Sparkling Boho Diva Bling with an Island Style Twist!

I am in love this new piece with its island girl boho glam..the little purple dyed clover flower is mother of pearl and is reminiscent of the little clover flower bling that dangles off of Louis Vuitton bags and key chains. And the mother of pearls is keeping to the island theme along with the freshwater pearls and the relaxed organic style of the knotted silk. It's one of the newest additions to my shop...and you can check out more pics of it here:

Fuschia Faceted Pearls and Purple Clover Flower Silk Cord Necklace

Here is a sneak preview of the matching earrings....still working on getting them priced and uploaded to the shop..



Jonara Blu Maui at Rubylane
Jonara Blu Maui at Etsy

Wordless Wednesday - Panda Bear!

My fur child..not a real panda..but yes a baby goat with a shirt on (it was cold)

See more wordless wednesday posts here on the wordless Wednesday blog

and here on 5minutesformom

Jonara Blu Maui

Project Accessory!!

Are you jewelry lovers watching this show? I'm so excited about it..it's so much fun! I get so jealous that every time my husband gets into something be it sports, guns, knives, ATV's...hunting..etc..there is always a million shows on about it all day long it seems. I know we've had some craft shows in the past..but seems they aren't on anymore...at least not here on Maui.

Project Accessory is high quality too..like it's sister show Project Runway. Love that one too.

I love this necklace by Christina Caruso

Image from MyLifetime.com

My other favorite was Nina Cortes shoes on episode 2...super cute and very boho..


Image from MyLifetime.com

I love how this show challenges their creative abilities and helps you to see outside of the box. Especially the first episode where they had to get their supplies from two storage units of junk..and they only had 15 min to grab things. I could watch a show based just on that every week! Here's to hoping this sets off more ideas for crafty shows to watch!

Showing some love..

Here are a few pieces I've made for family members and friends recently..


This cool triple pendant boho necklace went to my sister...it has a colorful array of many different stones..mostly jaspers..the front middle pendant is Peruvian opal




These earrings are still waiting for their new home with my sister to match her necklace above...



This Boho Beachy necklace also went to my sister to hopefully match some earrings she bought from another friend jewelry designer that has beach glass in them.This has glass pearls and fire polish glass faceted beads with a pendant of hami jasper and synthetic chalcedony briolette.



This peacock pearl and Paua abalone shell crocheted necklace just went to a friend visiting from the mainland who used to live here. She also got one hot off the press..no pics because I literally just finished making it..it was turquoise blue crystal and a Hill Tribe silver little Honu charm for a pendant...super sparkly and cute!




There were a couple of necklaces and a bracelet that went out to a friend and my sis in law that I didn't get pictures of..kinda bummed about that..it's always nice to at least have a pic for memories sake..I tend to get attached to any piece I'm working on ;-)

New Beachy Chic and Bohemian!

So my mom has been crocheting a lot lately..a family talent passed down from my grandmother...and she recently showed me some bracelets she wants to try and make. (she's decided to move on from blankets and booties..and pot holders..she made me some cool orange and green ones ;-)). It was more like a cuff with lots of beads in it..super cute..but when she showed it to me..it reminded me of these necklaces I made for myself probably 10 years ago with bead crochet in just a simple chain stitch. I loved those necklaces..but never ventured very far with it since I also got into the silk knotting at that time and got blindly hooked on that and still have hardly looked back.

Since it got me thinking about it again I pulled out some of my old Stringth brand cord from Rio Grande and tried to make one. I forgot how much fun it was to make and how much I loved the look! But I needed more cording for it..I actually gave away almost all of my Stringth since I started using Griffin Silk. In doing some research online and asking questions at my bead group Beadingaholics I found an awesome nylon cording with beautiful color choices I never had 10 years ago..at least that I knew of..it's called Superlon Nylon Beading thread..or S-Lon.

Finally I got my new S-Lon cord in but I think I need a smaller size because I'm a pearl girl and really want to add pearls to my work..and it just does not seem to fit through this size D.

Still I'm super excited about these new necklaces I made! So refreshing to do something a little different again. Being so into the look of silk when I knot my pearls..I always love to leave a little showing in between beads because I think it looks so much more natural and organic...these have a thicker fiber look that I am really digging.


