New Directions!

If you have looked at my "Retired Designs" listings, you have noticed that many of my designs are being retired. After much thought, prayer and consideration, I have chosen a new direction for my website and my designs. I have had a lot of joy creating all of my work in the past 7 years but change is necessary!

I will be creating 4 major signature pieces a year to coincide with the seasons. They will be available for a limited time and I will be creating a limited number of pieces in each design. Because each one is made by hand, they will have subtle differences.

I will be doing more bead embroidery in cuffs and adding some necklaces using the same technique. I will also be creating more of the Peyote stitch patterns which will be made to order as the length of those are key to a good fit. The clasps will be made by me with a more elegant appearance.

I am very excited about the new direction I am going in, I hope you will too!

I have more changes in the works so make sure you stop in from time to time.

I will still be making my popular hats, not to worry. I will be limiting the amount I have on the site only because of the increase in Wholesale orders around the country. I will again not be taking any special orders this year.

I hope you'll stop by Divella Delights and check out the new changes and make sure to take advantage of the 60% off sale between now and then!

The Turquoise Bead Embroidered Cuff is completed at last!

To see more of my bead embroidered cuffs, stop by Divella Delights!

This is the beginning of the African Jade Bead Embroidered Bracelet. What I have done so far is just dye the Lacy’s Stiff Stuff and glue the African Jade Cabochon on with E6000.

 

You can use Rit Dye as I have although I do recommend using boiling water and soaking for a full minute. Remember that when you rinse with cold water after soaking, the color will be a little lighter. I would like to have more of a green but I am using what I have on hand.

Lacy’s is the best bead embroidery foundation I have found. You can bead right to the edge without any fray and it gives a stable foundation to bead on. You can also use Ultrasude…I prefer the “soft” to the “light” as it is a little stiffer but my #10 and #12 needles glide right through.

Now I am ready to begin the bead embroidery. I am trying to select beads from the thousands of beads I already have on hand and this is what I think I will use. As I am going along, I might add or subtract from this pile depending on how it looks sewn on.

 

I always use Fireline for my bead weaving and bead embroidery. It hardly ever tangles and when it does it is quite easy to get out any knots. It comes in crystal and smoke so use whichever color is closest to the color of your beads. They won’t show for the most part anyway. I suggest buying it from a fishing supply store rather than a bead shop just because it is less expensive. It is a little more costly than beading thread but as far as I am concerned the extra pennies are well worth it!

 

Now that you have an idea of what I iwll be doing, be sure and follow me at Divella Delights on my blog!

Winter Frost and The Last Rose of Summer

If you take a peek at the June 2011 issue of Bead and Button magazine you will find my necklace Winter Frost on page 17. After that came out I began receiving requests for the tutorial which; of course I had not made while I was creating the piece. I decided to do another using the same technique but change things up. The new one, my statement piece of 2011 is The Last Rose of Summer. While I was working on that piece I did create the tutorial which is now for sale on my website.

This magnificent piece was created with a large Hill Tribe fine silver rose as the centerpiece. Along the lower neck Argentium Silver, gold and garnets are interlaced placing the Last Rose of Summer in a breathtaking resplendent garden just before the gold, silver and cranberry garnets come to rest comfortably on your neck. The clasp is a Bali Silver toggle making it very easy to put on and take off yet keeps your treasure safe and secure.

Creating this necklace in gold and silver makes this necklace very versatile. An astounding and striking woven necklace to add to your collection of designer jewelry.

Home for Orphans

I have had so many wonderful comments on my free form peyote bracelets, which I have not made in quite a while but rest assured fans, more will be coming soon.




I often buy "Orphan Beads" from Amanda at Rufus and Roxy who makes stunning lampwork beads. She will occasionally have a sale on a group of beads that do not go together so I buy them. This allows me to buy more lampwork (I love that part) and make a piece of original jewelry that always gets rave reviews!



If you have some beads laying around that need a home other than that tray you have them in, why not give them a home they can boast about? If you don't have any orphans of your own check out Amanda and adopt some!



Freeform peyote is so much fun and because you can use beads of any size and shape it is a great way to de-stash! With no set pattern, just a few simple rules you can make a one of a kind piece of wearable art. Give it a try. If you need some help getting started, just let me know.

Here are a few I have made in the past.

Jewelry for Ravishing Robust Women!

I hate the terms full figured or plus size! Divella delights is coming out with some of my favorite designs in lengths for ravishing, robust women.

This category will feature necklaces in lengths from 20-24 inches and bracelets beginning at 9 inches. The first one is in, a wonderfully versatile piece in bead crochet. Knot it or not!

The next is a 6-strand 22-inch version of Key Lime!

Any ideas? I would love to hear them!

