2016 Preview

It has been a year since I posted last!  At the beginning of this year my husband and I took a leadership role in a social club to which we belong.  It was very time consuming and something had to give. Well, blogging gave!!  I had little time to bead as well, but did manage somewhat!  Now that the year is almost over, things have slowed down!  So I have been beading quite a bit!

I want to give you guys a heads up about some of my new tutorial designs that will be appearing early 2016 in my Etsy shop!  I am so excited to show these....



                                         Kisses and Diamonds Forever

This design uses Dome beads, little button beads, and rocaille seed beads.  A friend who owns a bead shop sent me the button beads so that I could explore!  I hope she enjoys this design!

Triumvirate Crest

I used 10X8mm mounted crystals with crystal bicones and rocaille seed beads to create this crest design. I found the mounted crystals at Bead & Button this past year and fell in love with them.  So you will probably see more designs by me using them.

Thoraxian Stars

Thoraxian Stars is a reversible necklace that uses two hole crescent beads, glass pearls and rocaille seed beads.  This is my second favorite of my new designs.  I really love the Crescent beads!

Valor Bracelet

This bracelet design uses the two hole cabs, crystal bicones, and rocaille seed beads. The luminous quality of the two hole cabs gives this design the necessary sheen, but makes it hard to photograph.

Thorbardin Bracelet

Thorbardin uses Delicas and rocaille seed beads.  This is my favorite design so far!!  It is a layered bracelet and looks rich and regal.

Nexus Blossoms

This is one design that I am still working on.  I do not like the spacing between the blossoms and hopefully I will think of a better way to connect them.  The bracelet is made with two hole RounDuos (found at Potomac Beads), crystal rivolis, and rocaille seed beads. I like the RounDuos and how they add texture to this design.

I hope you enjoy these new designs and continue to follow me!!

Norma Jean

Pearl Coin Earrings

I am definitely not cut out to be a blogger!!!  So sorry it has taken me this long to create a new post, but I have been very busy in my personal life!!!

Here are my Pearl Coin Earrings!!  I have attached the instructions so you can make your own pair!! They are a thank you for everyone who likes my designs and especially for those of you who frequent my Etsy shop!!!  Happy beading!!!

Overactive Muse

I have seen several designers post about their Muses going on vacation!  Sometimes, I wish mine would!  It seems as though I have an overactive Muse!  I can't even finish one thing without having tons of inspirations as to how to do other things!  Because of this Muse Overactivity, I have many designs awaiting instruction writing.

Typically, I tend to leave these designs out on my worktable!  Thank goodness my table takes up a whole wall of my studio!  The designs were distracting me so unfortunately, I have had to start putting them away....but that leads to forgetting about them!  Somehow the designs need to stay foremost in my mind!!!

One thing that tends to figure greatly in this lack of timely instruction writing is also the short attention span of my interest in a specific design!  I have a tendency to figure out some design (Afterall, its all about solving problems!), and then moving on to the next idea!!  I am always seeking something new and exciting!  I wonder what psychologists would say about that?!

Another thing that impairs my ability to be timely in writing instructions is my short short term memory!  If I don't write/draw a design idea when it hits me, I forget about it!  Therefore, I have lots of notes that I have to save for later to try out ideas!  There just simply is not enough time to do it all!!!

In trying to figure out how to deal with this issue, I have posed the question of having someone else write instructions for me!  But then I think of the time involved in having to explain how I would like the instructions written and how to actually bead the design, not to mention the cost of hiring someone who would actually want to do something like this!

I wish my Muse would be interested in a vacation for a week or two so I could get more instructions written!!  I hope you have enjoyed looking at my newer designs awaiting my time to write the instructions!!!
Happy beading!!

Stud Bracelet

I love this bracelet!  It takes around an hour to make so you can wear it the day you make it!!  Below the photos you will find jpegs that show the complete directions on how to make your own Stud Bracelet!  Please enjoy and give me the design credit when you share your own version!!!  Thank you all for supporting me!  Happy beading!!

A Little Bit of Organization Goes a Long Way

A little bit of organization goes a long way!  I have a large table area for beading which frequently (everyday) looks like this:

The above photo shows where I sit to actually bead.  I have my music there and all the other beading items at hand.  Moving slightly to the left is this area.

I use it to stack the pieces I am currently working on.  I get bored, frustrated, or loose sight of a design so I just box it up and set the beading mats here for later use, hoping inspiration comes quickly.  You will also notice that I use a lot of late post it notes for lists, design, or just notes on what I am working on.

Moving further to the left is this area:

Here I have more storage for projects that I need more time to figure out what to do with.  Some I even leave on my paper mat just so I can see them and keep them currently in my memory! 

Now for the important part...Can you see the plastic containers in the photo above?  They are my organization idea that I wanted to show you.  There is a larger one to the top right of photo.   Inside it  are several more smaller ones.

 Here is a close up of the larger container with the smaller ones inside.  These containers are made to hold and organize photos.  You can get them in the size as above that contain 6 smaller boxes or a larger size that contain many more.  I do have some of the larger ones but I do not keep them out on my beading table.

Here is a photo of one of the individual photo containers opened.  I like this storage solution because my post it note paper fits nicely inside the box along with the sample project.  The bead containers I use fit inside as well.  They can also be stacked with your bead mat so that nothing gets lost.  All the materials needed are right there.

These containers can be purchased at just about any hobby/craft store!  I can't remember how much they cost because I have had them for so long and reuse them all the time!

Happy beading!!

Stay tuned...I am working on a freebie beading pattern to be posted here!  

Christmas Fever

I'm in full beading mode.....doing Christmas ornaments when I should be working on things that I have started.  They need to get finished up before....I don't know...year's end!!

 Maybe those Elves, who work hard to create toys for Santa to deliver, will show up and complete these.....

I have a bracelet and two earring designs that I need to write instructions for.  The bracelet would match my Sunrise Pagoda Necklace....

Here are one set of earring designs.  I used peanuts and seed beads for the tops!

These earrings I made for me to wear for the holidays.  The one on the left was my first try...I made the second one and decided it was a keeper. And of course I love them and must write up instructions.....

This is a bottom portion of a new pendant design.  I stopped work on it when I started the top and rope section.  I didn't like what I came up with, so now I have to redo the top section and rope...Muse, where are you???

I designed this as a bracelet!  It is gorgeous, but doesn't work as a bracelet....I have to figure out what I am going to do with it....

 I love these stars...they are so easy to make and look so sparkley!  But I don't know what to make of them...

All I want for Christmas is a visit from those work crazed elves to finish up my work for me!!!!!

Oh well, I'm off to finish up another Christmas Ornament!!!

Happy beading!!

Playing with Baubles

First I would like to say that I love the word, "baubles".  Baubles, baubles, baubles!!

I have been playing around with beads lately making these small pendant like things that I call baubles.  I am trying to figure out what to do with them.  I thought that they would make small pendants, but I'm not too keen on that idea.  Small Christmas ornaments?  Nah!  What I probably need to do is put several together to form a nice necklace or bracelet....I just can't figure out how right now!!!  Do any of you have any ideas?  Please let me know!  Also, how about tutorials for just baubles?  Would anyone be interested in those?  Again, please let me know your ideas!!