fifi_the_turtle: skreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

fifi_the_turtle: skreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!: "It's not the beads, it's the damn thread. Ever tried to thread a needle with no depth perception? I might as well save myself some time and just poke myself in the eye with it instead. I swear I made a noise like a monster from a Terry Gilliam movie (SKREEEEEEEEEEE!) out of pure frustration. Oh, those poor neighbors. Cleaning is officially replacing beading for the rest of the night."

I think we've all had one of those beading moments that produces a pretty horrible noise.....
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

*Insert philosophical life metaphor here* - Beading hurts the eyessss.....X.x

*Insert philosophical life metaphor here* - Beading hurts the eyessss.....X.x: "Oh dear god. I'm going to go nearsighted from studying AND beading AND writing, I swear.

Anyway, I made it through a full string of dark blue beads ((144 minus the AWOL ones that have embedded themselves in my dark blue carpet--see the difficulty here?)) so I thought I've give you all a sneak peek into the world of beading with impossibly small beads."

There's some interesting insights on this blog, all to do with using tiny beads. Including the needle difficulties!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

The Wire-Verse - she's gone...

The Wire-Verse - she's gone...
Actual size is kinda sorta just about around 4 inches tall and sorta 3 1/2 inches or so wide - made from 2 long pieces of felt. I beaded the purple side (it's embossed felt - way cool!!), then used blanket stitch to attach it to the turquoise lining at top and bottom.

This is a cute little bag you could use for carrying small trinkets safely. If you click through to her blog, you can find more details of how the bag was made.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Free pattern up for grabs!

Free pattern: "Download a free sample PDF project to evaluate the quality and detail of BeadBugle.Com's extensive project archives. "

Bead Bugle is an online beading magazine, and at the moment they're offering the instructions for a project free, as a trial. Might as well grab it! Currently it's a ruffled cabochon bracelet, but that may change. Still, take a look.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Three Jays Beading

For those of you in the UK, you may find this site interesting. There are some great photos of jewellery, and Three Jays run workshops and children parties, amongst other things.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

~VioletBead's Blogg~

~VioletBead's Blogg~: "I have the dream. It is generally pretty vivid when I wake up. IF I remember it, I remember it very clearly. I then attempt to make what I dreamed come to life, usually after making a little sketch in a book. So it comes from inside me."

I thought this was an interesting explanation of how one beader comes up with her designs, and wondered if other beaders do the same thing. Personally I can't say I've ever dreamt of beads, I tend to see designs and colours I like and then go from there.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

karlas_beadsoup: New Journal

karlas_beadsoup: New Journal: "Who knew beading was soooo expensive o_O Okay, pretty much anyone who done it lol. I really want to sell a bunch of my pieces to support my beading habit, but I'm not sure the local market will support it. Apparently $12 is expensive for a bracelet that cost $8 and and 1 hour to complete. The beaders I know would charge wayyyy more and think I'm totally selling myself short with such low prices. I guess ppl around here are only used to Walmarts and Claires mass produced in a third world country where jewelry makers are lucky to recieve 2 U.S. bucks a day off hours of labor made with low quality plastic, base metal and cheap string. Maybe they just don't realize that between hours of finding high quality low cost distributors, spending hours searching through product listings, purchasing materials from distributors, paying shipping cost, sorting materials upon arrival, storing materials, designing the jewelry, crafting the jewelry, generating a price based on materials, time and what not, the end result is not a $3 piece of junk from Wallyworld"

I thought this was an interesting post, and wanted to share it. Have other beaders had the same sort of problem?
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Sorry for my absence...

Hello everyone
Sorry there's been such a gap between posts, but somehow my blog got tagged as a spam blog, and basically I've been twiddling my thumbs, unable to post anything new until it was reviewed
Very frustrating!
Still, I'm up and running again now, so it's back to beading stuff!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Bead Picture

Hi everyone!
Diane sent me a photo of her work, and it was so lovely I had to put it on the blog!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

i am sending u a photo of some beads i have made into a picture they are various seed beads and delicas as well as feature beads this is my first attempt at this kind of thing but i have made many beautiful necklaces bracelets and rings using swarovski crystals as well and of course i love trying out new things and getting great ideas from all my beading friends

tammie's jewellery:

tammie's jewellery:: "My beading started with this bee that I made in the states with my relative, Cierra and Daniel about 8 years ago.
Now they are teenager.
Wow, time goes fly eh. "

hehe time goes by WAY too fast. This is a cute project for little hands. Sorry, I couldn't seem to copy the picture.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Bead Feebs: More Double Diamonds

Bead Feebs: More Double Diamonds: "I have been beading lately, I just haven't remembered to take pictures or upload them. I did these two chokers and I lovelovelove the purple one."

