So, recently I discovered a free PDF for Diane Fitzgerald's awesome Fortune Teller Beads. The PDF contains instructions for a 19mm bead, but after some playing around, I was able to modify the design to work with a 14mm bead and two 20-22mm marbles I've had around for awhile. If you're interested, you can download the instructions here, along with instructions for two other projects.
This is my first go, using transparent lavender and coppery-gold seeds for the netting, and a plastic iridescent 14mm bead for the core. The design allows for room to add bits at either end of the bead, so I stitched a purple glass drop to the bottom and a purple glass bead to the top, with a few more coppery seeds that I aim to turn into the bail for a necklace. I think that since the bead is rather ornate, I'll go clean and simple on the necklace part.
I'm in love with this technique- it's easy, it works up quickly, and at the end you get to gather up all the seeds on each end into a tight circle, and it's really really satisfying to watch them tighten up around the bead when you pull it tight, haha.
Here's my two large beaded marbles- I did the blue one first. I had to modify the design a bit by altering the bead counts in each netting stitch and then adding one seed between each seed at the top and bottom where the netting 'gathers'. I thought the blue one looked a little naked, so I added transparent purple and silver beads in between the 'windows' that the netting creates. I'm not thrilled with the look, but it was fun nonetheless.
The red one I really love :D I used coppery size 8/0 seeds at the intersection points in the netting, and i like the look it gives. I'm imagining a tassle of fringe hanging off the bottom- I'm not good at maintaining the right tension on fringe, so that will be good practice :)
That's all for now. Today I'll leave you with Trinity having a conversation with me. 'Til Next Time! :)
Oi- apologies for the long pause in posts there! I can't say there's a specific reason for it- but I HAVE been beading- a lot!
It's a bit overdue, but I thought I'd post some completed OTTBS Moodboard pieces. First, from the October Moodboard (click to see my entry and everyone else's lovely pieces). I created two, but the main one is my "Biscuit Bracelet" (you can see the pieces of the bracelet in this post).
I finally decided to stitch them together with some teal foiled glass coin beads I had. In the true spirit of OTTBS, I dug these out from my stash- I had six, so I used up all but one in this piece. This is also my first peyote toggle clasp. Hooray!
Next is a pendant in Gwen Fisher's"Super RAW" (click for her free video tutorial of the technique). Super Raw is very fun! It seemed complicated to me at first, but it's actually very intuitive and satisfying. AND I 'tackled my stash' beautifully with this one. The red ball chain and the big blue 6/0's have been sitting in boxes for aaaages. Very satisfying to use them up!
Next is my entry for the November Moodboard (click to see all the other people's lovely entries). This was a challenge at first- the moodboard colors were red and green- christmas colors- YUCK. So, I was determined to make something in red and green that doesn't make one think of christmas at all. (And again, I tackled a good bit of stash here!). It's a twisted herringbone rope using 15/0 green seeds and 11/0 red seeds. The difference in sizes gives this a lovely spirally rope that feels very nice between your fingers. I added a simple round peyote ring at one end, and for the other half of the clasp, two beaded bead 'cherries' and a lucite leaf. You put the berries through the ring to close the clasp. The cherries, paired with the rope that reminded me of a caterpillar, led me to name this one "Cherry Caterpillar". Not christmassy at all! In fact, it reminds me of springtime :)
I have some other pieces I've been working on- I'll post them next. One includes a bracelet using Preciosa's new Twin Beads.
For now though, I leave you with Neo sniffing my bacon-flavored lollipop. (Sounds gross, but it was quite tasty!)
I was checking my email for a final time tonight, and I saw something from Cyndi at Beading-Arts.com; turns out, I won a giveaway being held there for a copy of Creative Beading Vol. 6! I'm so excited! It's so rare I win anything, I had to re-read the email a bunch of times, haha! Cyndi says she'll send it tomorrow- I can't wait to look inside!
That wasn't the only lucky thing today. I finally, after many, many tries over the past months, successfully made a peyote beaded bead! It's not particularly pretty, I just used beads I had on hand, and aside from a tiny bit of visible threads, I'd say it looks pretty damn good! It was exciting when I got to the end and saw that it really was going to come together.
In addition to that, I made one more ring inspired by this months Moodboard over at OTTBS. I'm kind of proud of this one- it's rather clever, I'd say! Go figure it's just a tiny bit too small for my fingers; now I can't wear it! Ah, well. It was fun thinking a bit unconventionally while I made it.
Overall, a pretty awesome day! I started working this evening on something I've never tried before: structural right angle weave. I'm going with a concept that's been done before, so it's not necessarily that creative an idea, but I'm just testing my ability for now. I'll post the results tomorrow when I've finished!
For now, here's Neo and Trinity holding hands (paws?)
