Lenora's Sonora

You know how one thing leads to another, and pretty soon you've remodeled your whole house? Well that's what happened to my brother-in-law and his wife Lenora. It started with wanting to put in a wood stove, well then you have to have a hearth, then the walls look a little drab so now you paint the whole house (different great colors), and now the decor is all wrong...well you get it. In the midst of all this, they moved around some of their furniture and her Sonora phonograph didn't fit where it was anymore. Lenora asked if I wanted it, and as great as it is (now!) I just don't have room for it. I could tell she really didn't want to part with it so I said "how about if I fix it up to match your piano so you can put it next to it?"
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Chandeliers

Hello all,

I'm well again and very grateful  for all your well wishes.  I am not used to being sick, this was the first in many winters.

Real life took over.  We are celebrating an early Passover holiday shortly, there will be spring cleaning, shopping,  house guests, dinners, spring cleaning, etc.  Very little time for miniatures.

I did, however, manage to complete two chandeliers.

Chandelier No. 1

This is the one suitable for the gallery.  It looks much better the it does in this photo.  I used a metal filigree earring and a jewelry finding, as well as acrylic beads.

Earring.

Cutout section of earring and jewelry finding.  There are 20 holes in the earring part and 10 in the finding.

Chandelier No. 2

Looks much better than in the photo.

I used two jewelry findings each with 12 holes.  Didn't like the shiny gold plate and painted it over with a kind of old gold acrylic paint.

From this angle you can see the under part with the big acrylic bead.

I have to make another chandelier, exactly the same as No. 1.  The two will hang in the gallery.
But it will have to wait untel after the holidays.

Both chandeliers can be fitted with electricity.

I found something I loved on Pinterest.  Maybe someday I'll make it in miniature. Isn't this a  great idea?

A very warm welcome to new followers

Elena
Dominique - Couldn't trace you blog. Please let me know if you have one which I can follow.
Daria

I wish you all a wonderful weekend.  Blessings

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Inspiring Links: March 2013

With the season of renewal upon us, it’s the perfect time to take a look at new inspirations, unique ideas, and crafty opportunities. Not only is it time to shake off the gloom of winter and start fresh, but there are so many fantastic new products and projects appearing as well. Here are some of my favorite inspirations of late.

If you’re a fan of DIY projects outside of beading, this Suitcase Cabinet project featured by Fine Craft Guild might be just the thing you need to spruce up your craft room. The original project is meant for a cute kitchen cubby, but just imagine the possibilities for storing and sorting supplies!

I also love Everyday Inspired’s recent post on arranging oodles of framed photographs and portraits to enhance your décor. I love the collage look when it comes to wall art - my craft space is just one big mess of pasted and stapled treasures right now. These tips could apply to just about any style or situation, even my inspiration wall.

If you love using Swarovski Elements and Beadalon in your designs, this is the perfect opportunity to show off your beading talents! The Crystal Glam 2013 jewelry design competition is now underway. The winning design will be displayed at Treasure during London Jewellery Week, and there’s a fabulous bead prize! Entries must be submitted by May 16th, 2013. For full details, check out the I-Beads Facebook page and contest FAQ.

Speaking of London, the bloggers at The Bead Shop have compiled a list of ways to incorporate current trends into your jewelry designs. In Key Trends from London Fashion Week, they explain how to transform runway looks into ideas for color palettes and more.

New bead innovations aren’t always compatible, but the designers and Fusion Beads have found a great way to combine the new Czech spike beads with Tilas, and our favorite leather wrap bracelet style in their Femme Fatale bracelet project. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out the 24 Carrot crystal earrings for a little Easter inspiration.

The beady bloggers at Cousin Corp have invited some favorite jewelry designers to share their stories and inspirations for the next year. Check out the Cousin bead blog on Fridays to spot the beader of the week.

Combine oodles of lovely round beads in your favorite colors to create a fabulous sculptural donut pendant, designed by Justyna of Eridhan Creations. Check out the full tutorial in parts one, two, and three.

For a splash of spring color and some beady eye candy, check out Cindy’s beaded bead Easter egg earrings at Bead Origami.

For an even bigger dose of color, the Proud Mary Necklace project at Artbeads.com really delivers. The combination of seed bead embroidery and gorgeous Czech glass buttons is definitely a win. And the best part? This project leaves the button shank intact - no snipping required.

And last but not least, the amazing beaded flowers, trees, and floral sculptures of Oksana Konovalova will amaze and delight you! Check them out in the spotlight on Beads Magic.

What are your favorite inspirations right now?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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The Bead Garden

Thank you so much to everyone who took part in this month's bead giveaway. We had a great turn out! With spring in mind, I asked what types of flowers you would use to fill a beaded garden; as always, your answers were very inspiring! Congratulations to Rosalie, whose comment was drawn at random for the spring mix giveaway. Rosalie's fantasy garden would be filled with flowers that bloom with beads.

