Artists for Animals Auction

26 Sunday Apr 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I usually have a bunch of things I’ve made for the Artists for Animals Auction over time, and then a few weeks before the auction starts, I round that out. The auction starts tomorrow, 4/27/26, and when I looked today I had exactly one thing made. But I spent some time in the studio and got several other things made. So while I won’t have as many items as usual, at least I hope to make a little money to donate to my chosen charity Madison Cat Project.

Earrings with copper and green textured drops, rustic copper and black beads.

These are the earrings I already had made with Kimberly Rogers of numinosity polymer headpins, rustic copper and black metal spacers.

Then I made a necklace with a pendant my sister sent me by Northwest Pottery. She intended it for the auction. It’s such a pretty pendant I almost wanted to keep it, but I would rather raise money for the kitties. I hope other people like it too.

Necklace with pendant showing a forest and various green, white and brown beads.

I have things in a box earmarked for the auction, but I often don’t use them. However, since time was short, I did get out the box to see what sparked an idea. I had looked at some things I saved on Pinterest and then looked in the box to see if two ideas meshed into a design. I had saved some pretty leaf earrings from Jewels of Sayuri. They were fold-formed metal, but the idea of keeping them simple and letting the leaves shine is the idea I used with some polymer leaves.

Earrings with orange/yellow leaves with gold accents.

I just added some small Austrian glass pearls gifted to me by Susan of Susan Dolphin Delaney on etsy. Check out her beautiful jewelry.

Earrings with stylized stars with mottled tan, blue, and green color with open metal beads in tan.

Last but not least are these earrings with hand colored pewter star charms by Inviciti. I added painted metal beads, some messy wraps and done.

I did end up making one other pair of earrings, but my phone was elsewhere, and I didn’t want to have to go get it to take a picture. So if you’d like to see those, come visit the Artists for Animals Auction. It starts Monday, 4/27/26 and runs through Sunday, 5/3/26. There are all sorts of hand made items (not just jewelry) and each artist choose the animal charity they support. My sales support Madison Cat Project. Hope to see you at the auction!

Designing Again

19 Sunday Apr 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

I haven’t been designing much lately. I took a little time today and was really just cleaning in my studio, but I ended up noticing a few things that might go together and then ended up putting together a different necklace.

Strand of large round tiger eye beads, a strand of large round magnesite beads and a ceramic dog pendant laid out in a possible necklace design.

These two strands – very nice quality tiger eye and magnesite – are from Allegory Gallery. I was putting them away, and I looked in a box of ceramic beauties I recently got from Emanuela Stoyanova of Krivondela and found this perfect dog pendant. Emanuela’s work is so whimsical; I just love it. I need to decide how to put this all together, so that is a project for another day.

Necklace with onion shaped clear crystal pendant, round green garnet beads, green stone tube beads, gold spacers and gold toggle.

Then I came across this onion cut crystal pendant. I went through my gemstones to see what to put with it. I was tempted to use garnets and multi tourmaline, which was beautiful with it, but that’s sort of the necklace I always make. So I decided to do something a little different. I looked at some light amethyst, but it wasn’t enough of a contrast with the pendant. So this green garnet and some kind of gemstone tube was perfect. I added gold filled spacers for a rich look and a gold toggle. All beads, the pendant, and the toggle are from Allegory Gallery.

I did get some cleaning done as well!

Spring Green and More

30 Monday Mar 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

I’ve gotten out of the mode of regular making and then regular posting, even when I do make something. So I have multiple things to show made over time. First a bracelet.

Wrap bracelet with pastel and silver beads and silver bird and pink floral charm.

This is based on a Candie Cooper project. I made the bracelet and then didn’t have the correct color spring ring clasp. I tried some other clasps, but it didn’t work, so I ordered spring rings and some other things I needed from Fire Mountain Gems. The silver and Czech glass beads are from Allegory Gallery, as is the bird charm. The floral bead charm is ages old from my stash.

Necklace with pendant having a green background and yellow bird, yellow and green beads, and green floral toggle clasp.

The amazing focal in this necklace is by Andrew Thornton. I also got the green gemstones and the green floral toggle from Allegory Gallery. I was trying to find a yellow bead that I liked for this, and I found these cute little vintage glass almost floral looking shape at Bead Paradise II. It was fun to have a project so perfect for the toggle so I had an excuse to get it!

Necklace with large black and pink beads and medium and small black beads.

This isn’t so spring focused as the last two, but I love it. I have really been enjoying larger Czech glass, and the pink and black ovals are lovely. I added in some larger black faceted beads and finished in back with some smaller ones, black extender chain and a black lobster claw. The beads are all from Allegory Gallery.

These were all fun to make.

Studio Time

15 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

I’ve gotten in a little more studio time lately. It feels good.

Necklace with gold pendant featuring an owl with stars and moon, small black and gold beads.

