Berries & Leaves Challenge Entry

I've recently joined a fabulous group of creative and talented women on the new Artisan Whimsy website. I've found it to be friendly, inspiring, warm and inviting and am excited to be a participant! 

While browsing through the site I came across their "Berries and Leaves" jewelry and component challenge. I've had a coupled of holiday themed designs in mind for the last few weeks and figured this is a great opportunity to take the leap and actually enter a challenge. So yes, this is my first time and I'm a tingle with anticipation!

Below is a picture of the bracelet I hand-beaded for this fun challenge. It's made with Japanese seed beads, Nymo thread and embellised with Czech glass faceted beads on the handmade toggle closure. I've named it "Holly Berry" and it fits up to a 7.5" wrist. 

"Holly Berry" Bracelet

If you love making jewelry or jewelry components come join us on Artisan Whimsy  and consider entering the "Berries and Leaves" challenge as well! Entries can be made up to November 29, 2012. Bring your holiday bling and let's share a mug of spiced cider as we enjoy all our beautiful handiwork together.

To view a gallery of my work go to either: (purchases can be made from the Facebook page, just message me for details)

One Bead At a Time Creations on Facebook 

One Bead At a Time Creations - Zahoomi Store 

First Public Show!

Countdown Time!!

This Saturday, October 13th I will have the privilege of sharing a table with my very fab friend, Christopher Michael for what looks like will be a fun filled fund raiser. The event is being hosted by Aventure Boutique and will help to support the American Cancer Society and United Cerebral Palsy. (It will also be my first mainstream public event featuring One Bead At a Time Creations...oh boy!)

For the next week I will be beading like a banshee and staying away from the dark spots in my mind that always like to whisper panicky, negative words  when I'm about to do something new and amazing.

This is an incredible journey. I'm glad you're coming along for the ride! I'll keep you posted. 

Doin' It

I do it because it calms me...
I do it because I like how it makes me feel
During and after...
I do it because there is a part of me that screams for release...
I do it because I can't help myself...

This is why I bead.

Arrrgh Matey!

The newest thing I've learned is this Tubular Net Stitch which gives me another great excuse to use my sparkly Czech glass beads! I'm a sparkle junkie, I admit and heartily embrace that! I also love adding new beading techniques to my repertoire to keep things interesting and it's a great way to inspire new ideas.

What also inspires me is color. Sometimes I'll be looking through my many beads and baubles and fall in love all over again with something because the color just grabs me. Sometimes I'll be in Nadineland, designing jewelry in my mind and a color combination will come together that I know I will need to put together in real life in the very near future. This bracelet was a combination of the two. I came across my stash of skulls in all kinds of different colors and remembered I had been thinking of how certain shades of yellow go so well with certain smokey shades of browns, topazes and grays. The result is my Golden Treasures bracelet below!

I've definitely been having a love affair with my collection of dyed magnesite skulls. They scream to be paired with Czech glass, sparkling Swarovski crystals and imaginative beading! Doing so makes me very, very happy :)

Don't ask me why this bracelet makes me think of pirates and treasure chests but it does. Often, while working on a piece I can feel it begin to develop a personality, even a voice and that voice often whispers it's name to me. Serious! This one said "Arrrgh Matey, I be a Golden Treasure!" Maybe I should wear a foil hat while working?? Leave a comment and let me know!

Thanks for reading! There is joy in the Journey!

The Dark Side...

Can You Guess? (Scroll down for Updates!)

This is my latest project....can you guess what it is going to be? One hint....if you wear it while watching The Wizard of Oz you are teleported into a different dimension where Furbies feed you peeled grapes and sing old 80's songs. Who doesn't need that??

August 18, 2012 Morning - Update

I put this project down for a couple of days but I've committed to finishing it today. It took about 10hrs of work to get the band beaded day before yesterday. It is a design I developed quite awhile ago and filed it away in my "someday I'll make this" drawer. All of a sudden I just couldn't get it out of my mind so I knew the only cure was to make it. 

I've decided to make this one of my faux calf skin cuffs. One of the hardest parts of doing these is getting the curve correct. I found out by trial and error that you can't just sew the band to the calf skin flat because a wrist isn't flat...DUH you say? Well, yah, so did I. lol I used a canister to get the band to set while drying (I use a little glue to attach it before sewing it to the band). Draping it over the canister made sure it dried with the curve I need. Sewing it to the band and keeping the curve without making ripples in the work is a pain when doing these cuffs. It takes FOREVER. Well, finally,  I had the bright idea to use the canister again while I sew to hold the cuff in place and to keep wrinkles out. This has just made my life much easier! *doing Snoopy Happy Dance*

Todays goal: finish this Tribute Bracelet. Hopefully the next update will be the finished piece!

