Beadwork's 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest: Stargazer Beaded Bead

I finished my take on the next beaded bead in Beadwork's 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead series, Florence Turnour's Stargazer beaded bead:

This beaded bead showcases the cube version of Florence's stargazer technique, which uses what I'd describe as a modified lace overlay securely woven over just the faces of the beaded bead, showing off the round beads at the edges. This effect is especially nice with the round crystals called for in the original pattern. For my version, I used Swarovski crystal pearls for a more muted effect.

This technique can also be applied to other polyhedra as well. Florence also made the octahedral and (stunning!) dodecahedral versions and shared them on her blog.

The Stargazer Beaded Bead pattern can be found in the June/July issue of Beadwork Magazine. More information about the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest is available on the Beading Daily website. Check out my versions of the previous beaded beads in this series here and here.

Beadwork's 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest: Cube Cluster

I completed my version of the second beaded bead in Beadwork's 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead series, Gwen Fisher's Cube Cluster (check out my previous post in this series here).

This is a sister design to Gwen and Florence's popular Octahedral Cluster beaded bead; it uses the same lace overlay technique over a hollow cluster of beads, only with the geometry of a cube instead of an octahedron. The result is a slightly larger beaded bead (about 1 inch in diameter) which is a great size for focal bead, with a hole large enough to accommodate a cord or a chain.

After weaving together many Octahedral Clusters in the past, the Cube Cluster was quite fun to construct. My color palette was dictated by the 8 mm round beads and 3 mm fire polish beads that I had on hand, but I combined these brown and metallic beads with green patina seed beads for a near-neutral color scheme. I'm amazed the sturdiness of this hollow beaded bead; an inch in diameter and no squish!

This design can be challenging to construct if you're unfamiliar with the lace overlay technique. If you've constructed an Octahedral Cluster before, I think you'll be able to weave together a Cube Cluster from the abridged version of its pattern in the current issue of Beadwork magazine. The full pattern is available from beAd Infinitum in a 2-for-1 deal with the Octahedral Cluster pattern. Both beaded beads complement each other quite well (as you can see in this photo Florence posted in her Facebook album).

The Cube Cluster beaded bead pattern can be found at beAd Infinitum, and an abridged version can be found in the April/May issue of Beadwork Magazine. More information about the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest is available on the Beading Daily website.

New Necklaces with Lampwork

I took a break from web design last weekend to finish a piece that's been sitting around for over a year (eep!) I wove this electric green Ionic Octahedron last year when testing Gwen's Ionic Polyhedra pattern, and made two matching Mini Ionic Octahedrons shortly thereafter. I was having a hard time deciding what to do with these beaded beads, until Melissa Vess suggested that she could do some custom work matching lampwork beads to my beaded beads. I sent her the Ionic Octahedron, and she came up with four cute little lampwork beads:

I strung this necklace rather simply with matching Czech fire polish glass beads and silver Japanese seed beads, to leave the focus on the lampwork and beaded beads.

Speaking of lampwork beads... I got around to taking some pictures of a necklace I strung as a gift for my Mom a while back. It features more of Melissa's work, this time a lampwork focal bead. I strung it with six strands of Czech seed beads, fire polish beads, and freshwater pearls:

The stringing method is the same as my Lavender Splendor necklace, featured in the 2009 Bead Star special issue.

Thanks Melissa!

Floral WIP and Travel Notice

It's been a while since I've posted anything new; moving and traveling has eaten up most of my time over the past month. I did however manage to get started on my project for the next round of the Artbeads.com blogger program. The theme is "What's Old is New Again," and the idea is to take an old or vintage element and incorporate it into a new piece. I chose this blue floral cloisonné necklace that I received from my grandmother a few years ago, after she had it in her collection for many years.

