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…)