Kawaii Cabochon Treasures!

Decided to try my hand at videos!  I have one here already but it's more like a slideshow.  So this is my first talking video!  I bought more kawaii cabochons (see previous post)  and I thought I would share with you guys.  Hope you like it!

Happy Spring!

Hi everybody!  It's springtime, my birthday is next Sunday (I'm not a mom so I won't be getting double prezzies.  I might get a feather from my parakeet, does that count?  Hee hee :D)  The days are getting longer and warmer and despite a bout with bronchitis, which I'm slowly recovering from, I'm feeling really happy!

Haven't been doing much beading lately, but I have been preparing my store, and I am up to the stage that we most dread, resgistration and taxes.  Making sure all the paperwork is right.  Hopefully my boutique will see it's opening light of day by the winter holiday season (I'm shooting for summer, fingers crossed).  I'm also expanding my wooden bangle collection and it is looking fantastic, will post pictures soon.  I'm also working on a couple of short tutorials, sharing some lessons I've learned while working in new media.  Hope to have those available sometime in the future.

Today, however, I have some really cute cabochons to show you. I came across this "Kawaii" craze purely by accident while I was looking for tutorials on embedding in resin.  These adorable cabochons came up and I contracted "Kawaii Fever".  "Kawaii" means "cute" or "adorable" in Japanese.

                                    

Really, I've always had Kawaii fever of sorts.   I was (and still am) a HUGE fan of Hello Kitty and as old as I am (none of your beeswax :D  ), I still stop at places where I see Hello Kitty merchandise and pick up stuff!  So you can understand my excitement when I came across these. As you can see, there's flowers, yummy sweets and biscuits, and even a piece that seems to be Hello Kitty inspired.   So, so Kawaii!   I already ordered more and I can't wait to get them and start creating.  This might not be a permanent department in my store but I find these so adorable I can't resist trying my hand at making some really cute stuff.  (I'm thinking of my three sweet nieces now.)  So when I get these I'll post them.

So that's all for now.  Have a wonderful weekend!  Toodles!

Taking it all In!!!

Hello there my beadie buddies!  I've been a busy little beader!  I just took another loom class and it was a lot of fun!

This class was for a loomed needlecase.  It took about 4 days to finish (not including waiting for the snaps) The techniques used in making this will really help making my other projects so much more professional looking. I learned a couple of techniques I wish I knew before making the Cloudwalk Cuff, it would have making that one a lot less stressful (tee hee!)

And here it is, my needle case.  It came out really pretty.

I'm also trying my hand at micro-macrame.  I really want to learn Cavandoli knotting, which is making sculptural pieces with knots.  But I have to start with the basics, and it will be slow going.  But I made a simple wavy bracelet with 1mm imitation silk cording.  Easy to work with and it made the knots easy to see.  But I eventually have to start using thinner threads for the Cavandoli knotting and for more intricate jewelry pieces.  But I like how this came out:

As a matter of fact, I like this one so much I might do another one in my favorite color, purple!!!

So, that's all for now folks!  See you soon.  Toodles!

"Cloudwalk" Cuff is Done!! WooHoo!

Hi friends!!

Well, after taking the darn thing apart (twice), I finally got this cuff done!  I learned that I like using Delicas over round Czech seed beads when I loom so I don't think I'll be using anything else but Delicas next time, at least when I'm making a multi-paneled cuff. The Czech beads are very, very irregular and difficult to make consistent sizing (hence the reason why I had to take it apart a second time).  As I mentioned in my last post, I added a panel of RAW (right angle weave) to the center, embellished with bicones and montee crystals.  I finished it with silver hook clasps and cute dangles that match.  I also played around with making a lace fringe which came out really well.  I have to write down the technique so I don't forget next time.

My other project was something I made after I took apart the cuff for the first time.  I wanted to make something that was pretty easy, my personal brand of therapy, a "reset" of my brain before I retackle something difficult.  This cute lariat was made with a Lakota stitch "ribbon" embellished with cute charms.  I added the crystals to the dancing fairy.  They were a little big so they overlapped but it looks really nice.  I gave it two coats of a sealant so the crystals don't drop out.   I was already familiar with the Lakota stitch, but the idea for the lariat came from "Beaded Allure" by Kelly Weise.  Really beautiful book of romantic seed bead projects.

So, that's all for now.  I'm gonna take a little break from beadweaving for a couple of weeks, give my fingers a rest, while I decide what I want to take on next.  Have a fantastic weekend my friends!

"Cloudwalk" Cuff

Hey everybody!  Well, I'm starting in on "thinking outside of the box".  This cuff is my first endeavor into that mission.  It incorporates multi-channels, media mixing and multiple techniques.

Starting out, I warped the loom with spaces for 5 (5!) channels.  Each panel was worked separately.

Next, the smaller channels were filled with pearls and bicone crystals.  So far so good.

Then...

When it came to the center, I intended to use navette (pointed oval) crystals in the center and realized that it was going to be extremely difficult adding them to the piece while it was still on the loom.  So, I made the preparations to remove the cuff and began finishing the ends.  It was then that I made a HUGE mistake.  I put the piece down to take a break, picked it up again and CUT OFF THE WARPS OF THE WRONG END!  I tried to fix it and patch it up but the more I tried to save it, the worse it got!    I so wanted to cry.  But I didn't.  I took a break, ate something, cleaned up a little, and began again.  I had to undo the whole thing so that took up the rest of that day.  The following day I began again.  It took about 12 hours (with breaks) to finally get the cuff back to the condition you see above.  By the time I finished this, I had gotten another idea.

Now that this is finished, I love it even more than my first idea.  My experiment change had worked!  Believe it or not, this is a strip of RAW (right angle weave) embellished with crystals.  So it is possible for off-loom and on-loom techniques to work together.  I might have another idea for this cuff so stay tuned!

Toodles!!!

Happy New Year and a New Bracelet

Happy New Year everybody!  This year, my goals include trying to think out of the box, using colors I wouldn't normally use, combining different materials I wouldn't think of combining, trying new stitches.  Over the Christmas holiday, I spent a few days doodling in my "handy dandy notebook" and have a few potentially pretty designs to explore.

This is my first bracelet of the year, "Gwen".  I made this while watching the program "Merlin" (which I really enjoyed by the way)  and thought that this might be a cuff that Guinivere would wear.  (Actually, I have a couple of designs that I think a medieval princess or queen would wear.)  This cuff features 11/0 rocailles seed beads that I don't usually use in looming, with a channel of Swarovski pearls and a sharp fringe edged with garnet crystal beads.

This came out so well that I think I might make a series of these. I also finished taking LOADS of pictures in preparation for the opening of the boutique which I am hoping will be opened in the next couple of months, barring another setback.  So that's all for now.  Got lots of work to do!  Toodles!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

I know, I know, it's been awhile.  But I thought I would wish all of my blog friends a wonderful holiday season.  I won't have any more beading projects until the new year but I thought I would post a cool video by Antelope Beads on how to make pretty origami boxes for your gifts.  I made a couple out of a pretty shopping bag and made some faux prezzies for under the tree.

And here are my boxes:

So, have fun and have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful, happy New Year!