Just a teaser...

I love being part of the ZNet Show design team! Their products are not only pretty, but so much fun to play with. A while back we were given the opportunity to be part of the ZNet Summer Days and Nights challenge Blog hop, and while I can't show you the finished products yet,  here's a look at what they sent for me to work with.

A whole tray of cultured sea glass in a variety of colors just begging to be made into summer pretties. You'd like a closer look? Yes, that can be arranged:)

Opaque Purple sea glass barrel nugget beads

Blossom Pink cultured sea glass freeform pendant and drops

Cherry Red sea glass beads

Turquoise Bay sea glass beads and pendants

As soon as Crafty Hope has the Creative Spark magazine ready to go, we'll be all blogging about our creations, so stay tuned!

Until then, may your summer days be filled with dashes of grace and splashes of joy!

Christie

Second Annual Octoberfest Blog Hop

How can it be the end of October already? That means *gulp* that December and the end of the year is much closer than it should be. On a personal note, I actually finished my very first 5K yesterday!! Woohoo! I still have a LONG ways to go because running the whole thing wasn't an option, but it was a fundraiser for a former teacher of my girls who is battling breast cancer. So I used the times I had to walk to pray for her and reminded myself of how blessed I am. I finished, but it wasn't pretty! lol.

My November is going to be very busy with three big jewelry events including (hurray, hurray) a trip to my sister's!! This will be my fourth annual jewelry show there and I love seeing repeat customers who've become friends along the way.

Autumn in Florida means that hopefully we're almost done with hurricane season. Our leaves don't change and we're expecting temperatures to drop to the high 70s this week. However, it also means that Pumpkin Pie Blizzards have arrived at Dairy Queen and there's Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer available at the grocery store :) If you're a pumpkin lover like I am, I have a Pumpkin Goodness board on (you guessed it) Pinterest! I love making pumpkin bread and muffins but may have to try the recipe for this pumpkin buckle sometime soon-

Pumpkin Buckle

                                                  

If you read my last blog post, you'll know that I recently had a chance to meet Raida of Havana Beads and see/buy some of her lovely beads and focals. While I was there looking for some beads for the 6th Do Over Challenge, I decided to indulge in more for today's blog hop. She had a gorgeous focal ceramic leaf that shouted "Fall";  it became mine :) and soon morphed into this...

Autumn Splendor

Those funky brown spacers were so much fun to wire wrap onto beaten copper circles. I added just a touch of green crystal to bring out the green in the amazing pendant. I haven't decided if I want to add another bigger green crystal at the bottom of the leaf- for right now I like it as it is.

Here's a closer look at the earrings

The fact that they're not perfectly matched adds to the appeal for me- definitely handmade and unique!
And one more look at the necklace by itself.

Autumn Splendor

so here's to fall and all the changes it brings. If you're in or around the Okeechobee area, I'll have a booth at the Craft Fair in the Woods on November 9th and would love for you to stop by and say hello! They don't have a website but here's a link to their Facebook page.

There's a whole lot of other people participating in the Octoberfest Blog Hop so make sure you check out what they've posted too. Thanks again to Rita of Toltec Jewels for hosting this, and may your October end with splashes and dashes of grace and joy!
Christie

Caroline                                       http:// Carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com

Andrea Glick-Zenith                     http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/

Dolores Raml                               http://craftydscreations.wordpress.com/

Karla Morgan                               http://TexasPepperJams.blogspot.com

Susie Harris                                 http://jewelleryjunkie.blogspot.com/

Susan                                          http://libellulajewelry.com

Mischelle                                      http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com/

Billi                                               http://billi-rs-rothove.blogspot.com/

Kay Thomerson                           http://kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/

Jean Yates                                  http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com/

Kelly Hosford Patterson               http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com

Kathy Lindemer                           http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com

Liz E                                            http://beadcontagion.blogspot.com

Jasvanti Patel                              http://jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com

