It's the Little Things: Geek Jewelry

It's the little things that make me happy. The movie, Labryinth, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, is in my all-time top 10 movies of all time.

I love the puppetry that Jim Hensen's company put into the movie. The door knockers in the movie are funny and memorable.

I recently acquired these adorable earrings from an Etsy seller in Ontario.

Aren't they the most adorable things! I think the artist really captured their facial features. I can't wait to wear them.

Beading with Purpose

Every year, when we visit family for the Winter Holidays, my SIL and I bead jewelry. I bring up my beading supplies and many of the pendants, beads, etc., I've purchased throughout the year, and she lets me dive into her massive stash. We usually take over the dining room table a few hours on the dining room table, talk, and bead. It's a time that I greatly enjoy spending with her.

This year was no different.

When I make jewelry, I like to match beads on what I think of as the theme of the pendant.

I had two Chinese dragon pendants -- one bright bronze and another aged bronze.  I wanted pearls for the flaming pearl and jade (for the Chinese dragon. She also has some colored pearls the same tone as the either pendant

 

At a previous beading show, I had picked up amber beads in a wonderful color array of dark reds to light yellow. It reminded me of the different reds of the sun. So, naturally, I paired it with a bronze lion pendant. It's gorgeous in its simplicity.

Here's another shot of it, taken under different circumstances.

This ouroborous pendant matches some earrings that I had picked up the previous year. I decided that this one need garnet and amber beads.

I've had this shark tooth since I was a kid when I visited Hawaii one year. It's wire-wrapped in gold and only used to be on a simple black cord. I tried several times to couple it with various things but with no success.  My SIL had some interesting beads so I decided to make something completely different than my normal jewelry creations. I like it.

I purchased this whale tale some time ago; I don't remember. But much like the shark tooth, I couldn't quite figure out how to use it. I knew I wanted some blue for the ocean and white pearls.

Some dark lapis served for the dark blue of deep waters and the lighter turquoise for shallow water. I also had some dark blue czech beads that I used for the main body of the necklace.

I also made a necklace for the Viking so he can wear it to the various Faires we attend. I wanted something chunky that he could wear. I found a turtle pendant made out of cow-horn that I knew he would like.

I took apart a necklace that I had made previously (the ones with the shells) because I found I wasn't wearing it as much as I thought. I coupled it with some green jasper (for the color of sea turtles) and some lapis to signify the blue of the ocean.

Gallifrey Necklace

It's not often that I often craft for my particular genres of geek. Sure, I create costumes and such for use at various science fiction conventions, but my general crafting tends to be for every day use.  Just as long as you don't count the Dr. Who Scarf I knitted or the Futurama Brain Slug I crocheted ...or the Dire Wolf Mittens I knitted...

Okay, nix that, I do craft some of my geek...but, back to the topic of this post.

When I was at one of the local sci-fi convention (I can't remember which one),  I saw this pendant from Springtime Creations and I just HAD to have it and make a necklace for myself. And I had the perfect prop for it -- a ceramic Tardis piggy bank...just in case you needed more context.

It's a bronze pendant with Gallifreyan (the Time Lord's language) engraved on it.

It's strung with dark lapis lazuli beads (representing the Time Vortex) and some carnelian (just because I like it and I wanted some additional color). It's about 11" in length.

It's a lovely piece that I wore to Gallifrey One 2013, and that I wear to work on occasion. I've gotten compliments on it from others, who aren't necessarily into Dr. Who fans. I don't even think they knew what it represents.

It's my own little covert form of Dr. Who Geek.

Check out Spring Time Creation's Facebook and webpage. She has a slew of jewelry from dragons to rocket ships to ray guns to Dr. Who pieces. She has Steampunk, science fiction, and fantasy pieces. Her work's pretty awesome, and I proudly own several of her pieces.

(And no, I'm not getting anything for promoting her work, I just really really like her stuff!)

Beading

My SIL makes jewelry as part of her job, so over the holidays, we were able to sit down a bead a little bit. I had acquired a fair bit of lampwork and beads from a bead show one year, and had been unable to create anything due to time or lack of inspiration.

However, my SIL helped me get inspired and I was able to put together some very beautiful pieces. (All of the lampwork beads are from gracebeads.com). Many of these are a mixture of glass, stone, metal, or horn.

I love making jewelry for myself because it gives me some flexibility in what I want to wear on a daily basis. And, these pieces are one-of-a-kind, as I don't make to sell.

Matching Necklace & Bracelet. 

Made with Lampwork & Malachite with Silver beads

 

Bronze & Emerald pendant.

Beads are: jade, carnelian, bronze. The pendant is from Dragon's Treasure.

Red Lampwork beads

With horn, onyx (or jet), and carnelian beads

Owl Pendant &; Bracelet Set

Lampwork owl & donut beads. Other beads include: opalite, silver, lapis

Lampwork Beads

With faceted blue tiger eye, green pearls, and silver beads. The center silver bead is from  Green Girl Designs.

Red Lampwork

with silver & red dyed horn.

Beading

So, instead of fiber, I'm posting about beads today.

A good friend of mine is a wonderful beader; she makes lovely jewelry. While I have beaded before in the past, it has been very minor and very very simple -- mostly sewing beading into costume pieces. As I had helped her how to improve her sewing, she was going to teach me the very basics of beading.

Several months previously, she had taken me to a bead show where I had made some purchases that she was going to help me put together, which we did this past weekend.

So, I put all of the designs together, and she helped me do all of the finishing work... like how to crimp, how to ensure there's enough flexibility, how/when to use adjustable chains, etc. She had many of the tools required for different jobs.

I made 5 necklaces & 1 bracelet that night. (The matching bracelet/necklace isn't shown.)

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Medusa Necklace

16" beaded Medusa necklace -- beads: bloodstone, silver, and czech beads -- Medusa piece from Green Girl Designs

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Shell & Square Necklace

16" Shell & Square Necklace -- all glass beads

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Fall Leaf Necklace

16" beaded necklace: Size 6 red czech glass, goldish spacers, glass leaf beads, green/red size 7 beads.

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Red Jade

20" necklace -- red jade with phoenix/dragon pendant, 5mm garnet stones, 4.8 gold-ish spacer beads. This has an adjustable chain so I can make it longer or slightly shorter.