Nicki's Reef

Bead Soup Party Reveal Day !!!!!

2011-09-17T09:30:00.000+02:00

My partner for this bead soup party has been the wonderful Jackie Ryan of Kydo jewellery. She lives in England, in a wonderful small town, Ilfracombe (no, I have not been there, but along with the beads, she sent a wonderful towel that was handmade by a lady from her town, and it shows the harbor - so pretty).
Jackie is a very talented artist, mainly working with Polymer Clay, a medium I always loved (I have tons of this raw stuff, but somehow all my "creations" look as if a 2 year old has spent an hour with PlayDough). Jackie does these great pieces - check our her store here.

She sent me a really cool selection of beads, totally my colors (very earthy). I got a wonderful Jasper / silver pendant, a beautiful silver S-clasp, unakite, onyx and agate beads, some fancy jasper leafs, some pewter bead caps and silver spacers... plus one of her wonderful polymer clay pendants. Isn't this gorgeous? I want to put it in a bracelet where it shines by itself, with a lot of colors and ribbon - but as I am always late with my bead soups - this is for another post.

I need to say I felt challenged though. While I love the color and wear a lot of brown / beige, the rose color in the beads made it hard for me to chose a matching color. I wanted to put more color, but nothing seemed to match (in my pretty much "monotone color schemes). I usually wire wrap everything, but to wire wrap a chain with those onyx beads seemed too delicate to carry the pendant. The hook attached to the pendant is very wide, yet delicate, since it is not solid. that was my biggest challenge. I love how it looks. But it needed a larger strand of beads or ribbon or leather cord....... which was all not what I wanted. So in the end I decided for something classic. Stringing. Elegant. One strand. I found a strand of garnet chips and it clicked. Added some of the jasper beads, spacers, some wire beads and chain from my stash and here is the result......

I need to say as usual I created this in the last minute. Friday night. in between a metalsmithing class that I am taking this Friday and Saturday. I am so looking forward to later today - when I can continue my class and when I get home, that I can see all those wonderful creations from all my bead sisters.

Check out all the other designs by following the links on Lori's website - there is actually 362 (!):
http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/

Thank you Lori for another wonderful time, for making us get in touch with all those wonderful people. You are not only a super talented designer, but such a sweetheart. You totally rock. Did you ever think this would become this big? I guess not.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie !

2011-09-11T04:37:00.000+02:00

I can’t believe that it has been two years since the day you were born, since I stared at you an entire night, without closing my eyes one single moment, because I was scared to miss a single second of your life. Now you are two, and every day you make my life happier.

Baby, I love you to the moon and back.You make me smile every day.

Happy 2^nd birthday, Amelia !

Amy's Treasury Challenge - The blog hop day

2011-08-14T10:38:00.000+02:00

My dear friend Amy from Copper Diem has challenged us with something new - to create a piece of jewelry (any kind) inspired by a treasury, one specifically chosen for each participant.

The treasury she picked for me is called IN THE GARDEN and I really liked it from the first moment I saw it. I knew at first sight that I would create something white and green.

I wanted to challenge myself as well though. First thing that came to my mind was: "oh I could saw something from copper and then hammer it....." but.....I have neglected my beads. I am so in love with sawing metal right now that I do not want to touch my piles of beads anymore. No good. So my challenge for myself was: no metal. I need to say I had issues with coming up with something "just" out of beads. But in the end I decided for light and simple - something that I will wear.

The pendant is made from howlith and silver wire, with a technique that I learned in a class in Pam's Bead Garden in Plymouth, MI (we actually made bracelets with this technique). It is delicate and I did not want to add more / heavier stuff to it.

The ring is a glass ring that I have been keeping forever. I wrapped again some silver wire around it and added some dangles made of freshwater pearls, svarowski rounds, a lady bug and a dragonfly dangle.
I think they both turned out very cute.

Thanks Amy for making me play with my beads again.
Please visit Amy and the other people who played along and give them some love for all the pretty pieces they created:

Copper Diem
Fuego, metal y color
Silver Nik Nats
Beads and Bread
Copper Penny Designs
Green Shoot
Wild Sally Road
Mamas Got To Doodle
Beads for Busy Gals
EBS Jewellery
Cianci Blue
Beads for Brains
Nicki's Reef
Sweet Girl Design
Nicole Rennell

And stay tuned for some more reveals in the next weeks. I am participating in Lori's 3rd BSBP and I am all excited about my lovely partner and the beads I am going to get.

Happy Birthday to me

2011-06-13T23:18:00.000+02:00

Today is my birthday - and..... good news - I got a new camera! So blogging frequency will improve. It was about time, since I have done quite a few cool pieces that I would love to show you guys. I still need to figure out the whole download thing, but hey, I already took some pictures at the party today.

And yes, we had a little party today - the weather was ok except a few raindrops, we had cake and a BBQ with a few friends. Somebody asked me today who gave me the best present. It was not easy to choose with so many cool things I got.... but here is the answer.... TO YOU, dear friend, who gave me my best birthday gift, you made my birthday really special. And I hope I saw how happy you made me. So dear birthday-present-giver, to you, I send you hugs and kisses.

bye bye running shoes

2011-05-28T18:12:00.000+02:00

normally I would show a picture of my dirty running shoes right now, my very new best friends. I used them a lot since I got them and have to put them on the shelf where they won't be touched for some time right now, since my knee cap twisted out of my joint this tuesday. it is a pretty common problem I have with my knees, but it is still shitty. it hasn't happened in almost 20 years right now, and obviously this needs to happen right now where i have been training for a run that I wanted to participate in mid June - well that's not going to happen. But I shouldn't be whiny, it is really not that bad compared to the last times, not too swollen, no cut ligaments etc. Except the running will have to stop, and my weight will go back up :-(

But I will have more time for jewelry and blogging again... once I finally get a camera - well maybe here is an idea for a birthday gift... so I should have it soon :-)

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
happy weekend.

Blogging without pictures...

2011-05-06T13:34:00.000+02:00

... is absolutely no fun to me. But when I was in Paris last week, my camera died. Which meant that I had to buy a disposable camera to at least be able to take some more Paris pictures, and which means now that I can't show you my latest "la lune" necklace (which I am so in love with). But I will either steal Nick's camera or buy a new one this weekend.
Have a happy Mother's Day on sunday in any case....

a host day

2011-04-29T11:31:00.000+02:00

I have been meaning to post this for a long time. For Christmas I had one wish - I wanted this "host necklace" made by The Noisy Plume. So Nick bought it for me and to you, Jill, thank you again from the bottom for making it for me (yes, ok, it was one of her host series, but I strongly believe that this was made just for me).Click here to see what she wrote about it. It is basically about the things we host, wanted to unwanted. And reminding us that we are able to decide what we want to host. Out with the dark, in with the light, Jill said. This little piece of jewelry is a special piece of art for me, as every piece Jillian makes. Go visit her blog by clicking here and read the stories she tells.

Since I have got it, I have worn it quite a lot, especially on days like today when my heart is heavy. It truly reminds me of what I should host, and when I have tough days like today, I wear it to center myself again. The enameled metal focal gets really warm when you wear it, and I love the chain and the dangles. The hollows that are formed between my skin and the metal piece feel like and extension to my body, It feels like something warm builds up in these bubbles, something that is part of me. The things I should host.

Today is a host day, where I need to remind me of what should be there, in my head and heart. I will not go into details, but the thoughts evolve around losing what is dear to you.

here is a song that is close to me today - so i share it with you...
and remember that you, and only you, decide what you host.

landslide - smashing pumpkins

i took my love, I took it down,
i climbed a mountain and I turned around
and i saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
till the landslide brought it down

oh mirror in the sky what is love
can the child within my heart rise above
can i sail through the changing ocean tides
can i handle the seasons of my life

well i've been afraid of changing cause i've
built my life around you
but times make you bolder
even children get older
and i'm getting older too

well i've been afraid of changing cause i've
built my life around you
but time makes you bolder
even children get older too
i get older too

i took my love and took it down
i climbed a mountain i turned around
and if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
the landslide brought it down
the landslide brought it down

7000 Bracelets of Hope - My Bracelet

2011-04-17T19:30:00.000+02:00

I am one day delayed, but I hope this still counts....

I learned about this event from my beady friend Lori Anderson and immediately decided I wanted to participate.... but as always, I am a bit behind in timing. The idea was to make a blue bracelet in an adult size, which will be sent to The Global Genes Project, an advocacy group for children's rare disease awareness. The Global Genes Project then sends the bracelets to one of 7000 families having children with rare diseases to show them love and support.

For my bracelet I used a lampwork bead I have been hoarding forever, and I believe I kept it just for this reason. I added moonstone - it always makes me dream, and some recycled sari silk, along with a few dangles. Lori gave the hint to make the bracelet extendable, so I added a leaf charm, a shell charm and a few small lapislazuli beads.

If you enjoy this, have a look at what the other participants made - lots of eye candy.....

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things
2. Jayne Capps, Mama's Got To Doodle
3. Kym Hunter, Creatively Kym
4. Mandy Duffy, Beads for Brains: 365
5. Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer
6. Lisa Boucher, Lisa's Clay Happenings
7. Mary Harding, Mary Harding Jewelry
8. Barbara Lewis, Painting With Fire
9. Amy Severino, Amy's Beads
10. Jennifer Pride, Jewelry by Jennifer Pride

11. Jenny Cameron, Glass Addictions
12. Susan Ferguson, Windrock Studio
13. Mortira vanPelt, Inspirational Beading
14. Brandi Hussey, Brandi Girl
15. Jenny Vidberg, Shyme Design
16. Angela Barribou, Re: Angela Rae
17. Stefanie Teufel, Stefanie's Sammelsurium
18. Sue Hodgkinson, Hello Gorgeous
19. Jean Yates, Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading To Be Done!
20. Nicki Keller, Nicki's Reef

21. JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions
22. Stacey Curry, Star Hitched Wagon
23. Carrie Tahquechi,  Carrie T
24. Deci Worland, Gem Trails
25. Debbie Goering, Prairie Emporium
26. Staci Smith, Staci Louise Originals
27. Francy Inman, 8 Second Studio
28. Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings
29. Cherin Poovey, Lanyard Lady
30. Deb Price, Green Shoot Jewellery Designs

31. Suzette Bentley, Ellies Bijoux
32. Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads
33. Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread
34. Kate Gardenghi, The Tropical Blonde
35. Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre
36. Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me
37. Linda Djokic, Lutka and Co.
38. Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie
39. CJ Baushka, 4 His Glory Creations
40. Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass, and Recycled Trash

41. Sandra Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box
42. Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe Designs
43. Kim Roberts, Bahama Dawn
44. Hilary Frye, FryeStyle
45. Emanda Johnson, Artemisia's Studio
46. Lisa Kavanaugh, Beading Bliss
47. Sue Kennedy, Sue Beads
48. Raquel Amaral, Raquel Amaral
49. Robyn Hawk, Daily Jewel
50. Linda Inhelder, Must-Haves Jewelry

52. Krista French, French Elegant Jewelry
53. Andrea Robinson,  Madame Magpie's Shiny Things
54. John Rasmussen, Rasmussen Gems and Jewelry
55. Breana Fry, Vault 31
56. Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found
57. Cyndi Lavin, Beading Arts
58. Dot Lewallen, Speedie Beadie
59. Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope
60. Heather Pyle, Aquariart

61. Adrienne Campbell, Adrienne Designs
62. Dee Gordon, Runako Designs
63. Judy Glende, Judith B. Designs
64. Susie Hibdon, Vintage Susie & Wings
65. Tania Spivey, Moobie Grace Designs
66. Norma Agron, Norma's Clay
67. Ana Novak, Cat's Pajamas, Dog's Tuxedos
68. Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations
69. Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads
70. Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman

71. Holly Westfall, Silver Rose Designs
72. Catherine Pruitt, Boo Beads
73. Deana Hager, Just Deez' Art & Life
74. Lupe Meter, Gem's PC Corner
75. Valerie Norton, Hot Fused Glass
76. Janet Bocciardi, Honey From the Bee
77. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life
78. Rose Noble, Lady Noble Design
79. Sally Russick, WireWorked
80. Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter

