Dragon Bangle tamed!

A great pattern by Nancy Jones in the Beadwork Feb-March 2011, but I don't do well with bangles, so....

This one stays on nicely without any clasp. Comfy. A bit fiddly to get the magatamas to lay right, and to get the first rows of the brickstitch done, but smooth sailing after that.

What a fun set of earrings!

I have had my eye on these earrings and this
pattern ever since I saw it done by Kassie of
The Beading Butterfly, way back when the mag
issue first came out. I was doubly reminded of
the pattern when Genny S of A New Bel-Gen
did her own variations using Swar glass pearls.
I hope you like the ones below, and do try this
pattern for yourself! It is fast and easy, making
it a wonderful gift item for the last minute, plus
being able to use any style bead allows you to
fit it to the giftee easily....even wooden beads
would work nicely!

Probably the closest to Amy's pattern, using
6mm, 4mm and 3mm Czech faceted FP, but did
them double sided, with the FP held firmly in
place with the netting, and carrying the netting
around to the 'back'. Which side is the 'original'?
You will have to guess!! I love them both.
SS earwires.


Purple Velvet Satin and Satin AB Swar bicones
in 6mm, 4mm and 3mm, with PF gold Tohos in
11s and 8s- additional 15s on either side of the
8s used near the base of the 6mm for looks and
to prevent thread wear at these points. My
birthstone, so my fav pair!
GF earwires.


Again, Swar bicones in 6mm, 4mm and 3mm,
but with all the netting in the same blue, so
as to not distract from the crystals and be a
bit more subdued in look.


These were done using Chinese 6mm faceted
roundelles, Chinese 4mm bicones, and Czech
3mm FP, with titanium wires.

Here they are done in 6mm and 4mm Indian

agate, with 3mm garnets, plus PF Toho Rose

Gold seed beads.

Copper earwires.

Just think of what possibilities YOU can do!!

Jeweled Links Variation

Nancy Cain published this lovely pattern in the February 2010 Beadwork magazine, and a friend of mine, Sherry Grove, followed that pattern to create her own Blingy Jewel.

You know me, I can never leave well enough alone, so played with the pattern a bit. I didn't have many 3mm bicones and no 3mm pearls at all, so the first change was making those 4mm. I left the numbers alone, as the original pattern created a 7.25 inch bracelet- a bit tighter than I prefer. I did change the number of pearls near the toggle end, as Nancy suggested, to make it fit perfectly.

I added embellishments in the form of 3 bead picots on the outsides of the rings, which also stablized their form. The slider base for one bead was done in 15s, rather than delica 11s, and I added 3mm matagamas to those ends under the outside 'stars'. I also added matagamas between the pearls at the outsides of the toggle, as well as alternating pearls and bicones to the toggle connector.

All in all, I am pretty darn happy with my version, and hope Nancy would be as well!

Click on any photo to make it full size.

Icy Blues Earrings

From Gwen Fisher's pattern, Deco Lotus, in Beadwork Magazine, November 09. Used Chinese faceted roundelles in place of the seed beads and it worked up very nicely.

Someone's Got a Birthday Coming Up

Wonder who it is...and if they will like their pressie??