4th Goal completed...sort of (Liz)

The instructions for these beads are brilliant and they're really easy to make, but due to their small size they're incredibly fiddly! I can see why rubber tubing is used in the project now, they look great while on the straw but once you take them off they collapse. So I popped a couple of size 6 beads inside them to hold them in shape and added some silver Greek ceramic washers to keep them from sliding over the Swarovski crystals. This scuppered my plans to make a bracelet as I don't have enough washers so I decided to make just two beads and create a pair of earrings. As you can see I didn't use very much of my bead stash but at least I've made some use of the magazine!

2nd April Goal Completed -Sarah

I dug out a bag of hex beads and half a tube of matte frosted (one of my fave finishes) size 11's out of my stash late last week and was determined to bead until I had used them all up. I made strips of peyote which I zipped up and strung with strands between. I haven't explained that very well have I? I have a fair on Saturday so I am busy but after that I'll make another and take photo's and do some instructions because this was a really good stashbusting project! You can just keep going until all your beads have going, it's fun too. I actually counted and I had 5 seed beads left and 3 culls from the hex beads, result!

My 6th and 7th Goal/Projects Completed...

For my next goals/projects I wanted to enter a monthly challenge from the Art Bead Scene Blog. This month the challenge is about a wonderful painting of Paul Klee's. In fact, "Insula Dulcamara" is the largest of Klee’s finished paintings. If you'd like to read more about this, please go here. I also wanted to use some of my "Bead Stash" up while doing so.
I have many blues, greens, and turquoise beads and that's exactly the colors that I needed to make these next 2 pieces. So, I'd like to introduce:
"Inspired"

The gorgeous Steampunk Artbead/Cab was made by Beth at Bellesanbeaus Crafts. I was so inspired by the blues and greens in Klee's painting and also the primitive face, that through this gorgeous Artbead that Beth had made I feel it involked the very same feeling that I felt when I had seen Klee's painting.
Now my next goal/project is also for the monthly challenge. I'd like to introduce:
"The Colors of Klee"

This Artbead/Cab was made by Kristie-Lou Brigham at, Sculpted Windows Wire Wrapped Jewelry Journal. I felt that the wonderful colors that Kristie used to make this with the exclusion of the black are incorporated into this Artbead/Cab and matches so perfectly with Paul Klee's painting, also the moon to me signifies the half moons found in each corner at the top of Klee's painting.
Plus, I'm going to enter my Moon Dance because I feel in comparison to all the muted colors, the black made a bold statement and through Moon Dance I feel the contrast generated in the same boldness as in Klee's painting.
Then this week I'm going to be working on one last piece that I would also love to enter.
Thanks so much for stopping in and I hope that you have a beadiful day! So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

4th Goal (Liz)

Time to choose my next goal and I thought it was time that I made a start on those magazine back issues. Dragging the huge plastic box from under my bed, I stuck my hand in, closed my eyes and randomly picked out a magazine - out came the Feb 2007 issue of Bead & Button.

I've chosen to have a go at this Beads Cubed project designed by Marissa McConnell - I love to make beaded beads so this is right up my street! I've never made square ones before so this will be interesting and something new for me. I won't be using rubber tubing but I've got a few ideas on using the beads in this project to make a bracelet.

Welcome to all our new followers!

Welcome to all the new followers that have joined us this week. We are glad to have you here!

3rd Goal Completed (Liz)

Here's my finished bangle...well I'm calling it finished anyway! I had some problems getting my needle through to add the corner beads so I've only done this on the bottom row and left the top as it is. But I love my punky bangle and have called it Greenday :)

We are on Twitter!

I have set up an account for us over on Twitter, user profile OTTbeadstash! I love that it shortens to OTT, very apt! Please join in and follow us over there.

1st April Goal Completed(ish).

You may notice that my bracelet does not have the ruffles of the retro ruffles cuff. I was merrily brickstitching away for hours and hours and while I loved the project I realised that I have a few commitments that I need to get on with; a necklace for a forum swap, some little gifts for giveaway prizes at the next Vintage Pretty Fayre and 2 birthday gifts, as well as working out some new designs for April is Forever. So instead of putting it away, as I knew it would never get finished I simply added a row of picots on the edge and called it done. I still like it and will probably make the full version at a later date as the instructions for this are so good. I particularly like this style of fastening and will be experimenting with it in other designs.

5th Goal/Project Completed...

