Beading Arts

Here's another stone that I've had hanging around for a long time, not because I don't like it, but because it's so...busy!  I finally decided enough is enough.  Time to tackle the leopard skin jasper cabochon.  Since you are unlikely to be able to find a stone exactly like this one, I've included some currently available suggestions at this post: Bead embroidered pendant update .  The simplest plan was to choose colors that come directly from the stone, and not too many at that.  I chose four, but added a second finish to one of them (matte and rainbow).  Even that seemed like a lot, but I believe that the stone can handle them all. This is an extremely straightforward stitching project, so I will only be outlining it here.  If you need some instructions for back stitch, edging brick stitch, stack stitch, and/or would like additional information on choosing fabrics, threads, etc, please download a free copy of the first chapter of my e-book, Every Bead Has a

Happy Birthday TappingflamingoBling TappingflamingoBling is a year old! Terry Jeanette, aka, Tappingflamingo is celebrating and sharing some things she has learned this past year about Etsy Coloring Book Review Looking for a fun family activity for the Thanksgiving Holiday? Or do you just like all things Thanksgiving and Fall related? Read Connie's review of the Bountiful Wonders coloring book - it may be just what you are looking for! Decoupage vs. Collage: Why & When it Matters Decoupage and collage are very similar art forms that share techniques and media. The distinction is purely academic as long as you know what media to use.

Carol Howard won a copy of the book Learn to Use Two-Hole Beads !  Congratulations!!

Wire Jewelry: 12 Great Projects to Make by Kath Orsman Wire Jewelry Making For Beginners: The Ultimate, Simple & Easy Techniques To Making Beautiful Wire Jewelry! by Kimberly Howard Creative Beaded Jewelry: 33 Exquisite Designs Inspired by the Arts of China, Japan, India and Tibet by Carolyn Schulz The Embroidery Book: Visual Resource of Color & Design - 149 Stitches - Step-by-Step Guide by Christen Brown

Last week, we left off with a bead embroidered ammonite pendant halfway finished!  This week, I want to show you how I edged and finished this particular piece.  It is different from the usual pendant, because the ammonite fossil is nestled down into a thick piece of wool felt. 5.  Here what I've done is to cut a piece of foundation fabric larger than the size of the felt.  I added one row of size 11/0 seed beads in back stitch around the whole piece, stitching through both the felt and the new foundation fabric (the dark fabric above).  It was a pain in the neck to do because of how thick the felt was, but it's only one row! The next outline row was added in brick stitch, still with size 11/0 beads, anchoring the threads in between the beads in the previous back stitched row.  Follow that with a brick stitched row of size 8/0 seed beads , again anchoring around the threads of the previous row. Clip the foundation fabric just a tiny bit beyond the outer edge of

Halloween Crafts and More! Kick start your holiday crafting with a Fall Craft Fest - either virtual or real. Here are some Halloween and holiday craft ideas to get you started. Stitching Injuries and the Tiny SAL Connie's been on the "disabled list" due to a finger injury. Find out her sure-fire cure and get the latest info on the free Tiny SAL.

There's a lot to like in this new offering by Kalmbach .   Teresa Morse has written a new book called Learn to Use Two-Hole Beads , which has not only a really good basics section, but also some great projects to work through your new skills.  Just so you know upfront...the book concentrates on Super Duos and Twins, not on every shape of two-hole bead that there is.  Of these, Super Duos are preferred for their more regular quality.   In the very beginning of the book is a preview of all the projects, twenty two in all, which is great for finding your next project quickly.  The basics section follows, and is essential, especially the techniques which show you how to organize the beads for a project, how to add and end threads, how to step up through two-hole beads, make beaded findings, and design with color.   The project are divided by method of construction, design features, and materials.  The simplest are individual beaded motifs that are stitched separately and

Ancient Waves I've been a huge fan of ammonites (an extinct class of marine mollusc) practically forever. I have a small stash of cut and polished ammonite slabs that have made their way into many of my pieces over the years.  Most of those pieces are pretty elaborate, so I thought it might be nice to have a smaller pendant to wear for casual occasions.    I'm going outline the basic steps for this pendant, but you will find much more detailed step-by-step instructions for putting together a bead embroidered piece, including back stitch, edging brick stitch, and stack stitch can be found in the free first chapter of  Every Bead Has a Story .  Chapter two has instructions for stitching a peyote stitch bezel, and Chapter three teaches the square stitch bail. 1. The back of most ammonites is irregular, rough, and thick.  I took a piece of extra-thick wool felt and cut a small hole that would accommodate the parts of the back that stick out the most. 2. A lit

New Etsy Pattern and SAL Info Check out the latest chart Connie's added to her Etsy shop. And don't forget about the free Tiny SAL. Rainbow Card with Selective Stamping Just because your stamp pads come in single colors, doesn’t mean you have to ink your stamps that way! With selective stamping, you can choose parts of your stamp to cover up when you ink or you can use markers for a multi-colored stamp effect like Eileen did on this rainbow card.

Every day that the temperature gets lower, I get closer to stitching larger bead embroidery projects!  This was one of the hottest and most miserable summers that I can ever remember, and so far, I've only done a few smaller pendants.  Here are the next two, and I hope that shortly I will have some tutorials for you.  In the meantime, please take a look at all the bead embroidery tutorials at the link!

Halloween Electric Card Press the cat's tail of the Halloween electric card to make the pumpkins & black cat's eyes light. How to make using the Dazzly Circuit Marker & die cuts. An Oldie but Goodie Connie's current WIP is a blast from her About.com Cross Stitch past. Check it out and get your own copy of the free patterns.