Busy, busy

 Does this look familiar?  It is a variation on an earlier design.  This pendant features a "Sphinx" Swarovski rivoli, green, blue and silver seed beads and crystal bicones.

A beaded rope in a new color (peridot bronze-lined and rainbow) with a fun little flower clasp.  A pendant that can be added is in the works.  I'll be excited to share when it is complete.

Whatcha Doin' ?

OK, there's been a lot of Phinneas and Ferb playing at my house lately.  But to answer the neighbor-girl's question...this is what I've  been doin':

I'm settling into a "usual" groove of beadweaving when the jewelry-making muse visits.  Most of the time.  But I love metal and wire-working is the easiest way to incorporate it with beads.  There are very few special tools required and nothing molten is needed!  (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

These beads were purchased at Beadnik's at the Mall of America.  I do not have the foggiest idea of what they are made! I believe they are painted or inked and they feel like stone. I loved them so much, I bought these and three others in purple tones.  I wire-wrapped the beads onto wrapped circles of 18-gauge aluminum and combined those with 12-gauge jump rings.  The necklace is finished with a bit of pre-made base metal chain and a hand-made S-clasp in aluminum.

This is a variation on the netted pattern I learned for the bridal challenge.  It uses a couple shades of purple 11/o beads, combines with accent beads in a metallic copper finish.  The big addition, though, are the 6mm fire-polished Czech glass beads (from The Bead Monkey in Edina, MN.)  I bought several sizes and colors, so there will be more of these in my future!

Bridal Challenge Week Five: Bead Chips (Alternate Post Title: Better Late than Never)

Pretty, isn't it?  Anyone who has seen my beadwork has probably seen a version of this bracelet.  It has a peyote stitched base and a beaded toggle clasp.  Normally, I make the base about 12 beads wide, but I thought a bride would merit something a bit daintier.  This one is woven on an 8 bead wide base.  I used the left-over seed beads from the netted necklace in week two and some crystal-lined clear 11/o beads to raise the chips up.

I am what you would call a reflective beader.  When I finish a project, I decide if I like how it looks.  Was the process satisfying or tedious?  Was it "worth" the time it took?  In the case of these challenges, I also wonder, "Would a bride actually wear this?  What kind of bride would wear it?  What type of wedding and or dress would make this jewelry appropriate?"

This piece strikes me as a bit clunky for anything other than a very casual wedding, perhaps a beach wedding.  WeddingMountain.Com carries a whole "destination wedding" line, including these two dresses:

As I consider the dresses, I like the bracelet best with the short number (which is actually a bridesmaid dress.)  So, my reflection is this: use this bracelet as your bridesmaid thank-you gift!

Bridal Challenge Week Three: Gold Tone

My skills with a crochet needle have not evolved since I was six, but this is good news for anyone who might like to use the wire crochet technique in jewelry-making.  It is THAT SIMPLE.

My favorite part of this necklace is definitely the unique shade of the freshwater pearls, but the crystals give it great sparkle.  This design prompted me to look around for the perfect dress.  Since it is  longer than some of the others (23 inches), it calls for a deeper neckline.  I think it would look lovely with the dress below!

www.victoriasbridalcouture.blogspot.com

Bridal Challenge Week Two: Beaded Netting

For this week's challenge, I had hoped to simplify a pattern I had seen in Beadwork magazine.  As I studied the pattern, I realized I would be in over my head since I hadn't done a netted project before and didn't have a feel for the stitch.  I poked around online to see if I could find a better beginner's pattern and found this one at http://www.rubysbeadwork.com/net1.html  As I worked the necklace, I realized I would run out of the white seed beads before the necklace reached the desired length.  I chose to finish off the necklace with a tri-stitch to tie in with the picot edge in the original pattern.  

Reflecting on the project, I see the positive and the negative.  I like the overall look, though I was aiming for a more substantial necklace.  I really like how the slight differences in the beads create a sense of movement.  Finally, I love how quickly the necklace worked up.  On the downside, I don't like how bright the white looks in person and I think that smaller 11/o beads would have looked better (these are 8/o.)

The project did win me over, however.  The following evening, I realized that I would like this particular necklace better as BRIDESMAIDS' jewelry.  I gathered up some 11/o beads and round glass accent beads (4 or 5 mm) and reworked the necklace.  The larger accent beads cause the sections to take a slightly different shape, but the necklace still has a nice effect.  

