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.

Dyed pearls from Martha for I Might Make That! Monday

Dyed pearl and ribbon necklace
from Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart certainly doesn't need any promotional help from me, but this tute is old enough that I thought it might be new to readers.

At this link, which dates back to March 2008,  Martha shows how to use plain ol' Rit dye to custom-color glass pearls. It looks easy-peasy, and there is a video as well as written instructions.

I think it would be cool to make a lot of pearls with varying saturations of color for a monochromatic color palette--just by simply leaving them in the bowl of dye for longer and longer intervals.

There are separate instructions for threading the dyed pearls onto the ribbon. Lots of people have done this, but I like the twisted effect of hers. I also adore the richness of her chocolate version, above, and how the pearls have been dyed to match the ribbon perfectly.

I do love pearls, both freshwater and fake.

Crocheted ribbon earrings

And here's a bonus tute for crocheters (unfortunately, I am not): crocheted ribbon and pearl earrings. Wouldn't they be cute to pair with the ribbon necklace? They are from Valerie for Mommy Tyme Gifts and showed up on FaveCrafts.

P.S. I've noticed I've gotten a few new followers recently. Welcome! If you're new to this weekly feature, an archive of past I Might Make That! entries can be found at the link in the top right-hand corner.

Oh yes and I bead, too

Its been months since I posted pics of anything I created. Truth is, with work and school demands and my beading space still in "mid-transformation" (that's my euphemism for the chaos), I haven't had much time to make jewelry.

I may get started on my Artfire bead swap project this evening--maybe while watching the NCAA finals. (That probably makes me sound like more of a hoops fan than I really am, but my bracket is still in the running in my office's pool. I won last year and bought my crafts show tent with the winnings!)

Anyway, I did make this necklace and earring set and donated it to the silent auction at the Interfaith Family Project's Purim festival in early March.

Last year, in addition to donating something to the auction, I also had a little table set up to sell things and did quite well. But I wasn't up to it this year--I haven't had the chance to beef up my inventory since I sold almost every major piece I had at my office's Christmas crafts show (nice problem to have, right?)