RUSSIAN LACE CONTINUED...

Russian Lace is one of those stitches I can do while traveling - in a car or on a plane, as long as it's straight and not bumpy!  A little limiting, I know... but I love it so, I have to try to use my time when I can get it.  My hubby and I were en route (he was driving!) to Seattle a few weeks ago to see our son, daughter-in-law and darling red headed grandson (they were preparing to move to MT) and I started this project.  I finished putting it all together once I got home, but this one was soo fun -- I started with no particular design in mind--just colors that I liked and alot of road ahead of us.  I used 6 sbs, 11 sbs and bugle beads for the necklace.  Orange/peach and dark copper. And for the pendant, I just started and kept on adding.  I started with bright green peanut beads and built from there (see the back view below).  It created a nice pocket for the crystal rivoli in the center.

I really like the lighting in the above two shots ...the colors pop and are very close to the actual finish -- The back of the pendant is shown in the next couple of shots below - the funky greeen farfalle (peanut beads) started me off... and I added from there w/lots of different colors.  I took add'l front view shots (also below), which give a little different perspective, a little more eye on the stitch and less on lighting and posturing of the piece. 

 

I've never tried tubular twisted herringbone and my first attempt is below.  I'm now declaring this my official new favorite.  The twist is sooo cool.  I used 8 sbs in four shades of turquoise/blue and then every so often inserted three rows of a moss green. 

 

I strung one of my crystal hearts on the herringbone twist... it pulls in all the colors in the necklace.

A fun birthday project for a friend... Hope you love it Julie!  Tagua nut round, Czech bird bead w/gold outline, lucite flowers, turquoise drop and my fav... copper wire.  I had given her earrings with the green bird bead two years ago... this is an addition to her JDreams collection!

PICOT STITCH PROJECT

I am on a pink/peach/orange kick and I found these beautiful fire polish beads on a recent trip to Seattle at Garden of Beadin.  The AB sheen (up close and personal) is really gorgeous.  Unfortunately, Garden of Beadin' is not on-line, so the fact that I didn't buy enough strands to do much more than this necklace is a dang shame...I don't know what the color is exactly, (the price tag didn't include color) but I had not seen it anywhere else.  And the final necklace shown below is not what it started out to be... it was supposed to be layers of picots, but for some reason as I neared the bottom layer, it didn't want to form a nice circle... had a mind of its own, and wanted to lay kind of funny.  So, I pondered it for a day or two and then finally it dawned on me that I could fold it over and just zip it up using peyote - I guess that would be peyote... the zipping part anyway!  I love the way it turned out.  The pinkish AB fire polish on top with the pearls in a light coffee color underneath are really wonderful.  It gives the necklace real dimension.  And, mixed with copper bead caps and a little chain... yummy!  I can also twist it so the pearls and fire polish are both given equal "show".  It's a versatile piece I didn't imagine when I started. 

 

Darlin' flower earrings to match.  I put a little bit of turqoise paint on the edges of the copper flowers just to give it a little extreeee pizazz...

 

My next project, again in the pink/peach/orange family.  This dyed agate (thanks so much Terri for educatin' me on the stone!)  is really gorgeous - the layering of colors really caught my eye.  Again, Garden of Beadin, and I only bought one.  What was I thinking?

 

The necklace is czech glass squares with darker color veins that vary in each square - I spaced with copper 2mm balls and 11 sbs.

 

 And here are the earrings to go with this necklace - drops are really pretty - darker on the outer layer and lighter pink inside.  I had a hard time showing that depth with my camera.  Swarovski crystals with Czech angular drops on copper wire.

SUMMER PINWHEEL EARRINGS

Earrings, earrings, earrings.  You can never have too many, right?  I found a fun pattern at Fusion Beads, and have kind of fallen for this style.  They look like pinwheels don't they?  And, you can use so many different beads with the Super Duos.  The purple combo below was my first(!) and the second two followed with slight deviation. Colors are all varied so can be worn with lots of different clothing combos. 



Love the color combination of purples on this one.  Transparent purple Super Duos in center and four different color 8 sbs on outer edge.  I didn't add any chain to this first version, so they fit closer to the ear.  My handmade copper earring wires finish these off.  I hope you love these, Tara!  ♥ 

 

Multi colored center - transparent Super Duos (purple, blue, pink) with 3mm AB swarovski crystals around outer edge and with 4mm as dangle.  I changed the pattern up slightly by adding the center flower bead to each, and in this version I also used a Super Duo, instead of 15 sbs for the attachment to the chain, for a slightly longer version.



These are very fun on.  The center is transparent yellow, and the Super Duos are the pinkish color.  The bright pink/peach colors are so big this year and this earring, with the yellows, turquoise, orange, purple size 8 sbs, are versatile...I added the chain and drops after to give them a little more length and low key bling.