Beads used in these projects: 

Toho 8/o #121 White Opaque Luster and #2101 Opal Silver Lined

Toho 11/o #3LF Very Light Saphire Transparent Matte, 

#8DF Dark Cobalt Blue Transparent Matte, and #361 Purple Lined Sapphire

Bliss round beads (JoAnn)

Bridal Challenge Week One

Ta-da!  My first challenge is complete.  If you were on my Christmas list this year, you know that I have gone crazy for beaded ropes and think everyone should have one.  So, it is no surprise that I think every bride should have one, too.  This design is a choker-length Russian spiral in silvery and champagne tones with a beaded, bezeled rivoli pendant.  The bezel is adorned with Swarovski pearls and hung from the rope with a simple herringbone bail.  The pendant can easily be removed to wear the rope alone.  Since I was very familiar with the stitches that comprised the main design, I decided to learn a new stitch to improve on my sometimes boring clasps.  This "button" clasp is made by doing a circular brick stitch around a silver-tone filigree bead.  (Thanks, Beadaholique.com, for the tutorial! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66srPd6V_Qw)

It occurs to me that it may seem very random that I decided to make bridal jewelry all of the sudden.  Well, let me explain.  Last weekend, we had the privilege of attending the wedding of my good friend's oldest son and his sweet bride.  Their day was lovely and it is a big blessing to celebrate with such a well-matched couple.  My friend has all sons, so she was absolutely delighted to add a girl to the family!  It was also that lovely girl that made me start thinking about bridal jewelry.

Plum Crystal Necklace

Detail showing Daisy Chain Stitch

Purple/Aqua Marbled Opaque #1204 and Plum Transparent Rainbow Matte #166CF  TOHO 11/o

Beaded Rope

The beadwoven rope is created entirely with Toho Seed Beads (black matte and silver-lined black diamond.)  This one features a simple silver-toned toggle clasp.

The Lissette Nugget Garden

Reunited!

I know that war is devastating and tornadoes are destructive and that life is generally really hard. For this very reason, I need to rejoice in the little things.

A very little thing, indeed, but a treat for me this year is that I was reunited with earrings. For nearly fifteen years I haven't been able to tolerate the metal in my ears because of instant and painful contact dermatitis. It didn't matter if it was stainless steel or pure gold, it was not happening. One day after I was stricken with the beadworking bug I was thinking how nice it would be if I could wear the earrings I could now make. A simple idea struck...what if the actual metal did not make contact with my skin? I grabbed a pair of earwires and thoroughly painted them with clear fingernail polish. When they were dry, I slipped them in and waited. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes...2 hours, 3 hours. No redness. No pain. No burning. Take it away, Peaches and Herb!

Norma Fairy Garden Ring

Can you tell how much I love making these? Each one has its own personality, just like real flower gardens.

Red Licorice Twist

Watermelon Swirl

(spiral stitch with tubular peyote ruffle toggle)

Purple Whirlwind

(fibers by Adornments)

It's a Wrap

(green ceramic beads, gold paisley Fimo, and Swarovski donuts strung on silver leather)

Crisscross Chocolate Sauce

Enola Cuff

(stretch cuff in my favorite color combo!)

Vintage Fresh 2

Kathy, from Icebox Antiques and Collectibles in International Falls, MN, has given me a vicarious thrill by shopping for vintage jewelry and beads that I can reimagine. These wine-colored beads spoke to me right away, but I wanted more glass and metal to make them look more up-to-date.

I showcased beads with interesting finishes and shapes and created a focal bead by netting around one of the larger ones. Finally, I strung some seed beads that I love (matte and rainbow peridot with bronze lining, shimmery burgundy, etc.) together with premade chain and added dangles of glass flowers and leaves.

Several days after I made the necklace above, I pulled it from its display and cut a few links from the chain above the glass flowers and leaves because the proportions were bothering me. While I was at it, I crafted some cluster drop earrings with the same motif.
I've added this additional photo of the necklace so that the beads are more easily seen. The initial picture showed the shape, but not the cool finishes and textures that enchanted me!

Crocodile Lariat

A gorgeous lariat made from a pattern in Beader's Handbook 2. I chose green because it is a pretty typical color in my wardrobe and would match with the many neutrals I wear. As I worked the pattern, my husband observed, "It looks reptilian!" Now, I call it my "Crocodile."