Kalaya Steede

Bring back any memories...anyone?  hehehehehe!   Well summer days are drifting away but memories linger and my step daughter wanted to make something  for that special someone.  She came home last night asking, "can you help me make something?".  Can I?  Well...it is 7 o'clock at night and we have not much time but let us go into the studio and see what we can create! We started with a focal round copper that I made many moons ago and some random beads... So what do I do first? It was a lot of...what bead should I put on and how many and what order...blah...blah...blah! hahahahahaha! Look at her concentration! Here is what we ended up with... Used my etched bronze for the clasp.   Umm...why did I do that?  I should of used copper!  Booooo!!!!! And there you have it!   It all started with that copper washer like thing that was patinated a long time ago and grew from there. She did su...

Bonjour! Today is a special day...because two of my favorite people were born on this day.  So...Happy Birthday Nicole and Jesse!  Wishing you two the very best...ALWAYS!!! Now back to creativity!!! I picked up some labadorite and peridot stones a while back for a bracelet.  A particular design had been in my brain for quite some time.  I had all the materials...so get on with it, yes!? But...one thing that paralyzes me is if the stones are high quality, and if I am using large amounts of silver, I become fearful of messing up, and so the stones just sit, and sit, and sit.  Anyway I decided that it did not matter if I mess up and jumped right on in! First I had to make some silver end beads as a clasp. I liked how they came out.  They were about 1/2" in diameter, textured, domed, and patinated. Then I wire wrapped a thousand beads with silver wire!  Ha...not really...only 100! Just a little peek of the silver clasp. N...

What does one do when if one gets in a creative slump?   You just keep swimming...that is what you do! Hehehehe!!! Well...first you take pictures of your favorite herbal tea. I just love the color of the lavender.   And then you go into the studio and do something...anything! I started with this... and ended with this... It did not come easy.   I must of wire wrapped over 50 carnelian beads!   The first 25 were not up to my standards and I got so frustrated...argh!  Sometimes you need a little help and so I spoke to my friend Sue and she gave me a little hint and that is all it took.  Then I was wire wrapping like a pro!   Merci beaucoup Sue! And then...you meet friends for coffee and talk about art and the ideas just pour in from there.  Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Namaste Kalaya

A little something for the spirit. Namaste Kalaya

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. Right after Tropical Storm Lee blew by the weather couldn't be any nicer for the month of September. Well...just for a couple of days but I'll take it! I spent most of Saturday making art journals and one leather bracelet. This one is for my step son. At first I was going to make a double wrap but I thought the stone was to feminine. That's when I decided to add some brass elements. Tell me what you all think? I've also been planning for my tiara for Dia de los Muertos. I bought some pastel skull beads so far. I was thinking all week long about these skull beads and then they became OUT OF STOCK!!! I was so ill about the whole mess. I think too long about things. I really need to work on not doing that. Sarah will be teaching an awesome class at The Bead Shop in October for making tiaras. I will be there along with some other fun people. So come on over and join us!  Yours truly will be teaching 3 w...

I'm having a whole lotta fun making cards. Thanks to Amber I think I have a new obsession! Here are some of the cards I made this weekend. Burlesque is my theme. Sexy is my name. There's nothing more sexy then confidence!   What will I do with these? I found myself asking this question over and over again. Etsy? Nah... I could always use a unique card. Maybe winter solstice gifts or just wrap them all together for that anytime gift. Somebody's gotta like it, right?    Here is a leather wrap bracelet with my new hand made end bead. The last picture was taken by a bright window. The first two was with my Photek set up. They are so different. I think the true color of the lavender is somewhere between the first and the last.  This two wrap leather bracelet is a gift for one of my step daughters. Can you guess her favorite color? Well, that's it for now.  Namaste Kalaya

Leather Bracelet Thanks to Sue, a friend of mine, I was inspired to make this bracelet. It fits me perfectly! Who'd of thought? Anyway the focal point is some sort of carved stone. I'm guessing nephrite but I could be wrong. Materials: 1. 1 yd. 1.8 mm leather 2. Focal point with four holes drilled 3. Brass 4mm roundel beads 4. African brass end bead 5. Two skulls for accents at the end I used cross knots in the design. It has a good weight to it but not too heavy and it's all for ME! I will show it off today and see if anyone notices it. Merci Sue! My Very First End Bead!  Oh how I wish I took a picture of the process for you but I didn't. However, it wasn't very complicated. Start with a 16mm silver disc. Dome it slightly, or not. It all depends on what tools you have. I have a small wooden block so I couldn't make it too deep. A small jump ring big enough for 1.8mm leather to go through.  1. Solder the jump ring on to the disc. Do this carefully. On my firs...