September 18, 2017

Don't You Love It When a Plan Comes Together?


Don't you love it when a plan comes together?  Even if there's a little detour along the way?  It all started when the folks over at The Beadsmith sent me some new GemDuo beads to try.  They're little diamond shapes with two holes and are "backlit".  The ones they sent me were in a color called "tequila" (how appropriate is that LOL).  I don't even have words to explain this backlit business to you, but the color on these beads is practically a living thing.  It changes a lot depending on the light and the angle and is nearly impossible to photograph.  And it is soooooooo pretty!


I was all excited to try them out so I strung together this little section of them with S-lon bead cord (.5mm) intending to make them the centerpiece of a necklace with straps playing off the diamond shape.  Unfortunately, I did this part in the evening.  The next morning when I picked it up to finish it, I decided it wasn't just the light playing tricks on me and one of my beads was the wrong color!  

I have no idea how this could have happened - I swear I only have one bag of these beads and that oddball blue one should not be there.  But there he is in all his beautiful blueness, just hangin' out and doin' his own thang.  While I admire his attitude, it just won't work for my purposes.  I decided to scrap the whole necklace design, but I really liked the way the beads fit together, so I went back to the drawing board but kept that part in mind.  Oh, and I made a new rule:  no beading with really shiny, color-changing beads at night.  Those little buggers demand full sunlight.


I ended up with a diamond shape in the center of my bracelet with a row of the beads running through the length of it.  I think it adds just the right amount of interest.


The beads are the same in both of those bracelets, and don't they look different?  


I had a lot of fun with these beads, I have to admit.  I tried to come up with a design that really lets them be front and center and show off.  


September 10, 2017

Leafy Cuff in Micro Macrame Tutorial


My Leafy Cuff in micro macrame design is now available as a downloadable .pdf tutorial in my Etsy shop.  This one is a little bit more advanced than some of my other designs, but is still achievable for knotters who are comfortable with a basic double half hitch knot.  It's not that this one is difficult, it just has a lot more cords to keep track of.


I've worked this one up in several different colors now and I don't think I've found one I didn't like!


It's just really pretty!  Even the closure is elegant:


This tutorial is 20 pages and includes over 65 photographs and detailed step-by-step instructions and you can find it here.  Not sure if you're ready for this one yet?  There are 13 other micro macrame tutorials available to choose from starting at the absolute beginner level and you'll find them all here.  What are you waiting for?


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