Pantones Spring 2015 Colors - Love them!

The Pantone Colors for 2015 are very exciting to me. So cool and light. Very inviting. The official color names are:

14-4313 Aquamarine

16-4725 Scuba Blue

14-5714 Lucite® Green

19-4052 Classic Blue

14-1213 Toasted Almond

16-1720 Strawberry Ice

15-1247 Tangerine

13-0720 Custard

18-1438 Marsala

14-4102 Glacier Gray

What I see is Lapis, Rhodonite, Carnelian, Turquoise, Jade and some fun Jaspers. From these stones come a very common theme - love, self love, self confidence - I can't wait to play around with my stones and make some fun jewelry for this Spring.

It's gonna be a great year!

December Birthstones - What do they say about you?

It is December already! I think December brings out a love/hate relationship with a lot of people:) Love it, because it is your birth month, love it because it is the holiday season, love it because of solstice or hate it because it is your birth month, hate it because it is the holiday season, and you are not ready, hate it because - where has the year gone?!?!!??!?


December is my favorite month because of solstice - that means the days begin to get longer, and I love me some sunshine.

December birth stones are turquoise and blue topaz. These stones represent a happy life that is filled with good fortune. Blue topaz is a symbol of peace and relaxation, which may help with headaches - poor December babies seem to be challenged by them.

Ancient practitioners believed that turquoise would actually change color when the wearer was ill or in danger.

I am a huge fan of turquoise, and only recently did this love affair begin. My memories of turquoise were tarnished (for a lack of better words) from the 70's and what I remember of the squash blossom style jewelry craze. It was just too much for me. I never saw turquoise unless it was large and framed in lots of silver. It always looked heavy, a chore to wear. This was my association with turquoise. It wasn't til I started making jewelry and my husband wanting turquoise did I reluctantly start to learn about the stone. I had to get over that turquoise pieces had to be over the top. The turquoise could be an accent to a design, or the core of it. The beads could be small or faceted or square or whatever.

And I fell in love.

Turquoise, beautiful sky blue, or dyed to a royal purple. 

Mixed with other stones for a beautiful compliment of color and properties.


 It has a sweet and gentle energy. It feels like an old friend.

So hats off to you December babies, and your beautiful stones that represent who you are. I am a bit jealous ;)

Flooding the Streets with Art!!!! Friday, Nov 28, 2014 - The Entire World!

I have been getting my pieces together to drop this Friday, as I participate in,

Flood the Streets with Art.  

Flood the Streets with Art. 
Brain child of Scott Wong, that artists everywhere are helping to nurturer into a living, loving beautiful entity. It is a peaceful, giving movement to promote artists everywhere.



I have been working on my pieces to have them ready.

Acrylic - 18x24 stretched canvas

Heat treated agate, wrapped in copper with American Beauty turquoise accent - to promote harmony in communication

Fresh water pears wrapped in copper and accented with Swarovski crystals.  To promote charity and integrity

 Agate wrapped in copper and accented with moonstones. This pendant is to promote balance, harmony and bring hope.

Look in your streets on Friday,. there may be an artist dropping beautiful pieces for you to find :)

New Fun From Art Beads!

Got my blogger packet from Art Beads!!!!

The 'Colors of Fall' is the theme for this go round in the blogging program.

I used the Pantone color palette as a guide for making choices from all the wonderful Art Beads products. Using this guide helped me step out of my fall comfort zone of warm greens and burgundies (that I seem to gravitate to all year) and brighten up my choices for fall.























I wanted to tie in copper with all of these colors to keep it warm. I am going to have to force myself to work these into other projects, because I could use these beads all in one sitting on one necklace!!!

















Here's what I got!

CA-2181 - TierraCast Copper Antique Celtic Weave *
BC-CL012 - Copper Simple S Clasp *
BC-CL011 - Copper Small Plain S Clasp *
BC-CL013 - Copper Rotated S Clasp *
481069 - 4x3mm Imitation TurquoiseHeishi Strand *
LTD-1574 - Dusty Purple Shell Rectangle *
FPS-PI-WHT8 - Fire-Polished Bead 8mm White Picasso * (LOVE THIS!)
FPS-PI-OTU8 - Fire-Polished Bead 8mm Opaque Turquoise * (LOVE THIS!)
CA-2304 - TierraCast Antique Copper Tree of Life Pendant * (LOVE THIS!)
BCA-CL03 - 12x6.5mm Antique Copper-Plated Trigger Clasp*



*FTC compliance disclosure: the '*' items mentioned in this post credited to Art Beads were provided as a promotional gift as part of the Blogging for Beaders Program. These items are for review or design purposes.

