Two beaded chokers for I Might Make That! Monday

Gems Necklace by Monica

Glad to be back home after seven of the past nine days on the road, plus work commitments that ate up most of Saturday. I'm mostly caught up with laundry. But enough whining. I owe you all some patterns.

This first necklace is something I spotted on Pinterest. It's from an Italian blog that Chrome translates as "The Casket of Jewels." (Am wondering if that should be "The Jewelry Box." Anybody out there speak Italian? The original is Lo Scrigno dei Gioielli.)

I can identify the artist only as Monica, and she calls the choker simply "Gems Necklace." There's a schematic, so you don't need to bother with having to translate the text. I really like the undulating effect created by the bugle beads. The pattern is here.

Beaded pearl necklace Irvin

Since I skipped posting last week, I'll throw in another tute. This one appeared recently on Beads Magic. It's simple enough, but I do have a fondness for pearls, and I like the effect created by the two different sizes. 

Again, the creator is identified only as Irvin. (Or maybe the necklace is called Irvin. I really can't tell.) Anyway, the link to the pattern is here, and the schematic looks amazingly simple.

Two quickie projects for I Might Make That! Monday

Spikes in Bloom by Kerry Slade

OK, this is going to be a quickie post, since it's already after 11 p.m. and I have to go to bed. But I did not want to miss another IMMT!M.

Here are two fast (I think!) projects that popped up in my Facebook feed recently.

The pic on the left is a beaded component by the wonderful and talented Kerri Slade. The free tute is available from Bead & Button's online website, but you have to be a registered user (also free) to access it. The link is here.

Dreams Do Come True Bracelet at Fusion Beads

If you visit Kerry's Facebook page, you'll see lots of variations of this component made into pendants, earrings, etc. by various beading fans of hers.

The next tute is for this classy pearl and rhinestone bangle. I saw it on Fusion Beads' Facebook page.
It's made with rhinestone cup chain, which I'm dying to try out, combined with wire-wrapped pearls atop a plain bangle.

It is listed as a beginner project, and it certainly does look easy.

Finally done! Back to I Might Make That! Monday programming

Beaded dragons

The thesis has been submitted. The in-class presentation has been made. Yesterday, I even gave an hourlong presentation to the executive committee of the Alexandria Film Festival, the organization that was the subject of my thesis.

Signed, sealed, delivered--I'm DONE.

Tomorrow evening (I'm writing this on Sunday), I will be attending my last-ever class. I don't have to do anything except show up and nod attentively at the final group of students making oral presentations. Then there will be cake and champagne.

Commencement is May 17, and I will be marching in my cap and gown and peacock blue master's hood. It has been a long journey and a lot of hard work, but every bit of it has been worth it.

Later this week I will be blogging more about Pay It Forward, and I will be resuming my Need a Laugh Wednesday feature as well. But today my priority is to resume my I Might Make That! Monday feature. I'm grateful to all of you following this blog for not deserting me in these past few months of erratic posting.

Without further ado, here is a link for a free tute to make the cool beaded dragons pictured above. The artist goes by the name Chimera Dragonfang. (Be sure to read the notes and comments at the bottom of the file with lots of useful addenda.)

I actually saw this dragon tute a long time ago, probably before I launched IMMT!M, but didn't save it anywhere. It resurfaced recently on a Facebook page I follow, Confessions of Crafty Witches--a wickedly clever (and sometimes naughty) page of crafts and recipes. (Thanks, Mandy--I believe it was you who turned me on to them.) The picture is actually from the Crafty Witches' photo album, and if you click on the link that is in the caption, it will take you to a FB post that includes a few other dragon tutorials.

So do as the dragon bead creator says and spread the dragony love, people!

Now excuse me, I have about two MONTHS' worth of beady blog reading to catch up on!

