Update on Bobbi & An Apology for Slacking

Hi all,

Unfortunately Bobbi is back in hospital and scheduled for 2 more surgeries. I know you'll join with me in sending positive and healing thoughts out to her. We hope you get well soon Bobbi and can't wait to see you back in blogland. Thank you to Bobbi's friend Marie for updating me on Bobbi's condition.

I must apologise for my lack of presence here this month, I think I have bitten a bit more than I can chew this month or so! I have lots of things I want to post about but haven't had the time. I am writing a little schedule up tonight so I should be around more from now on.

In the meantime keep tackling that stash!

Sarah

First goal reached

I just finished a spiral rope necklace using those yummy reddish seed beads I posted about here. So, without further ado, here is my new necklace:



It looks slightly odd and lumpy to me, but it looks OK on. I don't think it's bad for a first attempt, anyway:



For my next goal, I was wondering about somehow making a flower using seed beads, as I have a challenge to complete for an online group, and the theme is 'flowers'. So, if anyone has any easy patterns/techniques that would fit the bill, I'd love to hear/read them.

8th Goal (Liz)

I bought these red & gold luster Toho triangles about four years ago at my very first trip to a major craft/bead fair. I didn't have many seed beads at the time and not a whole lot of knowledge about them either, so in a state of "OMG look at all the beads!" I just bought anything that looked pretty.

Quite a few of those tubes were triangles and after all this time I still don't really know what to do with them to bring out their, well, triangleness. Haven't decided what I'm going to make with them just yet but by the end of this week I want to see that tube empty!

Using Up The Stash - Project Link

If you have got lots of beads in a colour theme that you want to bust out of your stash, check out this link to the beautiful Falling Water Necklace tutorial on Paper N Stitch. Designed by Jenny Hoople from Authentic Arts, making this lovely should also make space in your bead box!
http://papernstitchblog.com/2010/05/25/falling-water-necklace-beading-tutorial/

June Goals - Sarah.

I thought that I would plan out the whole month's goals at the beginning for a change instead of making it up as I go along.

First up is this batch of lovelies which includes a half done necklace that I am going to frog and reuse the white/bronze Czech glass beads, bronze & white seed beads, Vintaj chain & bird link and brass wire.




I was reading Cindy Gimbrone's post about statement necklaces http://lampworkdiva.blogspot.com/2010/06/handmade-vogue-statement-necklaces.html
and decided that I would like to make one myself, I searched Etsy for some inspiration and decided that I would quite like a vintage look, so I scoured the book/magazine stash and found these, which I will use for further info, although I do want to design my own rather than use a pattern.


For my 2nd goal I have chosen my box of warm coloured delica's ( I have my beads sorted into warm/cool tones by size & type of bead, ooh get me! Can you tell I have way too many?). I want to complete my goal of 5 beaded pendants, so I have 3 left to make.


My 3rd goal, if I can get to it, is to make use of this lovely spiral book, I love spirals and this has some beautiful variations, I may make a bracelet or they have lovely ideas for earrings too.

That's quite a lot, so I'd better get to it!

Look, I can fit the lid on! Sarah

A couple of weeks ago, I was moaning to my friend Lisa that my stash did not seem to be going down at all. She said that I would notice it all at once, I'm glad to say she was right! When I started OTTBS this box would not close, there were probably another 5 takeaway boxes in there. After using up quite a bit, I have been able to merge containers together and now it all fits in! (In the interest of complete disclosure, I must admit that this is not all my stash just the downstairs one! I will tackle the rest when this one is sorted!)

Final May Goal Was A Bust!

I set myself the task of making 5 beadwoven pendants from my 3 boxes of delica's. I knew it wouls be hard but it was an impossible task for me last week! I did manage 2 pendants though, a butterfly and a heart.

Seed bead inspiration, please!

OK, so I have attempted to work with seed beads before, and have had limited success. But after seeing the gorgeous creations on this blog, I want to give them another go. And I found these beauties in my stash, just begging to be used for...something:


The beads are size 9/0 (apparently) and are a delicious shade of reddish-pink. They're making me think of summer berries, and raspberry ripple ice cream. :D

I need a simple-ish beginner's project really - maybe beaded beads? I would also love to be able to make a pendant from a ring like the ones used in Sarah's gorgeous necklace:



I thought I could make one of those rings and use it as a pendant, or make two smaller ones for earrings. Is it too complicated? What is that stitch even called?

See, I need your help, follower bead stash busters. :D Please suggest some nice, simple seed beads projects I could try. Thanks in advance!