Chandelier Earrings on FTF

Ready for the red carpet? Kate sure is! Check out these Chandelier Earring alternate colorways she'll be making today on Free Tip Friday to go alongside her Premiere Earrings:

Ladies' Lunch
1 Strand 6mm Bronze Rose Illusion
1 Strand 4mm- Opaque Yellow-Copper Picasso
1 Strand 3mm- Polychrome Copper Rose
1 Strand 7-8mm Purple Potato Pearls
1 Pkg Tierra Daisy Spacers- Antique Copper
1 Pair Open Poppy Bead Caps- Antique Copper
1 Pkg Petite Petal Bead Caps- Antique Copper
1 Pkg 2" Eye Pins- Antique Copper
1 Pkg 2" Head Pins- Antique Copper
1 Pkg 1.5" Head Pins- Antique Copper
1 Pair Niobium Ear Wires- Antique Copper w/ 3mm Bead













Opening Night
1 Strand 6mm- Ruby
1 Strand 4mm- Matte Jet
1 Strand 3mm- Iris Brown
1 Pkg Tierra Daisy Spacers- Gold
1 Pair Open Poppy Bead Caps- Antique Gold
1 Pkg Petite Petal Bead Caps- Antique Gold
1 Pkg 2" Eye Pins- Antique Brass
1 Pkg 2" Head Pins- Antique Brass
1 Pkg 1.5" Head Pins- Antique Brass
1 Pair Gold Fill Ear Wires w/ 3mm Bead

Top Ten Tips By Janice

Hey Gang,
I know you all love pearls of wisdom... and who better to share their pearls that our one-and-only founder, Janice!

JP and I were chatting a while back about our favorite tips, and I asked her to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and send over her top tips from the many that she has shared over the years.

She send me a fantastic list. About the same time, she began a series of watercolors that featured jewelry and beads. I thought, "You know, the combo of those tips and watercolors would make a terrific document to share with our customers. I'll bet they will be as entranced by them as I am."

So I put my fingers to the keyboard and whipped up this little downloadable document just in time to celebrate Janice's milestone birthday... you can download it at this link and join me on Free Tip Friday on May 10th for a fun flip through Janice's pearls of wisdom and watercolors. Happy Birthday JP!! Thanks for all of the bead and design knowledge you have shared over the years. We can't wait to see what you create next.

Dusk is coming... A special Stone Mix from Kate

I just love this simple yet stunning semi precious mix of 6mm rounds, star cuts and a dash of freshwater pearls.

When I design with these beads, I like to let the stones to the taking, so I add a very minimal background- simple pearl knotting or adding a simple 11/0 or 8/0 seed bead, or a Little Shadow bead as spacers. I used this 11/0 in the sample.

Sort in color order for an overall ombre effect, or string in a completely random mix, the choose is yours.

Here are the beads I used in the mix:

6mm Semi Precious Rounds

• Rose Quartz
• Pyrite
• Matte White African Opal
• Silver Crazy Lace Agate
• Matte Wood Opalite
• Yellow Jade
• Matte Pink Crazy Lace
• Matte Porcelain Jasper

Star Cuts

• Sardonyx
• Natural Agate
• Peach Moonstone
• Matte Rhodonite
• Matte Dog Tooth Amethyst

Pearl

• 9mm Bronze Iris

Watch the whole FTF where I work with the mix... Enjoy!

Beadshop LIVE 4/3: Making a Mix

Thanks so much for joining me today. It was such fun to create a color palette and choose the seed beads right on air.

This is the original photo posted in The Bead Table FB Group by member, Faye.

Here are the completed mixes. Both use the exact same base recipe with just two different beads per mix.

The top row in the photo above is the lighter, Dewdrop Blossom. The second row is the darker, Tokyo Cherry Blossom.

