Is It Too Soon to Think About Christmas? Nah!

We are half way to Christmas already.  The holiday season is about to smack us square in the face. There is some wonderful crafting new to share about Christmas. Cousin is about to roll out a new line to stores in just a few days called 'Tis The Season.  It is filled with lovely Christmas themed charms, glittery beads, tiny jingle bells, and tons of ideas.  There are rings specifically made for wine glass charms too with this line.  It's enough to get your creative juices flowing and be ahead of the game when Christmas parties comes around.

The Creative Circle Ambassadors were the first to receive the line so we could play around with it. Delving into this lot really got me in the Christmas spirit.  And yes, I got a bit carried away. Below you will find a video tutorial for some really simple and cute ornaments using this line as well as a few pictures of the items I made.

Prima Bead - Bead and Button Show Project - Part Two

This is the second part to my previous post about the Bead and Button Show project I did for Prima Bead.  You can read about the first one here.


After my perfectly deep navy pearls arrived I started much like the other project with a Right Angle Weave stitch.  I did large sections of each color of pearls with various colored crystals added between the pearls.

This gave it a different look than the first one.  I then had this crazy notion to make something different for the focal.  I took one of the huge round pearls and encircled it crystal rondelles.  The tricky part was to create the focal without the thread showing through and looking all nasty.


Somehow it worked.   To attach it to the center of my right angle weaves, I did the band in two sections and then attached the ends to the rondelles using them as a way of back tracking to the point I supposed to start adding the crystals in between the pearls.  I couldn't believe that it actually worked.

I wanted to change up the way the main part of the necklace looked as compared to the first one.  This is where it got all fancy.

I laid out my pattern using Adobe Illustrator with the shapes the same size as the beads I was using to make sure my scale was correct.  I had to actually use a bit of Algebra to figure it all out so it could be like I wanted it.  Color coding really helped.
The easy part was done.  Now for actually implementing the design.  Piece by piece, it began to come together.


I created a second dangle almost identical to the one on the first necklace just because I liked it so much.  It also tied in to the main pearl in the collar.  It also helped to pull the collar straight.  Adding in the Sterling Silver chains also added the right about of contrast to the lovely colors.

I added three strands of the Sterling Silver chain in varying lengths and crossing them over each other.

There were some very minor changes to the design I originally created in Illustrator.  Some things only trial and error can fix.  Not everything on paper works in reality.

Side view of finished necklace

I discovered that it was way too short to actually be worn even though I had measured and double checked everything.  I had to cut the clasp off and add in some chain and another toggle clasp.  It worked out better in the end.  It added a bit of comfort to the back of the necklace.

Finished necklace

Prima Bead - Bead and Button Show Project - Part One

In early February, I posted about a new project for Cousin which would be our "biggest assignment to date."  I'm super excited and super nervous about being able to create something that will be displayed at such a prestigious event.

While I sorted my supplies, I ran into a problem.  The color of some of the pearls were off.  I had ordered dark blue/navy and what I received was dark teal/green color.  Turns out I had a mislabeled batch.  Oops.... I reached out to one of my contacts there at Cousin/Prima Bead and he quickly sprang into action to make sure the other pearls were labeled correctly for other customers and find me a perfect match for what I wanted.  Within a few days, I received my new goodies.  But the fact I had off colored items didn't stop me from creating a beautiful piece from the pearls.  So now I have two necklaces for Cousin to choose from.  Below are the progression of each necklace from idea conception to finished beauty.

The beginning of the first one:

This was the focal design I came up with and the rest of the necklace flowed around it.  Sterling Silver fancy head pin, filigree heart connector and eye pins were used with a 10x8mm Crystazzi Dark Sapphire teardrop bead, huge 20 mm glass pearl and a 6x8mm Crystazzi Light Sapphire rondelle.

I came up with a pattern using 6mm deep teal, light turquoise, and white glass pearls.  I knew I wanted to use a collar style necklace as the base for this piece to give it a Victorian feel.

I used Beadalon's WildFire Thermally Bonded Bead Weaving Thread in Frost 10 lb., 15mm with a #12 beading needle.

I created a Right Angle Weave using a base ring of four pearls then adding in three at a time until I reached the desired length.  I then went back in and added 4mm round A/B finished Swarovski clear crystals and 4mm bicone Crystazzi Light Sapphire crystals.








I added in dangles along the sides using 10x8mm Crystazzi Dark Sapphire and Clear A/B tear drops accented with 4mm bicone Crystazzi Light Sapphire crystals and 4mm bicone A/B clear crystals. I draped a Sterling Silver link chain from the Elegance Metal line in the design.

Bit by bit, it all came together.  I continued to add in various colored glass pearls, crystals, and even some Jewelry Basics acrylic beads.

