Hot weather deserves a sundae...

I bought this Geode slice from a bead store, or from Fire Mountain, or a rock shop, or, well, somewhere. I don't honestly remember... I do remember looking at it and thinking that really looks like the end of a hot fudge sundae, with the deep chocolate and caramel colored swirled with cream...


I think I made this somewhere areound 8-9 years ago, which was when I really got into seed beads. I used my entire stitch repertoire when I made this, Peyote stitch, herringbone, and netting!

I slightly hate the colors now. I thought I was subtley picking up colors from the geode, but it soon became a little ridiculous. Seriously AB orange? What was I thinking? I guess when your colors are limited to the basics, you go with what you have...Matte opaque cream, opaque white, black, AB orange, SL Brown, SL clear and transparent brown. :-P



I have a few more slices of this same geode, which I think might get beaded sooner than later...with a nice blue...or a deep plum...hmmm. I don't like the way I covered up so much of the slice with the bead netting. I think that a slim-fitting Peyote band around the outermost edge would look much better. It would probably require a touch of E-6000 to hold it in place, as much as I hate using glue to hold natural stones...

Creepy, crawly, and... romanitic?

Today's from the vault were my wedding favors. I made a hundred of these little gals! This also meant I got to make several guilt free trips to the bead store for leg beads! :-D

Beaded Spiders


Materials:
15mm(ish) round bead
7-8 mm round bead
10mm long bugle beads (BB)
Size 11/0 seed beads (SB)
Size 24 wire (craft wire or floral wire)
Head Pin
Round nose pliers
Wire Nippers


Instructions:
1. String onto wire: SB, BB, SB, BB, SB, BB, SB, BB, BB, SB, BB, SB, BB, SB, BB, SB

2. Make a 2-coil wrap at the end of the wire using your round nose pliers

3. Leaving approximately 5mm, make another wrap at the other end of your beads.
*note-you need the 5mm slack on the strung beads to attach them to the body! *

4. Cut wire from the spool. The segment should look similar to that below


5. Repeat for another 8BB string


6. Repeat using 6BB and 10BB, see below


7. Thread the 8mm bead onto the head pin.
*note-depending on the size of the bead hole, you may need to string a seed bead first to keep it on the pin.*

8. Center an 8BB wire on the head pin below the 8mm bead

9. Wrap once around the head pin

10. Repeat with the remaining leg segments in the following order 6BB, 8BB, 10BB


11. String the 15MM bead onto the headpin, snugging right up against the legs and head.

12. Form a wrapped loop at the end of the head pin
*Note-your legs will slant a little bit due to snugging them up against the head, this should happen! It’s just hard to show in a computer doodle


13. Gently curve the first and second legs forward and down on each side, and 3 and 4 back and down on each side. If your legs are floppy, make your feet wraps a little tighter and they should stiffen up!

14. Attach a piece of monofilament to your new friend’s hiney loop and hang somewhere she can scare houseguests! Or put her in a pot in your cupboard so she can scare your significant other! Or hang her from the rearview mirror in your car! Or on your desk at work! Or do as I did, and stick them in a box of M&Ms and give them away as wedding favors!

I really have been beading...

Don't you hate it when you have this fantastic idea for a project as soon as you see the focal in the bead store, begging to be taken home, then you get it home and start beading it immediately then all of the sudden KA-POW! you come screeching and stumbling to a full stop? I've been at this full stop for several days now.




I got my cabs beaded, they are pink and gold and sparkly and mottled, so pretty...I surrounded them in silver-lined pink 11/0s, gold 11/0s and gold 15/0s. I then worked up a pink and gold African Polygonal Weave rope. I love this stitch. 3 beads at a time quick and dirty and it looks so cool!



I wanted to add more elements, other than the rope and the cabs, but nothing in my travel bead box looked right. I seem to hit this block every time a silverlined pink bead shows up on my work surface. (I have been trying to create a piece around a(an?) unakite cab for well over 8 years) Nothing really goes with them...except these new cabs.



I wish someone would propose a UFO swap...send the pieces you have started, partner makes them "finished."

Yay! Thursday came on work Wednesday!

I secretly love patriotic holidays! This could be because I was born on Independence Day (US-July 4) and get fireworks on my birthday. Thank you to all our men and women who have made the great sacrifice,

I also enjoy the extra day off to spend time with family and friends, not that I actually had time to do anything bead-worthy...

Anywho, today is Thursday and I owe you something from the vault. It is a bajillion degrees(give or take) with humidity levels that would make you barf, literally, in New Jersey today, so to cool us all off a bit, today's From the Vault is a Christmas ornament.



Once you get the caps done for the top and bottom, this pattern is adaptable to any type of weave you want to use as "filler". This one happens to use the ever popular daisy chain to connect the caps. However, this cover is not removable, so don't accidentally break it when you put it in your carry-on bag to take with you to visit whomever you may be visiting...not speaking from experience or anything... :)

This one uses black, gold, and AB pinkish-red Japanese seed beads, and 4mm AB Swarovski bicones in a pinkish-red.