New Stuff!

Ta da!  I finally get to show off one of my new micro macrame bracelet designs using new beads from the Beadsmith!  You don't know how hard it is for me to keep my mouth shut when I'm excited about something.  I swear, it's physical pain.  I'm not much of a "hold it in" kind of person; I'm more of a "wear it on my face" and "shout it from the rooftops" kinda gal.  Anyway, the sadistic folks over at the Beadsmith sent me these Baroque Cabochons back in November (yes, that's November) and then wouldn't let me share until now (I'm typing that in my best whiny, self-pitying voice). 

The Baroque Cab beads have two holes running parallel through them which makes them perfect for a design like this because they don't flip over when the bracelet is worn.  Oh, and I learned something, too.  I thought cabochons (cabs) were undrilled (no holes) but they are polished instead of faceted.  These are definitely not faceted - the surface is roughly dimpled which makes the backlit coloring in these appear very different in different light or with different colors.  The three bracelets in the photo above are all done with the very same beads, but they pick up some color from the cord.

The knotted sections between the beads look like tatting but they're actually done with macrame - lark's head knots.  I like how the empty space in the macrame sections mirrors the shape of the beads.  Something about that is just very satisfying.

Anyhow...  I still have another design I can't show you yet because I used super secret beads, but at least I got to get this one out there!  Whew!  That's a load off!  

I'll be back in a few days to unveil the other piece (I hope).  See you soon!  

PS.  Is it bragging and unbecoming to share with you that the Beadsmith used my bracelet design and my photo in their release for the new bead?  It really made my day when I opened their email and found this:  

A Collaborative Experiment with Bead Weaving and Micro Macrame

Do you remember my friend, Lindsay Starr?  She's the creative genius behind Phantasm Creations and does some of the most amazing bead work I have ever seen.  I did a trade with her last year (you can read about it in this post) and we decided it was time to do another one, this time with a twist.  We would each start a piece and then send it to the other person to finish.  

I had been hoarding a face cab she made and decided it would be fun to do something with that.  Me being me (with a micro macrame obsession) it stood to reason that I would have to do something with macrame, so I knotted two pieces the size of the cab.  As you can see from the photo, the front piece is a bezel with a hole for the face to peek through and the back is a solid circle of knotting.  I sandwiched them together and did some more knotting to get this:

I didn't exactly know what I was doing, since this was my first attempt at something like this.  I learned some things I will definitely do better next time, but I like the way she turned out.  The way the knotting snugs up around her face makes me think of a woman in the cold with her hood drawn up close to keep her warm.  

I wanted to give Lindsay a little more knotting to work with in case she needed to bring it back into her design, so I knotted a couple more circles keeping with the theme.  It will be most interesting to see what she makes with these.  And meanwhile, she send me these beautiful pieces:

Gorgeous, right?!  The flower and leaf (and maybe the time of year) made me think of Day of the Dead (okay, that's probably one of those thought transitions that only I would follow, but it makes perfect sense to me).  I decided to try something really different and attempt to knot a skull.  I know!  Ridiculous, right!?

No, it's not a white strawberry and yes, it is going to be more skull-like before I'm finished.  You will just have to come back and see.  

While she was waiting for my packaged parts to arrive in the mail, Lindsay was without a project and asked me for an assignment.  Me being me (my latest catch-all un-apology excuse), I suggested she do something with a sugar skull and a Day of the Dead theme.  

She nailed it, didn't she!  I told you she was awesome.  While you're waiting to see our finished pieces, you should head over to her blog and check out her other pieces.  Prepared to be amazed.  And don't forget to come back and see what we do with our collaboration experiment!

How to Make an Easy Knotted Necklace

I might as well admit it - I'm a hippie at heart.  Not the kind that doesn't shave her underarms and showers infrequently, thank you very much, but the kind that appreciates a macrame owl and peace sign necklace.  Case in point:  this necklace.  I knotted the micro macrame owl in olive green cord with Tagua nut coin beads for eyes (eco-friendly!) and then I added an eclectic selection of beads to the necklace. 

