Beaded DNA Jewel tone variation

I have made a variety of bead DNA bracelets, using seed beads and bugles, from Maria's pattern as samples for her booth. I have also made a necklace version using just seed beads.

Beaded DNA bracelet

In the spring when I last made samples for Maria I started a necklace version with metal goldtone 11s and three different jewel tone 8s. It looked like an enamaled spiral necklace. It got put aside with only a few inches done on it as I got distracted by other projects.

While I am on vacation for the next few weeks and decided that it might be a good idea to finish some of the project already started on my beading table. One of the first I came across was this Beaded DNA necklace. It took a couple of nights to get to the desired length. 

Then I had to find a goldtone closure to use. I don't usually work with goldtone so it is not something I have a great selection of. During the cleaning of my beading table I had found a ball and socket in a goldtone. It was the perfect closure for the necklace.

On to the next unfinished project.

Happy Beading!

Ndebele Motif Cuffs

My friend and beading mentor, Maria Rypan, is getting ready to head over to Ukraine where she is presenting about international beading and teaching her Ndebele Motif Cuff. She needed some new samples in a few new colours to take with her.

I worked on them during this long weekend. It takes me about 90 minutes to complete a cuff.

Here is the cuff inspired by Trypillian colours.

 Here is the cuff inspired by the colours on the Ukrainian flag.

This last one is two shades of blues with a cream accent.

Once she is back in Toronto she will be teaching the cuff at Beadfx in September.

Happy Beading!

Summer Carnival Blog Hop Reveal Day

It has been almost 6 months since I signed up for yet another of Lisa Lodge's blog hop challenges. I was sent a kit with a mix of crystals, sea glass and metal beads. The challenge create jewelry with a Summer Carnival theme.

Amazing selection of beads from Lisa

I had a plan for my project and everything was in a basket on my beading desk. The basket got moved and buried during the spring and early summer. As I was hopping for the Gemstone and Metal hop I saw the top image on a number of the other blogs and was reminded that I had signed up as well. So I had two weeks to make and photograph my project.

First my inspiration. Here is Toronto our big summer carnival is the Canadian National Exhibition (aka the CNE or the EX). Among my favourite parts of the EX is the International Building, to see products and crafts from around the world, and the Arts & Crafts Building, to see wonderful handcrafted products. I decided to make something inspired by a handcrafted necklace from another part of the world.

My inspiration necklace was a gift brought back from Ukraine by my friend and beading mentor, Maria Rypan. It uses to simple beaded bands and strands of strung beads.  This is made with various sized seed beads.

Inspiration layed out flat

Inspiration as it would be worn

For my version of this design I knew that I would have to use larger seed beads for the band. I used size 8 blue seed beads and size 6 silver tone metal beads. I beadwove 2 - 10 bands using diagonal weave. They are connected with 6 strands of beads from the kit and a mix of blue, yellow and silver tone beads.

Finished piece layed out flat

Finished piece as it would be worn

I like how my piece turned out. I did not use all the beads in my kit and will likely make some simple strung bracelets to go with the necklace.

Take some time to see was some of my fellow participates have created with their beads.

Our hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Karin Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall 

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Catherine Yvonne King, Catherine's Musings

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Dee Alcalde, Agape Creations Jewelry

 Marianne Baxter, Simply Seablime Jewelry

Carole Carlson, Bead Sophisticate

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Dolores Raml, CraftyD's Creations 

Marianne Hurley, Reads and Beads

Marci Allen Koziolek, Krafty Max Originals

Happy Beading!

Gemstone and Metal Blog Hop Reveal

It is finally here! Reveal day for the Gemstone and Metal Blog Hop.

Back in the spring I signed up for another of Lisa Lodge's challenging blog hops. This one combined gemstone and metal beads. I got a kit that include jasper beads, in various sizes and shapes, and silver tone beads and findings. 

Everything in the kit

Silver-tone beads and findings

Jasper beads

Early in June I posted about using beadweaving for one of the projects. Here is the completed necklace.

