Shimmery

The beauty and brilliance of diamonds has been admired throughout history. However, in past centuries their use was reserved strictly for royalty. Today, thanks to remarkable diamond substitutes like Cubic Zirconia, almost anyone can afford to dapper up their accessory collection with dazzling, eye-catching jewelry.

This is why I was so excited to participate in this round of Blogging for Beads with Artbeads.com. I would get the chance to create something shimmery, sparkly, and beautiful and could be worn for the upcoming holidays or even for a bride walking down the aisle. Artbeads.com had such a huge selection of Cubic Zirconia beads that is was hard to choose. But, ultimately I went with some classic beads that paired nicely with sterling silver and Swarovski Pearls that I tend to use quite often. Just with 8 mm round crystal cubic zirconia, 10 mm Swarovski platinum pearls, sterling silver bezel set cubic zirconia links, and a few odds and ends I had around the house....I created this beautiful, sparkly masterpiece:



I can't wait to wear it to the holiday parties that are coming up....quicker than we realize!

Disclosure: I participate in Blogging for Beaders with Artbeads.com and have received the products free of charge from them. I am honestly reviewing the products and have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Crystallized with Artbeads

Those of you who know me personally know about my love for Penn State University. My husband and I both went there for undergrad, as well as most of my extended family. So, my kids do not have a choice in the matter. Even though they are ages 6 and 2 they will be going there. It's a family tradition. I'm only partially joking here...LOL!

The bracelet I created for Artbeads' Swarovski Month is inspired by tradition and Penn State University colors (blue and white). I used various sizes of faceted crystal roundels, small white crystal pearls, a filagree crystal lily as a charm, and a sterling silver crystal toggle. Since, I create jewelry for bridal party attendants, I thought this would be really stunning and different colors could be used to match bridesmaid dresses.











Let me know what you think and We Are.........

Penn State

Do you LOVE Venice????

Do you love Venice, Italy and all that goes with it? It's such a romantic place with it's canals, gondolas, it's beautiful architecture and art. How can you NOT love it? I personally think that the venetian glass is phenomenal. For me, the artistry is first rate. I wanted to create some fun jewelry that could be worn everyday with shorts and a t-shirt or that could be dressed up for a night on the town. Venetian glass is so sparkly, so it wasn't too hard to accomplish.



To create the necklace, I used a 30 mm Aquamarine Venetian Glass Coin from Artbeads. Then I paired the focal bead with a sterling silver chain, a bali silver toggle clasp, jasper rounds, and 6 mm Czech fire-polished Madeira Topaz beads.

For the bracelet and earrings, I used 14 mm Aquamarine Venetian Glass Rounds.

I got most of my jewelry supplies from Artbeads. I can always count on Artbeads to help me create beautiful pieces of art.

More Wearable Art from Artbeads.com

Artbeads is one of my favorite places to buy unique pendants for my jewelry creations. They have such a great selection that you can't find anywhere else. For example, they have wooden pendants painted on canvas. I have never seen anything like this anywhere else. Look what I created with the Vision Wood Pendant:








Place yourself inside a beautiful crashing wave with this wood pendant featuring a print of the painting "Vision" by artist Chris Pedersen. Whether you enjoy surfing, the beach or seascape artwork, you will love this mini-masterpiece. The pendant is paired with light green and brown faceted and round cat's eye beads. Gorgeous for the summer months.

Blogging for Beads

Artbeads is one of my very favorite places to purchase interesting, artistic focal beads for many of my necklaces and bracelets. I also buy most of my alphabet beads from there. So, when I was asked to help them out with some marketing, I jumped at the chance. I am participating in a program they call "Blogging for Beads." I get some really cool beads sent to me periodically. I get to create something out of them, and then all I have to do is blog about the beads, how I used them, give a review of a specific product. I really have free reign with what I do. So here it goes:

The first product I selected to try was a Murano Glass Bead. If you aren't familiar with Murano Glass, it's beautiful, handmade glass and has been a famous product of the Venetian island of Murano for centuries. For my sample, I liked the blue and green 40mm Millefiori bead and thought I could do alot of beautiful stuff with this grand bead. So this is what I came up with:





So, for all you beaders out there...consider Artbeads the next time you need supplies. They are terrific and is a wonderful online source for exceptional beads and jewelry making supplies at low prices. They offer FREE shipping in the U.S. with no minimum order, and ship internationally with $1 shipping to Canada.