FALL COLORS AND FUN!

So many wondrous things happening during this awesome time of year -- my favorite fall season!  Woo Hoo!  It's also a time of year when I'm preparing for birthdays and other celebrations, so I cannot post all my in-process little pretties, but soon, very soon!  Here are a few of late, that I can post.  The first is this adorable bracelet made in perfectly Halloweenie colors, of course!!! A pattern design by Eileen Barker at Bead Street (you can also follow her on Pinterest or view some patterns on Starman) using quadratiles, tiles, drops, 11.0 and 15.0 seed beads, and 6mm rounds, but of course I used 4mm pumpkin rounds (melons) with 11.0 seed beads on either side to fill in that gap.  I love this bracelet.  It flows with your wrist, and it lends itself to lots of color - the drops I used are so awesome.  Green/orange/clear.  One way they look green, another way they look orange.  A fun twist.

 

 Next, some witcheeee earrings.  So fun to wear.  They get noticed, I'll say that, even in all my hair!  I found a pattern on the Fusion Bead website (they do a great job in their Inspiration section!), and did my own thing from there.  I used some of what I had in my stash (another unbelievable thing... I know!) black onyx and lucite, including the darlin' melons for "her" head - they are fun to use on lots of different pieces.

 Another lovely fall colored bracelet below, that is wonderfully lacy on the wrist.  Sometimes it takes me a few minutes to warm to a new pattern, and this one was just that.  However, it didn't take long, and as I started assembling each of the parts, it began to talk to me!  A pattern by Lisa Jordan, a Starman TrendSetter, in a class taught by Sandy Taylor at Bead Street. We used super duos, mini duos, 4mm fp, 11.0 and 15.0 seed beads.

 These earrings are my design (JDreams) - I love leaves in all colors, but mostly in fall colors, surprise!  So I just started stitching and this is what I ended up with. Czech glass leaves, a 4mm bicone for added sparkle, a little bit of leaf chain, and a stitched flower of leaves with a 6mm fp in the middle, using copper 11.0's for the center.  I could have gone on and on stitching with these, but I just had to stop right where they are because they are lovely enough! 

The earrings above and the bracelet below are more of my JDreams designs - love these white bone melons, coupled with the green Czech glass spacers and the effervescent orange rounds.  Below a peyote stitched bracelet using a Bo Hulley ceramic heart button.  The button just finished off the wrap bracelet, don't you think?

NEON SHADE OF SUPERDUOS MAKE A SPLASH!

A wonderful three-day weekend - one afternoon of it spent beading, chatting, laughing, etc. with my friends and fellow beadaholics at Bead Street!  I chose one of Eileen's new neon shades of two-hole superduos (magenta-ish) for this project below and oohhh la laaaa.  It's absolutely a jaw dropper color in person, at least I think so!  The pattern uses superduos, 8.0, 11.0 and 15.0 sbs, plus 4mm fire polish.  I added a 3mm round with 15.0 on either side down the middle to make the flowers pop, plus added drops to my closure loop.  I've gotta say, that's my favorite signature finish to any pattern -- and depending on the button used, it makes getting the bracelet on and off much easier.
 

A beautiful pattern named "Annelies Bracelet", designed by Ellad Des, and taught by Sandy Taylor at Bead Street.

A couple other projects I played with as time permitted over the Memorial Day Holiday. A wonderfully fun change of pace -- a Happy Mango Beads project designed by Erin Siegel for HMB.  The bright colors, wood rounds and brass Ethiopian beads grabbed me, plus it's multi-wear -- as a double drape necklace or a multi stack bracelet.  I like it best as a bracelet, but love the versatility.  All done on 1.5 mm leather with fun heart attached anywhere you want!

And, last but not least, another  casual wrap bracelet on 1.5 leather using wonderful crow glass beads (and czech donut rounds) with that same darlin' heart dangle -- because the glass can get heavy, I only did two strands.

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?

ODE TO SPRING COLORS!

I just finished this beauty.  Love love love it!

 

This is such a wonderful SPRING dedication piece!  Several layers of fun stitching.  8's, 11's, 15's with milky opal czech petals, green drops, with orange transparent czech leaves underneath, all encircling that gorgeous swarovski crystal rivoli.  This is a fun picture too -- see the umbrella reflection in the glass?  It just makes me happy!