Cinderella went to the ball...

And my dear friend Stacy gets to go to the ball too!  She's actually going to the Marine Ball which is a very elegant event for anyone that is serving in the Marines or in the case of Stacy's husband a retired Marine.  When Stacy asked me to design her jewelry, she sent me a photo of her gown and specified that she wanted something in red, white and blue that was elegant and classy.

I chose to use dark blue crystals, with fire polished czech glass beads in a garnet shade and clear Swarovski crystals to add ALOT of sparkle to the set.  The set just glistens out in the sunlight... oh how I love Swarovski!

For those that don't know Stacy, she's a true sweetie.  Stacy is a master of up-cycling and breathing life into treasures that most people overlook.  She's an exceptional crafter and foodie extraordinaire!  To see her great recipes, brag books and amazing customized Charlie Bags, check out her blog:  http://slmpetersen.blogspot.com. 

Stacy, I'm sure you're going to look like the queen of your castle all dressed up for your prince!  I hope you have an amazing time at the ball!

{Hugs!}
Dawn

Purple-licious LOVE and a Book Giveaway

I just LOVE purple... really, any shade of purple... light, dark, rich or flirty... I love 'em all!  So imagine my pure delight when my good friend Kathy asked me to design a custom set for an upcoming convention she's attending.  It's an all woman convention so I unleashed my ferocious purple power and viola! (Side Note:  I also love autumn, thus the theme of my jewelry models lately... please pardon the stem) ;)

I also wanted to share with you an Awesome Giveaway!  One of my good blogger friends Lori Anderson was just published in a new book, Making Elegant Jewelry.  To celebrate the release of the book, Lori's giving away a copy on her blog over at The Hive!  http://creatingthehive.com/blog-post/25922/beading-book-giveaway-making-elegant-jewelry

I would LOVE to win her book, but I'd be happy for you if you did too... honestly I would, right after I cried in my cup of coffee... but I'd get over it, someday. ;)  To enter Lori's giveaway, click here to go to her blog post.  Take a look at the gorgeous necklace she made for the book and leave her a comment!  Good luck to you (and me too, but more to you)!

Have a terrific week! {Hugs!}
~Dawn

Custom Wedding Jewelry

Crystals, pearls and sparkles - Oh My - Crystals, pearls & sparkles - OH MY! (♫ said to the rhythm of Lions, Tigers & Bears - Oh My ♪)

Yes, I'm in the middle of a wonderfully busy wedding jewelry season and I'm loving it.  It really feels special to be able to add my touch of love on a bride & grooms special day!  The trend this year in wedding jewelry is very simple designs, but with BIG sparkle!

Brides put countless hours into finding the right dresses for their bridesmaids, so they really want the dresses to stand out.  Therefore the jewelry for bridesmaids needs to be complimentary... not statement pieces.  I'm using pearls and Swarovski crystals to add a classy look with a whole lot of sparkle that only Swarovski can provide! 

To my friends that are brides, thank you for trusting me to add the bling on your special day!  I feel blessed and love designing one of a kind jewelry for your bridesmaids!  I hope the sun shines on your special day as much as those Swarovski earrings! (wink, wink!)

{Hugs!}
Dawn

Pictures Speak Louder than Words

  

Swarovski Tanzanite Chandelier Earrings

 

Swarovski Fire Opal Earrings

 

Pearl & Lampwork Glass Bead Anklet

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful weekend with family or friends!

Don't forget to Vote for Beads of Courage at the Pepsi Refresh Project!

Thanks a bunch if you've already voted today! :)

{Hugs!}

Dawn

Spiral Stitch Beaded Rope Project

This week I tried something I have never done before... I went where my beads have never taken me... I traveled to the land of BEAD WEAVING!  I know, now you're thinking... "Oh geez Dawn, yet another obsession..." and you just might be right.  But how cool is it to be able to create chunky beaded chains like the spiral rope chain to hang beautious chunky pendants on? 

I have seen the spiral rope chain created by very, Very talented beaders on their blogs and in their Etsy & Artfire Stores.  I love the look of it, and I've wanted to try it, but had no clue where to start...

In steps my MIL.  She happened to see the Best of Step By Step Beads Magazine at JoAnn's when she was picking up her flags for Memorial Day.  She flipped through and saw the bead weaving and equated it to the wire crochet that I love so much.  So she picked it up and the love of seed beads continues from there...

So over the last week I couldn't wait to get my hands into some thread and itty bitty beads.  I created this pink and chocolate spiral rope chain, which I'm going to put some cone ends on w/ a clasp and call it mine forever because it was my first-born bead weaving project.  :) 

I also created a crystal necklace using some seed beads and 6 mm crystals.  It too turned out sparkley and beautiful and will go in my jewelry box as a treasure forever.  :)    I love trying new things, it opens the mind, expands the creativity and challenges us to create something new. 

If you're looking to break through a plateau, I encourage you to pick up a book, magazine or online tutorial about something you haven't done before.  Challenge yourself to complete it and see what you can learn!

Have yourself a wonderful weekend!  On Monday, I'll be sharing with you all about a new Sponsor we have for our Blogmania Giveaway!  You'll just love her - promise! :)

{Hugs!}
Dawn

Something old, something new, something borrowed....

SOMETHING BLUE!!!!  Yes, I'm not sure about wedding traditions in other cultures, but this is a customary tradition here in the US. 

