Where Have I Been?

I haven't been on the blog in a while but that doesn't mean I've been doing nothing. I have been very busy designing my new pieces and fixing up my work shop so I can finally get back to working with metal. I will always work with beads and cord but its time I get back to the bench and work with solder and silver and gold again. I do check the blog everyday and see you all stopping by and will have some new updates on the workshop makeover and the first finished pieces very soon but until then I wont be leaving it so long to blog again.

Back soon....

Busy Friday

I had a busy day again today working on some more pieces. I managed to get a few necklaces, rosary beads and a bracelet done. I think I have just about enough to fill up my table this weekend at the craft fair. And if Im really lucky I have too much.

Busy Wednesday

I am getting myself ready for a Craft Fair this weekend which is the first I have done in a very long time. I have been trying to make a few extra bits this week so that I have a wide variety of things to display. Today I focused mainly on earrings using the sparkly pave beads and chain.

I also made one bracelet today. I have a few odd chainmaille rings in different colours and used them to make a small bit of a byzantine weave and attached some chain to either side to complete the bracelet. I love  the look of this. Im calling it a Shot of Chainmaille. Its a simple bracelet with just a pop of colour.

Featured Project

Today I logged onto Cut Out & Keep where I submit all of my tutorials that I do have on the blog and I noticed my tutorial for the Rosary Beads was featured on the front page. I've never had a project featured on their site before so I was really happy.

So welcome to the blog anyone who has clicked through from Cut Out & Keep hopefully you like it enough to subscribe (on the right hand side there is a button to subscribe.) You can click here to see all of my other tutorials there too.

A Simple Little Bangle

I ordered some Preciosa Twin Hole Beads from Beads Direct recently and wasn't too sure what I was going to do with them. I haven't worked with twin hole beads much in the past so finally I decided to make this little bangle.

I used memory wire and clear seed beads that I already had in the box and I love how it turned out. It's just a simple little bangle that doesn't need a catch or anything fussy. I have the Twin Hole beads in clear as well so I'm thinking of making another using a bright coloured seed bead. I may end up with a lot of these with the endless colour combinations I have in mind.

Last Weeks Haul

Last week I received my order from Funky Laser and haven't had time to get the post up. I ordered another Diving Swallow and a Butterfly as well this time. I also filled my order with chains in black, antique copper and chunky silver plated. And I got some lovely little wing shaped charms which I think Im going to use mainly in earrings.






I also got some plastic colourful beads to put in the box for my little cousins to make some more bracelets and necklaces soon.




I also received a copy of Beads & Beyond magazine last week. It was the September issue which featured my Designer Challenge page. Im still so happy with how it all turned out and was shown in the photographs. Hopefully my instructions are helpful for anyone trying to create the pieces that where shown.

New Goodies and A Lovely Suprise

I placed an order last week with Beads Direct during their big summer sale for loads of bits from findings to beads and stringing materials and today they arrived. I had been waiting so much for them to arrive because I couldn't wait to get my new Beadalon Coiling Gizmo. I have made my own jump rings and coils in the past using my trusty nail (see here) but I have wanted an actual tool for a while and decided it was finally time to buy one. So watch out for a future post to see how I get on with it.

Hopefully I will have loads of new pictures coming soon to show you exactly what I've been making with my new box of goodies.

I also got a lovely surprise this week when I went onto the Beads Direct website and saw my Morrocan Bracelet from the Bead Soup Blog Party featured on their website. I had added this to a group page that beads direct have for bracelet designs.

Rosary Bead Tutorial

I make a lot of Rosary Beads and I have been asked to make a tutorial a few times (and I'm long over due a new tutorial) so here it is.

What You Need:
6x    6mm White Glass Pearls
53x  4mm White Glass Pearls
0.8mm Silver Plated Wire
4x 4mm Silver Plated Jump Rings
Fine Silver Plated Chain
Rosary Connector
Cross
Charm

Step 1:

Make a simple loop of either side of all 59 beads. (Click Here to see how to make a simple loop)

Step 2:

Working with the 4mm pearls, open the loop and join to another pearl and close the loop until you have 5 strands of 10 beads and 1 strand of 3 beads.

Step 3:

You need 14 short lengths of chain. I usually count out a certain number of links (5 in this case depending on the size of the beads Im working with).









Step 4:

Using 12 of the pieces of chain, attach a piece to each side of a 6mm pearl by opening the loop and securing it closed again. You have now 2 pieces of chain left.

Step 5:

Attach the final 2 pieces of chain to the rosary connector using jump rings.

Step 6:

Using a jump ring attach the chain connected to one of the 6mm pearls to the bottom of the connector. Attach the strand of 3 4mm pearls to the end of the chain and again another 6mm pearl.

Step 7:

Next join a strand of 10 4mm pearls to the chain of the 6mm pearl and continue around until all of the beads are connected together. Attach this to either side of the connector.

Step 8:

Using a jump ring attach the cross and charm to he chain.














Rosary Beads can make a great gift and can be made using any beads in any colour. I have made them using Swarovski Crystals in birthstone colours and changed the charm around to something suitable. Let me know how you have made yours.

Memory Wire Bracelet

When I was younger I worked a lot with memory wire. Its an inexpensive and quick way to make a stacked bracelet but as I got more experienced and had access to more beads and componants I just sort of stopped using it. But I've always had a supply of it sitting there waiting to be used. And today seemed like a good day to get back to it.

I recently received a pack of beads and charms from The Spellbound Bead Co after Bead Magazine published a picture of my jewellery in their 'Indian Summer' Readers Challenge. The beads are beautiful and it has taken me a while to decide what to use them for (I had too many ideas really). But this bracelet seemed like the perfect use of them. Click here to see my post about the Indian Summer Challenge.

One of the things I love about memory wire is that if you don't like how the beads are looking or sitting you can very easily just take the beads off the wire and bead them on again. I did this about 4 or 5 times while putting this bracelet together. Sometimes the beads just sit wrong on top of each other. There's no waste or major time delays with memory wire. Its exactly why I liked using it years ago that I had forgotten about. I can see myself using it again a lot over the next while.

So I have used a bit of each of the beads sent to me and one of each of the charms. The only thing I have used in this bracelet out of my stash of beads and bits is the memory wire and the pewter daisy spacers. I love the colour combination here and the charms suit the colours and give the bracelet a lovely theme. Its a simple bracelet but I'm loving it.

Designer Challenge in Beads & Beyond Magazine

Beads & Beyond magazine (that I love and get every month!) was asking a while back for applications to take part in a Designer Challenge that they run in every issue. This is normally only open to their regular designers so when I saw that they where opening it to readers I jumped at the chance and applied. I was asked why I wanted to take part and had to submit a few pictures of my work and a few weeks later I received an email telling me that I was successful.

I was sent a package containing different types of beads from Jilly Beads which is a great bead shop based in Morecambe in the UK. They have a huge range of products at great prices and they picked some lovely things to send me for the challenge. I love the beads that I was sent. There was such a variety of different types of beads in the package.

I had to make three different pieces and write up the instructions. I love the pieces I made and cant wait to wear them.

Today I went and picked up my copy of Septembers issue of Beads & Beyond Magazine and I was so happy when I saw he pieces photographed so well. (I'm not a great photographer so its lovely to see my pieces photographed so well). The other three designers Claire Holbrook, Sue Rennie and Claire Wolfe's pieces are stunning and show just how different four people can work with the same package of beads.

So don't forget to pick up Septembers issue of Beads & Beyond Magazine (my pieces are page 66) and see the challenge pieces for yourself.