81. KJ, KJ's Beadacious Beads
82. Lana Kinney, Something Unique by Lana
83. Melissa Meman, Melissa Meman ... Art, Life, Love
84. Karen Bien, Everyday Gypsy
85. Rebecca Anderson, Songbeads
86. Cyn Gagen, Creative Edventures
87. Niky Sayer, Silver Nik Nats
88. Deb Beechy, Beetique
89. Marian Hertzog, M's Place
90. Kerry Bogert, Kab's Creative Concepts

91. Judy Riley, Three Red Beads
92. Charlene Gray, Gray Girl Studio
93. Erin Fickert-Rowland, Elysian Fields
94. Sharon Palac, Sharon's Jewelry Garden
95. Maryse Thillens, Glass Bead Art
96. Christine Altmiller, One Kiss Creations
97. Eileen Bergen, The Artful Crafter
98. Bobbie Rafferty, Beadsong Jewelry
99. Rebekah Payne, Tree Wings Studio
100. Mari Aparicio, Mis Amores

101. Tracy Statler, Make Bracelets
102. Marcy Lamberson, Studio Marcy
103. Kim Stevens, Picking Poppies
104. Karyn White, Releases by Rufydoof
105. Elisabeth Auld, Beads for Busy Gals
106. Lisa Hamilton, Simply Irresistible Jewelry
107. Serena Trent, All Things Made Jewelry
108. Sharon Driscoll, Right Turn Artwerks
109. Debbie La Rue, For the Love of Beading
110. Maggie Towne, Maggie's Bead Towne

111. Cassandra Watsham, Designs by Cassandra
112. Mary Ellen Parker,  BeeTree by m.e.

7000 Bracelets of hope - and bad timing

2011-04-16T19:53:00.000+02:00

I am sooo sorry, but I am not sure if I can post my bracelet today. I was on a business trip in France and lost some major data of my most important work file right now. I have a presentation on Tuesday and am trying to reconstruct it. This plus a bad flu has kept me away from my beads.

I know this is a bad excuse. But I will post it later today or latest tomorrow, so please forgive me and come back to see what I made.

Brass !!!

2011-04-13T08:56:00.000+02:00

I have to say I am becoming a bit unfaithful to my beads. Because I have started a relationship with Metal. And it is pretty entertaining.

Not a lot of words right now, but look at what I made this weekend. Some more cleaning and sanding to do - but I am truly in love.

Bead Babes Challenge - Maryse's necklace

2011-04-11T08:36:00.001+02:00

You get a special treat today, even though our reveal was already on saturday (scroll down for the original post), we have another mini-reveal today.

Ihr habt das besondere Vergnügen heute noch einen Mini-Reveal der Bead Babes Challenge anzusehen, obwohl der eigentlich schon am Samstag stattgefunden hat (siehe unten für den grossen reveal post).

Maryse of GlassBeadArt Lampwork had issues with blogger (we are all too familiar with it, right?), and that is why she asked me yesterday to post her necklace over here until the issue is fixed.

Maryse von GlassBeadArt Lampwork hatte Probleme mit blogger (das kennen wir ja wohl alle, oder?) und deswegen hat sie mich gestern gebeten, ihr Kette hier zu posten, bis das Problem mit blogger gelöst ist.

Maryse was thinking about Adele's Rolling in the deep as well at first, because it is her favorite song right now (very good taste, Maryse), but she decided to take something more "sustainable" and chose Ave Maria by Gounod.

Maryse hat ursprünglich auch an Adele's Rolling in the deep gedacht, weil es im Moment auch ihr Lieblingslied ist (sehr guter Geschmack, Maryse), aber sie hat sich dann für etwas langfristigeres entschieden, und Ave Maria von Gounod genommen.

And the result was the following necklace:

Und herausgekommen ist diese Kette:

The focal is a hand cast replica of a vintage pendant of the Virgin Mary. The beads are her own lampwork beads, turquoise, jasper and 2 vintage horn roses.

Der Mittelpunkt ist eine handgegossene Replik eines alten Marienmedaillons. Die Perlen sind teilweise eigene selbstgemachte Glasperlen, dann Türkise, 2 alte Hornrosen und Jaspis.

So please, be nice with Maryse and leave her a comment - here or later on her blog, once all is working again.

Also, seid nett zu Maryse, und schreibt ihr auch einen Kommentar - hier oder später auf ihrem blog, wenn alles wieder funktioniert.

Bead Babes Challenge: and the winner is.....

2011-04-10T20:37:00.000+02:00

Ok, we decided since we are 3 bead babes, we will have three giveaways.

And my sweet baby was so nice today to pick the winner of my giveaway:

So she picked......

*** Maryse of GlassBeadArt Lampwork ***

Congratulations, Maryse, and please email me your mail address and I will send you my surprise giveaway.
And sorry that I am not poting a picture of it, but if I would, it would not be a surprise giveaway ;-)

And if you have not won mine, please check out Janna's and Stefanie's blogs and see if you are one lucky winner over there. And thanks to everybody for your comments, they mean so much to me.

The Bead Babes Challenge Reveal Day: Blissed out by my favorite song

2011-04-09T18:45:00.000+02:00

The big day is here - the reveal day of our Bead Babes Challenge: Blissed Out by My Favorite Song !

Der grosse Tag ist da - die Enthüllung unseres ersten Bead Babes Wettbewerbs: Glückselig durch mein Lieblingslied.

The concept

The German bead babes Janna, Stefanie and myself are hosting our first challenge ever: Blissed out by your favorite song. 12 bead artists have created a piece of jewelry based on their personal favorite song. There were no other rules but to blog about the piece, and share your excitement about the favorite song. Today is the big reveal day, so have fun looking at what we all made, and leave us a comment if you’d like. You will find the links of all bead babes below.

Janna, Stefanie und Nicki veranstalten ihre allererste Challenge:

„Blissed out by your favorite song”, was soviel heißt wie “glückselig - oder auch inspiriert - durch dein Lieblingslied”. 12 Kreative haben ein Schmuckstück kreiert, das auf ihrem Lieblingslied basiert. Abgesehen davon, dass wir über unser Schmuckstück bloggen sollten und dabei auch erzählen sollten, was wir an dem betreffenden Song mögen, gab es keine Regeln. Heute ist der große Tag, an dem wir alle unsere Stücke zeigen, also viel Spaß beim Entdecken – und über ein Kommentar von Euch würden alle Teilnehmer sich natürlich sehr freuen! Die Links zu allen Teilnehmern findet Ihr unten.

My favorite song
There are a million songs that I could have chosen. I am addicted to music, all kinds of music. But although I have hesitated to change my song last minute to one of the French singer ZAZ, I stayed with the original plan - ADELE and her wonderful "Rolling in the Deep". If you don't know it, listen to it, but I think it is almost impossible that you don't know it.
Es gibt eine Million Songs, die ich hätte wählen können. Ich bin süchtig nach Musik, alle Art von Musik. Aber obwohl ich noch kurz gezögert habem in der letzten Minute mein Vorhaben zu ändern und einen Song von der französischen Sängerin ZAZ zu nehmen, bin ich doch beim Originalen Plan geblieben - Adele und ihr fantastisches "Rolling in the Deep". Wenn ihr das nicht kennt, hört es euch an, obwohl ich mir kaum vorstellen kann, daß ihr das Lied noch nicht kennt.

Why is this special to me? For very many reasons. Adele has kept me company for quite some time, her voice touches my soul, and I have gone through a lot of emotions in the past months with this song in my heart.And recently when the video starts on TV, my 19 month old starts screaming of excitement and hands me the remote control to increase the volume. And if it's over she begs me to restart it - which is quite difficult to restart a video on MTV ;-). She loves Adele as much as I do. Buy her albums "19" and "21", you will not regret it.
Warum ist das Lied etwas besonderes für mich? Aus vielen Gründen. Adele ist seit längerer Zeit bei mir, ihre Stimme berührt meine Seele, und ich habe eine ganze Menge erlebt in den letzten Monaten mit diesem Lied in meinem Herzen. Uns seit kurzem fängt meine 19 Monate alte Tochter an zu kreischen, wenn das Video im Fernsehen läuft, und bringt mir die Fernbedienung, damit ich das ganze etwas lauter drehe. Und wenn es vorbei ist, bettelt sie mich an, damit ich es nochmal anschalte - was etwas schwierig ist, ein Video auf MTV neu zu starten ;-). Sie liebt Adele genauso wie ich. Kauft ihre zwei Albums, "19" und "21", ihr werdet es nicht bereuen.

The big reveal
So here is what I made. I took some of the lyrics and created my piece around it.
Das hier ist meine Kreation. Ich habe einen Auszug aus dem Text genommen, und mein Stück danach kreiert.

"You had my heart inside of your hand, and you played it to the beat..."

I sawed and files and made this copper hand. It is a copy of my baby's handprint when she was 6 weeks old (yes, her hands were huge when she was born). And I soldered a heart on top, cut some of the words to put them in there and filled it with resin. I wanted to keep the chain quite simple and let the pendant stand out by itself. And maybe I will add some ribbon or a few beads, we'll see. That's it, simple, but straight from the heart.
Ich habe gesägt und gefeilt, und diese Hand aus Kupfer gemacht. Es ist ein Abdruck von der Hand meiner Tochter, als sie 6 Wochen alt war (ja, genau, sie hatte schon damals riesige Hände). Darauf habe ich ein Herz gelötet, den Text hineingelegt und das ganze mit Resin gefüllt. Die Kette selber ist einfach gehalten, denn ich wollte, daß der Anhänger der Star der Show bleibt. Und vielleicht ergänze ich noch etwas Stoff oder ein paar Perlen, mal sehen. Sehr einfach, aber es kommt von Herzen.

... and a giveaway
Thank you, all Bead Babes, to play along with us. We had a lot of fun. And to make it even more fun, we will draw a winner of our surprise giveaway tomorrow, Sunday, the 9th. So stay tuned. And now, hop around and check out all the great pieces that we have made, and leave a comment if you like (we love them).
Danke liebe Bead Babes, daß ihr mitgemacht habt. Wir hatten viel Spaß mit euch. Und damit der Spaß nicht so schnell aufhört, ziehen wir einen Gewinner für unser Überraschungs-Giveaway, und zwar morgen, am Sonntag, den 9. April. Also kommt wieder und seht, ob ihr gewonnen habt. Und jetzt, macht euch auf, und hüpft zu den anderen blogs und guckt euch die anderen Stücke and, und schreibt einen Kommentar, wenn ihr Lust habt (wir lieben Kommentare).

The Bead Babes:
1. Janna Harttgen - Palimpa-Lim

2. Stefanie Teufel - Stefanies Sammelsurium

3. Nicole Keller - Nickis Reef

4. Berit Borchardt - Berit Borchardt

5. Rebecca Anderson - Songbeads

6. Maryse Thillens - Glassbeadart Lampwork

7. Krista French - French Elegant Jewelry

8. Linda Djokic - Lutka and Co

9. Karola Stein - Karolas Fundstuecke

10. Doris Radlicki - Doralila Beads

11. Jenn Judd - Jen Judd Rocks

12. Saskia Kaffenberger - Perlendistel

The German Bead Babes go challenge: Blissed out by ….. your favorite song !

2011-03-06T17:28:00.002+01:00

Through various bead events on the net we got inspired to challenge you bead people out there with something new. The thing that is constant through all challenges: it is about beads and jewelry and your creative ideas. What is new is the team and the theme: The German Bead Babes go challenge: Blissed out by ….. your favorite song !

So, up for something fun?

Über verschiedene Perlenevents im Internet sind wir auf die Idee gekommen, euch Perlenliebhaber auch mal herauszufordern. Was gleich bleibt: es geht um Perlen und eure Kreativität. Das Neue sind das Team und das Thema: Die Deutschen Bead Babes machen eine Challenge: Glückselig durch... dein Lieblingslied.

