KCC: Kate's Favorite Things! FRIDA EDITION

This week we're keeping Kate's broadcasts short and sweet so she can get right into fulfillment and shipping for your orders! We are so thankful for the orders we get, and we're so thankful for your patience as our dynamic duo works so hard to get them out the door. To help out, this week we decided to plan a week based on some of Kate's absolute faves. Enjoy!!

Wednesday, 5.13.19: Frida Kahlo Day!


If there ever was an inspiration in Kate's artistic life, Frida is it! You can find bits and pieces of Frida in so much of Kate's work, from her metalsmithing to beadshop projects and more!

The latest beadshop project would be these Crescent Fan Earrings, which Kate named....Frida!! The bright colors really lend themselves to this beautiful design first brought to us by Design Team member Danielle Wickes. We've just added this project to our Project Pages today! So if you want to create your own, just head right here to the Frida Earrings page!








On Kate's last birthday we even made a Frida Mix for a giveaway! We called it Frida's Fiesta. Want to recreate it? You can...here's what Kate used in creating this mix:
6-352
6-1425
6-408
8-149F
8-2040
8-4221
8-355
8-4238
8-1003
8-2005







Some of my favorite Frida-inspired pieces come from Kate's metalsmithing bench. Earrings, rings, even a bolo! All worth of Frida herself, and of course with Kate's signature flair.

Live on the air today (seen in the video below) Kate created a tassel based off this Free Tip Friday episode. The items she used in her tassel today are:
1 Pair Palace Caps- Antique Brass
1 Pkg UltraSuede- Bordeaux
2 Czech Glass Flower Beads- Hibiscus 21 Dandelion Picasso
5mm Jump Rings
8/0 Seed Beads - 8-355
2" Eye Pins- Antique Brass
Ear Wires or a Jumbo Swivel if you're making a purse charm
E6000

Kate's Creative Connections: Kate's Favorite Things!

This week we're keeping Kate's broadcasts short and sweet so she can get right into fulfillment and shipping for your orders! We are so thankful for the orders we get, and we're so thankful for your patience as our dynamic duo works so hard to get them out the door. To help out, this week we decided to plan a week based on some of Kate's absolute faves. Enjoy!!

Tuesday, 5.12.19: Green Girl Studios Day!

To mark this auspicious part of Kate's Faves Week we want to share our NEWEST Green Girl Studios pieces with you! We have 10 new beads, buttons, and components that we know you'll adore just as much as we do. That promised Alfie charm? It's HERE!! And so are nine other beautiful pieces that we are thrilled to bring you.

Don't forget to check out our Master Class with Cynthia, a deep dive into design and color theory with the mastermind of Green Girl Studios, Cynthia Thornton.












Some of these have been a part of our own personal collections for a while, too! That adorable tiny nest? Drea's had it for nearly 15 years, placed at the center of a favorite necklace she still wears every spring and summer. Just two years ago she also picked up the adorable Bunny Button...she's used it to clasp a knotted necklace of huge labradorite rounds she and Janice found at a gem show together, and using JP's famous knotting method to create the piece!


All of these new pieces will look great in Projects you can already find at beadshop.com...below, find some of our favorite Green Girl-inspired projects and our ideas for adding NEW Green Girl to them!

Boho Beauty- Timeless Treasures...we think Mr. Pickles, paired with the Heart and Star, would be sheer genius together!

Chatelaine- Stones of Wisdom ...try a Heart Cross Pendant here...wowza!

Warm Sunny Days- Leather & Beads...imagine this with the Safe Angel or Fluffy Tail pendants!

4 different Goddess Bracelets! Try a Butterfly Button in an homage to Psyche, she certainly deserves one!

Never Stop Growing - Mala ...how perfect would the Family Nest and Home Nest beads be in a set??

The Zen of Fishing - The Zen of Stringing, a no brainer! The Burkett Round Pendant is just begging to be Zen-ified!!

Kate's Creative Connections: Earring Week!

We actually kicked off earring week on Friday, 5.1.20, with an amazing knot...soon we'll see what Kate makes those knots into!! You'll also see new earrings coming up this week from Design Team member Danielle Wickes...this is going to be a great week!!

