Gorgeous BoHo Style Earrings

I am so in love with these earrings that I am simply at a loss for words.

So, just click HERE to get the instructions from Rings and Things.

Butterflies are Free
created by Mollie Valente
for Rings and Things

Cool Knotting Tutorials

Have you ever seen those cool knots made mostly with rat tail cord - like this Monkey's Fist Knot?

Monkey's Fist Knot and picture
by PandaHall.com

I know I have and always wondered how is that done. Well, wonder no more because PandaHall.com has posted a tutorial on how to create your own Monkey's Fist knot.

The step-by-step directions are accompanied by clear, close-up photographs of the techniques so you should have no problem creating your own knot.

Click HERE to go to their site and get all the directions for this knot as well as several other decorative knots.

Now go bead something.

Super Easy Stone Ring

I love gemstone chips and I have a pretty good stash of them; but, sometimes I'm at odds as to what exactly to do with them.

Stone Chip Ring by Tarun Upadhyaya
Picture courtesy of Instructables.com

Then, I found this super easy tutorial by Tarun Upadhyaya on the Instructables website for a stone chip ring using a ready made ring blank, stone chips (or beads even), a round glass pebble and...wait for it... superglue! Sure, these rings probably aren't store or gallery ready, but they work up quickly and certainly make a statement.

So get out your stone chips and click HERE to get the instructions.

Now go bead something.

Crystal Chandelier Pendant

So many beaders often create other art too and based on the conversations I've had with some you - so many of you use (and collect) all sorts of wonderful papers. Whether you are into scrapbooking, collage or mixed media - how often have you had a scrap of paper that you love too much to toss? Well now you can wear that little scrap on a gorgeous antique or new crystal from a chandelier!

Crystal Chandelier Pendant by Mitzi Curi
at FaveCrafts

Mitzi Curi at FaveCrafts created this sweet Crystal Chandelier Pendant and now you can too.

Click HERE and head on over to FaveCrafts to learn how to create your own.

Now go bead something.

Broken Porcelain Earrings

Have you every broken a treasured piece of porcelain? Maybe it was your grandmother's teapot or teacup or something from your mom's wedding. I know I have. Unfortunately, there was no rescuing it and I ended up having to throw it out.

Broken Porcelain Earrings
by www.create-your-style.com

Now, thanks to create-your-style.com, you can keep that piece of broken porcelain and still make it something memorable - something you can wear - like these Broken Porcelain Earrings.

Best of all, you don't need a soldering iron and if you have enough broken porcelain pieces, you can probably  make enough pairs to share with your sister, cousins,  mom - you get the picture.

All you need is your broken porcelain pieces, some epoxy clay, ear wires and, of course, Swarvoski crystal elements. If you've never worked with epoxy clay (it's all the rage right now), I think this is the perfect project to get your feet wet.

The written instructions are accompanied by really great illustrations that clearly walk you through every step in creating your own unique pair of Broken Porcelain Earrings.

Click HERE to get the instructions.

Now go bead something.

Seed Bead Finishes

Opaque, translucent, transparent, fire-polished - does that sound Greek to you? Never fear, all is not lost. Thanks to Fire Mountain Gems, you can now find the definitions and samples of all those seed bead finishes on its site.

Did you know that Ceylon has a beautiful pearl luster finish (and it's one of my favorites), but that the color of these beads fades when exposed to strong sunlight? Or that silver lined beads usually have square holes to enhance the beads' reflectiveness? Or that you really should test the permanence of galvanized or metallic beads by soaking them in bleach, acetone or alcohol? Nope - neither did I.

But, you can learn more about seed bead finishes by clicking HERE. The link will take you directly to the Fire Mountain Gems resource page on seed bead finishes.

Now go bead something.

May Meeting

When: Saturday, May 18, 2013
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 pm
Place: 1st Floor Auditorium at Bayou Manor, 4141 South Braeswood, Houston, TX
Program: Mary Alice Stinton - Powerpoint Presentation on Japanese Bead Embroidery

Parking is available in the uncovered spaces in the rear of the gated parking lot. Covered spaces are for residents of Bayou Manor only. After parking, walk back through either the pedestrian or vehicle gate and access the building through the main entrance. Please check in with the receptionist for an ID badge before proceeding to the auditorium.