Som New Designs

O.k. So. I have been having lots of fun and staying really busy although I guess you would not know it from these pages! I have had some special orders keeping me busy and sold a Winter Frost so had to make another...remember? The first one is going to Bead and Button to be featured in the June 2011 issue! I had to picture the Winter Frost here again and then some others I have been working on. There are a few more and of course you can pop over to Divella Delights and see them.

Oh did you hear? I am now in a boutique in Harvard Square Dahling! Cambridge, Mass...nice!

Is that little fish lampwork bead adorable? It is made by Generations Lampwork, fun stuff!

Beaded Tutorial Critique

I have purchased a couple of tutorials for beaded earrings and thought I would share my finds with you.

I got bored with my designs and was uninspired but needed some new earrings. I looked around on Etsy and found these 2 tutorials. They were extremely well written as few beaded jewelry tutorials are. When I first began beading a few years ago I purchased several from a site that has tons of them. They were so difficult to follow I never bought another until now. The directions are so easy to follow you don't even really need the photos that comes with them. I highly recommend any tutorials from this artisan!

She is also running a really good sale a the moment and I think I will go and pick up a couple more!

Happy Beading!

Happy Valentine’s Day from Divella Delights!

Happy Valentine’s Day from Divella Delights!
Everything on the site is 10% off, even the Under $25.00 section and all those beautiful hats! Necklaces have been discounted 40% and bracelets are 30%! Sale begins now and ends Thursday evening and remember, I ship every day.
All orders over $45.00 receive a free gift!
I have the jewelry store I sell to coming over tomorrow to fill up her display so if there is something you want, you might want to get it now.
The winner for February has been selected so as soon as I hear back I will announce the winner.
I just purchased a program so I can make my own bead patterns for peyote bracelets so lots of great new designs coming up. I will even be able to bead people, pets, etc into a bracelet. See the geometric one? This one was designed by Anna Neff although I changed things up a bit and designed a clasp I like much better. This will be very exciting!
Happy Valentines Day to all of you!

Beautiful 1920s Felted Hats

I have been having a really good time this year making my hats and hat and scarf sets and have loved all the wonderful comments on both my ETSY feedback page and my Divella Delights website guestbook. The hat that is drying now however takes the cake. While I was twisting up the yarn this idea came into my head so I gave it a try. I wanted something a little more chic and elegant and to my delight, it worked. White I am waiting for it to dry I am working up a Turquoise necklace in the same style as my last post. It is coming a long very nicely. I just can't wait for that hat! All I can tell you now is that it is red, a color I usually tend to stay away from. Check back in Sunday or Monday for the necklace and mid-week for the hat!

Sweet Dreams

I have had this vision locked away in my head for quite some time. With the Holiday madness and working 2 jobs I didn’t have any time to be creative. Now that things have quieted down a little and thanks to the generous team at Artbeads today is the day. They contacted me and asked if I would be willing to review some of their inventory free of charge. Well, what designer can pass that up?
I love lampwork and have used a lot of it my work. I really had a hard time choosing between the bamboo lampwork pieces and the one I finally chose. I also use a lot of seed beads and Artbeads has an extensive assortment of colors and finishes making it easy to get those ideas in my head into reality.
I am very left brained and I have wanted to branch out a bit and try something asymmetrical.
To create this 20 inch necklace I used #8 beads in a light green then made a weave with #11 seed beads in Opal Topaz and Green Picasso along with Smoky Quartz gemstones and genuine pearls . Oops, I nearly forgot the 4mm Swarovski crystals

It was really hard for me to do the two sides different but I think it turned out beautifully...what do you think?

You can see more photos of this piece and get more information on my website at Divella Delights.
Disclosure...As a reviewer of products at Artbeads, I receive the elements in this necklace above free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products. I am not being compensated by Artbeads for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed

Handmade Jewelry sale

Good-Bye 2009!
In just a couple of days we will have the final monthly drawing for 2009. You only need be on the e-mail list to have a chance at a very special free gift. Here are just a few of the free gifts this year and this month there is going to be something extra-special!
There are some changes in the works at Divella Delights for 2010 so stay tuned in January for some updates. I am trying to get it all together now so I can just send out one e-mail with all the new information.
Did you know that we now offer Gift Certificates at Divella Delights? Did you realize that they never expire? You can also set up a specific day to have your gift certificate sent. If your life is as busy as mine this feature can come in very handy!
There is a sale beginning NOW at Divella Delights with earrings, bracelets, necklaces and even the Crochet Hats by Jessy from 30%-50% off regular prices. Some of the designs will not be coming back so if you have seen something you like, now might be the time! We also have the new "Under $25.00" category. Come by and check that one out from time to time.
I extend my wishes for a very happy, fulfilling and joyful 2010 to all my wonderful customers…see you all next year!
Dianne
Divella Delights

Lobster Jewelry

50% off the the Special of the Day today at Divella Delights!