Friday 5.1.20: The Carrick Bend Knot
Kate uses:
2mm leather in Distressed Gray*, Distressed Mahogany, and Distressed Denim.
1mm leather in Distressed Gray* and Distressed Rose
Optional Buttons: Pirouette- Brass, Crossed Arrows- Gold
You'll also want to have: Flush Cutters, E6000, Clampers, and Knotting Tweezers

*The photo makes these look purple...it's just the lighting! Sorry...we promise, that's Distressed Gray.

Tuesday 5.5.20: Leather Knot Earrings
Kate takes her Distressed Rose knots and makes some truly fabulous earrings! WOAH.
Ingredients:
1mm leather - Distressed Rose
Earwires - Vintage Leverback in Gold
Headpins - 2" Satin Gold
Jump Rings - 4mm/21G Satin Gold
Tiny Tassels - Gold Caps in Dusty Rose, Turquoise, Periwinkle, Purple
Czech Faceted Drops - Scarlet Copper and Turquoise Bronze
Czech Saturns - Garnet Red and Green Turquoise Picasso
8/0 Miyuki Seed Beads - 8-4514 Picasso Seafoam Green

You'll also want to have: Flush Cutters, Round Nose Pliers, Chain Nose Pliers, Bent Nose Pliers

Wednesday 5.6.20: Earrings 101
Kate's Master Class in earring basics! Sweet and simple!!
Ingredients:
Earwires
Headpins and Eyepins
Daisy Spacers
Tierra Heishi
Sixth Sense
Coil Spacers
Oasis Cap
Petite Petal Cap
8mm Rondelles- Green Opal
8mm English Cuts- Green Aqua Mercury
6mm Melons- Sapphire & Bronze
6mm Fire Polish- Bronze Rose Illusion
4mm Fire Polish- Aqua Graphite Rainbow
Faceted Drops- Turquoise Bronze
Chain- Simplicity

You'll also want to have: Flush Cutters, Round Nose Pliers, Chain Nose Pliers, Bent Nose Pliers

Thursday 5.7.20: Boho Earrings
Danielle's updated our Boho Earrings with two absolute stunners! Kate creates one of her own, too! Find Danielle's samples on our Project Page, and Kate's ingredients below.
Ingredients:
Earwires
Hoop Components- Drop Hoops in Antique Copper
Wire- 26G in Antique Copper
4mm Stone Rounds- Dumortierite
Czech Drops- Luster Green Mix
Shadows- Little Shadows in Antique Brass
Chain- Teardrop Bauble

You'll also want to have: Flush Cutters, Round Nose Pliers, Chain Nose Pliers, Bent Nose Pliers

Friday 5.8.20: Stopper Knots
Kate went over two great stopper kits that are great to know about: The Button Stopper Knot and the Figure 8 Stopper Knot.

Ingredients:
Earwires
1.5mm Leather- Distressed Brown and Natural
Irish Waxed Linen- Walnut
0.5mm CKC- Treebark
Large Hole Pearls
Sixth Sense
Coil Spacers


You'll also want to have: Flush Cutters and Thread Snips

Kate's Creative Connections: Peyote Week!

This week (April 21-24 and beyond!) Kate is having a blast with Peyote Stitch! We start the week with her stretch bracelet using our new 8/0 Delicas, and on Wednesday get into a little free form peyote beaded beads. Thursday we'll see some new O Peyote samples from Alley Mori...there's lots of fun to be had this week!

Tuesday, 4.21.20
Our new 8/0 Delicas launch! Kate's ready to go, making a fun stretchy cuff with them and a new size of Stretch Magic, 0.5mm.

Kate's using:
Stretch Magic 0.5mm
DBL0310- 8/0 Matte Black
DBL0011- 8/0 Metallic Olive
DBL0324- 8/0 Matte Metallic Patina Iris
Collapsible Eye Needle

Wednesday, 4.22.20
We continue our journey with Kate's stretch bracelet. Below, find some photos, notes from Kate, and the video. She also cut up (gasp!) a necklace of freeform peyote stitch beaded beads. Find more on making freeform beads here and here.

