Showing posts with label jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jewelry. Show all posts

Saturday, May 5, 2012

One Crayon Color Challenge

Sally Russick, from TheStudioSublime, presented a wonderful challenge:  take one color, and only one color, and create something.  Sally called it the One Crayon Color Challenge.

I love monochromatic designs.  I get lost in the different hues and gradations of one color.  I decided right away to join in the fun.  My first instinct told me to choose orange and that's what I did.  Over the next few weeks, I started to wonder what my instinct was thinking.

Then I found these in my stash.  Who knew these orange pearls from Fusion Beads were lurking around?


I also stumbled into this wonderful Madagascar agate at the bead store.


Absolutely gorgeous!


The beads definitely spoke to me.  Unfortunately, they only said, "buy me."  Those sneaky beads had no intention of telling me how to use them.

The agate beads were challenging because they are larger than the beads I normally use.  The irregular shape  also gave me pause.

I decided to bead a thick rope that might flow into the agate beads.  I looked through my stack of patterns and found "A Different Kind of Spiral" by Marcia Balonis.  You can find that pattern and many others here.  Marcia's patterns are just gorgeous.  If you have a few minutes, please check them out.

Marcia's spiral rope was perfect for what I had in mind.


The topaz crystals take a bit of an orange cast when mixed with the pearls and the dark orange seed beads.

The necklace is pretty simple:  a few beaded spirals and the agate beads.  I couldn't leave well enough alone, though, and added these cute little laced barrel beads, the design for which I found at Bluebear Beads.


I ended up hid a magnetic clasp inside the rope and love the finished look.  The two sections of rope just seem to meld into each other.



The end result is close to what I had in mind.




I also like a more asymmetrical look.


Sally, thank you for such a wonderful challenge.  I had a blast working on this necklace.

If you want to see more beady goodness in one color designs, check out the rest of the hop:

Hosted by:

Sally Russick  http://thestudiosublime.com

Red
Bobbie Rafferty   http://beadsong.blogspot.com

Orange
Linda Landig  http://LindasBeadBlog.com
Renetha Stanziano   http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com
Tanya Goodwin  http://pixiloo.blogspot.com - you are here
Amy Severino   http://amybeads.blogspot.com
 Yellow
Heather Powers   http://humblebeads.blogspot.com
Blue
Rebecca Anderson  http://songbeads.blogspot.com
Hope Smitherman  http://craftyhope.blogspot.com
Alicia Marinache  http://allprettythings.ca
Charissa Sloper   http://blog.obsidiansoda.com
Sandi Volpe   http://sandivolpe.com
Catherine Pruitt  http://boobeads.blogspot.com

 Green
Jenny Davies Reazor   http://www.jdaviesreazor.com
Elizabeth Auld  http://beadsforbusygals.com

Purple
Jennifer Judd Velasquez http://jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com
Lori Anderson  http://prettythingsblog.com
Brown
Diana Ptaszynski   http://suburbangirlstudio.com
Janice Everett   http://JLynnJewels.blogspot.com
Black
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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.
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Saturday, April 7, 2012

Mini Charm Challenge from LaBellaJoya

You might have heard me talk about Marcie Abney in the past.  Marcie is an amazing bead artist and designer.  You can see some of her work and her tutorials in her etsy shop.

I read several blogs and like getting to "know" someone through a blog or through an email or two.  As such, I am always happy to see a design by someone I know in a publication--Beadwork Magazine, in this case.

Marcie's Moroccan Charm design was published in the April/May issue of Beadwork Magazine.  It is a cute and versatile pattern that works up quickly and can be used in almost anything.

A few weeks ago, Marcie challenged us to create a version of her Moroccan Charm and create something with it.

I made a few charms, which were very easy to do, by the way, but no inspiration hit me.  Last night, I picked it up again (right under the wire, so to speak).

I made these cute charms.


And then, using Marcie's pattern as inspiration, I tried something a bit different.


I added some links from Miss Fickle Media.


I couldn't find jumprings, so I made a few.

Note to self:  buy new flush wire cutters
Note to husband:  I am not buying new flush wire cutters
Note to readers:  don't look closely at the jumprings

Here's the finished product:


If you want to see more wonderful designs that use this charm, check out Marcie's blog.  Marcie has posted pictures of all the participants' projects.

Marcie, thank you for suggesting the challenge.  It was fun!

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Sari Bangle

When I found Pinterest, the first thing that grabbed my eye was a picture of these bangles.  I loved them and was not surprised to see they were from Miss Fickle Media.  I love Shannon's work and she is such an inspiration to those of us not familiar with hammers and heavy gauge wire.

What I didn't realize was that Shannon had created a tutorial for these bangles and sells it in her etsy shop.

I read over the tutorial several times and gathered materials.  While scoping out potential focals, I came across this connector from Nancy Schindler of the Rabbit Muse.


