O BEAD DELIGHT!

Ahhh - so comforting and just plain wonderful time spent at Bead Street with all my beading sistahs -  Eileen, Sandy, Judy, Sharon, Sue and Virginia, and our newest classmate, Gail.  And I don't want to forget those sistahs in the metal class across the hall with Beth.  Wish I could be two places at once!  It was just a wonderful Saturday!  Felt so great to be back doing what we love to do together!  This pattern was a challenge to start, as the quadratiles want to kind of hang loose as you construct the base, and so they rotate if you aren't careful... which didn't click in until I had to remove my stitches a few too many times...  Ha.  My natural tendency is to bead tight, so it took me half way down the bracelet to get the hang of it.  But, I'm liking working with quadratiles and the Czech glass O beads are always fun to work with.  Love the color options, which are endless.  Class at Bead Street taught by Sandy Taylor, design by Adele Kimpell called "QT Bracelet". 

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!

 

 

BEADED BEAD AND VERSATILE BRACELET DESIGN

My last post included the copperish/turquoise bracelet called Crystal Windows with peyote and RAW. I reworked it slightly and used larger beads (8.0) and AB crystals instead of the montees. Really a different look -- plus a bit more flash on the wrist.  These deep red AB bicones really show up in the picture, but they are much more subtle in person.  But, the contrast is lovely.

 

 

 

Here are the bracelets side by side -- a nice difference using small/larger seed beads.

 

 

These are my newest project - lovely beaded puff beads by SashaSi.  A fun class at Bead Street taught by Sandy Taylor.  I'll have a necklace to post in the near future using a few, different colored beads.  Beaded beads are so versatile and each one definitely has it's own look.  This pattern uses two-hole super duos.  And, love the new FP beads at Bead Street.  They just added the needed subtle glow to the drop.

 

 



 



2-HOLE TRIANGLE AND LENTIL BRACELETS

Here are a couple new pieces I learned at  Bead Street recently, using the two-hole triangles, which are the newest addition to my bead stash.  There are many new patterns being tested right now, and several are still in the testing phase as I mentioned in my last blog - those I won't be able to post for awhile.  But, these two patterns are out of the testing phase.  They use these awesome CzechMate beads, wich are so fun to work with!  The first design is "Cupids Crown", taught by Sue, adapted from a pattern designed by Nicole Starman and it uses 2 different colors of 2-hole  triangles, along with lentils, FP and 11.0 sb.  The class was to make a bracelet, but I thought it would be fun as a necklace... so I intermingled and reversed the colors in the crowns , using the same FP on each as the constant.  As with all these designs, the color combinations are only limited by the colors of the two-hole beads available.

Next, a design by Adele Kimpell perfectly named "Crystal Windows", taught by Sandy Taylor.  This pattern uses 11.0 seed beads, and is embellished with small crystal montees.  It's peyote stitch with RAW and picots for the centerpieces.  I'm trying the same pattern with 8.0 seed beads, and it's looking great so far.  Haven't decided what I'll put in the middle of the RAW--it'll be something other than the montees.

 

LENTILLE BRACELET, two versions of the same pattern . . .

MY FALL COLORS adorn this wonderful pattern.  A class at Bead Street taught by Sandy, using an Adele Kimpell pattern, "Lentille Bracelet".  This was my second bracelet - my first is below.  On this version I took it down a slightly different path, using both two hole Czechmate lentils in the shiny bronze, and  a variety of fall colored super duos.  It's yummy if I don't say so myself.  The herringbone tube-like pattern was very fun, and since I had struggled with this stitch on a previous project, I had it down this time!  I used a multi-mix tube of matte 11.0 seed beads in copper/yellow tones and shiny gold (permanent finish) 11.0's down the center for a little pop.

My closure is a leather button with peyote stitched loop.

Here's the FIRST bracelet I made, below.  I wanted to try something slightly different and even though I'm in a fall color mode, I chose cooler colors for this project, starting with the purple metallic (permanent) 11.0's, and the metallic purple/blue mix lentils.  The whole time I was working this bracelet I wasn't sure I liked the combo until near the end.  I wanted to try a different closure, so transitioned from the herringbone to peyote stitch, then used a button and peyote stitched loop.  I must say, I had to tear out this small section over and over and yes, over again, because it wouldn't lay right.  It was a challenge, but in the end... yes, I love this one too.  Isn't the button oh so cute?

HERRINGBONE FALL BRACELETS

A wonderful pattern designed by Adele Kimpell, Bead Dreamers, (tweaked and embellished slightly) which I learned in a class taught by Sandy Taylor at Bead Street.  This is my second [completed] bracelet using 8sb's (reddish/rust color) for the tubular Herringbone base, with three different colored lentels (dark green, translucent/opaque yellow and the gorgeous orange with gold flecks, my favorite).  I added some copper 11s down the middle of the base as a finishing touch.

Another front view - this shows the translucent side of the yellow lentels.



Back view-- I did not add the copper 11 embellishment to this side.  It is more comfortable to wear without the added beads next to the skin.  Also, you can see the other side of the yellows - the opaque coating.



Here's the first bracelet I completed - I say that because the original pattern used 11's for the Herringbone tube base, but my eyes have not been cooperating and I just couldn't see the beads to get it started - four beads for a tube was challenging for me!  So, that one sits on my beading table. I will finish it, but  for right now, the bigger seed beads are fun - I like the flash of color on my wrist. Doesn't this color combo remind you of cornucopia?