Art Bead Scene Blog: February 2014 Challenge Color Palette

February is more than half-way through, but I wanted to share the beautiful color challenge Brandi Hussey created for this month's Art Bead Scene Color Challenge. She created two palettes of an abstract rose garden. The second palette helps us see the greens.

Check out Art Bead Scene for more information on joining in the challenge. Happy creating!





Art Bead Scene Blog: February 2014 Challenge Color Palette

Free Chainmaille Tutorial Series Project One: Loopy in Love Charms

Loopy in Love Charms are easy to make because almost any size ring will work with the basic weave. Also known as "Loopy Loops" or "Wiggle" or "Shaggy Loops" the weave is easy to embellish for various kinds of jewelry and styles of jewelry. 

Shown above is my "Loopy in Love Charm" pendant in red & pink crystals, and loopy loop earrings gold with crescent moons, discs for full moons & gold-filled leverbacks. The pendant is quick to create for Valentine's Day, and the earrings are dressy, lightweight, and dangle with a charm pendant soft jingle. 

To create this weave, you'll find a variety of choices in tutorials: video, illustrated, and photographs.

Firstly, let's watch Christiane Ross (she taught me chainmaille) teach us the basic Mobius, also known as Love Knots, (we'll use Mobius often later on often in the series) and the basic Loopy Loops weave. 

(http://www.youtube.com/embed/tO0C_ejGLqE)

Blue Buddha Boutique creates the same two weaves shown above  as bracelets. They call the loopy loops weave "Shaggy Loops" and offer free downloadable instructions. Enjoy the free bracelet instruction for "Shaggy Loops" here.

http://www.bluebuddhaboutique.com/b3/projects/Shaggy-Loops

http://www.bluebuddhaboutique.com/b3/projects/Wiggle-Mobius

Blue Buddha calls the Mobius or Love Knot weave "Wiggle" and offers free downloadable instructions for that also. Enjoy creating a Mobius bracelet with free instruction from Blue Buddha Boutique here.


I'm calling the loopy loops weave "Loopy in Love Charms" in honor of Valentine's day. We'll create earrings and a pendant.

 As Christiane showed in the video, we will be connecting 3 rings:

And then, we will basically add a ring to each side of the 3 rings:

We will add embellishments to the rings that are added.  I've gathered Czech drops, crystal rondelles, red crackle quartz rondelles, champagne rose 4mm Swarovski bicones and size 2 seed beads and prepared my drops. 

Begin by connecting 3 rings:

I added an elongated pear to the bottom ring and connected 

a fourth ring on top:

Working your way up, from bottom to top, add rings and embellishments to either side of each ring. Below, I added rings with quartz rondelles to each side of the bottom ring. I make sure to center the elongated pear drop between them:

Next, I add rings with embellishments to either side of the ring directly above it: 

At this point, there should be 2 rings without any added rings. Now, I add rings with drops to both sides of the third ring up, so it looks like this below: 

At this point, you are finished with one earring. Your charm should have 3 rings with additional rings and drops on each side, with one non-embellished ring at the top to attach an earwire. 

Repeat the steps for a second earring. 

An alternative is to create a pendant. I decide to use a larger, pretty rose Czech drop (that sparkles) and handcrafted lampwork:

I use red Artisic wire to create an open loop:

Add the open loop to the ring just below the one with the earwire:

Create a wrapped loop and remove the top ring & earwire:

I gather rubber tubing for lampwork and Toho cylinder beads. One or the either should fit inside the lampwork to keep the wire from rubbing inside the bead:

I add a bicone crystal above the wrap, and "break the neck" of the wire. For a pendant, I decide to cover some of the silver rings by adding another elongated red pear to the red Artistic wire loop:

I create another loop, wrapping it for security

 so it may be used as a bail:

Lastly, I add the large pink Czech elongated bead 

to the very bottom ring, and my new 

 "Loopy in Love Charm" is ready to wear. 

Happy Valentine's day! 

Gothic Netted Chevron Necklace

A simple beadwork necklace perfect for beginners and advanced beaders. The necklace works up quickly and can be modified very easily. 

Lampwork fairy bead by Sally Sutherland of Soul Silver. 

The tutorial, or rather, the beadwork pattern, is free. You'll find the simple netted chevron gothic necklace pdf at the PBS Beads, Baubles & Jewels website, series 700, show 707-6, "Gothic" 

Enjoy! 

Art Jewelry Elements: Wire Macrame Earring Tutorial

Artist extraordinaire Lesley Watt of THEa Jewellery & THEa Elements teaches us how to create wire macrame in art jewelry. A very cool technique shared at the collective art jewelry blog, Art Jewelry Elements. 

Art Jewelry Elements: Wire Macrame Earring Tutorial




Enjoy! 
TJ

Toltec Jewels is an author by day, jewelry maker by night. Her literary work is housed by the San Francisco MOMA and is published internationally in popular magazines, literary quarterlies, and university publications. She has won a number of awards for literary and jewelry arts. She is happiest making handcrafted jewelry, finding new art beads, snuggling with her doggies and grandkids, sewing, singing, reading, and learning more jewelry techniques.

Pumpkins

Creating Kumihimo Braids: Adding Beads, Stopping & Resuming, and Adding Endcaps

Here are four beautiful, simple and easy to follow tutorials on creating 8 strand traditional Kumihimo braids.

Beginning Braids

Tip: Pausing and Resuming

Braiding with Beads

Adding Endcaps

How to Make A Wire Cage for Jewelry

An easy, secure wire cage for jewelry design.