Citrus and Labradorite

Right around my birthday, my local bead store had a huge trunk show, and I fell in love with a strand of faceted labradorite. A little pricey, but just too gorgeous to walk away from. I decided to buy them for myself as a birthday gift and then do something fabulous with them that I would keep as my own instead of put up for sale.

Labradorite is tricky. It’s main color is gray, but it has flashes of color when it hits the light right. People tend to pair it with silver, gun metal, or other gray or black tones, but the stone ends up looking gloomy instead of magical. I didn’t want that. I wanted to play up the teal in my stones, so I went to my handy dandy color wheel and noticed that the opposite of teal/blue is orange. Definitely not a gloomy color! The result, in my opinion, is pure fabulosity!

I call it “Citrus and Labradorite”

The moral of the story? Try something unexpected, and you might be surprised by how beautifully it works out! Don’t be afraid to take risks and be bold!

I’m back!

I had a really busy, busy summer and I definitely let this blog slide to the background. I’m back now, though! I have lots of exciting things going on, so you can look forward to new content filled with beautiful beady goodness!

To start with, here’s a necklace I created for a bride who had her wedding on the first day of autumn. She told me that she chose a really simple dress, so she wanted a statement necklace, and she loved my “branch” necklaces. I made her a rich, earthy necklace with red agate, carnelian, bronzite, and of course, lots of swarovski crystals.

What do you think of it?

Beachy Wedding Bouquet

It’s been way too long since I’ve updated.

Here’s some photos of the beautiful wedding bouquet I completed at the beginning of the month. I love how it turned out, and the bride did too!

Twitter!

I finally joined twitter. Better late than never? My username is AmyGaspard (creative, right?). Will I figure out how the site works? How many days until I find a way to accidently break my account? What silly mistakes will I make along the way? Follow me to find out!

Also, just as a reminder, my dragonfly necklace class takes place on July 16th. Time is running out, and spots will fill quickly! If you’re interested in taking in this class (and why wouldn’t you be?) don’t wait to reserve your spot!

Wedding Bouquet Preview!

I just wanted to give you a sneak peak at the wedding bouquet I’ve been working on. Enjoy!

Find my work at Hayley Gallery!

Last week, I met with Hayley Savage, the owner of Hayley Gallery, a beautiful art gallery in New Albany, Ohio. She loved my necklaces and offered me a spot among the other talented artists she works with. This was the first time that I had approached someone from a gallery, so it’s a whole new experience for me! I look forward to seeing how things go.

One of the pieces she now has in the gallery is a new one that I created with Vintaj natural brass, swarovski crystal, and autumn jasper, among other things. Here’s some photos of the piece, titled “Lily and Brass.” I love the way the Vintaj filigree shows through the swarovski crystal.

Remember my twisted wire “branch” necklace?

Around 2 years ago (I think) I offered a “twisted wire branch necklace” class. It filled quickly and the smokey topaz version I made has also been a big hit.

I’m planning to offer the class again, and I planned to do it this fall. However, I came across some gorgeous white stick pearls that reminded me of icicles, and I changed my mind. So today I’m playing with the idea of a snow and ice version… with a special twist that I’m keeping secret for now.

Here are the originals:

Beads are great, but so is this!

If there’s anything that I love as much as beads, it’s cats. I took a break from my insane beading schedule to view this video. Honestly, I’m surprised that something this cute can exist on the interwebs without breaking it. Enjoy!

Upcoming Class: July 16 Dragonfly Necklace

I know there’s still a lot of time left, but my last few classes have filled up really quickly, so I thought I should announce this one sooner.

My next class is scheduled for Saturday, July 16th at 10am. In it, we’ll make a gorgeous dragonfly necklace with Vintaj components! I love this necklace, and I’m already working on another one in a different color scheme.

If you’re in the Columbus, Ohio area and interested in taking the class, you can sign up here.

Daffodil Necklace

When I asked people what flower they associated with Spring, many of them said it was the daffodil. Typically, I wouldn’t consider a flower with so much dimension a candidate for jewelry, but I’m always up for a challenge.

My interpretation of this flower has a shorter trumpet than a real daffodil, so that the necklace doesn’t stick out from your chest too much. I also decided to use buttery yellow colors, instead of their famous bright yellows so that it would look more sophisticated.

This necklace is for sale in my etsy store! Take a peek at more pictures of it there as well.