yet another project

Remember these?
(just checking!)

So in order to break up the potentially boring row-by-row narration of the beadpoint project, here's another little something i've been working on for, oh, a while. 

These seven strands of button pearls came from the Gem and Mineral Show here in KCMO a couple of years ago.  They are a beautiful peacock color about the size of a half pea, in the 4-5mm range.  Button pearls are domed on one side and kind of flat on the bottom.  They are often half-drilled for use in earrings and pendants.  They can also be side drilled and strung for bracelets.
The strands i bought are drilled top to bottom so they "stack" when strung, with the flat bottom sitting on the domed top of the next pearl.

Anyways, my first idea was, naturally, the most difficult and time consuming:  knots.  omg.  Them are some little pearls!  And there are lots of them!  So i quickly backed off that idea, but, liking the drape that silk gives, i used silk cord and just strung the pearls.

In the photo you see the pearls and the card with the silk, but what the heck is that other stuff?  It's French wire, or bouillion.  It's tightly coiled wire that's used to protect the silk from abrading against the rings of whatever closure you are using.  You snip off a short piece maybe 3/8" or so, then run the needle through and.....hold on....isn't a picture worth 1K words? 

See the silvery stuff at the end of each strand?  French wire.  We did a repair wherein we reknotted three or four strands of a TIFFANY thankyouverymuch turquoise necklace and TIFFANY thankyouverymuch had used the French wire. 

I'll have to extend the length a bit so i'll attach chain or something from the ring to, most likely, a hook and eye clasp. 

That cute little finding that the pearls are attached to is a TierraCast piece.  TC makes really nice quality cast pewter findings, charms and beads in several finishes.  We carry a selection at the shop. 

That's all i've got for ya.  Thanks for stopping by!  You might check in again to see if i've actually finished anything!

butterflies and beads

And we're back.  First, for the earrings crowd.  The components for this pair were given by a friend from beads she scored ok bought at Bead Blast. For all her Tim Burton-inspired jewelry and art designs, at heart she likes butterflies and rainbows, too, i think.  This pair of Fanged Butterflies is dedicated to you, C.

Supplies:
(2) butterfly Czech glass beads with AB finish
(2) blood red Czech glass daggers, top drilled
22ga black copper core coated wire
ear wires

Because the daggers are top drilled, use a briolette wrap to secure them.  Continue to run the wire up through the butterfly beads and make a wrapped loop to end.  Attach to black oxide ear wires.  Wear after dark.


And now for an update on the beadpoint project.  Much like the Big Dig of Boston, this is a project that is filled with a lot of preparation, false starts, dead ends, and the dream of making the world a more beautiful place.

(left photo)  First step.  No, not first.  Should maybe have been first; fourth or fifth, actually, but who's counting?  The assembly of the floor stand is done.  I probably have the cloth backwards or upside down but i'm going to work with it like this.  And no way will i be able to see the pattern from that distance but i should be able to configure it so it sits closer, much closer.  Bead dishes will have to sit on a nearby table. 

(right photo)  Close up of beadpoint.  I restarted the design using white Nymo instead of the black.  MUCH harder to see the thread but it looks a lot better.  I've got one short row finished and am starting up the second row.  Neato!!!  No countdown of rows for this project.  We're just going to be happy with the emerging design.  As for needles, i'm using a #12 sharp at the moment but i'm going to try a #10 beading once i remember to pick some up at the shop.

Getting that first row was, um, challenging. Why is it that the first count yields 92 beads and subsequent counts yield fewer? Or more? I had to get that first row correct so the next rows will also be right.  geez.  eyestrain.

Kente cloth is a woven textile traditionally made by the Ashanti people of West Africa.  Its origins go back centuries.  More than just a pretty blanket, the strips of kente cloth are visual representations of cultural traditions and ideologies, and a tangible symbol of wealth and prestige.  For more information, visit the website of the Midwest Global Group

i love the colors! And the geometric designs appeal to my symmetrical bent.  Here's a list of the seeds i'm using for this project.  They are all Japanese seeds but you still have to cull the occasional oddly cut bead.  I started with full tubes (about 27gms/2900 beads-can that be right?) of each color.


11/0-F402A        white opaque frost

11/0-F401           black opaque frost

11/0-F399J        dark purple frost

11/0-F399H       dark blue frost

11/0-F143B        green transparent frost

11/0-F411         green opaque frost
11/0-F404         yellow opaque frost

11/0-F405         orange frost opaque

11/0-F408         red opaque frost


That's all for now.  Or, that's enough for now!  What's on your beading table?

well hello there

my it's been a long long time.  how'm i doin?  oh well i guess i'm doin fine.  it's been so long and now it seems that it was only yesterday.  ain't it funny?  how time slips away?

