*Exploding Crimpers*

Yeah, you heard me right.  Exploding crimpers!  That's what happened to me today.  I was using my crimpers and half of the crimping part (not sure what you call that) came off and flew across the room.  Now I know I'm hard on my tools but come on.  I still haven't found the missing piece yet.  It made a loud pop and my sun conure starting squawking because it even scared him and he's on a different floor of my house!  The funny part is, I was looking at the crimpers afterward to find the manufacturer's name and I noticed this.

Can you make out what it says?  "Use Safety Goggles".  I just started laughing when I saw that.

And here's what I was working on when the explosion happened.  Some simple stringing designs.  I've had these cornflake pearls for quite a while but I didn't know what to do with them.  I have tried matching them with other beads but it just takes away from their beauty.  So, I decided these would be strung as is with a nice clasp.

My mom wanted a piece similar to one that was bought recently from my shop so I made this for her.  She actually designed it while she was here picking out all the beads and chain.  Hope she likes it!

I'm way behind on putting items on the Bei Mondi and Bei Mondi Etsy shop so I'll try my best to do that today.  Please be careful while using your tools ladies.  You never can tell when one might decide to fight back.  Enjoy your Thursday!

Here Comes Monday

Yep, it's the start of the week once again.  I can't complain, it's supposed to be 71 degrees here today.  Can you believe that?  In Pittsburgh!  Anywho, I was hoping to start showing off all the pretties from the earring exchange today but, unfortunately, not everyone has received their gift yet. 

Ok, I have to vent.  I don't do this very often on the blog but it's one of those days.  We went to the Pittsburgh Cooking and Food show over the weekend.  It was horrible!  Absolutely horrible!  We had hoped for cooking demos, samples of gourmet food, and possibly to see a famous chef or two.  That was not the case at all.  It was packed and I felt like we were cattle being herded around.  They had samples of popcorn where you had to go up and hold out your hand while the lady poured a few pieces in your hands.  One lady had a bowl of chocolate goodies that she was letting everyone pass by stick their hands into and then she offered some to my nine year old.  Hello, ever heard of H1N1?????  And that was the case for so many other booths.  Why don't you just give me a cookie that has been dropped on the floor and coughed on.  But what I don't get is why people were standing in this huge crowd waiting for these samples.  Yes, we paid like $15 each to get in and maybe they felt they had to get there money's worth but come on.  Oh, and a good portion of the booths had nothing to do with food at all like one guy selling windows and another selling make-up and Silpada.  What?  What are you doing at a cooking show????    It was a complete joke. 

Alright, I feel better now.  Moving on.  The "Playing Games" earrings up in the right hand corner are the spotlight item this week.  10% off for this week only in the Bei Mondi shop bringing them from $22.99 to $20.69! 

And here's one I made recently with wire wrapped multicolored pearls.  Lots of pastels in greens, pinks, grays, and even a purple.  Finished off with a large lotus flower charm that has been hammered for more texture.  Delicate and pretty!  This will go into the Bei Mondi Etsy shop today.

Sorry to vent and leave but there's lots of projects to get moving on so I'd better be going.  Enjoy the nice November day!  :)

Girly Geisha

I stayed up late working on this little piece. I've had these crazy lace agate rectangle beads that have so much character but the yellows and reds intertwined within the stones is a rather harsh color. Needless to say, finding anything to compliment it was a challenge. The same goes for my Geisha charm from Green Girl Studios. So wonderful and sweet but what do I use to compliment it without taking anything away. Here's what I came up with.

Now, it's not perfect but that's what adds to the charm. I'm still learning about manipulating the wire and this was created with half hard sterling which was a challenge to bend. And yes, the "cage" around the yellow jade bead is supposed to look like that. That is the look I was going for. All in all, I like her! I will probably recreate the large jump rings on the end because they aren't what I was hoping for but besides that I think she's a keeper.

I guess I'm slowing on the shop. I will be adding at least one item today but I really need to get back in my little studio (the basement aka "the dungeon") and get back to work. I have several partial projects that are staring at me! Oh, and I have a question for you. I've been taking my pics in a light box but I've seen some really great pictures on Etsy that look like they've been taken outside. You can tell the difference in the lighting. Do you use a light box? And also, what's your favorite prop to use? Taking pictures is a challenge with my older camera but any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

Dendrobium Orchids

My lovely daughter is modeling this one for me. Lots of purples, pinks, and white. Super girly! I'm a big fan of the furnace glass beads. These are so much fun!