Hi, gosh it seems like forever since I posted last. I have to apologize but I haven't been feeling so swell and I've been somewhat on the busy side but...I'm happy to report that I have completed my 5th Goal/Project for "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash!"
I had so many black beads, and actually still do have quite a few left. But my good friend, Marie Segal from, Art from my Heart had made me a awesome Moon Face Cab from a friend of hers, Maureen Carlson's mold. You can find Maureen at Maureen Carlson's Center For Creative Arts. So I knew that I had to use up some of my black "Bead Stash" that I had.



Now I would like to introduce to you,
Moon Dance







Thanks so much for stopping in and I hope that you have a beadiful day! So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

2nd Goal Completed (Liz)

I had a lot of fun making this lariat and I'm really pleased with how it turned out! The stitch is incredibly easy to learn and definitely one I'll be using again in my work.



And here's what I've chosen for my 3rd goal, again from issue 21 of Bead magazine and again designed by Jean Power. I thought this bangle looked really punky!


I don't have a whole lot of dagger beads, most of what I do have came included in bead mixes. While I love the shape I never really know what to do with them apart from adding them to the end of fringes. I've had these emerald AB daggers for several years and found the colour tricky to pair up with any of my other beads, but they seemed destined to go with these mint Matsuno seed beads that I bought recently!

April goal - Progress!

My cuff is coming along nicely!I have just started the pattern section so it is fun. The instructions for this are really well-written and straight forward, so far I am really enjoying it.

New Goal For April

I trawled through all my mags and books late last night and decided on the cover project of Beadwork Feb/Mar 10. The project is called Retro Ruffles Cuff by Rachel Nelson-Smith. I started while watching the new Doctor Who and managed to do the ladder stitch base. I didn't have button in my stash and instead used a lovely 14mm rondelle. I have done quite a bit more of it today, it is going well, mainly because I am using single thread I think. The instructions do state double but as I learnt on my last piece, that just doesn't work for me!

Book Project Goal 1 -Fail!

I started my shadow wave necklace but decided to unpick the start when I was about 7 inches in but I don't know what happened I tried to cut it and things went pear shaped. I then decided to try the Terracita bracelet with some swarovski crystals and glass pearls that I have had for ages. I decided to use nymo but forgot how much I hate working with it doubled, so I have decided to stop working on it. I will look through my stash later for a new goal. Let's hope this one will be more successful!

2nd Goal (Liz)

For my second goal I've decided to use a couple of packs of bead mix that I've had for ages and at the same time make a project from the current issue of Bead (April/May 2010). The project I've chosen is an arrow chain lariat designed by Jean Power. I've never made a lariat before and never tried arrow chain either so both of these are a first for me.

The project looks great and will be perfect for using up bead soups. I'm making my own soup from the purple bead mix along with some drops, cubes and other seed beads in purples and greens. Yum, doesn't that sound tasty? I'm really looking forward to making a start on this, it's always exciting to learn something new!

1st Goal Complete (Liz)

Happy Easter to you all! Well I am pleased to say that I've completed my first goal and, even if I do say so myself, ended up with a lovely cuff for my sister! The design is a new tutorial from Lynn Davy which I thought would be perfect for using up some of the bugle beads I have and never use. I still have loads of those Navy Iris 15s left but I was happy to use some of them at last plus half a pack of twisted bugle beads, the rest of a pack of purple size 11s, some metallic silver beads and these gorgeous black and purple AB faceted beads that I seem to have had forever! I hope you like it.

Hello and my 1st goal

First of all, thank you very much to Sarah for having me! Well I think I should start by introducing myself. My name is Liz and I live in Monmouthshire, South Wales, with my family and three young cats, Thomas, Willow and Tabitha. I love creating with different crafts but my big passion is beading, which I've been doing for about 6 years now.

When I reorganised my beads recently I found a lot of packets and boxes of beads that I haven't even opened and used yet. Why do I have so many beads? Because I love them and can't resist buying them! My problem is that rather than buy just the beads I need for a project, I'll happily fill my online basket with all sorts of goodies just because they're pretty. It's the same with books and magazines, I buy them and look through them for inspiration but rarely do any of the projects inside.

The time has come to do something about it and I was really pleased to find that Sarah has set up this blog to do just that. My two goals are to make use of those unused beads - even using some from the pack will mean that they were worth buying in the first place - and also to get more out of my growing collection of beading books and magazines. I'm aiming to recreate at least one project from each magazine, hopefully more.

Here's where I keep my beads, divided by colour into separate drawers. Believe me, I've never been this organised before! I hope it lasts, I can find things so much quicker now.



My first goal is to use these beautiful size 15 Toho seed beads which I bought a long time ago and have yet to use. They're a gorgeous deep blue, called Metallic Navy Iris, and it's such a shame that they've just been lanquishing in the drawer all this time. I've decided to use them in a bracelet that I want to make for my sister and I'll post the result here very soon!