Winter and Beaded Micro Macrame

 OK, I'm just gonna say it:  winter in Nebraska sucks unless you're a fan of cold wind and snow, which I am most definitely not.  I've been spending a good deal of time indoors lately (translate:  all my time) so I've had lots of chances to play with my cord and beads. 

Currently, I am in love with GemDuo beads.  They're diamond shaped and have two holes which I love for micro macrame because it keeps them from flipping over or turning around. The closeup above is from this cuff bracelet:

It's worked across instead of lengthwise like most micro macrame bracelets which allowed me to create this tiled pattern with the beads.  There's something about the rows of knots that just really appeals to me, too. (If you want to try your hand at a piece worked this way, there's a Leafy Cuff tutorial available in my Etsy shop.)  I also used the white beads in a mandala necklace design:

Don't they look fantastic?  

I did a tutorial for another bracelet using these beads that will be available through The Beadsmith (no definite word on the date yet).  It's this one:

As I look out the window, I can actually see the ice coating the driveway and the wind sounds absolutely awful.  Looks like I won't be going anywhere again today - I've stayed home so many days in a row my husband is starting to refer to me as "the recluse".  Then again, I'm not the one who fell out there this morning so it seems to me maybe one of us is just smarter, right?   If you're looking for me, I'll be downstairs with my feet up, probably watching something on BBC while I knot in front of the fireplace.  Ahhhhhhh....

Micro Macrame Mandala Necklaces

Color me excited, people!  I can finally share!  I'm extra super excited about this one because this is the bead that gave me back my mojo.  I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been in a major slump lately.  And by "lately" I mean more than six months.  Other things have been going on in my life and just sort of took the joy out of me.  It's like I've been extra appreciative of time I can spend with my family and friends, but there's just been nothing left when it came time to create something.  I've been going through the motions and doing a bit of designing for the Beadsmith but the passion just hasn't been there. And then this happened!

Steven (Beadsmith Biggie) called and asked if I could design something using a new super secret bead.  I said "sure" because I never say no to Steven (he's a really nice guy who sends me beads!) and because I kept hoping to find that spark again.  The beads arrived and they were pink.  Uh huh.  Well, more coral which is better than baby pink but still close enough to pink in my book to scare the bejezus out of me.  And then it was Christmas.  And then my family all came down with Influenza A.  And then my grandmother (she's 92) fell and broke her hip.  

When I finally managed to sit down to make something I was only one week away from my deadline.  The super secret beads are called Paisley Duos and are a really pretty paisley shape with two holes.  There's another paisley shaped bead on the market but you can't just flip it over to make the paisley shape curve the other direction like you can with this new bead.  I have always been a fan of paisley...

I tried really hard to find a design to really showcase the beads and I really wanted to show them going both directions but the harder I tried to force it, the more I disliked the outcome.  And then it came to me!  I wanted to try working them into a round mandala-like design.  

Finally!  A piece that felt like it was from my heart.  I am just a tiny bit disappointed that it seems to show off the Gem Duos (the white diamond shaped beads) a bit more than the Paisley Duos but I'm calling it a win.

And what's more, I've been loving my micro macrame time again.  I've tried several variations on this mandala design and each has been beautiful and unique (including the one I've already shown you in this post).  I'll show you them in more detail in my next few posts, but here's a peek at my micro macrame mandala necklaces: 

Look out world!  

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:  

Hello, World! It's Me!

Hi, there!  My name is Sherri and I make micro macrame jewelry.  I've (apparently) been on hiatus (for who knows what reason) the last couple of months.  There's been all sorts of excitement around here with the holidays and family and Influenza A and a broken hip (stop that!  Not my hip!).  There hasn't been as much macrame around here as I'd like, but I'm hoping to change all that!

You might remember that I'm a member of the Beadsmith Inspiration Squad?  They send me fun new beads and I make fun new pieces to show them off.  It's a sweet gig, I'm not gonna lie.  The only trouble is when I make something I'm dying to show off and I can't because the beads are so new they're "super secret". *sigh*  It's killing me.  I swear, my insides are drying up just a little.  Steven says they will be unveiling all the new stuff at the bead shows coming up in a week or so and then I'll be able to share.  I'll be here tapping my foot and "waiting" impatiently.

Meanshile, I did make one new piece I can share!

I'm so excited about this one I could wet myself (don't laugh, it happens)!  I love all the pattern and the texture and the symmetry makes my OCD soul happy.  Those white beads are GemDuos and I think they add a lot of interest to this piece.  Well, those and the daggers.  And the tiny gemstone beads to keep everything from being too "perfect".  

That's it for now.  I promised myself I didn't have to do an earth-shattering, life-changing post.  Sometimes it's baby steps.  Just know that I am still here!  

What I Did On My Summer-Not Summer Vacation

Okay, okay, I'll admit I haven't been the greatest about blogging lately.  Those of you who remember writing letters will remember the dilemma - I feel like I should write but I don't have anything really exciting to write about.  It's not that I'm not doing anything - I am!  I swear!  Proof:

Aren't those elephant buttons cool?  I'm on an elephant kick lately - even got one for my bedroom:

But I digress.  Besides the elephant bracelets (which are listed in my shop btw, if you're looking for a special gift for someone) and a stray dragon bracelet (also listed),  I've done several other "projects" like painting my not-niece's (not technically my niece, but she seems like one!) new (old) house.  Actually, my poor husband ended up doing most of the work since he runs the paint sprayer, but I was there every step of the way for emotional support and menial chores like keeping the paint bucket filled.  

