Dance of the Damselfly

We all love a good Monthly Mix, don't we? Well, we especially love Alley Mori's mix! Created while she was visiting the Beadshop offices in February 2019, Alley's Kaleidoscope Mix was inspired by a gorgeous Stev'nn Hall piece of art that has been making the rounds in our private FB Group as an inspirational photo.

Alley put Kaleidoscope to work in this latest wrap bracelet masterpiece...adding O Beads, SuperDuos and CzechMates Tiles to round out the mix, this wrap is just heavenly. See more photos and her ingredients list below! We've added some "or" options to the list, since Alley used a button from her own stash and also because some of these items are very popular and are often sold out! Check out these substitutions on Kate's FTF, which we'll embed below after the Live Broadcast airs.

Ingredients:
1 Small to Medium Silver Button, we suggest  Little Fish Pond Button OR Humble Lotus Button
1 Spool Eggplant Micro C-Lon
1 Spool Grape OR Amethyst Micro C-Lon
1 Spool Teal Micro C-Lon
1 Pkg 1.5mm Metallic Maroon Leather
1 Pkg 1.5mm Metallic Purple Leather
1 Pkg 1.5mm Metalic Teal Leather
1 Tube Kaleidoscope Monthly Mix
1 Tube SuperDuos- Pastel Bordeaux OR Halo Magenta
1 Pkg O Beads- Crystal French Rose
1 Pkg O Beads- Crystal Magenta
1 Pkg O Beads- Crystal Cerulean Blue
1 Strand CzechMates Tiles- Pearl Coat Teal
(Are we out? Take a peek at our other Blue-Green CzechMates Tiles or try these colors: Gold Marble Rosaline, Metallic Flax or Matte Metallic Copper)
1 Dragonfly Pebble Bead OR Bali Dancer Slider
2 Jardin Round Rings- Antique Silver
1 Pkg Transitions Beads- Antique Pewter

**FYI, Alley paired her Leathers and Micro C-Lons as follows:
Metallic Maroon with Eggplant
Metallic Purple with Grape or Amethyst
Metallic Teal with Teal

Additional Learning:
How to Ladder
How to Macramé
Alley's Splice, four on Page 13 of these Episode Notes
FTF 4.5.19


Check out how Alley does her "splice" here...this joining of the leather at the middle of a wrap enables her to use lark's head knots at both ends...isn't that clever? Kate shows this more in-depth on the FTF episode linked above and embedded below. Check out these photos from Alley and Kate's broadcast to take a closer look at how this comes together! Note how Alley's splice can be covered by a variety of large-holed beads...in her sample she uses the Dragonfly Pebble Bead, on Kate's it's the Bali Dancer Slider...but you could also use Czech Rollers, Transitions, Evolve, River Shannon, a variety of Sliders...you do you! You can also see, above, how Alley attaches all three of her laddered sections of her Alley Bracelet (AKA Kate's Favorite on Steroids) by tying one strand in a lark's head knot through the button shank and then attaching the other two leathers to that knot itself rather than to the shank, chichis so smart!

Finally, here's the video! 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:

Alley Mori's Maya Mix Necklace

This weekend, as we feature Stones and Tribal together, seemed like the perfect time to showcase Alley's beautiful necklace, based off Janice's Trail's End bracelet design. This piece is truly a work of art, and also a two-for! It can be worn as a necklace or wrapped around your wrist as a bracelet. As usual, Alley's eye for color, design, technique, and her sheer ingenuity are on display. Supplementing our February 2019 Monthly Mix, Maya, are a selection of beautiful semiprecious stones and tribal beads, including heishi, shadows, and more of the Natural Padres found in the mix. Scroll down for the full list of ingredients and techniques used, and please enjoy!

Ingredients List

1 Pkg Sable 1.5mm Indian Leather

1 Spool Gold Fine C-Lon
1 Vintage Finds Pinwheel- Blue Serpentine
1 Strand Popcorn Padres- Natural

1 Strand Matte African Turquoise- 6mm
1 Strand Matte African Turquoise- Large Hole
1 Strand Tribal Heishi- Brass 
1 Strand Shadows- Antique Brass (Bright Brass also works!)
1 Large-hole Serpentine bead (Alley bought hers from one of our Trunk Shows, but any large hole bead will work, it hides the end of the macramé loop) 

