Beading Arts

My sister-in-law brought me back a lovely bag full of Kazuri beads the last time she visited Kenya!  Since they were not matched sets, but rather just a large pile of random beauty, it took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do with them.  I was guided by my desire to string them, but in such a way that my final necklace would have interchangeable segments.  This is what I came up with! I used a thin black cord to string my beads, alternating the Kazuri beads with small black wooden rounds .  You can google "Kazuri beads" to find many sellers...I don't have a particular one to suggest, but please try to buy them from a legit fair trade company that actually benefits the makers. I finished each strand by threading it through a lobster claw clasp and adding a few smaller beads to the tail.  The transitional components that I used to link to the chain strand are two earring findings !    I used two twisted wire jump rings to attach a

Skipping stones necklace video tutorial Making leather cuff bracelets Peas in a pod necklace tutorial Spring flowers necklace video tutorial 3D print constellation necklace A beginner's video tutorial: making a beaded bracelet DIY embroidered jewelry This post contains affiliate links: Jesse James Beads

Abstract painted wood bangle tutorial Shrink plastic flower earrings tutorial Fiber wrapped wood bangle tutorial (shown above) How to make blue rose hair pins Make a leather wire wrapped bracelet (shown below) This post contains an affiliate link: Beadaholique

It seems that I never get tired of the color turquoise.  No matter what material the beads are made from, I always end up buying the turquoise colored ones! Since I have a large collection of vintage beads, I decided to indulge myself with a mix of glass, plastic, wood, and fabric in this turquoise and kiwi colored bracelet.  I even had the perfect turquoise colored satin button to complete it!  And look how great it looks with the current seasonal palette: My instructions below are pretty abbreviated.  If you need more detailed step-by-steps, please visit my page of bead embroidery e-books .  The first chapter of the first book, Every Bead Has a Story , is free. Materials  Foundation fabric Lightweight fusible interfacing Fusible web Ribbons, Offray 1/4" Simply Sheer Asiana, mallard and kiwi Sewing thread to match foundation fabric Shank button Nymo beading thread, size O, black and white 8" rhinestone cup-chain Size 11/0 seed beads , Ceylon rainbow whit

Beadweaving patterns for National Pet Month (shown above) Bird Set Free necklace video tutorial New Vintaj pearl patinas The Butterfly Effect necklace video tutorial DIY wrap bracelet video tutorial How to wire wrap and make a druzy bead necklace video tutorial Silver bead tassel necklace video tutorial Jade horn earrings video tutorial Crochet cherry blossom earrings tutorial This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique and Jesse James Beads

Pet collection from Tierra Cast   (shown above) Honeycomb double wrap loom bracelet kit Ready-to-wear chain tassels Silk beading thread for stitching or for creating tassels Seasonal bead collections for designers and makers  (shown above) Spring Pantone collection (shown below) This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique and Jesse James Beads

Antique key and lampwork glass necklace I found another necklace that I made many years ago, and was thrilled to see how well it went with the Spring/Summer palette from Pantone.  What *really* thrills me about it, though, is that these are colors I already like and have in my wardrobe!  After several seasons of being kind of disappointed except by maybe one or two colors, I'm a very happy girl. The tutorial is in two parts.  The first part shows you how to make the lampwork glass rings that are actually torched using the key as a mandrel.  If you don't do lampwork, you could use metal rings instead, easily available online.  I'm sure you can find some that will fit over the teeth of your key, whether it's real or a reproduction key .  The wiring will keep it from slipping off even if it's a bit too big! This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique Copyright 2018 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for

How to make a braided bracelet with ultra suede and Swarovski crystals - a video tutorial Round leather braided bracelet video tutorial Blueberry Pie leather bracelet tutorial Jaded Pantone earrings video tutorial Santorini earrings video tutorial   (shown above) Top 5 tips for making faux cloisonne enameled jewelry Rustic flower necklace video tutorial (shown below) This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique and Jesse James Beads

And along comes the highly anticipated third offering from Sherry Serafini: Inspired Bead Embroidery .  Do we like it?  Drum roll please...well, duh.  Of course! If you happen to have Sherry's other two solo books (listed below), please don't think that this is just more of the same.  Some of it is repeated...the basics are pretty much the same...but there is a greatly expanded section on creativity where Sherry spends more time than ever before explaining the different pathways into designing that you can choose.  For example, sometimes you feel like planning and sometimes you don't.  But if you always want your work to turn out fabulous, you need to take certain things into consideration, and Sherry shares all of them with you. The projects are wonderful.  Sherry tells you right up front exactly what bead styles, color, and sizes she has used, but she also encourages you to take off in your own direction.  The focals that are used are original, fresh, and handled b