 I also did random things like baking pine cones:

Which led to my oven conking out on me.  Well, it actually did the opposite of conking out (conking on?) because the bottom element came on full blast and would not shut off.  I had to kill the breaker to get it to stop.  It had nothing to do with the pine cones, really, other than they were what was in there (smoking!) at the time the thing went haywire.  For those of you just dying to know why I was baking pine cones, we wanted to put them on my daughter's Christmas tree and I'd read that you should soak them in a vinegar solution and then bake them on low for a bit to kill any critters that might have been living in them before you brought them indoors.  Anyway, I'm getting new appliances one at a time as the old ones die off, so I can't complain.

So, the tree!

Isn't it gorgeous!?!  We wanted a fuzzy, furry look and searched high and low for some sort of ribbon or garland and came up empty-handed.  After a lot of shopping, we found a table runner:

We pulled out the stitching and took the backing off, then measured off strips:

And cut it up to make the furry garland you see on the tree.  We're pretty proud of ourselves for that one.  It's exactly the soft look we were going for.  The pine cones got a coat of white paint and some "snow" on them to add to the white, lush look.  It's hard to see in the photo, but the "topper" is a mask that looks like it should be worn to the fanciest masquerade ball with glitter and crystal and feathers and draping ribbon.  Such a pretty tree.

So see, I have been busy!  And you know what else I did?  I got another class converted to a tutorial! 

The Drunkard's Path micro macrame bracelet tutorial has over 50 step by step photos and very clear instructions for all skill levels.  It helps if you have a knowledge of the basic macrame knots (like a double half hitch) but no worries if you don't.  There are videos here on my blog to show you how to do it!  

If this bracelet isn't the one that makes your heart beat a little quicker, you're still not out of luck.  There are fifteen other micro macrame tutorials to choose from!  Or heck, just go buy yourself something pretty that won't require any effort on your part.  You know you want to.  

Another Micro Macrame Tutorial & A Quick Update

Boy, oh boy, have I been lazy about blogging lately or what!?  I swear I have less time now than when I was working full time and I can't for the life of me figure out how that works!  I haven't been idle, though.  I did manage to get another of my designs previously only offered as an online class converted to a .pdf download.  It's the Woven Diamonds micro macrame bracelet and it's one of my favorites.  I love the contrast of the textured (knotted) diamond sections with the smooth arcs of beads.  

The bracelet can be made using a focal bead or without it - both versions are covered in the tutorial, which you can find here in my Etsy shop.  

Isn't this a fun piece?  I finally got around to making this skeleton bride pendant into a necklace.  I made the pendant last year using ShrinkyDinks plastic and colored pencils and I just love how she turned out.  To make a necklace, I added some knotted macrame straps with a cool spiral pattern, pulling out the green and blue colors with a hint of black.  Then I put just a pop of red where I connected the straps with the pendant.  A couple of jump rings and a clasp and voila!

If you aren't into skulls, I have been working on some other autumn themed pieces like these pretty leaf bracelets:

That's not all I've been doing, either!  I am working on a tutorial that The Beadsmith will be distributing, which should be out soon!  Now if I could just find time to get everything listed, I'd be on a roll! 

Music to My Eyes Blog Hop: My Playful Pachyderm

A few of my best beady buddies decided to do a blog hop with the theme of "your favorite song".  I love the inspiration of a hop so I signed up, but when I tried to decide what my favorite song is, I hit a wall.  Apparently, I don't really have a favorite song.  It's more like a favorite song of the moment, depending on my mood and the situation. Mostly I like songs that make me feel happy and the song I chose is a perfect example of that.  Baby Elephant Walk:

Okay, so I realize this is probably not a typical choice for a favorite song, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and never fails to bring a smile to my face (I mean, seriously, what kind of monster doesn't love baby elephants?) so that's my final answer.  For today, anyway.  

Baby Elephant Walk was written by Henry Mancini for the film Hatari.  I remember seeing the movie on television at my grandparents' house when I was a little kid and it takes me back to a kinder, gentler time.  I had such a good childhood.  My mom was always the best (she used to surprise me with little things like a new nightgown she made for me or a bag full of "groceries" for my play kitchen) and my grandparents were exactly what grandparents should be.  They also got cable television (hey, it's a big deal if you live outside of town and only get two channels, and that's if the weather is good and the rabbit ears are in the perfect position).  I remember watching Daktari at their house, too, probably around the same time.  Oh, and Born Free!  I'm not sure why these shows all appealed so much to my young self, but they sure did.  And The Baby Elephant Walk just seems to sum all that up perfectly.

One of my favorite lampwork artists, Mary Bush of Honey Bear Beads, recently made the perfect bead for a piece inspired by my chosen song - it's an elephant!  She added some floral accents to the bead so I pulled those colors in the micro macrame knotting.  I played around for a long time trying to frame out the bead without overpowering it.  I made three different versions of the petal pattern at the bottom before deciding on this overlapping one in raspberry with yellow gold accents.  I think it achieves a sort of exotic vibe.  Once I had that nailed down, I just repeated that motif at the top and added a coordinating knotwork strap with beads and Bob's your uncle! 

Since the elephant can turn within the circle, you can even catch a glimpse of his adorable little elephant tail.

This project was a lot of fun for me as I tried to step out of my comfort zone and I can't wait to see what the other participants made.  Here are their links - I hope you'll join me:

Kelly Rodgers

Verily Vexed

Lennis Carrier

Melissa Trudinger

Cory Tompkins

Sherri Hartman Stokey - that's me!

Vicky Sophon

Kayla Freeman