Quilted Crystal Cuff

  I couldn't resist making this beautiful cuff, pattern by Kassie Inman. It was featured on the cover of this month's Beadwork magazine. Of course, I used what i had handy and these brown marroon tone tila beads just happened to be on my bench. The 4mm Bicone Crystals are a mix of color; Amethyst Satin, Black Diamond, GriegeAB, BurgundyAB and Volcano. These bugle beads used might be 1mm longer than the pattern called for, however as a trial I used them anyway. It still worked out fine. The pattern calls for three rows across, I wanted a little more bling, of course, so added one more row...I think the next might be five rows across. It was a great pattern and I'm thrilled for Kassie, it's her second published pattern, look for more of her work on the Beaded Butterfly. What a fine accomplishment.

Old World Netted Cuff

This is one is for the record books! I think it has taken me five years to complete the finished product. How about a big cheer...one more UFO finished. Hey, it's a great accomplishment for such an ADD beader such as myself....oooh, look another shiny object over there!!!! I'm a crow for sure!

Well, the good news...These beautiful Oval Swarovki Crystals, #4127, are very popular right now.

Alot of bling for your wrist! The capture for this stone, in Fuchsia, is a little unique, first a right angle bezel , then an added peyote row...Next add a bit of Bicone crystal trim and a few picots edges with some very tiny 15/0'one cuts...which are tinier than the Japanese 15's...Of course, the seedbeads are hard to come by, vintage true cuts (somewhere between an 11 and 10) which I purchased at Monica's Quilt and Bead Creations about 7 years ago... I have a collection of some colors, it was easier to find them 5 - 10 years ago.

I'm most proud of the connection of bezel to netting...the focal piece is not just set on top of the bracelet...it's all built as one piece! really..how can that be???? well, stay tuned, secrets to be revealed in due time. Classes, of course, are the easiest way to get inside my head...HA-HA!

Oooh, wouldn't this be a pretty ring!!!! and a BIG one, Too! Hey, we'll see about that.

Chained Melody

Purple 1.5mm leather in Satin Hamilton Finish Sliver Rolo style Chain with a three loop clasp.

Pretty in pink 2mm leather in Gunmetal Black Rolo style Chain with three loop slide.

Coral 1.5mm leather in Antique Copper Rolo style Chain with a two snaps and extra beads.

Look at what fun a few feet of chain and leather can lead to! What could be simpler than weaving thru the loops??? This bracelet makes a fun, funky statement in a very modern way. Of course, a few tips always help, such as using your macrame board to steady the chain and knowing which end is next in the weaving process. Keep it steady and straight as she goes and you'll be finished in no time at all...Keep your eye open for an extra wide cuff in an industry ad in your favorite bead magazine, I think they used twelve rows of chain for the cuff...how'd they do that??? I'm off to figure that mystery out...more later when the answer comes!

Wire Knitz Cuff

All this prettiness in just a couple of hours! The beauty of Wire Knitz, a new wire knit product, from SilverSilk, is that is can be manipulated in so many ways. Look for a few new versions in the coming days. By adding little tiny "belt loops" at each end I can change the bracelets I wear with the cuff. Small Antique Brass snaps will be added to the outer edges to help hold the wide cuff in place.

This particular focal bracelet was created with a few simple twists of the wrist using wire wrapping techniques to hold the flat glass discs into place. The leaves were attached using headpins with lampwork glass as the heads, awesome eh? A very clever artist, Starr May created these for me...all of her other glass pieces may be seen at Monica's Quilt and Bead Creations in Plam Desert, CA.

His 'n' Hers wraparound Leathers

Ready to go! A simple strand or two of Campo Frio Mine Turquoise and a few feet of leather turned into a pair of nice cuffs for a special couple. Have had fun making these, except for the start which requires a lot of patience to handle loads of thread...gentle pulling , no breeze and no kitties or doggies scampering around! You could just keep on going until you ran out of beads.

Cuff 'em, Dano

Look at these beautiful examples of Bead Embroidered Cuffs. The bracelets in the photos above are being created by my Bead Chick Friends (and students:-) from the Great NW. Their first attempt at Bead Embroidery and they are showing such artistic promise! Notice the little beaded (3.4mm mini magatamas) drops in Cherryl's at the top, they will represent a cluster of grapes, in fact her whole piece tells a story. I love it when we can focus on a journey to tell and translate the thoughts into beads.

LuAnne's cuff, shown in the middle , has beadwork centered around a piece of gorgeous Austalian Opal, it'll be fabulous with denim jeans and a fun top..hey, for a chain mailler she can bead really fast! Very good transitions from one color to the next...notice the calming colors of this complementary color scheme.

Nancy's is a wonderful color study told in an analogous (colors side by side on the color wheel) colorway. She carried the lime green of the Caspite throughout the piece and anchored it all with the deep tones of navy and indigo. Another beader that comes to us from the world of wire and Chainmaille...They are all doing such beautiful work!