Operation Tackle That Bead Stash!

2012 Finish or Frog A Long - February Update

2012-03-02T13:27:00.007-08:00

I am pleased to report lots of progress this month on our finish or frog a long projects for February!

Dee finished her wonderful bracelet project designed by Jean Power,

Rebecca finished her Iced Pretzel necklace, "It may have taken me a couple of months, but I've finally finished it! I've attached a couple of pictures of my UFO. I've called it "Iced Pretzel". The sad thing is, now I've finished it, I don't really like it! The rope is CRAW, the bezel is netted, and edged with Swarovski pearls.

I lost one of my tulips, so made a quick leaf to go on one side of the spiral stitch lariat that I made. Of course as soon as I had photographed the necklace, I found the other tulip!

The lovely Clair from Obstinate Pursuit will be running the March Finish or Frog A Long while I deal with some family issues, thank you Clair!

Happy beading!

Sarahx

The March Challenge

2012-03-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the March challenge! This month I was inspired by two colours I saw next to each other in this Fashion Report from Pantone, Rhapsody and Titanium, which I've translated into Purple and Grey.

Floating Flowers

Don't be scared by the mention of grey! For the challenge, grey can be as deep as haemetite or as pale as silver (yes you can use silver for the grey!). And of course, there are many shades and tints of purple: lilac, mauve, violet, amethyst and magenta to name just a few.

Now here's the twist...the keyword for this month's challenge is Crystal so we'd like you to include crystals somewhere in your entry. This twist is entirely optional but if you choose to use the twist as well as the colour scheme then you will receive two entries into the draw!

How do I enter?
There are two ways...
1. Email your photographs to ottbs@bigstring.com
2. Or add them to our Flickr group pool.

Choose whichever way is easiest for you, you don't have to do both. If you add to the Flickr pool please make sure to mention that it's for the March Challenge in the description or title so we know that it's your challenge entry. We're happy for you to post your photos on our Facebook group as well but please make sure that you've also submitted as above. Entries that have not been emailed or added to the Flickr pool will not be accepted.

What can I make?
Anything as long as it involves 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 beads they've made.

Does it have to be my own design?
No. 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 so that we can give full credit.

What about findings?
Findings (clasps, earwires etc) are exempt from the colour challenge so you can use silver, gold or any other colour findings that fit in with your project. The same goes for things like spacer beads. As long as the main part of your design is in the colours for this month then that's fine.

When is the deadline for entries?
The deadline is 6pm (UK time) on Saturday the 31st of March.

Can I enter more than once?
You can make as many pieces as you like using the chosen colourway. All entries will be shown here on the blog but you will only be entered into the draw once (or twice if you've used the twist!).

I'm not in the UK, can I still join in?
Yes of course! We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK, you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

We're really happy to announce that Rachel from RB Beads will now be joining us as a sponsor and the prize this month is this wonderful collection of Miyuki seed beads and Swarovski crystals in fabulous metallic finishes! In the collection are 4 tubes of Delica beads, 2 tubes of size 15, 4 tubes of size 11, 2 tubes of size 8 and 100 Swarovski crystals.

The winner will be drawn by me (Liz) after 6pm on Saturday the 31st of March, using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on the same evening.

Good luck everyone and happy beading!

The February Challenge - And the winner is...

2012-02-29T11:24:00.004-08:00

A huge thank to to everyone who joined in with the February challenge, it looks like you all had a lot of fun with the blue and green colourway, and it was wonderful to see all the different shades you chose for your pieces.

Blue Morphs To Green

36 fabulous entries, not beating last month's of 37 but almost there!

Mary Kearney

Maureen

Dorisanne

Gaynor

Dee

Chris Furze

Nicole

Janice

Nancy

Chris Maj

Anna

Gill

Julie

Sarah Tucker

Lynsey

Maria

Carol

Karin
Design by Takako Samejima from Bead Fantasies

Danielle
Bead design by Gill Sloan in Bead & Button magazine

Carolyn

Stephanie

Sarah

Megan

Kirsten

June

Juliet

Emma

Mary Marshall
(Pendant design by Lynn Davy)

Jet

Jann

Donna
(Design by Lynn Davy)

Everyone who included the twist into their piece/s gets an extra entry into the draw.

Using Random.org to randomly choose a name from the list, the beader who is in 1st position is...

Cropped as it's so huge! The full Random result can be viewed here.

Congratulations Maureen, you're the winner of £15 worth of goodies from www.Jencel.co.uk

We hope you all enjoyed taking part in this month's challenge. Don't forget to check back tomorrow when we'll be launching a brand new challenge for March!

The February Challenge - Weekly Update 3

2012-02-20T01:00:00.004-08:00

Week three of our challenge and the entries are coming in thick and fast! As always, head over to the original post if you want to join in with us and be in with a chance of winning goodies from Jencel.co.uk

Nicole

Janice

Nancy

Chris Maj

Chris Furze

Anna

Gill

Julie

Sarah Tucker

Lynsey

Maria

And Carol

The February Challenge - Weekly Update 2

2012-02-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

We're halfway through our blue and green challenge now and here are some more gorgeous entries! If you'd like to join in with us, and be in with a chance to win £15 worth of beady goodness from Jencel then all you have to do is see the original post and get beading!

Maureen

Dorisanne

Gaynor

Dee

Chris

The February Challenge - Weekly Update 1

2012-02-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

A great start to our challenge with these two gorgeous entries from Mary and Ev! If you'd like to join in with us then please r ead the original post for details.

Mary

2012 Frog or Finish A Long - February Goals

2012-02-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the February Frog or Finish A long Goals, this month five of us from the Facebook Group have nominated projects to finish during the month.

Dee has carried over her Jean Power's kit from January,

Rebecca has also carried her rope over from last month,

Erika has chosen this bead embroidered cuff to work on in February, "I'm afraid I've got far too many UFOs. This one is a cuff bracelet that I started in Sept at a workshop with Laura McCabe. The picture isn't great as the leather it's on is actually a really pretty metallic plum colour. I've never attempted bead embroidery before and find it quite challenging. I really hope this will make me finish it!"

Gemma says, "I've had this bracelet on the go for what feels like forever. Its nearly done but I need some incentive to finish it as I'm bored with all the fringing. In fact I said I was going to finish it last year when we set beadbusting goals in May but I only managed a few extra rows. Bad Gemma! I'm calling it Anemone Cuff. Its based on the "Sea Urchin" project by Stephanie Burnham from the BWG journal 2006 and I probably started it that year so its high time I finished it! All I have to do is finish off the fringing in the 15s and find some sort of clasp."

I originally made these yellow tulips as earrings, but am just not that happy with them. They are quite small (and really tightly woven!)so I don't want to frog them but think they will be lovely on the ends of a lariat, so my project this month is to make the lariat rope and any other embellishments needed so that these will finally be part of a wearable finished object.

Check back later this month to see how we do.

Happy beading!

Sarahx

2012 Finish or Frog A Long - January Update

2012-02-04T07:59:00.001-08:00

Well, January has just whizzed by hasn't it! I can't believe it is already time to post the finish or frog along update.

Both Dee and Rebecca were super busy in January and unable to make much progress on their projects, I frogged mine as I did not have any more beads to complete the bracelet. But, drumroll please..............

Catherine finished her beautiful necklace, "Once I made the decision on the rope colours, the whole thing came together fairly quickly, with the peyote tubes done while watching Sherlock, and the double toggle (I didn't have a small clasp as the
instructions suggested, so I adapted a Laura McCabe component) made during my Lunch break. I did break a needle in the toggle tubes as they are quite tight! Now all I need is an occasion to wear the necklace!"

The projects for February will be posted soon,

Happy beading!

Sarahx

The February Challenge

2012-02-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

We were really pleased to see so many of you enjoying last month's challenge and adding the twist to your entries in conjunction with the colour scheme. We're going to continue with the theme of different colours and twists each month, but even though we want to challenge you, we promise it will never be too difficult!

February's challenge is to create something in blue and green...