Chain of Hollow Beaded Beads for I Might Make That! Monday

Source: bead-patterns.com via Geneva on Pinterest

This is going to be quick, since it's almost 11 on Sunday evening, but I'm determined to get back to my regular Monday feature (and hopefully soon to my other regular one--Need a Laugh Wednesday.)

I spottend the above pattern on Pinterest recently. What's interesting about it is that is not a series of individually made beaded beads, as most patterns are. It's a chain of netting stitches that you make as one continuous piece, forming the beads as you go, which I think is pretty cool.

The pattern is free, but you do have to download it from a site called Bead-Patterns. (But you don't have to register or create an account or anything.)

And thank you, everyone for the well-wishes last week. It's good to be back.

Bounty of free projects from Lark for I Might Make That! Monday

Sonoko Wave necklace from Japanese Beadwork
with Sonoko Nozue, published by Lark Books

The Lark books I won from Speedie Beadie's giveaway 

I am a couple of weeks behind in blogging about this (I am a couple of weeks behind with everything), but I recently won a trio of books in a giveaway sponsored by the generous and very talented Dot of Speedie Beadie.

These are three awesome books from Marthe Le Van's series, and I am thrilled to be in possession of them. I really love her style. Thank you so much, Dot! (And thanks, Lark, for generously handing out books for bloggers to review and give away.)

I was trying to find some free patterns on the Larkcrafts website from these books to publish for IMMT!M, but I couldn't. But what I did find was even better: a whole bunch of free patterns that Lark made available for the New Year.

Click here for access to more than two dozen free patterns from Lark, including the lovely Sonoko Wave necklace pictured at the top. Its undulations are created from a unique take on peyote stitch.

Shibori silk necklace for I Might Make That! Monday

Silk on silk necklace from Sonoran Beads

Today's post is especially for Patti of All Fired Up!

In October, I went to BeadFest Texas, where, in addition to taking a metalsmithing class from Lexi Erickson, I of course bought a boatload of beads from the vendors.

I never did post a pic of my haul, but I did purchase a couple of one-yard lengths of shibori silk from Sonoran Beads. I bought some for Patti, too, because I thought it would make beautiful stringing material for her gorgeous fused glass pendants.

At the Sonoran booth, they had a necklace on display--it wasn't the one pictured, but it used the same technique of the gathered silk accented with beads. When I got home, I looked online for a pattern on the Sonoran website, so that I could show the effect to Patti, but they didn't have anything.

Last week I got an email from Sonoran that showed the pattern, so now I'm delighted to share it with everyone. Sonoran calls it Silk on Silk, because the hand-dyed shibori ribbon surrounds silk cording that they also sell. Basically, you make a long tube out of the shibori silk by sewing the long ends together with a running stitch, then thread the cord through it, bunching the shibori in a pleasing manner. Since the inner cord is concealed, I'm sure you could use any cheap cord you have around. Accent beads are sewn on that I imagine help the shibori keep its shape.

Here's a link to other free projects from Sonoran Beads.

Piqued by spikes for I Might Make That! Monday

Spike Ball Dodecahedron by Beads by Becs

I've been really fascinated by the new spike beads that are available now--in several sizes and from several manufacturers. I haven't bought any yet--let me know if you have!

The beaded beads shown above were made Beads by Becs. She blogs about them here and sells the pattern on her Etsy shop here.

This dramatic choker is made by Good Quill Hunting and it uses not just spikes but twins, peanuts and lots of other nifty beads. I LOVE the combination of blue and bronze.

This is also not a free pattern; the link to buy it is here.

OK, OK, I know you come for the free tutes, so here are a couple.

First, spiky hoops for your ears from Preciosa-Ornela:

A PDF of the pattern is here. (I think these might be a tad heavy for me to actually wear. These appear to be clip-on earrings, with the clip-on finding embellished with seed beads for a nice touch.)

And below are two different Beading Daily links for bezeling around spikes for use as earrings, focals, or, as one of the designers calls them, "prayer vessels."