I like the little pink, blue, and green flowers on each bead:

My original idea for this project involved Swarovski bicone pendants in beaded beads, but after Gwen figured out how to incorporate them into the Sakura Charm pattern, I just had to try this as well. While Gwen's final result is a 7-fold variation, I wanted to stay with the original 5-fold flower of the pattern to match the flowers on the cloisonné beads. It took me five attempts to arrive at something I was satisfied with. You can see my attempts in this photo, starting at the left and continuing clockwise to arrive at the charm in the center:

I found that to get a 5-fold flower to work with bicone pendants, I had to work with progressively smaller seed beads to get them to fit without being wobbly. The back of the charm also ended up somewhat different than the original; the weave and bead counts are slightly different, and the bail is rotated to straddle one of the bicones, instead of sitting between two of the petal beads.

I tried to match the colors to that of the flowers in the cloisonné beads. Do you think it's a good match?


Finally, I'll be traveling internationally for the next three weeks to spend some time with my husband as he participates in the San Francisco Symphony 2011 European Tour, so any jewelry orders placed from now until June 9 from either my Etsy or Artfire shops will ship on June 10. I will have some e-mail access on my trip, so I will still send out tutorial orders, but these orders might experience a delivery delay of up to 48 hours.

In the meantime, the Sakura Charm pattern, as well as the Circle Starburst and Balloon Box patterns, are available at beAd Infinitum 24/7.

Bon voyage!

New Pattern: Sakura Charm

Just in time to celebrate the arrival of May flowers, my Sakura Charm pattern is complete and now available at beAd Infinitum. 

The idea for this charm came out of the Bead Mavens Vernal Visions Challenge, where I created this necklace to mimic the cherry blossom trees that bloom at the start of spring. I was humbled to receive an honorable mention for this entry! Each Sakura blossom was woven individually into a self-supporting charm measuring about 10 mm in diameter, and then I assembled over 30 of them to make the necklace using a combination of three different stringing methods. These charms are easily incorporated into other types of jewelry. I created two of them to make this pair of earrings to match the original necklace. 

But why stop with cherry blossoms? This design also works for several kinds of 5-petal flowers. I used three shades of blue lentils to make these cascading forget-me-not earrings:

As with the Circle Starburst design, the Sakura Charm also works well with Swarovski crystal circle "rivoli" pendants in place of the glass lentils. Here's another take on forget-me-not earrings using these sparkly crystals:

Finally, I made a forget-me-not necklace using charms made with sapphire AB lentils, and strung with bugle beads for festive simplicity. 

The Sakura Charm pattern illustrates in detail how to weave the basic Sakura Charm, and then describes how to make all the jewelry that you see here. It also includes over a dozen photos of completed pieces for inspiration, as well as a couple of variations by both Gwen Fisher and myself. I'd love to see what you'll create with this design!


How are you celebrating Spring so far?

Infinity Egg

Continuing with the theme of egg-shaped beaded and origami polyhedra, I've completed this beaded egg using Gwen and Florence's Infinity Weave technique:

This "Infinity Egg" measures 1 1/2 inches long, and just over 1 inch wide. It's surprisingly stiff and stable for such a hollow structure. It's a little big for a pendant, but it would make a nice ornament for an Easter Egg tree.

The basic structure is the same as the truncated hexadecahedron that I've wrote about before.

The Infinity Weave is used in three patterns over at beAd Infinitum, starting with the Infinity Dodecahedron and continuing with the Donut and Prisms patterns. I guess that this egg is a variation of both the Dodecahedron and Donut patterns, but the weave is so versatile that there are an infinite number of other possible variations as well.

Happy Easter everyone!

New Balloon Box Beaded Bead Kits

Two new kits are now available for the Balloon Box beaded bead at beAd Infinitum. The first is in this gorgeous deep blue palette which I've named Pandora Sapphire:

The second is in a Turquoise Patina palette, because, even though the beads are glass, everyone can use a little turquoise: 

Both kits can be found on the beAd Infinitum Patterns and Kits page, and include the full pattern, a needle and plenty of thread, and all the beads necessary to complete the project. 


Finally, a special thanks to everyone who commented on my Winter Illuminations Necklace. I'm happy to report that my sister is well and relatively far from the disaster area in northern Japan. If it is within your ability, please consider donating to the American Red Cross to help with the disaster relief. 

