy Bracelet

I have been wanting to try my hand at making a Mother's Bracelet for some time. I went to Michael's and purchased some inexpensive materials to give it a try. I think it turned out pretty good for my first try. I did not have enough spacers to do the design I had in mind, so I had to improvise. Now that I have worked out how to piece it together. I will make one out of sterling silver.

I also make a few rings. I am fascinated by the wire wrap rings. I love the way a straight piece of wire comes together with beads or whatever to make something so simple yet beautiful. I used craft wire in bronze and copper. I also used sterling silver wire.