Wearable Joy

So the other night after my first post, I took a ton of pictures of the necklaces I’ve made and got SUPER excited to share them with you…but then I realized it was almost midnight and I had a husband waiting for me to come to bed. And then yesterday happened, and now it’s today, and here I am finally ready to share some of the photos with you.

I was tempted at first to put alllllll of the pictures in one post, just because I’m so excited to share them, but I think I’d better be a little more methodical. So, look forward to some upcoming snippets on various pieces I’ve made, as well as a look into a real live Bead Show!

For now, I’d like to show you two of the necklaces I’ve made most recently, and share a little about them.

Here is my “Pretty in Pink” necklace (clever, I know):

The little striped tubular-looking beads are ones I stole from Pauli, my MIL, which I also coincidentally gave to Pauli for Christmas (or her birthday?) last year. They are hand-blown glass, and sooo super cool to look at in real life. If you’ve ever seen a glass-blower work his magic, you understand how awesome these beads are.

In fact, why don’t I show you the close-ups of the three different sizes I used of these tubular beads?

The shortest one I used as the centerpiece (then I hung a crystal bead from that):

The medium-length bead was the one that started the inspiration for this necklace. How delicious is it? I mean, really. It’s almost unbearable:

And then there are the longest ones, which make me think of those fruity candy canes…or, if you want to get really imaginative, those huuuuge, swirly lollipops you get at Disneyland:

Please, tell me I’m not the only one who is completely drooling over these beads right now.

…Bueller?

Okay, moving on to necklace #2.

I made this one on the same day as the first one. I was hesitant to show it here, because it’s actually supposed to be a gift for my little sister. But since her birthday isn’t for months, I figure it doesn’t HAVE to be a surprise, so if she reads this post…no biggie! She’ll have something to look forward to. (Or she can tell me it’s awful and I should keep it for myself.)

This one is called Emerald Elegance…not because I used any authentic emeralds (I didn’t), just because, you know…it’s kind of an emerald green color, it’s elegant… Basically my creative juices are all spent on making the necklaces, so I have nothing left for naming them:

This is actually the necklace that I used for my header photo. See? Here’s another version of that photo:

And here’s a shot of a pair of “vignettes” from this necklace:

My fabulous MIL has always called the little sections of bead designs “vignettes,” but whenever I say that to other beaders, they’re like, “Huh?” So, maybe it’s a term she coined. But I think it’s a great way to describe them. (And soon, I will tell you more about the process of making these necklaces, so that you’ll understand the difference between the vignettes and the chain and the centerpiece and yada yada…)

Hi there! Welcome to Wearable Joy, where I will be sharing some of my very own craftywork…

Er, handsmanship.

Craftyship?

…Stuff I made!

If you’re curious about what Wearable Joy is, go up there *points to top of page* where you see all the little tabs, and click on “About” and “Behind the Name” — those will give you a little bit of background on how this project came to be.

…Did you go there and read?

Great! Welcome back. Now, let’s get down to business.

Without going into boring details, I need to tell you that I have given myself ten days to figure out if this website is worth my time and effort (and a little bit o’ money, too).

What the deadline means for ME: I have to get cracking on some photos of my work, posts to go with them, and some initial layout tweaks to make this site look pretty. If I can’t drum up some creativity (and interest!) by September 24th, I’m killing it.

What it means for YOU: You have ten days to give me tips, suggestions, ideas, feedback and Uber Amounts of Praise! for what you see here. Tell me what you like, what you don’t like, and how much you would pay for one of my necklaces. Share the link on your own blog, or tweet it, or show your mom / husband / cousin’s hairdresser’s poodle what you want for Christmas! And if, by September 24th, I haven’t managed to peak your interest or improve things to your satisfaction, you are obligated to be totally honest with me and say, “Hey…you should kill it.”

Anyway, I am actually quite hopeful about this idea. I’m not even completely sure where it might be headed, but stick around because it’s sure to be somewhere fun!

Oh, and I’m also planning on opening up an etsy shop where you can actually buy some stuff! But since I have this ten-day deadline looming over my head for the blog here, that will come later…assuming Wearable Joy makes the cut on September 24.

Stay tuned for a much more visually interesting post, as I plan out a little photographic adventure into the World of Beads. And please bear with the current Majorly Boring and Generic Layout, and the lack of aforementioned coming-soon photographic attractions. These things take time, friends!