I just got through watching the premiere of "House" that I TiVo'd, and it made me happy on so many levels. First, of course, it has Hugh Laurie in it, and Hugh Laurie is, in my opinion, very easy on the eyes. I also for some reason really like that cranky curmudgeonly attitude and amazing brilliantness. (Pause in your reading to sigh longingly with me).
I have been a fan of Step by Step Wire magazine since it's beginning. I love using wire in my jewelry, and plan to use a lot more of it in my designs next year (all part of my plan since I'm going to be doing a lot fewer craft shows). Right now, my wire work has been limited to doing fun things for earrings and maybe for a few bracelet components, leaving the few really intricate pieces I find time for to be sold at a gallery I work with.
I was tickled that the fall edition of Step by Step Wire included my tutorial for these earrings I named "Tribal Curves". They started, oddly enough, when I goofed up making a pair of ear wires. I accidentally made the bottom loop too large and had to make it look right, and decided to wrap some hair-thin wire around it. Voila -- "Tribal Curves" was born.
The earrings are currently for sale at my web site, www.lorianderson.net, and you can buy them by clicking here.
(If you click and there's nothing there, then someone beat you to the punch -- but feel free to email me, and I can make you your very own pair.)
Next, I chose some bright red cubes. A couple of years ago, I made a line of jewelry that used 6mm cubes and crystal squaredelles and they sold like mad, but I'd never made them in larger sizes. These larger cubes definitely made a difference in impact, and I think I'm going to have to play around some more with them.
I then chose some little flower pendants in light rose, and paired them with handmade lampwork glass for an unexpected kick.
These next earrings incorporate a bead I've wanted to try out for a while, the new Graphic Cube. I absolutely love it and can't wait to order more in every color. It reminds me of the 5309/1 Round Bicone, but with more squatness. The hole is larger than the normal Swarovski crystal bead, so for wire wraps, I recommend using a 2mm or 3mm bead to stop the hole and not have your wrap drop into the hole. The faceting is awesome, and the 8mm size I used gives you the best opportunity to really see the uniqueness.
The next two pairs of earrings are my favorites, and also took the longest and were the most difficult to make. 
Lastly, I wanted to take something that wasn't meant to be used for beading and turn it into a beading component. In this instance, I chose Swarovski crystal buttons and turned them into earrings. These also were not the easiest things to make, and it took several tries to figure out the right gauge of wire (22ga) and the right type of armature in the back of the button to make everything connect. With only two holes, I had to make one piece of wire hold all the chain AND make the loop that would hold the ear wire, all while not accidentally cracking the crystal. It takes some practice to get them to hold straight and not drop to one side or the other, but when they're right -- oh my. The result is amazing.
One of the other tricks I learned was how to make sure the chain was the same length for both earrings. I held a piece of wire and using a continuous length of chain, caught the loops over and over and over again on the wire until I had twice what I needed. I then twisted the ends of the wire so the chain wouldn't fall off (VERY IMPORTANT -- and don't ask me why I know that.....) and cut the chain just where the two sections join. When it's time to transfer the chain to your earring loop, carefully snip the twisted end of your holding wire and CAREFULLY slide it to the earring wire. Emphasis on carefully. Again, don't ask me why I know it should be carefully. (Sighs again.)
Zack was all over that polka-dotted box. When I opened it and squealed in delight, he came running, so I let him pull out all the bits and bobs. Some never made it long enough to pose for the camera (like the bubblegum-flavored rock candy), but suffice it to say, there were some amazing, fun things.