1 Tube Maya, February 2018 Monthly Mix, or purchase separately once sold out:

• 8-4481 Duracoat Opaque Eucalyptus
• 8-409- Opaque Chocolate 8/0
• 8-1233 Matte Opaque Mustard
• 8-4202- Duracoat Galvanized Gold 8/0
• 8/0 Metal Seed Beads - Gilding Matte Gold Plate
• 6-135S- Silver Lined Dark Topaz 6/0
• Popcorn Padres Natural

Techniques Used

How to Macrame

Learning the Wall Knot

Alley's closure consists of a loop of leather to secure around her Pinwheel stone. That leather loop is wall-knotted and strung with Padre beads and ended with a large-holed Matte African Turquoise bead and knotted. The tails of the leather are decorated with Padres, 6/0s, and Shadows. For the strung section, Alley starts at the Pinwheel with several strands of Fine C-Lon going through the holes of the Pinwheel and knotted behind. Note the single Shadow bead embellishment at the center...how pretty! Her strands are strung with the Maya mix, 6mm African Turquoise, Shadows, and Heishi. See how she tapers her strands at the end, combining two strands into one, before ending them in a macrame loop attached to her leather knot. Before attaching here, a large-holed Matte African Turquoise and her large-holed Serpentine bead are strung over her macrame loop to hide the end of it. 

Free Tip Friday: Family Memories Bracelet

Thanks so much for joining me today on FTF. I simply adored working with Janice's July Monthly Mix called "Family Reunion." Janice says " I named it Family Reunion because all the beads are related and it's summer!" We all just loved it and I couldn't wait to get the party started using this mix... and the Family Memories Bracelet was born!

Memory Wire seemed just the thing to use. I wanted to make a quick, yet eye-cathcing piece. One that you could take on the road and make with family and friends at your own family reunion.

Here is what I used:

1 tube July Monthly Mix, Family Reunion

1 spool .5mm Distressed Denim Indian Leather

1 pkg Coil Spacers, Antique Copper

1 pkg Tierra Heishi, Antique Brass

1 pkg Big Shadows, Brass

1 pkg Happy Donuts, Antique Brass

2 pcs Small Point Charms

1 Zap Glue

1 pkg Bracelet Memory Wire, Copper or color of your choice... the wire doesn't show at all!

Xuron Memory Wire Cutters

Clampers

The finished sample uses the entire tube of beads and the whole length of leather. It makes a 7-coil bracelet.

Check out the video for all of my tips and tricks to make this fun, summer-inspired bracelet. A couple of additional learning links: Memory Wire Basics and How to Macramé. Enjoy!

Free Tip Friday: Sea Treasures Wrap Bracelet

Hey Everybody!
June Mix + Summer Feelings = The NEW Sea Treasures Wrap Bracelet.

What a fun Free Tip Friday today... as you will hear in the video, I was just in the mood to make a fun and quick summertime accessory. I hope you like making it, and please share your design take on it!

Ingredients I used:
1 Monthly Mix June, Sea Treasures
1 Half Circle Magnetic Clasp Antique Brass
1 pr Looped Leather End Antique Copper
1 pkg Home Run Antique Copper
5 Mini Hoop Antique Gold
Oasis Charm Antique Gold
1 meter Natural Stitched 5mm Leather
1 pkg .5mm Natural Leather 
1 pkg 7mm Antique Copper Jump Rings
Zap Glue

Free Tip Friday: RAW Bead & our Monthly Mix!

Wow! I loved learning RAW (right Angle Weave) from Emily on FB LIVE on Wednesday. It was really a fun stitch to learn and the possibilities to embellish are endless.

I thought it would be fun to expand this idea into a beaded bead... a small and do-able project that is fairly quick to make and a great way to hone your RAW skills.

This project will work with any 11/0s (or 8/0s) for the base and any 11, 8 & 6/0s for the embellishments.

This is the monthly mix for October called Cinnamon Spice. You can find all of the recipes for our monthly mixes right here on our website.

For the base, I used 11/0 Gilding Matte metal seed beads, but you can use any bead you like for the base. I also used Smoke Gray Fireline thread and a size 12 seed bead needle along with some Bees Wax to condition the thread.

Your bead can be any size. My base was 6  rows x 4 squares (make 5 rows and then when connected together you have 6 rows for the finished bead.) Each square was 2 beads x 3 beads.

I used the monthly mix to randomly embellish the bead. I love how it turned out... looks pretty good on those 6mm From Childhood beads. Watch the complete broadcast below. Let me know how it works for you. I am excited to see what you make. -Kate

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