Finished Bracelets & Beaded Box

Hi, I hope you are avoiding the weather, wherever you are. I'm sweltering through a heat wave while the other side of the world is frozen. I've been trying to bead but with my Viking heritage (I have red hair..) I don't do so well in this heat, 39c everyday & without air con. And last night I broke my fan.

 At least I can show you what I've

Couplet in Thyme

finished off in this past month. First up, is the bracelet Couplet, from Kassie Shaw's book Beautiful Beadweaving: Beyond the Basics that I reviewed last time. I think it came out really well, even though I was worried the colours were too similar. I used celsian amethyst for the lentils & lustred amethyst for the middle beads.

Superduo Herringbone Knit Bracelet

This next one was a fun bracelet to make, even though it took me 3 days to figure out! I used a YouTube video, Superduo Herringbone Knit Rope, available here. I used 2 tone super duo's, in bronze & teal with bright metallic purple highlights (15). Knowing where to put the needle among all those holes is tricky at first but it works up quickly once you get going. It uses a lot of beads though, a necklace would be great but not on my current limited budget. Anyone want one who will pay in advance, give me a shout!

Last but not least is my tiny beaded box, from Julia Pretl's book, found here. Last time I showed my box in progress, I accidentally called her Suzanne Pretl. oops sorry! Her middle name is Suzanne at least.. Anyway my box took a really long time to complete & I haven't even started on the lid. I didn't finish the top properly-there is supposed to be a hem-but I think it looks ok. 

 It is self supporting & I could keep a really special ring in it or stud earrings, or just leave it empty until those things are gifted to me. You can't really see the star pattern on the bottom & my colours didn't come out great in the pictures. It's turquoise, cream, metallic pink & opal pinky purple. I finished the feet with chinese crystals, re-purposed from a target bracelet. I really want to make the squid box, available from Julia Pretl's website. 
That is all from me today, I hope you enjoyed the jewellery. I will be back soon with a load of flower photos, my dahlia is delightful & the pansies are perfect, well when the spider mites aren't making a mockery of my hard work they are. And I just thought I had better mention, no-one has or will paid me for my opinions. I receive nothing for my endorsements, they are my own true opinion without any bias. Okay, Cheers! Stay cool! Both literally & figuratively!

Beadweaving beyond the basics by Kassie Shaw book review & 2 bracelets.

Palisades beaded by me from Kassie Shaw's book.

Hello friends & strangers, today I wanted to tell you about one of my favourite beading books, Beadweaving beyond the basics, by Kassie Shaw. You can find a copy here It has lots of variations on right angle weave (RAW) plus other classic such as St Petersburg & Peyote, but the focus is really on RAW. The projects are achievable without taking months or a steep learning curve, but a lot do require 2 hole beads. Not all though, & some can be made with very few materials, such as the shoulder duster & wheely earrings.

My favourite project when i first read the book was the Palisades bracelet, pictured above with my version. Mine is the turquoise one. They require tiny bugles which lucky for me I found at the annual rock swap, 5 tubes of seed beads for $10, which is an amazing bargain in Australia.

Instead of swarovski crystals I used firepolished beads in 2 colours. It's actually my favourite bracelet at the moment.

 This bracelet on the right is another one I want to make, it's called couplet & features 2 hole lentils. I had to order some in, I highly recommend the bead shop I used, I found them on etsy. 

Here are the lentils I plan on making the bracelet out of, now I just have to choose the other colours. I'm thinking silver & soft blue. Sorry the picture is sideways, part of the reason this blog is so neglected is I find photo editing & photography in general a bit of a chore. Sure, I love taking pics but it's so much more pressure when they need to be good. 

I highly recommend Kassie's book, if you've seen her patterns in Beadwork you know they are fresh & modern, her book is even better. It may not be suitable for a super beginner but one with patience could probably manage it. 

I almost forgot to mention, I opened my etsy shop BecMadeCanberra to quite a lukewarm reception. It's here if you'd like to look. I know I know, I need to advertise, promote, & try to kick this black funk that has enveloped my beading recently. I made that turquoise bracelet a while ago. I really don't need to be so honest! I can't help it though, maybe the real reason I neglect this blog is I don't know what I want it to be, what tone I should take. Life is hard, & continues to be hard but at least there is beading, & flowers & cats & maybe hope. Oh enough of my maudlin old self, go buy Kassie's book or get it from the library if you're poor like me. & I'm up to episode 62 of The History of Rome Podcast so I know something about Rome now. 

Beaded Moth & 3 Real Bugs 

the beaded moth

The beaded moth! Very fiddly but worth it in the end. I took him to the park for a photo shoot, then he went to live at my dad's. You can make your own by using this book.

That moth looks like he might bite.This scary lookin' fella below is a jewel spider. They are very common up on the local mountain, once I saw one I kept seeing them everywhere.

Here is a cute little tiger moth that obligingly landed on my little finger & posed for my picture.

And lastly this lady was a visitor to my balcony the other day, looking for a place to lay her eggs no doubt. If my boysenberry gets covered in caterpillars I may have to let them live, the world needs more butterflies.

See you next time!

