Sweet Bead Studio — Handcrafted jewelry by Cindy Wimmer

A great big WELCOME {new jewelry bloggers}!

by Cindy on November 8, 2011

Today I have some exciting news to share. Our bead blogging community has grown by two new and wonderful blogs!

First up I’d like to introduce you Alice Peterson’s new jewelry blog: Alice Dreaming. I love the name she has chosen for her blog – simple but says it all. Many of you already know Alice from The Bliss Guild blog. She has been a long-time supporter of many of us in this community, and her heartfelt comments on our blogs have always been so positive and uplifting. I was really happy when I learned that Alice created her own blog, promoting her own work and has already featured several challenges in which she has participated. You’ll find words of inspiration and many beautiful pictures at Alice’s blog as well. Please stop by Alice’s blog if you haven’t already to welcome her to this special place in the blogosphere!

Next I am SO excited to finally introduce you to a personal friend and new jewelry designer AND blogger, Julie Anne Leggett. Julie Anne’s brand new online journal is The Peaceful Bead. Julie Anne and I have become fast friends through our sons who go to school together. Our worlds have so much in common: boys, basketball and Boy Scouts. 🙂 Julie Anne started creating jewelry for the first time in early Spring – and once she jumped in, she never looked back! She attended ArtBLISS, can be found ordering beads online in the wee hours, and makes perfect wrapped loops. Her jewelry is beautiful; you would have guessed she had been designing jewelry for years. It is so fun to have a local friend (that is until she moves back to Canada) who I can talk beads with. We’ve both been known to bring baggies with our current projects to the playground – nothing like beading on the go, while trailing behind the boys. Please welcome Julie Anne when you can as well.

Rosary by Julie Anne

Our beading community continues to grow, and we each have something unique to offer. Some of us blog daily, others like myself , maybe once a week. We each have different styles and come from different backgrounds, but we all have something to share. Thank you for visiting my blog today – I always appreciate your visit! 🙂

-Cindy

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white chocolate toasted almond latte

by Cindy on November 1, 2011

How does that sound? mmmmmm! With the colder weather, I can’t help but opt for a latte instead of my usual coffee…. I just love that steamed milk which keeps it piping hot. Okay, I’ll admit I’ve never quite had a blend like a white chocolate toasted almond latte. I can picture one in my mind though and it takes the form of this lampwork and wire work bracelet…..

I fell back on a favorite bracelet style from my earlier jewelry designing days. There was a time that I used lampwork in just about everything – mixed with sterling silver wire links. That’s the fun part – making the links. I still love lampwork and decided to pull out a set that I’ve kept stashed away for far too long. So long that I’m not 100% sure who made the beads. I was quite sure that they were made by Moon Stumpp….and she says she is 80% sure they are hers. 🙂 This demonstrates the need to label your art beads…you never know how long you just might hold on to them!

The real twist to this bracelet is that I used sterling silver-filled wire in various gauges, and you can’t even tell. I still oxidized the piece and gave it a turn in the tumbler. The properties are just about the same and the cost was cut considerably. It’s a great option because there’s nothing like the look of silver!

Sold, thank you.

Enjoy your day!  And remember, a latte can make it even better. :-)

– Cindy

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Macro Sunday {Fall fun}

by Cindy on October 30, 2011

(Did you know that pumpkins had blossoms? You can even cook with them….they are edible flowers!)

Hello! Time for Studio Waterstone’s Macro Sunday once again.

What a weekend…SNOW in October! When the forecast called for snow today in VA, I couldn’t believe it….until I saw it. I’ve seen pictures and read stories from some of you who experienced serious accumulation today. Luckily we had already made a few trips to nearby pumpkin patches recently and experienced fall fun before the unseasonable snow hit. I have a few photos that go along with my pumpkin blossom close-up. Here’s a day at Summer’s Farm in Frederick, MD.