New bracelets

I've had a couple of deliveries of waxed linen cord over the last week. New and fresh colors for me. I love to put them into work in knotted bracelets.

1. Bracelet Zesty

• Colorful tin link/clasp - Lorelei Eurto
• Brass toggle from Vintaj, loaded with orange metallic seed beads
• Clear facetted nuggety glass beads
• Orange/red facetted round glass bead
• Round glass beads
• Mermeid round ceramic bead - Gaea
• Clear seed beads
• Lemon yellow waxed linen cord

2. Bracelet Smokey

• Dark raku ceramic beads - BHClaySmith
• Champagne colored facetted oval glass beads
• Swirly clasp in brass from Vintaj
• Enameled head pins by PaintingWithFire
• Green waxed linen cord

3. Bracelet Flesh 'N Bones

• Pink round ceramic bead - Elaine Ray
• Buri nut beads
• Scull carved bone bead
• Heavily oxidized brass hook and eye clasp
• Magenta and brown waxed linen cord

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All my jewelry is available for purchasing, even though I might not yet have listed them in my Etsy Shop. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them. Contact me at: malindekoning[at]hotmail.com

All my best,

Malin

I get inspired

Hi,

Like most of you (I assume) I at times surf around quite a bit looking for beautiful and/or inspiring jewelry pieces. On my computer I have a folder with pictures of things that I get inspired by. It is often only a detail that interests me. Like a color combo, or a nicely laid out color scheme, how materials meet each other, an interesting assembly method, or a connection between two parts and so on. But sometimes I find things where everything is just simply fantastic to me. The whole piece! So now I thought I'd share with you a few such jewelry pieces. I find them all particularly awesome and inspiring.

Most of the time I am good at naming the pictures after the maker of the piece when I save them to my computer, as a way of being able to remember and for future tracking. But sometimes I miss out on that. If you see a piece in the collection below, that lacks a name or link for the maker, and you happen to know who it is, please let me know. I also really hope no one will take offence by me showing your piece here. If you do, I am am truly sorry, and please let me know and I will take it away directly.

Necklace by Shyme Design, Dalarna, Sweden

Lariat necklace by Lorelei Eurto, USA

Necklace by Rokdarbi from Latvia, Europe

Bracelet by Tammy Antoinette of Painted Metal. I also adore this photo. Unfortunately I could not find a currently valid link to a shop or blog that would take you to her. She used to be on Etsy. I did find her on Facebook however if you are interested.

Necklace. I am sorry, but I don't know who made this. It's been in my inspiration folder for a loooong long time. And I still love it. I do remember the designer had made the two brushed silver beads herself. Please let me know if you know who it is.

Thank you Cilla W! It is definitely Kelly Baldwin.

Bracelet by Lorelei Eurto, USA

Necklace by Elly Snare, United Kingdom

Hope you enjoyed this!

Have a great day!

All my best,

Malin

LimaBeads Challenge by Lorelei and Shannon - Reveal

I was lucky to get my hands on one of these beautiful kits from LimaBeads. Fantasticly put together by Lorelei Eurto and Shannon Iko Chomanczuk. Thank you so much!

Shannon and Lorelei's idea was that we simply create something with the beads. We could use them whichever way we wanted, adding our own beads, focals and so on.

I have made three pieces, two necklaces and one bracelet.

Starting with the first necklace

I have recently learned the technique of pearl knotting on silk thread. (I am definitely not a pro yet, my constructions get sort of wobbly, so if anyone could tell me what I do wrong I'd be very happy.) I love the effect of knotting. And the less wanted wobblyness on this necklace will soon go away I believe. Oh I should also mention, I accidently got two bags of the pale yellow potato pearls. Hope no one else missed out on theirs.

Now the bracelet

I tripled the chain, and added beads from the BeadChest and art beads from RadiantMind, Floridity, HumbleBeads, Jubilee, Elaine Ray, Loupiac and Gaea. Strung on waxed linen cord. Clasp from LimaBeads and the cute peace charm I got ages ago, but unfortunately I can't remember from where, it is possible it was actually from LimaBeads.

