Bead Procrastination...just a little bit longer

It's time to gear up for the new week. Before we do that, let's procrastinate for a little bit longer... :)

Join me on a trip to bead blogger land to see what our pals have been up to.

Just a little more time with beads before thinking about all the exciting things going on at work this week.

Enjoy!

First up, it's a fun keychain project using hemp cord and art beads, NICE!

Art Bead Scene
Check out this funky free project from Gaea, using tons of beautiful art beads!

About.com
Remember your summer vacation by combining elements from the beach in this new necklace project.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Take a look at what some of the members of the Inspired by Reading book club made for the September selection, "Dogeaters" by Jessica Hagedorn.

Beading Arts
Time to add some bead embroidered motifs to Cyndi's new necklace, using African Helix, Chevron, RAW, and St Petersburg Chain as the inspiration!

Resin Crafts Blog
I craftastrophy in mold making turns into a super bangle project after a day of experimentation.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews the marvelously innovative new book, Explorations in Beadweaving, by Kelly Angeley. Get ready to get your socks knocked off!

I Asked & I Received Lots of Sparkles!

It's so exciting to find a nice little bead package in the mail each month...THANKS Cousin Corporation!

I had a chance to select these beads and was so excited to see them.

I am still loving the mirror bead collection. I thought I had mirror beads in every combination, but lo and behold, I didn't!

My plan is to make lots of sparkly memory wire bracelets for friends with all this sparkle. Ooh, I almost forgot about the earring forms, yay! Love the shape and can't wait to dangle something inside of the loop!

For the last couple of months the Cousin Ambassadors have been working with the holiday line of beads called Tis the Season. I wonder if that has inadvertently put me in the holiday spirit!

Wow, until I started writing this post, I didn't realize that was even why I ordered those mirror beads. I just thought I would like to see all the color combos I didn't already have.

That's actually kind of a sweet surprise. Aww. Hopefully my friends don't stop by to read this, but I'm sure they will be expecting jewelry gifts of some kind anyway again this year. :)

Anyone else out there working on gifts of jewelry for the holidays already? I'd love to hear about it!

Yummy Beads and Inspiration!

Yum! That's the first word that came to me when I saw this picture.

I love the clarity and the vibe of the photo being taken outside, you can barely see trees in the glass and all together it created a feeling for me.

Yum! :)

These beads were created by Fire Lily Glass Studio and you can find out more by checking out the Art Bead Scene link below.

Enjoy and have a great week everyone! :)

Art Bead Scene
Check out some beautiful boro lampwork beads and their corresponding colour palettes with Brandi!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
Jean is a member of a group of designers for the great store and online presence Baubles & Beads. This week was the first reveal for the designers. Stop by and see what Jean made, enter a giveaway, and scoop up a great coupon code good through Sept. at Baubles & Beads ! Yay!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew shares some upcoming classes at Allegory Gallery, including a Weekend Intensive taught by him and Lynne Suprock!

Beading Arts
Cyndi is starting a new series on making a bead embroidered necklace...follow along and try one for yourself!

Resin Crafts Blog
The Lanvin inspired name plate necklace is easy to make with Resin Clay.

'Tis the Season Project Update

You just have to love the creative process...

I got about a quarter of the way through with my original thought for this necklace and decided I probably need to take this in another direction.

Originally, the right angle weave piece was going to hang like a pendant with chain around the neck and the remaining beads creating LOTS of dangles from the chain on either side.

Now I'm thinking the right angle weave piece should be attached to chain length-wise and all the dangles should hang from that piece rather than the chain...

And, yes, I'm working on a paper towel because as usual, I've just gotta bead on my lap.

Any thoughts? Think winter because 'Tis the Season! :) Thanks everyone, you know I love to co-create!

If you have stories of beading project twists and turns, please share those too! I just know I'm in good company! :)

'Tis the Season...

Wow, time flies on Sunday that's for sure! Just checking in to see who had a creative weekend.

If you have anything new to share, as always, leave a comment and link back to your creation!

We'd love to ooh and ahh over it! :)

Here's a pic of some beads from the new 'Tis the Season line by Cousin that is now out in the craft stores.

These are the pieces I've pulled for a new project. It's going to be a necklace, but I haven't completely figured out the construction yet. My goal is to have it completed by Thursday of this week, so you'll be the first to know. :)

For now, if you are looking for creative inspiration, here's a peek at what our bead blogger friends have been up to...Have a great week!

Art Bead Scene
Revisit a 'best of' post with Sparrow Salvage - an ever-popular topic: how to take great jewellery photos!

Beading Arts
Cyndi shows you how to make a necklace that features a "Shower of Pearls"!

Charlene Sevier
Ever start a piece of jewelry and then struggle to finish it? That's what happened to Charlene. There is a happy ending!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
A beautiful art book concerning Blythe dolls (wearing jewelry of course!) has been written by Jean with her co authors and 40 world wide contributors. Preview the book, Big Eyed Love, and read more about it on Jean's blog!

Super Duper Sparkle

 




Oh my, I LOVE this kumihimo SPARKLE!

I didn't even know you could make something like this using the kumihimo technique.

This is called the Mai Kumihimo Necklace and Bracelet and here are free project instructions from our pals over at PrimaBead.com, the Cousin Corp sister company.

Okay, I vow to learn this in the fall so I can make lots of new pieces for the next season.

That will give me something to look forward to as the weather turns cooler.

Right now, I must say, I'm not so keen on the idea of cool weather yet.

That's what life is all about, finding inspiration! WOW!

Kumihimo Ideas

Here are some cute and simple kumihimo bracelet ideas from the Cousin Corporation.

I mentioned in a recent post that I was gifted with some great supplies and the necessary tools for learning this ancient Japanese braiding technique.

I've been itching to try it, but haven't had a chance to get everything out yet. I'm hoping to do that in the very near future. 

In the mean time, I received an email with these design ideas from Cousin and thought they were very sweet and simple. 

Not only that, check out this quick video on the braiding process. 

You could really go to town embellishing these using large hole beads and even other types of fibers knotted on...ahhh, the possibilities are endless! 

Just wanted to share! :)

Love, Sweet Love Necklace

This is an easy, easy necklace that says so much!

I LOVE the word love!

It is a happy word and can even be used as a mantra.

There are many more uses than when you are IN LOVE with a person, although that's a GOOD use of the word! :)

So, this necklace can be a statement of being in love OR a statement that feeling gratitude and love for people, places, things is important to your well being.

Whichever it is, this necklace takes about 15 minutes to make and you have gotta LOVE that! :)

Enjoy! By the way, these are all Cousin products including some of my very favorites from the "subculture" line which actually includes the happy, heart word LOVE!