Also, habt ihr Lust auf drauf?

Who we are….

Janna - Palimpa-Lim.blogspot.com

Proud mom, life and nature lover, bead and wire addict, wife, friend, servant of ten cats and a rabbit, makes world’s best risi e bisi (risotto with smoked ham and peas)

Stolze Mama, liebt das Leben und die Natur, Perlen- und Drahtsüchtige, Ehefrau, Freundin, Dienerin von zehn Katzen und einem Kaninchen, macht das weltbeste Risi e Bisi (Risotto mit Schinken und Erbsen).

Stefanie -
Stefaniessammelsurium.blogspot.com
I love jewelry - chunky, bold jewelry. I also like mystery-novels and cooking.

Ich liebe Schmuck - fetten, bunten prächtigen Schmuck. Außerdem liebe ich Krimis und Kochen.

Nicki – nickisreef.blogspot.com

Mommy of a 18 month old girl, Automotive Strategic Planner in the real world, collector of beads since 4 years, lover of nature, animals, and good food, the creative soul behind nickisreef.etsy.com.
Mama von einer 18 Monate alten Tochter, Strategischer Planer in der Autoindustrie im wahren Leben, Sammler von Perlchen seit ca. 4 Jahren, Liebhaber von Natur, Tieren und gutem Essen, die creative Seele hinter nickisreef.etsy.com

The challenge & the rules

This will be our first challenge, but if we have fun, it might become a recurring event. The theme of the first one will be “Your favorite song”.

You pick your own favorite song, and create a piece of jewelry with this song in mind. No other rules, use as many beads as you want, in any color, shape and size.

On April 9^th we will do a blog hop, talking about our piece of jewelry and our favorite song, and why it is inspiring to us. Maybe even some of the lyrics. Anything you like. And we will post links to all other music lovers, so we can see all the wonderful things the other artists made.

Dies wird unsere erste Challenge, aber wenn es uns und euch Spass macht, dann machen wir daraus eine regelmässige Sache. Das Thema der ersten Challenge wird „mein Lieblingslied“ sein.

Ihr sucht euch euer Lieblingslied aus, und kreiert ein Schmuckstück, was sich um diesen Song dreht. Keine anderen Regeln, benutzt so viele Perlen wie ihr wollt, in allem Farben, Formen und Grössen.

Am 9. April veranstalten wir dann einen Blog Hop, und schreiben einen Post über das Schmuckstück und das Lieblingslied, und warum es uns inspiriert. Vielleicht auch über den Liedtext. Was ihr wollt. Und wir posten die links zu allen Musikliebhabern, damit wir die wunderschönen Kreationen der anderen Künstler sehen können.

The giveaway

The german girls have decided to make your mouth a bit watery and get a bit of excitement going around our challenge – so there will be a prize. Each of us will select something from her stash. We will do a random drawing the day of the blog hop and you will automatically be entered if you show your piece on your blog. If you don’t have a blog but would still like to participate, contact us and we will include your piece in our reveal posts on April 9^th.

Wir deutschen Mädels haben uns entschieden, euch den Mund wässrig zu machen und gleichzeitig die Lust auf unsere Challenge etwas zu erhöhen – daher gibt es auch einen Preis. Jede von uns wird etwas aus ihrer privaten Perlensammlung beisteuern. Am Tag des Blog Hops verlosen wir dann diesen Gewinn unter allen Teilnehmern, ihr seid also automatisch dabei, wenn ihr euer Schmuckstück auf eurem Blog zeigt. Wenn ihr keinen Blog habt, aber trotzdem mitmachen wollt, dann schreibt uns und wir zeigen eure Kreation auf unseren Posts am 9. April.

The timing

Sign up starts today and will last until Wednesday March 16^th. Please send your name, email and blog address to one of us. We will compile a list and share it with you, so you can post it as well on the blog hop date.

The reveal date will be on Saturday April 9^th.

So spread the word, sign up soon and start thinking about your favorite song. Hope to see you soon.

Die Anmeldung startet heute und läuft noch bis Mittwoch den 16. März. Schickt dafür euren Namen, eure Email und die Blogaddresse an einen von uns. Wir erstellen dann einen Liste und schicken sie euch, damit ihr sie dann am Blog Hop Tag auch posten könnt.

Der Tag, an dem wir unsere Schmuckstücke posten, ist Samstag, der 9. April.

Also, erzählt das weiter, schreibt euch bald ein und fangt schon mal an, über euer Lieblingslied nachzudenken. Und hoffentlich bis bald.

Contact us at

Janna – palimpa-lim(at)hotmail(dot)de

Steffi – s(dot)teufel(at)ndh(dot)net

Nicki – nic12698(at)live(dot)de

Up for a new challenge?

2011-03-01T21:10:00.000+01:00

This is just a quick note that I will be announcing my first challenge on sunday.

So if you are sad that bead soup party is over and look for something to do in the next weeks, then come by on sunday and check what we're planning :).

And for all the lovely ladies that have left me a note on my bead soup post - thanks a ton, your comments mean so much to me. I will be visiting and leaving comments on all blogs (at least that's the plan), but I will take some more time hopping...
Have a happy week.

BEAD SOUP PARTY REVEAL

2011-02-26T14:58:00.001+01:00

The big party day is here. I finally managed to take some time away from my busy schedule and finish my pieces this morning - yes, so much about my room for improvement in planning....

What is a Bead Soup Blog Party?

Our wonderful host Lori Anderson from Pretty Things is hosting the 3rd bead soup party today, and it is also the third time I participated. If you have not yet participated and are a beader and have nothing to do in August, then make sure you join the next party.

Each beader was paired up with another jewelry designer and tasked with sending the following:

~ A focal
~ A special clasp (not just a lobster claw)
~ Some coordinating spacers or beads

Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, but we could use anything from our own stash to round out the rest, and choose to use the coordinating beads or not.

My wonderful partner was Janna from Palimpa-Lim and as soon as I will finish this post, I will hop over to her blog and check out what she made with my beads.

MY REVEAL

But long story short - here are the THREE things I made with Janna's beads (and I am proud to say that I used only her beads and added nothing from my stash except wire and one clasp!):

So first I made those earrings (last week), since I could not decide on a necklace and had a mental block. I really love them, especially that they are asymmetrical, and I have already worn them a lot.

Then I started this necklace with the gorgeous resin leg pendant that Janna made for me. I also use her blueish atlas beads with a few garnet accent beads. This strand has two clasps, attached to the main clasp, so if I want to wear it separate, I can just detach it. I added this clasp from my stash (you will understand the reason when you look at necklace number 2), and the chain too. A little flower, more garnet and glass and gemstone dangles, and done was my first piece, which is light and simple and gives just the right credit to Janna's wonderful pendant.

I came up with the idea to make two necklaces, since I wanted to use Janna's resin clasp (she also made this one) in the front, and that was not possible with my first design. So I used in as another focal / clasp at the same time - it says "unendlich" which means "infinite". Janna's piece really touched me, and I had to think about infinite love, and infinite life. So I attached her leaf / heart dangle for "love" and a nest for "life". All the beads are really gorgeous, but I am so in love with these recycled cast glass beads that I need to ask Janna where she got them. Need more.

Needless to say all three are keepers.....

WANT SOME MORE ?

I am planning a challenge myself (my first one actually). So if you are sad that the party is over, come back here next sunday and join for a nice small challenge with a cute little price to win.

So I hope you enjoyed my piece of the party.
Thanks for stopping by.
Please leave a comment (and leave Lori a comment tomorrow and you can even win some beads....) and come see what the rest of us made!

The party people:

