New beading stitch!

ItOoh ooh ooh! Looky looky! A brand new stitch! I learned this at my usual place (the bead shop Liverpool) today. I love it there so much I just booked myself on the class without checking what we were making! Hee Hee! Anyway, it was a lovely surprise to find that it was Basic Netting weave. It's so beautiful! 

It's made with size 11 seed beads and Swarovski crystals in 4mm. 

Now, I need an excuse to go out and wear it!

Until next time 

Happy Beading!

Sunshine, beads and ogling gem strands

It's not as weird as it sounds. A couple of weeks ago, I bought some semi-precious gems from Jewellery Maker (www.jewellerymaker.com) and they arrived last week! I got some gorgeous products, including my favourite, rose quartz. Although I now have decided that I need to have a mental "top 10" favourite gems, as I now have realised there are more out there than I originally knew about. So, in said top 10 are Opal (my birthstone and absolute fave!), Rose Quartz, Aquamarine, and Chalcedony to name a few. 

I've put all my purchases away, and as I did, I simply stared at them, wondering at their beauty and the possibilities of making jewellery with them! I've also got some Sterling Silver products to compliment the gems. 

Here is one make, made from multi-coloured shell and glass chill pepper beads, on rose gold coloured chain, made for myself. 

I've also completed one of my half-finished/do again projects that I talked about in my last post, and here it is!!!

I realise that there is a very unflattering reflection of me in the stand. Regardless of that, isn't the necklace pretty? And it's all with rose quartz on silver played copper. 

Plus, as a new piece, I've made this

Rose quartz and aquamarine bracelet with toggle clasp. 

Well, I hope you have enjoyed today's post, and have been inspired a little - even to finish off that lingering project!!!

Enjoy the sunshine and hot weather, all you UK readers!

Happy beading! 

New stitches, new goodies and...

...a new meaning to bits and BOB's! 

The capitalisation is deliberate. I have decided, just by looking at the mess that is in my craft drawers and my occasional dining-come-regular crafting table, that BOB's in my case means Boxes of Bits. The other bits in that phrase don't -as yet- have boxes, or anywhere to go.  I know, be more organised I hear you say, well it's easier said than done, as I am sure a lot of crafty people out there know and understand. 

As a result of this revelation, I have decided to challenge myself to finish at least one of the myriad projects I have unfinished. Here are a couple of my newest candidates

Sorry about the quality, taken on my phone with no flash and poor lighting.

These are two strands of coloured shell with glass chillies dotted through the strand. They will be bracelets/necklaces, but I have to finish some of my older projects first....

And so to finished projects and new stitches! I've been to two more beading classes at The Bead Shop Liverpool*

in which I have learned Right Angle Weave (my second fave stitch) and flat spiral weave (my newest and first fave stitch). Have a look at the flat spiral bracelet I made this week!!!

(The crystals are all Swarovski!)

Me thinks I'll be making a lot more of these!

I have also tried my hand at bead bezzling (embellishing large beads), of course I have used Swarovski rivoli's, but I love doing it so much! I made this set for my mum with sterling silver findings and chain (from Spoilt Rotten Beads)

(With genuine Amethyst round drop on the necklace central pendant) 

I've also bought some wonderful genuine 

gemstones from the lovely people at Jewellery Maker TV (with some compelling encouragement from my family) all I need to do is make a few things and figure out where/how to sell them! I will update you as and when about all that. 

Well, it's late, and I must go, so for now have a happy beading!

* The Bead Shop Liverpool has been mentioned as a supplier in this month's edition of Making Jewellery magazine on page 55!