Size	Amount	Color Name	Color Number
11/0	3.5G	Opaque Turq Green	11-412
11/0	3.5G	Pink Lined Crystal AB	11-272
11/0	3G	Matte Opaque Beige	11-2022
8/0	5G	Tea Rose AB	8-155FR
8/0	2G	Matte Transparent Lt Topaz AB	8-132FR
8/0	2.5G	Matte Transparent Yellow AB	8-136FR
8/0	5G	Blush Lined Crystal	6-215
8/0	7.5G	Pale Pink Silverlined Alabaster	6-555
Toyko
8/0	3G	Matte Transparent Ruby	8-141FR
8/0	2G	Gilding Matte Metal See Bead	MT8-GLMMT
OR
8/0	2G	Duracoat Galvanized Gold	8-4202
Dewdrop
8/0	3G	Silverlined Paris Pink	8-4238
8/0	2G	Matte Zinc Metal Seed Bead
OR
8/0	2G	Silver Metal Seed Bead

You can download the mixing sheet I filled out at this link.

If you missed the episode, watch it right here:

Kate’s Seven Tips to Kick-start Creativity

Spring is just around the corner…with the promise of new beginnings, Spring always makes me want to sit at the bead table and CREATE! Scrolling though my posts on our FB Group, The Bead Table, I found this post I wrote a while back, and thought it was a good time to share again.

Being naturally creative people, our brains come up with so many ideas! Our hands are happy when busy and our minds at ease when occupied with making a project.

It’s getting into the “project flow” that can pose a challenge. And you know what? That’s okay! It happens to me all the time. My mind can run a million miles an hour and it can be exhausting.

It’s like being a kid in a candy store (or in a bead store), it’s hard to know where to look or create first. Here are some things I do to get myself in the “bead flow.”

-Kate

Kate’s Seven Tips to Kick-start Creativity 

1. Make components. Like in the necklace pictured, or wire wrap beads, or make clasps, spirals, or headpins. The box of components that you make will make future projects fly by.

2. Print your projects. Take a screen shot or even a photo of the computer screen with your camera phone and print it out and bag it together with your beads in a big baggie. If you steal from this project stash later, who cares! You can always buy more and add it back in. Just leave a note about what you took.

3. Sort your stash. Organized beads are happy beads. Organize however works for you. You are setting up your own shop, so make it the way you like!

4. Give yourself permission to cut up old projects that no longer resonate. Cut up with wild abandon and return your beads to your stash. Or give ‘em away... it really clears your creative space, plus you have more beads to work with!

5. Practice. Grab a spool of wire or needle and thread and knock out process samples. Wire wrap 20 loops one after the other or just start Peyote stitch over and over so the technique flows seamlessly. No end game in mind: just build your skill.

6. Start your art journal. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, but having a repository for ideas can calm the creative mind and help you to not forget those great flashes of inspiration.

7. Do something else. If the creative bug hasn’t bitten and you are flailing, move on. Read a book, take a walk, have a nap. The beads will be there when you are ready.

Remember, in the words of Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have.”

Free Tip Friday: Making Freeform Peyote Stitch Beads

Updated to add the finished necklace I competed on the FTF on 1.4.19

I used Spicy Mustard Popcorn Padres, Dark Brown Bone Barrels, Nutmeg Reg C-Lon, and Spirits button. I also added Part 2 of the project broadcast from earlier today. Scroll to the bottom of the post to check out both episodes.

On this edition of Free Tip Friday I am sharing my all time FAVE seed bead stitch... Freeform Peyote.  Such an easy stitch as "freeform" is the operative word here. Practically goof-proof! I will post the video as soon as I fininsh the live broadcast.

You’ll need some of our New England Wood Beads. They come in three sizes. I am doing one of each. Make your own mix if you want. Anything goes, really... 

RECIPE:

To emulate my bead mix, you’ll need 2 colors of 8/0’s; 3 colors of 11/0’s with one of them being a metal seed bead; a strand of little shadows; a bag of heishi; a strand of faceted hematite rondells; and a strand of 4mm firepolish. 

