Scenes From the Kit Production Line

Over the past week I've been knee-deep in the Kit Production Line in preparation for the Bead & Button Show. This means that there are far, far more seed beads on my beading trays than there usually are, especially since I'm a beaded bead specialist. For example, here's a snapshot of a big ol' pile of round seed beads for the Tila Garden Pendant:

Since the Rizo version was so popular at the San Diego Bead Society last month, I'm putting together a limited number of kits for this version too. The finished Rizo/Tila Garden Pendant took a little swim in a sea of tila beads:

There are still a few seats left in the Sunday session of this class if you'd like to see this pendant in person!

Raindrop Flower Beaded Bead Sets

I finished the matching beaded beads for three of the Raindrop Flower focal pendants that I wrote about this past week. I'm patiently waiting for an order of crystal pearls to come in so that I can string them into their respective necklaces!

I also had a bit of fun arranging them into different poses for these photos. Here's a family portrait of the icy blue silver set:

And here's an "album cover" shot of the lavender glow set:

I think the style of the dark lapis set is somewhere in-between:

I'll be teaching how to make this entire set in the Raindrop Flower Necklace class on Thursday, June 6 at the upcoming Bead & Button Show (only one month to go!) More information about Bead & Button class registration, as well as general show information can be found here. 

I'd love to see you there!

Another Attempt at a Cosmic Nocturne Colorway

I wasn't quite satisfied with the dark blue and rusty bronze colorway of my Cosmic Nocturne Pendant, so I made another attempt with these colors.

More Silver

I asked for feedback on this colorway on my Facebook page, and Sharri Moroshok kindly suggested that I add more silver to this pendant. A simple change from bronze to silver seed beads was all that was needed for this result.

For comparison, here's the previous attempt:

Side-by-Side Comparison

I think the silver definitely brightens up this pendant, adding overall contrast and setting the outer layer off from the inner layer. Plus the bright silver on the darker background makes for a starry effect :)

What do you think?

The Cosmic Nocturne Pendant is just one of the projects that I'll be teaching at the Bead & Button Show this June. The class for this particular project is on Friday, June 7, from 1-4 PM. More information about the show can be found on their website.

Raindrop Flower Focal Pendants

In preparation for my Bead & Button classes next month, I wove up some Raindrop Flower Pendants to test possible colorways for its necklace class. I wove four pendants, in addition to the original necklace:

Raindrop Flower Necklace - Thursday, June 6, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Which version is your favorite?

More information about Bead & Button class registration, as well as general show information can be found here. I'd love to see you there!

Beaded Serotonin

In the midst of preparing for the Bead & Button Show, and after a fabulous time teaching at the San Diego Bead Society this weekend, I carved out a little time to make some more beaded molecules.

Serotonin

Serotonin is a small molecule that contributes to feelings of happiness and well-being. It's made from the amino acid tryptophan, and it functions as a neurotransmitter; a molecule that carries messages from one neuron to another in the nervous system. Serotonin is found in both the gut, where it regulates intestinal functions, and the brain, where it helps to regulate mood, appetite, and sleep. It's a huge target of antidepressant drugs, which aim to increase serotonin levels.

The Chemical Structure of Serotonin

From an organic chemist's point of view, serotonin is about the same size as caffeine, and its two rings (the indole functional group) are also flat. It has comparatively more carbon atoms with only two nitrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. So, from the beader's point of view, when serotonin is woven using the same technique that I describe in my Morning Coffee Molecules pattern, the two colors of the background beads and the carbon atoms will dominate, with the colors of the nitrogen and oxygen atoms serving as accents.

Color Attempt #1

For my first attempt at a beaded serotonin molecule, I chose colors that I like because those colors make me happy. So I started with matte purple beads for the carbon atoms on a dark purple beaded background, with red luster beads for the nitrogen atoms and gold for the oxygen atom.

The result ended up much darker than I had anticipated. It's an interesting color scheme, but it doesn't scream "happy" the way that I had wanted it to.

Color Attempt #2

For my second attempt, I switched to lighter purple beads for the background, bright pink for the carbon atoms and orange for the nitrogen atoms.

It's a much happier molecule, but I wasn't as satisfied with the interplay between the pink and purple beads, as these beads are too close in value and tend to blend into each other. Plus, for this molecule to be truly happy, it needs to sit on a bed of bright and sunny background beads.

Third Time's a Charm!

For my final attempt, I put the gold beads in the background, and switched to shiny Duracoat seed beads for the individual atoms; pink for the carbon, purple for the nitrogen, and peach for the oxygen atom.

It's by far my favorite of the three, and I'll definitely be working with this color scheme again!

Next time, I'll have to try beaded dopamine.

Cosmic Tetrahedron

One of the themes of my talk at the San Diego Bead Society this weekend is how a simple change in geometry can lead to a new beaded structure. With this theme in mind, I wove a variation of the Cosmic Nocturne Pendant.

A Tetrahedral Variation

This particular variation uses the geometry of a tetrahedron. Can you see its similarity to this beaded tetrahedron?

I like how this design accentuates the faces and the points of the tetrahedron, but it also leaves a big space at the edges. This is unlike most of the beaded beads that I've seen (like the one above), which usually have at least one bead lying on the edge of the structure.

Variation vs. The Original Version

The tetrahedral variation is slightly smaller than its original counterpart, but it's still a nice size for a petite version of this pendant.

The Cosmic Nocturne Pendant is just one of the projects that I'll be teaching at the Bead & Button Show this June. The class for this particular project is on Friday, June 7, from 1-4 PM. More information about the show can be found on their website.

Cosmic Nocturne Pendants

Having finished the class kits and instructions for my classes at the San Diego Bead Society this weekend, I switched gears and put together a few new Cosmic Nocturne Pendants in preparation for its corresponding Bead & Button class in June.

Ways to String the Pendant

One of the fun characteristics of this pendant is how it can be strung through several different openings. The first time I created one of these pendants, I strung it on a sterling silver headpin before stringing it on a chain. This will still be an option for the students in class, but for this latest version, I left off the headpin and just strung it on the chain through two of its many openings.

I like this orientation the best because it accentuates the pointed ends, making it look more star-like (hence its namesake). But you can also string it through two different points, making it look more like a box standing on one edge:

It looks especially cube-like when it's strung this way:

The colors in this pendant match that of the geode colorway of the Fiberoptic Dodecahedron, though the Cosmic Nocturne looks a little more purple than its dodecahedron counterpart.

Other New Colorways

I also wove this design in two additional colorways! I'm still not quite sure what to think of this one:

I was looking for a different way to use those blue iris magatamas, so I paired them with bronze seed beads and reddish-bronze SuperDuos. It's somewhat outside of my usual color schemes... It's still dark, fulfilling the cosmic, night-sky theme of the pendant, but I'm not sure if I like it. What do you think?

I also wove this version in green patina with a touch of bronze a while back.

The Original Colorway

This is the original colorway, in black, silver, and purple, with just a touch of blue iris:

The Cosmic Nocturne Pendant is just one of the projects that I'll be teaching at the Bead & Button Show this June. The class for this particular project is on Friday, June 7, from 1-4 PM. More information about the show can be found on their website.

Which colorway is your favorite?