"Sunshine Lotus" Earrings Tutorial in Wirework Magazine Spring 2015

It's here, it's HERE! Did you receive your copy?! I'm so excited that our "Sunshine Lotus" earrings tutorial is in the latest Wirework Magazine for Spring of 2015! I will be listing the pair that was featured in the magazine in my Genea C-K jewelry shop soon. Keep an eye out for that ;) So where can you get all of these wonderful supplies to make these amazing earrings?

Genea Beads- Spiral Earh Stones "Sunshine Peach" , Starry Road Studio- Hammered Copper Hoops 

Wooly Wire Etc.- "Sunrise" Wooly Wire, Miss Fickle Media- Copper Ball Headpins.

Now let's take a step backwards and see where this design originated...

Do you remember these earrings that I created for the 8th  Bead Soup Blog Party? I used these gorgeous polymer clay hearts by Jael's Jewels, Copper hammered Rings from Starry Road Studio, and Wooly Wire from Wooly Wire etc. I called this design "Loving Lotus Rays". 

Here is what the earrings look like worn. They are super LONG and look very large due to all of their negative space. They are actually very light weight for their size :) 

The next pair that I created I made for my friend, Melissa. She was going through chemo at the time and starting to lose her hair. I thought I would make her  a FABULOUS pair of earrings to take her mind off of her hair. Her favorite colors are ivory and orange so I used my Spiral Beach Stones "White Sands" beads and the "Sunrise" Wooly Wire. 

I was really quite taken by this wooly wire so I decided to pair it with my Spiral Earth Stones "Sunhine Peach" beads and the "Sunshine Lotus Ray's" earrings were born! My good friend and fellow bead maker, Cassie Donlen had told me that Wirework Magazine was taking submissions. So I hopped on over and submitted my beauties. They were accepted and published as the "Sunshine Lotus" earrings you see below :D

I would LOVE to see your creations with this tutorial! So please feel free to e-mail me or stop on by my page on facebook to share!

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

xoxo Genea

P.S. If you are wondering what Leeloo's doctor results were you can check my comment at the bottom of my last blog. xoxo

Bead Soup Blog Party 8- Reveal!

Hello friends!

Well today is the big day! How did you do? Did your designs just jump onto your bead table and transform into amazing creations? 

I will just give a quick re-cap of things before my reveal. My very talented partner is Jael Thorp of Jael's Jewels. She sent me these amazing beads with which to work! She really spoiled me!

So believe it or not, I broke the rules! Shame on me! It's been a crazy time. I just recently moved and ran into a run of interesting problems to say the least with my studio still sitting disassembled in my garage :( You can read about the "demon sink" episode here. Nothing kills creativity like stress! Ick. 

So I did something I don't normally do. I took on more things than I could "handle". If any of you know me you know I am NOT what I call a "pressure cooker"(the people that work best under pressure) or a procrastinator. Lately in life I have had to let things go, give up my plans, go with the flow, and "fly by the seat of my pants". This is really challenging for me, but provides me with some good balance. 

So how did I break the rules? I didn't use our "required" pieces to design my soup.  I looked at it like this. I figured I would just start with the things that inspired me and hopefully putting those things together would keep that good energy going. 

During one of my morning meditations. Jael's heart beads came into my mind with this design around them. I recalled a pair of earrings my friend Melissa had made that looked very henna patterned with lots of negative space. This is the design that popped into my head. When I got done with my meditation I sat down to create these earrings! I call them "Sunshine Lotus" earrings.

"Loving Lotus Rays" -Jael's hearts with the faces and petals make me think of flowers and suns. This design works both as flower petals or sun rays. The earrings are surprisingly light for their size and I just love the negative space and repetition of the petal/ray shape in the design. 

Polymer clay heart beads- Jael's Jewels 

Patinated hoops- Starry Road Studio

Raku Wooly Wire- Wooly wire Etc.

Here is what they look like worn. Amazing, huh?! I really love the look of them! Now I am inspired to make another pair of these with my lotus beads inside! 

My next design I totally fell in love with! I was on a super beachy theme of beads so I blame that for my desire to create this piece.

Here are some of the beads from my beach collection.

This was the bead that was really talking to me. I just love this sweet little ocean and shore bead. Don't you just love the little waves lapping up onto the sand? The shimmer of the glitter? The color faded waves, sandy texture and shell? Yep, I love it all!

Here is my design in progress.

Here is a close-up of the "cord" part of the design. I just love all of the details! I was especially pleased with how I rocked those tumbled recycled glass hoops from Trinket Foundry! There are no holes in the hoops for stringing materials. I make swirl centered wooly wire connectors to make the hoops into a chain, and then used hemp to suspend the recycled glass rounds across the center :D

I love the contrast of the bone beads and fish vertebrae along with my stone textured lampwork and the shimmer of the raku beads by Xaz. I chose a hill tribe copper simple hook clasp to stay on that oceany primitive theme. I didn't want anything to fussy or fancy for the clasp.

For the pendant I wanted to create a long dramatic focal point. I used one of Karen's gorgeous flower hoops at the top with one of my ocean beach stone jewel wing dings, and Jael's beautiful beach bead at the bottom.

I call this one "99 problems, but a beach ain't one". This necklace is a bit hard to photograph in some sort of normal sized photo since the pendant is so long. I think this shot really got all of the details in one photo.

Beach shore bead- Jael's Jewels

Ocean Beach Stone Jewel Wing Ding, spiral beach stones "white sands" coins, and beach stone spacers "sandy fossil"- Genea Beads

Flower hoop focal- Starry Road Studio

Raku rounds- Xaz

Recycled Glass hoops- Trinket Foundry

Here is what the necklace looks like worn.

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Want to see what everyone else created? Check out our other participants here.

Happy Hopping!

xo Genea

Bead Soup Blog Party 8- My Soup from Jael's Jewels!

Hello friends!

I am excited to share my amazing bead soup from Jael with you!

So you know how I like to show you photos just like you were there unwrapping it with me, right? Well I had so many I decided to go a collage in the order of how I opened the package so I could really do some close-up's of the amazing beads below :D I love how Jael made me packaging out of recycled magazines with sweet little notes :D

I received some beautiful batik fabric strips! Love batik fabric and these bright colors!

A beautiful Tierra Cast toggle clasp that is just perfect with Jael's beads!

Some strands of semi-precious stones: bone, coral, and turquoise.

The first package of beads I opened was the one that said "From my ocean to yours" Thank you gift. Isn't it wonderful?! I just love the waves and ocean surf with a sandy beach and shell accent. You can even see bits of glitter :D

The next bead in the box was this AMAZING heart!! I just love the huge size! Jael combined 2 of her styles in this heart just for me! Isn't it incredible?!

Here is the back side! I just love all of the intricate details!

Next were these amazing pair of wooden looking sun faced hearts! Just look at all of the amazing little details. The beads are so delicate with so much texture! I love the antique wood grain look!

 Even the back side is amazing! The cane looks like wood grain with little scratches and pits!

Next were these amazing egg shaped oval beads! WOW!! Just look at all of the colors, texture, and antiqued parts. Each one is a little masterpiece with details on every side!

Jael also sent me these amazing rounds!! Can you see the sparkles?! Wow did she spoil me rotten or what?! Now to dream up something amazing! I hope to be able to make some matching beads to compliment her work!

Now to brain storm!

See you soon!

xo Genea