Gotta Have 'Em Beads and What to Do With Them

You know the ones I mean...the ones you have no clue as to how you will use them, you probably can't afford to buy them right now, but you go ahead and add them to your stash, taking them out now and then to admire, then put back into hiding?

The sharp-edged faceted AB beads, both in oval and triangular shapes, were just those beads a couple of years back. They had just hit the wholesale market, and at the wholesale show in Franklin, NC, they screamed 'buy me'!! Wouldn't you know, that was not a good money year for us, and I had pooled my little bit of 'extra' cash, plus a tiny amount on a credit card, just in case. The show had just opened, and it was in the new steel frame building, that was covered with a permanent sort of building-shaped tarp. The steel interfered with cell phone service, as well as any of the vendors being able to use their credit card machines. This poor younger woman not only had to put up with me drooling all over her new style glass beads, but then to add insult to injury, couldn't even run my card to let me buy them! I was heartbroken, didn't have enough cash, and turned to leave when she offered to take my number and run it later..usually that is something I prefer to not do, but I let my greed for those beads take over, and walked away with squares, triangles and oval rectangles in two colors!

She was as good as her word, ran the card after the show, and mailed me my receipt.

I never knew what to do with the beads until I ran into these 3 hole, 3 bump greenish purple Czech pressed glass beads from Silver Armadillo!

Voila! This necklace practically made itself!

I had to add a couple of Czech ovals to fill in, but had exactly the right number, in the right colors, to do that.

It fits like a dream, and is blingy enough to satisfy any Mardi Gras cravings!

Enjoy!!

Angels, Angels, Everywhere

> > > See free tutorial at:http://www.beadjewe%20lrymaking.%20com/2009/%20project/december%20_kid.html
Christine (angelbeadflower) has awesome tutorials, many of them using RAW
stitch at her free site. These angels were an adaptation, as I didn't have
the exact beads she required, nor the longer headpins, at least until my DH
stopped by after work and picked some up for me!
This angel was made using
the tall 1" bugles, and the method outlined below, using thread
instead of bugles to hold the bits together. Crystal briolettes
are her wings here.
The angel on
the left was done to Christine's instructions, using a headpin
to hold all together, but I turned the hanging loop at top to
make it her halo.
The angel on the right;used headpin to hold together, her
halo is a SS roundell, crystal briolettes for her wings.
This is a headpin
attached angle, with pressed glass wings and a SS beadcap for
her halo.
This was my first angel
and I had to adapt the pattern a bit- no long headpins, not
enough 3mm bicones, and no 12o seed beads! I used 3mm
round crystals in place of the 12o, with doubled Fireline, and
4mm bicones between the bugles, with SL seed beads
between bugles and crystals. After I got the skirt finished
to her instructions, I went back with the thread and added
more 11o SL see beads between the others, and between the
3mm round crystals, to strengthen it up and fill in the thread
gaps...I am funny about thread showing! LOL!I used a 10mm
round crystal at the base, with an 11o seed bead to hold it in
place- made a surgeon's knot in the Fireline, then used thread
burner to create a little bunch next to the knot, so it would
not pull out of the 11o, and would be at the bottom of all. I
then went up through the skirt, add the arms/wings combo
(substituted two briolettes for wings), and took thread
between the 3mm rounds I substituted for the 'hands',
through the 11o SL in the skirt, back over between the
3mm hands and down through the skirt to the base 11o,
through it and back up through the 10mm round, skirt
and arms/wings.I then added a large glass heat, point up,
and went through it, poking the top of it through the
arms/wings, added a 6mm round for the head, a SS roundelle
for the halo and a largeish Czech seed bead to hold everything
together at the top- then back down through the halo, head,
and heart. Then I added 3 110 SL seed beads, took the thread
through the 11o SL seed bead at top of skirt, back up the
3 SL 11o beads, heart, head and halo, pulling tight as I went
along. Her head then dropped down like she was praying,
and I like the look. I went out through the seed bead holding
the halo on, then added some more 11o seed beads to make a
circle to hold her onto the tree.
I have to say that both methods; headpin and sewn-together,
work much better for me when I used thread and 2 seed beads
to hold the skirt and arms/wings together.
I really enjoyed making these, thank you Christine! I hope my
Friends and Family like getting them for their gifts!