Silver beaded bracelet

After the success of the first blue beaded bangle I started another but then forgot to post about it.  This did start out as a kit that my hubby bought for  a birthday some years ago.  Much easier to do than I realised.

You think that this is never going to look any good, but as it starts o grow and you gradually add the beads it is amazing how good it looks.

I think that I shall add these to my workshop class list as it is very accessible and fun to do.  As for these I shall either sell them or start off my present box for the end of the year.  No I am refusing to use that word , it is only January!

Friday tomorrow and after last weekends massive marking session I intend to have some family and me time this weekend.

All play and no work............. well you know the rest.

xx

Beaded and knitted bracelet part 2

After the successs of my first bracelet I decided to see what else I had in the waay of beads and wire and had enough to put together this version.

Shaped the ends to attach to the adjustable clasp.

Added seed and bugle beads randomly as I went along.

This fastening came from a kit I never made and it matched the colour scheme.

Which one do you prefer?  This bracelet or the blue version below?

I have now gone and found some bronze wire and matching beads in my neglected bead box...........Hmmmmm, I think a third one is on its way but perhaps this time a slightly different take on it.

xx

A little knitted beading

Been wanting to make thi for months and finally the Christmas break gave me the chance to sit down and string some beads on to jewellery wire.  I mixed up seed beads along with larger different shapes beads in shades of navy blue

I ended up making a cuff/bracelet.  This was part of a kit that I bought at Creative Stitches on Exeter but I decided to add lots of my own beads as well.  

Always need a close up shot!

I used the clasp which came with the kit. and all I need now is somewhere special to go to wear it or would it be prudent to start a present bag in January?

Really enjoyed making this in front of the televisionso much that I have in fact started another one!!

Will post that next.

xx

Sophie's First Tutorial - Beaded Brooch

Last Thursday Sophie and I sat down and she carefully showed me how to make the above beaded brooch using small safety pins and some seed beads.

I happen to have some purple safety pins and I do not know why (?) plus some seed beads which have been hanging around for years and used for so many little projects.

If you can do the above then you can make these brooches.

Sophie made the two green ones at Guides plus the red and blue one shown above.

I am sure that you could make these with bigger safety pins and larger beads so that younger children could do this activity.

If you would like to try this out here is the link to Sophie's Blog and any clicks on her link or via Goggle would be appreciated to move it up the list.

Sophie sat down with a piece of paper and carefully worked out the instructions and even took apart one of the green brooches so that she could take step by step pictures.  Then sat down and typed it up after I showed her how to upload the pictures.  It looks pretty good for a first attempt and definitely one of those slushy Mummy moments.

So HERE is the link and I hope you had a lovely Easter!

xx

Bead-dazzled Bracelets

I am taking part in another craft fair in a few weeks time and I wanted to add some new items.  I am not a jewellery maker but I will dabble for birthday presents etc.  

Therefore, I do have quite an extensive range of beads.  These are nice and I think that they look a little like small stones but they are plastic but quite heavy decent quality plastic....if that is possible!

So a couple of weekend's ago Sophie and I settled down to a bracelet making session.  She used her beads to make some for her friends.

Of course quality control is very important and Toffy is here just checking that I am getting it just right.  You can see that I am wearing a bracelet that I made.  I have been wearing it for over a week and it is excellent, easy to wear and most importantly not fallen apart.  So I am keeping this one!

It was surprising just how many bracelets that my box of beads was offering up.  I tried to make a range of colour schemes and thought carefully about the overall size.

The pile kept growing and growing.  At the last count there are 13 bracelets which I shall be taking to the craft fair and any left over will be added to my new website.  There are still some beads left so I think another 4 or so can still be made.

The new website is being powered by Type Pad so it is like learning to blog all over again so is not live yet   I also have a list of questions that I need to go through with the web designer.  Nothing major,,, you now the sort of thing.............complete confusion........should be easy to sort out.

Sophie and I had such great fun making these and choosing the colours.  We spent ages on these and hopefully they will all sell.

I need to make some space so that I can order some stock and I know have two tins of beads instead of four.  Progress I think.  

Final word from Toffy our quality control representative............

"Today is my birthday and I am two years old!"

He is a lovely cat who we thought we would lose to Cat flu a year ago but he pulled through.

He is such a character and definitely a part of the family.  We think he really missed Tiger when he passed in January and seemed "Lost" about the house for some time.  He loves being with us and will follow one of us to whichever room we are in and sit with you until you move on.  Loves being with Sophie and watching her play.  We bought him a Catnip toy for his birthday and he enjoys playing with that.  But his best toy is still his ping pong ball!  He whizzes round the kitchen at high speed for ages, like a pinball machine!  Last night he was bringing the ball back to hubby to throw for him.  Not sure that is normal for a cat but there you go.

Back tomorrow.

xx

Mollie Makes Issue 4

Felt, beads and stitch.

I started the kit from the 4th issue of Mollie Makes when it first came out.  Due to other things happening I forgot to go back to it. 

 With new eyes I decided to change some of it.  I like using felt and the type that they use in the kits is really fun.  Due to it being a bit thicker it does maintain its shape better and is easier to cut.

I was not really sure if I would wear the one shown above but I do like the colour of the felt.  I do not wear dangling jewellery to work in case it gets caught on anything.

I also wanted to add some embellishment to it as well. I have all these beads so I really should use them.

