Another Design Issue

This is Nexus Blossom Bracelet.  It is made with RounDuos and seed beads that surround a rivoli to make a crystal flower.   The photo below shows the bracelet flat.  It is a beautiful design, but there is a problem!

I made this late last year, but did not like the way it sat on my wrist. I loved the flowers but the connection between the flowers was too large causing the flowers to lay far apart, which looked funny when it curved around my wrist.

After many explorations with different connections, I finally came up with this new version.  While this colorway is different, perhaps you can see that the flower connections are shorter so the flowers are closer together.  This bracelet version lays very nicely on the wrist.

Here is a photo of the two bracelets side by side so the flower connectors' size can be compared!  I am off now to start writing the tutorial for the final version of Nexus Flowers Bracelet!!

Look for it soon in my Etsy shop!!  Happy Beading!!
Norma Jean

Working through Design Issues

A good cohesive design is not only about choosing colors that look good together, but is about a whole slew of checkpoints that must work together.  One of these checkpoints is wear ability!  Here is a beautiful bracelet I made incorporating two hole Hex beads.  If you notice the hex pattern is used around the Cabs along each side of the bracelet. This is the repeating patterns that is a part of good cohesive design.  But the bracelet does not lay flat when worn. The RounDous bunch forward.  It is not a tension issue but a design issue. So it is not a good cohesive design!

                        Notice the RounDuos are bunched forward in this photo.


     
Here I have fixed the issue with the RounDuos by somewhat changing the thread paths.  Now they lay flat, but I used so much thread that I could not get the edge beading in.  On this design, which is very pretty, the cab motifs tend to flop forward because they are not attached to the center beadwork.  So now the RounDuo bunching issue is fixed but there is another issue with too much thread so I can't get the cab motifs attached so they will lay flat.

Here is the final bracelet.  It is made totally differently from the first two bracelets.  The thread paths are different and actually easier!  It makes up more quickly that the previous two bracelet designs. This is the keeper!  The RounDuos lay flat, thread does not fill up the beads, and the cab motifs are attached.  Making a good cohesive design takes a lot of thought and trial and error!!  Designers have to be patient and never give up when designing!!

Happy beading everyone!!!

Norma Jean

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!