I followed Shannon's tutorial and created the bangle base, then wrapped it with sari ribbon and wire.



This bangle was so easy to make and I just love the result.  Banging on wire with the hammer was pretty fun too.  :)

Shannon, thank you so much for the wonderful tutorial!






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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Beading Babes Project 4 - Progress

We have almost a month until the Beading Babes Project 4 reveal.  I am in a much better position this month than I was in last month when Karyn very graciously gave us a few weeks extension.

We have three projects this month.  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.

I did these in two colorways because I really liked this pattern.  It was quick and easy and the result was beautiful.  I didn't think to take "in progress" pictures, so you are left with just a tease for now.


Our second project was the Ruffled Chain Bracelet by Laina Goodman.  It was published in the February/March 2011 issue of Beadwork.  Again, I can only offer a tease of the finished bracelet.


Our final project was a special one.  Nancy Dale was kind enough to provide us with her Trellis Necklace pattern.  Nancy has this pattern and more available in her etsy store.

I found this awesome African metal bead at a local bead store.  I quickly snapped it up, but couldn't decide how to use it.  Nancy's Trellis Necklace provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase this bead.


I found a few smaller metal beads to use as accents in place of the pearls in Nancy's pattern.


Because the metal beads have much larger holes, I had to improvise a bit.  After finishing a section of right angle weave base, I continued with size 15 seed beads in a circular peyote stitch.  The resulting rope was just the right size to fit into the metal beads.  I was then able to switch back to right angle weave without too much trouble.

My color inspiration comes from this bead in the African Slave Beads section of ezakwantu.com.  I saw it and fell in love with the colors.


I'm working on the right angle weave base of the rope and cannot wait to add the black, tan and cream embellishment.


This is one of the first times in which my vision played out perfectly in the beaded world.  I didn't have to unstring or restitch.  (Yes, that's me doing the "happy dance.")

I hope you'll join us in a month for our Beading Babes project 4 reveal.  If you want more information on Beading Babes, click here to visit the Beading Babes page on Karyn's blog, Releases by Rufydoof.  Karyn also has links to our first three projects on her sidebar, just in case you want to bask in the glow of beady goodness.  :)
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Friday, March 16, 2012

A ring for the kiddo

Some time ago, I bought this tutorial from Smadar's Treasure for a ring called, very appropriately, A Star is Born.


Much to my delight, the ring worked up quickly and easily.  It also takes just a few beads, most of which I usually have laying around.

I think it's definitely pretty in pink.


Since I don't wear rings often, this sits in my jewelry box waiting for a special occasion.

I did not count on the fact that little girls love sparkles and have very good memories.  Yesterday, the kiddo asked if she could wear my ring.  It took me a few minutes before I realized she was talking about my pink sparkly ring.  My rings are too big for her little fingers, so off we went to the bead store.

The kiddo has some amazing taste.  The colors she chose are awesome together.  I used slightly smaller beads for her ring and I love the way it turned out.


The smaller beads look great on her little fingers. 


I might even make a smaller one for a pinky ring for me.  :)

Check out Smadar's blog and etsy shop for more awesome tutorials.

Another of Smadar's patterns was used for this month's Beading Babes projects.  We all took a stab at Smadar's Ravashing Rosettes pattern.  You can see my version here.  The other members' versions are here.
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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Beadwork Beaded Beads Contest

Can you believe that Beadwork Magazine is 15 years old?  Seriously?  I actually had to go back and look at the date of my oldest Beadwork - Fall 1996.

This alone should tell you two things about me:  1) I keep all my old magazines and 2) I must be pretty old myself.

I did a google search and could only come up with one picture of the Fall 1996 Beadwork, which is available here, in Urban Bear Books's artfire shop.


Why am I suddenly nostalgic?  Well, I stumbled upon this contest Beadwork is hosting in honor of its 15th birthday.  Beadwork Magazine will feature one beaded bead in each of its upcoming 5 issues.  You mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create a piece of jewelry using at least one of each beaded bead.  The rest of the contest details are here.

I'm a bit excited about this and am now even more on edge to receive the April/May issue.  Doesn't it look lucious:


I'm curious to know if anyone will be up for the challenge.  As the last issue won't hit the news stands until October, the contest can't officially begin until late October.  The entries will be displayed on the Beading Daily site at  that time, but it still might be fun to have a blog hop of our own.  Maybe even mini blog hops to see the beaded beads as the magazines come out.

What do you guys think?  Is there any interest in beaded beads?

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Triangle bead bangle

I mentioned in this post that I liked the look of right angle weave with triangle beads.


The result looks a bit like snake skin to me because of the random way the beads turn.  Don't you think?

At one point, while beading Runway of Pearls by Barbara Falkowitz (published in the December 2011 issue of Beadwork), I thought about using a different bead instead of pearls. I ended up staying true to the pattern with wonderful results.  You can see my version here.

