Silver and Pearl Bracelet

So having attempted the macramé bracelet, I wondered how the eyes would cope making the loops on the eye pins.    You never forget the techniques.   Yes I did struggle a tad, but I was working with very short pins, which didn't give me much margin for error

However, I had this idea for the bracelet and was determined to make it work.  I just hope the loops hold and are closed properly!

I do love the design I created.   I used snowflake beads and pearl beads, and a heart shaped magnetic clasp.

another view

Bookmarks

I had a little play with some bookmarks yesterday.  It is ages since I did any "jewellery" making, and realise now perhaps it wasn't such a good idea as the eyes are getting a little old for fiddly jump rings.  Anyway I am getting ahead of the game and these will be little Christmas pressies.

Purple and Green Necklace

I sat quietly this afternoon watching Christmas films on the tv, but I knew if I sat in the armchair I would fall asleep.  Having had a few sleepless nights recently I didn't want to nap in the afternoon, so I occupied my time making a necklace.  I haven't done any jewellery making for ages.  It does tend to be something I do on days I can't get out in the garden.

I had a present of some beads in a secret santa last year.  They wouldn't normally be my chosen colour, and I needed some gold findings to match the beads, so I raided my stash and found chain, findings and a clasp.and a few extra beads that matched in with the string of assorted beads.

I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.  I threaded the beads on eye pins, and then joined the eye pins with "w" clips to give it some movement and added some chain (which you can't see) and  a magnet clasp.

The colours are more jade than the blue shown in the picture, or perhaps I should say more a "greener" shade of  turquoise.

Green macrame bracelet and a necklace

As mentioned yesterday I made another three strand macrame bracelet, this time using green catseye beads and pearls with a pale silver grey cord.  This cord was a tad thicker than the first bracelet.  I had forgotton that I had some green beads in my stash, as was only thinking the other day that one of my tops would look good with green beads.

Of course I then decided I needed a necklace too ......

... so I made this one.  No pearls this time, but white catseye beads instead.  (Mainly because I discovered I had the white catseye beads already on pins!  Well why make more work for oneself!)  I can't remember what I originally intended to use them for, I may have only just been practising with a tool for making eyes on pins when I first purchased it!)

I also toyed with making a macrame strand to match the bracelet, but decided to opt for a chain - well the difficulty I had with attaching the clasp to the chain .... it just didn't want to play .... think it would have been quicker with macrame. lol!

Pippin Necklace - another tick on the Bucket List

I bought this kit from Spellbound Beads at the Big Bead Show the other week - a) because I fell in love with the design and b) because I have always wanted to try and do this sort of wire work.  I have a Bucket List of Craft things I want to try - some people want to visit places around the world, I just want to try loads of different crafts.

Well I must confess it took me longer than planned.   My original attempt was a disaster (fortunately realised where I was going wrong after wiring up a couple of the beads.   I does help when it say 8 mm, that you do 8mm and NOT 8 cm - oops!  Yes well I am ancient - inches are my thing not metric!.

Having overcome that hiccup, the centre piece went really well.  Then came the attaching of the seed beads.  The original pattern was one long chain of beads from one side to the other, but this meant that the necklace would be too long for what I wanted if it had to go over my head.   I decided to make two strands and join them with a magnetic clasp.   Simples - erm no - kept breaking the strand, and of course not until I came to the end of all the double threading!   Eventually after a few attempts and some choice words I manged to get the seed bead strands attached, and decided to try it on - and heck it was jinxed yet again - one of the magnetic clasps decided to disintegrate!

Finally success, and the effort was all worthwhile.  It is so pretty and delicate, and I have received loads of compliments on facebook.   One pal stated "I hope the recipient appreciates the work involved".  My reply was oh yes they will, I have made it for ME! ....

....  and I have crossed off another "To Try" on my Bucket List.

