Ruby Drop Earrings (A fusion bead design)

Valentines Earrings

This design is out of the Fusion beads, Inspiration Projects Gallery. I can’t find it though and I worry that they’ve pulled it from the gallery as I had issues with the design.

I LOVE these earrings. To make them you will need to order

SC3810  Ruby Swarovski Briolette Pendant (you’ll need 2)

SF0142 Fancy Ear Wires

SP2289  Vine prong Bail (you’ll need 2 of these as well)

When the pieces first came I was expecting this to be a 5 minute pair of earrings, perfect for Valentines Day and it still can be. There were two issues that I had with the design/instructions. In the original design, the fancy ear wires came down as far in the front as they do in the back. This pair doesn’t quite come down all the way. The hitch though was that the instructions said to open the loop on the ear wires and attach the pinch bails which seemed easy enough. However, the ear wires that they suggested using are closed, so you can’t open them. It’s an easy fix though, it just takes a steady hand, a gutsy attitude and a pair of wire cutters.

I thought about using a jump ring, but that would change the direction of the crystals, two jump rings would fix that but would alter the very sleek look of the earrings. While I was explaining this to Marathon Man, I turned my back to put away the groceries. When I turned back around, he was standing there with the wire cutters in his hand and a very pleased look on his face. Men, they don’t want to talk about problems, they just want to fix them.  He’s  awesome.

I emailed fusion and I received a very nice letter back from them. It seems they no longer carry the ear wires that were used in the original design. No worries though, you can still make a fabulous pair of earrings for a great price. Without any discounts these will only cost you $12.90 to make. Get on Fusion’s mailing list and chances are good you’ll be able to make these earrings for  less. Fusion Beads constantly sends out coupon codes for good deals.

To make these earrings, the first things you will need to do is attach the pinch bails to the swarovski crystals.  I eased the bails open ever so gently and then slipped the prongs in to the holes on either side of the swarovski crystals. I then used my nylon pliers to snug them up. Fusion has great instructions for doing that on their site.

Marathon man, very carefully cut the loop on the ear wires on the backside, close to the top. He opened it up, slipped in the bail and then closed it back up. He basically made a closed jump ring in to an open one.

These might be my new favorite new pair of earrings. I’ll definitely be wearing them on the 14th!

Happy Love Day Earrings

Valentines Day Earrings

Yay! my order from Fusion Beads arrived yesterday afternoon.  “Happy Love Day  Earrings” were the first set of earrings that I made. However, looking at the Macro photo, my simple loops leave a lot to be desired.

These are cute, affordable and Fusion Beads has the supply list and instructions to help you make them. I was nosing around the site and I have to say, their “Beading Techniques” page is very well done. I’m a visual learner so I appreciate all the photos they use.

For both cost and simplicity, these would make a good beginner project for someone wanting to try wire wrapping.

Fusion Beads has an entire gallery of free, jewelry design ideas. Clicking on the first link will take you to the project page for the valentine earrings. To see their entire gallery, click on the “Inspiration Projects” tab. They are a fabulous beading resource.

Happy Beading!

Supplies

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

It’s sort of ironic. On the one hand I’m going through my stash and clearing things out,  and then I’m anxiously sitting on the other hand while I await my latest shipment from Fusion.  Sigh.

I love fusion beads, and I’m very tempted to drive up to Seattle to check out the retail store. It’s only 4 or 5 hours from here, which is what makes waiting for the postal service to deliver my package so irritating. Shipping is free though, so I shouldn’t complain.

I ordered supplies to make 7 pairs of earrings. I’ve also got a second order in for two, tiny 2mm beads and 1 6mm bead, so that I can finish working on two projects out of “Creating Glamorous Jewelry”.  Anya pulled apart “Grace”, and one of the beads disappeared  down the heating duct. I’m also working on a ring, but I accidentally  lost one of the 2mm beads for that as well. Both projects are sitting on my bead board waiting to be completed.

In the mean time, the rain seems endless today.  We’re trying something new with Anya. I’m almost always out and about during the day and she tends to fall asleep in the car on the way home. It generally works out well, unless I haven’t got anything going on that day. We want to break her of the habit, so we put her down early today for a nap in our bed. We all snuggled in under the blankets and   listened to the rain fall on the sky light.  It was utterly delightful.  I had such a hard time getting up once she dozed off.  No naps for me though as I’ve got a kitchen to clean, gumdrops to make and a mail box to stalk. Busy, Busy.

I want to de-stash my bead supply

I have great hopes for this new year.  I started reading “Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living” just after Christmas, and I’ve spent the last few weeks de-cluttering my home. It’s been somewhat of a cathartic experience. Some things have been remarkably easy to get rid of while others have required a bit more thought. Now that the obvious stuff is gone it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty.  Yesterday it was my jewelry collection and today I opened up my bead stash. Holy moly have I got a lot of beads.

The trouble is… I’m not sure how to go through them.  If you’ve de-stashed your bead supply how did you  decide what to keep and what did you do with the cast offs? I’m looking for ideas.