Showing posts with label earrings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earrings. Show all posts

May 25, 2018

Free Tip Friday: Wire Earrings with Briolettes and Antiqued Wire (Plus Hammering!)

So much fun today on FTF!
I just love these earrings.

Just a few twists of wire and a briolette wrap and you have a stylish pair of earrings!
Here is a list of the bare copper wire that I used:


Bottom wrapped unit: 16G wire armature and 22G wire coiled over the top.
Top armature: 18G wire.
Briolette wrap: 26G wire.

I pre-oxidized the wire using Liver of Sulphur and polished with a Pro Polish Pad.


Tools:

Watch the entire broadcast here to get the complete tutorial. Enjoy and I can't wait to see what you make!

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Feb 23, 2018

Free Tip Friday: More fun with wire frames!

Hey Everybody!
Thanks for joining me today on FTF. These broadcasts are always an off-the-cuff adventure and today was no exception!

After the broadcast I finished up my earring design and changed things up just slightly. You'll see the center wire with the briolette has been slightly redesigned. I shuffled the beads around to make everything fit symmetrically across. I also took it off, and finished wrapping the armature and then added it back on, as the poor wire was getting pretty mangled in my wrapping process.


I really love the way these turned out. Kinda Boho with a bit of a '70's vibe thrown in. 
As promised, here is a list of the ingredients I used in the design.





Tools Needed:



Hope you enjoy the project and let me know what you make! Check out the entire broadcast below.


Jan 5, 2018

Free Tip Friday: Let's make some Wire Earrings!

Hey Gang!

On Free Tip Friday today we had a bunch of fun creating a mixed media earring with Wire and Irish Waxed Linen.


My inspiration came from member Tracey Watsen, in our Facebook Group, Beadshop Community: The Bead Table. (If you'd like to join, click here and answer three questions.) Thanks so much Tracey for your inspiration and talent. I have added the photo of her creations below.

Great job Tracey!!!

Here are the materials I used for my version of the earring:






One thing I wanted to note when I was making the second pair,  in the first step of wrapping the beads with the waxed linen, I went back through the beads to secure them so they are not loose. Kind of like securing your first stitches in a ladder bracelet. Take a look at the following photo to check out what I mean.

Check out the entire tutorial in the video below and let me know what you make with this technique... I'd love to see it!

Sep 6, 2017

Connections: 9.6.17

Hello again, dear friends! I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing long weekend! If you spent some of that time beading, be sure to send me your work, I'd love to feature it in a future Connections post. Just email them to me at the customer service email: info@beadshop.com. As for today, we’ve got some really stunning pieces to show off, so pull up a chair and get ready to be inspired!

Happy beading!
-Drea



From Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, comes Lynn C. and her beautiful blues. A simple pair of earrings using our Tide’s Out in Marina matched with some beads and components from her own stash, they really do stand out. Love those patterned jump rings, Lynn! And your wirework is impeccable--perfect coils make a piece look so professional. 














Let me just preface this next submission from Lynn as being a favorite of mine…I am a Superduo fan, but I am also a fan of fancy knots! And this knot is so gorgeous…what a fantastic way to end and begin a ladder bracelet! Lynn told me it’s called a Josephine Knot, and with Josephine being my grandmother’s name…well, I had to learn how to do it! Lynn was kind enough to send me a diagram she found on Pinterest…mine don’t look as perfect as Lynn’s, but I did give it a try! Lynn’s beautiful Seashore-inspired wrap uses Picasso Turquoise Blue and Silver Superduos (try Full Labrador if you'd like to make a similar design), Metallic Grey 1.5mm leather, and Fireline—which we just started carrying in the shop!

“I've been making the ladder bracelets for a good many years but I have learned some great tips from Kate and Janice's broadcasts and the project lessons.  As the saying goes, ‘Even an old dog can learn new tricks!’"




