MY FIRST COLLAR...

Stitching a collar design and having it lay flatly around the neck (without buckling) ... hmmm... a quandry for a tight beader like myself!  This is really a fun pattern (a design by TrendSetter Yasmin Sarfati) and has so many color combination possibilities - it's like a rainbow of color around my neck.  This was my first attempt at a collar, and I feel like I need to try it again - right away - so I can try to bead softer with less pull.  The problem I noticed as I was beading was the thread showing in-between.  Not a look I love.  On the very top row of RAW, I went back through, adding 8 sb in-between the 3mm fp.  That seemed to work, but the subsequent rows buckle slightly.  So, if someone knows the secret, please share! 

PENDANT OF SOME MAGNITUDE !

A beautiful pattern and a gorgeous piece. It's even more gorgeous because of the extreme effort it took me.  I attempted it twice, with beads breaking and the bezzling not going too well each time - scratch those!  Dang, one more time I'm gonna get it this time...third time was the charm, but not without difficulty - a 3mm fire polish bead broke as I was close to done.  Ah me -- oh my!  I was about ready to throw something... but of course refrained.  I retraced and inserted another 3mm so I couldn't see it, and finished the project.  It's a design by Vezsuzsi that made it to the cover of Bead & Button, June 2016 issue.  It truly is magnificent, but may be a tad bit harder than the three bicone difficulty rating the magazine gave it.  At least it was a challenge for me.  I ended with wrapping an 18 gauge wire bail, so as not to overpower the piece and added beautiful czech glass melons and rondelles to finish up.  Quite an eye catcher...

MY LOVE FOR COLOR!

"Yummers" says it all for me on this piece.  I worked and worked and re-worked the colors to come up with a final combination on the 2-hole triangles that spoke to me.  This combination sang loudly - and I had my aha moment!  Love those times when you just know, cuz you feel it, see it and hear it!  A pattern designed by Agnieszka Watts, a Starman Trendsetter, from Bead and Button, with my own design for the closure, adding in some 3mm fire polish for adventure.  A fun new look for a button closure.

ANGLES DIVINE!

A design by Robijo Burzynski called Equilateral Earrings!  The project was for earrings, but the size was more conducive for a pendant - and it was kind of time consuming on my first go-round.  Love the way it turned out though and the angles of it all - the tubular peyote, along with the herringbone stitch, really makes this pattern unique.  Very different styling for me and well worth the effort!    I saw the design in the June/July 2016 BeadWork magazine and just had to try it.  These colors are perfect for my spring wardrobe.  In fact turquoise is kind of a staple with me - in all shades from light to dark. 

Some darling little beaded bead earrings to go with - I didn't make them to go with the pendant, but they sure do!  Love it when that happens.  Right now I'm definitely into this color combination can you tell?

LIGHT AS A FEATHER DANGLES

I'm striving to make lighter earrings, as my own earlobes need a rest once in awhile.  As my hair has gotten longer, my earring tastes seem to be moving towards longer... so the art of my creations can still be seen through the hair!  The trick is trying to perfect "light" and artistry at the same time.  I'm always on the look out.  Here are my latest "lights".  So adorbs... both of 'em for different reasons.  Beaded beads linked together from an Emi Yamada pattern - they hang so nicely and lightly flow with movement.  Or, butterflies in flight from Vezsuzsi .  I posted the bracelet of this same pattern on April 8.  Now, this makes a darling combo! 

COLORFUL SWEETNESS!