Packed full of crystals - Wire wrapped cuff

I made this over the weekend during my down time at the market. I will admit, I am in love with the free form wire wrapped cuffs. The designs are limitless.




This one is uber random and packed. It is so busy, you can look at it for hours.



I have this love affair with copper to the point, I believe I could walk away from sliver all together and not look back. I have so many ideas in my head for more of these cuffs. Colors, themes, simple and extreme, I could just make these exclusively. Hrm...should I use the wire wrapped cuffs and pendants as my calling card? Should I market these items more and use the other pieces as filler? Would I be limiting myself as an artist to focus on one design, or would I be challenging myself to better the design?

So many questions.....

Learning to love turquoise

I was not a fan, I'll admit it. The only reason I started working with turquoise is my husband. We were at the Tucson Gem show, I was completly in sensory overload, wanting to buy everything at the first table I saw. If it wasn't for my husband I dont' think I would have made it. He dragged me by the hand keeping me on a steady cruisng pace to see all there was to see, then let me go. By then I had calmed down and was at a mere froth as opposed to a frenzy, somewhat in control. As we shopped, he kept taking me back to the turquoise. I didn't want any, I didn't like it - he said, "it isnt what you want dear, it is what your customers want."

I hate when he is right.......

In my mind I see the squash blossoms set in heavy silver designs from the 70's. I can't do that. I am a stringer. On the flip side of that, when I would see turquoise, it was a single strand of nothing but turquoise. Elegant, yes, boring, could be. Stop making excuses, Tish. I had to get over what I thought turquoise was for and find out what it was about. Turquoise is a great stone, beautiful in color, a beautiful focus, and a wonderful accent. It really does have it all. I have had a lot of fun with turquoise since then and I have to give my husband all the credit.

This is a fun chunky necklace that came about from the focal. About a 18 months ago, I was playing with this chunk of turquoise, trying to figgure out how to wrap it. It is so round I was having a hard time coming up with a design that would hold it securly. It is a drilled bead so I went with the obvious. I didn't care for it and set it aside. I came across it again, that little lonely piece of turquoise needing to be placed in a design. So I sat down to work.

Turquoise has an earthy feel to me. A real connection with the earth and all the things around me, so pairing it with wood was a no brainer.

I used a triple strand design. First strand of solid tiger eye. The second of red toho 3/0 beads accented with turquoise. The third strand, the 'focus strand', a symmetrical pattern of turquoise, red beads, quartz and wood beads. I added the wrapped pendant stone to the third strand. Then loosely weave them all together for a fun and jumbled look. It hangs about 20" so it is great with about any style shirt.








That lonely pendant that started it all.



What projects have you started and then set aside? Try picking it back up and see what creativity comes your way!

Speaking of..

When I finally get it down, and understand all the geometry to it, I will take the wrapping world by storm. In the meantime I like to play around.


KoKo Peli






Cleo's Star

Gallery countdown

The Arts Counsil show is soon, too soon

The jitters are setting in -

Do I have the right pieces
Are they set right
Are they good enuff
Will they be secure
Am I really doing the right thing

More and more questions and doubt run thru my mind.

We hang on Saturday, the pieces will display for a month and then life goes on.

This is a peek at what will be on display:

Mojave Sunset - Turquoise, coral, carnelian, rose quartz, sterling, amethyst



Luck Be a Lady - Vintage lead crystal (repurposed from my Grandmas necklace), Czech crystal, pearls, chalcedony,



Evenings Inspiration - Tourmalated quartz



Enchantment Song - beach glass and sterling

Wrap me up

I played with wire yesterday.

This is an easy pendant style, with a wire wrapped look. The pendant is a bead, so you make a wire wrapped loop at one end - feed it thru the bead, and make a wire wrapped loop at the other. The extra wire you can create a design with, and then secure it at the top loop with a couple quick wraps.

This is autumn jade with a turquoise and crystal drop.



I made several loops of wire around a pen to create a coil. Snipped along the top of the coil to make jump rings. Soldered the rings closed and then added a wrapped piece of turquoise.





I call this one Spiders Garden. I was playing with the idea, and regret that I didn't use a base metal wire for practice. I am not sure it will stay this way. This may be the first prototype. It was a lot of fun but it needs more work. I found an earring, snipped of the post, threaded wire thru the gallery of the setting, and then went wrap crazy :)