My Color Palette:

I choose kind of a retro color palette in the following colors:

8/0: 8-1233, 8-64111/0: 11-1233, DB0907 or DB0022L, 11/0 Gilding MatteBrass Little ShadowsBrass Tiera HeishiGolden Faceted Hematite Rondelle, or Bronzed Faceted Hematite Rondelle, or Coppered Faceted Hematite Rondelle.4mm Polycrome Copper Rose 
Type the names in the search bar on beadshop.com for fast finding.

Toss in a spool of KO (I used Dark Gray); Size 10 beading needles and Old School Thread Clippers. And a Bigger Than Little Storage container to keep it together. 

Free Tip Friday: Dragon Scale Tassel

Thanks to Bead Table Member, Alley Mori and her great ideas with Dragon Scales!

Here are a few of Alley's lovely tassels! Thanks so much for the inspiration, Alley.

Aren't they fantastic?

I used Alley't tassels as inspiration for these tassel earrings.

Here is the ingredients list for what I used on FTF today:

• Bermuda Blue Dragon Scales
• Emerald Celsian O beads
• Sea Green Picasso Drops
• Jet Chrome 2/0 Matubo
• Picasso Opaque Cobalt 11-4518
• Matte Opaque Cobalt Luster 8-2075
• Dyed Silver Lined Denim 6-4276
• Smoke Green KO
• Size 10 Beading Needles
• Sweetheart Earwires

Connections: What A Woman!

Faithful friend and customer Debbie M. of Reno, Nevada has been a busy beader. I promised to tell this story way back when in our first Connections post, and finally, here it is. 

-Drea

When Debbie’s longtime friend told her some bad news, Debbie jumped to action. This friend's daughter had been diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, a very rare and aggressive form of cancer that’s usually found only in children under 5, though this daughter is actually a grown woman with a child of her own. The shocking news sent the family into a tailspin, and now they work together to cope with the news and fight the disease.

One thing that can be offered to support a friend in need is love. Debbie has taken her love to the next level with her latest beading project. To support her dear friends she wanted to create something with a symbol of strength. Drawing her inspiration for her beadwork from their adopted “mascot” through this struggle, Wonder Woman, Debbie got to work. The family couldn’t have picked a better icon. With the new films starring Gal Gadot portraying feminine strength and power, Debbie's friends can take their Wonder Woman bracelets and fight with all their might.

For the daughter, the fighter herself, Debbie’s made an Across Cultures based off Grace’s contemporary updates to our classic project. The classic Wonder Woman reds and blues are on full display with Czech Glass, 6/0 Seed Beads, and the delicious Pomegranate Czech Rollers. A mixed-metals selection of Tierra heishi, Shadows, Sliders, and River Shannon beads completes the second half of the bracelet. A large silver and gold Wonder woman charm hangs near the button loop, cohesively blending with the rest of the metals yet also standing out enough to make a statement. The Cobalt Daisy Czech Glass Button, a tassel, and a golden “lasso” of 3mm Czech Glass in 24K Gold Plate closes the piece. Filled with symbolism and strength, this bracelet is fit for a wonder of a woman. 

Fighting cancer takes strength and support, and family is oh-so important in that. For the younger sister, Debbie has created a Herringbone Ladder design. Using Picasso Opaque Blue SuperDuos and 1.5mm Blue Leather, the bracelet starts out strong. The Czech Rollers used in the Across Cultures are echoed in this bracelet as well, this time in Antique Silver and they separate sections boldly but gracefully. Laddered Marbled Gold Siam Ruby Czech Glass and Golden Hematite Rondelles come next. Finally, Czechmates Tiles in the last section complete the look, again echoing the traditional red and blue, with hints of metals thrown in. Debbie used Picasso Black Opaque Coral Red, Picasso Cobalt, Matte Metallic Flax, and Silver for this section. A Tattoo Button in Silver completes the piece.

