Bead Hop with my Cousin Creative Sisters

Guess what.... Easter's around the corner and we're hopping again.... BEAD HOPPING!!!  Imagine when I sparked the idea mid-January to do another blog hop featuring Cousin Corporation beads... I can't even believe the last one was 2 year ago... holy cow!  How I thought jeesh, a Febrary reveal would be easy peasy.  My fellow creative sisters and I would all get the same beads, create awesome pieces that are uniquely "us" and feature them in a fancy, sparkly blog hop!  But mid-January Dawn had no idea how busy February Dawn or March Dawn was going to be.  So here I sit, feeling like a college kid cramming for a final... typing like mad to get my blog post up before I fall asleep.  I got 2 of 3 projects done... one is still waiting which, funny enough, is the one with the colors that are my total fave... but enough about me rambling... I've got some jewelry to show you.

First, rocked the chunky druzy focal with some bad ass spikes  (also from Cousin, but not part of the selected beads.)   I wore this piece to work yesterday and it got a few thumbs up... I'm more of a silver girl by nature.... but the brown's and gold really played in a earthy delight... and reminded me of sand... which takes my heart to the beach.  And even when I'm not sitting on the beach, I'm still at the beach in my mind! ;)

Spikes also inspired the next little project.  Stretchy bracelets!!  I've fallen in love with stretchy bracelets.  Stack 'em, match 'em, give 'em, make 'em... you gotta have some!  I have some of my bracelets featuring seashells for sale in a fancy pet spa where my furry fella gets groomed - Unleashed Pet Spa - Check 'em out! Beth and Dennis are the best!

But anyhow, stretch bracelets are a thing - and for me, I could add some spikes and those big silver balls... I did those.  Black, white and silver a classic pairing with a little goth twist.

And lastly... my third project.... which is still just a project.  I saw the turquoisey purple goodness dancing together in a mermaid fashion. And it still will, in an amazing project, but it is still just a twinkle in my artisan's eye.  What it will turn into???  Not sure yet!  But it's going to be awesome!

Thanks for playing in our little box of beads.  For the real fun, keep hopping and check out my dear friend0's creations too! We're brought together by beads, but we've become dear friend! Cousin Creative Circle Ambassadors  -  It's a great group of creative women that all have one of a kind style! ♥

Rebecca Grafton - My Girlish Whims
Shelly Owen - Razelia's  Designs
Lisa Crone - A Bead A Day
Rachel Nielson - Adventures of a DIY Mom
Jennifer Priest - Hydrangea Hippo

Happy to be heading into the weekend!! Peace, love & sunshine!!

WINNER - Erica Jahns PLUS Another Great DIY Jewelry Design

Last week I hosted a great giveaway of this fun, Florida inspired bracelet featuring Charms made with Swarovski Crystals!!!  And I want to congratulate ERICA JAHNS the winner of last weeks bracelet!!  Erica, please message me your mailing address and I'll get your bracelet right in the mail to you!

This weeks project features another really fun charm made with Swarovski Crytals!! 

I love this Ohm charm!!!  It's a fun pop of color with it's beautiful orangish/redish hued Swarovski Crystal backdrop.  Again this charm features a lobster claw clasp, so you can literally put it on anything that has a hole... okay, maybe not on a donut.  BUT you can hang it from a zipper pull.  You can put it on the hook of a suction cup on the patio door as a rainbow maker and here, I created seashell necklace... but here's the secret, find a seashell that already has a hole in it! 

Once you find your perfect seashell, using an eye pin, insert the eye pin through the hole and form a wrapped loop on the inside of the seashell. On the wrapped loop you just created, attach a bail with a jump ring.  Now you have something to thread your necklace chain through.  On the front side of your seashell, using the lobster claw clasp attach your charm made with Swarovski crystal. 

Find your favorite style of necklace chain and put it through the bail and you're finished!  Another quick & easy piece of wearable art! 

Thanks for following along, if you'd like to see other great project made featuring Charms with Swarovski Crystal, check out each of my fellow Cousin Creative Circle Ambassador blogs!  It's a great group of creative women that all have one of a kind style! ♥

Rebecca Grafton - My Girlish Whims
Shelly Owen - Razelia's  Designs
Lisa Crone - A Bead A Day
Rachel Nielson - Adventures of a DIY Mom
Jennifer Priest - Hydrangea Hippo 

Hope you have a super week!! Peace, love & sunshine!!

Inspired by Winter - A Pearl and Crystal bracelet for Cousin Corporation

Last Spring, the Cousin Ambassadors (aka my creative sisters) were given an assignment for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores.  Many times when we get assignments like this we can't share them because the store needs to see them and be able to use them in their advertising and promotions first. 

The theme I was to create around was "Winter."  I'm giggling about that now as I type this because I'm sitting in my office in Clearwater, FL.  It's 81* outside and still getting hotter... so talking about Winter is truly ironic. 

Alas, there are parts of winter living in Wisconsin for 35 years taught me to appreciate.  There's much beauty created in the first snow or in the frost.  I love the hoar frost on the trees when the fog freezes to the limbs... I just didn't much enjoy the fact it lasts for 4+ months.

I just got the piece back and I'm really excited to share it with you... and to wear it because, what a coincidence.... it happens to be just my size! ;)

Wouldn't this be perfect for bridal jewelry?? Or to pop that vintage glam look??

