Thursday, January 31, 2013

Baby Crochet







I love crocheting cute things for my grands. I never had the time to make many things for my own children, so my mom did. I am carrying on that tradition. I love being a "Mimi" and designing for such adorable "models" !

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Right Angle Weave Pearl and Seed Bead Necklace and Earrings



Right angle weave can yield some amazing results when it is employed with seed beads and 6mm glass pearls. I love this modern update on a classic pearl necklace. I made a matching pair of earrings !

Red and Crystal Necklace


A beautiful faceted red glass rectagular briolette looks great paired up with red faceted beads and crystal beads, on a simple silver chain. It will be hard to part with this one. 

Fan Shaped Brick Stitched Teardrop Earrings




 These motifs are fun to make with brick stitch. I love the fan shape and they are so pretty, either with the dangle or without. 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Hana Ami Flower Stitch Bracelet


One of my very favorite bead pattern designers and artists is Deb Roberti at 
Her patterns are meticulously written, beautifully designed and she is so generous with her knowledge. 
This is one of many patterns that she offers for free on her website, so go check it out !
I did this bracelet in blue gray matte beads and smokey blue gray crystal bicones. You can also use this motif to make earrings. There is a beautiful example of them on my blog in the earlier posts. 

You Have My (Bead Embroidered Ornament) Heart


I adore hearts. The heart has been the theme of my life for the last year or so, as I have decided to follow the Lord's calling on my life as a full time artist. I just finished a course called Unlocking The Heart of the Artist and it changed my life and set me on a new course. 
I have decided to explore more with embroidery and fibers and the theme will be hearts. This is the first in the series, a bead embroidered piece in blues and greens and soft lavender. I added some fringe with pressed glass leaves. It is an ornament that can be hung by the loop on top. What a nice way to say "You Have My Heart."

Brick Stitch on Sterling Hoop Earrings




I have had these sterling silver hoops in my stash for awhile now and had been at a loss as to what to do with them until I came across this tutorial. 
http://beadwork.about.com/od/beadedearrings/ss/Cha_Cha_Earrings.htm
So, I decided to give it a try with what I had on hand. I am pleased with the results ! The possibilities are endless. 

Coastal Inspired Bead Crochet Treasure Necklace



This is another happy experiment with bead crochet and C-lon. The fiber is small enough to go through some pretty small holed beads and yet it has enough body to create a reliable necklace. I have added faux Turquoise, jade, seed beads, art glass beads, bone and goldstone chips. I crocheted little tabs from which to attach a lobster claw clasp. I love this design and will definitely be working on other variations. 

Crocheted Earrings





I have been playing around with more bead crochet lately, and decided to make these pretty earrings. They are crocheted with C-Lon, the same fiber I used in the flat Turkish bead crocheted bracelets in another post. I love this fiber for bead crochet because it has a lot of body and you don't need to starch it. In addition, it comes in so many glorious colors ! These are great earrings for people who like them big but don't want the weight on their ears. I plan to do more experimenting with bead crochet. 

Dapple Gray Bead Embroidered Cabochon

This stone cabochon reminded me of a beautiful dapple gray mare, my favorite of horses !
I surrounded it with steel delicas, khaki and gray matte seed beads and gray opaque and luster lined seed beads. AS much as I love bold colors, this more neutral piece really pleases my eye. 

Flat Turkish Bead Crochet



I was recently intrigued and inspired by this post http://jewelsinfiber.blogspot.com/2012/12/turkish-flat-bead-crochet-bracelet.html on another favorite artist's website, so I decided to give her tutorial a try ! The results were quite satisfactory ! This is a fun project. I plan to use these as Valentine gifts this year.

Moody Blue Ombre Bracelet

I like to play around with color and I am always looking for freeform ways to use up extra, or small bits of beads that are leftover from other projects. This bracelet has a square stitch base with size 6 seed beads and them was embellished with lots of loops in size 11 seed beads. next time I will add some other things, like various crystals or odds and ends that fit my color scheme. I used a silver button and a peyote stitched loop for the clasp. 

Beautiful Bronze Bead Embroidered Stone Caobochon

This stone cabochon contains flecks of green, bronze and gold. I chose a khaki matte AB seed bead to set off all of those qualities and paired them u with root beer colored seed beads and another seed bead of which the name escapes me ! At any rate, the effect was successful, don't you think ?

Baroque in Blue Bead Embroidered Cabochon Necklace


This lovely Robin's Egg Blue cabochon needed a nest ! I chose matte 11 seed beads in lilacs green and blue and "Earth" delicas to surround it. I added a few jet AB 4mm beads and teardrops for some bling. The necklace is a spiral rope variation and I created a peyote stitched toggle and loop to finish it all off.