Beading Arts

Part one of this tutorial was posted last Monday and covered the construction of the main body of the necklace.  Just to remind you, this post is sponsored by Solid Oak , from whom I have received the products in order to create this project for you.  5. Make two tassels on large round jump rings, using leftover links from the small-sized crystal chains. Also add one of the chain dangles from your findings pack, folding it in half.  Stagger the lengths as shown.  Attach the tassels to the outside of each of the jump rings from step 3 and close them. 6. Cut the neck chain in half.  You can shorten it if you wish, but I like to leave extra length to make it adjustable.  Add a lobster clasp from your findings pack to one end with a small oval jump ring. Add a dangle, if you'd like, to the other end.  This helps to give the piece a finished look.  I used a leftover link from the medium-sized ruby crystal chain and a few links fr...

Garnet Skies Cyndi Lavin, 2018 I was contacted by the good people at Solid Oak Inc  to find out if I would like to have a look at their products.  They have multiple lines of jewelry making charms, kits, fibers, and metal components at very reasonable prices.  We decided that Solid Oak would sponsor a tutorial here on Beading Arts using their Estrella line of sparkly components.  I was psyched!  I've been looking at the colors and styles for Fall into Winter this year, and the multi-strand boho inspired look still seems to be going pretty strong, but with a slightly more sophisticated polish.  Jewelry makers can easily create that look using the Estrella line.  With the products listed below, I made the set shown above. These pieces can easily be altered to suit yourself by choosing the different colors of Estrella crystal chain and the different charms.  However, if you are a beginner jewelry maker and would like to follow along, I...

Christina Larsen has come up with the next logical crossover skill in jewelry making: kumihimo performed with wire instead of cords!  In Kumihimo Wirework Made Easy , Christina teaches three fairly simple kuihimo braid structures that she then goes on to turn into fabulous pieces of jewelry, both with and without beads. Even if you have never done kumihimo with cords before, fear not.  The instructions are very complete, and Christina has lots of tips to help you speed through the learning curve.  You do not need expensive equipment or tools to do this...just a few basic wire tools that you probably already have, and one of the inexpensive foam disks.  Since wire doesn't slip out of holes once you've moved it there, you don't need to worry about the disks "wearing out" quickly.  You do have to worry about tension, though, and Christina shows you all her best practices for choosing, straightening, and moving wires, and for maintaining tension as you work...

Did you read Sarah Thompson's first wire book, Fine Art Wire Weaving ?  If so, then you'll be completely thrilled to see that she has a second, more advanced book out: Woven in Wire .  May I just say...Oh. My. Gosh!  Sarah is a master, and she is a true artist.  These are challenging projects that are not designed for beginners, but even if you are a beginner, you're going to at least want to see this book for examples of what to strive for!  I was totally blown away by the beauty, complexity, and power of Sarah's art work. Ok, so let's just get this out there again so no one will be misled: to master projects like these will take a LOT of practice.  This is not a book of easy afternoon or weekend projects.  The two main focus points of Woven In Wire  is dimension and symmetry: adding depth through sculpting and careful precision in design.  But more about that later. Sarah starts off with a discussion of tools, and though you won't ...

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 redistri...

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 hea...

  Here's another piece from a couple years ago that has perfect colors for the Winter palette!  It's just a simple wire wrapped pendant, quick and easy to make.  The tutorial is at the link!

Bluebird Singing in the Dead of Night Polymer clay, agate, jasper, unakite, ruby zoisite, glass I used a variety of teals, blues, and greens to create Bluebird Singing in the Dead of Night .  My inspiration for this piece was the cute little polymer clay bird made by my friend Heather Powers of Humble Beads .  If you'd like to own the original necklace shown above, he is for sale here .    Each of the accent beads is surrounded by two small dyed stone beads that perfectly match the popular Shaded Spruce color that is everywhere this fall.  This ties all the bead links together.  I feel good about using this palette, because I know that these colors tend to be perennially popular and won't look dated after just one season.   Here are some materials suggestions for you: Shaded spruce bead mix Leather cord Chain + wire Tools   1. Choose beads for the top (shortest and smallest) strand.  Cut wires for each link and ...

Bluebird Singing in the Dead of Night Polymer clay, agate, jasper, unakite, ruby zoisite, glass  $160 There will be a tutorial for making a necklace similar to Bluebird Singing in the Dead of Night next week.  But if you'd like to own the original, here he is!  He was designed to take advantage of the gorgeous Shaded Spruce color that is so popular this Fall.

Link to free necklace tutorial I wore a necklace a couple of days ago that I had forgotten I even had!  It looked amazing with the Fall colors that I was wearing, and it occurred to me that with the mix of metals and the neutral palette, it would be great with all the Fall 2017 Pantone colors.  And another thing...the multiple strand effect at the bottom is exactly what you're seeing right now in a lot of fashionable necklaces.  You might even want to make it just a bit longer by adding several more links of chain at the top, but that is up to you! The only problem I ran into in updating this necklace tutorial is that the original beads are no longer available, but I found lots of really nice replacements.  Two collections that really caught my eye were the 40 piece white (including ivory and tan) and the 40 piece gray collections from Jesse James Beads : Grays Whites Go take a look at the tutorial , and pick the colors for yourself!  The i...

Golden Harvest $80 There's lots of swing and movement in Golden Harvest ! Brass chain, beads, and findings set off the golds, ambers, and greens of this Fall-inspired piece. The original necklace, shown here, uses my own handmade lampwork glass beads, but I you can use horn beads instead.  I particularly like how Golden Harvest blends with the Pantone Fall 2017 colors Autumn Maple and Golden Lime.   Materials Beads Lampwork beads...substitute horn beads Rootbeer seed beads, size 6/0 Horn rings, 25mm Green MOP leaves Yellow MOP leaves Brass rounds, 3mm Brass rondelles, 7mm Metal components Gold-colored head pins Gold jump rings, 7mm Gold jump rings, 4mm Medium weight bead wire, bronze Crimp tubes, size #2 Small brass chain Medium brass chain Toggle + clasp Tools Wire cutters Chain nose pliers Round nose pliers 1. Start from the center middle.  Using a short length of beading wire, make a loop with seed beads and brass...

Hanging the Moon $140 As I was looking at some of my older pieces, Hanging the Moon jumped out at me as being a great match for the Fall 2017 Pantone color called Shaded Spruce!  Some of the original pieces are no longer available, which is a real shame, but I think you'll be able to find a selection of blues and greens that blend well with the new Shaded Spruce color. Materials 2 lengths of bronze beading wire, 24 inches each 4 - 5 inches of gold-toned chain Gold hook 18 bicones, 6mm Square ring, 20x20mm Square ring, 14x14mm Round ring, 14mm Triangle ring, 14mm  6 cubes, 8mm Star charm Moon charm Size 11/0 Delica seed beads, rainbow blue-green Nymo beading thread, black 8 jump rings, 9 mm 3 jump rings, 7 mm 11 jump rings, 4 mm 11 head pins 28 crimps, size #1 2 crimps, size #2 Tools Chain nose pliers Round nose pliers Wire cutters Beading needles Scissors Tape measure 1. Arrange charms and crystal components in the order you...