Blingy Beaded Brooch

Can you say that title three times quickly?  I cannot.  This is a circle pin on which I sewed fire polished crystals in a color called "crystal marea", and its definition eludes me.  It is a little gold, a little silver, a little copper, and heaven knows what else.  I used up almost the entire pack of beads on this because I wanted them to be thick and clustered.  This is the sort of piece which you just stare at and mumble "ooh pretty". Here is a close up photo of the beads.

Pink Heart Earrings with Painted Flowers

I'm always interested in sampling different beads.  These are heart-shaped glass beads.  A floral pattern is painted on them.  They look to be hand painted.  I don't think I could do such a good job at painting flowers on beads.  With such a nice pattern on them, I didn't add much else to the earrings in order to keep the focus on the pretty beads.

The Beneficiary of the Strawberry Patch

Can you see who is enjoying the strawberries?  I hope he likes them roasted -- our recent heatwave has roasted and fried everything in the garden.

"May I have them with cream please?"  he inquires.  He is satisfied that this is a "pick your own" crop.

Framed Glitter Pins

I made some brooches using resin, various types of glitter, and rhinestones.  I used purchased metal frames.  Resin can be used in a lot of different ways.  With these brooches, I used a monochromatic color scheme and decided the interest would be in the various shapes and textures.  I used fine glitter, microbead glitter, flakey glitter, and flatback rhinestones. I still need to determine the best way to photograph these.  I had them pinned to a jewelry roll, but I think there must be a better way.

New Coupon Code

Just a quick FYI -- I just put up a coupon code for free shipping from my Etsy shop.  This is the first time I have used this application from Etsy.   The code is FSMEMORIALDAY2011.  If it doesn't work, let me know.  If it does work, shop early and shop often!  It is good through Monday, May30th, at midnight.

A Bouquet of Iris

Our iris garden is in full swing.  It is brief, yet beautiful, like so many things.  Quite a few of our irises fell over due to their weight, so Allen made this bouquet.  He is my resident flower arranger.  The photo, like others on my blog, will enlarge if you click on it.

White Pearl Barrettes

I'm a big fan of glass pearls, and white pearls are a classic.  This is a nice barrette for a classic look or a bridal look.  I also made them in a small size.

I've been fairly happy with the hairpiece I purchased from Ulta.  It was on clearance, and then I had a coupon.  I have no idea how one actually uses it on their head, but it is useful for my photography in that you can see how the hair ornaments look on hair.  I originally had it strung up on a necklace display, but then found a styrofoam head at Sally's Beauty supply.  One must roam and shop!