My daughter would love the purple one too!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

*Insert philosophical life metaphor here* - Beaded purse

*Insert philosophical life metaphor here* - Beaded purse: "After a very intense and vigorous beading session, I finished my meditation beaded bag.

It's by far the largest beaded purse I've ever made. The base row is 35 beads. Back in the day, I believe I usually did 20 or so....just about enough to fit a quarter. This one is....HUGE by comparison."


What a great design, it's amazing how creative people can be with beads.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

The Basics Of Macrame by Carolyne McCourtie

Hi everyone!
I've always liked macrame, and really enjoyed this article. And we won't get into a discussion about how to pronounce it!!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)



The Basics of Macramé

There are some simple Macramé basics that you’ll need to know to get you started. The more confident that you are about the process of Macramé the more fun you’ll have as you complete one project after another.

Calculating how much cording to use:
You’ll need to calculate how long the length of your cording should be. Although most projects will give you the recommended measurements, you should have some idea of how this measurement is reached.

The ends of cording should be 3 ½ to 4 times longer than the piece you plan to make, however, since the cording is doubled in half for knotting it is measured 7 to 8 times longer than the amount needed. For example: if the Macramé project will have a finished length of 1 yard you’ll want to measure your cording 7 to 8 yards from one end to the other. Then when each end is doubled for knotting it will be two ends, each end being 3 ½ to 4 yards long.

Make sure that you measure the ends generously since you don’t want to run out of cording and have to add to the project. It’s much better to have extra cording than it is to run out and add in an inconvenient place in the design.

Making a sampler before you begin:
For many Macramé projects you’ll want to make a sampler so that you can see how the cording knots and how long it measures. Heavy cording will take up more length in knotting than lightweight ones so you’ll need to allow for this in the calculation of how much cording to use.

Make a sampler that measures about 3 inches by 6 inches so that you can gauge the length of the cording as well as see how many ends will be needed for the width of the pattern. To determine the number of ends: tie four ends into a Square Knot and measure the knot’s width. If the width of the knot is ½ inch you’ll know that you need eight ends to the inch for the pattern of your project.

When you know what Macramé project that you want to make you should practice with the knots so that you know exactly how the cording will tie and so that you can gauge its texture and the way that it looks.

Adding beads and other items:
Beads and other items are often added to Macramé projects to make them interesting, unique, and rich with design. You can purchase beads of all kinds from beading and craft stores, as well as from many distributors on the Internet. All you need to do is make sure that the holes in the beads are large enough for the cording to strand through easily. To add the beads you simply slide them onto the cording between or in the middle of knots.

When you’re adding beads to a project you’ll want to look for beads that are unique and unusual so that they stand out in the Macramé pattern. You’ll find beads in a variety of styles, sizes, and shapes that includes flowers, symbols, and charms.
Search for beads that will complement the Macramé pattern that you’re working. You’ll want to choose beads with a color and texture that are going to enhance your project. For smaller projects you’ll want to use beads that are soft and delicate while your larger Macramé projects will need large, textured beads. Take your time looking for the right beads for your project and dare to experiment with new ideas.
The one thing that you need to ensure when you’re purchasing beads for your Macramé projects is that the cording will fit through the bead center. Keep in mind that many times you’ll be using several strands of cording that will need to fit through the bead so be sure to choose beads that are large enough.

When you’re working the bead into the strands of cording you’ll need to position the bead carefully into the pattern as per the project instructions. In most cases the bead will be worked into the project following a series of knots, followed by another series of knots to keep the bead secure.

For more information go to:

http://www.macramelovers.com/index1.html

About the Author

Carolyne first ran her own profitable Macrame business when she was 8 years old back in the late 70's and decided to re-ignite the passion and delight she has for this wonderful craft. Carolyne noticed how hard it was to find information on Macrame. So she decided to invest her time and money into researching this craft to create the "One Stop Macrame Shop" ebook, your complete guide to Macrame. http:www.macramelovers.com/index1.html

beaded heron - Bead Journal - Freeform Peyote Bracelet...

beaded heron - Bead Journal - Freeform Peyote Bracelet...: "This off white and gold freeform peyote bracelet turned out very beautiful; it's a pity I can't seem to get one decent photo of it that shows the detail, so I ended up taking several more detailed shots.
Seed beads in many sizes of off white and gold are accented with pearls, seashells, and Swarovski Crystal cubes to make up this goregous piece of wearable art..."