Blue Morphs To Green

Now here's the twist...the keyword for this month's challenge is round so we'd like you to incorporate rounds or circles into your entry. This twist is entirely optional but if you choose to use the twist as well as the colour scheme then you will receive two entries into the draw!

A few ideas...you could use a round pendant or donut; include round glass, wood or pearls in your piece; bead embroider circles; add buttons etc. We're not counting seed beads as round unless you've created something round with them such as circular peyote, circular brick stitch, round beaded beads etc.

Remember you also have to use the blue and green colour scheme. No other colours please!

How do I enter?
There are two ways...
1. Email your photographs to ottbs@bigstring.com
2. Or add them to our Flickr group pool.

Choose whichever way is easiest for you, you don't have to do both. If you add to the Flickr pool please make sure to mention that it's for the February Challenge so we know that it's your challenge entry. We're happy for you to post your photos on our Facebook group as well but please make sure that you've also submitted as above. Entries that have not been emailed or added to the Flickr pool will not be accepted.

What can I make?
Anything as long as it involves 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 beads they've made.

Does it have to be my own design?
No. 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 so that we can give full credit.

What about findings?
Findings (clasps, earwires etc) are exempt from the colour challenge so you can use silver, gold or any other colour findings that fit in with your project. The same goes for things like spacer beads. As long as the main part of your design is in the colours for this month then that's fine.

When is the deadline for entries?
The deadline is 6pm (UK time) on Wednesday the 29th of February.

Can I enter more than once?
You can make as many pieces as you like using the chosen colourway. All entries will be shown here on the blog but you will only be entered into the draw once (or twice if you've used the twist!).

I'm not in the UK, can I still join in?
Yes of course! We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK, you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

I'm very pleased to announce that Celia from Jencel will now be joining us as a sponsor and the prize this month is your choice of beads from www.Jencel.co.uk up to the value of £15!

The winner will be drawn by me (Liz) after 6pm on Wednesday 29th February, using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on the same evening.

Good luck everyone and happy beading!

The January Challenge - And the winner is...

2012-01-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who took part in the challenge this month, we're pleased to see just how many of you embraced the twist and incorporated squares into your work. We had an astounding 37 entries this month, beating our record since the OTTBS challenges began!

Black and White.

Here's what you all made...

Janice

Helen

Maureen

Danielle

Annita

Gaynor

Stephanie

Cathy

Shirley

Lynsey

Carol

Donna

Ev

Julie

Anna

Stephanie

Rachel

Elise

Sarah Hall

And entries we've received in the past week...

Danielle

Sarah Goode

Kristen

Dorisanne

Jet

Gemma

Christine

Ericka
(Design by The Crafty Owl)

June
(Design by Debbie Van Tonder)

Diana

Carolyn

Veronica

Everyone who has incorporated the twist into their piece/s gets an extra entry into the draw. As I didn't mention whether particular beadweaving stitches were allowed I'm accepting cubic right-angle weave and square stitch as 'squares'.

Using Random.org to randomly choose a name from the list, the beader who is in 1st position is...

Congratulations Shirley, you're the winner of the gorgeous collection of beads from Yashma Creations!

Check back tomorrow when we'll be posting a brand new challenge for February with another fabulous prize!

Book Review - Artistic Seed Bead Jewelry By Maggie Roschyk

2012-01-27T02:05:00.000-08:00

As beading with seed beads is my favourite technique I have amassed quite a collection of books on the subject. But I have to say, this is one of, if not the best book I have on my shelf at the moment! With Artistic Seed Bead Jewelery, Maggie Roschyk takes you on a journey through the creation of the pieces in her book while teaching you how to translate the things you see around you into beautiful beadwork.

The first section, entitled Welcome to My World, talks about The author's creative process, where her inspiration comes from and how she chooses just the right beads for her projects. After a comprehensive look into what she keeps in her beading toolkit (and why), it’s on to the projects!

The 13 projects are varied and include many of the stitches we know and love – herringbone, peyote, brick stitch, right-angle weave and bead embroidery to name a few – but turned into wonderfully exotic and rich bracelets, cuffs, necklaces , pendants, earrings and a pin.

As you can see from the cover this isn't a book for beginners, but I think that someone with some beading experience and knowledge of the the basics could complete some of the projects with no problem. Far from being overwhelming, many of the projects are made by creating smaller components and joining them together.

The instructions for each project are comprehensive, including not only the usual supply list, clear instructions and diagrams but they also explain the inspiration behind the piece and why she chose those particular colours, beads or stitch. Among the collection of beautiful projects, my favourites include:

Helena Elements - a beautiful necklace made from square beaded components which would not look out of place around the neck of a Greek Goddess.
Blue Flame Pin - a bead embroidered brooch that employs a very interesting way of getting the design onto the beading foundation.
Poppy Pods Beaded Beads - a collection of five peyote beaded beads made with seeds and drop beads.
And of course the amazing Intergalactic Love Song necklace which features on the front cover.

Almost at the end of the book is the Techniques Review section, a handy guide to the techniques used in the projects. I particularly like the information about adding and ending thread as I find this is sometimes missing from most beading books.

The only negative I have about this book is that the author’s gallery at the end is way too small, I would have loved to have seen more of Maggie’s amazing work!

In a nutshell I think this is a fabulous book that’s full of encouragement and inspiration, glorious projects and page after page of beautiful photography.

I really wanted to complete one of the projects in the book to accompany this review, but as beading time was in short supply this month I only managed a small component! This is one of the beads from the Banded Carnelians Necklace which I really enjoyed making, even if my choice of colours leaves much to be desired ;)

Pattern Finds - Wireless Earrings

2012-01-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

I adore big hooped earrings, so when I saw these beauties by Cynthia Newcomer Daniel of Etsy Store Jewelery Tales, I almost swooned! These are definitely going on my list for the OTTBS Facebook group Earring challenge.

(as always click on the pic to go to the listing)

Happy beading!

Sarahx

The January Challenge - Weekly Update 3

2012-01-23T02:43:00.000-08:00

Some more gorgeous entries for this month's challenge!

Rachel

Elise

And Sarah

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

Pattern Finds - Chunky Cubes Steampunk Bracelet

2012-01-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

When I saw this striking bracelet pattern by Hannah Rosner of Good River Gallery on Etsy, I thought how perfect it would be in black and white for the January Challenge and of course as it is mainly made of cubes, you would even have the twist included, nice & easy! I think the diagonals would look just stunning in the strong combination of black and white.

(as always click on the pic to go to the listing)

Happy beading!

Sarahx

The January Challenge - Weekly Update 2

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another collection of wonderful entries for this month's black & white challenge!

Carol

Donna
(Design by Debbie Van Tonder)

Ev

Julie
(Using the open square from Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork)

Anna

And Stephanie

Pattern Finds - Elegance Earrings by Jaycee Patterns

2012-01-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

Some of us in the OTTBS Facebook Group Have taken up a challenge to make one pair of earrings a week for 2012 organised by Clair from the Obstinate Pursuit blog. 52 designs is a lot to come up with, so I thought I would start sharing some earring patterns here. This beautiful earring pattern by Jaycee Patterns on Etsy would be perfect for a special occasion!

(as always click on the pic to go to the listing)

Happy beading!

Sarahx

The January Challenge - Weekly Update 1

2012-01-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Week 1 and we've already had a fantastic response to our challenge. It's great to see so many of you embracing the squares! Here are the submissions we've received so far...

Janice

Helen

Maureen

Danielle

Annita

Gaynor

Stephanie

Cathy

Shirley

And Lynsey

2012 Finish or Frog Along - January

2012-01-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

I have lots of old UFOs (unfinished objects) lurking in boxes around the house that I really need to do something about! Knowing that I would not be on my own, I put a call out to our Facebook Group (Link top right) and asked if anybody wanted to join in with a 2012 Finish or Frog Along. The idea is that we pick one UFO a month and decide whether to finish it or frog it, I am hoping that I will either end up with 12 pieces of jewellery or a nice pile of pretty beads to make into something else! Luckily a few people were up for the challenge and here are the UFOs chosen to be either finished or frogged this month.