I got the starry night owl pendant and black spinel from Allegory Gallery. I added golden druzy beads and vermeil spacers. It’s a lot more sparkly than the picture. I really like it.

Necklace featuring rectangle turquoise pendant with a variety of colors of round stone beads.

I got the turquoise pendant from Allegory Gallery and put together a variety of gemstone and clay beads for the colorful strand. It turned out nice!

I have two more necklaces in process and a couple of earrings projects laying out. I’m also cleaning my studio a little each time I am in there. It seems as much as I put away, I get an equal amount out. I’ll just keep at it!

Chunky Funky

05 Thursday Mar 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

I made a necklace that someone called not my usual style. I love that! It’s always nice to challenge oneself and make something different.

Necklace with blue, black, white and purple glass beads and silver.

I’m not a huge lampwork person, but I thought the purple and black beads were fun. I was going to use them with some amethyst. They were sitting in a strand on my table when I was unpacking these snuggle drops (that’s not their real name, but that’s what they do!) I thought they would look cool together. I think they do. I like the chunky look. I added some silver in the front. Not my usual look, but fun nonetheless.

I bought all the beads from Allegory Gallery.

Small, Medium, and Large

22 Sunday Feb 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

I made three necklaces of different weights, both physical and visual. I had them in mind for a while and finally had a bit of time to make them. I bought the materials from Allegory Gallery and often thought of the designs when I had one item and then bought another to go with it.

Delicate necklace of small yellow beaded chain with a sterling silver owl charm.

I got both the beaded chain and the sterling silver owl charm by Beth of Hint from Allegory Gallery. I love delicate beaded chain with a beautiful charm.

Necklace with ceramic pedant (that looks like wood) of a woodland spirit paired with faceted pietersite (blue and brown) beads, blue stone tubes and silver accents.

My medium necklace features a Diane Hawkey woodland spirit pendant. I used a beautiful strand of faceted pietersite and some blue tubes (sodalite?). Those beads, the pendant, the chain and clasp all from Allegory Gallery. I just added a few silver spacers.

Statement necklace with rustic larimar (bright blue) pendant, larimar beads and rustic silver beads.

My large necklace features a larimar pendant from a Lora Lunsford trunk show at Allegory Gallery. I like it when Allegory Gallery owners William and Andrew show items that might go together on their lives. It gives me good design ideas. They showed the rustic metal beads with this larimar pendant as I recall, and I bought those to go with it. Over time I bought larimar rounds and tabs, also from Allegory Gallery. I finished the necklace with a handmade clasp by Gaea.

It was great to get into the studio.

Two and 3/4 Necklaces

08 Sunday Feb 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

I made the first necklace (3/4 of one because I didn’t finish it yet with a clasp) during an Allegory Gallery Creative Make-Along. I made it for their Bead in the New Year Day 25 – Create an every-day wear piece. I could see someone just wearing this piece everyday as part of their uniform.

Necklace with tan and caramel colored glass beads, gold spacers and gold chain. It has no clasp.

This necklace features a pendant by Lora Lunsford from an Allegory Gallery trunk show. I used rhodocrosite and smoky quartz gemstones with an Allegory Gallery fine pewter clasp.

Necklace with pink and black pendant, pink round beads on one side and dark brown round beads on the other.

I started this necklace for the Bead in the New Year prompt of Day 20 – use African and metal beads. I just finally finished it. The horn tubes, snake eye beads, large metal/turquoise and large glass bead in the pendant and some of the other glass beads are from Allegory Gallery. The tassel is from Woman Shops World.

Necklace with various African glass beads, horn tube beads, metal and turquoise bead as pendant with a tan tassel.

Allegory Gallery – Bead in the New Year

04 Sunday Jan 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

I always enjoy Allegory Gallery‘s Bead in the New Year calendar of prompts. It really gets me thinking and helps me be creative. I’m going to try to do something for the prompt each day, though I will sometimes be working ahead and sometimes be working behind.

Day #1 – Make a pair of earrings

Earrings with textured drops in orange, gold and green with rustic black and copper beads.

For these earrings, I used beautiful polymer headpins by Kimberly Rogers of numinosity, black metal spacers, and rustic metal beads. Love these!

Day #2 – Design a new bracelet

Bracelet with brass bar, various metal beads, black, dark red, and turquoise beads.

This is a simple stretch bracelet. The beauty part of it is that I’ve wanted to use a metal bar in a bracelet for a while but had never done it. This prompt helped me get it done. Now it is ready for stacking.

Day #3 – Create a non-symmetrical necklace

Necklace with small pendant featuring orange and brown bird, orange/yellow and dark red beads on one side and long brown beads with black spacers on the other.

I’ve had this little bird charm on my desk planning to put it into a charm necklace. (I have a billion charms planning to put them into a charm necklace that never gets made!) I’ve been cleaning off my desk, and there were a couple of Allegory Gallery kits with beads perfect for the little charm, so I used those for the necklace. The toggle clasp is from Allegory Gallery‘s fine pewter line.