Psyched for Spikes guides you through the 7mm X 17mm size, and "Peyote Stitch and Spike Beads: Made for Each Other" takes on the 12mm X 18mm whoppers.

For more design inspiration, here is a link to a Pinterest board devoted to spikes.

I Might Make That! Monday--Festival of Lights Edition

Source: marthastewart.com via Geneva on Pinterest

I guess I jumped the gun a bit by featuring DIY Christmas bling right after Thanksgiving, forgetting that Hanukkah comes pretty early this year. (Our house celebrates both.)

Hanukkah, which started at sundown Saturday and lasts for eight days, does not lend itself to jewelry inspiration, as far as I can tell. Yes, there are menorah charms, but no one is going to wear a polymer latke around her neck.

But it certainly lends itself to plenty of crafts, from cutout cookies to dreidels. Here is a roundup of DIY menorah. The pretty one pictured above is from Martha Stewart and instructions to make it can be found here.

Source: celebrations.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Source: juniperbooks.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Source: myjewishhome.com via Geneva on Pinterest

OK, these last two are here just because they made me smile.

Source: bunchfamily.ca via Megan on Pinterest

Source: bunchfamily.ca via Nicole on Pinterest

Wirewoven bail for I Might Make That! Monday

This is going to be a super-quick post, since I really need to devote my Sunday evening to working on a paper for class. I found a really cool wirework tute--I can't remember how I stumbled on it--to share. The site is called Shaktipajdesigns, by Perri Jackson).

The instructions are not for making the entire pendant, which would be far beyond a beginner's talent anyway, but for how to weave wire in tight spaces, and she makes the wirewoven bail for the pendant as her example. The tute, as a PDF, is here. Lots of wire-hardening tips and loads of very nice pics to help you see what she means!

Need a laugh Wednesday: How to wrap a cat

Well why not continue the holiday theme from my last I Might Make That! Monday?

A classic:

Oh, oh, oh Christmas trees for I Might Make That! Monday

Wire trees by Chris Wrinn

I appreciate everyone's patience while I dropped off the radar for what now feels like a very long time. We now return to our regular programming.

Black Friday is winding down as I type this a few days in advance of posting Monday. I don't do Black Friday--never have. I DO plan to do a little shopping on Small Business Saturday. One of the spots I'll be checking out is the Fenton Street Holiday Market in downtown Silver Spring. Want to do some scoping out to see if I am interested indoing this crafts show next year.

I also want to hit Accents Beads, a great little bead store in Rockville that is having a small-business Saturday sale. Although I know I can buy seed beads cheaper online, there's nothing like being able to see the color in person, and I do appreciate having a local store that's not a Michael's or other chain for buying such supplies. (Not that I don't drop plenty of $$ at Michaels.)

Because we're inching toward December, I do have Christmas on my mind, so here is a roundup of tannenbaum bounty. I wanted to find some patterns beyond the cliched stacked marguerites or the staggered swirls embellished with beads that you see everywhere.

WigJig Chandeliers

I love the simplicity of the simple wire trees shown above. They are designed by Chris Wrinn and are available as a free download from Jewelry Making Daily

And these here, to the right, are ordinary chandeliers, and the instructions from WigJig show them in several colors, but don't they evoke Christmas trees when made with green bicones? All it needs is a little blingy something right at the topmost point.

Beyond trees, there's a whole page of Christmas-themed patterns from WigJig, from a funky Rudolph to a moon angel.

I've already featured WigJig's dove pin, and last Christmas I highlighted these clever magatama tree earrings from Bead & Button.

Friendly Plastic trees

I'm not fond of plastic jewelry as a rule, but I do admire the artistry of these marbled ones here, made from a product I'm not familiar with called Friendly Plastic. The tute is very detailed with lots of cool pics.

I'll stop with this last one. This is intended to be a tree ornament, I think, but with fancier ribbons and blingier beads, I think this would make a lovely brooch. (No tute, but surely you can figure it out.)