On the bright side!  i've had time to think about this here earring challenge and this here blog.  It's obviously obvious that i am not gonna meet the 365 Challenge and i'm okay with that.   <sigh>   We had it going on for a good little while! and it was great fun! and there will be more earrings!  But now, wander with us and let's see where the beading path leads.

One thing that has captured my beady attention is beadpoint.  Beadpoint is needlepoint with a bead on every stitch.  A little bead.  A little 11/0 seed bead.  A very little bead.  Little beads and little holes in the 14 count aida cloth.  Why am i doing this?

photo from TheStitchery.com

Because a friend gifted me with a needlepoint floor frame like that one in the photo here.  Beautiful oak with wooden knobs for all the adjustables.  I can't just let it sit there! but needlepoint is not my thing.  But beads are!  So i'll try beadpoint!  This'll be great!  And, you'd think, easy.  Got beads.  Aaaahhh.  Need pattern.  Need pattern that i like.  And that will work with beads.  aaaaahhh.  Took forever but i found something.  Got the cloth.  Prepared the cloth.  Attached it to the frame.  Hemmed.  Hawed.  Hemmed again.


And finally, tonight, i tried a line of beadpoint.

Took me long enough to do this one stretch that i estimate the project will take 232 hours.  Not counting any non-stitching time.  Just threading the needle will take countless hours.  Pulling out bad stitches will take countless more.

Anybody else really excited?

But it's sooooo cool!!!!!

However, i don't like the black nymo thread 'cause it darkens the beads which i thought would work but it doesn't.  So i'll be starting over with white nymo thread. <sigh>

And, yep.  That's the pattern to the right of the framed cloth.  92 by 116 beads.  Did i mention they are little beads?

I know.  Another big idea.  And we know how well i followed through with the last big idea, right?  But ima gonna start this because I CAN!!!  ha ha ha!  Hey.  i already have a second pattern.  And a plan to chop this first pattern into bite-size pieces if necessary.

Off we go!

Earrings in a Week

Sheesh!  Has it really been a week since i've posted a pair of earrings?  'Fraid so, friends.  Mayhap i'll get back on the earring train when Terry runs off to Canada and Argentina for three weeks or so. 

Seeing as how we are still in the Year of the Dragon, these dyed and laser cut (maybe?) agate beads are right on the yen.  And a little trick with the wrapping wire adds some spice to the look.

Supplies:
(2) 12mm agate rounds
(2) 8mm agate rounds
length of brass wire
ear wires

Cut about an 8-inch or so length of wire.  I used 22gauge brass 'cause that's what i had on hand but, given a choice, i might have gone down to 20gauge.  Maybe not, though.  Brass wire is real sassy and wants to do its own thing so a heavier gauge may be tougher to wrassle into submission.

Thread the 12mm round onto the core wire just below about halfway, leaving a long tail of wire.
Push the wire tail up and mold it as closely around the bead as desired.
Wrap the wire tail twice around the core wire just above the bead, trying to keep the wraps as close to the bead as possible.
Thread the smaller bead onto the core wire above the wraps.
Push the wire tail up and mold it as closely around the smaller bead as desired.
Wrap the wire tail twice around the core wire just above the bead, trying to keep the wraps as close to the bead as possible.
Cut of any remaining length of tail wire.
Using the remaining length of core wire, fashion a wrapped loop for the bail, making a double loop if desired.
Trim wire and attach danglies to ear wires.

xie xie! (shay shay) 
Thanks!

Earrings again today...

Okey doke here we are again with another rollicking pair.

I'm not quite sure of the source of inspiration for these.  I wanted to do something reminscent of the cocktail elegance of the '50s and early 60s, perhaps in the vein of Mad Men or the women associated with the Rat Pack.  Couldn't do diamonds, of course.  Wouldn't choose to do diamonds, actually,  but wanted to bring something like that level of elegance to the finished pair.

So let's see...something with the clarity of a diamond....how about a clear quartz crystal disc?  Okay, then what.  Well, $1666/ounce gold screams money and we have these new matte gold plated items in the shop that have an air of sophistication about them.  That's it!  Sophisticated!  That's the look i'm after.

