Wire Crochet

Hello! I hope everyone is having a nice, sunny Saturday!

This week's bracelet is made with 28 gauge silver craft wire and a J crochet hook. This was such a fun project even though I didn't know what I was doing! It is so much fun loading beads onto the spool of wire. Using larger, odd shaped beads also adds to the unkempt look of these designs. I love it! It is sort of like organized chaos! I primarily used beads from a bead mix tube, but added a few sparkly ones in for good measure from my collection.

This is definitely a bracelet intended to produce a smile and maybe even a laugh. Have a great evening!

Festivity

What a festive bead!! I have had several of these beads for quite a few years and haven't had them out for a long time. They are TOO CUTE! Just perfect for a Friday night!

I can see many strands and dangles accompanying this fun bead. Lots of black and white shiny beads going in every direction. Now I just have to get busy and make it!!

Have a great evening!

Scary Kitty

Hello! I hope you are all having a great week! I wanted to share this bead because I thought, "oh what a cute little kitty". Well, the closer I looked at the cute little guy, the more I thought, hmm, he would make a good Tim Burton movie character. There is something about him that seemed like one of the characters of the Nightmare Before Christmas! Maybe the eyes look a little stitched up or something.

Anyway, it's still cute and would be adorable in any piece of jewelry, especially if it was for Halloween!

Have a good one!

Multi-color Disco Ball

Today's bead is another good example of a nice surprise in the bottom of a bead mix! Sort of like cracker jacks without the calories! How fun it would be to sort and mix beads all day. I would always make sure to "hide" a few special surprises in each mix package.

This chunky 10mm bead is just begging to be used in a piece of big, flashy jewelry that might make it out on the town occasionally. Although, in my opinion, if you can make it, you can wear it to the grocery store! Why wait for that special night out!

Have a great evening!!

Wood Chips

Hello! I hope you are having a nice day!

I wasn't sure about sharing these beads at first, but then I thought I HAVE to share them. These are some of the most unique "beads" I've encountered and I have been beading for many years.

I purchased a 16" strand of these from hobby lobby recently. I was drawn to their unusual shapes and natural colors. The best thing about finding something this unique is you are sure to create a real conversation piece with them.

I'm anxious to work them into a project, but haven't had a fully developed design idea yet. I'm sure it will come. I hope you think these are as interesting as I do.

Have a great evening!

Swirly Bead

There is something about today's bead that reminds me of the 1950's. I think it's the white etched swirl on the outside. It is sort of reminiscent of the drinking glasses popular in the fifties. It made me think of the kitschy things you see at a flea market.

Again, I am drawn to combination of red and white! I guess some things you just can't fight.

I hope you enjoy this one, have a great evening!

For the Love of Palm Trees

Hi everyone! I was so excited about posting the robot bead yesterday, I am posting the weekly bracelet today instead.

I made this week's memory wire bracelet during a trip to Florida. We visited a GREAT bead store in Port Charlotte, Anderson's Bead Room. I hadn't brought any tools or beads since we were only going to be there for 5 days.

Once I noticed they had the black rubber tubing for memory wire, I knew I was going to need to make something! I had seen some design ideas for using this product in a bead magazine and thought it would be a lot of fun. I ended up buying pliers and memory wire cutters so I could make something. Since we were in Florida during a mini-blizzard in Ohio, it seemed appropriate to celebrate the gorgeous green palm trees. This really is a fun product to work with, especially if you like memory wire. It sure felt great wearing this bracelet for the rest of the winter once we returned home. It never failed to remind me of the gorgeous sunshine reflecting off the ocean and the palm trees rustling in the breeze.

Have a great evening!

Gort!

Hello! This isn't really Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still, but you have to admit it's pretty darn cute! I had seen this in a beading magazine and when I did a search I found it for sale on TekaAndZoe's etsy site for sale. She has very kindly allowed me to post it here for us all to admire!! It really makes me smile!

If any of you are interested, it is currently for sale on this etsy site.

If you get a chance to look through the jewelry she has for sale, you won't regret it. She has some beautiful pieces!

I hope you are all having a great weekend!!

Adorable Lampwork

Beads like this always make me want to take a class in lampworking! I can imagine how much fun it would be "drawing" these flower petals on with glass. I never realized I liked the red/white contrast so much, but it does seem to be something I am drawn to.

