Linked Bracelet

I have a collection of 1/2 inch plus striped beads in bright colors. I would be content to just own them and display them in various small bowls because they are too large and too bright to use in any number. For this bracelet I linked just one with moderating green glass beads. I'm getting better at bending the wire to make links between beads. I'm now in the field-testing phase for this new method of beading during which time I put on a linked bracelet or necklace and wait to see if any of my little loops give way and set the little beads free on the floor of the garage or down the toy aisle at Target.

Welcome, Baby Sara!

A new niece has been added to my collection of kids who may require crafts. Sara Rebecca was born this morning. She is my sister's third little chick. There will surely be lots of noise, lots of nesting and lots of proud strutting around at my sister's house with Sara's arrival. As this blog is about crafts and not people, I show the baby gift made for Sara. The lead bird's body is made from my all-time favorite fabric and indeed most of the hand-appliqued birds and wings are constructed of small left-overs from projects through the last decade. The eyes are buttons meant for shirt and jacket repair and raided from Sara's grandma's stash. The diamond quilting is meant to look a little like chicken wire.

This is the first quilt project I've completed in quite some time. I found I am a little rusty, but a baby's vision isn't so sharp at first, anyway.

Pendant

This vintage black and white striped cabachon is now a pendant. I glued a silver bail to the back so I can wear it on a chain or black cord. I've seen the mounting hardware on which you can glue anything with a flat back to make a stud earring, but to date I have not tried it. Stay tuned.

Chain Necklace

Using a necklace I saw online as inspiration, I took a stab at working with chain. It was much easier than I expected. The chain is ready made. I cut it where I wanted to insert beads and wired each bead onto a lenth of wire with loops at the ends to hold to the next bead. I finished off with a flower pendant, after drilling a second hole for it to be strung like a bead onto the chain. Voila! Now, what else can I drill a hole in so it can be a bead....

Easter Beads

The kids helped construct bead rabbits for the Easter dinner table. The design is one I've used before, but with plain wooden beads and random-colored pipe cleaners. Now my bead supplies are significantly upgraded, and the rabbits show it.

Orangey

After playing around with my new resin beads and looking online for inspiration, I strung this orange and red and white and wood necklace. Knots hold each bead unit apart from other bead clusters. The massive white bead would also look interesting on a purse, though there is no poll posted on this blog for readers to guess when that project might happen.

Asymmetrical

So-called milk beads in a pretty spring blue color make up the main part of this new necklace. The green donut bead was meant as a purse toggle, but for now I'll keep it here with the blue beads. An adjustable loop knot over a wooden button bead holds the necklace on in back and keeps everything in place. The green donut stays off to one side.

Yummy Yellow Earrings

Make with vintage yellow beads and hand-made silver earwires sourced from a favorite Etsy.com store, these yellow earrings were fun and fast to put together. I will admit to running out of things to say about one bead project after another. As long as you surfed over to look at the blog, you might as well see something new.

Diaper Cake

My sister, C, is having a baby soon, but she lives too far away for us to throw her a baby shower in person. So, my mom and I mailed the shower in a box. The centerpiece of the "baby shower in a box" is this diaper cake. Proving once again you can google anything, I learned how to make this utilitarian cake by watching a video online. My mom and I added containers of candy in the center to stabilize the creation. The cake may thus have the same amount of sugar as a conventional cake.

Mod Earrings

My hair is growing longer, and I just don't feel like taking the time to get it cut. Instead, I'll start wearing longer earrings like these. My ear decorations will thus be easier to see.

Button Necklace

Using my fresh beads and a button from a sweater I bought in Scotland decades ago, I made this spring necklace. The rectangular beads lie flat when the necklace is on. A loop of matte seed beads around the button eliminates the need (and expense!) of a clasp. As I favor sterling silver closures and clasps beefy enough to balance the size of the beads, this is great news.

Special Delivery

A fabulous and very large shipment of beads has arrived. I was drawn to the simple shapes and colors of these resin beads. It's time to buy a new compartmentalized box to store more beads. Anyone with a birthday coming this spring, behold the raw materials of your present!