Let's Play Indoors

With Summer taking longer to get here, it seems I have been spending more time indoors.  I look around at all I have to do; laundry, dishes, vacuum, etc and I begin to drift off to that magical place..... my jewelry supplies!

I have put together a few new things in the past couple of days.  It has helped that I have learned to say "Laundry, you will have to wait".  I have asserted myself to the towels; yippeee!!! 

Instead I have been mixing lotions, making necklaces and earrings and I have been just so happy.  Now when the sun comes back out to play, I will have to tend to the garden, and chickens and spend more time outside, but in the meantime.... let's play indoors!

Now, don't get me wrong.  I love to be outdoors, but there is just something about the days  you get to be inside.... your imagination wanders and sometimes it creates beautiful things.  And when the sun does peek its head out for just a few minutes then you get amazing photo's like this.  Then it runs away again, knowing you are trying to accomplish something.  Kind of reminds me of my kids!  :) But They would never do something like that, would they?

So with a little bit of effort, a lot of time and more material I know what to do with I have made bags, and hair barrettes.  I have made three bags and I rarely use them.  I love the colors, and the shape and simplicity of the design.  I have even learned how to put in a pocket with a zipper! Not that I am great but I am learning.

With all the fun things I have put together over the past week, I am starting to run out of place to put these fun things!  Does this mean I get to start wearing them and using them for my own?  The chickens already love my earrings, and they peck at them every time I go out and pick one up.  What would they do with some real bling??  They would get jealous, that's what they'd do!

Just us chickens..........wearing our bling

Shining Brightly

With the sun out, and the fresh crisp air, I have been rejuevenated to create! I have so many ideas that even after the sun is done shining brightly, I am still up piecing together my next new idea.

I have just had to piece them together in between girl scout cookies, booth sales, events and everyday home life.... I guess that just leaves the midnight hours to get things done!

At least I have cookies to snack on through those late nights! mmmmmm....... cookies!

I have just finished some earrings and necklaces that are fun, bright and whimsical. And with the traditional designs I have been accustomed to, this is me branching out! I love trying new things as you can see by the older posts. I am still going strong with the Sea Salt Scrubs and body butters, but I will never be able to leave my true passion for jewelry. After almost 14 years, I would have to say that it is part of me. And as we all know after doing something for that long.... well, I guess you would say that it's an addiction. At least this is a healthy one though, right? :)

So I am off to post more items in the stores: etsy and artfire. If you have not already become a fan of Plum Valley Designs on Facebook, then come on over and check it out! I am hoping to have a giveaway soon! Just don't hate me if I am a little slow on the link love.

Treasures beneath the Sea

Have you ever wondered how glass is made?
Have you ever tried to figure out how they get the great color combination, or the deep hues of red or cobalt blue? Do you know how old the glass formula is?

In the old days, because beach glass has been around as long as we have had glass, it was said to be "Mermaid Tears". It was said that every time a sailor drowned at sea, the Mermaids would cry and the sea glass was their tears washing up on the shore.
Well, going into this adventure of finding "Sea Glass" or "Beach Glass" I turned up some very interesting facts. This exploration took me deep into the history of the travel of the glass itself. Within many books,(yes I said books) I found stories I had never begun to imagine, great places to find this glass and how to search for it. It just makes me want to head out and start looking!

With all this new found information, I decided to figure out why the red glass was so rare and how it was made. This recipe found on the East Carolina University's web site is very old and are not used today, this is more for educational and informational purposes only. This information is from "Book of Formulas
Recipes, Methods and Secret Processes"

Prepared by the Editorial Staff of Popular Science Monthly
copyright 1932:

Red Glass	parts
Sand	100
Red Lead	200
Copper oxide	6
Stannic Oxide	6

You may ask what Stannic Oxide is. Stannic oxide is also referred to as Tin oxide or White tin oxide. This is a hazardous material to use. If inhaled it could cause respiratory problems that include benign pneumoconiosis, producing distinctive changes in the lungs with no apparent disability or complications. So with this information, the glass was rarely made. So finding a glimmering piece on the beach is like finding treasures beneath the sea.