Amazonite and Brown Cord Crocheted Necklace



Olive Opal and Dyed Sugilite Crocheted Organic Chic Necklace



This one I made for my mom :)



Blue Coral and Triple Gemstone Charm Crocheted Necklace


All can be found in my shop at Jonara Blu Maui

New Beach Bride Pearl Necklaces

I've added a couple sweet and simple white silk knotted pearl necklaces to the shop...



White Mother of Pearl Shell Pendant Beach Bride Necklace




White Freshwater Pearl Silk Knotted Beach Bride Necklace


This on is a little more dramatic..created with top drilled pearls like the first one but they are larger and have points on the end for a more organic look. It also has mother of pearl and features a mother of pearl carved monstera leaf..very tropical!



Mother of Pearl Hawaiian Leaf and Pearl Necklace This link leads to my Etsy shop..trying to mix it up since I don't give Etsy enough love and it's really been doing well finally!

You can also find my work at ArtFire:
Jonara Blu Maui - Artfire

The Infamous Jewelry Octopus - Beachy Hawaiian Style

I couldn't help myself when I found this mother of pearl octopus...we've all seen this creature used again and again in jewelry over the last several years. Mostly in different metals..though I have seen it gem incrusted..that one was gorgeous! I think he's such an interesting subject :)



In Hawaii we call the octopus "tako" though that is a Japanese word. You will find Japanese words used here and there quite often in Hawaii. The Hawaiian word for octopus is one that I never even heard living here..I had to look it up! It's "he'e" which would be pronounced "hay-ay" as 'e' sound is 'a'.



This Mother of Pearl Octopus Necklace is available for purchase at Jonara Blu Maui

Or if you prefer Etsy you may find it here: Octopus Necklace in Mother of Pearl - Maui Style

Thumbtack.com - new venue to list your online shop!

The other day I received and email from a nice gal named Heather asking about my wedding planning services and if I'd like to list them on their new website. I kindly let her know I was not a wedding planner..but that in looking at Thumbtack.com it looked like a really cool new place to list my jewelry website and would I still be able to. She said yes to go ahead and tell others. Here is my listing:

Beach Bride Jewelry made on Maui

The difference in this site is that it's made so you can find certain services in your own area. It's also got some extras..so far I see that I can add some pictures and it has a feature to help list your services on Craigslist. It all appears to be free as well. I have not delved far into it yet..but so far it's pretty simple and helpful as it even suggests you put the link to your listing on your website. It lets you know that to do this helps your ranking in Google. By completing different things you also get points..however I have not figured out what the points are for yet ;-)

Hanging out with Sea Turtles!

Want a nice way to spend an evening? How about heading out to the beach at Sunset...watching the sun slowly go down...watch the surfers come in...



And then watch the turtles come in!








Hawaii state law prohibits touching these beautiful creatures..and believe me it's hard not to...they come up so close to you! But you also want to think about keeping all your digits..they have sharp beaks for mouths and could probably snap a finger right off! Plus we don't want to add to any difficulties they are having as an endangered species so we don't touch..have a quick photo shoot and then sit back and watch as they nap in the moonlight. Not really sure what they are doing but they definitely want out of the water by sunset. And no they are not laying eggs. I imagine they are really smart and do that somewhere where people can't come to watch and take pictures with them (^-^)




Here is a video of one of the turtles that I posted on YouTube
sea turtle coming to shore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZXSfXQGH5w

Aloha from Hawaii! Collection on ArtFire

Today my Black Lip Shell Hibiscus Earrings made it on the Aloha from Hawaii Collection on ArtFire :)

Beaded Bracelets

Jonara Blu Maui

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Double Stranded Beaded Bracelets by Jonara Blu Maui!

I have a few in my shop right now..these double strand beaded bracelets are so much fun to wear..I really need to make more!