Note the groovy peace sign and the mod carved wood beads.  There are some unakite rounds in there, as well as glass, artisan lamp work, and even a little brass bird.  And the clasp has a heart on it because we hippies are all about brotherly (sisterly?) love.

I made this owl when I was fiddling with the Micro Macrame Owl Pendant Tutorial, so I thought I'd make up a necklace for him, too.  He's done in light sage green cord with Czech coin beads eyes and I added an eclectic assortment of beads including two by Barbara Bechtel of Second Surf, a Bali style bead, some jade ribbed tubes, a pre-WWI Japanese glass diamond, a vintage ceramic tube, Czech glass and more.

 

 

Want to make your own knotted necklace?  Once you have your owl pendant (tutorial is available here), it's really simple to make this type of necklace.  Here's how:  take a good length of cord (I start with probably 4 foot), fold it in half and attach it to the split ring on the owl using a larks head knot (or use an overhand knot if you prefer).  Add your chosen beads by sliding them onto one cord or both (usually depends on how large the hole in the bead is - sometimes only one will fit), and tie an overhand knot after each bead.  Mix it up a little - add two beads together here and there if you like.  No rules (you know how I hate rules!).  When you get the length you want, add the clasp of your choice, securing it with an overhand knot.  Super simple.  Add a dab of glue to the knot and trim the excess cord.  Leave a couple inches if you like.  You can also add a few random seed beads on the cord ends.  Repeat with another cord through the other split ring.  Done! 

 

 

And yes, you could make this style of knotted necklace without the macrame owl - but why?

It's PARTY Time! Bead Soup Blog Party 8 Reveal

It's finally here - the big reveal for Lori Anderson's 8th Bead Soup Blog Party!!  This is an event jewelry makers like myself anxiously await all year.  It's like the Thanksgiving of handcrafted jewelry where you can gorge on images of beautiful pieces until you can't stand it anymore.  It's like mardi gras and New Year's rolled into one.  Can you tell I'm excited?  If you're not familiar with the concept (Bead Soup Blog Party, not parties in general), it's pretty simple:  our hostess-with-the-mostess, Lori Anderson, assigns partners from the massive list of participants; the pairs exchange "bead soup" consisting of a focal, clasp and a few coordinating beads; each designer makes something using at least the focal and clasp (they don't have to be used in the same piece); and then we have a party!  This is where you get to see all the amazing things everyone has made.  

This year I was paired with Marianna Boylan of Star Girl Jewelry & Lampwork Glass Designs.  I did this blog post all about her, in case you missed it.  She sent this gorgeous "soup" for me:

Marianna made the lampwork bead and that photo doesn't really do it justice.  I'll give you a closer look:

Isn't it beautiful!?!  I really wanted to use it in my piece this year and I think I just tried too hard.  I had an idea in my head and I just couldn't get it to translate into reality.  I spent hours on it and it just didn't do justice to that focal.  Lori did a blog post about the time I was struggling with it called Don't Be Afraid of the Do-Over, do I decided to take her advice.  I thought I would try my luck with the other focal Marianna sent, the ceramic mermaid pendant by Gaea, so I pulled out some cord and beads and came up with a palette.  

And this happened.

My mermaid goddess.  I'm really excited about this piece.  I messed with a few different design elements and I think the piece has flow and movement.

All the flow and all the movement brings the eye back to the star of the show, the mermaid pendant.

Want to see more?  You can check out my reveals for the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party and the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party or you can hop over to Lori's Bead Soup Blog Party page where she has the entire list (almost 500 participants!) of blogs to visit.  I don't know about you, but I plan on visiting every one of them.  It might take me a few days, but I'll get there!  Happy Hopping!

Red!?! Oh, Horror of Horrors!