Necklace number two

Beautiful pendant from HumbleBeads. And I added more pearls, semi-precious, copper and glass beads from my own stash.

Shadow Box Challenge Reveal and Blog Hop

I think Lorelei herself best describe this challenge and what it is about:

"Last month, I held a contest for participants to recieve one of these beautiful enameled Shadow boxes from C Koop Beads. I picked 23 participants randomly, and send each of them one of the boxes. The challenge was to create something with the shadow box and reveal it on their blogs today! A big hug and THANK YOU to Sara for donating these for this challenge! I hope you all enjoy seeing all of the results!"

Boy was I happy when I received this deep blood red one. Oh yes, I think of blood. Beautiful life giving rich and healthy blood. Nothing scary or macabre. The color is absolutely magnificent!

I have had so many ideas ever since the first day, on what to do with it. I even woke up the next morning with a new idea directly there. Must have spent all night dreaming of it. Below you can see some of them.

Another theme that has been there in lot of my ideas has been the use of cord. Preferably waxed linen. I've been thinking of ways to use many strings of it in different colors and work with knots. All along this has been my favourite concept. But I have not done any. Not yet that is. I wish to play around loads more with these bezels and I hope Sara will be interested in making a few more for me, according to a few of my special wishes. But that will be another chapter. Today we are here. And this is what I have done:

Necklace number one:

I wanted to make a simple piece where the bezel would be a very important part of the design without the role of playing solo. It needed some company, a teamwork. I am very pleased with how this turned one turned out. Three colors and three materials that all enhance each other and cooperate beautifully being equally important for the whole.

Necklace number two:

A present maybe? I don't know. I just like how it turned out when I wrapped the wire around the bezel like that. And then adding the dangles. Drops of blood maybe? The super nice lamp worked red mini glass nuggets on a white core are made by Boulder Glass Monkey. The four lamp worked glass head pins by Gardanne.

As I was heading out on the veranda earlier today to take the photos of the second necklace I walked past this cushion in our living room. I love that cushion. It really brightens up which ever piece of furniture it happens to rest in. I don't know about you. But I can see some connection there, with the colors in the necklace ...

Now, enjoy hopping through these participating blogs!

1. Lucid Moon Studio

2. Ann Rishell

3. Malin de Koning

4. Gray Girl Studios

5. Maria Grimes

6. Beads of Busy Gals- Elizabeth

7. The Silly Pearl

8. Shay Stone- Shays creative journey

9. LissC

10. the Beading Yogini

11. Grubbi

12. Jenny Davies- Reazor

13. Beth of Elizabeth Williams

14. Artybecca

15. Stefanies Sammelsurium

16. KreativeKsapylet

17. Shirley- Beads & Bread

18. Hilary Frye- Frye Style

19. Heather Wynn Millican

20. Staci Louise

21. Suzette- Ellie's Bijoux

22. Marina - Fanciful Devices

23. Andrew Thornton

And finally don't miss out on Miss Lorelei herself:

24. Lorelei's Blog

All my best,

Malin

A rush of blood for an enameled bezel

The C-Koop bezel from Lorelei Eurto's Shadow Box Challenge arrived yesterday. I was so lucky to be one of the winners to get one of them.

Mine has such a wonderful color. I bet all of them do. A photo really can't do it justice. I am really excited, and have "one million" ideas. I don't know yet if any of them will be possible to make come true though ... I can only hope so far ... and which one of the ideas shall I choose to be the one I will go for ...

This project is really really inspiring me. Both as it is a bezel, which I have never used one before, and that it is enameled - gotta love enamel, and wow - that color - such a deep deep red - it's like blood - without being macabre - it's absolutely magnificent! Absolutely M A G N I F I C E N T ! ! !

