JANUARY 2015 MEETING

It is time for our first meeting of 2015! Come out and enjoy the wonderful company of fellow beady people, shop with our fabulous vendors, check out the great books in our library and try your luck with a raffle ticket - .50 cents could bring you a wonderful prize!

Date and Time:

Saturday, January 17, 2014

10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Location:
750 Bering Dr.
Houston, TX 77057
1st Floor Conference Room (back of the Republic Bank Building by the parking garage)

Directions:
Driving South on 610 (towards the Galleria), take the Woodway/Memorial Dr. exit and make a right on Woodway (away from Memorial Park). Take Woodway for about about 1 to 1.5 miles to Bering Dr. and make a left (Bering is the next light after Chimney Rock). Then drive about one half mile to 750/800 Bering Dr. which is on your right. If you pass up Kelsey Seybold Clinic on Sugar Hill Road you just barely missed it.

Parking:
Please park in the parking garage (use driveway on the side of the bank building). You can park anywhere on the first floor (even "reserved" spaces, but if full then the second floor). The conference room entrance is just off from the garage.

January Program:
We are once again going to start the year working on bead squares for Breast Cancer research. The Bead-It-Forward project now has its own website. The bead quilts will still be auctioned off at the annual Bead and Button show in June but, the patterns and information are now located at www.bead-it-forward.com. 

This year’s theme is Wild About a Cure and the theme is animals. Please check out the website for the patterns and guidelines. There are also very helpful link tutorials. 

In the meantime, here are some patterns to help you get started.

Now go bead something - like a Bead Square to benefit breast cancer research!

Jewelry Techniques 101

This is a new year, so let's start off with some basic jewelry making/beading techniques. 

Here is a great graphic from Hobby Lobby of some of the basic materials that every one of us should be familiar with.

Photo by Hobby Lobby

But, the best is yet to come. Hobby Lobby has a pdf file that is chockful of techniques, explanations of materials, tools we should have and lots, lots more. 

Whether you are a novice jewelry maker or an advanced one, this file and this graphic is something you should all have in your studio.

Click HERE to get it now - you won't regret it.

Now go bead something.

12 Days of Christmas Project - Day 12: Bead Angel Tutorial

Because I feel I have a special connection to Angels (I even have a Christmas Angel tree filled with ornaments I have been given, collected or made over the past 30 years) and because I feel everyone deserves their own special Angel - at any time - but, especially, this time of year; here is a truly, lovely Bead Angel tutorial by Fibered Feathers.

Bead Angel Tutorial and Photo by
Fibered Feathers

There are so many, many variations you can make with this project simply by changing the cones and beads. Click HERE to get everything you need to make them.

Make them small or make them large, but make lots of them! I'm planning on making a "flock" of these, putting them on cards and handing them out to strangers or simply abandoning them in different places.

I would like to wish you all a Blessed and Merry Christmas and/or Holiday Season. Take care, be kind, love on your family and pets and do something nice.

Now go bead something.

12 Days of Christmas Project - Day 11: Wire and Bead Ornaments

Yesterday, I posted a bead and wire Star Ornament, today is a variation of that. This round ornament uses - get this - a balloon as the base. And, as I've mentioned many times, I love projects that use up leftover, miscellaneous beads because, let's face it, we all have them, we don't know what to do with them and we, certainly, don't want to throw them away.

Wire and Bead Ornaments
Photo and Project by Everyday Art

So, here you go Day 11 of the 12 Days of Christmas Project. Have fun and make a ton of these and then bring them to Show and Tell at our January meeting.

Click HERE for all the how tos.

Now go bead something.

12 Days of Christmas Project - Day 10: Beaded Wire Star Ornament

Beaded Wire Star Ornament
Photo and Project by The Eclectic Chica

Okay, you have your beaded wire ornament holders and - ta dah - here are the ornaments!

The Eclectic Chica uses a very clever way to get her star shape (click on the link to find out what) - that will also enable you to get any shape you want. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking Valentine's Day right now.

Anyway, it's a super simple, super cute and you can click HERE to find out how to make you some.

Beaded Wire Star Ornament 
Photo and Project by The Eclectic Chica

Don't want to add beads - no problem. Check out the photo of the Star Ornament with just wire.

Now go bead something.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9: Ornament Holder

Wire Ornament Holder
Photo and Project by Mamie Jane's

Thought I'd post something a little different today - a wire ornament holder by Mamie Jane's. The loops are much easier to do if you have a wire jig, but if you don't have one - no worries - she shows you how to make your own with some scrap wood and small nails.

Although this is a beaded version of the ornament holder, you can make one without the beads as well. I really like this version because it's not your run of the mill shepherd's hook style holder.

Oh yeah - did I mention she also shows you how to make your own jump rings? I think I just did.

A set of these would make a perfect hostess gift too.

Click HERE to find out how.

Now go bead something.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 8: Beaded Snowflake

I absolutely love this beaded Snowflake by the Learning Center at Panda Hall.

Beaded Snowflake Project and Photo
by Panda Hall at the Learning Center

I don't know - could be the light, icy blue seed beads between the snowy white pearls, but I truly do love it.

If you know right angle weave, you'll can  make these in no time. But, no worries, if you don't. This project is the  perfect opportunity for you to learn how RAW (right angle weave) because there are lots of step by step pictures.

Click HERE to make one yourself.

Now go bead something.