Autumn on the ReefAllow me to introduce Louie. He is a lampwork bead created by Generations Lampwork as are his companions found on the neck of this fun and beautiful necklace. Sunning himself on a rocky reef made of Zebra and Picture Jaspers, Genuine Pearls and Swarovski crystals he is held securely by a hand made 14K gold filled clasp with a single Swarovski crystal wrapped inside.

Today's Special

This is the special for today marked at 50% off. You get all the wonderful details at Divella Delights

Daily Special

Every day at Divella Delights we have one itme that has been reduced by 30%. They change every day.Here is the one for today 11/16/09:Fit for a Princess, these earrings are made with Swarovski fine lead crystals from Austria and creamy pearls. Each pearl has a lovely twist of beautiful copper around it for an ultra feminine look. I could not stop taking photos of these, they really sparkle and they cascae so gracefully.

Felted Bags

I am very happy to report that the "Little Bag" series is a success! You can see more at Divella Delights as well as some larger felted bags and clutches. I love to have an excuse to knit so thanks to all my wonderful customers!
I really need to focus on getting some jewelry done but with the temperature dropping all I want to do is knit and crochet. The jewelry store is getting low on stock and it is not the best time of year to neglect that for sure. I suppose that in light of this I will be at the table creating designs of the gemstone variety this week when I am not at LL Beans answering phone calls!
As far as those wonderful Flapper hats I have some in stock already. Last year they took off suddenly and I was up until well after midnight crocheting like crazy. This year I have quite a few made up ready to go.

Grab a cup of tea and stop by Divella Delights and check out the new jewelry, hats and felted bags.

Getting Noticed

The last couple of months have been busy! Divella Delights has been featured on Shopping Connection Galleria and Accessories Suzanne. I have also had 2 articles published in regard to jewelry making and marketing with an e-zine and it has brought a lot of traffic to the website.
It has taken a couple of years but Divella Delights is finally getting noticed. I am very excited!
I hope all this makes for a prosperous Holiday season this year.
My hats are also going into Bonnet Boutique next month and they are already in Rise Gallery and doing very well.
Thanks so much to all of you who have passed the word around!

Sign up on the e-mail list at Divella Delights for a chance to win free jewelry. I have a drawing every month!

This necklace features a faceted Swarovski Teardrop in Topaz wire wrapped tornado style with 14K gold filled wire. Genuine Red Aventurine, Turquoise and more Swarovski crystals surround it to a length of 16 inches. The clasp is one of my wire wrapped ( again in 14K gold filled wire) and has a turquoise and a Swarovski. I cannot take credit for the photo...when I put the necklace in the box it just did this!

Beading Studio on a Shoestring

I have found a great use for some bulletin boards that were headed for the garbage by a local company. Hardly used but not too pretty they were going to throw them away and replace them with some more modern and attractive models.
I was always digging through bins and drawers to find my pearls and gems and I never really knew what I had or needed. I put the bulletin boards up in my studio and started pinning my treasures in small plastic bags, many of which are the bags they came in. I also have a box for retired bags so I always have plenty on hand. Now in addition to being able to see what I have, I feel much more inspired and I can just go around the room and pick what I want off the board. In addition to that now that those are on the walls I have more space on the shelves.
My seed beads are on shelves by size and color so they are also in plain site.
I use the large plastic salad containers to organize my thread and lightweight stringing material and tin cans to hold tubes of beads, again organized by size and color.
The drawers that used to hold my beads now hold fibers and other stringing materials (mostly for macramé) keeping them safe from the sun and lighting that can fade them.
I hope someday to be able to get some sort of sliding wall to put them on so I can close them when I am not using them to keep them from the light and be a little more attractive but for now this works very well!

A New Style for a New Season

A New Style for a New Season.
Last year’s Ella’s Flapper hat did very well and I will be doing those again this year. I have created a new style for this year with a bit of youthful appeal and I am calling this one the Diva Flapper. Diva is the youngest of my twin granddaughters while Ella is the oldest of the pair. This hat is made with the same wonderful fibers as the Ella Flapper (lambswool, wool, mohair, acrylic and blends) but in a slightly different style. These are not quite as thick but perfect for those who live in a more temperate climate or who tend to get hotheaded!
As with all my hats they are crocheted by hand and by me. The embellishments are either hand knit or crochet, or perhaps beaded…again by yours truly. They are made " one size fits most" but can be made larger or smaller. Last year, one hat (out of 173) came back for sizing so they truly do fit most women from teen to adult. You can see the Diva Hat and mony other hats, scarves and jewelry items at Divella Delights