One of the queens of bead embroidery, Sherry Serafini has been tapped to write one of the Beadweaving Master Class series for Lark publications.  Sensational Bead Embroidery joins the series with 25 beautiful projects that she leads you through step by step. Sherry covers all the fundamentals of tools and materials that you'll need to know to start stitching.  Many of her elaborately textured and beaded neckpieces are featured in this volume, and there is a gallery filled with a virtual who's who of bead embroidery masters: Diane Hyde, Heidi Kummli, Yoli Pastuszak, NanC Meinhardt, and more. As with all the books in the Master Class series, a serious beginner will find the book enthralling.  Intermediates and advanced practitioners will find much to challenge and inspire.  Altogether, I recommend this book as much for its inspirational value as for its clear teaching.

Prepping your metals for adding patina   (Plus a recipe!  Shown above) Top tips for enameling metals An earring display to make 7 Product photography tips that sell 5 Ways to embellish your earrings Thursday night 10 minute tutorials!  (Shown below)

Chain and Pearl Earrings Longer earrings are all over the runway for Spring and Summer.  I never really thought they went out of style, but sometimes they just seem more ubiquitous.  Now is one of those times! These shoulder duster earrings could be made longer if you like, or shorter if you're more conservative.  How about making them with fewer strands?  With different colors of stone chips instead of pearls?  In gold, brass, or copper instead of silver?  A mix of metals?  With fibers added?? Oh my!  I'm inspired now...how 'bout you? Materials and Tools Random chains , including rhinestone cup chain Pearls or other accent beads Head pins Craft wire Bead caps Twisted jump rings  (20 gauge, 8 mm) Earring wires Tools Chain nose pliers Round nose pliers Wire cutters Tape measure 1. Cut your chains to the lengths you desire.  I chose to cut mine between 2 1/2 and 3 inches.  Put each pearl on a head pin and turn a wrapped loop . 2. U

New TierraCast Dulce Vida collection (shown above) and a video project Springtime inspiration for jewelry making Suede Monkey necklace video tutorial Double heart leather bracelet tutorial Red Hot Chili Oil earrings video tutorial Carved hot glue sticks "crystals" tutorial   Yes, really! Pearl loop dangle earrings tutorial An Anthropologie-style bracelet to make This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique and Jesse James Beads

Particle Shower Do-Si-Dos Cyndi Lavin, 2018 Originals and prints for sale Last month, I mounted some of my paintings and got them ready for sale.  In my stumbling-around way, I eventually landed on FineArtAmerica , and decided that would be my new gallery home.  Right now I have a selection of pieces from my physics series available, and I am planning on adding more pieces: trees, geometrics, more from physics, and other abstracts.  If there is a particular piece that you'd like to have, please just message me at beadingarts at gmail dot com, and I will be happy to upload it there for you. Prints are available in quite a few sizes, from 5.5x8 inches to around 3x4 feet!  And they start at only $20 for the three smallest sizes. 

When I need to refill the well, browsing through beautiful color palettes is one of my favorite activities.  Before I know it, I'm heading for the beads or the paints!  So far, I've been concentrating on mostly lights and brights.  Warmer, darker, richer palettes will have to wait for just a bit :-)

I found my production level starting to slow as March approached, but I was still churning out more scarves than I had friends to give them to! I made countless infinity scarves (aka mobius scarves ), using double crochet, netting, or any combination of the two.  Eventually I settled on the wave pattern shown at the top of the post, and made half with the waves going lengthwise and half with them going crosswise.  I'm now officially obsessed with waves too! Waves scarf (shown above and at the top of the post) Somehow I didn't end up getting a picture of one of them where the pattern goes crosswise! V-scarf These were really fun and easy to make.  I made two in super-bright colors (not shown) for my grandchildren.  You can make these in stiffer yarn, like above, or extra-soft yarn like below. Yoga socks and boot toppers My final obsession was to make these yoga socks, with the heels and the toes uncovered.  With only a few tweaks (make t