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life

3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane

4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio

5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations

6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things

8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe

9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto

10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio

11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas

12. Rachel Walsh, Balanced Crafts

13. Marian Hertzog, M's Place

14. Mary McGraw, MK's Musings

15. Sarabeth Burke, Chronicles of Sarita

16. Deci Worland, Gem Trails

17. Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

18. Laura Zeiner, Stick Lizard Designs

19. Kristin Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs

20. Cathryn Brooks-Williams, Chile Cats

21. Holly Westfall, Silver Rose Designs

22. Janna Harttgen, Palima-Lim

23. Libby Leuchtman, Libby Leu

24. Rebecca Anderson, Songbeads

25. Deb Hunter, Living On Air

26. Diana Ptaszynski, Suburban Girl Studio

27. Jennifer VanBenschoten, VanBeads

28. Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter

29. Cyndi Lavin, Beading Arts

30. Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul

31. Stefanie Teufel, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

32. Patricia Gasparino, My Life Under the Bus

33. Tari Khars, Pearl and Pebble

34. Kristi Bowman-Gruel, Kristi Bowman Design

35. Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle

36. Becky Fairclough, Chameleons Designs

37. Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead & Metal Works

38. Lynne Bowland, Islandgirl's Insights

39. Barbara Lewis, Painting With Fire

40. Lorelei Eurto, Inside the Studio

41. Stacy Hartis, Sissy & Jack's

42. Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions

43. Marcie Abney, La Bella Joya

44. Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

45. Nan Emmett, Spirit Rattles

46. Melissa Mesara, One Eared Pig

47. Amanda Davie, Articulations

48. Cherin Poovey, Lanyard Lady

49. Virginia Joste, ViviBijoux

50. Andrew Thornton, The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

51. Lori Dorrington, Lori's Glassworks

52. Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

53. Kate Gardenghi, Tropical Blonde

54. Serena Trent, PinkIce Jewel's Blog

55. Malin de Koning, Beading by Malin de Koning

56. Shai Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

57. Francy Inman, 8 Second Studio

58. Amy Freeland, Copper Diem

59. Lisa Liddy, Joolz By Lisa

60. Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

61. Mary Harding, Mary Harding Bead Blog

62. Stacey Curry, Star Hitched Wagon

63. Leslie Gidden, Mad Maggie Designs

64. Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

65. Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats

66. Linda Djokic, Lutka and Co.

67. Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass, and Recycled Trash

68. Laurel Steven, Rue's Daftique

69. Ingrid McCue, Wrapped In Silver

70. Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit

71. Diana Hawkey, Diana Hawkey

72. Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

73. Jeanette Ryan, Jeanette Blix

74. Jackie Ryan, Silver Lodge Gems

75. Jean Yates, Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Be Done!

76. Debbie Goering, Prairie Emporium

77. Valerie Norton, Hot Art

78. Jana Trupovniece, Stories of the Secret Garden

79. Amy Severino, Amy Beads

80. Emma Thomas, Fred Beans Nook

81. Karen Zanco, Everyday Gypsy

82. Suzann Sladcik Wilson, Beadphoria

83. Janet McDonald, Singing Woods

84. Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Designs

85. Kristina Johansson, Wild Roses and Blackberries

86. CJ Bauschka, CJ Bauschka

87. Angela Barribea, Re: Angela Rae

88. Marcy Lamberson, Studio Marcy

89. Tanya Floyd, Glass Migrations

90. Lisa Kavanaugh, Beading Bliss

91. Sue Hodgkinson, Hello Gorgeous

92. Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Bead

93. Nally Parfyonova, Nally's Creations

94. Karyn White, Releases By Rufydoof

95. Emanda Johnson, Artemisia Studio

96. Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

97. Cindy Dolezal, Cindy Dolezal Designs

98. Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue

99. Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads

100. Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings

101. Nicole Valentine-Rimmer, N. Valentine Studio

102. Jacinta Meyers, Jamberrysong's Creations

103. Charlene Gary, Gray Girl Studios

104. Rubiee Hayes, Glitter and Keys Galore

105. Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations

106. Elizabeth Freeman, Turquoise Sky

107. Shelby Foxwell, Sundown Bead Designs Rhetoric

108. Lynda Moseley, Diva Designs

109. Grace Danel, Grace Beading

110. Lois Moon, Que Onda Quitman

111. Agnes Shapiro, Beader Bubbe

112. Terry Carter, Tapping Flamingo

113. Judy Glende, Judith B. Designs

114. Mary Ellen Parker, Bee Tree By Me

115. Barbara Bechtel, Second Surf

116. Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer

117. Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

118. Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie

119. Ronda Adams, The Ravished Heart

120. Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe Designs

121. Anna Lear, The Laughing Raven

122. Susie Hibdon, Vintagesusie & Wings

123. Amanda Austin, Sea Shore Glass

124. Jennifer Velasquez, Jen Judd Rocks

125. Hazel Ward, All Those Things

126. Brenda Salzano, Salzanos

127. Dee Gordon, Runako Designs by Dee

128. Anna Denisova, Anita-M

129. Margaret Saari, Mags-Jewelry

130. Genea Crivello-Knable, Genea Beads

131. Penny Neville, Copper Penny

132. Angela Blasingame, Hopemore

133. Helena Fritz, Beadwork by H's Blog

134. Stephanie LaRose, Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

135. Stephanie Haussler, PixyBug Designs

136. Diane Cook, Rosa & Josies

137. Maryse Thillens, Glass Bead Art

138. Jennifer Pride, Jewelry by J.P.

139. Shannon Chomanczuk, For My Sweet Daughter

140. Lisa Godfrey, Bead Happy

141. Heather Pyle, Welcome to My Muse

142. Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings

143. Liz DeLuca, Creative Arty Facts

144. Sig Wynne-Evans, Beaded Bear's Nonsense

145. Loretta Carstensen, Loretta's Boutique

146. Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads

147. Amber Dawn, Inventive Soul

148. Shelly Graves, Stars Dance With Me

149. Jess Italia Lincoln, Vintaj Blog

150. JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

151. Carrie Tahquechi, Carrie T

152. Staci Smith, Staci Louise Originals

153. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Quiet Area

154. Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

155. Magdalena Sikora, Poranna Gazeta

156. Nicole Keller, Nicki's Reef YOU ARE HERE !!!!

157. Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye

158. Noemi Baena, Fire, Metal, and Color

159. Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman

160. Barbara Blaszczyk, Labotorium Flory

161. Collette Collins, Firefly Myst

162. Carola Greiser, Polymer Clay Shed

163. Joanna Kopijczuk, Bizuteria z Filcu

164. LeAnn Weih, Summers Studio

165. Cassandra Watsham, Design by Cassandra

166. Anna Motz, Stunning

167. Shea Zukowski, Gr8findings

168. Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads

169. Lisa Boucher, Lisa's Clay Happenings

170. Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope

171. Alison Crenshaw, Beads by Earth Tones

172. Dorcas Midkiff, Wondrous Strange Designs

173. Melissa Rediger, Sea of Glass

174. Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre

175. Julie Nordine, Julie Nordine | Credit River Art Glass

176. Menka Gupta, Menka's Blog

177. Patsy Evins, Patsy Evins Studio

178. Cherrie Fick, En La Lumie're

179. Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux

180. Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

181. Lyn Foley, Lyn Foley Wearable Art

182. Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

183. Natalie Schuetz, Natalie S Perlen

184. Kim Hutchinson, Running on Ink

185. Haley Frank, Wide Eyed Smilin

186. Grace Caputo, Suddenly Last Summer

187. Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, Skye Jewels

188. Erin Siegel, Erin Siegel Jewelry

189. Janea McDonald, Organized Chaos

190. Kristi Evenson, Colie Bug & Co.

191. Linda Inhelder, Must Haves Jewelry

192. Hilary Frye, FryeStyle

193. Whitney Lassini, Whitney Lassini

194. Nancy Schindler, The Rabbit Muse

195. Pam Brisse, The Blue Between

196. Beth Bricker, Vintage Sweets

197. Ruthie Stickney, Rose Works Jewelry and Gifts

198. Rose Noble, Lady Noble Designs

199. Karen Williams, Baublicious

200. Claire Maunsell, The Next Bend

201. Christine Damm, Stories They Tell

202. Kerry Bogert, Kab's Creative Concepts

203. Wendy Blum, Sand & Sea Designs

204. Juli Cannon, Julsbeads

205. Jenny Robledo, La Dona Boutique

206. Krista French, French Elegant Jewelry

207. Pam Krinski, Ewa Beads

208. Melissa Meman, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love

209. Dana Jones, Dana's Jewelry

210. Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

The next party's sign ups begin August 1-3, 2011. Don't miss it!

Bead Soup - continued

2011-02-15T16:16:00.001+01:00

So not only did I receive a package from Janna, I also sent her one. And I need to say, with this one I had the most fun of all three bead soups. You might remember one of my previous posts where I explained about the metal-smithing class I took at the end of last year.

So I decided that I will not only challenge Janna in terms of my beady components, but also myself in getting her something handmade. You know Janna is talented, she makes really nice enameled beads and resin pendants, so I thought I should make something just for her. She told me she liked brass, so off I went to buy some and sawed, filed, sanded and polished a little flower pendant for her. The same process led to a tiny copper heart, which I attached in the end to the flower pendant.What you see in this picture is the pendant in an unfinished state, since the drilling of two holes became a major event (i.e. my dremel multi-tool came without drills, and when I finally got the ones I ordered, the fixture of the tool was too large for the tiny drills, so we had to buy a new fixture, plus obviously that I was not very skilled in drilling...) The whole time while I was making this, I was thinking of the words "un coeur pour une fleur" (a heart for a flower - with Janna obviously being the wonderful flower :) - yes, I know this is kitsch....)....

But for sure the bead soup wasn't complete with that. I showed the pendant to Stefanie of Stefanie's Sammelsurium, and she had the perfect matching clasp - thanks again !

I need to say that I head a hard time finding matching beads for the brass pendant. I have not been working with brass very often (= never), and that yellowish color is not something I use in general. So I went with greens and browns, hoping that one of them would suit Janna's color scheme. I got her a variety of gemstones, ceramic beads and a pendant from Indian Creek studio, lampwork beads from Kelley Wenzel and an unknown lampwork artist based in Plymouth, MI, some industrial chic components from Michaels (which you can't get in Germany, so my dear US friends, if you ever want to make a German girl happy, you know what you have to do, right, Janna and Stefanie?).

There is also sari silk, rubber tube, and a alcantara ribbon, nut beads, wood beads, a nut charm and a bronze bead and some glass beads from France, chinese lacquered paper beads and a copper dragonfly charm from Summersstudio.

So Janna - ready steady GO!
Let's see what we can come up with. I am so ready for beads again - work has been keeping me away. Worked the entire weekend last week, this past weekend was purely dedicated to taxes, but now I am having a break before I need to go to Valencia, Spain (hello sunshine!) for work next Monday and Tuesday... so this weekend will be very beady.......

Shoes and cell phones

2011-02-14T19:25:00.000+01:00

This is a picture of my shoes.
The story behind it is that they are new (see the part that is still shiny and white). I just bought them when we were in the US, at DSW (THE store, I just love it). They are Ryka's, running shoes. I didn't buy a new pair of running shoes in, let's say, 10 years? Or more? Why? Well because I did not need them - did not go running. But since November, I got on this trip, that noise in my head that tells me that my "youth" is almost over, and if I do not get slim right now, nobody will care in 10 years from now. So those shoes became an icon.

I started my fitness program in November. And it is working. Ok, slow in terms of weight loss (plus it keeps me a bit away from blogging you might have noticed), but it took quite some time to collect all of it, so I guess it is only fair that I need to be patient. I do my little hour every day, and added running to the plan since the weather is getting a bit dryer (not nicer, but dry at least).
That heavy mud on the bottom actually makes me proud, that I can do it, and stick to it. And eventually get to where I want to be. So to you, my friends who are hesitating of going where you want to be.... if I can do it, you can do it too.

The only suggestion: if you go running, make sure your cell phone stays at home or is secure in one of your pockets, otherwise you will lose it on the way, and have to re-run all the path, only to discover somebody else has picked it up before you. But if you are lucky, this person who found it will actually answer the phone when you call her, and let you know that you can pick it up at her house. Ok, you might be stepping into a deep puddle of mud while getting out of the car when you pick it up, as you are so excited to get it back. And your (formerly suede) shoes may look like that... But that's life.
Have a happy day and keep smiling.
And don't forget to kiss your valentines.

Bead Soup from Janna has arrived !

2011-02-07T00:59:00.001+01:00

I know, work, baby and all that daily life stuff is keeping me really busy. And yes, I know this is no excuse to stop blogging...
But I have been active in the meantime. I prepared a bead soup for my wonderful partner, the lovely Janna of Palimpa Lim. She lives in Germany too, although a few hours away from me, but it is soooooo nice to finally meet some more people that have fallen for beads as well.
Janna makes beautiful jewelry and I really like her blog as well. But I won't tell you too much about it, I would rather like you to hop over there yourself, and read and shop and leave comments (because in the end, that's what this is all about, right?)
So more about what I sent her in another post, but in the meantime, I need to share this package she sent to me.
This is so cute, I do not even have words for it. But looks at it yourself.

This is what I saw when I opened the envelope. The large package even include a tiny sweater for my baby from the store where Janna is working (it is really really cute, but she hasn't worn it yet, so I do not have a picture to share - but it will follow....).

Janna packed all the beads in these cutest envelopes - each envelope is different - and she labeled them like soup ingredients (in german, in case you wonder what these weird words might mean): Herbs, Pasta, Bones, glass noodles, spring onions and so on.

And when I opened the envelopes (with Stefanie by the way, and these are her pictures - yes, I know the quality is a bit different :) ) - there were lots of ooooohs and aaaaaahs.
I love the colors of this soup (Janna was kind with me and did not send me bright pink flower and heart beads), but I got pearls in a wonderful brown and dark blue color, enameled beads (by Janna), a number of gemstones (Onyx, Nephrit, Prehnit, Howlit and Garnet - no guarantee for gemstone name translation into english). What you can't see well on this picture are the beads in the lower right corner - cast glass beads - GORGEOUS ! Then there are a few bone beads, metal components, and these cute glowing "Atlas" seed beads - I love this color. Janna took them from her treasure box as her source for them is drying out, so I feel really honered to get some of them. The glow is just great. And sari ribbon.
And I know - I saved the best for last, as I realize I do not have a close up shot of the pendant and clasp that Janna made for me - Copper with resin - TOP! If I ever learn to do resin pieces like those, I will get rich. I thikn we need to convince Janna to start to sell them, so I finally get a source for resin pendants in Europe and do not need to buy them always in the US (I am learning, but it will take some time until I get there).
The pendant is a leg - so cute, and the clasp is a toggle with the word "unendlich" which means infinite in german. This soup is perfect as it is. I don't even know what I would want to add.... I need to get close ups of that too.

Dear Janna, thanks a ton for this lovely soup. And I am so glad that I have met you. I can truely say you feel like a new very close friend, even if we have just met a few weeks ago.
And to Lori - thank you for hosting this party. All of my bead soup and bead swap partners have become really close friends. And who does not need more friends.
Have a good night all you beaders and readers.

Lori Anderson Bead Stamp Giveaway

2011-01-23T12:30:00.002+01:00

Lori is not only fabulous because she is hosting another Bead Soup Party, but also because she is giving away a wonderful metal letter stamp set. Check out her blog over here to enter to win, or simply read about the bead soup and Lori's other projects.

Sis-in-law's present

2011-01-13T11:03:00.001+01:00

Since I spent two weeks with my sister-in-law (and other family-in-law, obviously too), I thought it was a good idea to thank her for her hospitality and make her a necklace. I bought this focal at a local fair here in Cologne with Stefanie, briefly before Christmas, and thought about Kim right away.

But then again, a lot of sparkle, so what can you add to this? I decided to keep it simple and add more sparkle..... :)

So I added about 20 round crystals to a piece of chain dangling from the focal? And guess what? Love it.
Another one that I need to copy for myself.

In case you forgot.... Life is good

2011-01-12T16:01:00.000+01:00

I love the Life is Good shirts. Here is the new addition to my collection. Check out their website. And the company is helping kids with life-threathening conditions.