Please Note: That because Tish Reed will not be at the meeting, the Bead Dangle Swap has been postponed until the June meeting.

Bead It Forward Bead Ornaments by Bead and Button

Photo by Bead & Button

Here is more news from Bead & Button on the Bead Squares that were submitted for the Bead it Forward Project benefiting breast cancer research. For more information see my posts HERE and HERE .We also received a really sweet thank you comment from Jane Danley with Bead & Button - especially acknowledging Peanut Butter Jones' (from Tiny Dog Seed Beads) contribution.

In addition to creating quilts, the Bead & Button staff had the brilliant idea to create other, possibly more affordable, items as well. They include cigar boxes, greeting cards and shadowboxes; but, by far, this one is my favorite - bead square ornaments.

Photo by Bead &  Button

Staff and volunteers placed two squares together with two layers of Lacy's Stiff Stuff sandwiched in between and added a beaded edging that makes it impossible to tell the ornaments are composed of two separate pieces. Each ornament is also tagged with the names of beaders who created the square. Gauging by the posts by Bead & Button, they have been a big hit!

They expect to have a total of somewhere between 150 and 200 ornaments to sell for $5.00 (that's right $5.00 - less than the price of a cup of coffee at your favorite place) at this year's Bead & Button Show in June. And, for those of us who can't attend the show, they hope to have a few available online as well.

Check out the entire post by Bead & Button by clicking HERE.

Now go bead something.

Beaded ID Card Lanyard

So many of us work in large office buildings that require we wear ID cards. But, most of them usually come with this plain brown, black or blue cord - can you say B-O-R-I-N-G?

Why put up with a boring lanyard when you can have a couple of lovely beaded ones, like these:

Fun and Fashionable Lanyards projects and photos by
Fusion Beads

The Denim Spiral Lanyard (left) is perfect to wear with jeans on casual Fridays, while the lovely Canyon Sunset Lanyard on the right (love the name too) is appropriate for anytime! Best of all, they both have detachable clips so you can remove your ID card and wear them as bracelets - cool huh?

And, did I mention I think they would make great Mother's Day and end of year teachers' gifts? So much nicer than flowers or a box of chocolates.

Click HERE to get all the how tos for both of these projects.

Now go bead something.

2014 Bead It Forward Project Theme Announced

About the Bead It Forward Project

In 2014, the Bead & Button staff will once again be organizing the Bead-It-Forward Bead Quilt project! The theme for 2014 is “Turn the Tide on Breast Cancer.” As before, Bead & Button staff will collect squares of beadwork that measure 1.5 x 1.5 in. (3.8 x 3.8 cm) that are sewn on to 2 x 2 in. squares of Peltex or Lacy’s Stiff Stuff to assemble them into mini quilts, shadowboxes, ornaments and a “few surprises.” These items will be auctioned at the 2014 Bead & Button Show with all proceeds benefiting breast cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

You can use any beading technique provided the squares depict ocean, aquatic and/or beach motifs and they conform to the guidelines below. The squares also need to be in the Bead & Button office by March 3, 2014, so you have plenty of time to starting creating them now.

Tish Reed, who has organized the project for HBS for the past several years, will be collecting squares and turning them in all at once; so, be sure to bring your squares to the meeting and give them to her. And, as usual, we will dedicate the January 2014 program to creating bead quilt squares.

Carefully read the guidelines below and click on the links to download a submission form or for more information. Remember - only one form needs to be submitted, regardless of the number of squares you send in.

Guidelines for the 2014 Bead-It-Forward Project

“Turn the Tide on Breast Cancer”

• Each piece of donated beadwork must be 1½ x 1½ in. (3.8 x 3.8 cm) square.
• Each beaded square must be stitched to the center of a 2 x 2-in. (5 x 5 cm) backing, like Lacy's Stiff Stuff beading foundation. Chris Franchetti Michaels has written an excellent tutorial on attaching your beadwork to the backing. Click on the link below to check it out.
• Do not draw any lines on the front side of the backing with pencil, pen or marker.
• You may dye the backing or color it with permanent markers if you wish.
• All beads and objects must be securely attached to the backing with thread - not glue or tape.
• You may use any beadwork stitches or other techniques on your square and you can include beads in any color, shape, or style, but the overall motif of the square must reflect an ocean aquatic and/or beach theme.