Rebecca is going to finish this gorgeous rope,"Here is my UFO! It's going to be a CRAW rope, with a pretzel shaped knot attached to the bezel. No idea what the stone is, but it's pretty... it looks like icing! The rope needs to be a lot longer, and I'd like to embellish around the cab a bit more... but I'll just see how it turns out!!"

Dee has chosen this stunning Jean Powers kit to finish,"Sadly my Jean Power bangle kit didn't get finished so here is the current state of play, which I hope to improve by the end of the month and get it finished."

In fact Dee has already made some progress!

This unfinished necklace from Catherine made me swoon, I can't wait to see it finished! Catherine says, "This is my version of Jill Devon's Moonshadow necklace in greens and golds, with some of my precious stash rivolis (it takes several different size ones, but different colours work well in pairs). I completed this part in August but still haven't got the rope done so I hope I can complete this in a reasonable time and even wear it this Spring/Summer.

My chosen UFO is this little piece of right angle weave. RAW is not my favourite stitch as it takes me too long, which is why I haven't finished this, even though I do really like the way it looks. I doubt I will finish it as a bracelet, but maybe use it as a focal in a necklace.

If you have a UFO that you would like to finish this month, please join in! Check back later this month to see how we get on.

Happy finishing!

Sarahx

Pattern Finds - Geometry Squared Bracelet by Kathryn Bowman

2012-01-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

With our January Challenge having the special twist of square, i thought now was the perfect time to feature this fabulous and unusual bracelet pattern from Kathryn Bowman aka 1beadweaver on Etsy. Using cube beads and square stitch to create components including, you guessed it, squares, this pattern ticks all the boxes!

(as always click on the pic to go to the listing)

Happy beading!

Sarahx

The January Challenge

2012-01-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our very first challenge of 2012! We are starting a brand new year with a little shake up of the challenge format which we hope you will all enjoy. Don't worry, the challenge is exactly the same - create something using beads in the colour scheme we've chosen - but we have also added a twist. And as you can see we're also going with a single image for your inspiration.

January's challenge is to create something in black and white...

Black and White.

Now here's the twist...we'd like you to incorporate squares into your entry. This twist is entirely optional but if you choose to use the twist as well as the colour scheme then you will receive two entries into the draw! A few ideas for this month...you could use cubes in your entry, use a square or cubed shaped pendant, beadweave a square shape, use square chain or findings etc. But remember you also have to use the black and white colour scheme. No other colours please!

How do I enter?
There are two ways...
1. Email your photographs to me at thecrimsonmoon7@gmail.com
2. Or add them to our Flickr group pool.

Choose whichever way is easiest for you, you don't have to do both. If you add to the Flickr pool please make sure to mention that it's for the January Challenge so we know that it's your challenge entry. We're happy for you to post your photos on our Facebook group as well but please make sure that you've also submitted as above. Entries that have not been emailed or added to the Flickr pool will not be accepted.

What can I make?
Anything as long as it involves 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 beads they've made.

Does it have to be my own design?
No. 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 so that we can give full credit.

What about findings?
Findings (clasps, earwires etc) are exempt from the colour challenge so you can use silver, gold or any other colour findings that fit in with your project. The same goes for things like spacer beads. As long as the main part of your design is in the colours for this month then that's fine.

When is the deadline for entries?
The deadline is 6pm (UK time) on Tuesday 31st of January.

Can I enter more than once?
You can make as many pieces as you like using the chosen colourway. All entries will be shown here on the blog but you will only be entered into the draw once (or twice if you've used the twist!).

I'm not in the UK, can I still join in?
Yes of course! We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK, you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

The prize this month is an amazing collection of Czech glass beads and charms from one of our sponsors, Yashma Creations!

The winner will be drawn by me (Liz) after 6pm on Tuesday 31st January, using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on the same evening.

Good luck everyone and happy beading!

This year's moodboards 4

2011-12-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

More beautiful entries we've had for our moodboards this year...

Callatya

Lesley

Carol

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all our readers! We hope you have a wonderful, peaceful and beady holiday season! With the big day nearly upon us here in the UK, I wanted to share with you these 3 beautiful ornaments that Gemma from our Facebook group beaded, aren't they gorgeous?

Happy beading!

Sarahx

This year's moodboards 3

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

Another collection of my favourites from past moodboards...

Sigrid

Gloria

Sarah

Beadalong Progress - Week 8

2011-12-17T02:18:00.000-08:00

Two beautiful completed projects to share with you this week!
Gloria has completed her fabulous necklace, "Finished at last! As I said in an earlier post; component based designs are difficult for me but I am happy that I finished this one. This will be winging its way into my sister’s xmas stocking – hope she likes it! Thanks for sticking with me."

Catherine has made her second gorgeous Stargazer Bracelet "I'm so pleased to say I completed the second version of 'Stargazer' by Laura McCabe in my own colours. This was begun at the class I took in September, and was put on hold while I made the kit version in blue/silver/purple. I opted to make a straight strip of units rather than the more complex initial version, as suggested by Jo Prowse. In the delicas and 15s I chose, all Miyuki brand, I found the units worked up very slightly smaller, so I needed a little more length at the end in the attaching loops of charlottes. It is a bit snugger fitting than the original, but very comfortable to wear."

Well done to everyone who completed their goals! I will try harder next time, I promise!

That's it for this beadalong but I'm sure that we will organise another sometime next year.

Happy beading,

Sarahx

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

Not too long to go now before the festive season is upon us, so I thought I would share some beautiful ornaments that some of our Facebook group members have made.

Ruth made this beautiful snow globe,"a small snowglobe inspired piece, based on Judy Walkers beaded sphere (I modified the construction slightly) with a 3d penguin I found on the bead an button website."

Mary made these beautiful red and green sparklies,

Nancy sent in a picture of these beautiful ornaments that she made from patterns originally designed by Paula Adams and gifted to some very lucky friends!

I finally broke down after many years of refusing to make ornaments and beaded this simple netted cover. Once I worked out the bead counts, it was a lot of fun.

Happy beading!

Sarahx

This year's moodboards 2

2011-12-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

More gorgeous entries from this year's moodboards!

Mandy

Catherine

Eleanor

Stashbusting Beadalong Progress Week 7

2011-12-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

Some great progress this week from Cathy and Gloria!

Gloria says, "More progress made and this is turning into a labour of love for me. I really struggle with component based designs and this design has loads of components. As you can see I have now completed six (and a bit) lockets. They are quite fiddly to make but look good when completed. Stay with me guys – this is gonna get finished!"

Cathy has completed this beautiful set, "It's finished! Plus there were enough beads left over to make a set of earrings."

Happy beading,

Sarahx

This year's moodboards 1

2011-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some of my favourites from this year's moodboard entries!

Carol

Helen

Maria

Quickie Facebook Challenge

2011-12-02T05:27:00.000-08:00

By popular demand we're having a quickie moodboard challenge for December! There's no prize this month and I won't be posting the usual weekly updates. It's all taking place on our Facebook group, all you need to do is post your photos on there for the rest of the group to see! Do join in with our busy and chatty group if you haven't already, it's a lot of fun :)

Just one image for this challenge, something warm to ward off the December chill...

Photo by Moyan Brenn

November Moodboard - And the winner is...

2011-11-30T09:49:00.000-08:00

We've done it again! Yes, we've beaten last month's record with a whopping 28 entries! Thanks to everyone who joined in with us for the November challenge and well done all of you on your amazing work :) As always here's a reminder of the challenge we set at the beginning on the month...

Clockwise from top-left: Poppies 5, Lemmie and Peggy Day, Ornaments 1, Red on Green.

And here's all the beautiful entries...