A whimsical mix of stabilized turquoise shapes, buri nut, tiger ebony wood, snowflake brown jasper, and coconut shell beads along with brown glass seed beads.
Double Strand Stabilized Turquoise and Wood Bracelet




An island mix of ocean themed beads including swirly squares of ground down white sea shell middles, mother of pearl, sea urchin, abalone shell, aquamarine and amazonite for some ocean blue accents along with sandy colored glass seed beads.
Sandy Beach Retreat Double Strand Bracelet



A brightly colored mix of dyed stabilized turquoise in different shades, lime chalk turquoise, lime dyed howlite, spring green dyed jade, dyed freshwater pearls, glass seed beads in bright turquoise and lime green, peridot and paua abalone shell with accents of sterling silver and cute charms..one a Hill Tribe silver turtle and the other a silverized pewter leaf.
Turtle Rainforest - Double Strand Asymmetrical Beaded Bracelet




Island Themed Beaded Jewelry Created on Maui, Hawaii

Spring Cleaning Sale...Ebay Auctions!

I've got a few items up for auction through Ebay..really I planned on putting more up..but as I"m looking at the pieces I'm realizing how much Hill Tribe Silver is on them...with the price of silver sky-rocketed and climbing daily..I think it's more worthwhile for me to take the jewelry apart and give the beads new design and new life.
Here are the pieces I've still got up. A couple have sold already.



Pink Peruvian Opal, Amazonite and Pearl Earrings
Faceted pink Peruvian opal coins dangle from faceted amazonite, mauve freshwater button pearls and Hill Tribe silver accents. Hand wire wrapped with sterling silver wire. Earrings hang from handcrafted sterling silver ear wires. Earrings hang 1 1/4" past the bottom of the ear wires.



Mother of Pearl Pendant and Light Pink Pearl NecklaceSquares of shimmering mother of pearl shell have been set in this oval shaped pendant with a resin background. Matching square mother of pearl beads and very light pink pearls are hand wire wrapped with 14k gold fill wire to 14k gold fill chain.



Periwinkle and Lime Green Multi Gem Beaded Necklace
A Mix of dream like colored gemstones, crystals and pearls with glass seed beads lining the back. Front clasping with sterling silver closure and chain. Beads include: blue dyed quartz, lime dyed chalk turquoise, gaspeite, dyed chalcedony, green pearls, Bali sterling silver daisy spacers, Hill Tribe silver nugget beads and Swarovski crystals.



Copper Seashell Earrings with Turquoise Drops
Antiqued copper seashell beads with turquoise drop beads on over sized antiqued copper ear wires. Earrings hang 1 1/2" past the bottom of the ear wires.


Wanna see the rest of my jewelry up for sale? You can check it out here:

Jonara Blu Maui
and here:
Jonara Blu on Etsy

Mahalo!

Fun with Beads! Danielle Walker's "Queen Bee Jewel Gallery"

I had the pleasure of recently meeting Danielle Walker via facebook...a very friendly creative gal whom I am happy to be a colleague of. She's the proud owner of not only Queen Bee Nail Gallery but an online jewelry shop called none other then.. The Queen Bee Jewel Gallery. As I browsed her jewelry shop on Etsy it's easy to see that she is over flowing with ideas. I'm always a bit jealous of those who can really get their hands in there and be creative with all sorts of medium.


Like this super cute and crafty multi-coloured button bracelet, she's given vintage plastic buttons new life.


And this very interesting ring..being a pearl gal I noticed this right away..as well as my love for sci fi..this ring called the "Orbit Ring" looks like so much fun!



Here is a recent piece Danielle was most proud of..and I would be too with all that bead work!

Keep up the creativity Danielle and continue to grow..it's an inspiration to everyone in the craft world!

Our experience with the Maui, Hawaii Tsunami from the Japan Earthquake - March 2011

It was Thursday night when my mom called and told us there was a Tsunami warning for the state of Hawaii from the Japan quake. This has happened to us many times over the years and usually it ends up being nothing on our end. Last year we had a good surge..but I believe no damage. I was shocked by her call though and thought it was a bit late for the tsunami because the only earthquake I had heard about was on Wed and it was something like a 7.8 (can't remember exact measurement) I had checked online for that and was so happy to find out that Japan was safe and didn't even loose power. I also tried to check for tsunami warnings but found none. No she said..there was another one today....8.9 (now upgraded to a 9.0) My heart sunk.. I turned on the news and oh those poor people! It looked like a bomb had gone off :(

We kept one eye on the news as we prepared on our end...for us since we live so high up the mountain we were safe from any threat of water..so this meant mostly calling friends and relatives in the flood zone making sure that they had a place to go "Bring your pets too!" I insisted..I hate to hear stories of animals getting hurt and lost in these disasters. I was on the phone a lot at first trying to find out if my aunt in Kihei was going to go up to my moms..she waited last minute until the cops came to her road telling everyone to get to higher ground! I found that out later because after just a little bit of time the phones stopped working..I could receive txts for a while but could not call or txt anyone back. Most people I talked to lost the use of their phones as well.

