BRACELETS GALORE!

A design by Eileen Barker renamed "Along the Seine" River (created during one of her trips to Paris!) and taught by Sandy Taylor at Bead Street.  It uses herringbone stitch down the middle with the 2-hole superduos (I interpersed both matte and polished super duos in the light yellow), 1.5 or 1.8 cubes for the peyote stitch and then finished with 11.0 sb.  It's a great pattern with lots of possibilities, which is another good teaching for me -- I bead tightly and as I continued to stitch this design, it continued to pull in the length... leaving me with a bracelet that was shorter than when I started!  Here's where the creative side of my brain has to kick in.  I haven't finished the bracelet below yet - no longer than normal closure designed as yet... so stay tuned.  However, the next pictures are the same pattern - a little more SPRING (in my step!) for sure.  I do love it when my creativity kicks in...

This is a pattern where it is important that your beads are close to the same size, and all in good shape -- culling them would be a good thing to do -- I was tring to pay attention, but alas, didn't notice and one of mine is slightly mis-shapen so it didn't fit in as well as it should have - if you look real close you will see it in the picture above.

This is the same design as above, just finished with a great closure, adding two rounds of super duos (on both side ends of the bracelet) and 11.0 sbs and a peyote stitched bar!  Aren't the colors fun?!  I think I may have lost the "Seine River" in this version - the center super duos are not as pronounced using two colors, but I love the different feel and look of the same pattern.  And, the added focal point of lucite flowers in the middle - large orange, mid sized bright pink and smaller turquoise, layered, add some add'l fun.  This is gonna be an eye catcher!

I continue to strive to make a leather wrap that goes flawlessly!  This one is getting there...I like the European looking Edelweiss clasp/button.

I think this is my favorite thus far, and it's a single wrap!  The mustard leather is so awesome with the turquoise 6mm Fire Polish and the closure is FANTASTIC -- it's a ceramic bead/button, made by Tracee Dock at The Classic Bead  Tracee is one of my favorite artists for sure!

SPICE BRACELET DESIGN

A Saturday bead class at Bead Street was just the medicine needed for my swirling emotions these days.  Still in the midst of our 2-yr old grandson's short-term health prognosis, I needed to just sit and bead and try to get my "diversion" groove back... it worked!  Thanks so much Sandy Taylor!  This bracelet is a lovely design by Linda Roberts, taught by Sandy.  Time consuming because every RAW unit needs to be reinforced twice (and the RAW portion of this pattern was a challenge at first!), to cinch it up a bit, but well worth the time and effort.  I think my version looks very southwestern.  Love the matte finish blue/gold multi colored SuperDuos I chose, along with the brighter purple, mixed with the SuperUnos I interchanged on the outer edge - every other one. See what you think.

 

LIFE, FAMILY AND MISC. BEADING

Life happens... and our priorities change for a time... mine sure have.  Unfortunately, our little 2 year old grandson, has been ill, so my beading has taken a very very back seat for a few weeks.  I just didn't feel much like beading... but I have been trying to finish a project here and there, and I had a leather wrap special order, so that one was done before all the stress began.   There have been many miles driven between Idaho and Montana, lots of calls and texts, and lots of concern, love, prayer and tears shed.  But, we are hopeful and full of very positive energy this afternoon - his platelets have headed back up and I just feel all those prayers and love have helped. Thanks everyone! Not sure what I would ever do without my peeps. 

Another version of the Crystal Windows pattern, but with only three windows instead of five from my previous post.  I thought "less might be more" so to speak, plus fewer to bang on a desktop or wherever during wear.  Tnis is a special version for my sister, Susan, who turned 61 last week. Hope she likes it!  The colors in this version turned out so great together! 

This is the special order wrap bracelet - I used "pleather".  It was awesome to work with and unlike the leather, it doesn't crack and look worn before you even put it on.  I had another bracelet completed, except for the thread tie off, and I can't really even describe what happened.  As I started to knot the end, the thread got all pulled and bunched up and I could not get it to straighten back out.  I was a little stressed by the time I cut that one apart and then finished this one!  I do love these bracelets, but the start and the finish give me a slight kick in the butt.  Can you spell a-n-a-l?

 

And, here's our sweet red headed boy, Noah.  WE LOVE YOU!