Monthly Make - April

Ok a tiara can be quite a fiddly item to make so this month I am going to balance this with a very simple challenge.  This month I used my old lampwork beads to create a unique (because every one of my lampwork beads is unique) piece of wall art!

 

This is very easy to create.  All you need is a box frame and lots of your old unused beads.  You can be as creative as you like, colour coordinate your beads, add a beautiful watercolour background, use striking frames in colour contrast to the beads .....the list is endless!

 

If you don't work with beads you could use buttons, cotton reels, dried flowers, springs, nuts and bolts,  ... there are so many possibilities.  You could turn this simple idea into a work of art and I would love to see your interpretations.

 

Sarah xx

www.beadscrumptious.co.uk

www.hypersmash.com

Monthly Make March : Lampwork Bead Tiara

 

 

Hello, this is a little bit of a cheat really because I made this tiara quite a while ago but I made it with the intention of showing people one of the ways my beads could be used.  So ...... I think it counts? If you are a regular reader of my blog then you will know that I love my sparklies .... swarovski crystals and there are quite a few in this very sparkly tiara. 

 

Whenever I think of weddings I always think of pearls ... and roses.  Maybe it is just me? .....  I had some very simple rice pearls so I added these to my crystal mixture and had a quick look through my glass beads to see what else I could find.  I had some very pretty pink beads that I had made for a piece of jewellery (now abandoned) and a nice collection of ivory beads that would compliment the pearls.  I almost can't help adding something different .... so I also included a couple of lavender beads just to see what would happen ....

 

 

I used an enormous amount of wire to make this tiara and lots and lots of twisting and quite a bit of time .... but I enjoyed making it.  It is always good to try new things so I had a go at making a couple of hair combes as well.

 

Sarah xx
www.beadscrumptious.co.uk
www.hypersmash.com



Monthly Make - February 2013.

 

Back in January I challenged myself to make a new item each month using my lampwork beads.  This challenge will not include using my beads for jewellery but other ways in which my beads can be used!  I am a bit late posting this (I know) but my make for February 2013 is a beaded windchime.

 

 

I found this windchime whilst browsing a local thrift shop and thought mmmm now this could be modified slightly with a few lampwork beads.  I took the windchime apart and decided which pieces I was going to save and placed the rest in a pile for the children to use in their sculptures (another story).

 

 

I found some very bright pink tigertail (I assumed that my daughter would probably pinch the finished article) and had a quick look through my bead box.  I needed to replace the plastic disk that all the windchimes thread into and managed to find a very interesting practice bead that would do the job adequately.

 

 

I took a length of the pink tigertail and threaded it through the holes in the top of the windchime and then back onto itself so it was double stranded.  To prevent the strands from separating I threaded pink seed beads onto both strands.

 

 

Whilst in deep concentration .... this happened to my wire ..... arghhhhhhh!

 

 

I repeated this for each chime.  I could have added the same amount of seed beads to each double strand but I decided to reduce the length of each one (as you can see from the main photo).

 

 

Many moments later ....... I threaded some tigertail through the middle of my focal bead (replacement disk) and attached a jump ring to hang my beads from .... to help create the jingle when they bang against the chimes.  Once the jump ring was attached I then placed the double strand from each chime through each of the four openings on the outside of the bead.

 

 

I finished the windchime by bringing all the threads together with a large floral bead.  I created a central dangle by threading the three round beads on top of a very sparkly crystal that captures the sunlight beautifully.  On reflection, I may tweak my windchime slightly and increase the length of the central dangle but it does make a very pretty tinkle when the wind catches it.  How long I will get to keep it depends on when my daughter notices it hanging from the tree outside my studio .....

 

Sarah xx

www.beadscrumptious.co.uk

www.hypersmash.com

Monthly Make - January 2013

Many times I have recieved a compliment about my work followed by .... "...but what would I do with those beads?......"  So, I have decided to start a new monthly blog called the Monthly Make.  In  this I will challenge myself to find a way of using my beads .... This challenge will not include using my beads for jewellery but other ways in which my beads can be used!

Ok, so here goes ........

Felt Flower Brooches!

1.  Make yourself a card template in the shape of the petal that you would like. As it is coming up to Valentines day I decided to make a heart shaped petal but you could have round, oval, triangular or something more elaborate.  There are many, many options.  I also made a large and a small template for different sized petals. Then, using your templates cut out 5 large petals and 3 small petals (or as many as you would like).

2.  This is where you can let your creativity flow and decorate the edges of your petals, add sequins ... embroider flowers, make them as pretty as you like or just leave them plain and simple.  Both can be equally as effective!  I like to stitch around the outside of my petals in a contrasting colour.
 

  

3.  Once your petals are ready, it is time to construct the flower.  This bit can be a little fiddly .... or it may just be me!  You are trying to achieve a little pucker when you gather all the petals together.  The way I do this is to do a running stitch through the base of each petal and then carefully pull them all together into a bundle.  When I have them all arranged the way I want them, I securely stitch all the petals together.

 

 

 



 

4.  Repeat step 3 with the smaller petals. Then stitch these into the centre of the large flower.

 

 

 

5.  We are now in a position to decorate the centre of the flower.  I had a quick look through my bead box and found this very lonely purple lentil bead.  I like to clash my colours!  I stitched the bead into the centre of the flower.  The orientation of the bead will depend on the surface decoration.  I have used one of my implosion beads in the first photograph and I finished this off with a tiny seed bead to cover the bead hole.  I have placed the purple lentil bead on it's side so the bead hole isn't visible.

 

 

6.  Now, depending what you want to use your flowers for, you may/may not want to add a brooch pin.  I must confess that I am not a very neat sewer as you can see from the photograph below .... So, if I wasn't going to add a brooch pin I would hide this by gluing a red circle on the top using my glue gun.  If I was going to add a brooch pin I would sew it directly onto the flower.  I would then open the pin and attach a patch of felt over the back of the brooch pin.  It finishes the flower quite neatly!

 

 

  

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and if you have a go .... I would love to see your flowers!

Sarah xx
www.beadscrumptious.co.uk
www.hypersmash.com