For those loving parents, married over 40 years, a Strong Point (perfectly named!) and a version of Sumer Tahoe were created. Debbie and I hunted the internet for Wonder Woman components, since that’s not something we’d carry at beadshop.com. Together, we found a great selection and Debbie bought a bunch! The Summer Tahoe for Dad has a bold and gold “WW” symbol plaque as its centerpiece. Knotted to either side of it are bright red and blue 1.5mm leathers adorned with Wonder Woman beads traditionally used on a Pandora-style bracelet, but Debbie ingeniously used them to collect all her leather strands together. Adding flashes of the mixed metals, there are Happy Donuts, Czech Rollers, and Silver Metal 6/0s, and of course Silver Evolve Beads used to crimp the Round and Round Clasp on. 

Mom’s Strong Point has the 1-2-1-2 beading pattern. Debbie used the beautiful Peacock Hematite Rondelles along with Silver Shadows sprinkled throughout. A great point of added interest, we think. The Red Wine Star Czech Glass Button is so reminiscent of Wonder Woman’s shield, and resting upon the blue background of hematite and leather it looks fierce and strong. To hold the button, another golden lasso, this time using Bright Brass Shadows. A Royal Blue Tassel adds a touch of whimsy and matches with the Across Cultures. The two women have been friends since grammar school, and knowing her friend well, Debbie expertly created a piece that’s perfect in both style and personality.

Notice that in all of Debbie’s bracelets there’s not only the Wonder Woman theme, but also certain beads carried from piece to piece. Truly a matching set, the same beads and leathers can be found across all four pieces, the imagery of the shield represented in the button, the lasso in the button loops…I see it as just one more way this quartet is bound together.

Personally, I want to attest to Debbie’s caring nature. With a pharmaceutical background and a brain that’s just chock-full of knowledge, I have been blessed to get to know Debbie as more than just a customer. What started as a customer emailing in to ask a few design questions turned into a friendship I am so thankful for. She’s always looking out for me (and scolding me for my sweet tooth) and she’s been a great asset as I deal with my own journey with MG. Debbie inspired me to create my own Wonder Woman Across Cultures for myself. I had just seen the movie and loved the message and experience, and Debbie and I collaborated to create our jewelry. Cara and Grace helped us to select colors, and Debbie and I ordered our components and got started. I jumped the gun and started working on mine before Debbie had even gotten her beads! I just couldn’t wait. Our pieces ended up pretty similar although the differences that attest to our personal beading styles are still apparent. I added leather strands to my “metal side” of the bracelet, and used more charms. Big, chunky, bold…you can’t miss it on my wrist. I wore it to Johns Hopkins for my first round of testing…oddly enough, since my disease makes me very weak, I don’t feel like such a Wonder Woman as my neurologist tests my muscle strength (I don't ace these tests…) but I do love the fighting spirit it instills.

I shared the story of Debbie’s projects and this cancer fight with the beadshop.com team. All of us here at the office are rooting for you, girl. We know you’re going to kick some serious cancer butt, and you’ve got your very own fan club here.

Rondelle, the Other Round Bead

African Opal Rondelle

When most of us think of round beads, a bead that is equal in diameter, perfectly spherical, will often pop into our heads first. However, rondelle beads are not to be overlooked when you want to add a little something different to your beading designs. Rondelle beads are more saucer or disc shaped.

Beadshop has recently added some beautiful rondelle gemstone beads to its offerings, and while they have been selling out quickly, you can add your email address to the notification box on any out of stock item to receive an email letting you know when they are back in stock. 

First, there is African Opal, pictured above. These are 5 x 3.5mm and have not been enhanced, naturally a mix of hues from brown to beige to light green. KO Thread would be a good choice to use for stringing.

Chrysoprase Rondelle

For more earthy tones that are a little bit darker, Chrysoprase Rondelles are also available, and like the other new rondelles in stock, come on 16 inch temporarily strung strands. These are 4mm in size and are faceted, thus adding a little bit of sparkle. 