We also turned up our refrigerators and freezers as suggested on the news in case of a power outage and we filled up some containers for drinking water and some buckets for flushing the toilets and for the pets. I washed a bunch of clothes and we all took showers just in case we would not be able to later. On line it seemed a lot of friends and family were doing the same.

The tsunami was due to hit Hawaii around 2:50...something a.m....then changed to 3:07 a.m. I believe. We tried to stay up to watch on the news as we did last year when one happened in the middle of the day. We couldn't make it though and went to bed around 1:30 a.m. Then just after 3:00 a.m. I got woken up by multiple txts from friends and family from the mainland asking if we were okay. My mom said she even got one telling her she better wake up a tsunami was going to hit! Like we wouldn't know? lol! The state of Hawaii gave us ample warning..they said they even started the warning sirens 2 hours earlier then they normally would. I'd heard that the sirens started going off around midnight..we could hear them over the news when they show news journalists trying to report in Honolulu. Family here heard the sirens down a bit farther from us..but up here high on our volcano (in our little area called Olinda) it's nice and quiet. My brother just 5 min down the hill from me in Makawao was woken up by them.

At that point we tried to turn on the news again and see if we could watch the tsunami live on tv. Our son had already gotten up and turned on the news in the living room..so he came and hopped on the end our our bed to watch in our room. The news had the camera on the water..and it looked like it had some sort of enfrared (sp?) lights so we could see..but not sure if thats what it was. My eyes would just not stay awake though..so I fell asleep and the guys said they turned it off before they could see anything happen.

Morning came and thankfully it was not such bad news for Hawaii..The Big Island was hit the hardest..I believe a few homes were carried out to sea. No deaths though. For Maui the worse part was up Puunene Ave. in Kahului. The water went up as far as Walgreens. My bank on the corner of Puunene and Kamehameha was flooded. My husband, Paul, waited at home Friday..not going to work until the afternoon because roads to his shop were closed. On this video below of some Aerial Reconnaissance on Maui... near the beginning it mentions Kahului Beach road and how all the cement barriers from the harbor are all over the road..that is the road he takes to work.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRZvK7FG020

We could see the traffic and how bad it was using binoculars from our deck. There was another way around that Paul could have taken to work..but it looked really traffic-y and the news kept urging people to stay home and let the city clean up the roads. He had to get down there eventually though because we had a customers car in our shop and they were needing it back. So when he saw the roads seemed clearer..he left. Once down there he decided to at least try the usual road which was said to still be closed on the Maui County update page..but it was open when he got down there and looked fine. We spoke to others with businesses nearby who came down but closed up shop because there were no customers. Also everyone was dead tired! Most on Maui had stayed up most the night..and many of those who had to evacuate either spent the night on a road somewhere trying to sleep in their cars.

As for my aunt..like I said..she eventually came up to stay with my mom after being warned by the police! Then she left my moms house super early going back way before the all clear was given. She said the road by her condo was full of mud and fish and smelled bad! Then when she got to her place someone yelled to her that it was not over yet..a huge wave just came over South Kihei road! She kept her stuff packed in her car and thought about coming back up the hill to us..but ended up staying there and is fine thankfully!

Just yesterday my husband had to go check out a car at one of the car lots we do work for and they showed him a car that had been parked at the harbor having just arrived for them to pick up. The water line can clearly be seen on it..here are pictures my husband took:





Here is a clip from Maui County showing the rescue of a turtle that was washed up from the Tsunami. The Hawaiian sea turtle is an endangered species and in normal circumstances not to be touched..however this was a special circumstance and I'm glad they helped him back out to the ocean.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhMZiIR-YEM

I'm sure a lot of people around the shore have had to do much clean up and I read that it caused tens of millions of dollars in damage..but other then that we are very fortunate. Especially compared to those in Japan. I was able to contact a friend I had met from Japan in 2009 and find out that her and her family were safe and farther away from the damage. However every day we think of and pray that others in Japan find their loved ones safe and sound.