Beading By The Bay – Asis
Posted by: WeaveABead on: March 12, 2012
Today is the last class at Beading By The Bay. Sherry Serafini taught us her Asis cuff. She brought quite a few components and kits for sale. On the other side of the room was a display of some of her work. You really do have to see beadwork in person to be able to appreciate it. Just incredible work.
It turns out that Sherry is a great teacher, too! I’m not super confident with my bead embroidery skills. But, I did a respectable job and finished two components of the cuff. I still have to edge it and assemble it.
Lunch was delicious. There was another Ring A Day catwalk and prizes. Marcia thinks we should do our own book! BBTB 2013 teachers were announced. Lots of clapping and squeals were heard when Sabine Lippert and Huib Peterson’s names were announced along with Marcia DeCoster. There were more door prizes from Tierra Cast and Lark and Swarovski.
Our book gift today was one I had on my wish list.
There was also another bag of Swarovski goodies!”
I could not have enjoyed myself more. It was said by many attendees and teachers alike, that there is a feel about this group that can’t be beat. I will be back at Beading By The Bay 2013!
Beading By The Bay – Atlas
Posted by: WeaveABead on: March 12, 2012
- In: Beads | Classes | Projects | Retreats
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My Saturday class was Atlas designed by Rachel Nelson-Smith. It is lots of right-angle weave and peyote tubes. Everyone really enjoyed learning the structural techniques in this piece.
At lunch there was a “Ring A Day” fashion show. It was all done in fun and included only discarded items from the classrooms. This was all prompted by Lark Publishing’s generous donation of books yesterday.
After lunch we rushed back to the classrooms to find more books and more crystals!
Rachel had lots of examples of her work and kits for sale. Here is one of the stunners she brought to show us.
Thank you, Rachel for sharing your artistry with us.
Beading By The Bay – Aelia
Posted by: WeaveABead on: March 10, 2012
My first day of class was with Marcia DeCoster. She taught us Aelia which is a two-sided necklace. One side uses a button and the other side is a beaded medallion. By the end of the day, I had the pendant completed. I only have the bail and rope to finish. This is a beautiful piece and I think it will be one of my favorites. Thank you, Marcia!
During lunch it was announced that Lark Publishing had donated books to distribute to us during class. How incredibly generous! Thank you, Ray!
As my friend, Kay said, “It’s like the Oprah Show!” Every time we turn around, they are giving us something.
Beading By The Bay
Posted by: WeaveABead on: March 10, 2012
Here I am in San Francisco at Beading By The Bay. It’s so good to be back with all of my beady buddies.
We started off with a Swarovski presentation by Ron Rock at the Thursday night dessert reception. We picked up our name tags and goodie bags and presents and sat at tables decorated with Swarovski items scattered on the tables. All of this was for us! Tierra Cast was there with samples of a great leaf imprinted button and some textured beads in a dark copper color. The Gingher designer series scissors were a hit, too. My door prize was a Create Your Style planner with instructions for 12 projects in the back and a Swarovski Elements pen.
Everyone left the reception feeling like they had won the bead jackpot.
Leather Wrap Bracelet
Posted by: WeaveABead on: January 18, 2012
I’ve been making leather wrap bracelets for a couple of years now. I’ve seen them in stores and online for ridiculous prices. There are lots of great variations on these bracelets on Pinterest. My friend, Kathy Redmond, had pinned one to her board that she thought was exceptional. I told her I would make it for her. Today is her birthday. Maybe I will see her soon and gift them to her for the occasion. The metallic one is a double wrap and the turquoise one is a single wrap. They can be worn separately or together, as shown.
Rockit Surgery – my sweet husband
Posted by: WeaveABead on: December 6, 2011
My husband, Jamey, is a great photographer. I’m always bugging him to photograph my beadwork. Everything I post is taken with my cell phone. I know they aren’t great but that’s not my focus. So, Jamey took some pictures of projects this past weekend and decided to blog about it. You can see his photographs here: http://rockitsurgery.com/karens-beadwork#comment
Give him a look, OK? He could use the traffic. 
I think my beadwork looks fabulous!
Not Your Mother’s Pearls
Posted by: WeaveABead on: December 3, 2011
- In: Beads | Projects | stringing
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I made this project back in August for some bridesmaids necklaces. They were so fresh and fun that I decided to make some more as friend gifts. They take 45 minutes to make from start to finish.
The supplies you will need are:
97 crystal pearls, 4mm
48 top-drilled bicones, 6mm
Size 11 seed beads
Clasp and jump ring
Fireline
Needle
Bead stopper
Scissors or thread burner
Use two full wing spans of fireline. Thread on the needle to the middle of the thread so your thread is doubled. Place the bead stopper 8″ from the end of the thread. String an 11 and a pearl, continue alternating 11s and pearls until you have strung 98 size 11 seed beads and 97 pearls. Your last bead is a seed bead. Slip on 1/2 of your clasp and pass back through the seed bead and one pearl. Pick up a seed bead, a top-drilled Bicone and a seed bead. Pass through the 2nd pearl from the one you are exiting on the original string. (Pass through the pearl only.) pick up the seed, Bicone and seed again and pass through the 2nd pearl from the one you are exiting. Continue the full length of the string. Be sure you keep your tension tight and knot the thread every few inches. It’s this tension that causes the necklace to curve and squiggle. Add the other half of the clasp and go back through a few beads and knot. Do this for about 2 inches. Trim the thread close to the beads. Thread the tail of the fireline onto the needle. Try to get both ends through the eye of the needle. Work this end back through a few beads and knot. Repeat for a few inches. Trim the tail as before. Quick and simple!