Christmas Goodies

I have spent the last few days preparing some goodies for Christmas, which will be little presents on the Christmas tree.

truffle logs

handmade sweets

Selection box.  From top pistachio ganache chocs, hazelnutg ganache chocs, peppermint creams, and truffle logs

I made some boxes for the sweets

Guardian angel and masculine key/phone charms

close up of the guardian angel charms

close up of masculine key charms

A shamballa style bracelet with crystal heart and hematite beads

Guardian Angel Charms

Had a lovely day on Saturday as I went to the Big Bead Show at Sandown with my daughter and eldest granddaughter.   Of course I spent too much!   I had a list, but a few extras seem to have got bought too.  Some purchases were duplicated as I bought some Christmas presents!

When I got home I played with some of the items that WERE on my list and had a play making these little Guardian Angel charms.  They are all a bit different as I wanted to see which ones I preferred.



first selection

I like the one on the right best.  The other two need to be remade - taking out the bead between the heart and wings on the left-hand one, and ditto with the middle one, and putting the larger wings on instead.



second selection

 

 

I love the glass wings on the one on the left, and the little wings go perfectly with the faceted bead angel on the right.

Beaded Bracelets

My friendship bracelet

 

Mr daughter and granddaughter were lucky enough to have their emails drawn out of the hat for a bracelet made by Kleshna.  So having seen the one that my granddaughter received, I decided I wanted to figure out how it was done.  

 

I was a bit limited by what beads and thin cord I had in my stash, but pleased with the result.  It is vry dainty and much less chunky than a normal shamballa bracelet.  I want to try and do some variations on the design now.

Below is the inspiration:

Granddaughter's bracelet made by Kleshna.

When my granddaughter visited she wanted to make a bracelet similar to the purple and white one I made a couple of weeks ago with the snowflake bubble spacer beads.  She had free reign to do what she wanted - so she did a different combination of beads to the one I made - this one uses alternating 2 pink and two silver beads.  Gorgeous isn't it.

 

I love the effect, and shall now play with different combinations of colours/beads.

 

 

 

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Beaded Baubles

 

Last year I treated myself to a couple of beading kits at the Sandown Bead Show, but never got to do anything with them and finally decided to remedy that when the weather changed recently and it was too wet outside,  bit of a nightmare, and many things went wrong, including almost getting to the end of the beading the second time, and then dropping glass bauble on the floor!

 

I climbed into the loft to see if I could find a suitable replacement, but nothing of anywhere near the right size.  I decided to "play safe" and used this non-glass bauble - of course the top of the bauble was a much larger size - so it was start again time!  ... and I also had to adapt the pattern to fit this slightly larger bauble.   It is nowhere near perfect, but as my old dad would say "a blind man would be pleased to see it"!

 

Undaunted - I turned to the second kit, and discovered from my book that I bought alongside the kits that this was an easier level!    I really enjoyed making this - incredibly simple to do and no fiddling trying to get beads to meet under the bauble.  I love it and it is so pretty!  (added to which I didn't break the bauble - lol!).

 

I am now browsing the book to see that else I can make, until such time as a) glass Christmas baubles are in the shops) or b) I go to the next Bead Show and buy some more kits!  

 

I am currently under strict orders from doc to do nothing strenuous, following a little scare at the weekend, so am looking for projects to keep me "out of mischief" for a while.  So it looks like I shall have to abandon housework/gardening/cooking for a while and just sit quietly and craft!

Persevering!

I treated myself to a chainmaille kit from Purple Moon Beads at the Bead Show earlier this year.  I started to make it, and got a bit frustrated as it was a tad fiddly, and it got put to one side.  However, over the past two days I have really made the effort and finally finished it.  Took a while as I found I needed to make it in daylight!  It is beautifully light to wear.

 

I have the ingredients to make a necklace - goodness knows how long that will take me. The necklace is in gold and has seed beads instead of the little balls. I think I may slightly rethinj the design and make it a bit easier - or find some larger rings to make it less fiddly to make!

 

 

 

another view

 

To reward myself for my perseverance, I made this bracelet this afternoon, which is very quick to make, and uses my favourite snowflake spacer beads, this time with small cat's eye beads that I  bought when they were on special offer at Beader's Companion.  (I have just ordered one of their scarf kits in blue - so this will match perfectly).   I do love this design and it looks really scrumptious in real life!