This bracelet used 6mm round mirror beads and 6mm pearls from Cousin.  I used a multi-strand clasp with hook and extender chain to be able to give it versatility.  This piece was a whole lot of making links and connecting those links, but the finished bracelet is awesome!  And of course, I made earrings to match!

If you'd like to make this great bracelet and earring set, you can pick up all the materials at Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft stores!  And I have the instructions all written up!  Message me via my Facebook Page - Bella Amore Legacy Jewelry and I'd be happy to email them to you!

Dawn Doucette Published in Beadwork Magazine

I'm super excited to finally be able to share this with you guys!  I created a piece last spring... literally one year ago this month, submitted it to Beadwork to see if they wanted to publish it.  And they did... but it was slated for the June/July 2015 issue... holy cats Batman, how am I supposed to not say anything to anybody for a whole entire year?  Because yeah... that took patience, then lots of distraction... then I sort of kind of lost track of time until BAM!  Beadwork is emailing me to mail me back my necklace because the issue has hit newsstands!

I love, love, love this necklace!!! I'm totally a sucker for a beaded spiral rope... add crystals and it makes me all weak in the knees and starry eyed.  In this rope I wanted to give it a fun texture!  As an ambassador for Cousin Corporation I also wanted to showcase some of their beads.  The rope itself is made with 4mm bicones in the aqua/gold mirror beads as well as their Crystazzi brand crystals in Crystal A/B and Indicolite!

But to have just a spiral rope alone wasn't enough!  I loved this turquoise and orange peacock charm from Cousin too, so I had to dress it up in true Dawn fashion.  Add a beaded carnelian component, some great Swarovski crystal copper bicones and BAM!!!  Now that's a flirty, fun, sparkly necklace! 

Look I'm on the cover, no really it's just sitting on the cover!

All of the crystals and the peacock charms can be purchased through Cousin Corporation's consumer website:  Primabead.com 

If you aren't a Beadwork subscriber, you can pick up your copy at any number of retail locations or subscribe to their digital mag at beadworkmagazine.com.

It's so great to have this piece back in my hands.  It's one of those pieces that seemed to take a LONG time to make... because I was literally going around and around in circles... one inch at a time.  Stay tuned for another project I'm working on with Swarovski Flatback crystals now offered through Cousin Corp.  It's a little DIY to bling up my new apartment... Can't wait to share!

Peace, love and sparkles!
~Dawn

Eye've got something to share with you!

Last week I shared the first of two project I created using these festive Halloween inspired beads & charms from the brand new Cousin Corporation 'Tis the Season collection.  The first project was a set of boo-tiful napkin rings with the instructions to create your own for a spooktacular dinner party!

Once the creative juices started flowing, my cuppeth runneth over and I had to create something with this totally funky eyeball pendant!  I rummaged through my supply of Cousin beads to find just the right compliment.  What spoke to me was the glass tear drops... and since I'm an incredibly emotional person (happy, sad - it doesn't matter, I cry at everything) I thought it most appropriate to make illusion of the eye crying... so without further adieu, my extra credit project because EYE can! ;)

You can get the entire line of the Halloween 'Tis the Season Charms at A.C. Moore stores beginning this month!  They are really quite adorable with a few spooky ones to play with too! And if you'd like the supply list and instructions for this jewelry project, message me over on my Bella Amore Legacy Jewelry Facebook Page:  http://www.facebook.com/BellaAmoreLegacyJewelry  Include your email address and I'll email you a word doc with all the deets!

Hugs & Love!
Dawn

P.S. If you'd like to see the latest piece of legacy jewelry I've created or discuss having something special and one-of-a-kind created exclusively for you, visit my website: www.BellaAmoreLegacyJewelry.com.  

Skip straight to Halloween - Do not pass Go - Do not collect $200

I'm one that likes to relish in the summer months.... sunny days at the beach, ice cream cones (now that I found a gluten free cone,) kids playing in the park, long days, lightening bugs... so imagine my dismay when I received my package as a Cousin Corporation Ambassador this month to see... HALLOWEEN beads & charms!  YIKES!  That's way, way, way to fast-forwardy for this sun goddess.

But I had to complete the mission, so I put on my best thinking cap (and I'll admit, that cap seemed full of hot air and not so many brilliant ideas) and I stared at all these really cool but Halloween (translation FALL, specifically October... END of October as in getting to the point where Dawn becomes a goose and flies South for Winter because it's too darn cold for this girl.)  So I had a mental block about even thinking about life after summer.

But when the inspiration struck, two projects came to mind.  First we were encouraged to making something other than jewelry... so something crafty.  Since I like to eat... napkin rings came to mind!  I used some of the new 16 gauge wire from Cousin Corporation and two sets of the charm from the 'Tis the Season collection which AC Moore stores will be carrying and voila!  Skip the eye of newt and your dinner party will be fabulous with these fun napkin rings!

And as part of my homework, I had to write instructions as to how to make these... I'm so not the verbose instruction writer.  I just make things... inspiration comes from the heart and I just create.  SO actually writing step by step how to do something... let's just say I might need therapy for that! ;) 

So if you'd like the instructions, send me a message via my Facebook Page - Bella Amore Legacy Jewelry http://www.facebook.com/BellaAmoreLegacyJewelry Include your email address and I'll send them right over to you.

And heck, even if you don't want the instructions, you can still pop over, spare a friend a "Like" and say hello! I'll be sharing the jewelry portion of my project soon!  Stay tuned...

Have a boo-tiful day loves!
xo,
Dawn