When I was asked to work up a couple of micro macrame demo pieces using natural stone beads, I said sure!  And when asked what stone, I said, "Anything as long as it isn't red or orange."  As you can probably guess from the post title and the photo above, the beads I received were Mexican Red Snowflake jasper.  RED is even in the name of the stone, for crying out loud.  And if that's not bad enough, it's paired with brown.  *sigh*  Well, I'm not one to back down from a challenge or break my word, so I figured I'd better find some inspiration.  And believe me, I hunted.  I even ended up in the fabric department looking for interesting color combinations and finally found a paisley that added some unexpected coral tones in with the red and brown.  Okay, I'm thinking, I can work with that.  So I dug through my stash and came up with this:

Now we're talking.  My next challenge was to fit my cord through the beads.  One cord would pass easily through all of them, but for the design I had in mind, I needed to get two cords through the hole.  Uh, huh.  I resorted to dipping my cord ends in Fray Check, which I don't usually have to do any more, and I had to use the bead reamer on a couple of the beads, but I did get them to work.

Well, now.  That's kind of interesting, if I do say so myself!  The central stones are 8mm and the ones around that are 4mm.  I used dark red, brown and a peachy shade of cord and accented with glass seed beads in dark red, peach and coral-lined crystal.  Then I had a thought (shush - it happens!).

What if I brought a little turquoise color to the party?  

I heard a choir of angels singing in the background, I swear I did.  Now that's my style - even with the natural stones and the warm colors.  I won.  I worked through it and conquered my fear.  I am triumphant!  Okay, so maybe it's not as good as curing cancer or making it to the top of Everest, but I'm feeling pretty good and I take that wherever I can get it.

And now, I think I'll reward myself by snuggling up in a blanket on the couch in front of the fireplace and watching a cheesy movie.  Hopefully I can find something with dinosaurs.  Or ancient Egyptians.  Or ghosts...  

Summer Vacation Swap - Part II

Remember my last post when I told you about a Summer Vacation Swap I did (if not, you can see it here).  Well, I got the package from my partner, Lennis Carrier of Windbent, and she did GOOD!  What a fun swap!

Anybody who knows me could probably tell you my dream vacation, my "trip of a lifetime" would be to go to Egypt.  I've wanted to go there since I was a little girl, looking through the pages of National Geographic.  Two years ago I ALMOST got to go.  I'd spent hours and hours figuring out how to fit the most into our limited budget and had an itinerary all planned.  We had tickets purchased (and trip insurance, thank goodness).  About a month before we were scheduled to leave, rioting broke out in Cairo.  We had to cancel the trip.  I was really bummed, and truth be told, I'm still kind of pouty about it.  If you have a couple minutes to waste and you want a chuckle, check this out - it's my photo montage of how I ALMOST got to go to Egypt.  But, I digress.  Back to the story at hand.

Lennis found this cool little vintage camel for me.  I should have taken a picture of the bottom - there's a marking (in Arabic?).  He's a very cool character with loads of attitude.  I approve.  And Lennis has a good sense of humor as evidenced by the "Blue Nile" soap.  It made the whole package smell nice!

Lennis made a necklace, ring and earring set for me, using a little bit of everything to achieve this funky, eclectic feel.  I love it.  She blended new pieces with vintage and used bone, glass, stone, ceramic, lampwork and wood.  The round painted wood bead is from Zambia, as are the recycled glass beads.  Each little piece is just a treasure in itself.  Did you spot the little scarab in there?

She also included a little booty bag with some metal pendants , lucite beads and glass scarabs.  And vintage postcards!  A whole set with really cool pictures:

And my most favorite of all?  My very own shabti, handcrafted by Ms. Lennis herself.    Shabti were figures placed in tombs in ancient Egypt to do manual labor for the deceased.  The "instruction manual" for them is the Egyptian Book of the Dead - which, by the way, isn't really a book, no matter what they show  in the mummy movies.  It isn't really even one thing.  It's more of a series of ancient texts and spells that were painted on objects like walls and sarcophagi and sometimes even papyrus.  I think the real thing is so much more interesting:

I had hoped to get to see pieces like that one on my trip of a lifetime and I am saddened to think of such amazing ancient pieces being looted and destroyed.  I saw a news story recently of people burning mummies and smashing statues.  Irreplaceable objects gone after having survived for millennea.

