Elaine's Place

Kumihimo - latest thing I'm doing....

2007-06-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

My daughter was doing this last Fall... it's taken me a bit longer to 'catch' the fever... but I'm loving it so far. The bead was made by my friend Trish, she is so sweet, I had bid on a similar bead she had listed on eBay and lost to someone else, so she made another one and sent it to me.... how cool is that?
Click to see her stuff on eBay She has a great 'Fire' bead for sale right now.

The orange braid I made doing a 4 strand 3 color Kumihimo braid.

Up to no good....

2007-05-30T11:03:00.000-04:00

Ron and I took a much needed long vacation over memorial day... Stayed at a lovely cabin in the NC mountains near Murphy... so darn cute and 'cheap' too.... here's my photo of the cabin... Click here for rental details. I'm not associated at all just a VERY happy customer.

Now for a Jeep picture

Taken in the Tellico National Forest ORV park. We had fun climbing the mountain with a few friends from the Southern Mudders and the Low Country Jeep club.

New Glass Storage

2007-04-09T20:03:00.000-04:00

Wanted to share my new modular storage for my glass. Bought on sale at Office Depot, I'm hoping it'll cut down on the cat hair and dust on my glass. I've been practicing my stringer control... well actually I don't have any stringer control so I'm hoping to get a 'bit' of control via practice... so far the stringer is in control not me LOL

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail

2007-03-23T20:19:00.000-04:00

Hi beady bloggers...
Well it is official... I'm a TERRIBLE blogger... once every 3 or 4 months I remember to post something over here. Let me post some of my recent beads... Some easter ducks and a rabbit (that cracked in too... I hate thermal shock)

I made myself some Green beer earrings for St. Paddy's day and I hade a little blue bird, don't have a decent picture of the bird yet.

I'm planning to join the beadmakers blog ring. www.Beadmakers.blogspot.com .. maybe that will force me to be a bit more timely with my blog... BIG Maybe...
Later ladies...

Beads of Courage

2006-12-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

I'm currently working on beads to send to the www.beadsofcourage.net this group gives beads to children being treated for cancer. I thought the kids might like faces. Excuse the bead poop :)

Happy New Year folks.

Christmas is coming... Ho Ho Ho

2006-12-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

I've been working hard on a technique called a 'petal' bead. I know the 'look' I want, and I've actually achieved it on a few beads... alas I can't seem to repeat the process... so I continue to experiment, and practice. Here's picture of on of my 'good' ones

And some more of my latest creations that I put on bead pens, from www.INeedToBead.com. Great customer service and reasonable prices on solid metal pens (not plastic).

A few more things I've been doing...

2006-11-05T09:57:00.000-05:00

I got these pens off eBay, then loaded them with some of my recent beads. I'm thinking that these will make great Christmas gifts.

I've also made a bunch of these Christmas lights, I'm thinking a earrings, maybe a charm bracelet.

Wow am I not a good blogger or what?

2006-10-21T08:54:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I have updated this since APRIL, and it's the end of October already.
So much has been happening I can't even begin to catch up here. So maybe just a few
pictures of what I've don't lately, some sea shells (the one on the top is the real shell) and a mug of beer :D.

Pictures of the Beads and Puppy

2006-04-22T16:22:00.000-04:00

Here are my first beads, I now have 8 beads... 992 to go :)

On another note, we took pictures of our new JRT puppies, we have 2 Males and 2 Females. They are 4 weeks old now and the cutest things you ever saw. Love that puppy breath.