 Flowers, a bird & a half-made beaded box

 It's the bec made blog without teacher supervision. I started this blog as a school assignment but think I'll keep it up, but now I can swear. bec made -stuff i made, photographed, grew but probably not cooked. it's not one of those kind of blogs.      

                    this is a mutant calendula. it's a great flower for winter as you sow in autumn but most of mine got seedling fungus, only 3 plants took. 

 i went crazy buying bulbs this year & the jonquils have been lovely. the freesias got attacked by thrips. my dear little kitten got hit by a car in april, the balcony was her favourite place, I avoided it for a few months so the first lot of bulbs i put in suffered, as did I. 

this is a crimson Rosella, their name actually comes from the first settlers seeing them around a hill they called rose hill. they become known as rose hill parrots, then rose hillers until they became

rosellas. cool huh? i know where this bloke nests, he seemed to have lost his mate the other day. i hope he found her. the block behind their tree is due to be demolished. I hope they will be ok. yes, i'm not much of a wildlife photographer i know.

last pic is a beaded box that is taking ages, I got the pattern from Suzanne Pretls beaded boxes. It's not as complicated as I expected, just time consuming. I've been listening to podcasts as I bead, I recommend The Documentary by BBC world services and All in the Mind by ABC Radio National. jeez i am gettin old. i'm also listening to the History of Rome by Mike Duncan but I think he goes into more detail than I need. that's all I have to show you today, I need a good sign off line. but all i have for now is bye!

Bead Embroidery (& birds)

Today I am going to show you some bead embroidery & a bird. Bead embroidery is very similar to regular thread embroidery, except you use beads! The one on the left here uses amazonite in the middle with turquoise & pink fire polished beads with the seed beads.

This is an orange agate on the right, I got this pattern from a beading magazine & liked it so much I copied it exactly. It's not my colour though so usually languishes unworn..

 These earrings on the left use chalcedony in the middle with just 2 colours of seed beads & czech drops. These will be for sale if I ever get my etsy shop up & running or get a stall organised. I have to stop giving pieces away first. My last pic is the rarely seen Koel (this is where the random comes in). Note the blue eyes, I thought it was a redheaded raven but this guy has flown all the way across Australia to try & sneak his egg into an unsuspecting nest. Cuckoo! There's one that sits above my driveway & the night call echoes all night. There's a few around now, at least 3 calling to each other. The currawongs do not like it one bit, they wake up & interupt their calling.  I also wanted to point you in the direction of one of my classmates blog', she has some good tips for photography, I have one daffodil blooming on my balcony so I may try some of her tips. Go here for the bee busy blog. 

 Hello! Today I wanted to show you something I've been working on for almost 7 years, on & off. It's the Dragon cross stitch by Joan Elliott. I got the pattern from her book, Bewitching cross stitch. You can get the book (a 2nd hand copy, it's out of print) or you can go to her site and order individual chart packs here. She has many to choose from and if your worried about starting such a big project, just remember you can take your time with it! I like the idea of an hour a day but sometimes life just gets in the way plus cross stitch can get a little bit tedious and I have to make some jewellery. In fact, I've barely touched this for the past few years but I am determined to finish it. I was working on the face last night. My last pic shows the wing, those holes are spaces for beads & glitter thread will go over the top to make scales. I stated the moon in light blue but unpicked it as it didn't pop enough. It can be disheartening to frog stitch (ripit ripit) all your hard work immediately after you've done it so I put it aside for a while then when I come back all I see is the mistake & I've forgotten the hours of work. & it is hours. cross stitch can never be sold for the price it deserves, it makes me sad to see cross stitch at 2nd hand shops. work like this is truly a labour of love and I fully expect this work will one day hang in my great, great, great, grand daughter or son's living room. Just a note on materials- when i started this I had a choice of 2 floss brands, Sullivans & DMC. I got what I could in DMC then the rest in Sullivans, there is a big difference in quality but not in price to these 2 brands, the only thing stopping this being a family heirloom could be those poor quality Sullivan threads, they just don't have the same color & lustre. When  it comes to art & craft, buy the best materials you can as it reflects in your work.

It's almost Spring earrings

 It's almost spring..the daffodils are in bloom, the Koel has arrived from Malaysia to keep us up all night and I have a brand new blog with a quick tutorial for an easy pair of 'almost spring' earrings. Let's get started!

The materials are 2 large hammered copper rings, 6 flower beads (I ended up using 8 in my earrings), 2 jump rings (either 4mm or 6mm, depending on whether you add the extra flower), 2 earring hooks &22g artistic wire (not pictured). 

Cut 8cm of wire and make a spiral. Put your round nose pliers at the tip of the wire and twist it around. Once the initial spiral is made you can your fingers, or 2 pairs of pliers for an ultra neat spiral. Go around maybe 2 and a half times, make it around the same size as the base of your flower bead. I had to undo a bit of my spiral.

 This next bit is a little tricky, get the wire end and put it through the flower bead, then try to centre the flower. It won't sit straight as the wire is coming from the side. Once it's on, using chain nose pliers bend the wire 90 degrees, leaving a little bit of wire above the bead. You can straighten the spiral up against the base of the bead. 22g wire is very bendy, forgiving stuff. Unless you scratch the colour off, that's a pain. But practice will take care of that. Make a really long wired chain necklace & by the end you'll be a master. But back to the earrings.

 Make a loop, moving your round nose pliers in a circle, it's a wrist movement. Practice, and Youtube will help. Straighten this loop up now.

Once the loop is straight, lift it up with your chain nose pliers and insert the copper ring. Lifting the loop means it won't pull of shape.

Now you are in a position to finish the wrapped loop, I did mine with my fingers to avoid scratching the purple wire. Go round and round, up and down, then cut the remaining wire, if you have any. Using 8cm I didn't have much left over.  

Repeat twice more, so you have 3 flowers dangling off your metal ring, then open a 4mm jump ring the same way you opened the loop of the wire and insert the metal ring and an earring hook. I thought my earrings looked a little plain so I added another flower dangle, ones I had made previously when I'd been practicing a lot more frequently! To accommodate the extra flower dangle I used a 6mm jump ring. Repeat in full to make a 2nd earring, now you have brand new earrings for spring!

My complete earrings!