Aurora

Bracelet in 3-drop peyote stitch with seedbeads and plastic bugle beads. In this case I used plastic bugle beads because glass ones are too sharp and will cut the thread. I called it Aurora because it makes me think of the colors of dawn.

Hollow Hex

Fantasy 3D bracelet with hollow hexagons, hence its name. It is made with one thread so it does not consist of separate components that have to be stitched together.

Dilly Daisies

Bracelet with tiny dagger beads in the most fabulous colors. Very inspiring!

Teal Darling

Bracelet in St. Petersburg stitch. It is four rows thick and if you make it with thread instead of fishing line it is almost as supple as fabric. For me, one of the great attractions of beadwork is the way it feels, the bead feel.

Astrovaganza Necklace

Wire was the last thing I expected to be interested in because of my nickel allergy. Despite that I am deeply into it at the moment. I used to be a piano tuner/restorer in the past and seriously dealt with wire when I had to restring a piano. The ability to make ‘eyes’ into thick wire now comes in very handy. I am enjoying my wire phase very much because I can make and design my own clasps. And as long as there is no nickel involved to produce the wire there is no allergy problem.This is the first necklace I made with not only a wire clasp but a wire chain as well. As focals I used three of my Guadiana Beads. A free PDF tutorial on how to make these is available on this site (see my post ‘Guadiana Bead’ of November the 10th 2013).I also wrote a free tutorial on how to make this delicate clasp. Contact me on the ‘About SeaBeads’ page if you are interested in either one of the tutorials.

Gotitas De Amor Bridal Set

As a fervent beader I am always looking for beads and findings I can use in my beadwork. On one of these hunts I found some headpins with pearldrops on the end. These inspired me to make this bridal set.

Rollin’ Stones Bracelet

Bracelet in ladder stitch. I fought with this one for a week. It looks so simple but I kept on making mistakes and had to pull out bits of it lots of times.

I found an elastic bracelet with stone disks on the beach. These stone beads were difficult to incorporate in my bracelet because of their irregular shapes. But I never give up so I finished it in the end.

The clasp of this bracelet is magnificent. I found a picture of it on the internet. The first record of this type of clasp is from about 1000 BC. Isn’t that something! Lorena Babcock Moore wrote a tutorial on how to make this ancient clasp. Here’s the link: http://www.mineralarts.com/artwork/WireTutorials.html.

Lorena is a self-taught artist and metal smith. She was educated as a Geologist and Botanist. Her visual art is inspired by traditional scientific illustration. Thanks very much, Lorena, for teaching me!

Necklace Amiga

Some dear friends came to visit us this week. That is why I called this necklace ‘Amiga’ which means friend in Spanish.

It is made with a pendant (the same design I posted last week) and a modified St. Petersburg chain around it. And the tiniest toggle clasp I was able to make. I had to be small because the St. Petersburg chain looks very delicate and a huge clasp would not combine well.

 

Pendant Chameleon

Pendant made of a peyote bezelled piece of transparent glass. I called it Chameleon because it will adapt to whatever you are wearing underneath.

Armona Bracelet

This bracelet is the exact same design as the Culatra bracelet I posted on the 11th of October last year but it looks so different. Time and time again I am amazed about the power of colors and how they work together.