Sunday, April 29, 2012

Beading Babes project 4

This time around, our Beading Babes group had a whopping three projects.  How exciting is that?

The first one was Paisley Drops, designed by Jane Lock.  The pattern for these earrings was published in the August/September 2010 issue of Beadwork Magazine.

These earrings were so simple that I decided to do two colorways.  I'm usually all about crystals, but I went against the grain.  I chose the new Red Coral Swarovski pearls for this pair


and dark green pearls for this pair


These worked up very quickly and were fun to do.  Making a pair of these earrings would be a great way to use up left over delica beads.  One of these would also make a great pendant.  I will be making more of these.

Our second project was the Ruffled Chain Bracelet by Laina Goodman.  It was published in the February/March 2011 issue of Beadwork.

This was a project I might have passed up.  The colors of the examples in Beadwork didn't thrill me.  I also shy away from projects with multiple components.  I'd rather bead continuously than bead several small components and stitch them together.

As it usually turns out, however, I am really glad I did the bracelet.  I just love it.  The small components were easy to bead and the end result is striking.




I extended the motif on the bracelet with a beaded toggle.


As in our first project, these motifs can be used on other ways.  I think a single motif would make a great earring.


This is a color combination I wouldn't usually try, but I'm so glad I did.   Another score for Beading Babes moving me out of my comfort zone.  :)

Our final project was a special one.  Nancy Dale was kind enough to provide us with one of her patterns.  We all made a version of her Trellis Necklace.

I found some wonderful African metal beads and wanted to showcase them with Nancy's necklace.


I drew inspiration from this bead in the African Slave Beads section of ezakwantu.com.


The colors are similar to those I used in the second project above, but the African metal makes a big difference.


I love the trellis pattern of the necklace.  The red base is visible though the black overlay, but the color is really subtle.


I love the little flower embellishments and the way the rope just naturally graduates into the larger accent beads.

Originally, I wanted to bead a clasp.  Actually, I did bead one, but it didn't look quite right.  After some thought, I opted for a simple clasp that I made myself.


I can see that the soldering isn't perfect, but I'm happy with it for a first try.

This was a wonderful necklace to bead.  I can see so many possibilities for this pattern.


I am so in love with this necklace.  It is one my favorite things I've beaded.  I owe a big "thank you" to Nancy Dale for her generosity in allowing the use of her pattern.  Check out Nancy's etsy store for more wonderful patterns.

If you would like to see other versions of these projects, visit Karyn's blog, Releases by Rufydoof.  You can also find more information on our Beading Babes group on her blog.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

i heart macro Sunday

Last weekend, the kiddo played with her cousins at the park.  My sister in law suggested a look at the small rose garden and the kids were happy to oblige.

The kiddo and my niece loved retrieving the fallen petals.


My nephew had other ideas.


The roses were beautiful though.  I love the variety of colors.







There is more macro goodness at Studio Waterstone.

studio waterstone

Saturday, April 21, 2012

i heart macro Sunday

My entry in the Wrapped, Stacked and Layered Bracelet Challenge is here.

Everything is blooming!  And with blooms come the birds and the bees and butterflies!





There is more macro goodness over at Studio Waterstone.

studio waterstone

Wrapped, Stacked and Layered Challenge

Tracy, from MakeBracelets offered a wonderful challenge:  layer, stack, combine and create bracelets!  Stacked bracelets are definitely "in" right now, and Tracy's challenge makes stacking bracelets all the more fun.

Here's a sneak peek at the total package.  My inspiration came from a pair of earrings.  This is a bracelet post, however, and your first picture should have something to do with bracelets.  :)


My inspiration came from this wonderful pair of earrings made by Melinda Orr of Melinda Orr Designs:


These earrings were featured here on Earrings Everyday.  Seriously, how much fun are these?  The colors are just beautiful together and the turquoise drops swing so freely.  I just love them.  If you want to see more great earrings, check out the Earrings Everyday blog and Melinda's blog.

I love the color palette Melinda used in those earrings, and wanted to bring in those soft greens and yellows. My first thought was to incorporate sari ribbon with tons of little dangles.

As I was looking for some blue and green ribbon, I happened upon orange.  Wow, would that orange pop against the foamy sea colors.  I altered my game plan a bit to include orange and made my first bracelet.


I liked the ribbon bangle so much that I made a second.


I altered this tutorial from Miss Fickle Media a bit to make these bracelets.  I left out the center stone and curled the ends.  Shannon is one of my personal heroes when it comes to wire and metal.  Check out her blog.  She has some awesome ideas and great jewelry and components.

Now, I needed beads .. lots of beads.  I started making dangles ... lots of dangles.  I used the same soft greens and blues as in my inspiration earrings, and then threw in the turquoise and some pyrite.    Unfortunately, the orange bangle was a stark contrast to the soft sea colors in the bangle.  I needed a bit of color here as well and found a few bright orange beads to add to the mix.


I used the same sari ribbon and beads for a few mixed media bracelets to tie everything together.



The end result?


And, on my wrist


The orange really pops.

I love the greens, yellows and turquoise and am so happy that these work so well together.  While I'm a bit off from my original inspiration, I like the bright orange.  And if I'm in a softer mood, I can just leave a few bracelets at home and enjoy the lighter colors.  :)

I loved this challenge.  I still have tons of ideas floating around in my head for more bracelets.  Leather, chain, pearls .. the possibilities are endless.

Tracy, thank you so much for hosting!  Please check the MakeBracelets blog to see what all the other participants created.

Also, please take a few minutes (or days) and see what the rest of the participants did with their layered, stacked and wrapped bracelets.  Most of these are blogs, but a few are pinterest, etsy or facebook links.  Grab some coffee, tea, or diet pepsi and enjoy the beady goodness.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

i heart macro Sunday - tulip edition

Due to the wonderful summer like weather, many plants and flowers have bloomed early.  The kiddo loves Tulip Time in Topeka and we were fortunate enough to visit Lake Shawnee a few weeks ago.

There were tulips as far as the eye could see and they were all positively gorgeous!














The kiddo took pictures also.  They are not macro shots, but I am pretty impressed with her camera skills.




And, of course, her new summer shoes.  :)