Christie Murrow  (you're here)   www.charisdesignsjewelry.blogspot.com

Jodie Marshall                             http://marshalljodie.blogspot.com/

Andrea Trank                              http://heavenlanecreations.com/

Dini Bruinsma                              http://angazabychanges.blogspot.nl

Elsie Deliz Fonseca                     http://ladelizchica.blogspot.com/

Pepita                                         www.pepita-handmade.blogspot.com

Karla Morgan                              http://texaspepperjams.blogspot.com/

Kathleen                                     http://99bobotw.blogspot.com/

Vera Lynn                                   http://veradesigns.blogspot.com/

Rana Wilson                               http://ranaleadesigns.blogspot.com/

Catherine King                           http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com/

Lily Vincent                                 http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.co.uk/

Janice Hidey (Janimar)               http://drawingthelinesomewhere.com/

Cory Tompkins                           http://TealwaterDesigns.blogspot.com

Candida Castleberry                  www.spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com

Cynthia Kent Machata                http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/

Alicia Marinache                         http://www.allprettythings.ca

Linda Anderson                          http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com

Leah Curtis                                 http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Reno (JenRen)              http://jenrenjewelry.blogspot.com/

Robin Reed                                 http://willowdragon.blogspot.com/

Tanty Sri Hartanti                        www.tjewellicious.blogspot.com

Lisa Lodge                                  http://gratefulartist.blogspot.com/

Ingrid A.                                      http://lilisgems.wordpress.com/

Judy Turner                                www.silver-rains.blogspot.com

Gina Hockett                               http://freestyleelements.blogspot.com/

Nelly May                                    www.smellynelly.blogspot.com

Tanya McGuire                           http://tanyamcguire.blogspot.com/

Ahowin                                        http://www.blog.ahowinjewelry.com

Sonya Stille                                 http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com

Pam                                            http://www.klassyjoolz.blogspot.com

Carol D.                                      http://dillmansdallies.blogspot.com/

Asri Wahyuningsih                      http://asribeadwork.blogspot.com/

Ginger Bishop                             http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com

Janine                                         http://www.esfera.me/travel/blog/travel-stories

Shaiha Williams                          http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/

Toltec Jewels (Rita, your hostess)  www.JewelSchoolFriends.com

A Labor of Love...

I blogged earlier that I was one of the lucky winners of beads from Znet Shows. These were the beauties I was given to work with:

And boy! did I have fun. Here are some of the things I made:

Crystal Blue Persuasion

 I love, love, love the pairing of the Watercolors sea glass beads and pendants with the Tiaria Chinese crystals. The colors are beautiful and this set got the creative juices flowing.

Autumn Seashells

Aren't those spacers amazing? I used them in a couple of different things, and hoarded  saved some for another project.

Pagoda Wave Pendant

 This curved sea glass bead threw me for a loop but I decided to go out of my comfort zone, and I'm rather pleased with the result.

Peridot Crystal Dangles

I've had these hoops from Hobby Lobby for awhile and they paired up nicely with some of these beautiful green crystals.

Fish in the Sea

Kept looking at these great fish beads and the round spacers, and again, a chance to use more of those lovely crystals. I had some matching bicones for little dangles.

And then it was time for more earrings :)

Golden Dangles

Cobalt Blue Shells

Here are more of those dark blue crystals paired with chain and dark blue sea glass seashells.

Green Goodness

 Went to go post a picture on Instagram ( come follow me : Charisdesigns) and realized I hadn't included these sweet little green earrings. What's not to love about sea glass and crystal? The color combos are endless.

Crystal Hoopla

It took a little bit of finagling, but I was delighted when I was able to stack the crystals inside the hoops that I bought from my local bead store. As you can tell from the pictures, I'm still loving my Rhonna Designs app.

There's another set in progress but it's being a tad persnickety, so it'll wait for another day. I still have lots of beads left, which is very exciting.  Thank you again, Hope and Znet Shows for letting me play with all the lovelies!

Happy Labor Day! Hope it's filled with splashes and dashes of joy and grace-

Christie

As Promised...

