Knitted BunniesAmigurimi Toys

This knitted stuffed gray bunny girl in a pink sweater is a wonderful doll for children and not only children.

This bunny is almost 6" tall

 You can buy her here 

Aventurine Jewelry Set: Necklace and Earrings

Yesterday I made this necklace. I really love this bright autumn colors.

The red aventurine gem chips are combined with mix of black seed beads, agate and crystal beads.

Total length is 19" (48cm).
Closure- silver button.
This necklace comes a pair of matching earrings with sterling silver ear wire.

Buy it here

Black Handbag

Did I tell you  that I used to knit a lot? Yes, when I lived in Russia, I was crazy about knitting. I made  all kinds of sweaters/jackets/vests for my mom, dad, brother, myself, my friends.... 

Now, living in hot Arizona with no snow, I do not need warm sweaters...

The other day, I found a black mohair cardigan in my closet. I knitted it in Russia and since then it has never been worn here. 

Well, I unraveled the cardigan and made a knitted casual bag (I was thinking about knitting a bag for a fortnight, and now my dream had to come true :)). 

4th of July SALE

I am holding a sale this weekend that will let you save 20% on all jewelry. This also includes all tutorials, books and DVDs! So if you've been thinking about picking up a handmade jewelry piece (or tutorials) for your, now is the time to celebrate and take advantage of savings.

Coupon Details: To save 20%, simply use coupon code 4JULY20 during the checkout process (coupon code works in both my main stores www.AroundBeads.etsy.com and www.GoodWeather.etsy.com .The sale starts on Friday, July 1st and ends on Monday, July 4th at midnight PST.

Combining metals

Last night I wanted to make something not complicated, but  fun and cute :) And I wanted to use two different metals together. I chose copper and sterling silver. Combining with copper is more affordable and looks so good :)Perfect for summer outfit!

  Hammered copper loops and  faced carnelian beads supplement each other.

When trees were big

Did I tell you that first I was "floral" wire-worker making beaded flowers and trees? My first bead work was money tree. 

I do not know exactly how many trees I made :) I made them for my friends, for my customers, and even for contests. My work Bonsai Shakkan has been used by Fire Mountain Gems both as a back cover advertisement and inside their catalog.

Photo from FMG catalog

People were asking mу about pattern for this bonsai. Fortunately, I had step-by-step photos and sketches and it was easy to put all together. Plus, I added instruction for Savanna Tree as a variation for this technique.

 BUY TUTORIAL HERE

Mixed Media Jewelry Techniques- Book

This is an excellent book! Written for jewelry makers of all media and skill levels, this book encourages the mixing of techniques with the skills of others to create unique designs.

The book features 9 exciting projects combining various materials into new jewelry designs for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more. Each project brings together two or three jewelry making techniques, each of which could also be used for independent projects.

The techniques include: wire work, beading, chain mail, lampwork, beading, macrame, bead stitching, metal & polymer clay, PMC.

Size:8 1/2" x 11". 80 pp. Soft cover

Look inside:

Only $10.50! 

Little Suns for Good Mood

I got new gold tone brass wire a couple weeks ago from Wire-Sculpture.com. It really looks like real gold filled wire, not like yellow brass. I love to play with it! I want to show you the result :)

First, I made Sunny Earrings on golden chains (yes, it's the same pattern for my North Star Earrings).

My New Tutorial and more

I was busy last couple days writing my new tutorial. This is 2 -in-1 instruction: how to make secure kidney ear wire and how to make wire capped bead and use it for making earrings, pendants, etc.

 While I was working on this tutorial, I made a couple of jewelry sets that I really love! :)

This earth tone natural picture jasper beads make a good combination with crystal silver  rondelles. I could not stop and make just a pair of earrings - I made a matching pendant, so all feel happy together :).

Beaded Flowers

Once, my Russian friend living in Japan sent me a beautiful, red beaded rose as a Christmas gift. I thought, "Is it possible to make something as lovely as Mother Nature creates? Probably not, but sometimes copies can be worth that of the original." That is when I fell in love with beads and wire.

Gerbera