Rivoli Sunflowers

I dabbled in rivoli bezeling the other day and made a few Rivoli Sunflowers. My first attempt is now a solo pendant:

The design is straightforward and fun to put together, and somewhat easier in construction than your typical peyote or RAW rivoli bezel. I've had issues with thread showing when I use peyote to bezel a rivoli, so when I use this method I have to pay attention to minor differences in bead size between different batches of seed beads (which is probably why the evenly-sized delicas are so commonly-used in this technique). Since the Rivoli Sunflower is a fringe method design, it's a little more forgiving in this respect. And it has Miyuki fringe drops, which makes it extra awesome, since drop beads are awesome. 


My second Rivoli Sunflower ended up very orange, an unusual color choice for me. I think I'm either terribly missing the summertime during these winter months, or I'm channeling my inner Giants fan. Probably both. I paired the Rivoli Sunflower with Swarovski bicones, cranberry Czech glass, Venetian rounds, and two basic cube beaded beads in this necklace:

The Rivoli Sunflower pattern is available at beAd Infinitum if you'd like to make your own.

New Circle Starburst Kits

Two kits are now available for the Circle Starburst pattern at beAd Infinitum. The first is in copper, purple, and silver, in a color palette I've named Royal Copper:

The second uses Swarovski crystal circle pendants instead of glass lentils, in deep red and dark purple, with a hint of silver. This color palette is called Sharp Siam: 

Both kits can be found on the beAd Infinitum Patterns and Kits page, and include the full pattern, all the beads necessary to complete the project, two needles and plenty of thread, and (since it is recommended for this design) a copper headpin for storing the finished bead. 

Eclectic Beaded Bead Pendant

Remember those Balloon Box beaded beads that I made with extra fringe drop seed beads a few months ago? I finally got around to incorporating them into jewelry in this eclectic pendant:

The larger Balloon Box beaded beads are accompanied by some medium-sized beaded beads constructed from classic round Japanese seed beads, both 3.4 mm and 2.8 mm Miyuki drop beads, as well as peanut-shaped Japanese seed beads. I liked how I was able to incorporate all three of these uniquely-shaped seed beads into one beaded bead, but they show just a little too much thread for my taste. They eventually served as prototypes for the mosaic beaded beads that I made for Marcie's Margie and Me color challenge last month.

A couple of basic cube beaded beads, constructed from 3.4 mm Miyuki drop beads, complete the pendant. 


The Balloon Box beaded bead pattern is available at beAd Infinitum if you'd like to make your own!

Time Machine and Pentacluster Pieces

Recently, I had the opportunity to try Gwen and Florence's Time Machine beaded bead pattern from beAd Infinitum. I ended up making two Time Machines in different color schemes. I thoroughly appreciated the level of detail and quality of writing in this pattern, as it allowed me to complete two Time Machine beaded beads without any confusion or half-completed beaded messes. 

This Time Machine beaded bead features hues of patina green, light amethyst, and copper. I decided to make it into a pendant:

I like how faceted roundelles can be used in this pattern; there are some gorgeous beads in this shape coming out of the Czech Republic nowadays in color schemes not found in faceted round beads. 

I also made an Ionic Pentacluster in the same color scheme, just because:

For this next piece, I again chose my color scheme from a particular green and purple color palette from a Czech faceted roundelle. I also used these same roundelles when stringing this necklace:

I originally had a completely different idea in mind for another beaded bead to pair with the Time Machine focal, but I found that Pagoda beaded charms matched style of the Time Machine much better. I think the matching Miyuki fringe drops really tie them toether. I also made two related, slightly larger beaded beads in a design which I think I'll name the Double Pagoda beaded bead. Cyclamen opal Swarovski bicone crystals complete the necklace...

...and Pagoda beaded charm earrings complete the set. 

The Time Machine and Ionic Polyhedra beaded bead patterns are available at beAd Infinitum, while the Pagoda beaded charm tutorial is available in my Artfire and Etsy shops on my website. 