Here are pictures of the amazing assortment of beads sent by Dana James- this was more than a soup, it was a smorgasbord! She went above and beyond, and presented me with choices and combinations galore. Thank you, Dana!

See that stamp focal pendant? Handmade by Dana herself. She gave me 3 different clasp options, chains, charms, bead caps and Tim Holtz findngs- very unique. But wait, there's more!

Add to that some beautifully lustrous mother of pearl beads, another adorable focal, Swarovski (one can NEVER go wrong with them), green quartz, Chinese jade and sumptuous tigers eye beads. Thought we were finished? Oh no... the bounty continues.

I'm not singing the blues with these babies. Lampwork beads, faceted blue glass beauties, some rich, dark blue labradorite ( did I mention I love navy blue?), and finishing up with some leather cording. She also included some antique brass findings and a piece of sunny yellow ribbon which I discovered after taking these pictures, tucked away in the bottom of the bag.

Am I blessed or what? Can't wait to get some time set aside to ponder the possibilities. Hurricane Irene may give me some extra at-home time by the end of the week, but we'll have to wait and see where she ends up. As of right now, she's headed our way, but there's a lot that can happen between now and the end of the week.

Wishing you splashes of grace and dashes of joy!

Bead Soup Blog Party

It's official! I'm paired with Dana James for the BSBP. She's the first on my list of blogs that I follow, and I'm ( take your pick) thrilled, awed, a little intimidated , very challenged , but oh! so excited to be partnered with her.I'm going to take pictures of the wonderful beads she sent to me and post them tomorrow. She's an accomplished beader/teacher/jewelry maker and it's a privilege to be linked to her. There's a total of 362 people from around the world participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party this time.The big reveal will be September 17th. Time to put on the creativity hat and see where it leads.

School starts Monday- back to routine. Daughter #1 remains in Orlando ( go Knights), daughter #2 is safely in Tallahassee (go 'Noles) and daughter #3 begins her junior year in high school(go Brahmans). No more carpooling, no more drop offs/pick ups and I'll have 2 afternoons plus one whole day for things I need want to do.  There's no telling the thousands of miles  and hours I've logged with children in the car- this begins a whole new era. I've scheduled several classes to teach at Michaels for September. I taught Wire Crochet today to 3 women who are interested in learning new techniques and had a ball.They were delighted with their creations, and said they'll be coming back to learn more. I chose to get certified through Michaels because when I was learning how to make jewelry it was so hard to find classes that were local. Now there's only one independent bead store left and they don't offer instruction. The classes offer me a chance to give back and teach something I love doing.  If I ever make it to Seattle, however, I'm hunting down Dana for a class at Shipwreck Beads! I'm also in the process of moving into the new bead space, and while it's a lot of work and far from finished, I'm so enjoying working /organizing/ and making it my own. 

So, pictures to follow- so much to learn about this blogging thing, but I'm going to be like the Little Engine that could, and say "I think I can, I think I can"!

Hoping that today brings you a splash of grace and a dash of joy!

New Beginnings

This is a new venture for me, so welcome to the journey!  I'm in the process of moving out of a shared space in my husband's office and into a new space just for me and the tons of beads I've acquired- pictures to follow (can one ever have too many?) New spaces invite all sorts of possibilities and  I'm intrigued to see what the end result will be.  The space needs to be functional, pleasing to the eye, ORGANIZED, and one that inspires creativity.

If you've moved into a new craft space recently, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and suggestions, as to what worked or didn't work for you.I'm wanting to set up a desk space that works for both my beads/jewelry making but also for packaging/shipping the finished pieces- and then there needs to be a space for photographing as well. My dream desk is about $600- sigh.That won't be happening any time soon but you can see it here and dream with me :)

My dream workdesk

Amazing, isn't it? For right now, I'm going to be content with what's available and find ways to use what's at hand! As in trying to see the glass half full and not half empty kind of thing.

So, here's to potential, and lessons that will be learned along the way. I'm intrigued to see where both the workspace and this blog ends up, aren't you?

Hoping that today brings you a splash of grace and a dash of joy.