Tribal Geometric Bib Necklace

I have finally finished the necklace I told you about in my previous post and named it Tribal Geometric Bib Necklace. I love how it eventually turned out, so the many trials and errors were worth it! ;) A tutorial for this necklace is already available.

I also made a smaller version of the beadwork and used it as a fan shaped pendant. I might make matching earrings, too, but that could happen only after I will work on somethings else - I just can't see the same beads on my working table for any longer!... ;D

Spiky Branch Bracelet

This is my new bracelet named Spiky Branch. I couldn't decide if its pattern reminds me of a pineapple with its leaves or a palm tree with wide branches... Anyway, everyone in my family said it definitely reminds them of some kind of a branch...so branch it is! :) It's a relatively narrow bracelet, which is made with Miyuki long magatama beads, seeds, crystals and fire polished beads.

I love the long magatama beads, as they are offering more possibilities for a play with different textures and shapes in a piece. But their large, diagonal hole makes them quite challenging to work with. I was challenged by their unique shape in the past and have created Sparkling Wreath pendant / beaded bead, but this time I wanted to design something with a bit more of them in the piece and that's what I came up with. 
I learned a few things about this special beads while I designed this bracelet and I still have more of them in other colors and finishes, so playing with them isn't over yet... ;)

A tutorial for the bracelet is already available. I am also happy to let you know that all my tutorials are now available for both personal only and personal & commercial uses. 

S for Small Serpents

"S for Small Serpents" Bracelet

Things don't always come easy... The initial idea for this design had popped in my mind a while ago, and I was sure I could easily stitch the bracelet as envisioned.

Well, as simple as it may have looked at first, it wasn't so. It took me quite a few trials before I have found the way to maintain the repetitive curving pattern the way I wanted it, and more time and trials to find the shortest thread path for stitching it.
Who said that designer's work is always fun?...I had the initial image of the bracelet stuck in mind all the time, and the more I tried and it didn't work, the more annoying the whole process became... It eventually came out a little different from how I envisioned it, but I had to either compromise on a few minor details, or give up on it all together.

But when the designing process was over and everything worked smoothly, I had much fun working on the bracelet. I was also pleased to realize that a few other possibilities for playing with the basic design were born thanks to the compromises I had to make. So I guess that sometimes being stubborn pays off... :)

"S for Small Serpents" Bracelet - Version 2

A tutorial is available (for the two versions shown)

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Fashion Through the Ages - EBW Challenge

I can't believe that another month had passed so quickly, but it's already time for posting the Etsy Beadweavers challenge again!  March challenge theme was Fashion Through the Ages.

My Echo of Deco bracelet design was inspired by the Art Deco era between in the 30's. In my bracelet design I used repetitive, symmetrical pattern of geometric shapes, which are often found in Art Deco designs.

Please visit the EBW blog between now and the 15th to see all 38 entries (my entry is #17 on the list) and vote for your favorite.

  Images from: http://tiddley-bits.blogspot.com;

http://www.art-deco-style.com/art-deco-fashion-2.html

A tutorial for my Echo of Deco bracelet is available

A Trip to Marrakesh

One of the places that I am dreaming of visiting to is Marrakesh, the Moroccan "Red City". I'm not seeing a trip to Morocco happening in the future (not only because of personal reasons, but also because it's difficult for Israelis to enter this country freely), so for now I have to see the views of Marrakesh on the internet. I am fascinated and excited by the abundance of details, patterns and colors that are in the traditional Moroccan architecture, art and fabrics, and even their food and spices look more tastier and richer to me... The richness of colors and details makes me dizzy just by looking at the images on the screen. I wonder how it would feel to actually be there...I think I could happily get lost in a city like Marrakesh...

"Marrakesh" bracelet was inspired by patterns that can be found in Moroccan windows and home decor. I used beads in warm colors - reddish copper, copper, padparadsha and burgundy, that I found in many of Marrakesh images.

The other Marrakesh bracelet, in grey/blue colorway was created for the next BAO Color Challenge. Also, a tutorial for this bracelet is available, in case you would want to bead your own little piece of Marrakesh... :)

Below is a mosaic of a tiny bit of the amazing, beautiful, vibrant images of Marrakesh I found on Google Images. It worth the click if you are looking for excitement and inspiration...

BAO Color Challenge

This geometric net bracelet was created for the new Bead Art Originals Color Challenge. We had to pick any three colors from the beautiful image below for inspiration. I picked fuchsia, violet and light blue (there is light blue in the seed beads - fuchsia lined light blue AB, although the photo doesn't show it much..). Check out the BAO blog to see what other members of the team created for this challenge.

A tutorial for this bracelet is available

New Tutorial - Mystic Stars Bracelet

This new bracelet is designed to be created in one continuous stitch. I love jewelry that consist of a few repetitive elements, but I don't like so much that part of work of sewing them to one piece, and hiding too many threads is always a pain... ;) A tutorial for this bracelet is available and also includes instructions for a matching clasp and a few other ideas of using the basic design for other jewelry items.

I have also created another variation of this bracelet with much more crystals in it, but I'm waiting for the sun to come out so I will be able to take photos of it. I will update this blog when I have them, hopefully soon... and 

*** HAPPY and CREATIVE 2011 to ALL! ***

A New Pendant Design and Some Good News

I have finished working on Sparkling Wreath tutorial - a cabochon pendant with crystals and Miyuki long Magatama beads. Playing with the design, I came up with three versions of the pendant (two of them are included in the tutorial available).