And the prospect of that there will be at least 25 other's who also will have had fun with their bezels, and that I will be able to look, compare and get aha's and so on on the blog hop day is something I really am looking forward to.

I fell asleep last night with one idea in my head, and honestly I woke up with a new one right there. My mind must have been totally obsessed during the night. And I can easily see many varieties on those ideas. The problem of how to actually manufacture what I am seeing then creates new ideas. Wow wow wow!

I love to feel like this! Thank you so so much Sara and Lorelei!!!!

The reveal/Hop date will be August 27th.

Being featured is such an honor!

Thank you so much Erin and Lorelei for wanting to feature me on your blog A Jewelry Accord. I am truly honoured. And I am also excited like a little child. I wanna shout out to everyone: "See, see! They want to tell about me. ME!"

(Please go to their blog to read the article, this picture below is just a way for me to show off a bit :-))

Erin Siegel and Lorelei Eurto are the runners of the blog A Jewelry Accord. And if you didn't already know, they are quite well known in the jewelry world. Often seen in magazines and other public arenas. I personally get a lot of inspiration from both of them. They are currently working on a book which I believe will share name with the blog. The blog is a way to make it possible for people who are interested to stay updated on the work of the book, and also a way of promoting it of course. Erin and Lorelei are passionate about using fibers, cords and all sorts of textile elements in jewelry. And that's why they are writing the book. To explore the possibilities of these materials, to learn more, and to share their knowledge, new or old, with others who are equally excited (like my self for example). I believe this book will be a great source for inspiration and information.

The blog has recently expanded a bit, and they just started a series of designer portraits, where they will feature jewelry designers they find make interesting use of cord, leather and so on in their creations. So I am number two in this series. Last week you could read about Keirsten Giles, another favorite of mine.

Below is the collage they put together of some of my work.

So did I tell you that I am very honored?! And excited?! Well, I am. Thank you!

I wish you a all great weekend. And a great holiday if yours also start now, like it does for me and my family. I think I will keep making a lot of macrame for the nearest period. Simply because I am currently a bit hooked, and also I can sit basically anywhere doing it, I don't have to be inside in my studio on all these lovely summers days.

See ya!

ABS May Challenge - Bracelet

My contribution for Art Bead Scene's May challenge is a bracelet. I named it "Hide and Seek", just like the painting by Berthe Morisot. Read about the piece and the challenge here.

I just completely fell for the color scheme of strong green, very light grey and touches of ochre in this painting. Or at least those where the colors that stood out to me as the ones I wanted to work with. A somewhat unusual combo in a jewelry piece maybe. But oh so yummie!

I am very pleased and excited about the solution with the three leather ribbons/bands going in and out of Round Rabbit's beautiful porcelain rings. They are playing hide and seek with each other :-) .

Look, I tried to take a Lorelei Eurto-esque picture of the bracelet on me. I really like her style when she photographs the pieces on herself. No one was there to help me, so I ended up with a bunch of pictures of the wall behind me and a little bit of my nose in one corner. I didn't bother with setting up the camera or programming it for delayed exposure. Simply held it myself with a stretched out arm. This one worked out ok anyway.

The pattern on the porcelain rings works perfectly to capture the romantic atmosphere in the painting, don't you agree.

The green dangle bead is a Swarovski milky green facetted round. The rest is copper components.

If you wanna see all the current contributions for the challenge go here.

And don't miss the blog hop about all the contributions that has been blogged about, starting at Art Bead Scene at the end of the month.

All my best! Have a great weekend. Mine will be very busy :-)

What a Give-Away!!!!!!!

A new amazing give away collaboration at Lorelei Eurto's blog. This time it is Kylie Parry who has donated these totally super adorable charms.

Hurry over to Lorelei's blog now if you want to have a chance to win, it's only on for 24 hours.

For your information I myself really really want to win them! But did you even doubt that? I bow myself at Kylie's talent and skill.