I love the addition of seashells to this design - what a great idea!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Two Loose Teeth: Sarah: Beading, and oh yeah, Valentine's Day

Two Loose Teeth: Sarah: Beading, and oh yeah, Valentine's Day: "I made a long necklace with the idea that I could double it up for a relaxed 2-strand look. Then I had some leftover beads, so I went ahead and made a matching bracelet.

I used monochromatic beads (sort of avacado/lime-ish color) and six different shapes. The clasps are silver lobster clasps. I tried to keep the organization fairly random, and I'm quite pleased with the end result."

Isn't it great when you have leftover beads and can make more stuff? woohoo!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Mazel Tov! Jewelry Treasures: A freeform neckpiece on a sterling silver armature

Mazel Tov! Jewelry Treasures: A freeform neckpiece on a sterling silver armature: "After making numerous bead-embroidered neckpieces, I was looking for a change of technique. Freeform peyote, netting, and brick stitch appeal to me, but I still wanted some sort of support for the work. Heavy gauge sterling silver wire makes an excellent armature to work around. My inspiration for this piece came from Lynda Musante's lovely book, Exquisite Beaded Jewelry. Lynda shows how to make a bracelet using wire links as a base. My piece uses a single strand of wire instead, but the look is very similar, so I would be remiss in not acknowledging her inspiration! "

This is a magnificent neckpiece - take a look at Cyndi's full post, as she takes you step by step through the process of creating it.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Beads, Movies & Valentine's Day - A Bead-aholic's Blog... - ...embracing the addiction! - by buttercuphi

Beads, Movies & Valentine's Day - A Bead-aholic's Blog... - ...embracing the addiction! - by buttercuphi: "I subject everyone around me to my favorite romantic movies, that coincidently display an incredible amount of beautiful beaded jewelry. I've mentioned in other forums that I watch my DVD's of West Wing in stop-action just to study the jewelry CJ and other cast members are wearing. I guess you could say those are 'everyday' styles. My main obsession in movie watching are those 'someday' projects of ornate crystal and gemstone laden accessories in period pictures and lavish musicals. Since this addiction to beading began, I've identified just a few films that fit this criteria: Moulin Rouge, Phantom of the Opera, Finding Neverland, Somewhere in Time (my all-time favorite) and Shakespeare in Love.

I hope you'll let me know what movies I've missed for this vicarious bead fix I crave!"


So - what suggestions do you have? Personally I find myself unable to take my eyes off the beautiful blood red ruby necklace worn by Ann in Jane Austen's Persuasion (played by Amanda Root). She wears it at a candlelit dinner - stunning!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Beading Help Web Blog

Beading Help Web Blog: "If you are working on beading projects while you are traveling, remember a few handy tips.
- Keep supplies and projects in a case that closes quickly - I used a child's plastic pencil box. Whether you are in a plane, a train, or an automobile, you may run into circumstances where you've got to shut down shop quickly.
- Use beading mats, foam pads or other materials to keep beads from rolling around.
- Have a small bag you can use for trash, and NEVER cut wire, beading wire, or other materials in a manner that they will pose hazard to your fellow travelers!!
- Precut wire or have your beads organized by project to cut down on how much room you'll need to work. Remember, even First Class is cramped compared to most workshops!"

Some great ideas there! Maybe I need to go on holiday somewhere so I can put them into practice!! hehe
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Not My Usual Bead Color Palette for Beads - Beadwork Blog Freeform Beading Project with Shades of Yellow, Gray and Bronze Beads - Part 2

Not My Usual Bead Color Palette for Beads - Beadwork Blog Freeform Beading Project with Shades of Yellow, Gray and Bronze Beads - Part 2: "As you can see from the above, the tension in my Peoyte has been tight enough to give the long piece some curve, so I'm thinking I'll make it a centerpiece of a slight bib-type necklace, with the straps done some other way. I'm going to take up the inside of the curve by doing Peoyte stitch with smaller (size 15/0) beads to get a bit more curve to it."

This is an interesting combination of colours, some great "feature" beads too.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

New Beading Forum

Hello everyone!
I have a VERY exciting announcement today - I've started a beading forum! This is a great place for you to meet up with other beaders and share ideas.
Go to Beading is Fun and click on the "forum" link in the left hand column.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)