BeadSmith Snowflake Wire Forms Part 1

This time of the year BeadSmith Snowflake Wire Forms are very popular.  They come in four sizes and are easy to decorate.  They make great personalized gifts as well.  I will be doing a series of blog posts about all the different uses for these forms.

With Halloween just a few days away, these forms make great supports for spiderwebs.

I chose the 9" forms for my spiderwebs.  The 4mm Preciosa Bicone Crystals are black and orange.  Of course, I chose SpiderWire to string the web.

First I strung the crystals, alternating between orange and black on the "spine" of the web.

Then I began stringing silver lined Miyuki 15/0 Rocialles to make a sparkly web, adding a crystal here and there.

Here is the finished web.

Halloween is not the only spiderweb occasion - remember the Christmas Spider?  

This time I chose the 3.75" Snowflake Form to make Christmas spiderwebs to decorate my tree.

I used Miyuki 15/0 Silver Lined Delicas to make the delicate web.  I like to use the silver lined Delicas instead of silver ones, since they stay shiny and do not have any tarnish or fade issues.  I decorated the spine of the web with 4mm Bicone Crystals and Miyuki 11/0 Rocailles.  

Here is a close up of the details on the spine of the web.  The Rocailles are silver lined matte and have a rich glow.   

The 3.75" forms come with 8 in each package, so there are enough to do a set of Christmas Spiderwebs to decorate your tree, or to give as a hand made gift.

Now on to Part 2 ~ Snowflake Suncatchers......

Happy Beading!

Betsy

Snowmen Earrings in Swarovski

Now that Fall is finally here and the weather is starting to cool off, it's time to begin thinking about the holidays.  My favorite part of the holidays, of course, involves beading!  This tutorial blog will show, step by step how to make Swarovski Crystal Snowman Earrings.

Here is the finished pair of earrings.

In addition to the crystals and other components, you will also need these tools:

Flat Nose Pliers

Round Nose Pliers

Side Cutter Pliers

  Available in the Red Panda Beads store are kits with all the necessary components to assemble a pair of Swarovski Crystal Snowman Earrings..

Each kit includes:

2 ~ 10mm Swarovski Round Crystals

2 ~ 8mm Swarovski Round Crystals

2 ~ 8mm Rhinestone Rhondells

2 ~ 8mm Swarovski Jet Margaritas

2 ~ 4mm Swarovski Jet Cubes

2 ~ Sterling Silver (or gold filled) 1.5 inch Headpins

2 ~ Sterling Silver (or gold filled) Ear Wires

Step One

Place one 10mm crystal on a headpin - this is the snowman's bottom.

Step Two

Place an 8mm Rhondell on the head pin next - this is the snowman's scarf.

Step Three

 Place an 8mm Crystal on the headpin, this is the snowman's head.

Step Four

Add an 8mm Margarita - this is the bottom of the snowman's top hat.

Step Five

Add a 4mm Jet Cube, this is the top of the snowman's top hat.

Step Six

Using Flat Nose Pliers, prepare the headpin excess to be trimmed.

Step Seven

Trim the excess with Side Cutter Pliers

Step Eight

Using Flat Nose pliers, bend the top portion of the head pin 90 degrees

Step Nine

This is what it should look like now...

Step Ten

Using Round Nose Pliers, begin to roll the end of the headpin, before you close the loop, add the ear wire.

Step Eleven

You've finished one earring, repeat all these steps for the second one, and before you know it you will have a pair of earrings!

Happy Beading!

Betsyhttp://www.redpandabeads.com/servlet/the-Crystals-cln-Swarovski-cln-Earrings-%26-Kits/Categories

Miyuki Berry Beads

Miyuki just released new Berry Beads.  They are similar to Matsuno Peanut Beads, but slightly larger.  The Berry beads measure 2.5mm x 4.5mm and have the same great quality as other Miyuki beads.  There are 33 colors, including some precious metal plated beads.  They were so adorable I could not resist playing with some myself!  :)

First I picked the colors and finishes I wanted to work with. I love the gold plated beads and at first thought to do a plain Peyote bangle with them alone, but it was just too plain.  So I decided to add some 4mm Capri Blue AB crystals and changed the stitch to a two needle RAW.

The Berry Beads nestle the crystals very nicely.  

This bracelet very much resembles a tennis bracelet - but it is nice to be able to add the crystals in any color, not just clear or clear with an AB finish.

I next wanted to work with the silver lined matte Berry Beads.  These are so pretty.  I knew immediately that I wanted to contrast the frosted beads with a bright color - and with October being Breast Cancer Awareness, I chose a Fuchsia AB crystal.

The matte Berry Beads appear like little flowers between the crystals.

There is an air of elegance, almost like a pearl necklace about this bracelet.

Then lastly, I wondered what using just the Berry Beads in a RAW would do.  So, again for Breast Cancer Awareness, I chose to pinks.  The base of the bracelet is a pale inside color lined pink and highlighted is a darker inside color lined pink.

The weave almost gives the impression of fringe on either side of the bracelet.

This is a very pretty way to support Breast Cancer Awareness.

Here I have all three together so you can see how different they all appear, just by switching a few components - yet they all were created with Berry Beads.  :)

(shhhhh.... don't tell anyone, but I like these better than the Matsuno ones....)

If you are considering trying some of these for yourself - wait until Friday 10/7/11 - they will be featured with a 20% discount.  :)

Happy Beading!

Betsy