2012 Frog or Finish A Long - February Goals

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I originally made these yellow tulips as earrings, but am just not that happy with them.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

Wednesday's Wear It or Frog It.

I just made this necklace a few weeks ago, but it's just not my style so rather than leaving it to languish further in a box, I decided to bite the bullet and frogged it last week. I have wanted a ribbon necklace for quite a while, so I searched for a tutorial and found this one http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/04/diy-spring-statement-necklace.html from A Beautiful Mess. It was really quick and easy to make and I love it! It will go perfectly with a new tunic that I bought just before Christmas, so I am very happy!

Wednesday's Wear It Or Frog It

This necklace has been in my 'hmm not sure' box for some time. Looking at it now I realise that's because it's really not my style. I'm also horrified at how I wasted these beautiful triangle beads by just stringing them when I could have woven them into something far more interesting! Even though I still think it's pretty I've decided to frog it and use the beads for something else.

Wednesday's Wear It Or Frog It

Well this is a blast from the past! I was digging around inside a box in my wardrobe the other day when I came across this necklace. I was so pleased to find it as it holds my very first peyote beaded bead!

I'd wanted to make one for ages but I couldn't find any instructions so decided to just wing it and see what happened. I was so proud of my first attempt and wore it all the time. Since then, my beads have improved a lot and I've made hundreds in different sizes, even making tutorials to teach other beaders how to make them.

It's gappy, it's lumpy and there's a lot of thread showing, but I can't bear to frog it. So now I've found it I'll wear it now and again, just to remind myself how far I've come :)

What's That Coming Over The Hill? Is It A Monster?

Here is the necklace that I made for Lisa's birthday, am I a good friend or what, lol.

This necklace was on the cover of Bead Magazine Issue 18, so I have made use of one of my mags, as well as using up 15gms triangles, 15gms of 6's and some accent beads, I had to buy new beads for the rest of it as I didn't have large enough quantities required.

When Lisa first said she liked this necklace, I was a little apprehensive as it looks like a total monster but actually was not quite as much work as I thought it would be, although I did schedule it over a couple of weeks. It took me 4/5 evenings to make the dutch spiral strap, an evening each for the rings and an hour for the fringe. I enjoyed making it and may well make one for myself as it really is impressive in person. It was worth the effort as Lisa really likes it.

1st May Goal Picture & The Promise of Things to Come - Sarah

You'll note that I titled this post the 1st picture of May and not just the 1st completed goal. That's because I have been feverishly beading birthday presents and swap gifts which are all super-secret and it's been really hard to note post here and show you what I've made and used from my stash!

This is my most recent stash busting project, I have a hoard of delica beads that I have not used for ages and I thought it was about time that I did, they are far too beautiful to languish in my bead box, only o be taken out to be admired on occasion. I have been on a nature kick lately and started making tiny butterfly pendants in 1 colour of size 11's but thought how pretty several shades would be. I also had a few problems with the holes of the 11's filling with thread, so the delica's are perfect for this project. So here I have a beautiful pendant which I have called Blue Jeans Butterfly to remind me that Summer is just around the corner.

The birthday gifts are being delivered tomorrow, so I can update you on them then.

5th Goal Completed! (Liz)

Isn't it funny how you start off with an idea and then go and do something completely and utterly different?! I was going to string the beads very simply with some cherry red seed beads in between them and weave a large flower from seed beads as a focal to sit in the middle. Look what happened...


I was worried that the beading wire I have might not take the weight of the beads so decided it would be better to link them with wire instead. Choosing antique gold, I was getting the headpins and jump rings out of the drawer when I spotted my little stash of butterflies, so out went the flower idea! Then I found some filigree beads that I bought and have never used, and as you can see it started turning into an eclectic vintage style necklace.


The other metal beads and the chain were from a necklace that was 50p in Evans a couple of years ago (I bought one to wear and another three to use as 'parts'!) and then I added some small darker red aventurine, green aventurine and a few Chinese jade beads. And of course I couldn't resist a little beadweaving, making a few beaded beads in gold and olive green. The only thing missing is a clasp as it seems my antique gold clasps have gone awol! Although its not what I'd planned to make, I'm really happy with how 'Penelope' has turned out :)

3rd & 4th April Goals.

I know I haven't posted much this month as I have had a lot on but it has been a good month for stashbusting the seed beads, I used up about 100 grams! Woohoo! Still can't fit everything in my craft boxes though. Here are 2 corkscrew spiral necklaces that I made with 2 tubes of size 8 beads for each. I used up all the beads in the tubes for both, I love it when that happens!

2nd April Goal Completed -Sarah

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

2nd Goal Completed (Liz)

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



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


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

Main Goal for April Shadow Wave- Tackling that Book Stash

In an earlier post I mentioned that I have a lot of books that I have never made projects. I had a look through them and chose Marcia DeCoster's Beaded Opulence, there were a few projects that I liked but this one, Shadow Wave was the most intriguing. I think this will be a bit of a challenge for me and I don't have a rivoli suitable so I will need to make a focal. I did consider buying a rivoli but that defeats the purpose of trying to use up my stash. I have banned myself from buying new beads unless I need them for a specific gift for someone else. I will still be buying finding though.

I am currently busy using up leftover beads from other projects to make beaded rings for my 2nd craft fair on saturday so I will be making this my main goal for April, although it may well take me a lot longer.

March Goal 2 Complete!

When digging around in my stash on Friday night I came across 2 tubes of bright red bugles, in real life they actually look like plastic. I bought these about 3 years ago to make a gift for a friend but ended up making a bracelet instead of the necklace that I had planned because the stitch I used was taking forever.

I had been flicking through Beth Stone's book Seed Bead Stitching and found the tri stitch, which I have used before but only the circular version for ring tops and medallions. The flat version whipped up ridiculously quickly so I decided to just make 2 long strips (each one is 1 tube of beads) and tie them together to wear as a lariat. For such a simple idea I think it worked out great! My summer wardrobe is based around white and navy, so this bright red little number should work really well.

A note about working with bugles: I would normally recommend using a seed bead either side of a bugle to protect your beading thread from the bugles sharp edges. I haven't done this here as I am using K.O. which is quite a new thread to me and I want to see how long it holds up! I don't mind experimenting on a piece that took just a couple of hours but would hate for the thread to break and ruin something that had taken a long time.

1st Goal/Project Completed...

When I started Operation Tackle that Bead Stash the other day, I had found quite a few red beads and a Cabochon. They seemed to be calling my name to use them to make my next piece with. So, I wanted to share this necklace with you, I named it, "The Red Sea" I'm so happy now that I had gone thru and tackled some of my Bead Stash, because now I have this great necklace to show for it instead of beads and a cabochon just stashed away.

Tomorrow I'll be going thru my Bead Stash again and I'll let you know what beads will be my next new project. So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi