Jewelry Design Club in Central PA, join here

Imagine the possibilities... :)

It's official. I'm organizing a club, a jewelry design club that is. Open for those who know and those who want to learn. Basically anyone can join.

What will we do? We'll meet weekly(or show up as often as you like) bringing projects that are in the making, sharing idea's, helping each other with our dilemma's and chatting about beads n baubles. I will have beads for sale by the piece for the beginner who wants to learn but doesn't want to invest a whole lot of money into bead strands and a new hobby!

Based on the response, I will find us a suitable location that is well lit with natural light(my hope). We may just go from home to home weekly? Or, we may just find the perfect public meeting spot? In the meantime, tell your neighbors, talk to your beading co workers and just spread the word. How can you sign up if you don't know me? Find me on facebook with a message about jewelry and I'll add you as a fb friend! Or, just post a comment here with your email address. I won't publish your email. All comments are read first.

Beading Chicas at my casa!

This week I was the chosen hostess for our beading frenzy of Beading Chicas. Quite happy I was, because one of my other favorite things to do is entertain which is another outlet for my artistic addiction to vent.

I just now gave us the name, the "Beading Chicas", because it sounds chic and for me it began here in Puerto Vallarta so, something with a Mexican twist seemed appropriate. Chicas is what the Mexicans may say referring to a group of girls, so alias, the "Beading Chicas". Sorry fellows, but no boys allowed!

Well this was the first time for the Beading Chicas to come to my end of the city and "up the mountain top". Some of the lady's had to drive over an hour to get here! Now I remember very clearly the very first time I had to drive "up, up, up," the mountain to move into our new condo. Up, up, up is the way it was described to me by my rental agent, hmm? It's a 4 - 5 minute twisting and turning mountainous path going straight up at times. Some of which, makes you feel like you better have easy access to a working emergency brake at any moment, a gondola cable or a giant shot of tequila. So, I figured if I wanted them to come back again I'd better serve coffee, danishes and a nice lunch. So, I lured them with the spectacular view that they would enjoy while beading and enjoying lunch! Needless to say superstar Sue endured the adventure to the top along with all the other chica's, all 7 of them, and here's my lunch concoction and a link for the recipe(just click on this sentence).

The Lunch

The View

The Chicas

Well, I do hope they return at least one more time before my departure sometime the end of March. It's been a fabulous fun beading frenzy with wonderful new chica's from all over the globe! And Flo if you're reading this, I do hope someday soon to finally meet you! I've heard all great things so often! :)

Beading Bezel Symposium

Our beading group met over a 3 day span from 9am to lunch time each day for a very special intense class this week entitled "how to peyote stitch a bezel around a small or large pendant". Our daring and patient "ring leader" was a lovely lady named Elle who flew in from Arizona for a little R & R and to teach us. She is an experienced weaver of intricate and lavishing pieces of art. Here's Elle and just a few of her pieces.

One of the girls gave us all a piece of her antique chandelier. Elle was quite generous and gave us each a large piece of Swarovski crystal. Plus, we all brought some of our own trinkets and baubles some of which we found on our favorite beaches. Here's our creations!

After 3 to 4 hours of intensive fun beading each day we had a rendezvous at extraordinary restaurants. El Farro in Jarreterdaras, Common Ground in Puerto Vallarta, and Los Arroyos Verdes in Bucerias. I can't help but take pictures of anything beautiful! Here's my lunch at Los Arroyos Verdes in Bucerias. What a fabulous new resort and restaurant! Check it out...

Here's some of the group. One important lady is missing who is taking the picture and that would be hostess Sue. We'll snap her next week when the beading session comes to Amapas at my casa!

New Weave Designs

I am engrossed with my imagination as I weave new pendants on my homemade loom with many designs in the making. My focus has been to feature fibers with vibrant color and texture in the pendants. I'm on a roll with over 30 new pieces made and no two alike and several of which have been sold.

At the same time, I've been researching the best options for my new website. With the expertise of my son Austin and research I've been doing, I plan on a Grand Opening this spring 2010 when I am able to begin shipping from the US. Also, at the same time, I will open an ETSY shop. So if you like what you've seen, stay in touch right here to find out how easy it will be to shop and by jewelry from the DUCHESSE collection.

Surrounded by vibrant pieces of art in this Mexican Casa

Inside the Mexican home of Billie and Ricardo Andrade was where our Tuesday beading session took place. Billie and Ricardo own the business called Olas Vallarta offering surf tours and lessons in the bay area and beyond.

From the moment we arrived we were greeted by colorful arrays of artistic creations from the door front to every corner of Billie and Ricardo's casa.

The walls were splattered with hand painted art work from ceiling to floor.

The floors were adorned with "rugs" made with picturesque tiles.

Some walls had the theme of Christianity which is so prevalent here.

The Virgin of Guadalupe who is being celebrated from December 1 - 12 here in old town Puerto Vallarta is seen in many homes and businesses.

About 8 of us sat in several tables outside in the court yard right next to this beautiful display.

Billie is showing us just one of her many artistic pieces.

We all went home with a match box decorated by Billie using the Mexican Bingo theme.

Mexican Bingo Cards look like this:

Here's a mirror Billie made using bottle caps and the Mexican bingo theme.

Linda decided to make this frame using the Mexican Bingo theme instead of beading today.

Jean does tedious beautiful weaving with small seed beads and finished her bracelet.

Sue wore her recently finished red and black woven necklace which is made of hundreds of tiny little seed beads - ELEGANT!!

Tis the season for a little ho ho, so some made little Santa earrings from a pattern that Anne discovered.

Truly it's exhilarating to surround ourselves with each others creative passions as we dive into our zone of adult play time!

Birthday gift for a child next door

Macy, our neighbor, just turned 7 the other day. For her birthday I told my daughter, Randi, our gift would be to help Macy pick her own beads and help her create a "child" like necklace. So that's what we did. Macy spent a morning picking out her beads with my guidance. We picked some of her favorite colors and decided to coordinate with her outfit. And well, I think she's quite happy with her creation! :)

Beads at the Huichol Store

Anne, one of my new beading friends here in Puerto Vallarta, invited me and Hortenzio, a Huichol Indian boy, to go shopping down town at the Huichol Bead store. I wanted to meet Hortenzio and also explore the bead store. Anne's mission was to pick up Hortenzio at the arts and crafts show and take him to the bead store where they sell the little tiny beads his mom uses to make her jewelry.

Anne helped Hortenzio pick out a bunch of colorful seed beads to give to his mom and she also had previously bought several pieces of her work do resell giving her a helping hand to move inventory. Now that's what I call the spirit of giving.

Beading at the Puerto Vallarta Yacht Club

Two of my favorite things all packed up in one terrific day - jewelry making and cruising. Well, I didn't quite get to go cruising. However, the beading group that I hang out with on Tuesdays once in a while meets with the beading group at the Puerto Vallarta Yacht Club. So I was surrounded by beautiful people from all over the globe and talented ones creating fine works of art! I really felt at "home" with my surroundings. Perfect sensation when you are on a mission to create little pieces of art.

Here you can see a mix of ladies all working on various projects at the club.

Some cruisers bring their beads to sell by the "bead". So you buy just what you need with out committing to a whole strand. It's a wonderful way to try new items and not break the bank doing so. Here's a spread of the beads.

One of the cruisers makes her own glass beads using a beautiful array of colors

Terrific day with wonderful people sharing, teaching, designing and relaxing.

My newest additions to the DUCHESSE collection I designed to feature more of the colorful textures of the fibers. Here's just a couple in an array of colors.

All are light to wear, some easily adjustable in length and fit right over your head and others have a handmade toggle clasp.

One of my latest creations

This woven pendant I created on the loom Randall designed and made for me while visiting friends in Montana this past summer. My cruising friend Virgina who now lives in Tucson taught me how to use a loom and create square pendants with beads and fiber while in the Caribbean cruising and again this past summer at her home.

I decided to play around with the weaving and try some of my own designs hoping to feature more of the fibers and less of the beads in the actual pendant itself. Here's just one of my new creations.

Completely adjustable, the necklace measures about 16 inches in the closed position.

Completely open, the necklace measures about 25 inches.

Weaving details close up...

Just pull to open it. Throw it over your head and pull to close to the right length for your outfit. The brown waxed nylon fiber makes it easily adjustable.

Denim blues mixed with a coppery like color is the theme made with African turquoise, glass and bone.
Perfect piece to add class to your favorite jean outfit. Wear it with denim blues, copper, browns or white.

If I know you and you know me and because I'm across the border, I can try and ship this home with one of my friends here to anyone in the states before Christmas. Just contact me privately to work out the details.

Price: $55 plus shipping

Would love to know what you think? Leave a comment! :)