Pieces and Parts

It all started when I won a giveaway from Tracee Dock of the Classic Bead.  Tracee was kind enough to send a gorgeous pendant and coordinating leather from her shop.

I wanted to use the dark purple leather Tracee sent and made this.

But, something wasn't quite right.  I didn't like the leather like I thought I would and I didn't like how I wirewrapped the ends.

Instead, I grabbed a piece of chain maille left over from who knows what and made this.

I like this much better.  I used Miss Fickle Media's violet patina on the chain and I like the softer purple.  It works much better with the colors of seed beads I chose.

I still wanted to use the leather, so I paired it with this pendant, also by Tracee.

Again, it didn't work.  I also didn't like the beaded part.  It was way to pink.

It looked perfect with this pendant by Marsha Neal, though.

I also added a few beads from Genea and Sue Beads.

I like the little bit of asymmetry.

But, back to the leather.

I dug out this pendant by Staci Louise.

Of course, the leather was a bit too short for what I wanted to do, so I paired it with another bit of chain maille.

I used the same violet patina on the chain maille portion.  I love the purple color.  I also mixed in a bit of mica powder (also from Miss Fickle Media).

I used a little less patina and a little more mica powder on the swirl.  I love how the tye dye look matches the pendant.

I still have that green pendant on my table, so I will likely find a use for it.  Stay tuned!

The story of four pendants from the Classic Bead

Lately, I've been playing with pendants made by Tracee Dock of the Classic Bead.

I've been a fan of Tracee's ever since I saw this necklace in the Spring 2010 issue of Stringing magazine.  Tracee's beads are gorgeous and I love her sense of style.

Recently, I was able to meet Tracee in person.  We met for brunch with Sharyl, then had a great time shopping at Harbor Freight and Joanne's.

Tracee brought some of her beads for show and tell.  Of course, Sharyl and I had to buy a few.  :)

As I added those beads to my stash, I realized I've been hoarding some of Tracee's pendants for a while.  I figured this was a good time for them to come out and play.

This was the first necklace I completed.

I used a cellini spiral for the center portion of the necklace (similar to this one) and used a bit of leather for the back of the necklace.

I made an s hook clasp that works perfectly with the leather.

The next necklace started after, inspired by my friend Sharyl, I played around with patinas and gilders paste.

I liked the result, but had a hard time incorporating it into a finished piece.  I looked through my beads and found this bumblebee pendant by Tracee.

It's a simple necklace, but I really like it.

Of course, I wondered how gilders paste worked on chain maille.

I adapted the center part of Kylie Jones's "Fluid" necklace, published in the October issue of Step by Step Wire Jewelry, and started adding patina and gilders paste.

I loved how it turned out and how it complimented this awesome pendant from Tracee.

This time, I added a bit of ribbon and beaded bands to hold the ribbon in place.  I also couldn't resist adding a beaded clasp.

Finally, I had the opportunity to play with an awesome disc/shallow cone bead Tracee made.  She showed it to Sharyl and me at brunch and mentioned that it had a tendency to fall forward, like many other types of disc beads.

This tutorial by Tanya McGuire immediately came to mind.  Tracee gifted me the bead and asked me to see what I could do.

Tanya's tutorial worked perfectly.

I painted a lucite leaf and added it to the back of the pendant.

I made another cellini spiral for the middle of the necklace and used an awesome chain I had been saving for a special occasion.

I adore how this turned out.

The beads I used are only a sampling of what Tracee has in her Classic Bead shop.

She's started adding holiday beads.  Take some time and look through her shop -- you won't be disappointed.

If you are looking for buttons or other clay creations, you can find them in Tracee's Classic Elements shop.