Lotus and Leaves Necklace

Last week I finally got around to working with a packet of wavy Czech glass leaves that have been waiting patiently in the destash box. Like many of the materials that I’m trying to use up, I was hoping that an idea would come along that would be different from the other projects I’ve done with these beads. And in the end, I once again decided to go with what works.

The last time I used these pretty leaves was in a double daisy chain for my first beaded strawberry pendant. They looked great as spacers between the strands, cinching everything together and creating little points of interest. This time around, I went with a lotus theme, and added some other destash beads: light blue pinch bicones, wooden rounds, and the last of my blue lined E beads.

To bring everything together, I used transparent dark topaz for the beadwork base, with dark beige 8/o spacers. I also added a handful of cobalt druks to reinforce the beadwork and create points where the stitches could be secured, which helps keep all of the strands smooth and steady.

Instead of cutting this necklace off at a specific length, I kept on beading until I had used up all of the leaves. Since there were an odd number, and there was no place for an asymmetrical element, I have only one leaf left, and a lovely opera length design.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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