I used all of the templates that came in the kit but I just layered up them up.I made the leaves double thickness and added chain stitch plus some bugle beads.  There are two buttons in the middle, some seed beads and running stitch.

I made each section separately.

I used the coloured paper feel string and stitched them on so that they did not slide down.  Once all of the stitching was done I had enough felt to cut a circle to stitch on the back and hide everything to give a neat finish.

I then added a fastening which I recycled from a broken necklace and adding this proved to be the most difficult bit!

I asked Sophie to model it for me and I am pleased with the way it turned out as it was not planned very much.
I would love to try and find some felt like this to try out some more ideas.
I shall wear this with a dark or black top to show up the colours and possibly stitch something on the back of the flowers to weigh them down a bit more.
So I have been busy making but this did take a bit longer than expected and stitching these colours in the evening is not easy to see despite my new specs.
It is a glorious day here today so I am off to take Sophie out on her scooter for a bit.
xx

A Special little Gift............

Sophie disappeared upstairs for ages the other afternoon.  All was quiet and I called up to make sure all was ok.

"Yes Mummy"

More time passed and then she came downstairs with the above bracelet and asked to have a knot put in the elastic.  Not a problem and the knot was duly added.

Sophie then told me that she had been upstairs making this bracelet for me.  She thought that the colours would go with most of my clothes and that the little silver bells added a bit of zing.  Zing..... now I need lots of that by the time I get to Friday!!!

There was not a reason for making this. It was one of those "just because" gifts that are special.  

I did suggest that she could have kept this for Mother's Day but she said that she could not wait that long to give it to me.

Yep......a slushy mummy moment.

I do have several lovely cards that Sophie made when she was at nursery, I just can not bear to throw them away as they are a part of her childhood and she likes to look at them now and try to understand that she was only three when she made some of them.

My hubby has had more handmade key rings from Sophie than he can really use but they all have some keys stored on them, even if they never actually leave the house.

The above gift will be put on as soon as I get home from work at the start of the Easter holidays.

What gift have you been given that has sentimental value such as the bracelet above?

Up-cycled Beaded Bracelet- Simple Tutorial

If any jewellery or other accessories break I do try and save whatever I can and visiting a little shop in Truro gave me an idea to recycle some beads which I have had hidden in my bead box for ages and ages. I needed the above which a re miniature in size.
On the right is quite a long length of chain which I could cut and add fastenings on using the pliers above. Cost about £2.49 for quite a long length. I did not think to measure it, opps. I also had some rings which I had bought ages ago but could not find the chain at the time. It is always the way, is it not?

These beads are quite large as they were once attached to an elasticated crochet style scrunchie. I like purple (I wear purple glasses) and I also wore this whilst I was pregnant with Sophie so I did not want to throw them out. I always had a mind to make a bracelet or something that I could wear.

After laying them out on the table to decide on the colour order I carefully added them to the chain using the rings. I used the little round nosed pliers to ease open the rings just wide enough to get the beads on. Then used the flat edge pliers to closed it up again. I recycled the catch from a broken necklace and added a larger catch ring so that it is easier to do up with one hand.

Nice stylish close up pic!

I was really pleased with how this turned out because sometimes an idea is better in your head than it is once it has been made. Luckily this looks good made up as well.

I have worn it several times this week and it has been commented on more than some of my posher bracelets. Confirms my belief that I should not throw anything away if I think I can find a use for it. I even have enough left over to make a pair of earrings. Just need to get the earring bit to make them up.

Give this a go with any beads that you have. As long as the rings will go through the beads and the chain you are off and away. You could even attach them using small nail scissors rather than shell out for pliers.

It has been a glorious day here in Cornwall, tomorrow I think rain is on the hrizon but the garden sure does need it.

xx

Bead-azzled Bracelet

On our way back from Derbyshire we stopped off in Bristol to visit IKEA, Toysrus and Hobby Craft.

I was looking for wool, Sock Monkey ideas as I would like to try these with the new Year 9 groups in September and the felt.

I then stumbled on an item above in the beading section which got me really quite excited.
Do you have any idea what it might be?

I knew at home that I had a collection of wooden beads which I had not been able to find a use for that I was happy with. So I picked out a shade of blue which I thought I would wear a lot and arranged them on the table in a order that I was happy with. Mixing large and small beads together, with the largest one in the middle.
Then I carefully threaded them on to the bangle. The bit I liked the best was that the ball on the end unscrews!!! Yes, I nearly screeched with joy when I saw this and Sophie asked what I was so happy about. When she too looked at the bangle she soon piped up with "Mummy you have some big beads at home don't you?" Oh yes indeed I do sweetie pie.
What I also like about this is that I can change and swap the beads around as and when I feel like it. It cost about £3.00 but it was the fact that I could use some beads that I had had in a jar for some time.
So you might be able to imagine the reaction when I found that they had a necklace version as well!!!
Costing £5.00.
Laid out the beads on the table in the same way then threaded them on to the necklace and then screwed the end back on to secure the beads.
So I end up with a very distinctive set using beads that I already had. I shall have lots of fun with these, changing the beads, finding or making more to use on these metal rings. This is really the only items that I bought from Hobby Craft, although we did find some bits and pieces to start planning Sophie's Easter Hat for school.

I have since worn these twice to work with much oohing and aaahing in admiration. I am a very happy bunny!

Have a good weekend.

xx