Next up is some pretty looming sent in from Sheila A. in Arroyo Grande, CA. Using our Strawberry Lemonade Monthly Mix and some turquoise and gold beads from her own stash. Would you believe this is Sheila’s first loomed piece? It’s so very well done. She used an Endless Loom and says “all in all it was great fun and a rewarding experience.”  Our newest Monthly Mix, Harvest Time, is just out! We think it'd look great loomed or woven, and takers? Show us your work!





Debbie M. from Reno sends me her version of our project Homewood. She’s changed the button to our Giant Sunflower, and she’s also mixed up the pattern sequence and added some short sections of macrame, which all looks really great! She’s also added in some Empathy in Picture Jasper to use as charms, those heart-shaped jaspers are beauties! Debbie likes to create a project in our color ways first to learn, then to re-create or adjust in her own colors and styles. It's a great way to learn a technique or project and then make it your own.


Debbie also created these leather earrings. How cute are these? They’re very light, she says, which is great for women wanting a larger or longer earring without the weight. Black leather, a pair of foldover crimps, and some Shadows and Sliders…easy-peasy! This is a great way to use up some leftover leather that’s too short for a bracelet. Smart, Debbie!



















Kendra D. from San Geronimo, CA, sent Kate a photo of her completed Brick Stitch project after watching Emily’s FB Live Broadcast. The stitch was a challenge for her…or so she claims. It looks perfect to us! We’d never have known! Kendra has a few pearls of wisdom for us and anyone else starting bead weaving: “I would encourage using matte 8/0 seed beads, even with the tension issue, I found them easier to see and maneuver. I also watched the video over and over to see how the first row of brick stitch was done…ie from what angle did the needle enter the beads. I used a shorter, squatter size  #10 needle so I could see it enter and exit ‘cleanly’ through a bead or a stitch.”

Good tips, Kendra, and thanks!! Using full Tilas in Mustard, Picasso Seafoam Green 8/0s, and her own button…this is a great work of art! 




One question we are asked often is “what’s a good men’s bracelet?” While we do have a few projects that are easily unisex, we have the Herringbone Ladder single wrap that was designed for men. Debbie G., our resident St. Louis Cardinals fan, made one of these and then adjusted the design to make two more. She makes them for her adult sons, which we think is really sweet!
This first one is straight out of Lauren Hartman’s Herringbone Ladder project. Using Picasso Opaque Coral Red Superduos and 8/0s on the edge, dark brown leather and a button that looks like a Buffalo Nickel coin.



These two of Debbie's own design are very cool. Rather than add beads on the outer edges of the Superduo herringbone, she’s added a bead in the center. It’s still a chevron look but with a distinctive flair. We’re loving it! She says they're a silver-lined clear 8/0, which would give a little shine without being feminine. It's like a racing stripe...what guy wouldn't like that??

These two use Crystal Bronze Fire Red and Jet Picasso Superduos, respectively. They also both use a clear 8/0 in the center, and Natural leather, and Debbie's own buttons. Your sons are lucky guys, Debbie!
















Thanks, as always, everyone, for sending in your beautiful work. If you would like to be featured, too, send your photos to me at info@beadshop.com with "Connections" in the subject line.

Aug 18, 2017

Connections 8.18.17

Hey everybody! I can’t wait to share these amazing customer submissions we’ve gotten over the past two weeks…I took a short Connections hiatus last week so I could bring you the Tiara Challenge, but I am back this week and ready to show! Let’s start off with a bang…


From Mountain View, CA, Kathi G. sent us this absolutely amazing Memory Wire bracelet that she created for a friend. A self-proclaimed “bead collector,” Kathi had an amazing selection to choose from in her stash to create this piece, inspired by the colors of the state of California:


“On one end, it begins with the greens of the Giant Redwood Groves and marijuana farms in the northern part of the state, then moves into the Wine Country hills and grape vines with scattered Cabernet and Chardonnay colors.  Next are the greens and whites of the snowy Sierra Nevada Mountains (but no neon bright ski jackets).  Moving westward across the San Francisco Bay, there is a glimpse of the rusty orange of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Then traveling south, there are sandy beaches, the aqua Pacific, and the blue sky.  The southern part of the state starts with endless gray highways, bright sun, golden hills and ubiquitous bougainvillea.  Lastly, there are the desert tans, sage greens and occasional bright poppies and surprise wildflowers of the Joshua Tree National Park.”