Netted Jasper Collar

I used some beautiful green seed beads that worked with the green in the jasper. I also used some silver seed beads for mesh point (they don't show in the photo). The basic technique for this netted collar are from Maria Rypan's Netting Primer.

Another view

Later in June I posted about another technique I was trying for this challenge.  Here is the completed bracelet.

Floral Jasper Charm Bracelet

Using my One-Step Looper I created all the dangles for the Floral Jasper Charm bracelet.

Continuing with my One-Step Looper I created some more dangles to hang on the chandelier earring findings. I have made them into pendants  by attaching them to the bails.

Floral Jasper Pendants

Of course I also made a simple bracelet by stringing an assortment of the beads on beading wire and using the pretty floral toggle.

Jasper Bracelet

Once again I loved doing this challenge that Lisa created for us.

Take some time to check out the other work by my fellow beaders.

Our hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A GratefulArtist 
Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot 
Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Katrina Taylor, I Wanna Go Out

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall 
Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog 
Margaret Pelech, Big Margaret 
Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation 
Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design 
Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs 
Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  
Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends
Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes 
Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings 
Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware (May be delayed a few days)
Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life 
Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design 
Robin Reed, Artistry HCBD 
Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry 
Cassi Renee Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill 
Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons 
Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things (May be delayed a few days)
Becky Pancake, Becky Pancake Bead Designs 
Judy Campbell, Macmillanmarie Jewellery Design 
Nan Smith, Handmade Jewelry Nanmade 
Marde Lowe, FanciMarDesigns 
Linda Anderson, From the Bead Board 

Leithleach Alainn Seodra, Alainn Jewelry 

Lisa E. Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs
 Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

Happy Beading! 

Gemstone & Metal Blog Hop Sneak Peek #2

It is only a month until the reveal day for this next Lisa Lodge hosted blog hop challenge.

My kit from Lisa

I am going to give you another sneak peek at project I have created for the challenge.

I had finished the project I blogged about earlier, but I still had beads remaining. I wanted to continue to do another project that was more that just stringing the beads.

Some of the remain gemstones, silver tone flowers and headpins

It was time to pull out the One-Step Looper and make some dangling components.

Dangles made

 I had a ready made chain bracelet in my stash. Now to attach all the dangles.

Chain from stash

Come back on July 19th to see what this project looks like when finished and all of the other things that I have created.

Happy Beading.

Ocean Blog Hope Reveal Day #2

It has been two weeks since I revealed my creations as part of the Ocean Blog Hop. Today is the second reveal day and here are the participants-

Our hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Ev Shelby, Raindrop Creations

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Catherine Yvonne King, Catherine's Musings

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Jill Bradley, Chat 2 Jill 
Rebecca Ednie, Eclectic Endeavours

I thought that I would share some pieces that I have created in the past inspired by an ocean dweller. Here is a picture of a sea anemone for Margie Deeb's Beader's Color Palette book.  It listed the delica colours of 203/910/073/281.

Sea Anemone

As a color experiment I did the tuffet box pattern, from Julia Pretl's Little Bead Boxes book, three times. Each time I change the placement of the colours with in the pattern.

Sea Anemone Tuffets

Last June I took Jean Power's Geometric Stars class. I decided to use the colour from the sea anemone inspiration. Once again I experimented with the placment of the colours within the pattern.

Sea Anemone Stars

Take time to hop around and see what everyone has created.

Happy Beading!

Gemstone and Metal Blog Hop Sneak Peek #1

I am signed up to participate in another of Lisa Lodge's challenges. This one combines gemstones with metal. I received a kit with various shaped beads of jasper and silver tone metal beads and findings.

My whole kit from Lisa

Silver toned beads and findings

Jasper beads - rounds, faceted flat squares and rectangles

I wanted to combine the metal flower beads with the faceted squares. Normally with gemstones I tend to do more basic stringing designs. But I decided to use the very first bead weaving technique I learn, netting. Use the basics of netting from Maria Rypan's Netting Primer I have started a collar.

Finding just the right colour for the netting was a challenge as I tried to use what was in my stash. Here is a quick picture of the beads and one end finished with an extender chain.