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Branch Fringe and Coraling Tutorial

Like peyote stitch bezels, fringes and embellishments are one of the fantastic ways that seed beads can cross over into other types of jewelry design. Even if you’re not a die hard bead weaver, these techniques can add something extra to your designs.

Branch and coral fringe are two versions of the same technique, and one of my personal favorites for creating unique pieces with lots of personality. By changing the colors, lengths, and patterns of your fringe, you can recreate the look of all manner of natural shapes - like feathers, pine boughs, and sea life.

We’re going to take a look at the very basics of branch fringe and coraling, worked in threes. You can always adapt these fringes for longer lengths at each step, but threes create lush, uniform embellishment with no guesswork. For clarity, each component of the fringe is also grouped into threes - the base beadwork or trunk, the basic fringe or limbs, and extra fringes that we’ll call branches.

How to Weave Basic Branch Fringe

Starting from an existing piece of beadwork, pick up any length of seed beads in multiples of three. This will make up the trunk portion of your fringe. Next, pick up seed beads in multiples of three, to make the first limb. Add one more bead at the end. This will be the tip of the fringe. If you’re working with a specific pattern or color palette, remember that this second bead addition will appear separate from the trunk section.

Skipping the last bead added, pass through all of the beads just picked up, plus the following three beads in the trunk. Pull your thread snug, and you’ve got the first limb of your fringe.

Pick up another group of three or more seed beads +1 and slide them down to the beadwork. Skip the last bead added, and pass back through all of the beads in the new branch, plus the next three beads in the trunk.

The limbs and branches will rest every which way as you stitch. When a full fringe is complete, you can gently nudge them into the positions that you like - alternating from one side to the other, for example.

For variation, you can increase or decrease the number of beads in each limb, add accent beads, or include daisy chain stitches or leaf fringes to all or some of the limbs.

How to Weave Basic Coral Fringe

Coral fringe is worked in the same way as branch fringe, but with extra additions of beads. Start by picking up seed beads in multiples of three to reach the desired fringe length. The finished strand will be a few millimeters shorter, especially if you are using a stiff thread like Fireline.

Pick up four more seed beads. Skip the last bead added , and pass through the other beads just added, and the next three beads in the trunk. Pull snug.

With coraling, you can make limbs of varying lengths, with a different number of branches on each. To start, pick up seven seed beads for the limb, and four seed beads for the first branch. Skip the last bead added, and pass back through the remaining branch beads, and the next three beads in the limb.

To finish this section, pick up four branch beads, skip the last bead added, and pass back through the next six beads, and the following three beads in the trunk.

Notice how the original branch added at the end of the fringe is now higher than the new fringe, because the new limb is longer. You can work this into your pattern, or make the first few stitches short. Whenever longer limbs are added, they will hang past the previous ones, which can make for some wonderful organic looks.

When you’ve added new limbs and branches along the trunk, you’ll have a lovely strand of fringe. To make it even more lush, increase the number of beads in the limbs - in a pattern or at random. You can also work in extra limbs. Instead of picking four branch beads, pick up seven or more beads for a new limb, and add branches as usual.

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Chandeliers for the painting gallery

After a few days in bed with a bad case of flu, I am up and wobbly.  I have done no minis for a whole week.
Today I started to make chandeliers for the gallery but I'm really unhappy with the results.
I took photos so you can see the "before".

First experiment, the beads are too large. Will be dismantled.

Second experiment - a little better but still not satisfying.

I'll work on the second.  Hope to be able to show you a successful attempt within a few days.

Can you see the two dark wooden boxes with the lamp hanging between them. Before I fell sick, I was very lucky to find these boxes which are perfect for small vignettes. They are made in Chine and  landed here in very poor condition, so were sold quite cheaply. I bought 8 boxes which will be  paint  over and papered. With a little scene inside they'll be excellent future gifts.

A very warm welcome to new followers

Elena
Dominique -

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday and blessings

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March Pinspiration

Have you ever noticed that the things you are drawn to aren't necessarily the things that you like? Something tells us that an object we see is appealing, even if we know it doesn't suit us. Like when you have a closet full of your least favorite color, or recipe books for foods you don't crave. Are these items calling to us for a different reason? Perhaps all those orange garments aren't meant for your closet, but for your walls.

Sometimes this can happen to us when we're bead shopping, too. We go bananas for a new shape or color or cut, and snap them up before considering if they'll ever have a home in our designs. Sometimes, it's better just to look! With that in mind, here are just a few of the lovely things that have caught my eye on Pinterest this month.

Do you have a weakness for something that is out of your 'element'?

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