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Making things with beads as your medium is a mesmerizing business! You probably already know that, though. So, I would like to share with you, my fellow bead-junkies, some of my secrets to making innovative one-of-a-kind beaded pieces.
Andante
A mixed media necklace from piano ivories
The keys dangling from Andante are authentic ~ antique ivory that has been reclaimed and recycled from pianos that were otherwise destined for the junk heap.Instructions
Zippy!
A just-for-fun necklace from zip ties
A Saturday trip to Home Depot inspired this piece for Halloween!Bottle Cap Pins
A little foam core, a little resin, and a bottle cap!
Fun pins that you can make with scraps of this and that. A great way to create recycled jewelry!Instructions
Destiny
A bead-embroidered bracelet
Bead embroidery is not just for neckpieces! Bracelet blanks are becoming easier to find than they used to be, or you can even make you own.Instructions
Lampworking FAQ's
Just how easy is it to get started making glass beads?
It's very easy to get started...but let me warn you, it's not nearly as easy to get good! And it's highly addictive.OK, you've been warned!
Instructions
Sophia
A freeform neckpiece on a sterling silver armature
I love the look of freeform peyote, netting, and brick stitch, but wanted an armature of some type to hold it all together. Heavy gauge sterling silver wire to the rescue!Instructions
Victorian
Bead-Embroidered Heritage Neckpiece
I was featured on HGTV in December 2005 teaching this project. Here are the directions for doing the fabric transfers and beading your own wearable scrapbook page!Instructions
Test Lenses
Optical lens pendants
This is the second project that I taught on HGTV. These pendants are quite fun to make, using vintage optical test lenses. If you can't find the lenses at local antique shops, email me!Instructions
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Time
An assemblage-style necklace
Here are the basic steps that I took to create this "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and TIME" necklace. With a few modifications, the instructions can easily be adapted to any themed set of treasures you wish to use.Instructions
Calypso
A bead-embroidered neckpiece
I am frequently asked for the specifics of how I make my heavily embroidered neckpieces. Here's the basics!Instructions
Pearl Spiral
How to do the spiral stitch
There are so many wonderful things that you can do with a basic spiral stitch. If you've never tried it before, start with the basic steps that I've illustrated.Instructions
Crystal Geode
Beaded pendants
What do you do with a freeform stone? Make a freeform peyote casing for it, of course! As a bonus, this piece features another use of the spiral stitch as well.Instructions
Vintage Hearts
Vintage necklaces from elastic bracelets
What can you make from a really ugly old expansion bracelet? Check it out!All the Keys to Emerald City
Making a treasure necklace
Although a friend of mine suggested that this necklace should be named "The Jolly Green Giant Throws Up" ~ he's a guy, can you tell? ~ I think the Emerald City moniker fits it even better. Here's how to make one of your own out of all the bits and bobs you've got collecting dust!Instructions
Tribal
Crocheted fiber-wrap necklace
Fun fibers and beads together ~ what could be better than that? Creating a piece like this allows you to embellish with just small pieces of the expensive fibers, and the whole thing is based on crochet thread.Instructions
Two of my pieces got picked!!!
Two of my necklaces appear in Sara Withers's new book, The Encyclopedia of Beading Techniques. Or at least they used to be mine: they have both moved on to other homes since the book came out!This book is a very nice introduction to so many beading techniques. It's the book I wished I'd had when I first started!
Order
I'm a total sucker for good books and magazines!
- Bead Book Shop
- A comprehensive list of beading books.
- Step by Step Beads
- A great first magazine for beginners.
- Beadwork
- One of my personal favorites. There is usually a good mix of projects and information.
- Belle Armoire
- Well beyond beads into other forms of wearable art.
- Ornament
- The rolls royce of wearable art. Often features beadwork of other cultures.
- Fiberarts
- All types of textiles, often incorporating beads, but not always.
- Jewelry Crafts
- One of the standard jewelry magazines. Best for beginners.
- Lapidary Journal
- Covers stone much more than glass, as the name would suggest, and the Bead Annual is spectacular.
Guestbook ~ reader feedback
The place where you can share other resources that you think we all need to know about! Or make suggestions for what I should write about next...
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Jewelry Treasures blog
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by CyndiL
I am Cyndi L, a mixed media artist in Massachusetts.
My experience has been that life and art are intertwined. We are all works of art
m...
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