Kyanite Rondelle

Kyanite Rondelles are also faceted and 4mm, but the colors in this strand are a mix of blue. Consider combining these with icy white metal beads and silver tone wire. We recommend 22-gauge. 

Rhodonite Rondelle

The final new addition is Rhodonite Rondelle. This stone is known for having pinks and greys mixed together with pink as the predominant color. Play off the grey by using similar colored stringing materials such as KO Thread in dark grey. 

If you don't have many rondelle shaped beads in your bead stash, why not add some? You can mix these with traditional round beads as well as cube shaped beads to add texture to a wrap bracelet or multi-strand jewelry piece. 

Queen of Beads

Cara - Mermaid Dream

Are you busy designing your entry for beadshop's Tiara Challenge? Hopefully, at this point you have at least decided which frame to use, silver or gold, and you are well on your way to finishing and submiting your entry by the deadline, which is coming up pretty soon!

Once you finish your beautiful tiara, what next? Who will be the recipient of this beaded piece? If you are looking for suggestions, here you go:

• Gift the beaded tiara to a friend. What about a BFF who needs a little pick me up? A bead-encrusted headpiece made by you will definitely put a smile on her face.
• Then there is the person on your gift list who has everything. I bet she doesn't have a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted tiara.
• Do you have any brides-to-be in your family? Ask if you could create something for her for her bridal shower, bachelorette party, or even her wedding.
• An upcoming event could warrant a crown. Drea made her tiara in the same colors as the awareness ribbon for an upcoming fundraising walk.
• Any young girl in your family would more than appreciate a crown to wear. Do you have a little princess in your life who would enjoy the magic of your beaded creation?
• Finally, there is no need to gift it at all. Keep it for yourself. After all, you deserve it.

Janice - Charlotte

If you are still looking for some creative inspiration to get your tiara underway, make sure to take a look at The Tiara Challenge blog post. You will see the tiaras made by beadshop staff, and all the rules for entering are listed there as well. 

Oh, and of course, one big reason to join in the fun is the possibility of winning. Winners will be announced shortly after the September 30th deadline and awarded with beadshop.com gift card prizes: 1st place: $75 gift card; 2nd place: $50 gift card; and 3rd place: $25 gift card. 

Buttons and Beads

Buttons and beads make a perfect match when married together in your beading designs, and Beadshop is constantly adding to its collection of both. Sometimes the inspiration for a jewelry design develops around a button. This may be why Beadshop's newest arrivals of full moon buttons have been very popular with beaders lately.

Red Luna

Measuring 18mm in diameter, the Red Luna button is made of glass and comes from the Czech Republic. On the back is a 1.5mm metal shank. 

Amber Luna

Enhanced with the color of amber, the Amber Luna Czech glass button has an Aurora Borealis coating, and like many of the beautiful buttons in this collection, the coating on each bead may vary due to the unique nature of each button.

Total Eclipse
Project by Brittany Ketcham-Roney ~ Sample by Karen Marshall 

Clearly, the moon button clasp on Karen Marshall's Total Eclipse bracelet influenced the design of this wrap bracelet. The laddering technique was used for this, and it is a free project available on Beadshop. You can download the free pdf instructions and quickly collect all the ingredients you need to make one for  yourself on the Beadshop's Total Eclipse project page. 

Here are some other free projects that incorporate unique buttons in the finished piece:

In Across Cultures, Toes in the Sand, Design by Janice Parsons ~ Sample by Grace Noland - A gold-tone sand dollar button became part of the toggle. 

Toes in the Sand 

Garden Path, Project and Sample by Janice Parsons - This button has a beautiful dragonfly on it. 

Garden Path

Whether making a necklace or bracelet using simple crochet techniques, like those in Grey Gardens, using a button as a clasp adds even more character to this beaded jewelry piece, designed by Emily Miller. An interesting square-shaped button, called Off Beat, was added to this piece. 

Grey Gardens

There seems to be no end to the possibilities of buttons teamed up with beads.