I know it is not dressy and sparkly, but it is perfect for rainy cold days, where you have a flu and need to sit inside the house - like today. And it reminds me always that in the end, life is good.

Hello sunshine !

Join THE party - BSP 3 sign up still possible until Jan 14

2011-01-10T16:39:00.000+01:00

This is a fun event - if you have a doubt about it - hop over to Lori Anderson's blog and check out how much fun it was...

Hello my friends from snowy Detroit

2011-01-07T19:19:00.000+01:00

First of all, happy new year to everybody. I know I have been away for some time, since we are on vacation in the wonderful city of Detroit. I have made a necklace, which is very sparkly and very American (sorry ladies), but I actually like it. I made it for my sister in law, but I really think I need to make the same for me - every girl needs a little sparkle, right? no pictures this time, sorry, but I will post them as soon as we are back home on Monday ( I am using my brother in law's computer here - by the way with an American keyboard which is totally different from the German one, so forgive any typos). I had a chance to buy the entire stock of Suzan LK's industrial chic pieces at the local Michaels (at least this is what it feels like, since we are trying to pack luggages today...) and I have got something with me for Stefanie.... :-)
Will be back with you soon, I promise, and I hope you had a great start of the year.
Hugs and kisses,
N

Metalsmithing class Part 2

2010-12-05T09:42:00.000+01:00

I have been distracted from my blog lately. A weird feeling since this is the home to my favorite things - beads and meeting nice people.

But there has been a lot going on. We acquired another company at work, and I am leading the integration of the new team. That meant a lot of work in a part time job. Last week I flew to Paris for a day, and it felt like an instant flashback to the time when I lived - and loved :) - in France. I studied there for a year at a private highschool that had just opened. In the first couple of months we were about 40 people in the entire school. We had our own school champagne (since the school was located in the center of the Champagne - region). We had party nights with cocktail dresses. We had picnics at the lake. I was fluent in French. And the French guys.....
So nice we have that new company I might have to travel there more often and I will practice my favorite language a bit again.

Yesterday we went to the Xmas market in Cologne and had a few Glühweins. In case you don't know - try it out: heat but do not boil wine, add Xmas spices like orange peel, cinnamon, anise, and maybe a bit of sugar. If you like you can also add a shot of rum or amaretto or you favorite liquor - rum is the most common one though. So we stood outside, it started snowing like crazy and we froze out feet off but it was oh so nice to meet my friend Michael again. We used to hang out a lot together when we took Greek classes and I think we will start doing this again. On the negative side, this freezy night made my cold a bit worse, so I have a bit of a fever and feel yucky this morning. Baby too. Daddy needs to get us over the day.

So after this distraction part, I show you my second piece from the metalsmithing class. It is still not perfectly clean in some spots. But I wanted to start wearing it and it looks really nice. It is made out of sterling silver sheet. I cut two discs, then made a hole into one of them, domed them both, soldered the whole thing together added three silver balls and a bail on the back. Sounds easy, right? Well it is not that difficult but all you metalworkers out there know that this really takes time. And I think it turned out nice for a first attempt. It was so much fun too. I need to do this again. Anybody up for joining me?

Please leave a me a comment and let me know if you like it :)

Challenge of Color Blog Hop - The reveal

2010-12-03T13:30:00.002+01:00

Erin of Treasures Found had an idea to create this wonderful challenge. I had to pick a primary color (mine was blue) and she selected this wonderful paint chip for me. The colors are called Earthy, Composition, Coconut Milk and Dipped in honey.

I blogged about it HERE.

I signed up really early with the target of having my piece done in mid-November, but here time flew again, and I really just started thinking about it December 1.

I called my piece "Composition d'une romance" which means composition of a romance in english. (can you tell I went to Paris lately and enjoy speaking French again?)

I used this pendant I had forever in my stash made by Artisan Clay. It is clay with crackled glass inside. The blue reminds me of the ocean I have so nice memories of. The raw clay is to me like sand under my feet.
I added some recycled African cast glass beads that I bought recently on a fair in Cologne. They seem like beach glass to me and have almost the same color. At the same fair, I bought these nut beads and their color represents the cocobut milk from my color palette. I do not really have a a big love for coconuts as the smell provides me with an instant headache. This dates from my childhood where we used to go to Spain for vacation, which was always a 2.5 day car ride, no aircon in the car, and paired with the smell of coconut sun lotion - goodbye Nicki.I love the color though and I think it is perfectly matching the pendant.
To represent the "dipped in honey color, I chose a few different glass beads, and the earth color was added by the wood beads.
Birds are always present on a beach - so I could not leave them out of here. Then finally I added the copper chain, the clasp with those cute metal spacers, and to add a bit of a sound, I also included 3 small bells. The whole piece rings in my ears. I love it. I think it did not only bring all the colors together but also nicely represents all the elements. Everything needed for a lovely romance :).

Ready for the reveal?

So Erin, I think that means that I get 7 entries in your giveaway. I think I managed to do everything you suggested. Thanks for being so wonderful and hosting this fun challenge.

For everyone that is interested in my pieces, please keep checking my etsy page regularly - I add jewelry as well as components on a regular basis:
www.etsy.com/shop/nickisreef.

Please visit the other beady artists and have a look at their wonderful creations. A list with all the links can also be found on Erin's website.

Metalsmithing class Part 1

2010-11-29T12:58:00.000+01:00

I went to a metalsmithing class on the weekend that was a gift from my mom for my birthday back in June.
I had tons of fun and I could do this the entire day all days of a week.

I have a couple of tools already, but now need to get the ones I am missing like a ring mandrel, a plastic mallet etc.

Anyways. I made three pieces. The first one was this sterling silver ring. In the beginning, I wanted to add something to it, but decided against since baby is tearing most of my jewelry apart and a big ring would not be the thing to wear. It wears super nice. The size is just right as I adjusted it for my middle finger.

I will show the pendant maybe tomorrow - still need to do some sanding. And then I started a third ring made out of brass, but this is still in the infantary stage.

Like it?

Thoughtful Tuesday

2010-11-23T08:27:00.002+01:00

“The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist.”

Harold Wilkins

British journalist, historian (1891-1960)

I am the LMAJ Designer of the week

2010-11-19T22:58:00.001+01:00

How cool is that. My autumn birds necklace made me "Designer of the week" at Love My Art Jewelry. Read all about it here.

This is so special to me. I often feel that I do not really have a real space out here in the jewelry world, and now these talented bead and jewelry artists Kelli Pope, MaryAnn Caroll, Maire Jane Dodd, Barbara Lewis, Shannon LeVart, Patti Lakinsmith and LeAnn from SummersStudio have selected ME as designer of the week.

I am truely speechless. Need to go back to my bead table and continue to make something new to submit it to the LMAJ blog. Wouldn't something like this make your day? It truely makes my day!

Dear Holland, Michigan reader

2010-11-17T22:47:00.000+01:00

I checked out my stat counter today. And this was the map I found when I checked for recent visitors. So one of my biggest findings of today: I am well on track with my goal of conquering the world!
(We need to set ourselves targets, don't we :) ?)

The second finding from today is the reason for this blog post. It is you, my dear JCI Holland Michigan reader. It is just a question, but would you let me know who you are? Since we both work in the same company. And I wonder if I know you. I live in Germany, but who knows, maybe we met. Leave me a comment or if you prefer, send me an email to: nickisreef@hotmail.com
I am so curious and I would love to chat with you. Thanks for stopping by.

And I hope everyone else will have a wonderful day too.

ABS submission: Hatching life

2010-11-13T15:04:00.001+01:00

For the first time I submitted something to the ABS challenge. I always wanted to do it, but by the time I had decided on my design, it was usually the next month with a new challenge. But this time, it came natural to me. The tree of life directly remembered me of a giveaway I won a long time ago and that has been sitting in my stash ever since.

Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze, 1909

Gustav Klimt 1862-1918

I created this necklace based on a wonderful ceramic swirl bead set (beads, pendant and button) from Tracee Dock aka the Classic Bead. For the clasp, I made a double wire gunmetal hook and used it together with the button.
I also wanted to add some color and had that bright orange sari silk ribbon left that complemented the colors of the bead set really nicely (life should be colorful). I made some wire wrapped chain out of gunmetal wire and created a nest with coral beads that I attached to the clasp. Assymetry strikes me so to balance the ceramic beads I used czech glass beads. A wire ring was added to the pendant and voila - hatching life.

So here is my first submission ever. I hope you like it and buy some beads from the Classic Bead as well. They are really gorgeous.

Which one is your favorite?

2010-11-12T18:19:00.000+01:00

So three questions for you today, since I made some more pendants and need some direction on where to go with it.

1) Which one is your favorite?
2) Do you generally like the plain ones better or the ones where I tried the image transfer?
3) What would you pay for it?

I have put some on etsy but did not sell any so far. I made one necklace with a bird pendant and I think it turned out quite nice (check it out here).

Your choices are the following:

1) Bamboo

2) Water and Air

3) Lotus

4) Field of flowers

5) Orange blossom

6) Pink swirl

and a few for Xmas
7) Snow heart

8) Snow rings

9) Snow waves

They are not totally done yet, and need to be sanded on the edges. But I like all of them. I will list some of them in my ETSY store, and some others will directly go into jewelry. I like creating with them, they are lightweight, and unique and made by me.

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Erin's challenge

2010-11-07T11:10:00.000+01:00

I am participating in a challenge that was just kicked off by Erin of Tesori Trovati called the challenge of color.

How does it work? I had to choose a color family (my pick was blue - what else?). Erin chose a pain tchip palette just for me - which is the one you see in the picture above. Isn't that gorgeous? I just love that color combination. I could actually paint my living room in those colors (if I had not just painted it a year ago).

I will now create a piece of jewelry using some or all (bonus points) colors of the palette, select a name for the piece from the palette and post it on December 3rd. There will be a huge blog hop, some make sure you note the date in your calendars. And there will be a random winner to win some .... BEADS. YAY. And there are lots of talented ladies participating, so I am sure it will be well worth it.

if you are interested about the details - click HERE.

I celebrate - ABS Carnival Post

2010-11-05T14:21:00.005+01:00

I celebrate

Night and Day

Sunshine and Rain

The sky and the ocean

Air

Peaceful times and Party times

Friends and strangers

Music

Vacations and daily routine

Time with my baby

My family and my animals

Our health

My garden

My work and finances

Good dinners with a glass of red wine

Time to bead

Remembering that not all of these things might be there forever

I celebrate nothing special

I just celebrate being here

(All jewelry will be available in my etsy store tomorrow:
Blue Silk copper cuff
Greek hammered spiral necklace
My bird smile necklace with handmade polymer bird pendant).

Thanks for leaving a comment.

Teamwork in Action 2010 at Lago Maggiore, Italy (Part 1)

2010-10-31T11:31:00.000+01:00

I had a blast. (Grab a cup of coffee, this will be a long post).

I got back yesterday morning and have basically been sleeping since then, as a) I got a really bad flu and b) I did not really sleep when I was in Italy (and ok c) a really small hangover.)

I was so busy preparing before we left, that I actually never checked out the hotel where the Teamwork event would take place. And it was Grand Hotel Dino on amazing Lago Maggiore. I think I will let a few pictures speak for themselves.

The view from my hotel room / balcony.

And yes, they had palm trees too. Doesn't this feel like vacation?

On Thursday, we started the event with a boat ride. We rented an ancient steam boat to fit all 200 people that were participating. There were 15 teams that won their regional competitions, from all across the world: Guardamar and Alagon, Spain; Hannover and Bochum, Germany; Assenede, Belgium; Strasbourg, France; Pune, India; Curitiba, Brazil; East London, South Africa; Straz pod Ralskem and Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic; Burton-on-Trent, UK; Mioveni, Romania; Bursa, Turkey; and Lozorno, Slovakia.

Needless to say, that in events like those, you understand what diversity means. The event was held in english, but except Burton, nobody was native. All teams are out of out manufacturing plant, so to travel to Italy itself was something that most people had never done.

