Call me Crafty

I have started a little side business lately... Making jewelry, lanyards, and just about anything else you can think of. I thought I would use my blog to shamelessly promote my craft. My love for beading started when Maia was a little bitty thing. I searched and searched for baby jewelry for her and could not find any, so I began to make my own. Of course, she won't wear it. She is sooooo picky. I then started to make bracelets as gifts for birthdays and showers. My friend's daughter just had her first communion, so she had me make her a sterling silver bracelet for the occasion. I thought it turned out pretty well. All beads and components are either sterling, glass beads, gemstones, or swarovski crystals. They are made to withstand the tugging and pulling of a small child making them suitable for little ones as well as adults. I also added "grow links" to Lexi's bracelet so she can wear it for a longer period of time.

The fine details...

My sister in law, a teacher, also has been pimping my beaded lanyards for me at her school of employment. I have done TONS of these for just about all the teachers in her school and have even made matching bracelets. Here are a few of those. These are not sterling for cost reasons.

This one is shades of amber, brown, and green with gold accents.

The matching double strand bracelet.

Same lanyard, in a purple, green, clear, and pink combination.

This one is multi-colored. It is my favorite.

One other thing I have done that I enjoy, but takes me a bit longer is embroidering clothing for my daughter. I have embroidered and embellished jeans and such for her. My favorite is the flower hem jeans. She has since outgrown them and they sold on ebay for a nice price. I have not made these for anyone else at this point, but would do so if there was ever an interest.

The hem of the jeans was embroidered and embellished all the way around. I love the little bee...

This is the pocket of the jeans where I thought a cute little sunshine should live.

The shirt was purchased at Target and the jeans were embroidered by me to match the print.

The details. Kinda rough, but it was my first attempt and done freehand. No machines here...

So, there it is. My shameless promotion of my craft. I do it for fun, to relax and to fill a void, if there ever is one. I find it to be mind numbing in a way and a good way to veg and escape all the day to day hub bub. Let me know what you think!!