This would look great with some bright green leaf beads and shiny white pressed flower beads. Bright red pressed flowers and a cute daisy charm would finish this one nicely!

I hope everyone has some great crafting plans for the holiday weekend! Have fun!

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Isn't life funny? I had just been thinking about how this bead is a bit spaceship-like when I happened to see the last five minutes of the movie, The Day The Earth Stood Still. First of all, that's an excellent movie! If you are a fan of classic sci-fi, you will be familiar with these words, "Klaatu barada nikto"

This is the phrase the Patricia Neal character is supposed to say to the robot, Gort, to keep him from destroying planet earth. If you haven't seen it recently, it is well worth getting from the library or actually putting out the money to have as part of your collection. It is truly a classic.

Now, what to do with this bead? I was thinking it would work really great with some other matte earth tone beads and it would be just a little too cute with a robot charm! I have seen a very cool robot charm that requires a bead be placed in between the head and body. Gosh, I'll have to search for that and post it here. I'll make an update once I find it, you will LOVE it!!

Take care all!

Red Lined Furnace Glass

Today's red lined furnace glass bead has such a nice, crisp vibe. I really love this type of bead, but I usually like to use just one per design so it retains it's uniqueness when paired with other glass beads. Furnace glass beads make great focal pieces, especially once you know the complexity of the work that goes into making them.

Furnace glass beads are made using traditional glassworking techniques from Italy. The same techniques that are used to make art glass objects using a glass furnace and kiln. These beads are also called cane glass beads and are cut from long glass rods.

They really deserve a place of distinction!

The Happy Clown!

Isn't this the cutest little "happy clown" bead? These are the type of colors you typically associate with baby nurseries or kids birthday parties, very sweet and innocent. (Not the scary kind of clowns!)

This would work great in a festive piece of jewelry made to mark an ocassion such as a birthday or a happy get-together with friends and family. I am guessing this is probably a one of a kind bead...I'm not sure where I found it. What that usually means is using this as a singular focal bead in a bracelet or necklace. This would be a nice centerpiece in an 18 inch necklace with similar pastel colored glass beads and tiny round red beads every inch or so. What do you think?
Have a great evening!

Tiger Stripes

Hello! Maybe this is more like cartoon tiger stripes than realistic tiger stripes. It sort of made me think of Tony the Tiger, but I think he is orange.

I liked the cartoonishness of it and think it would be adorable in a bead crochet bracelet along with some bright, cheerful beads and possibly even on a fun color of thread like orange or red. Can you see that?

Thanks for stopping by and overlooking my need to make up words as I go. It's possible cartoonishness is a real word, but I sort of doubt it.

Dramatic Rectangle

There are so many cool things you can do with this wooden bead, the possibilities are endless. The great thing is, no matter what you make, it will have a hip/mod flair to it.

When I first placed this on top of my wrist I began thinking about how I could use this as a photo frame. I then thought about using it as a frame for a great rectangular art glass bead. Then I thought about weaving a bunch of colorful seed beads inside the frame in sort of a free form wave.

Once you figure out how you want the focal piece to work, again there are SO many possibilities for the remaining wrist band. Should it be a band, a chain, several beaded strands....?

Phew, I'm really undecided. The strand came with 4 or 5 pieces, so I need to chill out and just make something!!

I hope you all have had a great weekend!! Take care! If you have any ideas for this one, please feel free to share!

Swirly Copper Accents

Hello! This week's bracelet is one that I made last weekend in our local jewelry making group at the library. I was learning how to make 3 hole spacers out of 22 gauge copper wire that has little swirls on top. I'm STILL learning, but this was a lot of fun and for the sake of simplicity, I used copper wire for the entire project rather than stringing wire so it molds right to the wrist. I like that feeling when it fits perfectly around your wrist.

This was made with a tube of beads from Joann Etc. and the dangle is a large palmwood bead. I had fun making it and it is a joy to wear.

Hope you are all having a great, crafty Saturday!!

More Lovely Links

I have thought about this moment all day long!! Sitting at home with my loved ones, happy and content on a Friday night with no serious obligations for at least the next 24 hours. That's a wonderful feeling!!