Lorelei's Blog: 24 hour giveaway

Look! What a generous give-away arranged by Lorelei Eurto with pendants donated by Jade Scott. ! I loooove Jade Scott's things. Just look at them. I so much wanna win them!

Lorelei's Blog: 24 hour giveaway: "That's right, you have exactly 24 hours from now, 8:14am Wednesday, to leave a comment on this post to win these four lovely handcrafted bez..."

BTW - Purple Rose Earrings

This earrings idea turned up about a week ago as soon as my Tin Bead Caps from Lorelei had arrived. This is the biggest size. And I saw they would go wonderfully with the facetted Rose Quartz Rondelles.

But I haven't been able to figure out how I want to assemble them. So every day I have been looking at different possible ear hooks, wires, directions and so on.

I thought I had settled for a silver hooks and wire solution when I came in to my studio today to take this photo I suddenly saw that purple drenched copper wire by MissFickleMedia. Of course! It is of a lower gauge than the silver wire I looked out before. Much more proportional. And then it was so easy to also go for the earhooks by HigherChakraSupplies. Perfect!

Now it is only the assembling left ...

Another Fusion - a wilder one ...

I made another necklace for the FusionBeads challenge arranged by Lorelei. I just didn't have the photos for it ready on Friday when I posted about one necklace and one pair of earrings, so I am posting about this one today instead. Here is my other post from Friday.

This is my personal favourite out of the three ones. So many beautiful components joined in a wild exiting marriage.

Look at the four Color Drenched Chains by MissFickleMedia, they're simply gorgeous. And from her also, the black drenched metal long thing in the pendant cluster. In the cluster also a green rustic porcelain shard by MarshaNealStudio. And a decoupage bead, one of the leafs from FusionBeads, the cat's eye facetted beads again. The large Rosey Copper ring that the cluster is hanging from comes from E2SSupplies. The back fiber part I braided with the olive leather cord and two different fiber/yarn strands. I like the way that turned out.

Don't know if I will want to sell this necklace in the nearest while, I wanna get a chance to wear it myself first. Coz I like it, and it's ME! But if you happen to be interested, please let me know :-).

All the three pieces I made for the FusionBeads Challenge together.

All my best,

Malin

The Fusion Beads Challenge

Hi,

Lorelei's wonderfully arranged Fusion Beads Challenge. All wonderful beads and parts to be used however we wished to. And although I was lucky and managed to get hold of all the components I have not used them all. The GGS owl clasp will end up on a bracelet instead, I believe, with round amazonites. And there is one more necklace ready that I just didn't get around to photograph today, so I will post that one tomorrow, along with Swedish Lesson #2. So please come back one more time for that.

I get a very autumny feeling from my pieces. I made one necklace:

See that magnetic big ball brass clasp. I just had to use that one, it goes so well with the other beads I think. I have also added two colours of facetted cats eye beads, Miyuki 4mm cubes in various colours, a few stripey orangey seed beads, a yellow top drilled bicone glass bead, and a big orangey cloisonne type bead with flowers on that I for my life can't remember where I got (I have only very few so I know it was rather pricey).

The earrings:

I directly saw that I wanted to join the lucite leaves with MissFickleMedias black petals. They are dangling from a short bit of chain. Lucite flowers with small Lorelei Tin Snippet bead caps. And from the flower another three orange seed beads dangling.

Now- Get to Hopping!

http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com/
http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/

http://beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com/ You are here!
http://beadhappytoday.blogspot.com/

http://thebeaddreamer.com/blog
http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://fryestyle.blogspot.com/
http://www.madmaggiedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://reginaswritings.blogspot.com/

http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/
http://jennibead.blogspot.com/
http://maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com/
http://silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://lindalandig.wordpress.com/

http://fireflymyst.blogspot.com/
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http://spiritrattles.blogspot.com/
http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

http://songbeads.blogspot.com/
http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com
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http://www.earthenwood-beads.blogspot.com/