Book Spotlight: Convertible Crystal Jewelry

One of the best things about making your own jewelry is the ability to make it versatile and even interactive. It can be as simple as designing three necklaces to be layered together, or making a variety of focals to pair with a favorite rope stitch. Once you’ve finished making a piece, the real adventure is in how much fun you can have wearing it. In Convertible Crystal Jewelry,author and Swarovski Elements Ambassador Diane Whiting offers a beautiful selection of adjustable, mix-and-matchable projects for beaders of every skill level. Each one features gorgeous crystals and new ideas on how to make the most out of your beads.

There are 25 projects in all, each one using a mix of components and techniques to help you build and test your skills. There are designs for stringing, knotting, wirework, ladder stitch, peyote stitch, and so much more – each one more inspiring than the last. Diane’s projects make great use of the crystals and other components to create beautiful, versatile jewelry. There are beaded focals to wear with your favorite necklace base, necklaces that can become bracelets, tassels that can go anywhere, and two-tone bracelets that you can flip to match your mood. Many of the projects are created with ingenious techniques that spark so much inspiration, such as layering pairs of crystal flatbacks to make two-tone rivolis!

After a quick overview of materials, the projects begin, starting with a super easy lark’s head necklace for showcasing your favorite big-hole beads and Swarovski Elements fancy stone pendants. The difficultly increases as you go - the final projects feature more advanced techniques like beaded bezels and tubular right angle weave. Each project includes a materials list and step-by-step instructions with clear photographs to guide you through the design. There are also tips for adding even more variation to your finished piece, including ways to mix and match components from other projects to create something totally new. My favorite design is the Tila for Two x Two reversible cuff that looks gorgeously slinky and fun to weave.

If you’re looking for ways to revitalize your jewelry stash, Convertible Crystal Jewelryis sure to provide lots of inspirations. Many of the projects can even be converted to dress up your existing pieces and make them new again.

Happy beading!

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading, Kalmbach Books and Diane Whiting

Inspirational Beading has not received compensation for reviewing this title, however, actions you take from this post can result in a commission for Inspirational Beading.

Crystal Inspirations

The results of our latest bead giveaway are in! Congratulations to our winner, and thank you so much to everyone who entered!

Up for grabs was a gorgeous box of surprise beads from the subscription collections at Blueberry Cove Beads. We had a look at some of the previous boxes that subscribers have received and chose our favorites. The winning comment selected Crystal Cave - a definite favorite along with the Woodland collection. Many previous bead boxes like these are still available for purchase in whole or in part. Plus, new bead boxes are available in singles or by subscription. The November box - still to be revealed - is sure to be sensational!

Many thanks to Blueberry Cove Beads for sponsoring this exciting giveaway. Here's to many surprises and inspirations to come.

Happy beading!

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading and Blueberry Cove Beads
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Favorite Egyptian Jewelry Tutorials

Swarovski Elements recently released a new coating for crystals and crystal pearls they call Scarabaeus. The finish is a beautiful iridescent blue-green-purple which is very much like the opalescent shell of a fantastic beetle. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about a new Swarovski innovation – I’m very much looking forward to seeing these new jewels in person. Although the finish is a bit on the lighter side, I think I can come up with some Nefertiti-worthy ways to use a few key pieces.

Bead colors aside, I’ve been noticing a lot of other Egyptian inspirations in the jewelry circles I like to travel in. Tutorials for cobalt and crimson beadwork, new collar styles, and rustic turquoise pieces keep popping up to brighten my day. These are a few of my favorites:

There’s a great mix of color and texture in this
Nefertiti Bracelet tutorial by ArtBeads.com





The technique may be simple, but this Alexandra Necklace project from Beadholique.com
perfectly captures the look of real Egyptian strung necklaces.





Bold gemtones and colorblocking win again in this leather wrapped
bangle project from AuntiesBeads.com





There’s lots of room for variation and pattern in this beady
eyepin and gemstone collar from Instructables.com





Nothing captures the look of ancient jewelry quite like rustic gemstones,
Which are perfectly showcased in these turquoise earrings from NotMerelyLiving.com





Finally, metals are a great way to capture the Egyptian look – even without gold –
like in this wirework collar project from ArtBeads.com

Which Egyptian color or motif do you find the most inspiring?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Favorite Seed Bead Netting Tutorials

It’s not always easy to admit when an idea you’ve had isn’t all that great. It can often take some time to realize it, and it definitely helps to have some outside input. I recently had a good nudge from a comment on my seed bead netting tutorial that made me realize it’s not really a tutorial at all. It’s most certainly time to give it an update.

