January Winter Wonderland

Enjoy

Christmas Carol Part 12

Christmas Carols Part 11

Christmas Carol Part 10

Christmas Carols Treasury Part 9

Happy Hanukkah

Christmas Carol Treasuries Part 8

Christmas Carol Treasuries Part 7

Christmas Carol Treasury Part 6

Christmas Carols Part 5

Christmas Carol Part 4

Christmas Carols Part 3

Christmas Carols Part 2

Christmas Carol Treasuries Let's all Sing Part 1

My Necklace in a Treasury

My Necklace made in into a great treasury!

My Contest Piece Close up

 

My crab is in the seaweed. 

       

  My Lobster is in the rocks.

      

  I have quite a few starfish and two sand dollars.

 

It is pretty busy but you get judged on using as many of the beads as possible. 

It was great fun I can't wait to see what everyone else made.

Do you have a favorite part?

Orange and Turquoise Bib Necklace

My Orange and Turquoise Bib Necklace is finally finished. I took some time off to work on the contest piece. 

I started with a heavy weight interfacing and added the stones.

then the pattern of filling in the background. 
Then I added a tan leather backing and trimmed the edge with a tiny orange bead whip stitch.

Then I added 18 inches of orange ribbon on both sides.

Follow my Quest to Win the Beading Contest

My favorite bead store has a contest every year for their Anniversary. It is always great fun to see the different things people make.
They always give us something to struggle with "How do I put this into the project?" Usually it is something to surround. There were quite a few of those this time. They can be quite slippery and I am one of those beaders that doesn't believe in glue. Lately they have been adding a fiber or a fabric. This time they added the flossy threads. I haven't used something like that before.So I started right away with the hard parts of the project and had quite a collection.
   
I decided on a Beach theme. The idea came to me as soon as I saw the beads.
You can only use the beads provided and you are judged by how well you use all of them.
I really enjoy working with items I have never used. It opens my eyes to new avenues that I would not have gone down.  

I made a Lobster and a Crab they are a bit large for the piece but if Grandma Moses can get away with "artistic proscriptive" I guess I can too.

I had to come up with a way of bringing all the pieces together. I have always been intrigued by Paper Quilting. So I gave that a try. It took two tries to get something I liked. Now to add all the components.

Let me know what you think so far.

Bracelet Final Product in Orange and Turquoise

The bracelet came out great. 

As I told you in the previous post I started with the Turquoise and Orange stones.

I then made peyote rings that are 1 inch across in 3 colors of 4 sizes. 

 

The last ring is the clasp with a peyote toggle. 

 

So check it out on my Etsy Shop.

New Project in Turquoise and Orange

My latest Project starts with the purchase of two stands of stones. The first is a 15mm round Turquoise and the second is an oval 20mm by 15mm Orange. 

 

Then I had to collect the beads for the project. I needed them in at least 4 different sizes and I have 4 colors picked. I am not sure if I will stay with 4 maybe 3.

 

I plan on making a bib necklace like my cheetah choker and a bracelet like my Green Rings of Tranquility   

 

 

I hope you follow my Blog to check-in on the progress.

 http://emptynesteggbeading.blogspot.com/

 

Cheetah Choker in Red

My latest listing in my Etsy shop.

A great Cheetah Print Mother of Pearl is the theme of the choker.

 

 

A lovely ribbon adds to the charm.

 

The chain makes the length adjustable.

 

 

I used the best components available.

 

It matches the cuff bracelet as well!

Cheetah Cuff Bracelet 

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer awareness month so I thought I would fashion some earrings to sell and donate 20% of the proceeds to Breast Cancer research.

I started with size 15 beads in two colors to make the ribbon overlap stand out.

 

Then I crossed the ribbon over and attached it. That took several tries to make it look the way I wanted it to.

 

 Then I found some pink Findings at JoAnns.

And attached them with a loop of beads.

Then came the hard part. Photos and listing.

 breast-cancer-awareness-earrings

Final Progress on 3D Earrings

I finally found the centerpiece for the green earrings.  It is a cube with a wrinkly metallic finish in a light green color.

  

I added a light green faceted glass bead on the bottom.

 

I used silver plated earwires for the demo but will offer a choice of gold or silver  when I post it on my Etsy site.

Did you see the construction of these earrings below? 

 Progress of 3D earrings

Steampunk is all the rage

Summer Umbrellas Treasury

Fun in the sun and rain. A joy to be warm.

My Birthday Present from my Daughter

Progress of 3D Earrings

I love working with size 15 beads. They are as tiny as the point of a pencil but very versatile.

You have to use a thin needle to weave through these beads. It can be a challenge but I find it relaxing to concentrate that intensely.

I have been experimenting in the box shaped combination of peyote and herringbone stitch.

  

But why stop there? By joining the boxes I can make it 3D.

These will be earrings when I find just the right stone or gem to center inside the diamond shape.

July Blueberries Treasury

Happy Flag Day USA

In Honor of the Royal Wedding

In Honor of the Royal Wedding I will tell you little about my Bridal Choker.

I started with the very best of Pearls and crystals and of course beads.

I started with a peyote ring and then the biggest pearls. As the choker gets closer to the back of the neck it tapers down in size.

Uniquely the clasp is the centerpiece of the necklace.

My latest Treasury on Etsy.
I love this color.
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Handling and Care of Beaded Jewelry

Beaded Jewelry can be an heirloom. But to be your grandchild's inheritance you will have to treat it as if it is your grandmother's treasured piece.

I use the best quality beads I can. They are glass beads  from Japan and Czechoslovakia. Some of the stones are from China.

All beads have a finish on them that is sensitive to chemicals such as detergents, soaps. lotions, and the worst offender of all, Hand sanitizers. You will need to protect your jewelry from these by taking them off when applying any of the offenders.

The jewelry can get wet but, should not be wet.  Should it get wet. Rest the piece on a  paper towel till dry.

I use a nylon thread called Nymo for the body of most of my pieces. I reinforce the stress points with Fireline, which is a braided fishing line. Some pieces are completely fireline.

                       Bridal Choker

Tiger by the Tail Bracelet