Earrings in Shop Today

Got a few new pairs of earrings in the shop today. Still trying to broaden my horizons from just making bracelets all the time. ;)

Lightening on Lago Maggiore

Labradorite briolettes with a brilliant blue flash and tiny sterling silver balls all wrapped in sterling wire with french hooks. The bright flash in these reminds of lightening hitting water hence the name.

Slices of Summer

Grapefruit pink chalcedony and bright white pearls combine with glowing parrot green chalcedony to create summer's sweet treat.

Etsy seems to be running really slow this morning or it could be my internet connection. I might have to wait until this afternoon to add these. Please enjoy your weekend and go do something fun!

New Items for Thursday

Fixing the yard was quite an experience yesterday. My back is feeling it this morning but I think I leveled out most of the dirt and covered all the tire tracks. My daughter and the neighborhood kids decided they wanted to "help out". They worked for about 5 minutes and noticed that the boy across the street was watching them (they are all girls). So, needless to say, they lost interest in helping and decided to make a "fort" out of the bushes I was discarding. And when I asked them why they needed to build a fort they said "to hide from the boy staring at us". Two of the girls hid behind the fort while the third paced back and forth yelling, "Don't look at us! Don't look at us!" It was a real treat.

Ok, here's the two items for today.

Zen Mountain Cuff
Yellow turquoise with lots of variation. Greens, yellows, blacks, and even some blues are all in the mix. All held together with sterling wire.

Biltmore's Bleeding Hearts
Here I go once again with tourmaline. It's my favorite. A couple of pearls thrown in for some shine and an interesting clasp that reminds me of lily of the valley flowers for some strange reason. Feminine and classic!

Just one more day left until the weekend. Enjoy it!

Wednesday Wonders

The crew is finally done at our house. We have a large majestic looking wall and a walkway to match. Only one problem, they've completely tore up the yard that I've been trying so hard to create. Ugh! They took their bobcat through and destroyed the grass and nothing is level anymore. Let's just say I have my work cut out for me.

And one of my pups has gotten into a fight with a groundhog. I was petting her last night and realized I had blood on my hand. She was bitten seven times. Groundhogs have large teeth and aren't afraid to use them. They aren't an animal to mess with.

Aside from all of that, I have more items to list today. I think we're going on day seven of listing.

Stepping into De Haar

Botswana agate pillows with white pearls and Bali spacers. Lots of browns and grays together. Classic and neutral!

Green Lake
Green peridot chips paired with ocean blue seed beads. Six strands held together on a sterling silver sliding clasp. Blue and greens! Gotta love those colors!

I guess it's time to get crackin on the yard. Just hope the weather stays nice. Enjoy your day!

Today's Little Pretty Things

Carribean Chic Earrings
I bought some amazing carribean blue chalcedony recently and just had to make pretty little dangle earrings with them. They are just like the sea. What a brilliant blue! I paired these with peridot chips and some freshwater pearls. I love these colors together.

Pyramids of Giza
This bracelet is so simple but I've had the most compliments on it than any other piece. Neutral browns in picture jasper help highlight all the sterling Bali spacers and the large dotted focal bead.

Have a great sunny day!

Happy Monday!

What a crazy weekend! Rain, then no rain, then rain again. It's not the best thing when you are camping but we still got a chance to have some fun and relax. And this morning we woke up to big dump trucks outside our house at 6:30am!!! We are having our retaining wall, walkway, and front porch replaced. Needless to say our neighbors probably aren't happy about them sawing away on the concrete at 7am. Yikes!

Ok, so here's the new items I'm putting on Etsy today.

Bodhi Tree of Enlightenment
This one is a necklace made with ocean jaspers, freshwater pearls, and ocean blue seed beads with a tree of life pendant.

India's City of Pearls

Elegant double strand of dancing drop freshwater pearls in a soft olive green color. This piece all comes together with a stunningly large freshwater pearl clasp.

I made a few new items while camping so I'll try to take pictures of those today and post them soon. It looks beautiful outside so enjoy that sunshine and have a great Monday!