Picnic, anyone?

Here is part of my results of my trip to the Bead Expo. Definitely spent too much money, so I need to get crackin' on new items. Good thing I just got asked to do three more necklaces, phew! This is a really light, fun, and flirty piece. The colors are subtle but will pick up just about anything you wear. It was originally two-stranded, but there wasn't enough "oomph" so I added a third strand with some brightly colored freshwater pearls. Watch tonight as I post a special Mother's Day Necklace.

Mum's Day

In case anyone is considering a custom-made piece of jewelry for your mom, I'm your girl! I've been doing a lot of custom work lately and it's been very satisfying on both ends (at least that's what I hear....). Just give me a color and the type of feel you want and I'll dream up the rest. Better than a bouquet of flowers that will just die in a few days!

What I've been up to & Bead Expo

I haven't been able to post any new pieces to my general store lately as I've been busy with custom-made wedding jewelry for two different brides. It's a lot of fun and I love the idea that something I made will be worn on such a special day. Funny though, I've been less-than inspired to make jewelry for my own bridesmaids. Not because I don't love them, but maybe instead I'll return the favor and support a fellow etsian. Or, maybe I'm just waiting for the right beads to come along.

Speaking of, don't miss the Innovative Bead Expo this weekend in Edison, NJ. I know the fiance is REALLY looking forward to it....hah! I went to one in December and found some really great deals on Swarvoski crystals and Czech glass beads. I will warn you, though, that it can be quite overwhelming!

Here are some pics of the custom-wedding jewelry I just finished. The first is for the bride herself, the second is a possible design for a set of bridesmaid jewelry. Let me know what you think! (And thanks to Nick for taking the pictures, I'm a lucky girl indeed.)

New York's Coral Reef

Institute For Figuring's "Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef"2007 exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center.

I heard about this while listening to WNYC today and had to go and explore it further. Bet you didn't know New York City had its own Coral Reef eh? Well for a limited time it does, albeit that it consists of crocheted wool and other crazy materials like shredded Target plastic bags (very cool).

About two years ago Margaret Wertheim, a science writer, and her twin sister, Christine, came up with the idea of creating a "wooly coastline" to raise awareness and honor the 135,000 miles of reef in their homeland of Queensland, Australia. The "Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef" project was born, and is now on display in New York's World Financial Center's Winter Garden. The project has turned global with participants from all over the world contributing to the ever-growing reef. If you'd like to contribute to the exhibits next installation in London, click here for patterns. To read more about it, check out this NYTimes article or the Institute for Figuring, who are the curators of the exhibit. Best of all, the exhibit is FREE, so if you're in the area make sure to check it out. As a fellow crocheter who enjoys using different types of mediums (like wire!), I'm in love with this project, especially as it communicates an important message about global warming.

Image from the Institute for Figuring

Can you guess where this is?

I made some new flickr contacts today and discovered a new etsy seller, papercutsbyjoe. He does amazing work by cutting images by hand from a single piece of acid-free black paper. I saw this picture and immediately knew where it was - do you? Some of you should definitely know.... Check out some of his other work, which even comes framed for a pretty reasonable price.

Help me decorate my hair!

I am issuing a challenge to all of you. I am in love with this style of hairpiece for my wedding day. However, look at it, it's wire and beads, something I have a LOT of. My first attempt at doing something similar came out horrible, like a mess of wire and beads on a bobby bin. I think I was using too soft of a wire (28g). Does anyone know where I could find a tutorial or instructions for this type of work? Isn't it gorgeous? I'm thinking of wearing it post-ceremony once my veil comes off.