Lesley

Mary Kearney

Carol

Jet

Helen

Evelyn

Dee

Danielle

Catherine

Janice

Shirley

Amy

Nancy

Sarah

Mary Marshall

Dee (Wingsmith)

Liz (pattern is the bead base from Laura Shea's project in Bead & Button issue 106)

Zoe

Chris

Donna

Gill

Carolyn

Kelly (using the Trillium pattern in Shaped Beadwork by Diane Fitzgerald)

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

Congratualions Carol, you're the winner of Helen's gorgeous set of lampwork beads!

We're taking a break from the Moodboard challenge in December and we'll be back with a brand new challenge on January 1st. Throughout December I'll be posting some of my favourite entries from the challenges we've had this year each Monday :)

Stashbusting Beadalong Progress Week 6

2011-11-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well I am ashamed to say that I have thrown in the towel with mine! After the twist annoyance last week I have now lost the book I was working on and am in a proper bad mood, so it is going in the bin! Both Cathy and Gloria have put beading on the back burner this week but we have two finished projects! Well done to Catherine and Jo, they are both beautiful projects!

Catherine - I had a good long session at the Starburst bracelet yesterday, in between the chores, and managed to finish! There was a single casualty in the central join where a charlotte burst on the final reinforcement pass. I had to leave it as there was no way I could even unpick it! I left the final peyote tubes off the ends of the project and joined the slide clasp via 2 loops of charlottes on doubled thread. The attached picture is of the finished beadwork without the clasp, spot the missing charlotte! Wore it and tested doing up and undoing, and I hope it will be sturdy enough! Now I am making the second version of this for myself in the (stash) beads I selected, rather than a kit from Laura. The attached picture is of the finished beadwork without the clasp. Thanks for organising the beadalong Sarah, and I'll keep showing progress on the second version!

Jo - Yay, I've finished. Have really enjoyed this project and joining the challenge has really spurred me on to get it done. The only thing left to do is to dunk it in warm water to get rid of the wax which Laura advises and does with all her pieces that are made with Fireline. Not quite sure I'm brave enough to do it though....
Thanks for setting the challenge Sarah. It's been fun :-)

Happy beading,

Sarahx

November Moodboard - Weekly update 3

2011-11-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

Week three of our moodboard already! Never mind, there's still plenty of time to enter if you haven't already. See the original post for details :)

Now onto the fab collection of submissions I have to share with you this week...

Dee made this gorgeous lampwork fish...

Evelyn Shelby made two beautiful necklaces. One using copper as her red with cat's eye beads...

and glass leaves are the focal on this piece...

Danielle made an amazing 3 dimensional gift in Cubic right-angle weave using size 11 seed beads...

Catherine made a beautiful bead embroidered strawberry...

Janice made a lovely necklace using glass beads with copper chain and clasp...

Shirley made a fab necklace entitled Holly Kisses using Beth Stone's 2 bead spiral technique.

Inspired by a Northwestern US wildflower, Amy Robinson has made a wonderful pouch that she's named Indian Paintbrush. The bead embroidery features an elk's tooth and it's attached to a leather pouch...

Nancy made a beautiful Garnet Garden cuff using seed beads in olive and garnet...

Another entry from Carol and this time she's made a gorgeous snowflake bracelet...

Sarah also made a bracelet with a beautiful design in peyote stitch...

Mary was inspired by Jill Devon's Bramble kit to make this amazing little bouquet using her own design of flowers and leaves...

And Dee made a beautiful pendant using seed beads in cubic right-angle weave encapsulating a Swarovski crystal heart...

Well I hope you've enjoyed this week's round up! I'm skipping next week's Monday post but don't forget to check back on Wednesday evening when I'll be announcing the winner :) Until then, happy beading!

Stashbusting Beadalong Progress Week 5

2011-11-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to week 5 of the stashbusting beadalong. I am afraid that I am still sulking over the twisted herringbone incident of last week and haven't even looked at mine, I promise to do better next week! Catherine says the dog ate her beadwork! Wish I'd thought of that one, lol but will be beading tomorrow. Poor Cathy has hurt her hand, hope it heals quick Cathy!

We do have some progress though!

Jo is putting me to shame with her necklace strap! "1st half of the strap almost done! I love the herringbone start Laura uses. I never did get on with the ladder stitch start. The end caps are so easy to do and they look like they are snuggling around the pearl which gives a really neat finish."

And Gloria says "Some progress made this week. All components made now with three of the lockets completed. Six more to go................................"

Happy beading,

Sarahx

November Moodboard - Weekly Update 2

2011-11-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Well here we are with another update for the November moodboard. Another three gorgeous entries to share with you today...

Carol made this wonderful poppy brooch using a pattern from Threadabead.com...

Jet made a beautiful Cherry Caterpillar bracelet...

And Helen made a set of lampwork beads...

...and a cute piggy...

If you'd like to join in with us then please read the original post for details!

Stashbusting Beadalong Progress Week 4

2011-11-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Week 4 of our stashbusting beadalong has a mixed bag of progress!

First up is Gloria, who says, "Not much to report but making slow progress. I have to make a total of nine round connectors (done); nine rivoli lids and nine delica boxes – so as you can see from the photo I am on the way!"

Cathy is doing really well with her bracelet, "Lots of progress this week! The third Ndebele strand is stitched and added to the others, and one end cap is done. The end cap uses 2 elements found in the April Showers necklace Sarah is making, a pagoda and a bellflower. All that's left to do now is the other end cap and the toggle clasp. And, hmmm....maybe matching earrings?"

No pictures from Catherine this week but lots of progress, "no pictures this week but I can report that I have now got the two 3 unit sections made, so just the central pair and the more complicated join to do. I did find making the two flowers simultaneously saved time, so can recommend that, especially if you leave the needle threaded on each unit (if you have enough needles of course). Will send a photo when I find the recharger for the camera battery!"

Jo has no progress this week, "Really sorry but it's a big fat fail for me this week. Haven't even touched it! Please do not put me in the naughty corner and I promise to try and catch up next week."

And I thought I had progress on my April Showers necklace but tonight realised that I had done 3 inches of the necklace strap in twisted herringbone instead of normal and have had to rip back, so no photo's from me either!

Happy beading!

Sarahx

Earring Reveal 6

2011-11-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long for the next reveal, I have been experiencing technical difficulties! I am back now with a whole host of beautiful beaded earrings for you to enjoy though.

Faye to Jo
Faye used these gorgeous flower beads for her day earrings

and adapted a necklace pattern for these stunners!

Clare to Catherine
Clare beaded these lovely earrings from the Dainty Dianthus design by Cynthia Newcomer Daniels

and also these lovely circles

Gemma to Norma
Don't you just love the colour of these beaded beads?

These pretty square earrings were adapted from am pattern in Creative Beading Volume 4 by Dulcey Heller

Norma to Gemma
Nora sent these lovely wirework earrings,

Mary to Nancy
Beautiful butterflies to flutter in the day,

and gorgeous red flowers by night,

Happy beading!

Sarahx

November Moodboard - Weekly Update 1

2011-11-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

We're a week into our challenge already, where does the time go? We have two gorgeous entries to share with you this week.

Lesley made an amazing 3D watermelon...

And Mary Kearney made a beautiful braclet in right-angle weave using teal and raspberry seed beads embellished with cream pearls...

If you'd like to play along with us this month and be in with a chance to win a gorgeous set of lampwork beads from Lala Lampwork - as well as showing off your wonderful creations to our readers - then please see the original post for details.

Stashbusting Beadalong Progress 3

2011-11-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I am hanging my head in shame, as I have no progress on my April Showers necklace to this week, I seem to have been a bit hectic! Luckily, the other ladies do have some progress to report.

Despite an accident, Jo's Orb pendant is finished, she says "Not much progress this week due to unforeseen leg injuries but the orb pendant is finished after weaving off 11 of the 2 tails! Just the bail to go now and then on to the neck strap."

Poor Gloria is still sick, "Very little progress from my sick bed! Glad we have another 7 weeks til Christmas."

Cathy's bracelet is coming along nicely, "The second Ndebele strand completed and attached to the first."

