My creative space - triangles and circles, running out and haning options.

A couple of weeks ago I showed you my circle beaded earrings.
I had started these red ones and they are a bit bigger than the original version.
I finished them with a larger size seed bead on the edge - so there are 3 sizes of beads - 15's, 11's, and 8's.
I'm pleased with the result - it's a nice size and has a good firm feel.

So off I set to make it's mate - but, Oh No!
I ran out of beads!
Gah! This is probably a common beaders mistake.
And now I'm trying to track down some more...otherwise I will have created a pendant instead!

Sooooo I need another project? Yes?

This time I wanted to create some puffy triangles to make into dangly earrings.

This idea must have been smushing around in my head because I rummaged through my beading magazines and voila! the perfect pattern was in Beadwork magazine.
It was actually a bracelet project, but perfectly adaptable to earrings.

I know how to make triangles but it was the double-sided puffiness that I needed to learn.

I like them!

So I made them in a few different colours and some different beads .

Now I can't decide how to string them.

This was my original vision - on a curved earwire.
Just simple.
But it doesn't really work as the bead doesn't hang straight and there is no "swing".

Is "swing" important for earrings?

If it is them I could attach a little head pin and then the hanging is more pleasing as well.

Or I could use these gunmetal kidney earwires.

What do you think?
Which style do you prefer?

Going round and round - again, more beady earrings. My Creative Space.

Once I get an idea in my head I have to keep at it until I'm happy with the outcome.
Last week I told you about my aim to make big hoop beaded earrings - here.

This is what they looked like when I finished them -

They are actually I nicer colour than they look here!

They are not big enough!

So now I'm making another pair starting with more beads and see how I go - I'll let you know how I get on.

I'm also still playing with ceramic pendants - this one I've had for a while and it was a necklace - just a simple one strung on some little malachite beads, but nobody loved it : (

I've jazzed it up with some rainbow moonstone, azurite, green kyanite with black agate spacers.

And then I made some simple earrings - just for fun!

Sadly My Creative Space on Village Voices is no more....hopefully it will find another home.
I find it's a great motivation to actually make something and then blog about it.

Owls and trees and a bit of seed beading - my creative space

I'm still finding inspiration from Beadfreaky's lovely little ceramic pendants.

I bought a few of them!

Here I combined an owl pendant with some nighttime themed components.
Some gorgeous rainbow moonstone beads, silver beads that look like birds nests. Contrast comes from the blue agate beads and labrodite beads and chips. I found some glass star beads to continue the theme and add some depth.

Here I used a tree pendant for a woodland theme - brass bird components plus some beads in the same tone family. A wonderful mookite beads, some rutilated rhodonite (the slightly pinky flat ones), a couple of green ceramic bead tubes, accented with the bright green howlite composite beads and a few unakite beads (the pink and green ones).
I used a small portion of chain at the back for lightness.

I'm pretty pleased with the way these turned out - but time will tell if anyone else is!

I also wanted to do a small project that I could do while the tennis is on (yes, it's Wimbledon time again).
I had an idea for some circle earrings - I guess it was making the large loopy ones awhile ago that kept the idea in my head. You can see them here.

I thought I'd have to use different size beads for this, but I really don't like the really little size 15 ones - and I don't have a great variety of this size anyway. But realised that I'd have to use them and some size 11's plus maybe size 8's in order to get the circle thing going.
Now I realise that I'm not inventing the wheel here and that there is probably a tutorial somewhere about how to make circles - so off to the interwebs I went - and I didn't have to look far.

If you haven't already found it, Interweave Press's Beading Daily site is a wonderful resource - there are many free downloadable projects as well as tips, technique tutes and all sorts of other grand stuff.

I happened to spot a beaded toggle clasp by Melinda Barta in the free peyote stitch projects ibook - that would tell me how to do it!

Sure enough it told me what I needed to know - bead sizes, number of stitches, number of rows - easy! So I could also concentrate on the tennis (Our Sam won and then our Bernie : D )

This is as far as I got last night and I think they might need to be a bit bigger, but I'll see what they look like when I finish.

How has your creative week been?

Do you have any favorite in-front-of-tv projects?

Joining in with My Creative Space at Village Voices on Kidspot - hop on over and have a look.