Source: lh4.ggpht.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Craft show display ideas for I Might Make That! Monday

Garden trellis--and perhaps a craft show jewelry display--from Reader's Digest

Source: the-artistic-garden.com via Geneva on Pinterest

OK, smart reader that you are, you have deduced from the photo that I am not offering up jewelry tutes this week. I have craft shows on my mind, because I'll be doing one shortly before Thanksgiving. I spotted the above--a garden trellis--on Pinterest recently, and my first thought was that it would make an awesome jewelry display. Add a base, a few more horizontal bars...

Given that I have only about a month to prepare for the craft show, and I need to concentrate on making stuff, this is not going get done before mid-November. But for anyone interested, the instructions are here. They are not very detailed. It's really a supplies list and some tips, such as flattening and soldering the pipes together if you can't find four-way fittings, and mention of a glue that works on copper. But I'm filing it away for the future.

In the same vein is this display, which the pinner is using as a bathroom organizer but I think would make a great table display for jewelry.

Source: thiscasita.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Instructions are here (do you really need them?), and the tutorial shows some versions made with ceramic plates.

Oh Pinterest, you know I can't quit you.

Stretch cuff bracelet for I Might Make That! Monday

Stretch Cuff Bracelet from Pretty Quirky Pants

Source: prettyquirkypants.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Today does not feel like Monday to me. I had to work on Saturday and got today--Columbus Day--off, so it feels like Sunday instead of the end of a three-day weekend.

Normally I write my posts on Sunday evening, but this installment is coming to you in real time!

I discovered this lovely stretch cuff bracelet on Pinterest. The designer is Pretty Quirky Pants, and if you click on the link, you'll see step-by-step photos and instructions.

I like stretch bracelets because I like a close fit (I spend too much of my time at a keyboard to have something jangling around on my wrist with every keystroke.) The multi-strands of this cuff would give this extra security, I think. Note that these are plain cubes, not two-hole Tilas. The squares provide a nice texture.

I will also provide a tip about stretch bracelets that I haven't tried myself yet but definitely will. I thought it was part of this pattern, but I must have seen it elsewhere in my Pinterest-surfing. Many people complain about the knots on stretch bracelets coming loose, even if you put a dot of glue on them. I have had this happen myself. Last year, I read about using crimp tubes to secure stretch bracelets--i.e., you treat the elastic just like it's beading wire. I did that last year for some bracelets I made for some holiday craft shows, and that seemed to work pretty well.

But that's not the tip I'm passing along. One ingenious artist--and I wish I could credit her--suggested that you knot and crimp. She strings a crimp bead on each strand end, ties a knot, then threads the knot ends that you would usually trim back into the crimps on either side, then crimps them (trimming the extraneous ends at that point). That sounds really secure to me!

Etched metal focals for I Might Make That! Monday

Rings & Things' copper etchings

Whew boy. Real life has set in--work (including a few Saturday commitments), school demands, a few extraneous volunteer commitments, building inventory for a mid-November craft sale. I intend to keep blogging through it all, but expect a lot of short, quick posts like this one for the next few months.

Here's a great tute on metal etching from Rings & Things that I'd love to try. Lots of pics and lots of links for those who want to read more. Has anybody tried this? Share in the comments if you have.

(Yes, I know I've fallen behind in keeping my IMMT!M archives current. I'll catch up eventually.)

Post earring roundup for I Might Make That! Monday

"Easy Peasy" post earrings from For the Love of Beads

Yikes, I'm discovering that this Monday feature is now competing with my Monday-night class for my precious Sunday hours. (Because, of course, I could do my reading and other homework over the course of the week, but inevitably put it off until Sunday night. Ditto this blogpost.)

Anyway, enough whining. I have been on the search recently for some earring tutorials. Tutes for ear wires, whether you mean French hooks, old-fashioned kidneys, or something more arty, are fairly easy to find. But frankly, I prefer to wear post earrings (either simple studs or something with a smallish dangle.)