With this color and many more, sea glass is aged and tumbled by the surf and time. Each piece is so individual that finding two identical pieces is impossible. Not to say that it might happen..... And I am not saying that the red is the only rare color. Everywhere Sea Glass is found, and it is found everywhere, its value is partially determined by its color. This is because only a few items were stored in red, blue, lavender, purple or pink glass containers. Likewise certain rare tints and shades of these popular colors are found.
For instance, very rare Cobalt Blue, the "sapphire" of the beach, came from such apothacary items as Milk of Magnesia, Vick's Vapo Rub, Noxema, Nivea, and Bromo Seltzer bottles, along with some prescription bottles and perfumes.
The extremely rare red pieces, or "rubies" of the beach, might come from perfume bottles, the tail lights on old automobiles, lantern and traffic light lenses, or even some types of old beer bottles, like the bottles made by Anchor Hocking.
Pinks, lavenders, purples, lime greens and other rare shades of came from things like perfume bottles.

Greens, browns, and aquas come from beer and soda bottles, and nearly every other source, like Clorox Bleach jugs, shampoos, etc.
The glass is commonly found in lakes and beaches alike, where there was a lot of boat travel. Some glass have been found with impressions still in the glass, and some are more than 100 years old.


So with all of this said, I want to introduce my newest piece in my Island Dreams Collection. This necklace takes you to a distant time or place, where mermaids swim freely amongst the coral and fish. The color of this glass is just stunning. It is a breathtaking red with cultured freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystal. The chain is sterling silver and is approximately 17 1/2" long. There is no other like it, this is truly a one of a kind treasure from the sea. Visit my store and view this item and others like it.

And just a sneak at the next piece I am working on.....

**Information obtained from East Carolina University, Glass Beach Jewelry and Museum and Wikipedia Other facts and information was gathered from books loaned by the Klamath County Library.

To try something new

On Wednesday, we went to the Library for the summer reading program. I have been wondering what to try next with my jewelry to mix things up. You know how it gets when you have beaders' block...

I found about five books on making jewelry and thought I would learn something new. I made a vintage style 1950's bracelet in purples and more purples. The second I did with the keshi pearls and blue cultured pearls. They are beautiful.



The Second piece I put together was a garden necklace and earring set. This was a little more difficult due to the spacing and the colorings. I had to be sure not to get a blue two times in a row. And beings that I made this when I should have been fast asleep, this was more of a challenge than usual!



Finally I came across a pendant that was so pretty! But it never fails, and my rendition never looks as it should. I guess I should read the directions more often. So as for my feeble attempts to try something new, I think I will stick with what I can make up on my own. Directions and I do not seem to get a long!

A day to rest....

I have been all over the state of Oregon the past week! No, I have not been to shows or events, but even bigger! I have been on my daughters 5th grade field trips!

It seems as the year winds down, the field trips get more abundant! Last week we drove to Portland Oregon to spend the night at OMSI. It is a wonderful science museum that has so many great things to offer for kids and adults. The kids got to explore the museum, watch a show in the planetarium and watch a movie in the OmniMax theater. This is a huge theater that the best part, well one of the best parts!
Then less than week later we were off to the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. So worth the 2 1/2 hour drive (on the bus with the 5th graders I might add)! There were such beautiful displays of artwork by the early Native Americans of this area. It so inspired me to want to make something! And so I mastered the spiral stitch on the bus no less!

Thinking that this was my day to rest, I realized we have a band concert this evening for my older two children. But I just had to get back into the swing being that it is "Marketing Monday" for me. I have a couple of things I wanted to share that I have been working on. They will be listed in my Artifre store today, as well as Etsy. Hopefully by Wednesday they will be in Silkfair and 1000 Markets too! Yes, I have many online stores to visit, but not everything is out yet. I just seem to keep getting caught up in those field trips!.... Maybe I should say Thursday, we have a 6th grade field trip on Wednesday! :)

Butterfly Garden Earrings are a fun pair of earrings, with rose colored ab Swarovski crystals dancing below an inquisitive butterfly. The butterfly has a light green shimmery tint to it's wings that catch the sunlight just so. Just above the butterfly is another crystal that seems to catch her attention. These are just so springy and fun I just had to get them out there. You can find them here.


The "be still my heart" Necklace is a lovely piece that inspires romance with it's vintage style. A shorter necklace, 16", has a captivating filigree antique bronze heart and three small Swarovski pearls dangling lightly behind or in front of it, as if they were children playing hide and seek. You must check them out here.




There is also "A Fairy's love" earrings. These were so fun to put together. I have attempted the "Banana Bobian" style and added my own flair. These dainty fairy's have a light green shimmer to their wings. They look as they are shining so brightly with the Swarovski crystals behind them. There is a rouge color to the rose earrings just above the fairy and a single crystal that is wire wrapped above the fairy. She is gently rests atop two heart shaped filigree pieces that have been combined to accentuate her glorious backdrop. View her and more great items here.

So with two more field trips this week and next, I will be sure to get something done on the bus to show you all next week!