Beaded projects in pictures
I've completed a number of bead projects in the past few months, and recently I got pictures of them online to share them. I'm kind of surprised at how prolific I've been--and I still have a couple projects I need to finish, too, plus at least one more I want to start.
Golden Beauty
Almost everything used here came from the Beadhive before it closed. Because they didn't have everything the "recipe" called for, I modified it a bit, but I think it came out well. I was able to get ribbon at Hobby Lobby. Now to just wear it--chokers aren't comfortable for me! But because the ribbon is adjustable, that shouldn't be an issue; I'll just wear it lower, at the base of my neck. This was hard to do during winter with all the turtlenecks and things I was wearing. The design came from someone I found on LiveJournal. I also made matching earrings; they're based off the choker but were not part of the original design.
Purple Statement Necklace
This was the necklace I felt compelled to make, as in I stopped working on other projects to do this. It probably was related to the Beadhive closing as well, since these beads were part of a kit I'd bought there back in college or so. I have had a chance to wear this one, though. This was also the necklace that necessitated my buying the jewelry prop it's on, as when I'd originally strung the funky design, I'd done it by holding the wire straight. That did not translate to being draped around someone's neck, unfortunately. And, with there being a second wire, that made it all the more complicated. But eventually I worked it out and I think it turned out pretty decently for something that essentially popped out of my head. This was not based off of any sort of design.
Purple Bracelet
This was something I'd wanted to do for years, ever since I made a series of similar bracelets:
For the non-purple ones, I'd had all the beads on hand, particularly the round fiber-optic ones and the oval, faceted ones. I had the fiber-optic purple beads but couldn't find amethyst faceted ones for a long time. It might be because I was looking for them in a certain type of packaging, which may not exist any longer. When I picked up the jewelry props, though, I thought to look at the strung beads, and there they were, albeit more than I needed and in varying shades of amethyst, but I took 'em so I finally could make the matching purple bracelet. I also have gray fiber-optic beads, but I'm not sure I'll ever turn those into a matching bracelet. But we'll see. I think these are cute.
Black and Crystal Necklace
Finally, this is based off a necklace design in the book I got for Christmas in 2013. I'd already made one necklace using the original design, and while doing that I realized it might be nice to make the center bead in the pattern a crystal. In order to have the smaller (seed) beads fit around the crystal, I had to expand upon the original idea, basically using more beads to go around it. However, I ran into a few problems. The first was that I started off using white thread, which was really visible under the black beads. Halfway through, I didn't like how it looked, and after buying black thread last summer, I undid the necklace and redid it with the black thread. And then, I discovered I didn't have enough black beads to finish it off. The problem there was finding beads to match. I'd had the black beads for years and basically was looking to use them up, not have to buy more. It took some time to find them, and I don't know that the size matches exactly, but what I found was close enough and I don't think you can tell where the new beads begin, which is great. If I hadn't found them, I was going to have to dismantle an old necklace I never wear and scrounge beads from that, and even then that wasn't a guarantee I'd have enough. I do think this one turned out really nicely, and I love the colors; now it's just a matter of finding the right outfit to wear it with.
Golden Beauty
Almost everything used here came from the Beadhive before it closed. Because they didn't have everything the "recipe" called for, I modified it a bit, but I think it came out well. I was able to get ribbon at Hobby Lobby. Now to just wear it--chokers aren't comfortable for me! But because the ribbon is adjustable, that shouldn't be an issue; I'll just wear it lower, at the base of my neck. This was hard to do during winter with all the turtlenecks and things I was wearing. The design came from someone I found on LiveJournal. I also made matching earrings; they're based off the choker but were not part of the original design.
Purple Statement Necklace
This was the necklace I felt compelled to make, as in I stopped working on other projects to do this. It probably was related to the Beadhive closing as well, since these beads were part of a kit I'd bought there back in college or so. I have had a chance to wear this one, though. This was also the necklace that necessitated my buying the jewelry prop it's on, as when I'd originally strung the funky design, I'd done it by holding the wire straight. That did not translate to being draped around someone's neck, unfortunately. And, with there being a second wire, that made it all the more complicated. But eventually I worked it out and I think it turned out pretty decently for something that essentially popped out of my head. This was not based off of any sort of design.
Purple Bracelet
This was something I'd wanted to do for years, ever since I made a series of similar bracelets:
For the non-purple ones, I'd had all the beads on hand, particularly the round fiber-optic ones and the oval, faceted ones. I had the fiber-optic purple beads but couldn't find amethyst faceted ones for a long time. It might be because I was looking for them in a certain type of packaging, which may not exist any longer. When I picked up the jewelry props, though, I thought to look at the strung beads, and there they were, albeit more than I needed and in varying shades of amethyst, but I took 'em so I finally could make the matching purple bracelet. I also have gray fiber-optic beads, but I'm not sure I'll ever turn those into a matching bracelet. But we'll see. I think these are cute.
Black and Crystal Necklace
Finally, this is based off a necklace design in the book I got for Christmas in 2013. I'd already made one necklace using the original design, and while doing that I realized it might be nice to make the center bead in the pattern a crystal. In order to have the smaller (seed) beads fit around the crystal, I had to expand upon the original idea, basically using more beads to go around it. However, I ran into a few problems. The first was that I started off using white thread, which was really visible under the black beads. Halfway through, I didn't like how it looked, and after buying black thread last summer, I undid the necklace and redid it with the black thread. And then, I discovered I didn't have enough black beads to finish it off. The problem there was finding beads to match. I'd had the black beads for years and basically was looking to use them up, not have to buy more. It took some time to find them, and I don't know that the size matches exactly, but what I found was close enough and I don't think you can tell where the new beads begin, which is great. If I hadn't found them, I was going to have to dismantle an old necklace I never wear and scrounge beads from that, and even then that wasn't a guarantee I'd have enough. I do think this one turned out really nicely, and I love the colors; now it's just a matter of finding the right outfit to wear it with.