 Very Important:

• The beadwork must be sewn on to the squares. Squares that have been glued or taped will not be accepted.
• Do not stitch or draw anything (including guidelines) on the exposed backing around the square.
• On the back of your completed square, clearly print your name in permanent marker and draw an UP arrow (é) to indicate the desired orientation of the square.
• A square that does not conform to the above guidelines will not be included.

Forms and Other Information to Download

Tish Reed will be collecting the squares on behalf of Houston Bead Society Members and then sending them to Bead & Button all at once – so be sure to submit your squares to her at any of the meetings or e-mail her for her mailing address.

If your square is not received by Tish on or before February 15, it will not be included in the HBS package to Bead & Button. But, you can still submit it directly by mailing it to:

Bead & Button Magazine

21027 Crossroads Circle

P.O. Box 1612

Waukesha, WI  53187-1612

By submitting your square(s), you agree to relinquish all rights to your completed square(s) except recognition/acknowledgement of your contribution to the Bead-It-Forward project and the specific quilt/shadowbox/ornament/ other item in which it is featured. All items will be auctioned off at the Bead & Button Show in June 2014.

Click HERE to download the 2014 Submission Form.

Click HERE to visit the Bead & Button page on the Bead It Forward project.

Click HERE to see Chris Franchetti Michaels' tutorial on attaching your beadwork to the backing.
Click HERE to see previous bead quilt squares submitted by Houston Bead Society Members.

Click HERE to e-mail Associate Editor Jane Danley Cruz at Bead & Button with questions about the project. 

Remember, to visit the Bead & Button page often for upcoming patterns and challenges.

Now go bead something.

Base Metal Amazonite Necklace by Rio Grande

Base Metal Amazonite Necklace
Design and Picture by Rio Grande

Check out this lovely Amazonite Base Metal Necklace by Rio Grande.

Amazonite is a green variety of feldspar and was considered to be quite rare - available only in the Llmen Mountain area in Russia; that is, until they discovered pockets of this lovely gem in Pikes Peak, Colorado. It can now also be found in Brazil, Zimbabwe, Australia and Namibia.

Amazonite is a relative soft stone - categorized as a only a 4 or 5 on the Mohs Scale, ranges in color from light green to blue green and is sometimes mottled with light striations.

Metaphysically, Amazonite is said to enhance creativity. Because of its color, it is considered to be a soothing stone that offers confidence and improves self-worth. In fact, it is often referred to as the “hope stone.”

Amazonite is one of my favorite stones; not only for its gorgeous range of colors, but because of the peaceful feeling it gives off. I think it is the perfect stone for your spring and summer jewelry creations.

I also like this necklace because if you tweaked it a little (changed/add) clasps you could easily make this a convertible necklace/bracelet. Hmmm... I think I'm going to take out my Amazonite and play with that idea!

To get the instructions for Rio Grande's Base Metal Amazonite Necklace, click HERE.

Now go bead something.

Wire Gauges Explained

I have always wondered why the thicker the wire, the smaller gauge number it had and now I know why.

According to Wikipedia, the AWG (American Wire Gauge) system is a standardized system used by the USA and Canada since 1857 for calculating the gauge of mostly round, solid, nonferrous wires. Non-ferrous wires and metals do not contain iron.

Simply put, the wire is assigned a gauge based on the number of times it is pulled through gradually smaller holes in steel plates; thus, making it smaller with each pass. For example, that means an 18 gauge wire was pulled through successively smaller holes 18 times, 20 gauge was pulled through 20 times and so on.

Although I’ve been worked with gauges in metal and wire for so long that I’m accustomed to the numbers, it might be helpful to think of how large a wire is in terms of the number of times it is pulled – 30 gauge means it was pulled through 30 times – 14 times more than 16 gauge – more pulls mean smaller gauge.

Hope that helps.

Now, go bead something.