UPDATE - FINISHED!!

Before I unveil this special piece did you know:

• Roger Waters wrote most of DSOTM after Syd Barret had a mental breakdown and stopped working with the band?
• Alan Parsons was the engineer on this amazing album?
• This album spent approximately 14 YEARS on the Billboard Music Charts and holds the all time record for time spent on the music chart?
• David Gilmore did his guitar solo on the song "Time" in ONE TAKE? (he says this is not unusual for him)?

I'm especially proud of this cuff because Dark Side of the Moon is one of my favorite albums EVER. Pink Floyd began tickling my mind in the early 80's and has continued to do so ever since. This cuff was definitely a labor of love and I hope it finds it's way to someone that loves Pink Floyd as much as I do. I think it will :)

This was made with all high quality Japanese seed beads and a beautiful, supple faux calf skin I love working with. It's durable and extremely soft. This piece took about 15 hours to finish.

There is joy in the Journey!

Personal Blog Virgin No More

Personal Blog Virgin No More 


It's my first time...I'm nervous and scared and wonder if you'll like me. It's unnerving, uncovering parts of me in front of you here, but it's time. It's time to take it to the next level. /Deep breath, here we go!


SO, I have my blogger editor open and I'm sitting here typing. My daughter is making brownies, but only because I promised I'd clean up the mess /laugh. My son is picking away at his guitar. They're both watching "That 70's Show" and I'm here at my desk. My fiance is off, running errands and getting the axle repaired on our car. /sad face @ car repairs. Ultimately, I love it. All the life...the family STUFF. It's a beautiful thing. Funny though, if I had to compare my family with a TV family, we'd be way closer to the "That 70's Show" family with a bit of The Simpsons thrown in than let's say, The Brady Bunch. I'm good with that, I love our quirky, funky, creative life. 


I'm presently a "displaced employee" x2. I worked as a Desktop Support Technician II for about 4 yrs. The last company outsourced our department to another country. I was later hired as a sales associate at a very cool consignment store, but here in the Desert, summer is a hard time for businesses and there are many lay-offs. I was one of them, but I wasn't sad, it was by mutual agreement. I really needed to get back to the jewelry. And so...here I am. 

Final Autism Awareness Bracelet

<<<That is my last creation. It began as a different design and was recently re-ordered by a friend's mother as a gift. I reworked the original design into what I actually wanted to do the first time, but wasn't sure how yet. Now, about 6 mos later, I guess I've evolved, or my craft has evolved enough to do what I had originally intended. This is a living and evolutionary process, never still, never stagnant. It's quite amazing to be a participant in this process. I think one of the things I hope to share with you, here, on these pages is that evolution, as it happens. Maybe by writing, it will materialize before us both because it's just as much as a mystery to me as it is to anyone else! 


Back to the bracelet. That over there >>>

First Autism Awareness Design 

is the original design. My friend Patti originally ordered it and is holding it in the picture. I loved the opportunity she gave me to make such a meaningful piece. She's one of my favorite customers and very talented in her own right in photography. Nature just seems to pose for her, especially storms and the moon. She inspired the first design and now it's changed to the above picture. Thank you Patti! 


This bracelet is now available for anyone to order (the Final Autism Awareness Bracelet). I'm glad to be able to use this opportunity to donate 5% of any order for this bracelet to Autismspeaks.org to help them educate, research and hopefully someday cure autism. I don't have any "disposable" income at this time, but I am really happy that through the jewelry I can easily put a portion of what I make directly towards good causes. Last month, 10% of all sales went to the Colorado Chapter Red Cross to help with assistance for those affected by the huge fires up there. This month, all other sales (outside of the Autism Awareness bracelet) will have 10% go to www.friendsofpineridgereservation.org. I truly believe it is good, and necessary, to give out from what is coming in and to keep the waters flowing. 


I think this is all I'll write for now. I didn't think I'd have much to say, but I think there is always something to say now. The trick may be in finding a way to give it a voice. 


As an added bonus, I've put a few of Patti's amazing pictures at the bottom for your enjoyment and with her permission. 

There is joy in the journey!
-Nadine