Catherine has new approach to her kit "Week 3 progress: I decided that putting all the beads from the kit away each time was putting me off, so decided to make a special case for the work in progress. I cut a beadmat to fit an A4 hard folder,
and now I can close it with the beads inside, and still see it. I also decided that having to put away one color, and changing colour every round meant I slowed down too, so decided to bead the next two units simultaneously, so I have done the first steps using cylinder and 15s for both we shall see if this helps by the amount of progress"

Aren't they all looking lovely?

Happy beading!

Sarahx

November Moodboard

2011-11-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the November Moodboard! As we're approaching that time of year I thought we should have a bash at the traditional festive colour combination of red and green. But that doesn't mean your piece has to be Christmas themed! There's an abundance of different shades of greens to choose from such as olive, moss, forest, lime, bottle, apple and jade and a profusion of reds including cherry, ruby, burgundy, chestnut, orange-red, brick and terracotta. And don't forget that you can also take inspiration from the images themselves!

Clockwise from top-left: Poppies 5, Lemmie and Peggy Day, Ornaments 1, Red on Green.

Submitting is easy! You can either email your photograph/s to me at thecrimsonmoon7@gmail.com or you can add them to our Flickr group pool. If you do add it to the Flickr pool please make sure to mention that it's for the November Moodboard. 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, either in your email or in the description of your Flickr photo. Also include with your submission a few words on the techniques and materials used.

What can you make? Anything as long as it involves 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 (UK time) on Wednesday November 30th and as always a prize will be awarded at random to one of our lucky entrants. We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK, you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

Up for grabs this month is this gorgeous set of artisan lampwork beads beautifully handcrafted by Helen Mitchell of Lala Lampwork!

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

Sadly, this is the last moodboard of the year as we'll be taking a break from the challenge in December. But there'll still be Monday posts throughout December where I'll be showing some of my favourite submissions from the past year :)

October Moodboard - And the winner is...

2011-10-31T03:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who joined in with our October Moodboard. I'm pleased to tell you that we've broken our record with a fantastic 27 submissions so it looks like you all had a blast with our colour scheme of red, white and aqua! Just before I show you all the wonderful creations that were submitted, let's have a recap of the lovely mosaic that Clare put together...

Left: Heart Mobile. Right, top to bottom: Blanket-WIP, aqua and red buttons2, Gathering materials

And here's what everyone made...

Janice

Gill

Cathy Cohen

Lesley

Lynsey Brooks

Kitty Ballistic

Kimmy

Carol

Anna

Chris Maj

Julie Bell

Evelyn Shelby

Carolyn Lawson

Liz

Sarah

And here's the latest submissions...

Dorisanne made a beautiful necklace using chain, glass beads and beaded beads which she made herself following my mini bead tutorial...

Jane Turnbull made a gorgeous pair of earrings from seed beads using the beginning of Teresa Meister's Floral Chandelier pattern from Beadwork Oct/Nov 10...

Tiia Nurmi made a pretty slave bracelet using seed beads (a bit naughty as the challenge was to use all three colours!)...

Lynsey Brooks submitted another piece, this time she created a gorgeous peyote cuff with polymer clay flowers...

Tracy made a lovely asymmetric necklace using a mix of beads including wire mesh, clay, vintage and agate...

Catherine made a beautiful necklace strung with seed beads, crystals and a lampwork heart...

Jet Kosanke created some fabulous right angle weave 'biscuits' which she combined with peyote and foiled glass beads to make a bracelet...

...as well as a lovely pendant using Gwen Fisher's Super RAW...

Carrie made a lovely bracelet and earrings set...

Gaynor made a gorgeous bracelet with turquoise chunks...

And Dee made a lovely necklace, bracelet and earrings set...

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

Lesley! Congratulations Lesley, you're the winner of the amazing bead collection from Yashma Creations!

I hope you've all enjoyed this months colour challenge, don't forget to pop back tomorrow for the start of the November moodboard challenge :)

Earring Reveal 5

2011-10-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

For our earring reveal today, we have these 2 beautiful pairs made by Kim for Aster.
The daytime earrings are raw with Swarovski bicones and the night earrings are bezelled rivoli's embellished with bicones and beetle wings.

Happy beading,

Sarahx

Stashbusting Beadalong Progress 2

2011-10-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to update 2 of the stashbusting beadalong and I am happy to have some great progress to share with you! Poor Gloria has been sick this week so has no progress but will be back with us soon and we have a new participant joining us!

Cathy says "The "3 Strand Ndebele Bracelet" is another fascinating design by Laura McCabe. The herringbone variations caught my eye, and it looked like a project I could do successfully. I've had the kit for awhile, but it's been languishing in my stash - maybe it's all the 15°s!"

Catherine - "Not so much, but made another flower, and did the join with 2 of the
first flowers. Starting to look like a bracelet now!"

Jo says "This week I have mostly been distracted by CRAW but I did manage to get some of my project done. I bezelled the two points and have joined the rivoli's and added one point to the top. It looks a bit like a Portuguese Man O War at the moment as you have to keep all the threads attached until the end as they are used to join and embellish the components. It's been a bit tricky making sure that all the joining tabs are in the right place but overall this kit has been pretty straight forward so far!"

I have been having fun making the pagoda embellisments, they are addictive! I have 7 on mine and left off the drops. I am now ready to start on the strap, I think I will using mainly 11's though, I have pretty much had enough of 15's already!

Happy beading!

Sarahx

Pattern Finds - Perfect Evening Earrings

2011-10-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Our last pattern finds for this month is the tutorial for these very beautiful earrings by Nancy Dale (NEDBeads on Etsy). Nancy is an active member of our Facebook Group and is currently converting people to cubic raw! These stunners are made using peyote stitch though. I really must treat myself to a pair of rivolis!

As always, click on the pic to be taken to the listing.

Happy Beading!

Sarahx

Earring Reveal 4

2011-10-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

Lots of lovely earrings have been landing through the letter boxes this week! We have another 6 pairs to drool over today!

First up from Catherine to Clare,

Next from Rachel to Vickie,

These beauties are from a pattern by Nancy Dale (NEDBeads on Etsy)

And from Vickie to Rachel,

Aren't they all gorgeous?

Happy beading,

Sarahx

October Moodboard - Weekly Update 3

2011-10-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the last update for October, next Monday's post will be our round-up and winner announcement! But there's still plenty of time to join in, just see the original post for details and get beading :) Now, onto this week's submissions...

Carol made a gorgeous Concave Quad beaded bead pendant from a pattern by Glendale MacNaughtin of Dax Designs...

Anna made a beautiful ring in circular brick stitch using seed beads and glass pearls...

Chris Maj made a gorgeous spiral rope necklace with a removable pendant featuring a rococo silver stamping piece...

Julie Bell made a gorgeous RAW bracelet embellished with Czech seed beads, mother of pearl, coral and turquoise heishi. Inspired by the 60's and the Southwest USA, she's named it Mod West...

Evelyn Shelby made a pretty and very clever interchangeable necklace and earrings set using twisted rectangles, twisted bugle beads, seed beads and pearls...

Carolyn Lawson made a lovely two-strand necklace and earrings set using rondelles, fire polished rounds, diamond shaped white opal beads and gold seed beads...

Liz (that's me!) made a Union Jack bracelet in peyote stitch using Delicas and waxed cotton cord...

...and a beaded bead using seed beads...

And finally, Sarah made gorgeous triangle earrings using Delicas and crystals...

Night and Day Earring Reveal 3

2011-10-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

I have more beautiful eye candy to share with you from our Earring Swap today!

Lesley sent these 2 beautiful wirework designs to Gill,

Dee sent these beadwoven beauties to Christine, the long pair are from an original Design by Deborah Roberti

I was lucky enough to receive these beautiful earrings from Donna, my two favourite colours!

Thank you to everyone who is participating in the swap, we are all having fun!

Happy beading,

Sarahx

Stash Busting Beadalong Progress 1.

2011-10-21T02:28:00.000-07:00

Gosh that week has gone so quickly! I hope you have all been enjoying the earring reveals, I know I have, such gorgeous work and more to come!

