Bead Soup Blog Hop

We are participating in Lori Anderson's 2013 Bead Soup Blog Hop!  Here's how it works: we are paired up with another jewelry artist, and must create a "bead soup" to inspire her.  She does the same for us.  We then create a piece of jewelry with our "soup" and post it on our blogs on our reveal date, which for us is April 6.
Here is Lori's blog:
http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/.  She is fabulous for organizing all this--it's an international even with HUNDREDS of artists participating!
So...our partner is another artist from Ohio.  Her name is Kate, and she owns Mulligan Stew Jewelry.  Check out her blog: http://www.mulliganstewjewelry.blogspot.com/.  She is super talented and her work is just gorgeous!
After much anticipation, Kathy and I received our bead soup package from Kate.  Here is the gorgeous box that was inside the package.

And when we opened it...

And here it is with everything laid out...

Oh my goodness, our minds were spinning with all the things we could make from this soup!!  After much discussion and consideration, I think we have a plan in mind.  I can't wait for the reveal!
Plus, I can't wait to see what Kate comes up with from the soup we sent her.  Here is is...

The toggle and the focal leaf are both handmade by Kathy using PMC (pure metal clay), which means they are pure silver.  The leaf is actually a real leaf that was coated in the PMC, and then burned off when it was fired in the kiln.  With Kate's talent, I know she will create something wonderful!

Make sure you check back on our reveal date (April 6), and check out Kate's blog too!

14 Days of Valentine's Earrings

We are starting a new Facebook series today called "The 14 Days of Valentine's Earrings."  We will post a new pair of Valentine's earrings on Facebook each day.  After 14 days we will draw a name and give away a free pair of earrings.  Here's how to enter:
1. Become a fan of Partners in Charms on Facebook (www.facebook.com/partnersincharms)
2. "Like" the earring photos (Ok, so if you don't get to every single one of them, I guess we won't hold it against you!)
3.  Leave a comment here on the blog.

That's it!  If you win the drawing, you will get to pick any one of the 14 different earrings.  Pretty cool, huh?
I'll add each day's earrings to the tab at the top of the blog.
So get on over to Facebook and check us out!

Running Milestone Charms

Any runners out there?  I am most definitely NOT a runner, but I have many friends who are.  These little charms are designed to commemorate the completion of a runner's milestones.  They can be worn on a necklace or a charm bracelet, or really however you want to wear them.  I put them on a simple charm bracelet to photograph them.  Please excuse the poor photo quality.  They ARE silver, even though they don't look like it in the photo.

The charms are $5 each, without the bracelet--or you can add a basic bracelet, like the one pictured above, for an additional $7.

Running Charms


5K charm $5.00 USD


10K charm $5.00 USD


13.1 charm $5.00 USD


26.2 charm $5.00 USD


charm bracelet $7.00 USD

Update: The PayPal link above seems to be broken, so if you are interested in ordering any of these charms, please e-mail me at partnersincharms@gmail.com.

Ring of the Day #6

Here is a peak at today's "ring of the day."  It is a silver plated adjustable ring, with an inverted beadcap (which looks like a flower), and accented with a pink rhinestone.  Enjoy!

"Ring of the Day" Series

I love rings.  They are probably my favorite type of jewelry to wear and to make.  In that spirit, I have been doing a series on Facebook called "ring of the day."  Basically I've been releasing a new ring each day.  I have gotten many "likes" and many comments about these rings, and many people have asked where they can purchase them.  So, I am listing them for sale on the "Shop Rings/Miscellaneous" tab at the top.  Here is a recap of the rings that have been released so far:

Day #1

Day #2

Day #3

Day #4

Day #5

Check back tomorrow for another unique ring!  I hope you have enjoyed these rings so far, as much I have enjoyed creating them!

Summer Class

Wow, we have been working on so much lately--but that is going to take multiple posts.  Today I wanted to give you a sneak peek at the class we are going to be teaching this summer at Pink Flamingo Beads in Powell, Ohio. 

We have been playing around with Vintaj brass for the past few months, and have pretty much fallen in love with it.  We have discovered soooo many different techniques that can be used on the brass, and just love the fact that it is so versatile.  We have finally gotten to a point with the products where we are comfortable enough to share some of the techniques with others.  Which leads me to the title of this post.  We are going to be teaching a Vintaj bracelet class this summer.  We will cover numerous techniques from punching holes in the brass, to dapping, embossing, and using patinas. 

So...without further adieu, here is the bracelet!

All for the cause!

Recently, Kathy and I were contacted by a woman named Tammy Powell who was interested in jewelry for her new business.  After meeting with Tammy, we found out that she is in the process of funding her non-profit organization called Love You More. On her Facebook page, Tammy says, "Love You More is dedicated to helping children that have been affected by drug abuse. Having seen the affects drug abuse has had on children, Love You More strives to help children LOVE THEMSELVES MORE than to choose the same path of drug use and abuse." 
We have met with Tammy a couple of times now, and have come up with a preliminary jewelry line for her.  We are so excited to share these pieces!  If you are interested in purchasing any of this jewelry, please contact Tammy via her Love You More facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ChildrenDeserveBetter, or e-mail her at tammy@loveumore4kids.com.

Tammy, we are SO enjoying working with you!!