With back-to-school still taking up much of my attention right now I didn’t have time to make a new tutorial just yet, so I thought I’d find some other great netting tutorials to share for now. Unfortunately, the pickings are a bit slim when it comes to free netting projects. I did find some nice ones that would make great primers for the techniques. These are my favorites:

Beaded Crystal Net Necklace by Sandra Halpenny
A great example of variation in simple netting.





Christmas Cutie Bracelet by Fusionbeads.com
With pretty accent bead embellishments.





Rainbow Bib Necklace by FireMountainGems.com
For ambitious beaders!

Once you’ve tried out some basic netting or a variation of it, it’s pretty easy to incorporate your own patterns and twists to get a piece that you really like. There’s no ‘right’ way to do netting. Although it’s basically just an expanded peyote stitch, it’s much more versatile and open to experiments with bead size, shape, and quantity.

I’ll definitely have to add a netted collar project to my list of tutorials that I will – someday – write. In the meantime, happy beading!

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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Halloween Skull Pendant

I’ve made a bit of a tradition of whipping up a simple necklace to go with my Hallowe'en costumes each year - which gives me a chance to make a little something for myself, while trying out techniques or materials that I wouldn’t normally use. Last year’s rifle pendant is still my favorite, although I lost the necklace somewhere. I’m still pretty annoyed about that, but I made up for it a little by throwing together an old daisy chain with another toy gun just in case I’m in the mood to wear it.

This year’s necklace was quick and easy to stitch up, especially because I had just the right focal waiting, as luck would have it. Months ago we were set on going as The Doctor and Donna Noble from Doctor Who, but changed our minds. My son decided on Pinocchio from Shrek, leaving me with a tough choice to make. I toyed with a lot of different ideas, until I realized that all of them required wearing a skirt or dress. I was running out of time when one of my favorite YouTube channels, albinwonderland, posted a tutorial for skull makeup.

When I realized that I could just paint my face and wear whatever I wanted, everything else fell into place. I decided to go a little more scary than posh, and thought it would be easiest if I told people that I was going as a lich. That meant I needed a phylactery – a magical object to store one’s undead soul. And I just happened to have a Swarovski crystal skull hanging around to do the job.

I didn’t manage to get a good photo until the end of festivities, when most of my makeup was smudged, but I think it turned out great. We had a fantastic Hallowe'en, and now I’ve got another great necklace for my stash.

Do you like to dress up for Hallowe'en? What did you go as this year?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Work in Progress: Crystal Phylactery

At last I have a project in progress that isn’t too secret to share! This week I’m taking a quick break from my big project to make a necklace for this year’s Halloween costume, and it’s going to be awesome.

I picked up one of the new Swarovski Elements crystal skulls a while back, mostly just so that I could see one up close. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, and it’s been sitting in my glass bead box for ages, not being inspiring. So it was very exciting when I decided to go as a lich for Halloween this year, and needed something spooky to make a pendant with. What better jewel to hold a sorcerer’s soul than a crystal skull?

I’m making a short chain with red-trimmed St. Petersburg stitch. I want the necklace to fit like a choker, so it’ll be very quick to whip up. So far I’m loving the look of the ruby beads along the edge. They’ll definitely stand out!

What are you making this week?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Work in Progress: Catch Up

Do you ever have major creative slumps? I find that whenever I’m pouring a lot of energy into a project that doesn’t work out - or turns out to be just plain boring - I get completely drained of creativity, until I don’t want to do anything productive at all. This happened to me at the beginning of September, and I’ve been really struggling to get around it for the past week or so.

It took a little time, but I finally figured out a way to work around the creative blocks I was having, and got to working on some new projects that are exciting to sit down to. Right now I’m putting together a secret something using a Swarovski cosmic pendant, and it’s going very well. It feels great to be back to normal again!

My top secret project is still on schedule, despite some setbacks and a lot of timing issues. Normally I’d have hours of beading time to myself on school days, but all of our schools are still closed due to an ongoing strike. Hopefully things will get settled - with the appropriate funds going where they are needed - and we’ll be able to resume the ordinary timetable once again. The big reveal is still a few months away, and I’m very excited about sharing the news with you when it’s time.