This is the old steam boat we took for a ride on Lago Maggiore.

The riverfront of Lago Maggiore.

The ride itself was magnificient, but it was freezing cold (about 30 degrees F). Hence my flu.

An old hermitage we could see on one of the small islands while driving by.

Extremely calm waters - really soothing for the mind as we had red wine and the sun was slowly settling.

Last rays of sun shining over the mountains of Lago Maggiore.

And another picture taken from my balcony at dawn.

We had dinner at a 2 star Michelin restaurant that evening (there are only something like 6 2-star restaurants in Italy) and the teams were performing small team introduction shows. Among them were traditional dances out of India, South Africa, Brazil, and Slovakia, sketches from Belgium, Germany and Songs and many more from the other countries.

I went to bed too later after too many gin Tonics,. but we had a lot of fun.

The next day, the Final competition took place. The theme was Ice Age, with slight modifications of the story. Manni the Mamouth was frozen, and the team's creativity needed to unfreeze him.

We were welcomed by a giant Sid and Diego (the picture was taken after Manni was unfrozen).

I was part of the jury (a really silly job, since I wanted all the teams to win). The first prizes (actually two teams won, Brazil and France) will participate in the Asian finals and will spend a week in Bali.

Obviously we jury members had to be dressed up as well. So what would fit better than penguins? We were wearing white dress shirts, black ties, black jackets and sparkly penguin hats. And we also had Ice Age names, and I was Nicki Northpole.

The performances were a lot of fun. My pictures did not turn out really well, so I will only show a few until I get some "official" ones.

This is Turkey, who got dressed up as bees, with their goal to improve honey production (which they achieved in the end by replacing human bees by robot bees - which was kind of sad ).

The performance of the Indian guys was really cool, since they did not really use any other properties, and they basically just told the story with their bodies.

In the breaks we did small competitions with the entire group, like who can sing louder (guys or girls), who can guess how many languages we speak in the company, or in this case, which team will be the fastest to blow up 50 ballons.

One of the most impressive teams to me was South Africa. They brought traditional costumes (not in this picture), were singing songs in their own languages (basically non-stop throughout the day), and had their faces painted for the gala dinner. I would just love to visit Africa one day. These women seem so proud to me.

It was a really emotional three days. I had tears in my eyes more than once, when the teams showed the spirit of their countries and how dedicated they are to our company. And at the award ceremony, I could not keep it anymore, when the Brazilian team was announced as a winner, and we (jury) were up on stage and the team members were dissolved in tears, came up to us and kissed our hands and faces and said "Muito Obrigado" (Thank you so much in Portuguese). It just tells me how much things that are really small to us can mean so much for somebody else.

To close this post, I would like to show you a short video, the closing of the show event (before the award ceremony). It just reminds me what a great company we are and that there is much more than sitting in an office and trying to get through the day. We have great people working for this company.

And excuse the shaky pictures, but I was trying to dance and take the video at the same time. And the sound is silly since I was sitting right next too the speaker and it was so loud, that I am surprised I can still hear today. But it should give you a small flavour of how much fun it was. No possibility to stand and not move when there is so much fever in the air.

Thanks for sticking with me til the end. I hope you have enjoyed it.

I will post a few more pictures when I get them from the official photographer.

Back in the driver seat

2010-10-26T22:05:00.000+02:00

Oh my. Oh oh oh my.

In two days I will leave to go to Italy for work. This will be the first time that I will be separated from my Baby in almost 14 months. I have not been away from her longer than 6 hours in a row. And Thursday I will leave for 3 days. Oh my.

I will be in the jury for our event called Teamwork in Action. The top 10 teams from our manufacturing plants will present their cost improvement projects, but not in a powerpoint presentation. Instead they will perform it as a theater play or a musical. There will be costumes, laughter, a lot of languages and loud loud music. I am so looking forward to this. My first trip in such a long time. Having spent the past three work years 50% in the US and 50% over here, I am so addicted to being on an airplane.

And at the same time I can't believe not seeing the baby girl for such a long time. But it will be a good distraction. And Daddy and Baby will do just fine. No real worries. Just a few.

Some free time made me creative

2010-10-24T22:22:00.003+02:00

Nick took the sick baby out for a walk, so I got beading time (we had planned for it since last sunday - obviously we need to work either on our planning or on our execution skills).

I was not in a very creative mode though, so either I get stuck or I move right into the brainless beading work (such as wire wrapping seed beads into chain).

Today I made a simple necklace with one of Kelley's eggs and some lampwork headpins I ordered some time ago from Mallory's "for Jenny" etsy shop section. In her Rosebud / for the love of beads etsy shop she has some cute lampwork pieces and all the money from the purchases in the "for Jenny" section go to her daughter who suffers from cancer. Go buy something over there, such as these lovely glass head pins.

When she sent them to me, they were tied together with a ribbon, and I directly thought - oh, they should stay together, they look almost like a bouquet. So this simple design came to me naturally and I love love love it.

I had some more difficult (design wise) pieces in mind, but since I wasn't in the mood, I went and started wrapping wire into a bracelet. I used different gauges of copper wire and did this freeform cuff. I included some African "Fair Trade" recycled glass beads that I purchased recently in "the market of the nations". I used some of the teal ones I got and I have them in a few different colors. I want to try them out with silver, because I think they will be even more lucious.

Like them?

Comments

2010-10-24T16:55:00.000+02:00

Since I changed my design, I had almost no comments. Is everybody busy or is the issue that the comment link is on top of the post right now - right side under the title?
I hate it in this place, but I haven't figured out how to change it.
The blogger template does not let me access the settings, except for html which I do not know.
So I can't change it. Sniff.
I might have to go back to the old template. Tell me if you have an issue, please.

What I did this week...

2010-10-23T23:01:00.000+02:00

Work Work Work. For those of you who have not read all my stories: I am working 20 hours per week in an american company in Germany that produces automotive interior parts. My job is strategic planning and I was the head of this department for the entire company until September last year when I had my sweet baby Amelia who is almost 14 month old right now.

We are acquiring a company right now and my current main project is to head the integration activities with the new business. We have not got anti-trust approval right now, so we are not allowed to talk to anybody, so the exciting part is still in front of us, meeting new people, visiting new plants, defining strategy and motivating employees. With all this I have got help from McKinsey, a consultant company (for those of you who have nothing to do with it). They are usually pretty intense, which is the good and the bad part about it.Anyways, enough of this work thing. But I wanted to let you know that Nick is on paternity leave for 2 months right now and therefore I can be at the office more often. So I went over there Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Tuesday afternoon, we went to a baby birthday party. Two kids from our playclass were doing there party together, and it was a lot of fun first. Until the "male host" got sick and threw up on the floor. First time we thought, ok, can happen, too much food. But when it happened the second time while he was sitting on mommy's arm, accidentally there was one of the guest babies sitting right under him. I spare you the details.The party was over right after that but before we had a lot of fun.

Wednesday we spent the afternoon in the baby store, and bought "staircase fences" - not sure how to call those otherwise. Nick always tells me nobody in the US has those. Here we are the very last ones to get them - cause everybody has those. Makes it safer for those small monsters when they want to climb up the stairs..... We also got a new car seat, a blanket and pillow in the next size, a high-chair in a wonderful purple color that fits perfectly in our house, and a small potty (too much detail?)

I also wanted to go to work Friday, since my colleague was standing in my office crying on Thursday, since she does not know how to cope with all the workload anymore, and I wanted to go and help her. But when I came home on Thursday, Baby had 40 degree C / 104 degree F fever. So we went to the doctor on friday instead me goign to work. Obviously the very high fever that we had right before I strapped her into the car seat was fading by the minute when we were waiting for an hour in the doctors office. Conclusion: she is getting 4 teeth at the same time and has got a sore throat. Yesterday all was ok, but today she had a very high fever again, so no going outside for us. Luckily Germany is still in the "autumn vacation" so our play classes have not started again - next week though.

Oh and then I decided it was time for a change, so I uploaded a new design to my blog (I actually chose it more or less by accident, I was thinking I was looking at the preview but I actually published it). After some struggle with font size, I think I am getting closer to how I want it to look. I need some serious HMTL programming skills I feel though....

Today was a kind of lazy day, since Meli still had a fever we did not go swimming like we usually do on saturday morning. Instead I made some pendants (check out my previous post for details and more fun pendants). But in a summary I had FUN. I did not get to making the necklace yet, but I cooked a yummy curry with chicken, peas, onions and tomatoes. And tomorrow, I will go to the flea market (it is like a mom-to-mom sale for kids cloths, organized by the church). So if I find something nice, I will give you an update tomorrow.
In the meantime I keep waiting for the noisy plume to update her etsy store since I WANT one of her lichen necklaces. UPDATE: I got one..... :)

Oh and have I told you that I love that "Down in the past" song from Mando Diao?

My new favorite addiction

2010-10-23T17:32:00.000+02:00

... is making plastic components. I would have always loved to get a kiln and do ceramics, but have no real space for it, and polymer clay never really got me hooked (although I might try to do some more of it. Resin is really really cool, but very toxic and with a one year old not really the thing to do. So I started making these polymer pendants that I blogged about recently.

And I tried to incorporate different things and was surprised to find out that the possibilities are endless. Look at some of these that I made today.

I actually want to make a necklace with it later today, to give everybody a feel for how cool they would look in a piece of jewelry. I know "plastic" does not sound appealing to us jewelry people. But I think it is really cute.

A couple of flower pendants (above and below)

A heart pendant with a blue heart inside

A wave pendant

An eye pendant

And finally my favorite: a bird pendant.

Do you like my new design?

2010-10-22T20:24:00.001+02:00

I actually downloaded a couple templates I found and I thought I was looking at a preview - but I found out that I did not. I actually published the template to become my new layout.

I like it better than the previous one, but there are a few things that I would like to change if I could just figure out how to do it.
I do not like the comments up on top, but I prefer them on the bottom (that is when you leave comments, right, when you are done with reading the post). Does that bother you?
I also think that the text is a bit small. But the next size up does not fit with the title's size at all.

Also, does anybody have a good understanding of how Blogger works? Or a good site or book to recommend? I feel like I need an IT class.....

Weekend and the circle of friends

2010-10-16T09:15:00.008+02:00

Thanks ladies for your comments - my PIL left this morning. Nick took them to the airport and I will let my baby sleep in before we get up in a half hour and go to the swim class.

But I mentionned that I have something else to shop to you - my "circle of friends" necklace that I created while down in South of France. I wire wrapped tons of little light blue wax beads. The pendant is made of some coral sticks on 18g silver wire. That was too delicate so I added the wire wrapped circles, and they make the entire piece a bit more dramatic I think.

I finally listed some of my polymer pendants for a welcome price in my etsy shop. Be my friend and grab one. Concerning shippping - they are really small, and I will probably reimbourse you, so don't get scared by shipping cost.

Stefanie has a new fanpage on facebook. Her latest necklace is "der Hammer" how we say in German. She submitted it for the ABS challenge too, and it is also available in her etsy store.

This afternoon we continue the "family week" with the B-day party of my nephew. And then I will say TGIS (sunday) because my family is intense. And probably pull out the Heidi cup another time.

A Woman's Gift

2010-10-15T09:22:00.004+02:00

Yay, I finally broke the block and listed something on Etsy again. This is my new bracelet. You can get it by clicking HERE.

I still did not get the components listed, since I need to do some more sanding before they can find a new home and this does not work quite well when PIL are around.

Today is Papou's (=Grandfather in Greek) birthday, and I made a chocolate cake that he will hopefully enjoy. My mother will come over and I hope I will not get too stressed out - there is a risk, as I need strong nerves for 3 people talking to each other very very loud (missing knowledge of each others language is usually compensates by increased loudness) and translating at the same time.

And tomorrow they already leave for Detroit where they will spend two weeks with the Brothers & SIL's before they get home to Fort Myers Beach. I need some sun.

The secret of the Heidi cup

2010-10-14T08:11:00.002+02:00

This is the Heidi cup. But there is a secret that comes with it tonight.

