Thursday, July 11, 2013

A little Znet Shows Style!!

Sometimes I just feel so darn lucky!! This is one of those times. I was contacted by Znet Shows about making some samples! How fun! I have been buying from these guys for at least two years and just love their products and prices! I never have trouble finding enough stuff to reach the wholesale minimum! lol
 I received a lovely little box full of treasures the day before I left to visit Heather Powers in MI. So, I packed up the treasures and took them with me!! lol
 So while I was at Heather's I created this necklace and thus discovered my love for Annealed steel wire!! Where have you been all my life!!! I used the starfish and clear crystals from Znet and transformed them into this!
 I then decided to gift this to my sweet surrogate niece Hannah <3 Love those two girls!!
 I also fell in love with making clasps out of the steel wire. OMGosh!! New love!! Made a bunch more after getting home. Did not know where I could find this wire before I left MI so I stocked up from at least 3 shops while down there! What a trip right Heather? I plumb tuckered her out, thanks Roseanne for driving us around! lol
 Everything else I made when I got back. The peanut beads were a gift from Heather, she had a ton and did not care for the colour. <3 What a great friend!! Our theme might be said to be "One man's trash is another man's treasure" ;)
 I made a series of these bracelets. I used buttons for the clasps, got those in MI too. All the crystals in these are from Znet Shows whether they came in the sample box or not.
 Love these dark blue ones! They went perfectly with these funky lampwork I got ages ago. {Trying to use some of my older stash before it really gets out of hand! Oh wait! Too late!}
 More of the Annealed Steel wire mixed with Znet's amazing dark blue round crystals and one of the faux seaglass beads I have come to depend on! This has been sealed with Ren Wax to keep the patina of the wire.
 I am certainly putting these peanut beads to good use! lol! This bracelet is very delicate and feminine. These are a great seller for me at my shows. Looking forward to seeing these fly off my table at the next market!
I did make a few simple earrings with these frosted dangles, I have some more complex ones I am thinking up for later.
I love that they sent me a few pairs. I still have so much to work with! So much fun!!
This one has a whole series of Znet starfish! I just had to put them together and they stand out so well! I used one of the starfish as a clasp, they are almost like a shank button at the back, making them easy to use this way.
These are my favourite of the earrings I made. I used the discs and added some simple seashell charms over them. They are delicate and sweet!
This is one of two strung necklaces I created. I really love these!! I used the seaglass and a Conch shell and used one of the funky lampwork beads in the center to bring the green and blue together. More annealed steel for the side clasp and a nice secure end for the peanut seed beads to attach to.
If you have stayed with me to the end, Thank you! I know it is a long post, but I hope you have gotten some inspiration from it all.
This last necklace I used another shell for the pendant and wire wrapped a mix of crystals and seaglass with another focal lampwork. The little chain of pearls is also from Znet Shows. Loved this one so much I gave it to my wonderful mother in law to thank her for being there for me and my family throughout this last difficult year. She has really pretty blue eyes and this necklace just looked wonderful on her!!
So last but not least, I created a simple blue linked bracelet with these frosted oval rings and wore some chain through it. I added a dangle from a short length of chain for fun.

So make sure you check out Znet Shows for a wonderful selection and pricing! You won't be sorry! I have tons of their beads and I use them in so many things! You won't be sorry!

Marie
 

14 comments:

Shai Williams said...

Don't you just love their crystals and sea glass. It really is time that I pick up some more.

baymoondesign said...

Wow! What a collection of pretty pieces. I love Znet glass ovals and rectangles.

Monique (A Half-Baked Notion) said...

Lovely designs, Marie... the faux sea glass seems to go so well with a variety of metals!

KayzKreationz said...

What a great collection. I love their pieces. I've been fortunate to design with some of their beads and sea glass beads several different times now.

Michael and Cherrie Fick said...

Marie, I love these. I especially love your last two necklaces and the clasp on the one in the middle. The steel wire? I have never used it. I need to ask more info. What gauge is it and is it patina-ed and also it would not be nickel free right? That is why I never worked with it.

I work with Znet too and have really enjoyed the past couple boxes of goodies. Did you see my blog? I had a couple with the beach pieces. It is fun to see what everyone comes up with. Lots of ideas and directions. I'm going back to look a bit closer at your designs. I can't from this screen or I would say more. Great job. Cherrie

A Polymer Penchant said...

My word, you have been busy! You sure do fine work with that steel wire. What I've found is so stiff (or I may be a complete wimp) I have trouble making anything look good. Imean I'm all in favour of organic looking wirework but I can't seem to move out of the sloppy. Hmmm I should be prepping for a show tomorrow and instead I want to go see what I can hammer out. Thanks for the inspiration

Anonymous said...

Hi Marie,

Lovely post. I think I need to give Znet a try!

Cathy Obbema

sandi m said...

Marie, These are all so pretty. Some of my fav supplies - Znet, peanut seed beads and dark annealed wire.
For someone who asked, Brenda Schweder's Steel Wire Jewelry book is wonderful, and she's a great teacher, too.
Dark annealed and rebar wire is so much fun to work with - just need to use separate tools, clean it real good and seal it. And most important tell customers to not get it wet. Can't remember who, but you can order the various wire gauges in larger quantities (vs the small packages from the hardware store).
You probably found yours at the same stores I did when I was at Heather's retreat couple years go!




sandi m said...

darn fingers!

...ago!



Anonymous said...

enjoyed the comments as much as the collection! Like polymer penchant, I am a wimp about the fancy wraps. I love seeing them though. Thanks for sharing. Maybe I will finish the 3 pieces tonigh
that are staring at me .

Cindy said...

Marie, you are amazing! So many beautiful designs - each so different from the other. Can I borrow a little of that creative inspiration?? :-)

JeannieK said...

What a beautiful collection Marie. You have truly inspired many.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Marie - I love all your creations. As I scrolled down the page, I kept saying "Ooo - that one is my favorite". Then I realized I like all of them. :-) I love ZnetShows and have been fortunate enough to participate in a few of their challenges. Especially love their glass pearls and sea glass.

CraftyHope said...

Love all the stuff you made! I've got a soft spot too for dark annealed wire. (I can usually find it in my Ace Hardware store.) I love how you made the clasps with it. I may just have to play with mine a little more to come up with something similar.