What are you working on right now?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Book Spotlight: Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects

If beads could make wishes, I think that seed beads would dream of beaders like Diane Fitzgerald. No matter the style or shape, she makes beads appear as though they were made for the project, instead of the other way around. She is an expert on exploring the possibilities of new beads in a variety of applications, not to mention dissecting and revolutionizing popular stitches.

In the collection Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects,beginners and experts alike will find a wealth of information and inspiration for jewelry. There are over 20 projects to explore, including necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and even a cute button ornament. As always, Diane provides detailed instructions for each project, and variations on color and style to help encourage beaders to make their own creative leaps.

Nearly all of the projects featured focus on seed beads, designer glass, or crystals, and each one uses simple techniques that make it easy for beginners to jump in and give them a try. It is the use of each bead style or shape that makes the designs spectacular, in a way proving the rule that less is more. Art glass, tassels, and vintage flowers also make appearances, so there’s a little something for every beader and crafter.

This book is filled with colorful, full page photographs, large diagrams that make following each step a breeze, and plenty of advice from one of the world’s most experienced beaders. If you like compilation titles such as Bead & Button’s Creative Beading series, then Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects will be right at home in your craft room library.

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Diane Fitzgerald and Lark Books
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June Bead Stash Favorites

There are so many different ways that a bead style can become an instant favorite. Perhaps it’s the color or shape, ease of use, or the way it fits perfectly into our favorite designs. Whatever the reason, some beads just inspire love at first sight. Right now I have my heart set on a few different accents in my stash, all of them ready and waiting for the perfect project.

Whenever I need a spool of Fireline, I set a little budget and go on the hunt for new bead treats to include in my order. I usually stock up on some favorite seed bead colors, and then keep my eyes open for some interesting accents to try. During my last shopping session, I decided it was time to finally give the Swarovski Elements gemstone pearl colors a shot. Luckily, Fusion Beads has their own custom mixes, and this one called Siren caught my eye. It includes dark lapis, ivory, jade, turquoise, and red coral, but I see lapis, alabaster, turquoise, blue faience, and carnelian! These should come in handy in some upcoming Egyptian designs.

Awhile back I purchased some teal coconut rondelles on a whim, and ended up devouring them rather quickly. Every project I added them to seemed to turn out perfectly. Since then, I’ve had my eyes open for other lightweight heishi and rondelles, which make great accents for collars. These bone spacers from Happy Mango Beads definitely fit the bill. They’re a little larger than what I’m used to using, so I’ll have to make sure that whatever project they end up in has room for bold fringe. I’m very eager to cut the string and see what they can do.

Finally, I have some neglected beads. Several months ago I purchased these three strands of gorgeous blue Czech teardrops from Shipwreck Beads to use in collars and was very excited to work with them - especially the transparent cobalt. I placed each one in the tray that I use for shaped seed beads like Tilas, peanuts, and magatams. And because I hardly ever use these types of beads, I quickly forgot all about these lovely strands. I rediscovered them recently while looking for spiral rope accents, and I’ve bumped them back up to must-use status.

Do you have any new-found bead loves right now?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
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How to Make a Floating Bib Necklace

Do you remember the illusion necklace? Not so long ago, it was a popular trend in strung necklaces, using crimps to suspend beads in a widely spaced, multi-strand design. The idea has since evolved, and combined with gorgeous rhinestones and the bib necklace trend, the design possibilities are stunning!

Swarovski Floating Bib Necklace by Jamie Smedley

On the cover of the current Fire Mountain Gems catalogue is a great example of the floating bib necklace, which uses a tulle backing to float a variety of Swarovski sew-ons in a beautiful arrangement. You may have seen this necklace style around the fashion pages, particularly the work of Sparkle Beast Designs. The illusion of sporting jewels right next to the skin is hugely popular, and no wonder, with all of the wonderful shapes and colors of affordable baubles available.

Midnight Sky Floating Bib Necklace by Sparkle Beast Designs

If you’re not afraid of a little glue or sewing, there are a variety of ways that you can make this necklace style your own. You'll need a good selection of rhinestones and flatbacks, along with some sheer mesh fabric like tulle. Since there are no stitches or strings to contend with, you can arrange your baubles in any way you like!

Here are some of the best tutorials I found for floating bib necklaces:

The Rainbow Bling necklace project from Bird Hearts Bear
uses hot glue and flatbacks.