These instructions are my Christmas present to all of you. Feel free to make these for your friends. There’s still plenty of time to make them for Christmas!
TWO Book Giveaways from Lori Anderson!
Posted by: WeaveABead on: November 9, 2011
The wonderful, amazing, generous Lori Anderson is giving away two great craft books. Read all about it here:
http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2011/11/two-book-giveaways-you-do-not-want-to.html
Kisses of Fire and Jules of my Heart – Shelley Pleines
Posted by: WeaveABead on: October 26, 2011
- In: Beads | Classes | Projects | Retreats
- 3 Comments
I was able to go to Alexandria, Louisiana at the end of September for two Shelley Pleines (Nybakke) classes. It was so great seeing her again. Shelley and I met at NanC Meinhardt’s Art Sticks class back in April.
Katie Nelson, from South Texas, was my roommate for the weekend. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot at the hotel, she jumped in and we headed to the local bead shop. We know how to keep our priorities straight. After we had fun buying beads, we met Ida Williams, from North Louisiana and Judy Hendricks from North Texas at a cute little restaurant. I wish I could remember the name of the place. You may know Ida from the Shreveport Bead Retreats. She also is the Ultra Suede lady. We all got to know each other better and had a great meal, too.
Back at the hotel, Katie had a big box of goodies for me. She really spoiled me. She always does but this time it was lots and lots of wonderful goodies. I think Ida and Judy must have felt the beady goodness emanating from the room and stopped by to look through some de-stash beads and goodies that she was going to bring to the class for everyone to look through. They both got lots of great things. Then we started sharing websites and designers and looking through some beading books that Katie brought. A good time was had by all.
The classes were held at Lynn Tarver’s studio. Thank you Lynn for hosting this gathering. There was enough food for an army. Shelley wasn’t going to go home hungry and neither was anyone else!
Saturday’s class was Kisses of Fire. This bracelet can only be described as blingalicious. It is made with metal seed beads and embellished with pearls and crystals. The bracelet has a hidden snap clasp. The base is right angle weave with piles or ridges. Ruffles are built off of the ridges. I had two ruffles completed before I realized that my ruffles weren’t nearly as fluffy as Shelley’s example. Shelley figured out pretty quick that I had left out two (just two!) beads on the ends of each ridge, at the beginning of the increase rows.
Can you see those two little gold beads at the top of that ridge? They are very close to where the thread is coming out. Those are the ones I missed on my first ruffles.
The picture below shows my pitiful ruffle to the right and the correct ruffle to the left. Big difference, right?
After finding my mistake, all was good. Once I got home, I made it a priority to go ahead and finish up this beautiful bracelet. It’s a really stunning piece of jewelry.
On Sunday, Shelley taught us Jules of my Heart. The bracelet is named after Shelley’s grandson. It is predominantly right angle weave made with metal seed beads layered with glass seed beads and embellished with crystals. The squares are then ruffled on the outer edge. The join between the squares is like the ones in her Egyptian Collar. The clasp is a hidden snap.
I had a great time in Alexandria. I enjoyed seeing old friends and making some new ones. Thanks again, Lynn, for having all of us over to your studio. Thanks to Kriss Self for arranging for Shelley to come to Louisiana. And a big thanks to everyone who brought food. I still need to get Judy’s recipes for the desserts she brought. Talk about good!
Rings of Saturn
Posted by: WeaveABead on: October 2, 2011
A while back I was enticed to get Marcia DeCoster’s Rings of Saturn special edition kit. The kit is all silver and gold with beautiful crystals for embellishing. Three rings are covered with right angle weave and float on a sculptural peyote core.
Top Ring fully embellished
The rings were fairly simple to make. Marcia’s instructions differ from the way I like to enclose a ring. So, I tried one using her directions. I didn’t like the way it pulled on the outer edge. I cut it up and did it my way. The only difference is I make the RAW strip the length of the outer circumference of the aluminum ring. Then I zip it closed on the ends and manipulate the strip from the center to the outside of the ring. I just zip it up all the way around the ring. It takes a good bit of coaxing to get it to lay flat but by the time you have made it all the way around the ring, it is conforming to the ring. You use quite a few more beads this way but there is no pulling of beads and thread showing on the outer edge where it is zipped. I have now messaged with Marcia about these instructions. She covers rings the same way I do. I just needed more RAW to cover the ring.
The beginning of the peyote core
The core is a series of increases and decreases that form the ridges which support the rings. I had problems with the core and cut it back to the first large increase. By checking off each row as I completed it, I was able to get it right. I’m thinking sculptural peyote is not my favorite. An embellished peyote strip makes up the bail. The tip is then finished off with a series of crystals.
Rings of Saturn finished pendant
Marcia recommends a Russian spiral necklace with an embellished ring and toggle closure. I’m going to use a gold brick stitch necklace that I already have. I think I’ll wear this a lot. It’s unique, and classic in it’s coloring. Thank you, Marcia for another exquisite project.
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