Great Balls of Fire DONE!

Well, it is finished! I have even listed it in my shop. I thought that I would treat you with some photos that didnt make it on the listing. I am so glad that it is over. I want to start thinking about some of the other things I have in the works. I also want to make a bead embroidered skull with red eyes some day. I just hope that it sells, it is such a beautiful piece! I really love how it came out and all the hard work that I put into it really paid off in the end. I thought I was never going to finish it there for a while! I just with these pictures would line up straight! Ugh!

The Cake!

The Cake!
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

Happy B-day to my husband! This was his cake. He wanted a carrot and an apple sword fighting. If you knew my husband, you would understand... Enjoy!

Great Balls of Fire part 5

Since break started I have been hard at work trying to finish my fire ball necklace. I have finished the bead embroidery part...finally! Now I just have to finish it. I glued a black Tandy leather back on with E6000 and now I am in the process of stitching the two sides more securely together with black seed beads (the same time I used for the chain part) in a modified brick stitch. I actually had to wrap a scrap of leather around my finger so I could push the needle though the leather. I was actually starting to use the table instead of my fingers for this task because I had started to push the needle though my finger...instead of the leather, then along came the idea of wrapping my finger in leather! Work has gone a lot faster after that light bulb moment.
I also took a day off in frustration. See, my inspiration for bead embroidery came from the Fire Mountain Gems Website (FMG) and their Bead Embroidered Cuff bracelet. Keep in mind, when I started this project many many many months ago...FMG also had a whole set of videos that you could view to help you along with certain projects. These videos were actually clips of some show that actually used to be on the local public television channel around there. They helped tremendously when I first started, because I learn the best from watching. I watch this video back then thinking, that when I got to the next step I could just refer back to it for more help. Well, man was I wrong. Not only are NONE of the videos up any more, the instructions they have make zero sense to me. I did have some foresight and printed off the directions back when I started (they had the written instructions available as well). Apparently, they decided to take off the pictures that went with every step and only include a handful and stop at step 11...I need help on steps 14 on!!! The written isntructions make no sense...like what side of the backing are you stitching from? That would help... So basically I had to go back to the stuff I had printed off from before, which had stills from the video (thank God!) and figure it out from there. I think I did...they basically used a modified brick stitch. I was pulling my hair out before I sat down and figured it out. I didnt want to ruin this piece that I have worked on for months just because FMG decided to be poop heads and pull the videos off from their website. So far everything else is going along well...except for the time I tried to trim some leather and accidentally sniped my thread. That was a bit hairy. Now I just have to finish the edging and connect the embroidery to the more "necklace" part then attach the clasp. I am so close I can almost taste it!! mmmmm beads.....

Great Balls of Fire part 4

I just wanted to show you what little progress I have had on the Fire Ball Necklace I have been working on for months. Because of school, I havent had much time to work on it. The bead embroidery is very labor and time intensive. I did complete some, so I thought I would post what I have done. I think I will try to work on it when we do laundry every week. We shall see how long that keeps up...
Anyway, enjoy!

Product Review: Industrial Stretchy Bracelet from Red Panda

Industrial Stretchy Bracelet
Originally uploaded by RedPandaChainMail

I have wanted to review RedPanda's work for a while, but I just never got around to it. Well now that will change! Back in August I got a custom version of the bracelet you see in the picture. The reason it was custom is because my wrist is so small! You can get the bracelet made with a number of different colors, and I hemmed and hawed between silver or red metal rings, but in the end I went with silver because silver goes with more things. One of the requirements of jewelry that I buy is that it be durable. I dont take my jewelry off hardly ever. I only take my rings, watch and bracelet off to shower. Other than that...they stay on. I wear it for years, basically until it breaks. I convoed RedPanda to ask about the durability of this bracelet, as the black rings are actually ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. She said that her significant other has warn the exact same thing for almost a year and it has held up and the rubber hadnt changed or caused any kind of reaction. I bought it and I have to say that, yep, this is one tough cookie of a bracelet! The closures are excellent (my husband does chain maille and is very picky..and he was impressed) and I have had no problem with the rubber. The bracelet is stretchy, so there is no clasp or closure to snag on clothing. It is very unique and I love wearing it every day. In fact, some times I dont take it off in the shower (because I forget) and it is still perfect. I have had some "build up" under it, but that is because I wear it constantly, like the junk that builds up around my watch (dead skin and the like), but that isnt the bracelet's fault.
Overall Impression: Excellent all over, from customer service to work quality. I would recommend RedPanda to anyone! And this is coming from a person who is married to someone who does chain maille! Thank you so much RedPanda!

Bold Red Coral, Pearl and Hemalyke Necklace

Bold Red Coral, Pearl and Hemalyke Necklace
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

I finally got my lighting rig up and here is some of the results! I have a whole mess (okay, 8 items) ready to list in my Etsy shop, but this necklace takes the cake. I really love it. If you want to see more (before I get everything up on my Etsy) take a look at my flickr...examples are all there of my new work! Oh, and that lovely rosary that I made isnt going to be going on sale...I fell in love with it. That is too bad, because I cant make any more until I sell something. I do take custom orders, so if you would like a handmade rosary, just let me know! I took it to get bless this week, and stayed for noon mass. Then I prayed with it...and it sealed it's fate. Now I love it so much I just cant give it up!

Update-a-licious

I just thought I would let everyone out there who actually reads this know what is going on in my life right now. I am finally over the flu (which is what I think I had), mostly. I can function and think, I just cough a lot. I made it though hell week, and I am free to research the rest of break unabated! I have also bought new lights for my lighting rig. I bought a couple of work lights from Home Depot. They are super bright and were cheap (ranging from around 8 - 13 bucks). They are really flexible, placement wise, as well. The only draw back is they get a little hot. As long as I keep and eye on them, I think they will work out just fine. The best part is, if my husband needs to work outside or on the car, we now have some work lights! I hope this week or this weekend I will be able to actually shoot some pictures and get some new stuff in my shop. (Like that rosary...)

Sicko

I just wanted to publicly complain that being sick sucks. Especially when it is my busiest week of the semester. Everyday I have a new ailment on my list. It started with a contracted muscle that caused a nerve in my arm to be aggrieved. Then I got a monster of a sore throat, then a killer headache. Now this thing has moved into my sinuses. All I want to do is crawl in bed and go to sleep...but I have more lab practicals to proctor...then grade...then grade their homework...then do my own homework...blech!