Look at this tasty liquid inside of Heidi. It is not coffee. Nor tea. Do you see the wonderful purple color? Yes, it is some good old red wine.

The reason for this Heidi secret: my greek parents-in-law are here for the rest of the week. They are nice, but they basically sit on the sofa and watch us, and conversations are limited (yiayia = grandma is not hearing well), and if they occur, they mainly turn around when the next baby is planned, or when we get married or other fun things like this.

So tonight, it seemed like noone was wondering why my Heidi coffee cup was stuck in my hand for the entire hour before dinner. Well I needed my aperitiv drink tonight.

More jewelry later today, even though I will probably not get around to making something, I still have some things to show from our vacation.

I hope you have a sunny day filled with lots of joy.

Pricing?

2010-10-13T13:13:00.006+02:00

I have a question for you ladies. Most of you know that I have recently opened my etsy store, and I have been arguing with Nick a bit about my prices. Like most of us jewelry ladies, I struggle.

So here is a question for you. Have a look at my newest creation.

I originally made it for a friend of mine, who wanted "a purple necklace". Now I love it so much, that I might have to keep it and make another one for her. I know I will never get rich like this.

But I thought about the price for this anyways. So I first thought about what I would pay for this. Maybe about 40 Dollar? Well when I made my calculation, it came out that the components alone cost about 50 Dollar (and nothing is even sterling or so). And I spent about 2 and a half hours putting it together.

Which made me wonder again if there is a market for jewelry like this. You can buy stuff so cheap today.

So I need help from you.

Do you think there is a market for such jewelry or will people only buy your things if they are super special?

What would you price this necklace for if you were the seller?

And what would you pay for it if you really liked it. Believe me it has a wonderful weight to it. I just love it.

Want some components?

2010-10-11T10:21:00.006+02:00

Instead of making some jewelry last night, I decided to give my latest addition another try - making plastic components. Here are a few attempts I made last night. After I will be back home from my day job, I will sand and polish the edges and list them in my etsy store.

Any preferences for shapes, colors, designs?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

New Blue

2010-10-10T09:34:00.003+02:00

I realize that most of the jewelry I make while on vacation is blue. How does that happen - the influence of the ocean I guess.

Here is a super simple one I put together in a couple of minutes. This was my first attempt at hammering the wire instead of using headpins. It took a couple of attempts since I underestimated the size of the bead holes :).

You like it? I thought I would start off light - the other few pieces are a bit nicer.

Thanks for looking and commenting :)

Eat Pray Love

2010-10-06T23:29:00.002+02:00

I am back from vacation. Back to reality. And you know the news of the day? I need a vacation.
Yes, I know. I know..... I know.

To give myself a mini-break today, I went to the cinema with some of my friends, and we saw Eat Pray Love with Julia Roberts. Have you seen it? Did you like it? It is really something special - or maybe particular should be the word? Kind of depressive, kind of sweet, somehow enlighting, a bit too long, with beautiful pictures of Italy, India and Bali. The opinions about it differed a lot. Go see it and let me know what you think. There are a lot of words of wisdom in the movie, like this one: Pick your thoughts wisely every day, like you pick your clothes. So I have decided to pick my thoughts wisely tomorrow. Hope you do the same.

So for now, until I have downloaded my pictures, here is a preview of what's coming in the next days on my blog:

a full story of my vacation - involving beaches, visits of ancient cities, baby pictures, and a motorcycle accident
some bead porn - thanks Ms. Silver Parrot - French bead purchases and some other beads I have ordered before I left
The beads I received in Lori Andersons bead swap (sniff I was on vacation when she announced the jewelry swap)
and more more more

Happy Birthday, Meli !

2010-09-11T22:22:00.004+02:00

Baby, I hope you will always remember that you are my biggest treasure.

And that I will be by your side no matter what happens.

I love you to the moon and back.

Renewal - ABS Carnival Blog Post

2010-09-01T22:03:00.005+02:00

I never thought I would use a power point slide that I have prepared for work here on my blog.

The one that I will use for this ABS Carnival post shows the change curve. This model was developed in the 1960s and it explains how people go through a grieving process and how we manage change in our lives. You cannot jump over a phase, you have to go through all of them – there are no short cuts. You can get stuck in the phases, and they can take longer or shorter depending how you manage change.

The concept explains that people are comfortable with situations they know, and if a drastic change occurs we tend to react shocked, though shortlived, in the beginning. We face a loss of productivity, and individuals that are usually strong and decisive seek direction and reassurance. We are afraid of the unknown. After this we tend to deny the situation, we focus on staying in the past – “everything is fine and we will get through somehow” or “ this is not really happening” or “this won’t affect me that bad”.
Anger and (re-) design represent the next stage. In this phase the change starts to become reality and we often look for a scapegoat. Lowest morale, anxiety and frustration are followed by isolation and apathy. We tend to focus on small issues and just keep going to mentally and emotionally survive.
At the end of the valley of tears, we start to feel more positive and enthusiastic as we start to find our new place in the new world. The change has been survived and new opportunities lie ahead. Acceptance, hope and trust are common feelings.
It depends on our general stability and experience with past changes how long we stay in each of the phases of the change curve.

I had to think about change a lot in the past two years. Basically in the past 10 years I was a real jet set business woman, never staying in the same location for more than 10 days. I lived at least half my life in the US, and I was not even impacted by 6 hours time changes anymore. Flights in business class with champagne, good red wine, movies and excellent food became more common than the frozen pizza at home.

Then I got pregnant and was waiting for the arrival of my pretty baby. While I was planning to continue my life in the same job, the grey suited guys from my company decided differently. They believed they knew better what I needed (“why don’t you stay at home and be happy that you will have a baby?”). So I got demoted, reporting to a guy that was put into my former role, that has no experience in my former position whatsoever.

Having Amelia made me think about what life really is about. And that we work to afford a life. And that we should do things we enjoy. So besides of my part time job and my baby, I decided to put my long lasting beading hobby into some more solid frames, and decided to open my own etsy store. It took a long time, but I am pleased to announce the opening of my etsy jewelry shop today. Go visit me here – www.etsy.com/shop/nickisreef - have a look at the few goodies I have in there (promise there will be more soon) and show me some love and treat yourself with a piece of handmade jewelry. I do not know where my etsy journey will take me, but for now I know it is part of my change process and it is definitely on the upturn side of things.

The change curve and the word renewal made me think about a caterpillar, preparing to make a cocoon. The caterpillar does not really know what will happen, not does he know he will be a butterfly at the end (or maybe a moth :) ). But he knows that change is happening. And if we believe in the fact that there are better days in front of us, we can have trust and be calm, because we know one day we will have wings to fly.

If you need wings to fly – go over to my etsy store and grab this "Silk caterpillar cocoon" necklace.

Productivity

2010-08-31T18:55:00.008+02:00

I have decided to take a day off from my real job this morning and instead spend it on my preferred job :) - beading.

Tomorrow is the day when my next ABS carnival blogger post is due, and I have decided to use that occasion and actually load something up to my Etsy shop. Nicki's Reef has been live on Etsy for some time as I also use it for my purchases, but all the policies and stuff have kept me away from really starting it up. Now I am thinking what the heck, it's time to keep moving.

So here are the results of today's beading time:

Serpentine
(green oval glass beads and wood wire wrapped on copper, sari ribbon, handmade clasp)

Shanghai memories
(chinese lacquered paper bead, sari ribbon on copper wire, chain, handmade clasp)

Sun in the woods
(triangle wood beads, plastic sun bead, lampwork bead from Kelley's Beads, yellow glass bead, wire wrapped on copper, handmade clasp)

So do you think somebody will actually buy those?
I will upload them later today to my store, once I have sorted all these policies out :).
Thanks for looking.

Three beautiful things

2010-08-30T12:54:00.004+02:00

Inspired by Clare's blog, here are my three beautiful things from yesterday and today:

1) We finally got the gate in my mom's garden finished (ok, it needs more brackets, paint, another lock and some wood here and there, but it is nearly done) - Picture shows Nick and my mom and my baby (sleeping in stroller / under rain cover) adjusting the last screws on the gate we built over the past weekends.

2) My girl is practicing to stand on one leg now - lifting the second one up in the back like a ballerina - it is so funny I need to take a picture for you guys.

3) As opposed to everybody else, I have been waiting so badly for the end of the vacation, because yeah, today our playclasses start again. So much more fun to do it with other babies and mommies that alone at home by yourselves.

4) Ok, I am breaking the rules. Stefanie is the ABS designer of the week. I love her stuff and I am really happy for her.

The sweetest thing

2010-08-29T09:45:00.005+02:00

Rebecca Anderson is just the sweetest thing. I met her as my bead buddy in Lori's second bead soup party, and since then we are really connected. Rebecca lives in the UK and is a singer and jewelry designer, and a very talented one. She seed beads and loves wire work too. Her pieces are really cool - go over to her etsy shop here where you can buy some stunning pieces of beadwork.

So how cool was that when I won her recent giveaway - the book called Four seasons of beading. I have already fully absorbed it, and got very inspired by all the projects that are in there. But I was truely truely amazed by Rebecca's sweetness, when I found out that there was a little extra bag filled with beady goodness in the package when the book arrived. And when I opened it, I found out that it was not only some beady goodness, but it was the necklace she made from the beads that I sent her in the last bead soup party. And I L-O-V-E it. I have been wearing it a lot. And it always warms up my heart when I see it and makes me think of Rebecca.

Rebecca recently got married and looked really gorgeous in her wedding dress. I would have loved to be there. I wish you so much luck Rebecca and happiness you and your honey.

The bead soup party was surely not the last time Rebecca and I met - I have other projects in mind, some of them include a trip to the UK and a hedgehog cake. So keep visiting Rebecca's blog and mine to check for updates.

Planning the B-day

2010-08-26T09:24:00.002+02:00

Birthdays should be special. The older you get the more they lose the magic. But as long as I can do it, it will be the most special day for my daughter. Most people say that they don't really get what's going on, but HA! I know better. My daughter is smart. Big party. Period.

Two weeks are left, and I have most of the gifts - pictures later when they will be unpacked.
But what can make a baby birthday special. She won't really care about the special cake. And all her play class friends have their birthday parties before her, so there is not so much left to choose from. We had indoor parities, we had parties are the zoo / playground areas and we sang songs.

So here is my question to you guys: How can I make this B-day special?

I found a mini helium ballon set yesterday at Toys'R'Us. That's in for sure. Party hats. But if you were a one year old, or actually had a one year old, what would you do? And any special killer gift that you can think of?
So curious for your advice.

A smitten kitten

2010-08-25T08:42:00.002+02:00

That is what I am. I won another giveaway from the stringing magazine carnival blog hop. MIchelle Mach has organized it - and there are some wonderful blogs that you can check out starting from her site HERE.

Those wonderful ceramic beads made by Gaea.

I can't wait until they're here.

Thanks Gaea for making them and thanks Michelle (and Random.org) for picking me.

Marcie made me seed bead

2010-08-24T08:33:00.005+02:00

I have been saying a million times that I am not a seed beader. These beads are too tiny for me, and the designs are usually too ornamental for me (is that a word?), and it just takes way too long to make something.

I have piles and piles of seed beads in my stash though. Because they are pretty. And when I discovered Marcie Abney's Bella Joya blog through the bead soup, it became more and more obvious that I would have to try it one day.

I bought a tutorial from her the other day and yesterday night (with 150 baby interruptions) I made my version of her carnival pendant. And I am really amazed that I could get it done and that it looks the way it looks.

Dear seed beader readers, please don't look too close at the picture. I know there are spaces, I know thread is showing, and if Marcie looks at this, she will probably start shaking her head - because I added beads in spots they were not supposed to be and I took some beads off because they did not fit in here. This taught me the lesson about how important it is to stick to the indicated size of the beads. But given the fact I live in Germany and seed beads are not that easy to get here, I am impressed that I found something that was more or less color corrdinated and about the right size of beads (forgive me Marcie, but when we buy seed beads here in a store, we do not get the indications of the American sizes).