In progress

Come back on July 19 to see the finished design and other pieces created with the kit.

Happy Beading!

Ocean Blog Hop Reveal Day

The day is finally here. It is Ocean Blog Hop Reveal Day. I signed up back in the depth of winter and am getting to share it with you just before the official arrival of Summer.

Our organizer, Lisa Lodge, sent us each a kit with an assortment of beads. We were challenged to create jewelry that has an "Ocean" theme.  I got a kit that included cultured sea glass, a clay fish by Shaterra and clay mermaid beads by Gaea.

Kit from Lisa

I bent the rules just a bit by doing a beaded box, But I already had the delicas pulled together for the wave box designed by Julia Pretl. So I made a few changes to the colours that Julia used so that the mermaid beads from Gaea would work as feet and a finial. I used the following colours 351/372/792/84/310.

Wave box, design by Julia Pretl

I secured the feet and finial with head pins, crystals and earring stoppers.

Gaea mermaid beads used for feet and finial

Now back to following the rules. I wanted to create a bracelet so that it would look like the fish was jumping out of the water. I orginally tried to rechart the wave from the box but that proved too difficult. I knew that there had to be a pattern out there for me to use.

I had seen some of Debbie von Tonder's wonderful cuff patterns on Facebook. So I went to her peyote pattern etsy store and found two possible patterns, Sea Curl and Under the Sea.

I decided to use the Under the Sea pattern with colors from the fish. The tail of the fish is attached to one end and a lobster claw clasp is on the other end. A couple of jump rings hang from the mouth to finish the design.

Under the Sea Cuff with Shaterra fish, designed by Debbie von Tonder

Another view of cuff

What to do with the white cultured sea glass beads. I added some other cultured sea glass that I had purchased during one of Lisa's destash events on Facebook. These soft green star fish and small round green beads are perfect. I used a small round magnetic closure.

Cultured Sea Glass Starfish Bracelet

I had one of the mermaid beads from Gaea left. I decided to make a purse charm with the addition of some chain and crystal starfishes from my stash.

Last Gaea bead with crystal stars

I am so glad that I was able to use all the beads in the kit. It was great to do another of Julia's boxes and try something different like Debbie's peyote cuff.

Thanks again to Lisa for organizing this great challenge.

Take some time to see what some of the others have done -

Our hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Karin Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Monique Urquhart, A Half-Baked Notion

Katrina Taylor, I Wanna Go Out

Mary Ann Macri Jacobs, Trucksville Crafts

Jeanne Steck, Gems by Jeanne Marie

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Marianne Baxter, Simply Seablime Jewelry

Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog

Margaret Pelech, TBD 

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Andrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations

Happy Beading!

Beaded Dragonfly

For my last Preschool Storytime of the spring I was looking for a simple but fun craft for the kids. I found an idea for a beaded caterpillar on pinterest. While it was cute, I wanted something a bit different. I came up with this beaded Dragonfly.

It tied in well with the bug stories I was able to find in the collection and the Stella and Sam episode about dragonflies.

What you need for one dragonfly - 1 Pipe cleaner (15cm), 2 pieces tissue paper (about 13cm x 6.5 cm), and 7 pony beads.

Everything is ready to make a dragonfly

Here are the steps to make your own!

Fold pipe cleaner in half and place one bead on in the center.

Twist pipe cleaner ends close to bead to secure.

Pinch tissue paper in center to create wings.

 Place between pipe cleaner ends next to twist. Twist ends again to secure wings.

Bring pipe cleaner ends together and put remaining beads over 

both ends of the pipe cleaner to form body.

All six beads are on to form body. Kids could be encouraged to create a pattern.

Fold each remaining pipe cleaner end over last bead to secure.

Here is my flight of beaded dragonflies

You could make your own flight and use them to make a mobile. You could stick it onto an adhesive magnetic strip to make a fridge magnet. 

Your dragonflies could become fireflies with the use of glow in the dark beads.

Here are my other preschool craft ideas - Valentine's Day Monster Card and Owl Puppet.

Happy beading!