Wintery Mini Ionic Polyhedra

Earlier this year I purchased the Instant Holiday Glam: Color Palettes of Splendor PDF from Margie Deeb, which is full of many interesting and unique combinations of colors for the holiday season. I found some of the color combinations in this eBook quite nontraditional, but on the whole it really got me thinking about new ways to play with color in my beadwork this holiday season.


When I experiment with new color palettes, I like to try them out on a small beaded bead before moving on to the rest of the piece or a larger project. In this case, I wanted to weave a beaded bead with 30 edges, so I made one with 12 edges first to test out the colors. I chose one of Margie's holiday color palettes consisting of silver as the base color, dark rainbow blue as the secondary color, with gold as the accent color. I started by trying it out in this Mini Ionic Octahedron (à la Gwen Fisher of beAd Infinitum):

Unfortunately there's just too much blue in this beaded bead to match the desired color palette, so I made an adjustment to add more silver:

I liked this one better, but I still thought that its silver-to-blue ratio was not quite right. So I switched the structure of the beaded bead from a Mini Ionic Octahedron to its dual, the Mini Ionic Cube:

This accomplished much of what I was going for. The more open structure of the Mini Ionic Cube shows off the round silver beads more than the Mini Ionic Octahedron. 

Satisfied with my color palette, I moved on to the 30-edge structure. There are two regular polyhedra with 30 edges, the dodecahedron and the icosahedron. I felt that the dodecahedron would result in a more open structure, thus showing off the round silver beads more compared to the icosahedron, so I chose that polyhedron and made a Mini Ionic Dodecahedron:

Neat huh? I found it quite satisfying to weave.

 Though hollow, it's remarkably sturdy:

This beaded bead is going to make a nice little Christmas ornament. I think I'll pair it with its cube cousin to make it a stacked ornament. 

The Ionic Polyhedra pattern is available at beAd Infinitum, and it explains in great detail how to weave the Mini Ionic Octahedron and Cube and about a dozen other polyhedra. The Mini Ionic Dodecahedron is one of many variations to this pattern, and should be pretty straightforward to weave for anyone familiar with other dodecahedron beaded beads. 

Balloon Boxes with Bubbles

I've been experimenting with my newest beaded bead design, the Balloon Box. I actually made this blue and pink beaded bead a while ago to match some lampwork beads I was incorporating into a necklace. I ended up going with a different beaded bead design for the necklace, so this one became a pendant:

But more recently I came up with the idea to incorporate Miyuki fringe drop beads into this design (maybe it was from all the fun I've been having with Gwen's new Ionic Polyhedra pattern!). By replacing 24 of the seed beads with fringe drop beads, I ended up with these modified Balloon Box beaded beads:

Neat huh? 

Actually, the above two beaded beads have one key difference. Can you see it? 

Look closer... Can you see it now?

Give up?

OK, I'll tell you: these two beaded beads use different sizes of Miyuki fringe drop beads. The one on the left uses the classic 3.4 mm drops which have been on the market for some time now. The one on the right uses the brand new mini drop beads, aka 2.8 mm drops, which became available earlier this year. 

Here's another view of the beaded bead on the left, with the 3.4 mm drops:

And the one on the right, with the 2.8 mm drops:

It's a subtle difference, but it was more noticeable when I was weaving both of these beaded beads; the larger drops make the finished beaded bead look a little bit fuller, and they also cover the thread nicely as well. The smaller drops are a little easier to weave into this design, but more of the thread shows in the finished beaded bead. 

So, for this Balloon Box beaded bead variation, I'm going with the larger fringe drops, which is fortunate because these beads are made in a wider variety of colors and are also more widely available at this time. I made another one of these Balloon Box variations in blue and precious metal colors, to match some "Luna" Venetian beads I've had kicking around in my bead box. 

I'm not sure if this beaded bead quite matches the Venetian beads though; it ended up much more blue than I had planned. 

Anyway, even though the 3.4 mm fringe drop beads worked best for this variation, I'm not giving up on the 2.8 mm drop beads; these are just too cute to keep locked away!