Hello Beaders!
The New Year has brought turbulent weather to

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California, so I'm writing this e-letter from my laptop with its reliable battery power. The first big storm of the year is a tradition at our house, so we're prepared like Eagle Scouts with generators, the camp stove and some extra charcoal briquettes. After even a single day in the dark, you can't imagine how much appreciation you feel with every flip of a switch! Plus, it's hard to look good wearing a headlamp -- even I don't have the right earrings for that!

Unexpected Sparkle

Lucky Hitch
While waiting for my sushi at a local restaurant, I was intrigued by an unusual card. It featured a picture of a bold shamrock design created with crystals, but at first, I wasn't sure what the crystals were attached to. Once I figured it out, I was inspired by creator Mary Shumard's bold use of material in a location I would never have expected -- a trailer hitch cover! Mary's company, Lucky Hitch, offers a line of custom auto accessories swimming in Swarovski flatback crystals.

Some of Lucky Hitch's custom designs.

Lucky Hitch creates auto accessories that give glamour a whole new application and bring "bling" to the streets. Mary started her first Lucky Hitch innovation in 2000 from a desire to add some flair to her ride. Nothing she found suited her personal style, so she went to work. Her first custom creation featured more than 600 crystals and garnered the attention of friends and neighbors. Next, came their requests for custom works of art to feature on their own vehicles. The idea had taken off.

Lucky Hitch features a standard line of hitch covers or offers the option of custom-designed accessories. If you want your initials in a field of stars, you can have it. Starting at about $350 for custom designs, this is high-end auto glamour. If you consider the hand-placement of over 600 crystals for each cover, the numbers become easier to understand. Lucky Hitch has produced over 140 hitches, but only four or five have been duplicate designs, keeping the work truly customized.

Mary hires a local college student to do production and a local artist who turns ideas into finished, original art. She told me that this allows her to work on new ideas. The Lucky Hitch Web site offers floor mats, fuel doors, license plate frames, emblems, auto tattoos, mirrors and key chains. Customers range from women interested in customizing their vehicles to men buying gifts for the women in their lives and even a few men have ordered a little flash for their own rides.

Top quality adhesive and top-of-the-line Swarovski crystals, hand-placement of each crystal, and a potential palette of over 60 different colors keep the line lavish and the possibilities unlimited. Rebel against the ordinary and take your sparkle on the road, check out the innovative products at LuckyHitch.com.

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Cascading Sparklers Design by Katie Leedy Create these boutique-style earrings in an evening. We've seen similar earrings in popular jewelry catalogs for more than $50, but you can make your own for about $16. Materials: Green Swarovski crystal beads: 2 (6mm) round, 2 (6mm) bicone, 26 (4mm) bicone 2 sterling silver bead caps 30 (2-inch) 24-gauge sterling silver head pins 2 sterling silver ear wires 13 inches sterling silver small-link jewelry chain 6 inches 22-gauge half-hard sterling silver wire Round-nose pliers Chain-nose pliers Wire nippers Finished Sizes 2 3/4 inches long Instructions 1 Cut jewelry chain into the following lengths: four 1-inch, four 1 1/4-inch and two 2-inch. 2 Cut half-hard wire in half, creating two 3-inch lengths. 3 Working with one 3-inch length of wire, use round-nose pliers to form a wrapped loop at one end, stringing the end links of the following chains onto the loop before wrapping: two 1-inch, two 1 1/4-inch and one 2-inch. Set aside remaining chain lengths. 4 String a bead cap onto wire, positioning cap so it covers wrapped loop. Form another wrapped loop above bead cap. Trim excess wire. 5 String a 6mm round bead onto a head pin; form a wrapped loop above bead, attaching loop to an end link on one length of chain before wrapping. Trim excess wire. 6 Repeat step 5 once with a 6mm bicone bead and three additional times with 4mm bicone beads, attaching one to each end link on chains. 7 Repeat step 5 ten additional times with 4mm bicone beads, attaching loops to chains as desired. 8 Open top loop above bead cap and attach it to ear wire; close loop. 9 Repeat steps 3-8 for second earring. Source: Swarovski crystals, sterling silver wire and findings from Gahanna Bead Shop. Copyright © 2006. Simply Beads magazine. All rights reserved. Back to top. Click here for printer friendly page.

A Nickel for your Hints
Jewelry makers contact me often seeking non-allergenic metals for jewelry use since many people are allergic to nickel. While shopping online, I learned that brass is naturally nickel-free. Not only that, but brass is in style right now. From clasps to ear wires, there are endless design options available for those interested in making brass jewelry.

However, natural brass wire is tough to find. Most of the brass wire available is yellow or red. Natural brass components are a poor color match with yellow or red brass wire, which stand out against the darker, subtler shades of the natural brass. Try Artistic Wire's gunmetal-colored wire instead. Artistic Wire uses 99.9 percent copper wire covered in a poly coating that provides color. The gunmetal shade (#24) is a neutral, warm grayish color that blends seamlessly with natural brass. It is available in even-sized gauges from 18 to 28.

There is another option for those allergic to nickel. Linda Potter, a Simply Beads reader, e-mailed me to recommend Simply Whisper's ear wires and posts. She and her daughter are nickel-sensitive and swear by these metal findings. Simply Whispers offers an extensive line of nickel-free products in both gold and silver colors on their Web site, SimplyWhispers.com. This is a great tip, so thanks to Linda for sharing her source.

If any readers have further suggestions for jewelry lovers with nickel allergies, please use the feedback form at the bottom to share your hot tips!

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