Leather Wrap Arounds

The latest of my wrap arounds...this one created with the duo hole beads by Preciosa Ornela. A beautiful glass with an iris coating. A five wrap, I think was made at 26" or is that a four wrap??? Well, maybe it was 32" for a five wrap...I think I've made up a formula that works for determining the amount needed for a specific wrist measurement.

Take actual wrist measurement for wrap #1, for each consecutive wrap add 1/4" more for ease. Then finish with three knots, forming two buttonholes for adjustment.

For example, a four wrap for me would be; 6.5" + 6.75" + 7" +7.25 = 27.5"

This way you could make one for a friend and know it would fit properly!

This front side view of a wrap being sent out this week to a very special gal...The multi colored 4mm stones are River Rock Agate which blend beautifully with the smooth cornered Thai silver beads we have at Monica's Quilt and Beads Creations! The leather a gorgeous tan natural color in a 1.5mm round leather.

Here is a full back view of the bracelet, I started adding Silver beads every third or fifth set of beads. added some light to the piece. The cute Lizard button was a gift from one of my Bead Chick friends!

Beading to Beat Autism...a Beading Girl's Night Out

What a fun night we had last night! To kick off the 2011 Bead Shop Hop, we introduced all attendees to the schedule of events upcoming in September. Wow, two weekends in a row seeking out all the great Bead Shops in SoCal...a beader's dream come true!
Tied into this evening was a worthy event as well, we all gathered around the beading table to create little stretchy bracelets that will in turn help a young girl's dream come to fruition! Check out www.beadingtobeatautism.com and read about Michala's story...she's only fourteen years old and has aspirations of building a center for education and research into the silent world of Autism. At age ten she raised over 250Thousand $$$ for her family and the treatment of her young brother, now four years later she desires funding for a Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Find out how to help her further this dream...
For some great pics of the night I'm sure we'll have some good photos on Monica's Quilt and Bead Creations web site, www.monicasquiltandbead.com. I bet we hold this event again so Monica herself can take part in the fun and others who were unable to attend can have another opportunity for fun , creativity and community service.
Above is my creation with Turquoise looking Magnasite and a Red Coral bead for contrast, remember your color theory?!? Lots of Silver spacers, nice chunks add a bit of panache! And then there is the puzzle Charm ( a symbol for autism)...given to me awhile ago by Deb, one of my Bead Chick friends. This Charm has some great words on the back as well...family, tradition, love, friends, charity...to remind us of what's important in our daily lives.
It was amazing to hear the stories of how many in attendance last night knew someone close to them who had Autism affecting a close personal friend or relative.

Crystal Bling Ring

Have been experimenting with the granulation theory of Right Angle Weave...first touted by Shelly Nybakke in the June B&B of 2007. Here is a sample of the Crystal Bling Ring I created using RAW as the base, then fashioning a Cubic RAW top of beautiful Capri Blue 2XAB Swarovski bicone Crystals. Wow! Turned a simple Ring into a big Bling Beauty! I like the vertical nature of the center's position better than the other crystal ring I did last week. The base made using the Metal Seed Beads, here using size 8's.

Layered Bling Ring

This Right Angle Weave creation was inspired by the bangle bracelet by Shelley Nybake, in Bead & Button magazine from June 2007. Anxious to work with the silver Metal Beads, but not wanting to spend time doing the whole bracelet, I thought of creating a square on top of a beaded base. Now you see where this is going don't you? A simple square was not enough, so the next layer became full of Bling thanks to Swarovski 3mm bicone crystals...here in Olivine 2xAB and then another layer of Metal Beads...next, I was thinking of making another ring with the square placed more vertically on the base, it will look nicer on my short fingers, ha!

Rock 'n' Roll leather wraparound

Out in the SoCal desert we are having too much fun with these wraparound bracelets.

Deb, our dear friend and fellow Bead Chick decided to create a wrap using two different sizes of metal Thai Silver beads and a very pretty red/coral leather. Well, I thought it was too good of an idea not to share and have made one with skinny black leather as a birthday gift for a friend. Elegant, yet tough chica looking don't you think? Can't wait to make one of my own!

Slip Knot Lariat

A new delivery of sparkling Swarovski Pandora style beads has come into the shop, so we are all putting our heads together and coming up with ideas on how to use them in other ways. I remembered this fun idea that was shared with our beading group, the Bead Chicks, from the talented Robin Cowart of wegotthebead.com. Of course, my end product has been tweaked a bit, I added the dangling bits and changed the construction but she planted the germ of an idea...and a good one, too! Taking a long enough chain to fit over your head, fasten a larger bead, here I used a silver cube bead at one end. Add more chain below the bead for fashionable interest and now you have a support structure for the large hole beads. I suppose you could do this for Dzi beads or other gemstones with a large hole. The caveat to remember is that the width of two chains, sliding inside the hole, must fit easily into the large hole beads. Now you can buy one or two colors each and wear multiples or switch them up to match your wardrobe! Later, I'll show you how beautiful the new interchangeable designer beads are going to look, instead of these cat's eye stand-ins. Fun...Fun...Fun