Journey of 1,000 beads

2006-04-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

Well this blogging thing obviously is just too hard for me to keep up with... anyway, just last Wednesday 4/12/06 I made my very first lampwork beads. So the journey begins. I intend to tell the tale here. I don't have pictures of those first 3 beads yet... but I promise to take pictures and post them.
So here's how I got into making those 3 beads, first I buy tons of lampwork beads on eBay to use in making my jewelry. I figured I'd learn how to make them myself, so I signed up for a lampworking class at William Holland School of Lapidary arts I was originally signed up for a class in May, but my daughter and I we going to attend together, her class was full... long story short my 'class' will be in September. So I'm crusing eBay and I find a HotHead Starter kit for $30 bucks... I bid I win... I get the kit. I buy Cindy Jenkins book 'Making Glass Beads' at the local Barnes and Noble, I buy safety glasses, mandrels and a DVD from Franz Art Glass I Join WetCanvas and read all the safety warnings etc. I go to Lowes and buy 1 lbs can of MAPP gas about $8.00.... so I sit on all this stuff for a month or so. I read the book, I watch the DVD... but I can get it together to actually light the torch. Finally, last Wednesday I got all the stuff, and took it out on the front porch after work. My DH comes out and watches me struggle trying to light the torch... he finally says... here let me light it for you... he lights it right up... but I can't see the flame, I hold the glass rod over it but nothing happens... the wind blows the torch out, Ron lights it again... it blows out a couple of more times... still the glass isn't hot. Ok... this isn't working. I pick it all up and take it back in the house.... I go onto the back porch, there is a 'half' wall to block the wind, Ron lights the torch again... now I see the flame, and the glass actually gets hot and I actually make 3 beads.

Tonight I set up again on the back porch, managed to 'EXPLODE' my first bead... that was very exciting! I made 2 more then I quit for the evening, storm coming wind blowing out torch even on the back porch. So I've got 5 beads down and 995 to go :)

Later..
Capt Elaine

2006-02-20T13:22:00.000-05:00

Check out my new Logo... my darling daughter just sent it to me... I LOVE it! She also sent me a 'small' one. I love the whole concept, the Seahorse that looks like an E... All of my website pages will be updated soon to use this new logo. Let me know what you think.

Capt Elaine

Valentine Special

2006-02-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

Valentine Day approaches ... check my website http://elaines-jewelry.com for great gifts for that special woman in your life... or that special man.

Capt Elaine

Blue Crab Festival...Report

2005-05-16T09:39:00.000-04:00

Very nice, very hot festival, the booths near the river had the best locations, as the breeze from the river was quite pleasant. Some really nice jewelry on exhibit there, I was impressed. The Myrtle Beach Bike week was also going on, so that added to the traffic getting to the show and the parking. I definately want to attend next year as an exhibitor, I took the camera but never took any pictures.

Capt Elaine

Website updated...

2005-05-11T07:51:00.000-04:00

I worked on the website a bit last night, I think I've settled on a layout for the site navigation, thanks to my husband Capt Ron's input. Earrings are still the only pages active, and I must take more pictures of the new ones I've designed. Things are moving along, even if slowly, I live in the sLOW COUNTRY. Grand opening is still targeted for July 1st. That's when the 'add to cart' buttons will appear.

Capt Elaine

Some great finds this weekend

2005-05-09T08:03:00.000-04:00

Watch for new earrings and bracelets. I found some great lavender shells, a couple of really nice amythst pendants, and some great malachite beads, this past weekend. I intend to expand my 'sailors' line of tranish resistant jewlery. I really must get more pictures made, and work on that pitiful website. Next weekend I'm planning to attend (as a shopper this time) the Blue Crab Festival in Little River SC... if I like what I find, I may exhibit there next year.

Capt Elaine

To blog or not to blog....

2005-05-05T05:58:00.000-04:00

Use your browser's BACK button to return to Elaine's Jewelry pages

I'm not sure I really like this blog site, I may just forgo the 'nice' software and do this 'blog' stuff myself. But for now this is it.

Added some new pictures last night, the descriptions don't necessarily match the photos, and one of the pieces appears to have been damaged in storage, didn't notice until I saw the large photo of it. Hum, should I sell it anyway?

Capt Elaine

There's more to a Jewelry Business than jewelry

2005-05-04T16:57:00.000-04:00

Hello World :)

I'm in the very beginning of starting an at home Jewelry Business. There are so many things I need to learn, besides making jewelry, there's html, and shopping carts, and blogs.. and business licenses. Just to name a few details I'm still working on. I'm planning on an 'open house' some time in July this year, with 25% discounts on all the jewelry and free shipping.

Elaine