Back to the here and now, though.  Check out the shabti Lennis made for me:

You don't have a shabti?  Too bad for you!  These little guys will do your dirty work in the afterlife.  I'm thinking one isn't going to be enough for me, so this might just have to be the first of many.

Knotting Along

I've been busy making micro macrame pieces, in between putting together kits to go along with my tutorials, and writing a new tutorial.  I juggle that with working full time (okay, I take as much time off as I can manage!) and taking care of my family.  My kids are mostly grown - my son is going to turn 21 this weekend and my daughter is 17 - but now we have this little critter to chase around:

Life is full, and life is good.  I always hope that joy and contentment comes through in my jewelry pieces somehow.  I think maybe it does, especially when I work with colors that make me happy.

Just LOOK at those colors - how could that not make you happy?

I'm working on a new piece today.  And guess what color is in it!

I am a bit predictable sometimes, aren't I?

Happy Birthday, America!

I just love the 4th of July.  I love summertime and the 4th seems to epitomize all that is summer.  Sunny days, blue skies and lush green grass.  Family and picnics.  Small town parades and children with sticky watermelon faces.  And I'm a sap for anything patriotic, so there you have it!  The theme for this week in The Year of Jewelry is "Celebrating my Country", which is right up my alley.

Are you reaching for your lemonade?  Does it remind you of a flag waving on a slow, hot breeze?  Or bunting draped on the grandstands?  

I love to make jewelry created around a theme or color scheme like this.  I can't paint and I can't draw, so this is my artistic outlet.  My mom, on the other hand, sews.  She used to paint, but now that she's discovered quilting, I don't think she'll ever go back.  She uses fabric to express herself and evoke a feeling or a mood, and I don't even know if she's aware of that.  This is her take on patriotic:

Isn't it beautiful?  The movement and the shading of the color values all work so well together.  

One last patriotic piece and I'll leave you to enjoy your holiday.  This piece doesn't have a single bead in it.  Isn't it amazing what you can do with some cord and some knots?

I hope you have a safe and fun 4th!

New in My Shop - Kits for Micro Macrame Bracelets

I love playing with beads and cord and putting together color combinations, so what better outlet than to put together kits to go along with my micro macrame patterns?  I finally got busy and assembled some - these go with my Leaves bracelet.  I have measured and cut the cord for you and put in the beads you will need, as well as split rings, a clasp and extender chain.  All in one tidy little package.  I had to do one in Matte Metallic Khaki Iris, of course:  

I also love this combination.  It's all white, but it's not all white - tricky, huh?  I love the rainbow coating on the beads that keeps the white from being boring.  There are little flashes of color.  So pretty...

I haven't included the tutorial with any of the kits since some folks like to buy more than one color kit to go with a pattern and others have already purchased the pattern.  I did straighten the cord for you, since this is what it looked like before I did:

You're welcome.  A couple of hints for you if you do purchase a kit:  Although I straightened the cord once, I did have to spool it to get it to you since the cost was prohibitive for mailing a 36" long box.  You might have to run it through your straight iron to get it straight again (details here).  If the ends get a bit flattened from the straightening process, just clip a tiny bit off the end of the cord. If you cut at a little angle, it will make threading the beads onto the cord much easier.  If you are still having trouble getting the beads on the cord, dip the cord ends in some Fray Check and let them dry, then cut a little angle.  It works like a charm and keeps the ends of your cord from unraveling.  Clear nail polish works, too, but I use the Fray check when finishing off my pieces, so it's handy to have.

I even did a kit in the Hydrangea colors.   I'm just loving this shade of purple called French Lilac.  It's sort of muted - not a bright, vibrant purple.  And the beads I've paired with it aren't actually purple at all.  They're shades of gray, but the rainbow coating on the beads gives them the appearance of purple.  And I love combining beads in matte and shiny finishes for a little contrast, even when the colors all match.  My next project is to make some kits for the Hydrangea Bracelet.  Patience, Grasshopper...

You can find the kits in the Kits Section of my Etsy Shop.