Twig Willow Twist

 

Here is the kit...

 

with these great beads....

to make this chocker with twigs and twisted bugles.

While helping  Maria to prepare for the weekend's Creativ Festival she decided that she needed a new sample of this design. This is one of the many designs that she will be teaching including three make 'n take earrings.

This is a great piece to learn netting and coral fringing. With metallic beads and bugles it fits right in current fashion trends.

Stop by booth #717 at the show to see all of Maria's available kits, patterns and books.

Flashback Friday - Swags

It was a number of years ago that I first did one of Maria's swag pieces. Maria's original design is a cascade of swags. I played with the swags and created longer swags that overlapped.

This was my first reversible swag necklace. Maria included a picture of is it as part of the colour photos in her Assorted Beadwork Lesson #2 book.

Here are the three colour variations that I took to New York in 2006. I was helping Maria with her presentation and classes with the New York Bead Society.

To see the many variations that Maria has with her swag design stop by her booth, #717, at next weekend's Creativ Festival  at the Metro Convention Centre.

Flashback Fridays

Earlier in the week I was looking it the drawer that I keep most of my finished pieces in. I was looking for one of my recent freeform rings. It had gotten buried under the many other pieces. I came across many great pieces that I made before I started blogging about my beadwork in July 2008. So I am going to start posting some of these pieces on Fridays.

This netted ornament is from the 2007 Toronto Bead Society Bag of Bead Challenge. We were given a selection of red, white and black beads along with the red and white cording and a stumper. I used the stumper to hang the ornament.

This year's challenge piece had many hanging things as well. Here are the components and the finished display piece. I look forward to see what beads we get this year and what we all make.

Watch for another Flashback piece next Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Early Autumn Necklace

I was inspired by the current changing colours of the leaves. There are leaves that are still green with some turning coppery brown.

I have combined the topaz rondelles with Swarovski khaki cubes and copper pearls. The first run thru of the necklace was not long enough. I added green seed beads on either side of the large pearls. This help to lengthen it, in addition to a few 3mm pearls at each end of the necklace.

LBD necklace

Using more of the bead from Dawn Masters I created this necklace that would look great with the classic little black dress (LBD).

I combined the black and crystal rondelles with some dark grey Swarovski pearls. I had one pearl left so I added a drop at the closure.

Calla Lily Earrings Revisited

Last fall I made a bouquet of Calla Lily Earrings using lucite beads from Juicy Bead Ladies. They were at Bead Oasis last weekend and this time I got both white and red lily beads.

 Red Calla Lily Earrings

Classic White Calla Lily Earrings

The earrings are on cards prepared with a punch that is designed especially to make earring cards. From Easy Earring Cards, this punch is so much easier than trying to line up holes made with a large needle.  

Black, Red and Dragon's Blood

I have a few colours that I am always drawn to, namely red, blue and black.

At last week's TBS meeting I purchased some great beads from Dawn Masters, including matte and shiny black cubes. I strung them with coral beads and spikes, along with some black rondelles.

Coral Spikes Necklace

At Bead Oasis, last weekend I bought these great polymer clay beads, by Jessica Greschner, called dragon's blood. I also found these great rondelles at Canada Beading Supplies' booth. I have combined the with some hematite Swarovski crystals. This is a great piece. I have wore it to work the last two days and received many compliments.

 Dragon's Blood Necklace

Close up of Dragon's Blood beads