I still wanted to try out my idea, though.  Since I always seem to have beads laying around (just ask my husband), I had plenty of materials.  I found some purple triangle beads and started another 5 row right angle weave base.  I made mine 65 rows long (about 10 inches).  I noticed that this "shrinks" a bit when you fold it over.  Make your right angle weave base about an inch and a half or two inches longer than you want the bangle to be.


I embellished rows 1, 2, 4 and 5 just like the design for Runway of Pearls calls for.



It's a little hard to tell in these pictures, but the embellishment is there.  I couldn't find a color I liked with the purple triangle beads, so I opted for a more monochromatic pairing with blue iris seed beads.

Then I added joined the sides to make my right angle weave box.  Then I zipped it up to make a bangle shape.


I stitched two rows of farfalle beads between the triangle beads on the top of the bangle and 11 seed beads between the triangle beads on the bottom of the bangle.  The farfalle beads lined up wonderfully between the triangle beads.  The addition of the 11 seed beads helped the bangle keep its shape.  (I don't like a wimpy bangle.)


And the finished product:


If you try this, keep in mind a few things:

  • This bracelet will shrink.  A 9 inch base will not yield a 9 inch bangle.  If you are concerned, you can either make it longer than you would normally (1.5 or 2 inches as I suggested above), or you can wait to zip it into a bangle until after you add the embellishment.
  • You don't need to embellish the bottom of the bangle with the 11 and 15 seed beads (meaning you can skip embellishing rows 4 and 5 above).  No one will see the bottom.  If you don't embellish the bottom of the bangle, your bangle may not shrink as much.  I'm also not sure if the bangle will keep its shape without the embellishment.
  • You can also run a length of 3mm cord through the bangle to help it keep its shape.  This isn't a wimpy bangle, but it is a bit wiggly. 
This was a fun experiment for me.  Usually, my ideas don't work as well in reality as they do in my head.  This bangle, however, ended up just as I envisioned.  It worked up quickly and let me use the farfalle beads I have been itching to try.



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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Beading Babes January project

Beading Babes is the creation of Karyn from Releases by Rufydoof.  Each month, the group votes on a project and, at the end of the month, we all get to see each other's work  We had two projects this month, which helped keep me out of trouble.  :)

The first was Ravishing Rosettes by Smadar Grossman.  This was featured in the December 2011 issue of Bead and Button.

I love Smadar's designs.  If you want to see more of her work, check out her blog, Smadar's Treasure.  She also has an etsy shop (one that I am very familiar with) and an artfire shop.

This pattern was a bit different than what I'm used to doing.  First, it is mostly square stitch, which i don't do often.  Second, the rosettes attach together starting with one tiny bead.  This gave me a bit of frustration at the beginning.  I didn't really figure out the best way for me to stitch and reinforce the rosettes until I was on my 5th one or so.


I am glad that I persevered.  After I found the "groove," I was able to crank out a rosette every 20 minutes or so.  The growing string of rosettes is quite lovely.

That said, after I beaded half the rosettes, I decided to finish the necklace with some sari ribbon.  My reasons were twofold:
  1. I wanted a more casual end product.  I thought an entire necklace of beaded  rosettes, while gorgeous, might be too formal for my taste.
  2. I got tired of beading rosettes.  I looked at my half necklace and wondered if I really wanted to spend another 3-4 hours on it.  That's the painful truth (and hard for me to admit).     
I added a loop of square stitch to the rosettes at both ends of my chain and used two small oval links from Miss Fickle Media to connect the ribbon to the rosettes.  I am really pleased with the result.


I cannot wait to feast my eyes on the versions created by my fellow Beading Babes.  The fully beaded necklace looks like something a movie star would wear.

Our second project was Runway of Pearls by Barbara Falkowitz.  This was published in the December 2011 issue of Beadwork Magazine.

My first attempt used three rows and skipped the side pearls.  It looked like a big right angle weave box.  It was also stiff and not very comfortable.  I salvaged my beads and tried again.

Luckily, right angle weave works up quickly and I had the base of my new bracelet done in only a few episodes of White Collar.  On this attempt, I stuck to the instructions and the bracelet turned out beautifully. 



I used gray triangle beads for the base.  Blue seed beads on one side gives it a monochromatic look.  Pink seed beads on the other side provide more of a contrast.  The Tahitian Blue Swarovski pearls are a stunning finish.

I have to admit, with apologies to Barbara, I didn't think I would like this bracelet.  I thought the pearls would "stick out" too much.  I have never been so happy to be wrong.  The bracelet is just beautiful.  The design is wonderful and so versatile.  This will be one of my favorites.

Please hop over to Karyn's blog, Releases by Rufydoof, and see what the other participants did.  You can also find more information about Beading Babes on her blog.

Karyn, thank you again for putting this together.  These projects are always so much fun for me to do.


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