July Moodboard - And the winner is...

Wow, we've had a fantastic response to the July moodboard with a whopping 24 submissions from 14 beaders! Thank you so much to everyone who has joined in with us this month. Before I show you all the beautiful beadwork that our readers and team made, here's a reminder of the mosaic of images that I posted for your inspiration.

Clockwise from left to right: Red Skies, Red Gold Curve,Gold Water,Superhero Honey.

Now for the beady eye candy!

Catherine




Mandy




Cat



Liz



Dee



Sarah




Amy



Lesley



Shyme Design...





Sigrid






Gloria



Shirley



Tamara



Sally



Maria



Gemma



I'm using Random.org to randomly choose a name from the list and the beader who is in 1st position is...



Congratulations Dee, you're the winner of this fantastic collection of beads from Yashma Creations!


Well I hope you've all enjoyed this months challenge, don't forget to drop by again tomorrow when I'll be posting the brand new moodboard for August!

Pattern Finds - Fringed Beaded Bead by Jade Dog Beads

I love projects that use up leftovers, those little bits and pieces left over from other projects. I generally use them to make rings but sometimes I would like to do something different and this gorgeous project by Darcy at Jade Dog Beads certainly fits the bill. I have followed Darcy on Facebook for a long time and have always loved her fringed beaded beads, so I love the thought of being able to make one myself!



Link to Darcy's shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/JadeDogBeads?ref=seller_info

I hope you like it as much as I do! I think it will make a fabulous summer accessory,the difficulty will be be in deciding what colour to make first!


Happy Beading!

Sarahx

July Moodboard - Weekly Update 3

We've had a huge amount of submissions since my last update post!

Sarah made a lovely bronze ring...



...and a gorgeous copper flower ring...



Amy created this fabulous Bonfire cuff...



Lesley made this gorgeous necklace based on a design by Lynn Davy...



We have three gorgeous pieces to share with you from Shyme Design...







Sigrid made a gorgeous Salsa ring...



...and an amazing star...



And Gloria created a beautiful necklace using her own polymer clay face...



There's still a week left so if you'd like to join in with us this month and be in with a chance to win a fabulous collection of beads from our sponsor Yashma Creations, please see the original post for details.

Stashbusting Idea - Flat Spiral Bracelet

Over at the Facebook Group we are all a bit bracelet obsessed this month as we are planning and making our swap bracelets, in fact 2 people have already finished theirs and I must say they are absolutely gorgeous, I'm sure their recipients' will be thrilled!

Over the last couple of years, I have been vaguely aware of a stitch pattern called Flat Spiral and always meant to try it, but never quite got around to it. However this Tuesday evening I needed something to keep me busy so I tracked down this great video by Karla from Aunties Beads,



It's great for using up 4mm and 6mm rounds or bicones, my version uses silver 6mm Swarovski Pearls, lavender opal 4mm fire polish and 2 colours of size 11's.

Catherine from our Facebook group likes to use flat spiral to bust small amounts of stash and to create these lovely pendants,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61909968@N06/5961808154/in/pool-1455268@N20
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61909968@N06/5961807682/in/pool-1455268@N20

Happy beading,

Sarahx

Pattern Finds - Beaded Bracelet Tutorial Chain Lace by Jewelry Tales

Welcome to our second pattern finds! The tutorial for this beautiful bracelet is by Cynthia of Jewelry Tales on Etsy. I have long been a fan of Cynthia's work ever since I first came across it on the old Bead and Button forums. Cynthia has an innovative and intriguing approach to beading and this tutorial is no exception! Suitable for intermediate to advanced beaders, this bracelet uses chain, crystals and seed beads to create a pretty and delicate bracelet with an unusual construction.

So if you are looking to try something different and use up a few seed beads and some curb chain, go take a look!

Happy beading,

Sarahx

July Moodboard - Weekly Update 2

Another three submissions to our July moodboard to share with you this sunny Monday (well it's sunny where I am!).

This gorgeous cubic right-angle-weave Fire Pendant is Cat's very first attempt at designing and also her first submission to a challenge...



Liz (that's me!) made an embroidered brooch using an orphan button and seed beads...



And Dee made this beautiful goldstone necklace...


If you'd like to join in with us this month and be in with a chance to win a fabulous collection of beads from our sponsor Yashma Creations, please see the original post for details.

Swaps Away!

Thank you to everyone who signed up to the swap! All partners have now been assigned and sent out. If you signed up but have not received an e-mail from me please get in touch.

I hope you all enjoy making your bracelets for your partners! I am already turning over ideas in my head for mine and am looking forward to getting started.

Just a reminder on some important details;

Bracelets should include 75% of items from your stash.
Bracelets must be posted to your swap partner by 8th August 2011.
Please e-mail me a photo of your finished bracelet to librabeader at gmail dot com, so that I can include them in the big reveal!

Happy Swapping!

Sarahx

July Moodboard Weekly Update 1

Just three days after the moodboard launch and we already have 3 gorgeous submissions to share with you!

Catherine made this beautiful Gaillardia pendant using a square rivoli, cylinders, seeds, charlottes and fire opal Swarovski crystals...



Mandy made this gorgeous interchangable Russian spiral necklace entitled Soaking in Mustard...



...along with a matching beaded bead that can be worn with the necklace. The bead is based on the "Luna Bead" pattern designed by Mu.



If you'd like to join in with us this month and be in with a chance to win a fabulous collection of beads from our sponsor Yashma Creations, please see the original post for details.

July Moodboard

Welcome to the July Moodboard! In complete contrast to June's cool blue and silver, I was inspired by the glorious summer sunshine to put together this mosaic of glowing images. We have warm red, burnt orange, deep yellow plus metallics in gold, bronze and copper. You can use any or all of these colours in your piece but we want to see at least one of the metallic elements included, this can be as beads and/or findings.


Submitting is easy! You can either email your photographs to me at thecrimsonmoon7@gmail.com or you can add them to our Flickr group pool. If you have a website, blog or an online shop that you'd like us to link to your name then please include it with your submission.

What can you make? Anything as long as it's made with beads! Any technique is accepted, from beadweaving and stringing to wire work and bead embroidery. Lampworkers and polymer clay artists are also welcome to submit pieces they've made.

We're happy for you to make something using a pattern from a book, magazine or tutorial but if you do please let us know the designer's name and where it was published, including a link if available, so that we can give full credit.

The deadline for entries is 6pm (GMT) on Sunday July 31st and as usual a prize will be awarded at random to one of our lucky entrants.

Speaking of which, we have a very special prize on offer this month! As you may have read in this post we have our very first sponsor, the divine Yashma Creations, who will be offering a wonderful collection of beads every few months.

This amazing Summer inpsired collection includes 4mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm Czech faceted beads, baroque beads, 2-way faceted coins, faceted glass charms, leaves, flowers, drops, rounds, daggers, all in beautiful shades of turquoise, teal, lavender and amethyst as well as nature inspired brass connectors.


We hope you enjoy this month's challenge and look forward to seeing your creations!