ZnetShows New Sea Glass Arrivals Blog Hop & Challenge

Late last month Hope Smitherman sent out invitations for a mini Blog Hop and Challenge using some of ZnetShows newest cultured sea glass styles.  I love sea glass, so saying yes was really easy.  We were invited to chose from three different styles - two were different types of 'nuggets', and the third were two-hole buttons.

I decided I HAD to work with the buttons, then debated my second choice before falling in love with the central drop pendant in this set.

This blue is one of the rarest colors in my collection of 'natural' sea glass

When the beads arrived, I discovered that the thread holes in the pendant set were large enough that a size 11 seed bead could slip right through.  I was  tempted to find some way to use them so that they laid flat in the design the way they do on my beading mat in this photos, but couldn't quite come up with a solution I liked this time around.  Which is kind of funny, because that's how I decided to use the buttons.

The flat, rounded shape of buttons, with their smooth surface, reminded me of skipping stones, so I decided to make a summer beach cuff where they'd act as the main focal.  Using size 8 seed beads to create a chunkier than normal base, I first stitched a Lacework Cuff using random right angle weave. 

Lacework Cuff Base with two sea glass buttons for closures

 Then it was time to add additional buttons for surface texture. 

Starting to decorate the surface

Adding one button at a time, I then worked several layers of sea-frond fringe around that button before moving on to the next.

The finished cuff, Skipping Stones

In the end, I decided I liked the way the cuff looked with only half of its length embellished.  It's designed for the buttons to be worn on the outside edge of the wrist.  This way, the underside of the wrist just has a flat band; less likely to catch on clothing and such.

It's hard to photograph on my own wrist, but here's the idea.

So I finished the cuff, time to do something with the drop pendant.   I wanted to use for a summer necklace of 'beach treasures' that looked nice enough to wear to a evening out.  I ended up doing some simple bead stringing with size 15 seed beads and a couple different styles of two-hole beads. 

Using the freeform nuggets and pendants as well as more buttons

I used the buttons as links as well as for the closure

Isn't the seaglass pendant pretty?  I wanted a very simple necklace that let it shine.

So that's what I came up with.  Now it's time to see what everyone else made!  Here's the full list of designers:

close-up:  adding fringe behind the buttons

ZnetShows Blog
Amy Severino
Andrea Trank
Becky Pancake
Blanca Medina
Christina Miles
Karen Williams
Karla Morgan
Kathy Lindemer
Shaiha Williams
Susan Bowie
Veralynne Malone

Creative Spark Seaglass Spectacular

Summer 2015 Creative Spark ezine

I love sea glass!  When I go to the shore, it's a real challenge for me to walk along the beach at a normal pace, because sooner or later I get caught up in the search for the elusive sea glass.  Especially the rarer colors, such as the deep cobalt/sapphire blue that's my favorite find.  I can get so caught up in the search, I'd miss the sailboat regatta tacking around the bouys fifty feet out from shore.  Or the kite surfer dancing across the waves, or my husband waiting patiently for me a mile up the beach.  Oops!

Then, I discovered ZnetShows' cultured sea glass beads.  I can't truthfully state that I've completely abandoned my search for seaglass in the tide line, but I CAN say that I am much more easily distracted from the search.

ZnetShow.com's cultured sea glass is so lovely - it comes in all sorts of wonderful shapes, though I'm particularly fond of the more organic 'shard' designs that echo the shapes of 'natural' sea glass.   So you can imagine how excited I was to be invited to participate in summer, sea glass edition of Creative Spark.

Sea glass shards from ZnetsShows' website. They say 'fish fins' to me!

Hope Smitherman, Creative Spark's fearless editor, asked us to work with a sea-inspired or 'summer' theme.  While the main focus is on jewelry design, she also asked for upcycling/recycling and non-jewelry designs.

Sea-themed and non-jewelry?  Yep, you know where I went.  I quickly finished up Spike, my second Happy Fish.  He now sports sea glass tail fins.  And he's joined by his younger bother Pete, who sports deep blue tail fins.  I finished both up back in June, and have been waiting to say anything ever since.  You can see them both in the pages of Creative Spark, along with a sneak peek at work on my newest freeform peyote fish.  It's still in very much in progress.

My contribution may just be the quirkiest, but looking through the other artists incredible designs is simply inspiring.  Flipping through the pages, I find my fingers itching to go digging through my stash to play with more sea glass! 

Take a look and see what I mean:  Creative Spark, Summer 2015.

Thank you Hope, for once again putting together such a gorgeous magazine! 

Creative Spark - Winter Edition

Creative Spark, Winter 2015

The latest issue of Creative Spark, ZnetShows' design magazine meets winter head-on, delivering an avalanche of snowy inspiration; no snow shovels required.

I was again asked to participate and submit a design, working with their lovely cultured sea glass and the theme "Icy".  Living by the ocean, one of my favorite things is to go beach combing, searching for sea glass.  But Znetshows definitely has a way of spoiling a person.  Their cultured sea glass has all of the soft lustre of real sea glass, and comes in a huge range of shapes, colors and sizes.  The trickiest part for me was figuring out how to fit into the winter theme, when the glass kept whispering 'warm summer sun'.

Taking a departure from freeform peyote for a wee bit, I created a choker style necklace with regular peyote stitch and netted fringe loosely inspired by the Roaring 20's using several peridot-green, diamond-shaped sea glass drops as the accent beads.  Working with the theme "Wintergreen", I paired the drops with bright, iridescent white and iridescent crystal seed beads. 

In the end, I couldn't resist creating a little freeform peyote ring showcasing one of their sea stars.  Curious to see what I created?  My necklace is on page 10.  But mine are only a couple of the many, many featured designs, including bead weaving, stringing, wirework, and more by nearly two dozen designers. 

Hope Smitherman has once again put together a stellar line-up, filled with wonderful beady eye candy and inspiration, along with several fun surprises.  Be sure to check it out!