Off on tangents - my creative space

Sooooo last week I started another beadwoven pendant with a handmade lampwork bead. It was here.
Anyway, I'm pleased to report that this one only took a week to finish! yay, go me!

The reason for this speed-weaving has something to do with hiring 7 dvds this week {more about that tomorrow}.

I also need to make some more necklaces...but did I?
Nope - while I was getting my beads out I spotted a little box of beads that I'd set aside for bracelets...and off I went on a tangent!

Here they are -

Do you ever get distracted, go off on tangents?
I often do - but that is all part of the fun of creating, working for yourself, doing what you want when you want to.
And I never get bored with it!

These little birds and nest necklaces are destined for somewhere special.

I'll tell you more next week!

How is your creative space this week?

Pop on over here if you'd like to see more creative spaces.

A glutton for punishment - my creative space

A while ago I finished making this beaded pendant - way back in November last year, do you remember? It was here.
Well this week I finally made it into a necklace - yay!

And because I am mad, I started making another one!

I have also been sewing

Here are the first three bow ties, finished!

What have you been up to?
If you would like to take a peep at other creative spaces or join in pop on over to My Creative Space at Village Voices on Kidspot.

Finishing the frame - my creative space

My week has been less than creative - but I've had a lovely time!
I had a couple of young visitors staying, the daughter of my best friend from school and her boyfriend. So I've been tour-guiding and chatting, eating, walking and driving.

Now they have gone on the next leg of their world tour and it's catch-up time for me.

Today I hoped to finish a beadweaving project that I started a while ago and blogged about here.

It's a design by Sue Sloan that I found in Bead and Button magazine issue 103.
I thought it would be a good way to enhance some beads that need a bit of jazzing up.
This is a handmade lampwork glass bead that I've had for so long that I'm afraid I can't remember the who the artist is. So if it is you - I'm sorry!

 
Voila! I finished the frame - now I need to string a necklace.

I'm joining in with My Creative Space on Village Voices on Kidspot.
Come and see what's going on.

I'm also joining in with #amonthof #mycreativespace.

Today's prompt was a creative space.
I have several creative spaces - I'm lucky I know!
Here is my beadmaking space where I am learning how to make lampwork glass beads.
It is the tidiest space, that's why I chose it!

If you would like to join in with the month of creativity you can find out about it here.

Multi-tasking - 3 things in one day - my creative space

Are you the sort of crafty peep who does lots and lots of things?
I am!
Sometimes I wonder if I am the jack of all trades...and master of none.

My main business is jewellery designing (as you probably know) and I have a rampant love of handmade glass beads.
Now I know that making glass lampwork beads is a skill that takes time to learn, and I have been learning for a few years - but not on a regular or frequent basis. Which is what it takes to get proficient at something like this.

So the other day I dipped my rods in bead release ready for a stint of lampworking - and today it happenend!
Crikey! I had forgotten how and had to look up the instructions in a book, but, you know - you have to start (or restart) somewhere.

I set myself the goal of making 10 beads.

While they were cooling down I picked up some beadweaving that I've had on the go for a couple of weeks and have unfortunately had to use the frog stitch* too many times.
I thought I'd finished but then realised that I had done one row too many - so more frog stitch : (

I needed a break before I threw the wretched beadwork through the window - so it was off to my sewing room (yes, I have 2 workrooms - that's what happens when you become an empty-nester),
as I remembered that I needed to restock some tshirts for my Boos Tees shop.

Then I got my new-born beads out of their vermiculite womb (vermiculite stops them cooling down too quickly and cracking)
Here they are - a pretty motley crew if you ask me.

 

But if I set myself a goal of 10 beads a day - or most days, I'm sure I will improve.

Now I also have to get them off the rods, which is always fun and sometimes a non-event.

I'll show you when/if I get them off and cleaned up,

What have you been up to?

I'm joining in with My Creative Space over on Village Voices - come on over - it's fun!

 

 *frog stitch is when you have to "ripit - rip-it"! ie undo it

Finishing off!

This bracelet had been sitting on my desk for at least a year waiting for a clasp. I even had found a suitable clasp!
Now, voila! It's finished.















That's one less UFO in my workroom! How about you?

If you would like to see more creative spaces or join in hop on over to My Creative Space on Village Voices.