I am happy to have some great progress to report and also a new goal from Gloria! Check out the pictures below.

Gloria is joining this week and this what she has to say about her goal - I was lucky enough to get a place on a Laura McCabe workshop held in Scotland during September. The workshop that I attended was for Laura's Treasure Necklace. This is a really special necklace made up of 9 beaded lockets - each of which open up to reveal a small box. Techniques include herringbone and peyote stitch with embellishment. I didn't get much done during the workshop - I was enjoying the company too much!! The OTTBS progress blog has given me all the inspiration I need to actually finish this piece - thanks!

Catherine - Here is the first week's progress on Laura McCabe's Stargazer bracelet. I have a full time job and a son of 13 so bead time can be a bit sporadic. I'll often go for a 'quick fix project' so I have a finished item fairly quickly, but component based projects like these are also good! Where I usually stall is in the 'joining up and finishing', so I may need more encouragement there!

Sarah - I furiously beaded last weekend while watching Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor and was surprised by how much progress I made. I have completed most of the focal, this weekend I will make the Pagoda embellishments and the focal will be complete. I have made a few adjustments to the colour way as I go along, but I am pretty happy with it so far.

Jo - Not much beading time but stage 1 is complete! 4 sparkly bezelled rivolis. The next step is to bezel the points which is something new for me so will try and get that done this week!

Check back with us next week!

Happy beading,

Sarahx

Pattern Finds - Parisian Beadwoven Earrings

2011-10-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well since we are in the middle of our earring swap, I have them on my mind at the moment! These Parisian Beadwoven Earrings from Peyote Bead Art on Etsy are just so gorgeous, I knew I had to share them here, and of course they would make perfect stocking fillers! As always, click on the picture to be taken directly to the listing.

Happy beading!

Sarahx

Night and Day Earring Reveal 2

2011-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have a bumper crop of earrings to share with you today! No less than 6 beautiful pairs of earrings.

Rebecca made this beautiful pair of Day earrings for Carol from a pattern by Diane Fitzgerald

These gorgeous Night earrings, deigned by Ellad2 were also from Rebecca to Carol.

Gill made these stunning Rivoli Day earrings for Lesley.

Gill also made these gloriously bling Night earrings,

Jo made these gorgeous Pheasible Knot Day Earrings for Faye.

and also these stunning cubic raw Night earrings.

I am so impressed with the individuality and talent shown in all these earrings, I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!

Happy beading,

Sarahx

October Moodboard - Weekly Update 2

2011-10-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another weekly update, we have some more fab submissions for the October moodboard to share with you today!

Gill Hardbattle made a gorgeous necklace using Hatsumi Oshitani's pattern from the Oct/Nov 2011 issues Beadwork...

Cathy Cohen made a beautiful bracelet...

Lesley created a wonderful patchwork effect cuff...

Lynsey Brooks made a beautiful ring from polymer clay...

Kitty Ballistic made a gorgeous necklace...

And Kimmy made a beautiful necklace with ribbon and seed beads...

Thanks to everyone who has joined in with us so far, it's great to see so many of you having fun with this colour scheme!

If you'd like to play along with us this month and be in with a chance to win a gorgeous collection of beads from Yashma Creations then please see the original post for details.

Day & Night Earring Reveal 1!

2011-10-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

I am excited to share our 1st earring swap reveal with you! Carol was very quick off the ball with these beautiful earrings that she has made for Rebecca. I am a big fan of the spinning top beaded beads by Bead Infinitum and the heart earrings are so elegant for the evening!

Day

Night

Happy beading!

Sarahx

Stash Busting Beadalong!

2011-10-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

This week I have been flicking through my copy of Laura McCabe's fabulous book Embellished Beadweaving and deciding that it really is time for me to actually make something from it. I decided and I would try the April Showers Necklace using stash beads and that I would set myself a goal of finishing it by Christmas. I mentioned this on our Facebook group and luckily a couple of our members have decided to join me and have set goals too, we will post our progress on a weekly basis, hopefully this will keep us motivated!

Here is a photo of the April Showers Necklace and the beads that I have chosen, I don't have a huge selection of size 15's, as I really don't like using them so I am using 4 colours of those instead of 5 and I am using drops instead of magatema's. The colour combo isn't one I would generally choose but I do think it will be very rich and a great Christmas necklace.

Jo is making this lovely Orb Kit and says "I actually have 2 of these gorgeous orb kits as I requested a different colourway from the usual goldstone and the lovely Laura McCabe kindly gave me several to choose from. The custom cut points in the kit are Norweigan Moonstone and they have iridescent flashes in them similar to labradorite. They have been matched perfectly with the monotone palate of beads that Laura has chosen to compliment them. I've only had this kit for around a month but it was already languishing in my bead box which is hidden away in the understairs cupboard. Hopefully by agreeing to keep Sarah company on this Christmas project my lovely necklace may even get worn this year!"

Catherine says "Here's a picture of the Laura McCabe bracelet kit I want to complete
for my Mum by Christmas, it's the class I did in September called Star Gazer. I haven't even opened the packets yet, as in the class I was working on a different version for myself. I know I CAN complete this, but need a little encouragement to keep me going to completion. The colours in this are Mum's favourites so I hope she will like it although she rarely wears jewellery that isn't rings or earrings. It should be really sparkly. I am going to be sneaky when I see her next to get a wrist measurement"

This beadalong has turned into a bit of a Laura McCabe-along! I can't wait to see the progress that we make. Thank you so much to Catherine & Jo for joining in!

Happy beading!

Sarahx

October Moodboard - Weekly Update 1

2011-10-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Our first submission to the October moodboard is this gorgeous necklace and earrings set from Janice...

Thanks for joining in with us again Janice!

If you'd like to play along with us this month and be in with a chance to win a gorgeous collection of beads from Yashma Creations - as well as showing off your wonderful creations to our readers - then please see the original post for details.

Day & Night Earring Swap - Sign ups closed

2011-10-08T02:02:00.000-07:00

Well sign up is now closed for the swap and in total we have 20 swappees, what a great response, thank you to everyone who signed up!

Main Swap Details

Sign up by 7th October 2011
Contact partner for details etc by 14th October 2011
Send out your 2 pairs of earrings by 29th October 2011
Email partner and me once you have received your earrings.
Add your photo's to Flickr once you know your partner has received her earrings.

Partner e-mails have been sent out, so if you have signed up & haven't heard from me, please e-mail me on librabeader at gmail dot com

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Happy swapping!

Sarahx

Night and Day Earring Swap

2011-10-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

It’s time for a new swap! As the theme for this month is stocking fillers, I though that an earring swap would be in order, as earrings are the perfect stocking filler! This swap is for 2 pairs of earrings, 1 suitable for day and 1 suitable for night and I am specifying sterling silver earwires so that we don’t have to worry about allergies.

Sign up is open from today to 12.00 midnight Friday (BST) 7th October. To sign up, please e-mail me on librabeader at gmail dot com by 12.00 midnight 7th October.
Partners will be notified on 8th October and posted here then too.

This will be a straight partner to partner swap. I will send you your partners name and e-mail address. Once you have your partners contact details, please get in touch with them during the following week for postal addresses and likes/dislikes, though please still keep your pattern choices secret so that everyone gets a lovely surprise. Once you have received your earrings, please e-mail me and your partner so that we know they have arrived safely.

Please post your 2 pairs of earrings by Saturday 29th October and add photo‘s of your finished earrings to the Flickr Pool (link at top right) when you know that your partner has received them. If you have any problems such as being unable to contact your partner, or being unable to post on deadline please let me know and I will try to contact your partner.

Your 2 pairs of earrings can be made either from your own pattern or from a pattern by another designer, but please credit the designer in you description on Flickr.

Main Swap Details

Sign up by 7th October 2011
Contact partner for details etc by 14th October 2011
Send out your 2 pairs of earrings by 29th October 2011
Email partner and me once you have recieved your earrings.
Add your photo's to Flickr once you know your partner has received her earrings.