Anyways. I know it is more of a trial and error type of piece. But I think I got hooked a bit and even though it is far from perfect - it is great for me. It is my first seed bead project ever, ok aside from a simple peyote band ring I made once. I really like it. And if I can do it, everybody can do it (and probably better). So rush to Marcie's Etsy store and buy a carnival pendant tutorial. And if you do not like this one, she has a couple of others in her shop as well. I actually also have the persian rugs bracelet one, so maybe this will be next. Thanks for stopping by and thanks, Marcie, to make me seed bead.

3 beautiful things

2010-08-22T23:37:00.003+02:00

I have recently discovered Clare's Three Beautiful Things blog. Every day she captures some good things that have happened to her in this blog. And she encourages people to do the same.

I think it is a nice idea, and I have been wanting to try it, but I am not sure if I have really something meaningful to say. Or if I basically want to talk about my baby and my beads every day. I am still convinced I won't write about those every day, but maybe from time to time. I just like the idea to much. So here are 3 beautiful things I experienced this weekend.

1. The baby swim class on Saturday morning, and Meli's first attempts at "diving".

2. The BBQ with Stefanie and Matthias yesterday night (really night - I think they left after 2 pm) - which felt like party time pre-baby.

3. The entire day today: The hot air balloon festival in Cologne today. The large ballons we saw, the small balloon we bought for Meli and her excitement about it, the ball we won in the lottery (she did got at choosing the tickets), the time we spent in the kids area playing. Followed by another left-over BBQ with Kathrin and Josefina, the Champagne with raspberries we drank, playing with the babies on the floor.

Overall it was a nice weekend. Hope you did too. And hope the week will be the same.

Last day of bead stock week and a good cause

2010-08-18T09:28:00.004+02:00

Ok, today is the last day (for now). And I saved something special for you. I recently ran over Rosebud's blog "For the love of beads". I have been there before but was not following. This time I realized that a terrible thing happened to her family. Her daughter Jenny is suffering from a form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma.

She has an etsy shop, and in there is a section called "for Jenny". She is updating it regularly and will give all that money to her daughter to help her with the expenses that this disease is causing.

I bought this pretty sunbead a few weeks ago, and though I exactly know what I want to make, I did not have the time to get there. So I show you this bead now, and I would like to encourage you to go there and help them out. She regularly updates the shop, so I got some more this week.

I think they need some love and the beads and jewelry she has in there is pretty and affordable. This is the right place to spend your money. And make sure to spread the word and come back and show us what you got.

Increase-your-bead-stock-week - Day 7

2010-08-17T14:19:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow is the last day of the incredible "increase-your-bead-stock-week", ok I bought too many beads to go just on for one week, so it will be 8 days.

And the next ones are coming in already. In case you did not know it, RoundRabbitExtra (Nancy Schindler's Ceramic components shop) will close, so go and pick up the last goodies.

For today, I will show you my treasures from outwest. I love everything etched, so I only got etched beads. But I need to warn you, I am apparently not capable of taking good pictures of etched beads. I hope you still enjoy them.

Seashells

Rings of Mt. Talac

Periwinkle Beach Pottery Chunks

And some pretty gift-beads

Increase-your-bead-stock-week - Day 6

2010-08-16T12:16:00.002+02:00

Gems4us is the store owner of today. And they were a real bargain too.

All of those beads cost me 22 USD including shipping to Europe.

So look at these cuties - handpainted porcelain bird and owl beads.

They are even better in real life. Go shop.....

Increase-your-bead-stock-week - Day 5

2010-08-15T11:00:00.002+02:00

Today you can increase your bead stock at nightowlbeads.

I bought: A parliament of owls (handpainted porcelain beads).

Aren't they cute? Just not sure if I should put them all in one piece or use them as little accents.

More animal beads are showing up here tomorrow.

Increase-your-bead-stock-week - Day 4

2010-08-14T11:35:00.006+02:00

Let me introduce you to IndyJules. She makes fantastic lampwork beads. And I did promise you more hollows, didn't I?

So here is what we got for today:

Those cute black and white polka dot beads were a gift :)

Some copper green organic etched spacers

Hollow beads in Ink Blue and Amethyst

And this is my favorite: A DIY fillable globe pendant with a sterling silver cap (I am so in love with that one....

So if you want, leave me suggestions what I can put in the globe pendant....

Thanks and stay tuned for more beads coming tomorrow.

Increase-your-bead-stock-week - Day 3

2010-08-13T18:59:00.006+02:00

Today you will start to drool over some wonderful beads I got from Mermaid Glass. I have got some from her Etsy store before, and it is always worth to go back after a while because she keeps coming up with new wonderful stuff. You see some wonderful "fairy skirts in red and blue". Some sea foam beads, these pretty black and white ones, the transparent flat ones with the blue core, and oh oh oh these dark green hollows. I ADORE hollows. There will be more of them coming on one of the next days of "increase-your-bead-stock-week". So stay tuned.

Increase-your-bead-stock-week - Day 2

2010-08-12T11:53:00.006+02:00

Today I will show you two little treasures that I got from my friend Andrew Thornton, who recently held a sale in his shop.

I have been looking at those beads for a while, but this time they were supposed to be mine.

I got these two cool Basha beads (made by Barbara) - see her website here.

Can you believe that the second two pictures show the same bead? Well, that's how special they are.

Come back tomorrow on Day 3 of Shopping week.

Increase-your-bead-stock-week - Day 1

2010-08-11T15:52:00.004+02:00

During the last days I got at least one package per day with bead goodiness, and I am way behind in terms of blogging about it. So stay tuned for more bead posts in the next days.

I want to start with something not-purchased though.

I recently won a "small surprise giveaway" from my dear blog friend Cindy Wimmer. And look at what I've got. This is not small, by no means. Thank you so much, Cindy. These are sooooo pretty. I've got 5 of the wider ones and 4 of the slim ones. I really really love the slim ones.

Check out Cindy's cool designs in the new issues of Easy Wire. This lady is so talented and such a sweet person. I hope I will be able to meet her in person one day.

And stay tuned for tomorrow's real start of Bead Shoppping Week.

Josefina's Birthday

2010-08-06T08:56:00.004+02:00

One year ago, it was a Thursday night, and Nick and I went to our Birth Preparatory Class. we had just known the other couples for a few weeks, and most of the ladies were further along in their pregnancy than me.

But that night, one of the couples was missing. She still had about 5 weeks to go, and we had coffee and cake over at her place the day before and she was 100% sure she wanted to join the class that day. So imagine how nervous we got.

And that night, when the class (which was held at the hospital) was over, he proud daddy came and told us that Frida Josefina was born. She turned into Meli's best friend (so far :) ).

It was a really special day, that August 6th, 2009, and Josefina is a special girl, so we got her a special gift for her first birthday. I will still go get a toy for her later, but for now I got her a Pandora bracelet (still far too big obviously) and her first bead. It could not be any kind of bead, but it had to be special too. So I asked the wonderful lampworker Marieke (one of the bead soup party friends) to make one for her - this ladybug bead. Josefina loves ladybugs. And I hope this will be special to her. And whenever there is an important event in her life, she can add another bead to her bracelet.

We will celebrate her birthday today and go visit a little animal park, have cake and cookies, and go to play in the playground. An oasis in all that stuff going on.

A few beads

2010-08-05T08:47:00.009+02:00

Some of the beads from my shopping therapy arrived yesterday, and oh they are so cute.

Bronze horse pendant - this is really heavy and must feel really cool when worn on a long necklace

Sun beads (plastics I think but they are really cute)

Faceted resin rondelles (really rough and that's what I like about them - but hard to photgraph)

And ceramic beads - also very earthy in color and feel

I got all of those at Yuki designs - check out the shop here.

Lori's Waterstone blog giveaway

2010-08-02T21:19:00.002+02:00

For my birthday, I asked my boyfriend to get me a purse. He said: no, you have too many already. And I said - but this one is really special. It is made out of recycled leather and it is handmade, and it has a bead and it is red and it has this supercool lining.

And he thought - well maybe that would be a good surprise and he got it for me. It is soooo lovely. Check it out here. Lori of Waterstone made it just for me (ok, she did not know that when she made it but anyways).

Now this week, Lori is giving away this wonderful clutch. I want it - so badly. You can enter it when you hop over to her blog and choose one of the ways to enter. But I still hope she picks me (I know I am selfish). If you don't win, buy one from her store, and believe me, you won't regret it.

Sunday

2010-08-02T08:58:00.007+02:00

No desasters happened on sunday, but the issues are boiling under the surface.

So we decided to keep busy and set up the sandbox for our baby girl. First Nick was digging a hole, then set some concrete tiles to make a foundation. Here is a picture after the sandbox was set.

And then another one once we filled it with sand....

Which created instant sand-happiness for the newest member of our family.

In the afternoon, we had to get out of the house and went to an event that confirmed that we are officially old. There is a castle close to our house and they had an afternoon outdoor dancing event (called Be-swinged - not sure if that makes sense in english). I just love jazz and swing, and when we arrived, there was a dance show going on. About 12 people were dancing Lindy Hop, dressed up like in the 20's and it was so cute. I was always dancing when I was younger, but I have some issues with one of my knees (basically the knee cap jumps out of the joint from time to time) - so I need to avoid to become too active :)

So we sat down and watched it. After the group was done, a band started playing swing, salsa, rumba, cha cha and so on, and couples from the audience would start to dance. It was just wonderful sitting in the park with the castle in the background, a cool breeze and this wonderful music. I wouldn't have even noticed, but it was true that about 80% of the people were over 55. Anyways - I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so you have to use your imagination.

I am waiting for a person to come and repair our dishwasher this morning (Update: He was here and did not repair it since the repair would cost 400 Euro - which is more or less the cost of a new dishwasher). And I actually should be working right now and not blogging.....

On another note, my colleague's wife had a baby yesterday. His name is Anton (something I need to get used to, which is not quite easy). What a happy event in the middle of all this mess. Please can this be the start of the positive row of events?

Question for you

2010-08-01T19:03:00.003+02:00

I have a question for you - I showed some jewelry in my last two posts. One showed these super simple quick and dirty earrings (that I like, ok, but they are not special to me). And the one before showed this (in my mind) really really cool bracelet, that features one of Kelley Wenzel's Egg beads.

The bracelet post has 4 comments, and the earring post has 8 comments. Now here is my question to you: Do you like the earrings better or did you just miss the bracelet post because I posted them one right after the other?

I know this will probably always stay a mystery. But if you can clear this up, I'd be glad to hear your thoughts.

I keep going

2010-07-31T13:00:00.000+02:00

Another simple thing I made yesterday.... because I just need to keep going. I know it is not something fabulous, but kind of cute. If I ever make my Etsy shop public, I might put this one in there.

Far from getting better

2010-07-30T21:49:00.004+02:00

I know I sound like a broken record. Yesterday I thought everything was getting better. Today I learned that this is not the case. While one thing is going into a more positive direction, there is a new desaster that popped up, which is even worse than the first one. I was thinking if I should write it all down here, but I think nobody really wants to hear this kind of stuff.

I am moving from scared into a permanent panic mode, and the only thing that kept me a bit sane today was a large glass of red wine and some beading time. Remember that commitment thing, that I talked about in the ABS carnival blog post? Now tomorrow I should actually have my 3 designs done, but I won't. I made one today, and maybe a second one tomorrow. I think I need to rethink my commitment to myself versus the commitment to other people. But I need to say, part of the reason was that I picked my three favorite art beads / pendants, and I want to make something really special with them, not just something.

So here is the first one, that I finished today. I bought some rubber tube the other day, and yesterday this design finally came to me. It was perfectly fitting (in my mind) with Kelley's Egg. I hammered some 18g copper wire, added the tube and Kelley's egg, and did some wire-wrapping with and without seed beads. I hope you like it.

Let's see if I can get a second one done tomorrow - so maybe I am at least 66% committed to myself (would be at least better than 33%).