Supplies:
(2) quartz crystal discs
(2) bead frames in the new matte gold finish
(4) bead tip headpins in the new matte gold finish
(4) 4mm gold-filled rounds
ear wires in gold plate

Thread a 4mm gold-filled round on a headpin and thread the combination through the bottom hole of the bead frame from the inside of the frame.  Thread the crystal disc onto the headpin and make a small loop at the end of the headpin to secure the disc.
Thread a second 4mm round onto a second headpin and thread this combination through the upper hole of the bead frame from the inside of the frame.  Make a wrapped loop.
Open the jump ring on the ear wire and attach the dangle.
Repeat for the second earring.

What do you think?  I like the use of gold findings alongside the crystal beads.  I like the negative space of the bead frame.  I think i should get my black sheath dress and high heels out of the closet, put on the red lipstick and my hair in an upsweep.  Cigarette in the holder and a martini.  Dang.  I feel like Ava Gardner.  Where's Frank?

Earrings in April again

What a great couple of days!  An extra day off from the shop for Easter Sunday and then spending that day with our kids and grandsons.  Beautiful weather and an hour in the garden today.  Maybe all that fresh air inspired me to sit down at the beading table and - yep! you guessed it! - make a pair of earrings.

This pair came about through just messin' with the beads.  Back in 2008 or 2009, i bought some glass discs from Bokamo Designs.  Steve works in borosilicate glass which is a hard glass that was developed originally for cookware (under the trade name PYREX) and scientific glassware such as test tubes.  Borosilicate makes for a different looking bead than the lampwork beads that are made with soft glass.

Anyhoo.  The point is that i've had this set of beads for quite some time.  The problem has been that nothing i tried showed them to their best advantage.  Well, sometimes it's difficult to track the train of thought that leads to a final design so suffice it to say that i tried this and i tried that and i redid the other until i was satisfied. 

Here.  I went down and took a quick picture of the remaining discs.  A thousand words and all that.  Aren't they beautiful?  I love that shiny, translucent quality.












Fortuitously - try spellling that one with your eyes closed - i had some little glass daggers in the same bluegreens.  So far, so good.  I settled on brass wire because the warm color looked good with the discs.  Lemme tell ya, though, brass wire is SPRINGY!  But i bossed it into submission so all was well.

Supplies
(2) borosilicate discs from Bokamo Designs
(12) small glass daggers
length of 24ga brass wire
(2) interchangeable ear wires in antique brass

Thread six of the daggers onto a manageable length of the brass wire, form into a teardrop shape and secure with a wrapped loop large enough to accommodate one glass disc.  With a second length of the brass wire, make a second loop large enough to go through the same glass disc and give it a couple of wraps to seure it.  With the same piece of wire, form a second wrapped loop to attach to the ear wire.  Slide the finished earring onto the ear wire
Repeat for the second earring.   Nice, huh?  Now it's your turn.  Go to Bead Blast, coming up the first weekend in May down in Overland Park KS, look for Bokamo Designs and pick out a sweet bead or two for your collection.  Only, don't let them sit for years like i did.  Make something pretty!

Earrings in April

ha ha ha!  This picture made me laugh!  They look like sunglasses-wearing dancing teeth.

But they are actually cool skull beads given by a friend.  And they've been sitting on my beading table waiting for inspiration to strike.  Being such unique beads in and of themselves, i wanted to both highlight that and come up with a design that, with luck, would complement their uniqueness.

woooooo.  lofty, no?  But, really, that's kinda what we do every time we make a piece of jewelry.  There's usually a "most" important element along with supporting elements.  "What's your conversation?" A customer said that to us quite some time ago, and we often pass it along as a bit of designing advice.


So my conversation was these two cooly wacky and wackily cool skulls that are also an unusual color.  What you see in the photo is actually the pair of earrings; that's just a bad picture.  I did take a better one.

Supplies:
(2) cool resin skull beads
(2) 10mm copper rounds
some copper wire
(6) links of chain with rings left on
no ear wires..the kidney ear wires don't look good and i didn't have any other copper ones..so no.  no ear wires for you.

I wrapped the loops extra large and made sure that they faced front at the bottom of the bead.  Crystal rounds instead of the copper rounds would have looked mystically cool but...i didn't have any crystal so copper they are.  And i could have dangled something from the bottom of the links but i just liked the rings as the finial pieces. 

Well?  Did i hit the right design note?  Did the skulls remain the focal beads amongst complementary and supporting components?

Who cares?  They made me laugh out loud!  I love 'em!