Tutes for post earrings are much rarer. Most of what I found in my Internet quest involved buying posts with flat pads like this and then gluing a cabachon, half-drilled pearl or even a cute button onto. I have some of those findings, and yes, they're fine, but not terribly original.

Here's a roundup of some different looks.

The pic at the top shows some square spiral post earrings from the blog For the Love of Beads. I wasn't familiar with this blog, but the author is a glass artist. She has some other tutes, many of them lampwork-oriented, at this link.  (She throws in some hot dish recipes, too!)

Spiral Wave earrings by artless

In a similar squiggly mode are these earrings at left. They are called "Spiral Wave." Here's a link to the tute, which isn't free, but the price is only $3. The designer's name is listed as "artless."

And continuing on the spiral theme (I'm not going to post a pic for the next one, because I've mentioned the site before), WigJig has a tute for simple spiral posts here.

The next tute isn't a free either, but it's absolutely lovely. A steal at $6. The artist is the very talented Nicole Hanna.

Nicole Hanna's stunning geometric post earrings

If you're not familiar with Nicole Hanna's blog, she's very funny. This link will take you to the site for purchasing instructions to make what she calls "Geometric Post Earrings."

Below is a free pattern I found on Craftsy. I love this one.

Gailavira's Beaded Spiral Post Earrings

The designer is Gailavira. The link shows it in several variations.







And I'll finish up with this one. It does start with one of those flat-pad post findings, but it's unusual enough to include here. The designer uses poymer clay and nail polish to create an unusal finish for these studs.

Chic Metal Earrings from Quiet Lion

And if I do wind up making my own ear posts, I now know how to use a cup bur to file the ends, thanks to a great post by Pearl of Beading Gem's Journal on sanding and filing.

Seeing double for I Might Make That! Monday

I promised a double feature last week, so here are two patterns for two-hole Twin beads.

Although these have been on the market for awhile, I have not purchased any yet. But I already know I prefer their rounded, more organic shape to the square Tilas. (I did get a small packet to play with when Preciosa Ornela staged a giveaway, but haven't had a chance to experiment. There were enough beads to make a focal, but not a full bracelet.)

But I have been collecting Twin patterns. To the left is one for a bracelet featured on the Preciosa Ornela website.

Click this link for a downloadable PDF of it.

During the Olympics, the company also published the pattern at right. I'm not sure what the "support the athletes" headline  is about. Apparently the Czech and U.S. flags have the same red, white and blue color scheme and it just refers to showing team spirit; I don't see anything about actual money going to the Olympics.

Besides promoting the Olympics, Preciosa was also using the pattern to introduce its new pressed-glass Twins, which allows the company to manufacture them in many more colors.

I think this pattern has the worst name in the world--"bracelet with small bells"--because the junky jingle bells are the most forgettable thing about it. What's really cool is the illustration that shows the beaded beads done up with spirals, stars, zigzags and diamonds. (The pattern schematic shows only the spiral, but once you made that, maybe you could decipher the patterns for the other designs shown.)

I'm highlighting only two patterns here, but there are many more on the Preciosa Ornela Twins website, plus an inspiration album.

[Previous I Might Make That! Monday entries can be found by clicking the widget at the top-right corner.]

Soldered pendant for I Might Make That! Monday

Soldered pendants from Stampington & Co.

Does a soldering tool count as a power tool? A while back I wrote in one of my IMMT!M features that I got into beading because it didn't require special tools, then I found myself coveting a Dremel drill when I saw what other crafters were doing with them.

Although I grew up in a household of three brothers and a sister who was handier than all of them combined, this was still the eras of Girls Take Home Ec Boys Take Shop Class and I never learned how to use the simplest tools, like a soldering iron. (Is it called an "iron" or a "gun"? See how clueless I am?) There's been nothing stopping me learning how as an adult save for lack of motivation, and I happened to marry a man whose lack of skills matched mine. We do our best to support the local handyman industry.