Here are a few patterns from members of the OTTBS facebook group on Etsy for a little bit of inspiration.

As always, click on the pics to be taken to the listing,

Lila Earrings by NEDBeads (Nancy Dale)

Starlet Earrings by The Crimson Moon (Liz Reed)

Peacock Feather Earrings by April Is Forever (Me!)

Layered Leaf Earrings by Jane Lock

Happy swapping!

Sarahx

October Moodboard

2011-10-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the October moodboard! This month I'm using a mosaic that Clare put together - gorgeous aqua, red and white. A bit more of a challenge than usual but I hope you will all have fun with it! As always there is a myriad of textures, shapes, patterns and materials that you can use as your muse or simply take inspiration from the colours themselves...

Left: Heart Mobile. Right, top to bottom: Blanket-WIP, aqua and red buttons2, Gathering materials

Submitting is easy! You can either email your photograph/s to me at thecrimsonmoon7@gmail.com or you can add them to our Flickr group pool. If you do add it to the Flickr pool lease make sure to mention that it's for the October Moodboard. 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, either in your email or in the description of your Flickr photo.

What can you make? Anything as long as it involves 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 (UK time) on Monday October 31st and as always a prize will be awarded at random to one of our lucky entrants. We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK, you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

The prize this month is this amazing collection from our sponsor Yashma Creations! Included in the prize is everything you see in the photo: flowers, leaves, round lentils, square lentils, rondelles, rounds, baroques, small daggers, pressed nuggets, table cut 3-dot oval beads and of course the wonderful brass stampings - plus an extra surprise of some more fabulous beads that Yashma Creations are awaiting a delivery of!

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

September Moodboard - And the winner is...

2011-09-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who joined in with our September moodboard, you all came up with such wonderful designs and a great mixture of pieces: cuffs, bracelets, brooches, earrings, pendants, necklaces and rings. Before I announce our lucky winner, here's a reminder of the challenge we set at the beginning of the month...

Clockwise from top-left: Autumn Treasures Ripe, Summer's Bounty, Beau, Pink Leaves.

And here's what everyone made!

Sarah

Anna

Janice 1

Tracy

Catherine

Dee

Jet

Janice 2

Faye

Carol

Dorisanne

Callatya

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

Congratulations Jet, you're the winner of Sarah's fabulous kit!

Well I hope you've all enjoyed this months challenge, I'll be back tomorrow with a brand new moodboard and a very special prize for October!

Pattern Finds - Dagger Fringed Peyote Cuff

2011-09-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

I am just sneaking in quick before the moodboard winner is announced with our last autumnal pattern finds post. This lovely and highly textured piece from Rose at Random Creative on Etsy would be a perfect dagger bead stash buster!

Click on the picture to be taken to the listing.

Christmas is coming up on us quick, so next month we will be featuring items that would make perfect stocking fillers.

Happy beading!

Sarahx

September Moodboard - Weekly Update 4

2011-09-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Three gorgeous entries to share with you all this week!

Another submission from Catherine, a lovely freeform pendant which she made following a tutorial from Laura Zeiner...

Faye made this wonderful pendant with a fiery cabochon...

And Carol started making a pendant with Russian leaves but in the end made this gorgeous ring...

While September is almost over there's still time for you to join in with our moodboard, just read this post to find all the information you need!

Pattern Finds - Colorful Autumn Leaves Cuff

2011-09-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to work in an office that is built in the former grounds of the stately home next door. Our purpose built 1960's square box is surrounded by masses of beautiful old trees of all types. At this time of year there is a profusion of beautiful autumn colour to look at through our windows, even the drizzly rain can't entirely spoil our view.
This beautiful cuff pattern by GGsDesigns on Etsy reminds of the beauty just outside my office window.

Click on the picture to be taken to the listing.

Happy Beading!

Sarahx

September Moodboard - Weekly Update 3

2011-09-19T02:11:00.000-07:00

Isn't September speeding by?! But don't worry, there's still time to join in with our challenge. Speaking of which, we have another four gorgeous submissions to our moodboard to share with you today.

Catherine made a pendant with a Rivoli crystal, cylinder and seed beads...

Dee also made a pendant, this time with a fire agate cabochon and seed beads...

Jet hasn't decided what to make this into just yet but I think you'll agree that it's gorgeous...

And Janice made a lovely necklace with seed beads and leaves...

Thanks for joining in with us! If you've been inspired to create something for our September moodboard then please read the original post to find all the information you need!

Pattern Finds - Layered Leaf Earrings

2011-09-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

This weeks Autumn pattern finds is this fabulous earring design by our lovely FB group member Jane of Jane Lock on Etsy. I love the idea of layering the leaves, I bet they swoosh beautifully when worn, and russian leaves is a wonderful stitch!

Click on the picture to be taken to the listing.

Happy Beading!

Sarahx

September Moodboard - Weekly Update 2

2011-09-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

Three gorgeous submissions to share with you today...

Anna created this gorgeous bracelet using free-form two-drop peyote...

Janice made this lovely necklace and earrings set with semi-precious beads and glass leaves...

And Tracy used firepolished crystals, flowers, leaves and a brass ring to make this gorgeous cuff...

Thanks for joining in with us! If you've been inspired to create something for our September moodboard then please click here to find all the information you need!

Autumn Inspiration - Beads

2011-09-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

Here at OTTBS we know that sometimes all you need to tackle that bead stash is a little inspiration. A new focal, a strand of beautiful roundelles or a fancy clasp can give us an idea to work with and before we know it the 3 tubes of seed beads stuck at the bottom of your bead box for the last year are transformed into a gorgeous piece of jewellery. So it's not about never buying beads again (if it was I would have to ban myself from the blog!) but making use of the beautiful beads we already have as well as all the new goodies that are always on offer. With that in mind, I have been browsing for some autumn beads to inspire new ideas to share with you.

Pics are clickable if you want further info on the items. Thank you to all the artists for their permission to use these beautiful images.

This stunning enameled clasp by Bead Swede Supplies on Etsy reminds me of pumpkins and would make a wonderful splash of colour at the front of a beaded necklace.

I love the richness of colour and the matte finish of these polymer clay disc beads by Alicias Beads on Etsy.

I am just itching to use these wonderful roundelles from Yashma Creations on Etsy in a beaded cuff with my favourite bronze seed beads!

These fabulous beads from Ray Skene at Celtic Glass would make a stunning piece.

As would this wonderful Autumn Flowers set by Debbie Dew.

Happy bead browsing!

Sarahx

Pattern Finds - Leaf of Olwen Tutorial

2011-09-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

For our 1st pattern finds of September, we have these beautiful leaf earrings from FDEkszer Tutorials, which are a perfect quick project to use up a few Swarovski Crystals or pearls. Even though they are named after a goddess of Spring, they are just perfect for our Autumn theme!

Click on the picture to go to the listing,

Happy Autumnal Beading!

Sarahx

September Moodboard - Weekly Update 1

2011-09-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

A gorgeous submission from Sarah this week which captures our moodboard beautifully!

If you'd like to join in with us this month and be in with a chance to win one of Sarah's gorgeous Crysanthemum earring kits then please see the original post where you'll find all the information you need!

Giveaway Winner and Autumn on OTTBS

2011-09-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

Well, first things first, I know you are all anxiously awaiting the results of the giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered, we had 44 entries which I think is pretty fantastic! Using the trusty Random.Org the winner is ...............

Vicki of Vicki's Creative Corner! Congratulations Vicki! Let me know your postal address and I will send out the beads to you in the next few days.
Here is a link to Vicki's blog to check out, http://vickiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

I thought I would also let you know what we have planned for the next month here on OTTBS. We are trying something new and going to be having a monthly theme, for September it will be Autumn otherwise known as Fall to our friends across the pond! Liz kicked off our theme beautifully yesterday with her Autumn with a twist of pink Moodboard challenge and I hope it will inspire you to create something autumnal. We will be highlighting finished work as well as Etsy pattern finds. We will also be having one or two new features. Guest contributions would be very welcome if you have anything on the theme that you would like to contribute.