The Nikki’s Disco Dickie tutorial on CraftStylish
uses sew on stones and organza.

I also found some other beautiful bib necklace projects, many of which can be adapted to use a sheer mesh fabric to get the illusion look. Big, chunky rhinestones are a popular jewelry trend right now, so any way you stitch it, they are sure to be a hit. Here are my favorite bib necklace tutorials:

Button and Pearl Bib Necklace Tutorial by Little Miss Momma





Sparkling Bib Necklace Tutorial from Martha Stewart





Satin Bib Necklace Tutorial by Angela Osborn





Beaded Denim Bib Necklace Project from Random Chic Musings

For really affordable and lightweight designs, many artists prefer acrylic rhinestones to crystal. You can find a great selection of the same pieces used in Sparkle Beast necklaces in her destash shop, Sparkle Beast Supplies.

What do you think of the floating rhinestone technique?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Lac and Kashmiri Bead Giveaway

As beaders, when we think of insects in relation to our work, we might consider the many wonderful color and pattern inspirations that they provide, from butterfly wings to honey comb. Dig a little deeper, and it turns out that bugs and insects are actually a pretty important part of the bead and jewelry making world.

We’ve already seen how the natural clay from termite mounds creates the perfect kiln material for African bead artists, and silk makes a great material for both fiber beads and thread. But did you know that there are beads made directly by the power of insects as well?

Materials and products made from lac - the secretion of tiny tree-dwelling insects - have been around for hundreds of years. It is used in the production of varnish and shellac, as well as unique beads and jewelry. The natural resin secreted by the insects that feed on sap is harvested, crushed, sifted, and heated to create an ideal bead making material. The resulting beads have a wonderfully natural appeal. Lac jewelry has been an important part of Indian customs for generations, with a long tradition of craftsmanship and style.

If you’d like to give lac beads a try, our friends at Maruti Beads would like to share some of their beautiful bead designs with you! They have graciously offered a selection of lac and Kashmiri beads, as well as their own custom maruti beads to one lucky Inspirational Beading reader! Similar in style to lac beads, Kashmiri are made from synthetic polymer clay, and embellished with a variety of materials such as rhinestones and silver. You may also know them as Bollywood beads - each bead design is handmade in India, and has a fantastic, exotic look. Some are very similar in design to the popular pave beads, and would work well in trendy pave projects.

How to Enter

For your chance to win a package of 60 assorted kashmiri and lac beads, visit MarutiBeads.com and choose your favorite bead style. Then leave a comment on this post, and let us know which one you liked best. Is it the Kashmiri with studs and hearts? The gold and blue lac hexagon? Anything goes!

Important: Comments must be posted here on Inspirational Beading to qualify, but no log-in is required. If you do not have a Blogger profile with email contact enabled, please make sure to include an email address, shop, or website link, so I can contact you if you win!

One reader will be drawn at random on Tuesday, October 30th. This giveaway is open to international readers.

Good luck!

I would like to thank Maruti Beads for sharing this fantastic bead giveaway. Inspirational Beading does not receive a commission for featuring these products.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and MarutiBeads.com
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Book Spotlight: Crystal Chic

No matter what kind of beading or jewelry design you practice most, chances are there are some areas where mediums and styles blur. Not all jewelry is beaded, and not all beading is done with just beads. Sometimes even the most basic craft techniques make it into high quality art jewelry designs.

Just like the cabochon which easily goes with beadwork, metalwork and more, flatback crystals are a jack-of-all-trades in the beading world. These little gems are just as beautiful as their drilled bead cousins, and can go many places that other beads can’t.

In Crystal Chic,Debbi Simon shows readers how to incorporate CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski flat-back and hotfix crystals into a wide variety of gorgeous jewelry designs. Debbi combines these versatile gems with everything from standard jewelry blanks and filigree, to polymer clay and tagua slices. Each project provides beautiful and inspiring examples of how you can add extra sparkle to designs you already like to make.

Crystal Chic begins with a detailed overview of materials and techniques, particularly selecting and using the right adhesives for your projects. There are also tips on making molds from two-part silicone and polymer clay, mixing and pouring resin, and basic jewelry techniques like wrapped loops and crimping.

There are 37 projects in all, including necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings. There are also two embellished clasp projects, and a stunning polymer clay poppy brooch. The tutorials include complete materials lists with Swarovski product numbers for easy reference, step by step instructions and easy to follow photo diagrams. The projects are divided into seven chapters: Filigree, Metal, A la Pavé, Fibers, Polymer Clay, Resin, and Fun Stuff with found objects and charms.