Isn’t that just incredible? This bracelet uses so many different beads, from 6/0s and 8/0s (in colors like Matte Terracotta, Picasso Seafoam Green, and Matte Transparent Gray AB) to one of nearly every single round from Dakota Stones that we carry…its a great mix that works together so beautifully. This is a great project to use up odds and ends in your stash!






Jeannie L. from Schenectady, NY sends us her really cool takes on Spiral Rope. She’s incorporated bugle beads into her spiral and they give these necklaces a really interesting look. This is a great idea to try once you've mastered the basics (which Emily will help you do here!)














“I have been stitching seed beads for quite some time. My spirals here have size 8s in the middle, bugles, 11s on outside and the pink one has an additional 3mm Czech glass beads. I have learned so much from watching and trying new projects. Thank you!”




No, Jeannie, thank you! It’s great to know that even seasoned seed beaders are picking up new tips and tricks from Emily, and of course we love to see what’s being made! Pardon the pun, but this new twist on the Spiral Rope is just brilliant.



Donna H. of Tallassee, AL sent in another piece, if you remember in our first post we shared her Mini Off the Cuff and a Macrame wrap bracelet made with hemp. This week she shares her own Pathways Cuff in a stunning Topaz Vitrail Matte Superduo and Champagne S/L Matte 8/0s. With an Abalone button to finish the look, it’s a stunner. 

We don't carry the same colors, I am sorry to say! But this abalone-inspired piece made me want to create my own version of a shell-colored Pathways Cuff. Here's what we suggest:












Finally, I want to share some pieces that just came across my inbox just this morning. Marian S. sent us some photos of her work, all the way from the Phillipines! 

She's created a bright Born Yesterday with Turquoise and a Tree of Life Button, using her own pendant instead of a Pi Disc. I think Blue Calico 8mm would be a good substitute for the Turquoise, and since so many colors complement blue you could really choose any Pi Disc for a pendant.


 Marian also created aBeaded Berry Chain bracelet and earrings set. How cute are these? Her blue-green color palette is fresh and summery and would complement a variety of outfits.


“I have been watching your videos for quite some time now.  I'm a long time beader/crafter since I retired in 2006.  But since I started watching your videos, I have learned so much and have been inspired to try my hand in the various projects your group has been sharing.  I always look forward to your shows every week.  I live in the Philippines so if I try to watch your shows live, I'll have to wake up really early.”

Lastly, a really pretty Tricks to Looming using 3mm Miyuki Cubes in a pattern: Try it yourself in Mate Metallic Khaki Iris and Black


Thanks for waking up early to join us, Marian! It's so cool to see submissions come in from far away locales.










That’s it for this week!  We’d love for you to share your work with us! Email photos to me at info@beadshop.com with “Connections” in the subject line…I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on!

Happy beading!
-Drea






Jun 16, 2017

Free Tip Friday: Findings + Glue = Perfect Earrings


Making custom earring findings is a quick way to get exactly the look you want. All it takes is a few specialized findings and a good glue... at beadshop.com we have both!

This is what you'll need:


Top from left: Earring Post, Surgical Steel; Medium Clip On, Gold Plate; Medium Clip On, Silver Plate;
Center from left: Large Clip On Gold Plate; Large Clip On Silver Plate
Bottom from left: Earring Clutch, Surgical Steel; Zap Glue

Pair the findings above with your favorite charms, beads or buttons and adhere using the Zap Glue.


We used our Aventurine Butterfly for this pair. 


This pair has the I Ching Coins and beads from Vintage Finds and 8mm Appalachian Trail.



We used our new Pavers and our Doodle Bead in Bronze to make these earrings during the broadcast.
Watch the entire broadcast here. Find all of our archived #FreeTipFriday broadcasts on our 

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Flash Sale Friday...get creative!

Last week Kate went shopping for some special strands at a local gem show, and she brought back six stone strands she couldn't live with...