Happy beading,

Sarahx

September Moodboard

2011-09-01T11:36:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the September Moodboard! While it's still sunny in some parts of the UK I'm sure we've all felt the cool touch of autumn creeping in. Leaves are starting to fall and we're beginning to harvest the lovely fruits and vegetables that we've been caring for throughout the spring and summer. Our moodboard for September reflects this with it's warm browns and oranges, deep mossy greens and golds and creams. But we're refusing to give up the summer that easily so we've added a twist to the traditional autumn colours...we'd like you to add a little pink to your creation!

Clockwise from top-left: Autumn Treasures Ripe, Summer's Bounty, Beau, Pink Leaves.

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, either in your email or in the description of your Flickr photo.

What can you make? Anything as long as it involves 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 (UK time) on Friday September 30th and as usual a prize will be awarded at random to one of our lucky entrants. We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK, you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

The prize this month is a from Sarah and is a kit to make a pair of her gorgeous Chrysanthemum earrings in autumn colours! :)

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

August Moodboard - And the winner is...

2011-08-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who joined in with our moodboard this month, once again we had a tremendous response! Even though the we had three set colours it's great to see the variations on the shades used, from royal purple to lilac and lime to emerald, making everyone's pieces so different.

Before I show what everyone made, here's a recap of the mosaic I posted at the beginning of August...

Clockwise from top-left: Twinkling christmas lights, Eye of the Day, Noro Scarf, Flowers from the Purple Land.

And here are the beautiful submissions we receieved...

Anna

Catherine

Sarah

Liz

Sarah

Norma

Dorisanne

Shirley

Cathi

Tracy

Sarah

Jet

*Edited to add Gemma's late entry :)*

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

Congratulations Dorisanne, you're the winner of my Mini beaded bead kit!

I hope you've all enjoyed this months challenge, I'll be back tomorrow with a brand new moodboard for September!

Now Closed - Facebook Celebration Giveaway!

2011-08-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Today we welcomed our 100 Facebook Group member, so I thought a giveaway was in order! I rummaged through my stash and came up with the items above, there are tiny cube beads, 11's, 15's, drop beads, a lampwork bead and a sterling silver frame.

All you need to do is comment on this post by Midnight Thursday 1st September, I will then use Random.org to choose 1 lucky winner. You don't need to be a member of the group, though we would love to have you with us! There is a link in the sidebar on the right.

ETA: Please comment only once on this post, to keep things easier when I am using the Random Generator, Thank you!

Good luck and happy beading!

Sarahx

Pattern Finds - Go Fish Earrings by The Peregrine Beader

2011-08-24T01:26:00.000-07:00

You know how much I love projects that use up the little bits and pieces left over from other projects and I am always looking for fun patterns to make use of them. This earring pattern from Callie at The Peregrine Beader on Etsy is just perfect! I love the unique shape and they are the prettiest colourful fish that i have seen for a long time!

Click on the picture to go to the listing

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PeregrineBeader?ref=seller_info

Happy Beading!

Sarahx

August Moodboard Weekly Update 3

2011-08-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we're on week three already, this month seems to be going by really quickly! Still there's plenty of time to join in with us if you haven't already. You can find the moodboard, prize details and submission guidelines here.

Now onto this week's gorgeous collection of submissions!

Sarah recycled an earring finding and turned it into a brooch, very cleverly adding seed beads using silver wire...

Norma made this beautiful necklace...

And another beautiful necklace, this time from Dorisanne...

Thanks for joining in ladies!

Bracelet Swap Reveal!

2011-08-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

The wait is over! The bracelet swap reveal is finally here. Thank you to all the participants for making this swap so much fun! The bracelets are all beautiful and I know everyone is happy with their gifts. Don't worry if you missed out, we'll be doing another one in the Autumn.

Shirley to Norma

Mary to Tamara Tamara to Mary

Danielle to Erin Liz to Sarah Faye to Catherine Gemma to Donna Kit to Shirley

Carol to Vickie Vickie to Lesley Donna to Carol

Lesley to Liz Catherine to Gemma Sarah to Faye

Norma to Danielle Erin to Kit.

Happy Beading!

Sarahx

August Moodboard Weekly Update 2

2011-08-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Two submissions to share with you this week, both with a flower theme!

Sarah made this beautiful flower bracelet from Delicas using herringbone & brick stitch...

And I made a layered flower brooch using seed beads, a little bit of crocheting and bead embroidery on felt. There's a good amount of jade green in this but it hasn't shown up very well...

If you'd like to join in with us this month and be in with a chance to win a fabulous kit to make a set of beaded beads, please see the original post for details.

Shop Review - The Brass Charm Co.

2011-08-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have a secret...I'm addicted to brass stampings! Now as secrets go, that's not a very big one, but you may have noticed that I haven't yet used them in my work. Not because I don't know what to do with them, I do, I have tons of ideas. But for some reason I like to keep them stashed away in a box taking them out from time to time to lovingly look at them, just like a lot of us do with lampwork beads (I'm secretly addicted to lampwork beads too but that's another story!). So I was thrilled to come across The Brass Charm Co. on Etsy!

The shop is run by Belinda, aka Miss Lindy, and is based in Staffordshire in the UK. What first drew me to her shop were the gorgeous Shabby Chic dragonfly charms and hearts which have been given a unique patina in different colours. And then I was thrilled to discover the wide variety of lovely stampings, some that I only usually see in US shops.

The shop is conveniently divided into sections so you can easily find what you want. First of all there's the raw brass - this is the kind I love to buy as eventually I'd like to learn how to add patinas to them (after I've stopped just stashing them that is!).

Then you'll find the stampings and charms that Belinda has hand aged/patinated herself...antique, vintage, silver, gold and of course the lovely coloured brass.

She also stocks these lovely brass tags which I think would be brilliant for metal stamping...

Postage is very reasonable too, starting from around £1.10 and £1.50 on the website. Speaking of which, if you're not an Etsy shopper you can also find the The Brass Charm Co. website here.

Well I hope you've enjoyed this review and have fun browsing around The Brass Charm Co.

August Moodboard Weekly Update 1

2011-08-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

A couple of gorgeous submissions to show you today!

Anna made this wonderful pendant and earrings set...

And I'm also including this beautiful Peacock Pendant. Catherine made this some time ago but she promises to make something new for the challenge. We're looking forward to that Catherine!

If you'd like to join in with us this month and be in with a chance to win a fabulous kit to make a set of beaded beads, please see the original post for details.

Bracelet Swap - Postal Deadline Tomorrow!

2011-08-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Swappers!

It's getting close to the big reveal! Over on the Facebook Group there is much anticipation and excitement!

Can I just ask that if you have posted your bracelet and not emailed me a photo, to please do so by Wednesday.

Also, I know most people have received their bracelets, just to confirm if you have please email me at librabeader at gmail dot com with your name and Swap Received in the message title.

This swap has been a lot of fun and I would like to thank everyone who has participated! Don't worry if you have missed it, we will have another one later in the Autumn.

Happy beading!

Sarahx

August Moodboard

2011-08-01T03:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the August Moodboard! This month we're revisiting a colour scheme that we've had once before. Purple, green and turquoise blue is such a gorgeous combination that I think it deserves one more outing! As well as the peacock inspired colours, don't forget the textures which this time are soft, shimmering and sparkling with just a touch of fairy magic.

Clockwise from top-left: Twinkling christmas lights, Eye of the Day, Noro Scarf, Flowers from the Purple Land.

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, either in your email or in the description of your Flickr photo.

What can you make? Anything as long as it involves 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 Wednesday August 31st and as usual a prize will be awarded at random to one of our lucky entrants.

The prize this month is a kit to make a set of six mini beaded beads in the winner's choice of colours. It includes all the seed beads you need plus the wooden beads and my Mini Bead tutorial. But non-beadweavers please don't be put off, I'd be happy to make up the beads for you instead!

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

July Moodboard - And the winner is...

2011-07-30T13:36:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

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!