The book finishes with an inspiration gallery, including crystal designs by artists like Kristal Wick and Brenda Schweder. If you love to embellish, glue and bedazzle, Crystal Chicwill provide you with lots of fun ideas. You may have to do some hunting at your local library or flea market to scoop up a copy, but it will be worth it!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Debbi Simon and Kalmbach Books
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Tutorial: How to Make a Resin Clay Ring

One of my favorite things about making beadwork rings is having total control over the entire design - there are no pre-made components apart from the beads themselves. But beadweaving isn’t the only method for making a totally one of a kind ring! Today my guest is Claire Humpherson of Beads Direct UK, who is sharing a fun tutorial for making a unique cocktail ring entirely from resin clay and bead accents. Claire says:

"When I first tried resin clay I have to admit I wasn’t quite sure about it. I really didn’t realize I was getting myself into a new jewellery making addiction until it was way too late, I was already hooked! Now I can’t stop making jewellery with resin clay.

Resin clay is a two-part epoxy clay that air dries to produce something as solid and hardwearing as polymer clay. My favourite part? That means you can set almost anything in the clay, because it doesn’t need to be able to withstand any heating or firing. And I just love setting crystals and all things Swarovski!"

Here’s how to use this fabulous clay to make a resin clay ring like the heart and butterfly pieces shown here. You will need:

Clay and tools:

Black Resin Clay

Clay Roller

Clay Spacers

Clay Balm

Clay Cutter

Sanding Pads

Swarovski Elements:

Crystal Flat Back Mix

Amethyst Crystal Flat Backs

Crystal Volcano Flat Backs


To Create a Resin Clay Ring:

1. Take an equal amount from each pot of resin clay, a ball about the size of a grape from each should be about right. Mix these together until you get an even colour, this starts the reaction in the clay which will lead to it hardening. When you are happy that the colour is even, leave to sit for around 10-15 minutes.

2. Whilst the clay sits, find the right size for your ring and roughly mark it on the ring mandrel. Resin clay does not shrink as it cures so you just need to find the size that will fit your finger.

3. Cover the mandrel in cling film (plastic wrap), wrapping around it tightly once or twice.

4. Go back to your clay. Add a little clay balm to your mat and roller. Place 2mm spacers either side of the clay and roll out until you get an even 2mm thickness of clay.

5. Place a spacer on the clay and use it as a guide to cut a straight line down the length of the clay. Cut again parallel to the straight edge to create a band around 1cm wide.

6. Pick up this band and wrap round the mandrel at the point you marked earlier. Bring any excess over so the ends overlap.

7. Cut through the overlapping clay at an angle. Remove any excess above and below, and you should be left with two ends that fit neatly together.

8. Use a clay tool and a little water to gently press the ends together, joining the ring. Tidy up the edges with clay tools if necessary. Place the mandrel to one side, positioning it so the ring doesn’t touch anything. I placed the end in a small pot but you could also rest the mandrel diagonally on a block. Always keep the thick end of the mandrel at the bottom.

9. Roll the excess clay into a ball and roll out again to a 2mm thickness. Cut your chosen shape for the top of the ring from the clay using a clay cutter.

10. Use a sponge to brush a black pigment colour over both the clay shape and the ring base. This gives a shinier, more pearlescent look to the clay.

11. Use tweezers to push crystals into the shape you have cut for the top of your ring. Push down as far as you can without affecting the shape of your clay piece. The further you can push them in, the more likely they are to set into the clay without the need for glue or adhesive.

12. Roll a small ball of clay about the size of a pea and squash on top of the ring base at the join you made earlier. Place your ring topper shape on top of this ball of clay and push down to make sure it adheres. Position as you wish, I shaped my butterfly so the wings point slightly upwards.

13. Leave the whole ring to cure for 24 hours until hard.

14. Once cured, gently brush off any loose pigment powder. Sand any rough edges using a sponge sanding pad, and then your ring is ready to wear!

All supplies used in this project are available online at beadsdirect.co.uk. You can also find more fun jewelry making projects on the website, and tutorial videos on YouTube at Beads Direct TV.

Many thanks to Claire for providing this fun ring tutorial! Inspirational Beading has not received products or compensation for sharing this post.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Claire Humpherson
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