 

Calling All Jewelry Designers

Cousin ANNOUNCES CALL FOR APPLICANTS FOR CREATIVE CIRCLE

Ambassador Program 

Five New Ambassadors To Be Selected To Join The Inaugural Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LARGO, Fl., May 10, 2013 – Cousin Corporation of America is pleased to announce a call for applicants for the Cousin Creative Circle™ Ambassador program for the 2013-14 term. Cousin is a premier manufacturer of jewelry making components that supplies products to craft stores, retail chain stores and professional jewelry makers all over the world.

The Cousin Creative Circle™ is a diverse group of talented jewelry makers who have a strong commitment to the craft of jewelry making and who use Cousin products because they are the best in the industry. These brand ambassadors have a platform to share ideas with the product development team, receive Cousin products to incorporate into their work and attend a team building retreat at Cousin Headquarters in Florida.

"Our Creative Circle program has absolutely surpassed our expectations," said Jeff Cousin, President. “We want to keep the craft of jewelry making relevant and maintain it as a growing art. The Ambassadors have shown thousands of people that jewelry making is accessible and rewarding, and as a result we have introduced those people to the Cousin brand.”

The selection committee will choose five additional Creative Circle Ambassadors to join the original members chosen last year. To be considered for the Cousin Creative Circle™, each applicant must complete a comprehensive application form and submit at least 3 images of their work. The deadline for submissions is Monday, June 17, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. EST. To apply, please visit www.cousin.com/CCC.

About Cousin

Cousin Corporation of America is a family-owned company founded in 1970 as Enterprise Art, a retail craft store in Largo, Florida. Today we are a premier wholesaler of jewelry making supplies. Our focus is to design, manufacture and provide quality jewelry making products at an exceptional value to customers who are inspired by the craft of jewelry making. For more information about Cousin Corporation of America, please visit www.cousin.com.

Gearing up for Brandon Day 2013

I haven't blogged in some time now since I am gearing up for Brandon Day 2013.  This will be my first time at this 3-day event.  Normally, I would be at Arts Alive Jackson.  This year, for some unforeseen reason, Arts Alive isn't going to happen.

Creating new inventory! Usually when I set up at a show, I have to shut down my Etsy store as to have items to sell at the venue.  Not this year.  I have been working hard to create new jewelry for the show.  I sat down and figured out how much of each type of jewelry I was going to need.  I would need 85 pairs of earrings, 20 necklaces for the busts, 10 for the necklace plaque, and 35 bracelets not to mention any rings and ear cuffs I decide to bring.  So far, I have made 73 pairs of earrings, 11 necklaces for the busts, 4 for the plaque and 25 bracelets.  I do have 5 rings made and about 10 ear cuffs.  I think I am in pretty good shape.  No more missing sales due to the shop being on "Vacation Mode" and trying to figure out what sold so I can deactivate the listing when the show is over.

After the Show:  After this show is over, I plan to rotate out my inventory with the new items that didn't sell in the show as to have fresh items for my shop.  I will do this on a regular basis so that my shop can always be new. 

That's all for now.  I will post pictures and give all the juicy details after the event so you can see all the fun.

Cousin Creative Circle Projects: Make The Connection: Project Number 2

Cousin Creative Circle Projects: Make The Connection: Project Number 2: This month's project for Cousin was to do a review of their new "Make the Connection" line making its debut on HSN tomorrow, September 13th...

Exciting News from Cousin Corporation

Received this just a few moments ago and wanted to share the excitement!

INNOVATIVE CONCEPT IN JEWELRY KITS DEBUTING ON HSN’S “24 HOURS OF CRAFTS”

New Approach Lets You Create a Style Then Interchange Pieces for a Different Style the Next Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LARGO, Fla., September 10, 2012 – Imagine instantly changing your jewelry to fit your mood, style or wardrobe with just a few pieces at your fingertips. The Make the Connection line, a new approach to customized jewelry, will let you effortlessly switch up your look when two exclusive kits premier on HSN, HSN.COM and via HSN mobile on Thursday, September 13, 2012.

The Make the Connection kits contain several different jewelry components with a simple ring clasp on each end that instantly connect the components, creating a seamless necklace or bracelet that can be changed again and again, reflecting your personality, style or outfit.

The two Make the Connection kits making their debut on HSN and hsn.com are Everyday, designed to be colorful and on-trend, and Formal, designed to have a timeless, elegant feel. More than 30 combinations can be created from each style kit for only $19.95 each kit.

Make the Connection designer Michelle Simpson knows being stylish can be time-consuming and expensive and created the kits for HSN to help solve the ongoing fashion dilemma.

“Imagine putting on an outfit and knowing you can create a complementing piece of jewelry in seconds, and then creating a different piece every day for a month, all from the same kit. Make the Connection is about simplicity and variety at a value,” says Simpson.

Make the Connection will inspire jewelry lovers of all ages who want to complement their wardrobe with personalized jewelry without the expense of buying multiple bracelets and necklaces. For more information about Make the Connection on HSN, join the conversation on Facebook at Make the Connection on HSN.