Creating Crystal Jewellery: The Reveal {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Each month, as part of our regular feature - Bead, Book & Bounce - we choose one of the most popular beading and jewellery making books and challenge our readers to dust off the books on their shelves and create projects from their neglected library. 

Over the last two months, we've been working from Laura McCabe's much loved book, Creating Crystal Jewellery, beading and bezelling with lots of Swarovski Sparkle.

The lovely Vicky Roberts tells me that Creating Crystal Jewellery is one of her favourite beading books. "It's an excellent resource, for advanced beaders as well as absolute beginners, because there's a range of projects to suit all levels. There's also an extremely handy reference section at the beginning of the book that tells you how many seed beads are needed to start a bezel for different sizes and shapes of Swarovski Rivolis, Stones & Shapes."

Using a combination of techniques covered in the patterns for the Crystal Burst Ring and Crystal Burst Bracelet, Vicky has made a beautiful pair of crystal cascade style earrings, which match the simple - but stunning - Spiral Stitch Bracelet that she has made up using the same materials. I'm hoping that she won't notice if I steal them the very next time that I'm at The Bead Shop Liverpool!

Bead, Book & Bounce 'Regular', Ericka Stafford, has also been busy bezelling - making this beautiful My Crown Jewels Pendant. Ericka says "Although probably not suitable for an absolute beginner, I feel that most beaders would be able to follow her instructions and make something to be proud of! This is one of my favourite books and I use it frequently. It's even more special as Laura signed it for me at the first of her workshops I attended! She is such a lovely person and a brilliant teacher too."

A dab hand now at using Laura's methods to bezel stones, Ericka had no difficulties with that part of the pattern. However, creating the tabs became a little bit of a trial and she turned to fellow OTTBS Facebook Group Member, Kim - whose own version of the pendant inspired Ericka's choice for this project!

"I found stitching the tabs straightforward, but when I came to add the top and bottom I realized that I had made a mistake, as I was unable to add three stitches and still have the tabs in the centres. I managed to remedy this by only adding two beads for the tabs instead of three! This worked ok, but obviously my corner gap was then two big for the 3mm beads. I found that using 4mm beads instead solved this problem and fitted the space nicely. Kim kindly explained where I had gone wrong, so next time I am sure I will be able to make it perfect!"

I'm thinking that it looks like perfection, as it is - and especially love Ericka's colour choice!

If you have made any pieces from Creating Crystal Jewellery, please share your own projects with us using the Mr Linky. 

• Please link directly to your Creating Crystal Jewellery blog post, so that we can find it easily. 
• Please leave a comment here when you link up your project. 
• Please try to visit the blogs of other participants when you can. We all love a bit of love!

We'll be issuing a new Bead, Book & Bounce challenge tomorrow, so please do pop back to see what book we'll be working from over the next two months - it's a good one!

Bead Romantique {Bead, Book & Bounce}

The waiting is finally over and I'm delighted to announce that we'll be starting our new feature - Bead Book & Bounce - with one of the most beautiful beading books on my shelf, Bead Romantique by Lisa Kan. There are seventeen delicious projects to choose from including necklaces, earrings and bracelets made with a combination of seed beads, chain and sparkles. There truly is something for everyone in this amazing book, so embrace your romantic side. 

We'll be encouraging you to share your own review of the book and, of course, anything you make inspired by Lisa Kan's beautiful projects during our reveal feature in August. (You can read a little bit more about how this works in our Introducing - Bead Book & Bounce article, but we'll always be here to guide you along.)

"Inspired by art history, artist Lisa Kan offers a truly unique jewelry collection with a romantic yet modern sensibility. Bead Romantique: Elegant Beadweaving Designs features seventeen step-by-step designs inspired by the Gothic, Renaissance, Victorian, and Art Nouveau eras reinterpreted in her distinctive contemporary style. Emphasizing a mix of vintage findings, beads, lampwork, buttons, and modern components, Lisa's jewelry brings a feminine mystique and sophistication to beadwork design." - Interweave Press

Fit To Print Book Review: Bead Romantique

Jewelry Artist Book Review: Bead Romantique

Bella Online Book Review: Bead Romantique

Projects In Other Places - 

Deco Collar was featured in Beadwork, February/March 2008 which is still available as a digital download and the V Scallop Necklace was featured as a free project on Beading Daily in March 2008. Although the download is no longer available, it's possible that some of you may have a copy downloaded or hidden away in your e-mail folders, as it was also available to subscribers of Beading Daily's regular e-mail newsletter. Get searching! 

And, If You're Interested - 

You can read an Interview With Lisa Kan; check out a full list of the Bead Romantique Project Seed Bead Colours; or visit Lisa Kan Designs to see some more of Lisa's beautiful work.

We really hope that you'll enjoy this new feature, but we know that there may be a few questions. Please feel free to ask them here in the comments or over in the Facebook Group, so that we can put together a little Q&A. 

Finish Or Frog Along - March Update

I'm thrilled to let you all know that we've all made some progress on our March Finish Or Frog Along Projects. Well, except for Padmini who has admitted to having been so distracted by The Big Bead Show that she forgot all about completing her Finish Or Frog Along! I'm sure we can understand that only too well - so maybe we should forgive her? Especially as she's going to roll the project over into April?

Ericka has also struggled a little with her bead embroidery piece, as she's now busy caring for her mum on a full time basis. Progress has been slow, but Ericka's feeling much happier with the piece now she's cmpleted a little more of the stitching. She's very much looking forward to finishing it - eventually! Who knows, it might be this month!

As this is my first time in amongst the finishers and the froggers, I thought I'd best make a concerted effort to finish up my bracelet. Weaving in all of those thread ends really was a bit of a chore, but I ended up with such a pretty bracelet that I made some earrings to match.

It's actually the first time I've ever attempted a pattern from one of my (many) beading magazines - just the confidence boost I've needed to try some new stitches and tackle some long lusted after projects.

To finish, I have a lovely story of trial and triumph! When we last saw Gemma's bracelet, she had put together a chain maille base and adorned it with some of the new Precosia Twinbeads, but there were a few issues. The bracelet wasn't particularly stable and took a while to put on because it kept twisting and turning - and the twinbeads kept moving around during the process. It just wasn't working.

So, she asked for advice in the forums and after umming and ahhing - and a little bit of swapping and changing - here's her beautiful Twinmaille Bracelet.

Gemma says "There were loads of fab suggestions from members on my blog and in the facebook group as to how I could fix the stability issue so thanks to everyone for the ideas. I added the 8s to the edge and changed it to a tight fitting bracelet with a clasp. One of the great things about taking out rows to make it tigher means I have some twins to spare now so I'll be making a pair of earrings to match at some point."

If you fancy joining in with this month's Finish Or Frog Along, pop over to The OTTBS Facebook Group for details.