The joys of making it yourself!

Having recently read the book 'Chain Style' from Interweave Press, I have chain on the brain. Having little ready-made chain on hand, I finally hit upon a new idea--using scraps of leftover wire to create handmade chain links, incorporating gem beads right on each link. The first bracelet I made with this chain used turquoise rondelles and silver cable chain, and reminded me a bit of lace.

Then I hit upon the idea of using chips instead of rondelles. I made a chain using polished garnet chips, with a stunning focal labradorite and garnet pendant from MoonBeadsVintage on Etsy.Instead of making a chain long enough to go all the way around the neck, I made the garnet chain long enough to adorn the front of the neck, paired it with a strand of grey labradorite ovals to complement the stone pendant, and finished the necklace with handmade links of earthy leather, clamped together with silver bands and a handmade wire clasp.

 Something I love about this chain is how the beads seem to dance and float, complementing without overpowering! I foresee many of these chains in my future. Ah, the joys of doing it yourself.

Julishland's leather jewelry giveaway!

Leather jewelry artist Julishland is doing a giveaway of three pieces of her leather jewelry! To see the entry rules, go to her contest blog entry about it. And while you're at it, take a look at her Etsy shop Julishland  or her DeviantArt gallery.

Vote for your favourite Beaded Passion entry!

Look through the pictures and vote by LEAVING A COMMENT with the number of your favourite entry! The one with the most votes wins People's Choice award!
BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL VIEW. Voting closes April 8. You may vote only once.

And the beautiful entries are:
1. Suspended by :Jayetta: 2.  Mobile cover for Nokia 751 by koshanez:
3. Out of Africa by (Debger)
4. Medusa's Child ring by :Sylva:
5. Vitality by :vampi:
6. Lacy by (Cynthia Newcomer)
7. Fingal Frolics by Karyn
8. Copper Canyon Sunrise Necklace by SalamanderHouse
9. Labradorite Bezel Necklace by :Annie-Jewelry:
10. Dryad's Sanctuary by :iconSkyeTrinity:
11. Midnight Champagne by :Ellygator:
12. Danu by :Szilviabead:
13. Vintage Amber by (FucshiaBloomStudio) 
14. Forest Twilight II by :blackcurrantjewelry:

The eleventh entry is...

'Out of Africa' beaded cuff by Etsy artist Debger. The patience it requires just to do a pendant with bead embroidery is impressive, and she's done an entire cuff! The variety of finishes give the safari colour scheme nice depth.

Featured Artist: EllePhantePhashion

 

EllePhantePhashion makes customized, comfy apparel. Her clothes are fashionable, yet restrained. Check out her special eco-friendly line! 



The artist says: "The name EllaPhante came from my obsession with elephants. An inside joke among friends lead to me collecting elephants and becoming known as " The elephant", " Huffilah', 'Heddaphant" and so on....so I created my elephant logo and named her Ms. Ella Phante!
I love art. All Kinds. You will probably eventually find a little bit of everything here...I can never just work on one thing at once so my work is Widely varied! I recycle for my craft when I can,and I run my business in as 'green' a way as possible.Eventually I will begin selling only eco-friendly items.my favorite thing to do is find old scraps of things to make into purses and patchwork clothes."

I'd love to wear this slinky ruffled halter dress: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25301793

Visit her shop at: http://ellephantephasion.etsy.com
or find her on her other sites:
http://ellaphante.blogspot.com/
http://www.twitter.com/ellaphante
http://www.flickr.com/ellaphante
http://www.myspace.com/smurdypants