I wanted to share these lovely green links with you. They seem very similar to the links from last Saturday's bracelet, but they are made of glass rather than acrylic, they're a bit larger and they are made by a different manufacturer. Not only did the Michael's display have these lovely links, they had links that were perfectly square and rectangular in contrasting colors. I encourage you to take a trip to your local Michael's and look for a stand-alone display of these links. They are so cool! They also had packaged several LARGE circular links that I assume are intended for pendants.

Let me know if you make it out there and please share any pieces you make with them. I would love to see them. Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT weekend!!

Pink Cube Cuteness

These fiber optic beads have a unique look that is actually created with the same material in fiber optic telephone cables. The quartz fibers are fused and then cut into a wide variety of shapes and sizes. I recently bought some donut shaped fiber optic beads. I need to get those out and post them!

This cube will look great with some shiny silver beads, maybe even that sparkly disc from last week. I'm thinking about sifting through my stash of leftover (lonely) beads in pastel colors to mix with this one for a nice eclectic summery bracelet.

Hope everyone out there is having a great day and maybe even doing some beading tonight!

Olive Bicone

I love the color of this bead! This olive bicone is not a swarovski crystal, but it is a beauty! (And it really is the color of an olive, yum!)

I believe this is an 8mm bead so it could hold its own among some larger gemstone or glazed ceramic beads in a variety of earth tones. I wish I could upload the vision from my head into this blog so you can see the extremely cool looking bracelet that I see. Made on either recycled paper or faux leather cording, it's the many dangles that makes it so cool!! Maybe one day technology will catch up with brain wave patterns! In the mean time, you just have to trust me!

Have a great evening!

Pressed Flower Button

Hi everyone! Is this the coolest button or what? I couldn't resist buying this one because of these tiny little pressed flowers that are encased in resin. I could picture this as a focal "bead" in a very cool, sparkly memory wire bracelet. I might have to run out or order some other similar color and contrasting color swarovski crystals since I don't seem to have the right ones "in stock".

I'll post a photo of the finished product once I figure it out! This is definitely going to be in one of my summer bracelets this year. I notice that I seem to have seasonal jewelry that gets put away and brought back out as the seasons change. I have found I'm not as drawn to the jewelry I wore over the winter months and only want to wear some of my new things. Interesting... You learn something new about yourself every day!

Have a great evening!

Candy or Bead?

I'm really beginning to think I have some issues with candy...OR...it's a conspiracy...bead designers intentionally making beads to look like candy and other sweets to get unsuspecting beaders to buy them?!! That's it, I figured it out! Please let me know your thoughts (especially if you agree with me)!!

In all seriousness, I wanted to share this bead because it is a really fun shape and the colors are striking. It has an interesting matte finish rather than a shiny one. That's sort of unusual for the average glass bead. I'm not sure where this one came from, but if you know of someone who carries these, please let me know. I'd like to get some in a variety of colors for a very festive bracelet.

Take care!!

Sparkly Metal Disc

Hi everyone and to all the mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day!

I don't typically post metal spacers or beads, but this one seems special. This is a tiny metal spacer, but it packs a punch of style. There is something a little bit 1960's about it and also something a little 1980's. I'm not sure why the styles of those timeframes come to mind, but to be honest, you could even call it a little art deco. Every twenty years, there seems to be a resurgence of styles that are taken in a slightly different direction. I think this is a compilation of styles over the years.

I just know I like it. I hope you do to. Have a great evening!

Fun Loving Links

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great Saturday! I wanted to start posting the "bracelet of the week" on Saturdays just because it's something extra fun!

This week's bracelet is one that I made last night after a trip to Michael's. I already posted this over on my other blog at http://www.mycraftivity.com/, but I wanted to share it over here too.

I have been wearing this all day and just love it!! This bracelet requires absolutely no beading skills!! As you probably already know, my goal is to convert non-beaders into beaders. This is another of those projects that anyone can make without any tools because the silver jump rings are so large and easy to bend, you can use your fingers.

The large loops are acrylic and the smaller blue discs are glass. The only other pieces are the silver jump rings which connect all the pieces and I added a simple magnetic clasp.

I hope you like this as much as I do!! Have a great evening!

Yin & Yang

This polymer Yin & Yang bead is such fun in crisp black and white. You've got to love the concept of universal opposites. The thought that one principle dominates another temporarily is pretty cool and provides hope for health when one is sick and wealth when one is in poverty. I love the idea that all conditions are subject to change into their opposites.