So feast your eyes on this....

Fit for any bride... there's crystal, there's pearls and of course, there's blue!  I designed as an anklet so any bride can wear it with her gown and it's not going to upset her new Mother-in-Law by clashing in the pictures.

It's been 80's and sunny her in WI, so I've been playing in my gardens - loosening up soil, planting seeds, splitting plants and being incredibly grateful for everything around me.  I'm one of those crazy people that LOVES both the heat and humidity... I know, what am I doing in Wisconsin, right? 

Hope your day is sunny, and if it's not... bring sunshine with your smile to someone who needs it!

{Hugs!}
~Dawn

Custom Order - for a Paris Wedding!

One of my BFF's asked me to make her some custom jewelry for a wedding she's going to in Paris!  It's so wonderful when you can design from the heart for someone that's more than just a friend, but really like a sister to me.  She's been there to support me through miles of life changes and so this set of jewelry is supremely special.

Her dress is a guava color - which I say is like a tropical pinky orange with clear A/B crystals in a cracked ice pattern at the bottom of the skirt.  It's a strapless dress, so I wanted to make a huge statement while keeping the necklace light and not klunky.  :)  Thus enter Swarovski crystal into my life... and my infatuation with big bling!

I created a triple strand bracelet, chandelier earrings and coordinating necklace featuring crystal and padparadascha Swarovski crystals.  I love how the light reflects off the bicones and crystal cubes.  I'm developing an even greater love crystals and formal jewelry! 

This week I'll be putting out my May Newsletter.  If you haven't signed up to receive my free monthly newsletter, fill in your information in the box on the right.  As my gift to you, you'll get a copy of my e-book "Twitter Marketing Made Easy" for free! :) I look forward to sharing great updates about summer trends and all things related to jewelry!

Hope your week is absolutely stellar!

Crystal Chandelier Earrings

Fit for a queen... or for a princess... or for a bride!  I've been having oodles of fun with beautiful Swarovski crystals.  It started with the prom jewelry I created in April, then I received a custom order for a dear friend who's attending a wedding... in PARIS!  I know, how romantic is that?  So I ordered the special crystals to go with her gown and ordered a few extras to "play" with.  I can't wait to show you that piece.  I'm using the Swarovski that I can't pronounce the name of... but it's perfect!  Padparadascha... or something like that!  LOL

There's something special about the sparkle of Swarovski... I don't know how they do it, but they're amazing!  After seeing the highlights from the Miss USA pagent on Sunday night, one recurring theme jumped out at me.  I don't watch the whole pagent, I just don't care that much... but I do love the evening gown competition.  Why?  Because the gowns are gorgeous and I LOVE jewelry.  So what a better showcase of all the most beautiful bling on the planet!  (And the hottest formal jewelry trends)  The one HUGE trend I saw was the long chandelier style earrings!  I love chandeliers, always have.  But seeing them all "blinged-out" on the runway... I was salivating!  Seriously, I was in my element.

Imagining, dreaming, planning for a cruise - which is still just in dream stage, or my wedding and picturing all that bling - even if I'm just standing on a beach in sandals!  So let's all take a moment, and than Swarovski for creating so much bling in such tiny packages! :)

Jewelry for the Queen

If you read my earlier post, I set out on a mission to create a very special set of prom jewelry.  The recipient will still remain nameless because prom is still a few weeks out and I have to ship the jewelry to her.  I just wish I could have a hidden camera in the box as she opens it and sees her special set.

I have to say, as an artist, isn't it a wonderful feeling when you have an idea in your head and when you start working with your wire, crystals & pliers they all agree with your idea?!?!  Isn't that grand?  With this set, I had an idea that instantly popped into my mind.  I wanted to do something in a charm style with crystals and beads that dangle. It turned out exactly as pictured (in my mind).

The extra special touch to this set are the earrings.  She's never had her ears pierced and many of the clip-on styles are to old for a high schooler to wear.  These hoops I got from Fire Mountain Gems have a retractable spring closure that don't even look like they are clip ons!  LOVE THEM!  

I know she will just love this set and who knows, she might end up being prom queen!  Even if she doesn't get the royal title, one thing is for sure, she's going to look like royalty - crown or not! :o)

Special Surprise Custom Prom Jewelry

Pearls, Crystals and Glass... Oh My... Pearls Crystals and Glass.. Oh My (thank you Wizard of Oz for getting that stuck in my head this morning.)   My project for this week is near and dear to my heart and I just wanted to share the "before" pictures with you.  I will share the full story and the "after" photos when I finish the set.  But it's a surprise... so this is all I can give you just yet.

Doesn't it remind you of the Caribbean Sea?  I'm so exciting to start wrapping and stringing with these beautiful crystals.  I think the Fed Ex guy that delivered them on Saturday thinks I'm really a whack.  I was almost... seriously, almost skipping out to his truck to meet him.  Except for the fact I was still in my slippers.  He graciously said "You're welcome ma'am" to my "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!" Then jumped back into his truck before I could hug him!  Poor guy, I'm sure I gave him a good story for his family BBQ if he had one! 

Can't wait to share more!  Don't drool too much.  You know you wish I were making this for you!! :o)  Wouldn't this be beautiful for an aqua & brown wedding party too?!?!  I'm just sayin'...