I knew lots of jewelry makers used this technique, but I always assumed soldering to be part of advanced metalsmithing that I would need to take classes in. (I have to confess, I was much more interested in learning why it is pronounced "sah-der" instead of "sole-der" than how it was done.)

But whoa, Eva Maria Keiser just posted this video on soldering on her blog a few weeks ago.



I'm sure soldering is more complicated than this demo makes it look, but the fact is, I had never even seen soldering done. This looks easy! And look how girly this soldering kit looks!

So maybe I'll give it a go. Please share your soldering experiences too!

Fleur-de-Lis knotwork for I Might Make That! Monday

Fleur-de-lis knot by Tying It All Together

Many people think of the fleur-de-lis as a symbol for New Orleans, but it is also a symbol associated with Louisville, my home town, which is named for the Louis XVI. (It's been many years since I've been back, but at one time there was a fountain downtown near the waterfront designed to spout water in a fleur-de-lis shape.)

I'm a real francophile, so I've always loved these symbols. (Did you know that the fleur-de-lis is supposed to represent an iris?)

I recently learned about a great video tutorial series on knotwork from reading Stormdrane's Blog, called Tying It All Together (by J.D. Lenzen), and when I subscribed to the channel, this stunning fleur-de-lis knot was the first to arrive in my mailbox:



No set of diagrams can duplicate actually watching someone do this--Lenzen's tutes are pure gold!

I can just picture this embellished with beads in the loops to accentuate them. (I wonder if you could make a beaded rope flexible enough to be tied like this?)

(New to my blog? An archive of previous I Might Make That! Monday tutorials can be found via the widget in the top right corner of my blog.)

Slipping under the wire with fun wire projects for I Might Make That! Monday

Pinwheel ring by Dale Cougar Armstrong,
pattern courtesy of Wire-sculpture.com

The best-laid plans of mice and bloggers... I had planned to write my Monday blog post last night but fell asleep watching TV about two hours earlier than I normally go to bed, which I guess was my body's way of telling me I seriously needed some shut-eye.

But hey, there's still a few hours left in Monday, so I'll sneak in under the wire. I recently discovered the site Wire-Sculpture.com, which  sells jewelry-making supplies but also offers lots of wire and jewelry-making tips and videos (some are free, some are not.)

If you sign up for the free e-newsletter (scroll down to the bottom of the home page), you'll get access to exclusive patterns that are not among the free offerings. This lovely swirly ring above, by Dale Cougar Armstrong, was the pattern I got. I just love her pieces--I have her book Wirework--which is way above my ability, but this ring is described as beginner-level.

Do check out Wire-Sculpture.com. It's nice to support sites that make the effort to include educational content along with the merchandise.

Gold Burst for I Might Make That! Monday

Margie Deeb's Gold Burst
in several colorways

I know I have gained several new followers in the past week or so since my book giveaway (congrats, again A Polymer Penchant!), so I want to welcome all newcomers and re-introduce this feature.

Each week I highlight a new tutorial or technique for I Might Make That! Monday. The only criterion for selection is that it must be something I haven't tried and would want to learn or aspire to.

I recently stumbled on Margie Deeb's website, thanks to a mention in one of the Beading Daily blogs. That feature talked about her color work and her color wheel--topics I'm very much interested in, so I went to her site to learn more.

I discovered a wealth of beadwork patterns--many of them free--using peyote, brick, square stitch or a loom. Gold Burst, shown above, is my favorite of the freebies. It can be done on a loom or in square stitch. Hmm. Maybe this will be my introduction to square stitch.

If you're new to Margie Deeb, or to her site, I urge you to click around and explore. There are preview PDFs from her book The Beader's Color Palette, a gallery of her lovely work, and so much more. I signed up for her e-newsletter.

[An archive of past I Might Make That! Monday selections can be accessed by the widget in the top right corner of this blog.]