Thursday, 4.23.20
Three new samples of our O Peyote Project debut today! Alley Mori created these, as well as a handout to go along with them for her patterns and ingredients. Amazing! This is a project we love, and we especially love Alley's special touch added to the design. Here are her three samples:

From left to right: Looking Up - Early Spring - Nature's Hope

Kate started her own O Peyote, too...with the idea of making a bracelet instead of a pendant! Check out her piece and the episode below:

Kate's O Peyote Ingredients:
8-4514
8-4243
Crystal Slipperit O Beads
Shadows- Antique Brass
Coiled Spacer- Antique Brass
Tierra Heishi- Antique Brass
6mm Round Coil Jump Rings- Antique Gold
Alder Leaf- Antique Gold
Hana Thread- Pebble
Size 10 Sharps
Beeswax

Friday, 4.24.20
More on Kate's stretchy Peyote cuff today...working on closures and ending threads today!

Tuesday, 4.28.20
That O Peyote section Kate made last week is ready for the spotlight again! This time, Kate adds some macramé, inspired by Britt: Triple Bollywood!!

The Beadlympics!

This week, Kate chose three basics to work on: Wire wrapping, macramé, and pearl knotting. For three days she focused on one technique at a time, testing her abilities with a race: how many could she create in 5 minutes?

Set your timers, get your tools...on your mark...get set...GO!


















Day 1: Wire-Wrapping
Ingredients used: Bare Copper 22G ParaWire and 8mm Rondelles- Jeweltone Matte Mix
Tools needed: Flush Wire Cutters, Round Nose Pliers, Chain Nose Pliers, Bent Nose Pliers, and Nylon Jaw Pliers
Wire wraps completed: 6!

Day 2: Macramé Knots
Ingredients used: 1.5mm Metallic Charcoal Leather, 0.5mm Antique Pink CKC, and a Mini Hoop in Copper
Tools needed: Design Tray and insert, Clampers
Knots completed: 68!

Day 3: Pearl Knotting
Ingredients used: 5mm Purple Iris Potato Pearl, Gunmetal Micro C-Lon, and Antique Copper Clamshell End Tips
Tools needed: Knotting Tweezers
Knots completed: 50!

Kate's Creative Connections: Rose's Knot

When Kate was a little girl she was taught "finger tatting" by her beloved Gran. Inspired by this technique, Kate brings us today's lesson in knotting, using leather to make some really beautiful pieces that could be used as a pendant, earrings, or a loop for a toggle. Find the ingredients she used as well as a photo of her finished products and the episode below!

Ingredients
1.5mm Leather - Distressed Mahogany and Distressed Gray
1mm Leather - Distressed Gray
Waxed Linen - Teal and Country Red
0.4mm Chinese Knotting Cord - Teal
Roller Beads - Light Smoky Grey, Turquoise Picasso, and Lt. Rose/Gold
Serpentine Donuts
6/0 Seed Beads -  6-1256 Metallic Matte Green Iris
Chain - Wrapped Link in Antique Silver and Long View in Antique Brass

Kate's Creative Connection: Teardrop Knot

This knotting method is, in a word, amazing. Called the Teardrop Knot or the Pipa Knot, there are so many options for application. It's a new knot for us to teach but totally a must-have! See a list of ingredients Kate used below, as well as some photos and the video, too. Happy knotting!

Ingredients:
Distressed Brown 1.5mm Leather
Distressed Mahogany 1.5mm Leather
Distressed Brown .5mm Leather
Teal Chinese Knotting Cord .4mm
Country Red Irish Waxed Linen
6-1256 Metallic Matte Green Iris
Metallic Mix O Beads
Shadows-Antique Brass
Czech Smooth Drops- Sea Green Picasso
Czech Saturns- Green Turquoise Picasso
22-24G Wire (to wire-wrap the Czech Drops or Saturns if used)
Serpentine Donuts
Long and Short Chain- Antique Brass
6mm Round Coil Jump Rings- Antique Silver

You'll Also Want To Have:
Thread Snips
Flush Cutter
Clampers
Chain Nose or Bent Nose Pliers
Round Nose Pliers if wire-wrapping
Handy Tape or Ruler

Additional Learning:
How to Silk Wrap
How to Wire Wrap a Bead Unit
How to Wire Wrap a Briolette