I am thinking this will make a nice focal bead by using smaller black and milky white crystals. I think it needs a few nice silver spacers too!

I hope you all have something fun and crafty planned for the weekend. Take care and have fun!

Palm Wood Beads

These 3 beads are called "palm wood beads" according to fire mountain gems. I ordered them recently and wasn't really expecting them to be this cool! I sort of expected them to be typical wood beads, but these seem extra special somehow. They are a little larger than expected and very light weight. I had a thought recently about palm trees. I'm not sure if it was a dream or a daydream, but I thought, "if I had a palm tree in my front yard, I would hug it every day".

My personal goal is to move to a warmer climate so, of course, palm trees are usually what I visualize. I think of this often now and get a happy feeling when I think of that hug. I consider using these beads the next best thing. I get to showcase them and also wear my little palm tree friend on my wrist! Life is good!

Friendly Fishy

Hello! Today's bead is a very sweet, friendly looking little glass fish. I've had these for a while and can't recall if I have used them before. Possibly in earrings, but my memory is not kicking in!

There are fishes in blue, green and gold in my collection. Now that I have re-discovered these beads, I need to come up with a way to use them. These might be cute in a piece of jewelry that incorporates some furry yarn to represent algae.

If you have any ideas, let me know. Take care!

Speckled Bead or Giant Mis-shapen Jaw Breaker?

Okay, you guessed it, this is a very cool speckled glass bead. I love it! This bead was included in the same ziploc as the little misfit beads. I don't get it, they are all so cool. Well, they have all found a good home and I can't wait to put them into a fun piece of jewelry. I don't think they will be in the same piece, but they certainly deserve to be used and worn. Just like the rest of us. We deserve to live the life we were created to live!

Have a good one!

Island of Misfit Beads

Hello! Today's bead is actually a collection of 4 beads that I bought at a local bead shop. There was an entire bin full of ziploc bags that were each filled with special glass beads. I had no idea why each baggie was only $.88, but I could see they had cute little faces in them. Of course, once I saw little faces I couldn't put the bag down and walk off without them knowing they were looking for a good home.

I think these are adorable little beads. They seem to have a lot of character. What do you think?

Modern Design Leaf

Today's bead is a fun variation of the good old leaf bead. Leaf beads are great and can add realism to your floral inspired jewelry designs. This particular leaf bead has some modern design elements that will give your jewelry pieces a modern, artsy flair as well. It is slightly chunky and has subtle faceted-like indentations which give it that modern feel, maybe even a little art deco-like with the slightly brighter green color. It would be great to have some chunky tulip-like glass beads in colors that are slightly darker than primary, like a dark red and purple.

Hope you are wrapping up your weekend by doing something fun! Take care!!

Pearly Beauty

Hello, hope you are all having a great Saturday!

Today's bead is a great beauty. Not only is it gorgeous, it is extremely versatile. I've used these beads in a very simple bracelet intermingled with a/b crystals, but it could be used with lots of earth tones or even bright pearly colors.

I'm thinking about those spring colored pearls that were showcased a while back and maybe throw in some of the "mess of crystals" and the result could be a sparkly, eclectic piece of jewelry. Sounds really fun! (Don't forget the dangles!)

Happy beading out there!

Crochet Fun

Yay, it's Friday!! I'm sure I'm not the only one who is VERY glad the work week has come to a close! I just realized I missed out on posting this week's bracelet so I thought I'd share a fun one today.

After getting several library books out to learn how to crochet with beads, this was one of my first attempts. In preparation for crocheting with beads, I took a trip to the local bead shop to purchase some of the mix tubes they put together since they always have some fun surprises in them.

This bracelet is the result of using embroidery-like thread and a $3 bead mix along with a single crochet... I still like the outcome.

If you can do a single crochet, you could have an untapped source of jewelry design that you didn't even consider! There are no beading skills involved, just load your beads onto your spool of thread and just pull the bead up the thread as you want to add them. How easy is that?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sweet Little Bead

Aww, is this just the cutest, little sweet bead? (Or is it just me?) I realize it could just be me, but come on, this is so adorable. There's something very milky white about the middle part of this bead and the contrast with the primary red is great. Maybe it's slightly santa-like, but I think it would look great with a bunch of red beads and a giant white focal bead...very summery (instead of Christmassy).

Have a great evening!!