Making earrings using a component of any kind, whether I make it with wire, or it comes pre-made... I just love the process and the concept.   It's kind of freeing for me as I just start adding beads and where it goes nobody knows... especially me.  Here's (truly) one of my most adorbs creations in earrings.  The color combinations were fun and ultimately worked PERFECTLY together.  I do have to say that I thought of cutting the first earring apart, as it didn't seem like it was working, but again, I just kept on stringing...  Don't you love these?  I know someone who does!  ME and one other!  xo

Next, a fun and easy project with an incredible African Chevron Trade Bead from Tracee Dock at Classic Bead/Classic Elements.  I loosely braided some ribbon for the necklace and I'm off to the races... need to make some earrings now to go with.  But, this was a fun, easy way for me to dangle a gorgeous bead, and because the bead is already heavy, adding more just didn't seem like the thing to do for this project. 

CORAL IN SPRING!

The color coral is G L O R I O U S!  And this shade is truly amazing in person -- at least in this red head's opinion!  Another of my square stitch bracelets learned from my beading sistah Judy, this time using non-precious coral gemstone chips for the top layer, plus 11.0 in bright copper.   Necklace and earrings to make a set below.

The long coral pendant piece I've had for many years, but never had just the right piece to incorporate it, but this double necklace was calling for something, and this pendant worked!  Just needed a little copper wire wrapping to include a heart and a little messy wrapping (the messy part I really have to work at because it doesn't come naturally to me).   :)

And some adorable JDreams earrings, with coral heart charms in silver as the dangle.  Another of my beading sistahs, Sharon (thank you!), gifted me this wonderful heart set and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.  The round beads are a paper mache and ever so light, so they work well with the heavier silver weight -- less drag on the earlobes!  And I mixed copper wire with the silver for contrast, of course!

TURQUOISE AND BUTTERFLIES

A darlin' BUTTERFLY bracelet pattern by Vezsuzsi.  I had to remake this twice as the first time it was way too tight and wouldn't bend to go around my wrist.  I wasn't the only one in my beading group... several of us had the same difficulty.  I must say though, that the original pattern is for a bangle, and we were making ours for a clasp, which does change the bend requirements.  So after slightly altering the pattern and adding an extra 15/0 or an extra 11/0 here and there, it softened up and had more flex to go around my wrist.  I love the colors I used... bright and cheery for sure!  It's dainty, so caution will need to be taken when worn.

 

And, next this wonderful turquoise wrist eye catcher.  My beading sistah Judy had made one and I LOVED it, so I asked if I could copy her idea using the turquoise and make my own version.  I used a base of ladder stitch with 4mm cubes.  You could use any kind of chips ... or truly... anything else.  You are limited only by your own imagination.  I'm going to give it another whirl with something less expensive than turquoise.  But, isn't this fun?  I love my owl button too.  Kind of finished it off for me.

THE PARTY OF SPRING

The start of spring, the Easter holiday and the awakening of all beautiful flowering trees and flowers really get my color juices flowing.  So, a couple of my new earring designs to get this party of spring started...

WRESTLING AN ARMADILLA!

Man oh man!  To say this was a time consuming piece is an understatement!!  But, in the end, I must say, worth all the effort!  It's a bracelet design by Carole Ohl named Armadilla.  Since this is my blog, I can whine about the time I allotted to the individual pieces of this Armadilla... which I think look totally like "rolly pollies".  Unfortunately, for a few of the rollies... I wasn't paying close enough attention, and had to dismantle them since they weren't right.  And, as I neared my last rolly pollie, one of the bars broke as I threaded my needle back through it, which caused me to place all the pieces into a sack for a few days.  But, alas, I finished it, and it does feel oh so heavenly on my wrist.  It's a fun pattern - which I can say now that I've completed it.  But, to make more?  Probably not in my near future!  The pattern calls for 2-hole crescents, 2-hole bars, 2-hole tiles and 3mm fire polish.

NEW EARRING INSPIRATION!

Not colors I would have necessarily chosen, but I received a special order request for bright primary colors, so I gave it an honest try and ... judge for yourself below, but I can honestly say I think these turned out beautifully.  I'm going to make myself a pair too - I think the colors combine incredibly.  The first pic below is indoor light, and the last few are outdoor natural.  It truly makes a difference in how the colors come through.