Day # 4 – Finish a project that you have started

Dish full of a variety of green beads with a necklace with a fancy star shaped glass pendant in a variety of greens on green wire cord with gold findings.

I got a Patti Cahill lampwork pendant at the same time as I got a Czech fire polished glass mystery bag in green, green Austrian crystals, and green seed beads from Allegory Gallery. All of the beads went with the pendant so well, I got stuck in wanting to try to use them together. I kept trying different ideas, but they were not working. This prompt gave me the push to move along to something that would work. I used WoolyWire to make a bail and then strung it on SilverSilk, both in colors that are perfect colors for the pendant as well. I think it turned out very nice.

Day #5 – Use natural fibers

Necklace with large wooden pendant featuring a cat in purple with accents of gold and orange, rough amethyst beads, rustic copper beads and colorful cotton cord at the back.

It’s not the 5th yet, but I’m working ahead since I don’t have a lot of time during the week. I absolutely love how this turned out. I’ve used both cotton cord and waxed linen. The cotton cord was originally going to be a bracelet, but it just didn’t lay right. I was in my bead closet, and the Allegory Gallery box was on the floor with the lid off with this wooden pendant with Andrew Thornton‘s artwork laying on the top. It has a lot of colors that the cotton cord does. I had thought about using the cord in the front to hang the pendant off. That looked nice, but what looked (and felt) even nicer is having the cord in the back and the rough amethyst in front with rustic metal. This looks great on.

I’m going to enjoy making things for the rest of the prompts. I’ve already gotten out materials for Day 6, and hope to have another week of makes by my next blog post.

Finally, A Post!

20 Saturday Dec 2025

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

It’s been so long since I posted, that WordPress logged me out, and I had to look up my password. But here I am. I hadn’t been making much, so it feels good to get some studio time.

Necklace with sparkly pink, and a variety of pink and brown beads in graduated size.

I’ve had this necklace in mind since I bought the sparkly beads. They are from the Ava Motherwell Collection. She had an online trunk show at Allegory Gallery. I love seeing the items on video, and also having a limited amount to choose from, since I like everything on Ava’s website. I have a brown and pink dress I made this for. I also got the Czech glass from Allegory Gallery.

Bracelet with various colored peace sign beads and various colored eye spacer beads.

I’ve been making stretch bracelets lately. I like that they don’t have a visible connection point (I hide the tied stringing material in a large hole bead) and they stack well. I love a bracelet stack. I got the peace sign beads from Allegory Gallery. I saw the eye beads from Nostalgica and knew they were the perfect spacer.

I put together a sparkle bracelet from Nostalgica. Those are so addictive. I wanted one with green, and this turned out so pretty.

Bracelet stack with silver, silver and turquoise bangles with a green and clear crystal cup chain bracelet.

Last but not least, I joined the Allegory Gallery Creative Make-Along this month. I always have fun chatting and usually end up making something I like. It helps me carve out the time to put together something I’ve been thinking about. I got a bunch of incredible Czech glass from Allegory Gallery. I loved these beads, even though I find bigger beads difficult to use sometimes. But I just couldn’t pass these up. I was going to look through my pendant box, but first I decided to see if I had any special treasures by Andrew Thornton. I did with this enamel pendant. I never have the right crimp covers. I need to get some larger ones, especially for when the crimps are in front like this. But I love the necklace.

Necklace with large lightly striped mint green and grey glass beads and a black and white pendant featuring a fantastical bird/girl creature.

It has been fun to be creative again. I forgot to write a blog post when I made the first couple of pieces, so I’m getting back to that now too.

Artists for Animals Auction Coming Soon

30 Thursday Oct 2025

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

I was taking stock of what I have made for the Artists for Animals Auction so far. I have about half of what I usually have. I wanted fewer things so I will have fewer leftovers, but I want a few more. I made two today and will make a few more during the weekend. Then maybe I will make some during the auction. I see other people post as the auction goes on. I’ve always posted all my stuff right at the beginning. I can see how it works. I have so many ideas!

Necklace with ceramic cat pendant with floral design and various colors and shapes of Czech glass beads to match the colors of the flowers on the cat.

Loralee Kolton gifted me this cool cat pendant. I love it! I decided to use it for the auction. Much of this Czech glass is from Allegory Gallery. The clasp is my favorite type of lobster from Nostalgica. It swivels, so easy to use.

Patti Vanderbloemen gifted me so many amazing beads for the auction. I’ve been slowly using them.

Earrings with orange/brown lampwork beads, turquoise, and turquoise, gold, red, and brown flora design ceramic headpins.

The Judith Billig lampwork bicones are from Patti. I used turquoise and what I believe are Mary Harding headpins. I got them in a destash, so I’m not sure.

I hope to show you some more things before the auction starts. It runs November 10 – 16, 2025. Come visit!