Other ideas for using these beautiful Magatama beads, with their challenging diagonal hole, came up while working, but I had no time for trying them too, so they went straight into my 'ideas' notebook. I wonder if I will ever have the chance to try any of the ideas written in that notebook. It's either that I am working very slowly, or the time flies faster than before... but ok,....I will spare you the rest of my usual rant about the lack of time... ;P


My Star Pendant is published in the latest December issue of Bead & Button magazine (top right corner on the cover; project on p.48). This project is also available for Registered Users on the Bead & Button website. Thanks to Anna Elizabeth Draeger for editing this project. It was a pleasure working with you, Anna!

More good news about publications came in yesterday - two of my projects are going to be published in the next (Vol. 6) Kalmbach publishing Creative Beading annual book. Also a project for a medallions bracelet - stitched in a new technique, is going to be published in the June/July 2011 issue of Beadwork Magazine. Double Yay!

My friends from Bead Art Originals group also have some Extra! news to tell, so check out our blog to read all about it.

EBW October Challenge and New Design with Tila Beads

EBW October challenge theme was "Autumn Falling of Leaves". Check out the EBW blog to see all 59 entries in beautiful, warm colors. My entry is number 33 on the list.

Also, there is a new tutorial available for a pendant and matching earrings made with Miyuki new Tila beads.

Mumbai Masala - Bollywood EBWC

Those of you who read my blog often can probably guess how fun it was for me to create Mumbai Masala bracelet - my entry (#33) for this month EBW Challenge, themed Bollywood.

Not only did I enjoy every minute of designing and working on it, but I also got inspired from it and more ideas and possibilities popped up while I was working. The photo might not show it, but this bracelet has Bling! I used a lot of crystals, and I really like the way it turned out.
I want to continue working on Bollywood inspired designs, as I feel I did not have enough of it yet... :)

Please visit the EBW blog to view all GORGEOUS, colorful entries between now and Sep. 15, and vote for your favorite. Also, if you find this bracelet interesting, a tutorial for it is available.

BAO Color Inspiration

This is my "Toss the Feathers" bracelet, created especially for the Bead Art Originals Color Inspiration challenge - copper, green and black. I have to admit that at first I didn't like this color combination so much, but after I put some beads together and started to play with them, I found that it is a lovely, sophisticated combination. So thanks to Nancy of NEDbeads, I had the opportunity to work with this color combo I wouldn't have thought of myself.

You are invited to suggest your colors for the next challenge to the team by leaving your comment on this blog post. It's really fun and interesting to see how each member used the colors suggested.

These are another two bracelet of the same design I created in different colors for testing the tutorial I made for this bracelet.

Multi Layered Necklace

I love it when it happens to me, that while working on one design, (as simple as it may be, like in this case, this necklace from the lazy week ago), an idea for a completely different design pops up and then I feel back on track again. The feeling of bursting creativity and being busy with good stuff is so great! :)

So I was enthusiastically working on the third sample of a new bracelet (I'm going to write a tutorial for it and I needed to test various ways of creating the bracelet, otherwise I wouldn't have made 3 of the same in a row... it's boring me...), when I suddenly realized that I completely forgot about the three deadlines of challenges I wanted to create items for!.

I didn't want to stop working on the tutorial (you know the feeling when you are in a "shvoong"?), so I decided to create another sample (the forth!) of the new design for the closest deadline (Aug. 30), in copper, black and dark green - the colors of BAO team Color Inspiration challenge (you can suggest your own colors to the team by posting on the 'color suggestion thread' on the BAO Facebook page). I'm glad I can check this entry 'done!', and the tutorial is almost finished as well. Now I only hope that soon my photographer will not be too tired from his day work to be able to take pics of the bracelet before the dead line... The poor man is working all day outside in this horrible heat+humidity, and I'd hate to nag him about this...(my photographer, if you are reading this...pretty please?... ;))

The other two entries are for the EBW "Bollywood" challenge and the BAO "Bones" themed challenge. I already have ideas for these themes, which fit two of the styles I love to work the most. I just hope I'll be able to finish everything on time... One week you spend doing almost nothing, and the next one is working on the fast lane.. ;)

Happy Beading, everyone!

Beadweaving Tutorials

Lazy Daisy - New Tutorial Now Available

Tutorials (click image)

In the past two months I haven't been beading as much as I wanted, since I spent most of my free time in preparing beadweaving tutorials. I have completed writing three tutorials so far and already listed them for sale. A new tutorial for a bracelet design (with a new method) is in the works and will be available in a few days.
Creating the instruction and illustrations files is hard work, but the feedback I get from satisfied buyers is worth all the time and efforts put in it, plus it also allows me to connect with new beaders from around the world, which is really fun! So I do enjoy preparing tutorials, but I wish it would have not taken so much time to finish them.. I have ideas in my head for some new designs that I can't wait to start checking, so I decided to take a little break from tutorials after I finish the one I am currently working on ... ;)

Thank you everyone who answered and commented on the poll about tutorial preferences! The preference ratio of 70% for illustrations and 30% for photos was kept all along the time the poll was open.