Rings!

I've been playing around with right angle weave a lot lately. Cubular right angle weave to be specific. It is SO time consuming but SO worth it. The end result is a solid, structural piece, and the sky is the limit. I have a plethora of projects planned with this stitch in mind. Right now, in fact, I'm working on something very exciting! I can't spill the beans just yet though...I have 2 more in the "set" to finish before I can exhibit them to the world!
In the meantime, please enjoy some lovely cubular rings, inspired by my new favorite stitch!




I'm SURE I'll be making more of these style rings in the future...fun and unique, right up my alley!

Dreadlock Beads

Spring is here. It's almost time for concerts, festivals, and dancing in the sun. Phish just got back together and played a fantastic run of shows at Hampton Coliseum, and they are doing a summer tour. The Grateful Dead is getting back together (Jerry will be there in spirit) to play some summer shows. Of course, you don't have to be a jam band loving "hippie" to have dreadlocks...that just happens to be the category I fall into.

There's no better way to show off your locks than with beaded accessories. Wear them just for fun, or use them to cover up and tighten "rough spots".
Even if you don't have dreadlocks, you can wear dreadlock beads in braids. To wear with braided hair: Separate hair and begin to braid as normal. When you reach the location of where you would like the bead to be visible, slide bead on to one of the three sections of hair, twisting as you go (you may want to clip the other 2 sections together while you are doing this so they don't come undone). Continue to braid hair, securing the end. The bead will be securely in place until you undo your hair. Neat huh?

The following beads were woven in tubular peyote stitch. Beading in tubular peyote allows for a rigid (but still slightly flexible) bead. Weaving in regular peyote or brick stitch will cause the bead to sink in, with no rigidity at all. You could still wear dreadlock beads woven this way, but they may be a little more difficult to put (and stay) in your hair. Personally, I prefer the structure of tubular peyote, so I weave all my dreadlock beads with this method.
These latest beads were stitched with toho seed beads, except for the Om and Radioactive beads, which were stitched with delica beads. Hope you like!








Please visit my online shop for more dreadlock beads in a variety of colors and styles.

A friend in need

I rarely post personal off-topic material, but a friend is in need and I'd like to do anything I can to help. This past Friday (the 13th) my friend and talented musician Zach Deputy had his tour van stolen, with all of his instruments and recording gear inside. This is a HUGE blow to Zach, who is on the road 300+ days of the year and had many of his personal belongings inside the van.
Zach is also a new daddy, so this really couldn't have happened at a worse time.
Please check out the full story HERE, and please help if you can. If you've never heard of Zach before, do yourself (and him) a favor and buy the cd. You won't be dissapointed.

March Challenge Winner

The winner of the monthly Etsy Bead Weavers challenge for the month of March, "Temptation", is RachelesOriginals with her stunning necklace "The Seductress". The amount of time and patience that must have went into this masterpiece is mind boggling. Congratulations Rachele! Can't wait to see what you choose for the next theme.

The runners up are also exquisite. Coming in second is this eye-catching, unique necklace, "Temptation" by Olgo:

Third place goes to Smadar of Smadars Treasure for her necklace, "Temptation Dance". Isn't it pretty? It's the one I voted for actually. (shhh....dont' tell anyone).

Irish Flag Cuff Bracelet

Trying to keep up with the holidays, I was determined to create something with St. Patrick's Day specifically in mind. I found myself leaning towards the colors of the actual flag of Ireland more so than a shamrock or a little elf - perhaps that's my own Irish pride shining through.
After finding the perfectly matching delica colors, I wove in 2-drop peyote stitch.
It's finished with a beaded toggle clasp that will hold the bracelet securely on your wrist.

As a special promotion, I'm offering free shipping for this bracelet to anywhere in Ireland!

Etsy Beadweavers Challenge - Temptation

The entries for the challenge are in! They are amazing as always. The amount of talent, patience, and time that went into creating these beauties is astounding!

You can click on the item in the text list below the mosaic which links to the Etsy Shop listing of each entrant where you will see more detail of each piece!

Please go to the Etsy Bead Weaver's website to vote for your favorite!

l. Sunset Necklace - HannahRachel

2. Black Desire necklace - FleurDeIrk

3. Carmen's temptation pendant - 6Carmen6

4. Dulce de Leche - nemeton

5. Green with Envy - BeadazzledofOregon

6. Temptation in Turquoise - beadsandblooms

7. Temptation - MadeByOlga

8. Temptation in the Garden - glimmerstone

9. The Seductress - RachelesOriginals

10. Forbidden Fruit - EPOriginals

11. Temptation Burlesque Collar - gypsyeyesjewelry

12. Tempted by Temptation - dreambeadweaver

13. Sweet Beaded Temptaton - BeadFabulous

14. Green Gold Temptation - binkaminka

15. Mist on the Moors - beaglebeads

16. Serpent's Temptation necklace - CieloDesign

17. i want to believe cuff - thebeadedlily

18. Chocolate Temptation cuff - randomcreative

19. Mirage in the Desert Necklace - Charmingthings

20. The Spider and the Fly - daynamiles

21. Chocolate Cherry Cordials - ThesePreciousThings

22. Caught in The Web of Temptation - cigarboxbeads

23. Aztec Summer - beadworkbyamanda

24. Temptation By the Sea - myfairladyvt4

25. Hamadryad's Heart Fringed Choker - SalamanderHouse

26. TEMPTATION Necklace - enchantedbeads

27. Eye candy temptation - PFordCustomJewelry

28. A case for Temptation - LiciaBeads

29. PUSHING LUCK - caraway

30. Temptation Cuff - SpringColors

31. Luscious Cherry Chocolate Necklace - FrancescasFancy

32. Bead Store Temptation - beadwoman3

33. Temptation Dance - SmadarsTreasure

34. Sunrise Temptation - njema

35. Moonlit Seductress - ErtheFae

Voting begins on Monday, March 9th and ends midnight March 15th. Show your appreciation for the efforts of these amazing artists and take on the difficult task of voting for your favorite.

Many thanks to Ann of Francesca's Fancy who prepared the mosaic!

Thank you HotRocks for bestowing to me this lovely "Let's Be Friends" award.

Thank you HotRocks for bestowing to me this lovely "Let's Be Friends" award.

Honestly, if I had been given this award by someone else, I would have passed it on to you.

This award states that...

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.


Choosing just 8 blogs that fit the description isn't going to be an easy task, but here goes:

Steam Powered Rings - Amazing steampunk jewelry

Living Botanical - Yummy bath and body products made with all natural ingredients

John Wright Art - Beautiful, original artwork

Holy Cuteness - The most adorable pictures and videos of cute animals you'll ever see

PaperKraft - Print color cut-outs and create 3d video game character, comic book characters, animae and more

Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice - Every time I go to this blog I get hungry...find some great recipes here

Solsisters Studio - Beautiful handmade bags & pouches

Women's Self Esteem - Gaining confidence

Extra life anyone?

I managed to get a picture of this 1UP Mario mushroom before giving to my lil' sister. She said she wanted a key chain. The clasp is a swivel, so she can clip it on her shoe, phone, or wear it on a chain, too. I'd love to bead up a fireball flower sometime. So much to do...




I have a handful of small goodies I was hoping to get photographed last night but my attention was quickly diverted when the UPS man dropped off a package on my door.

My new toy...in all its glory. Wanna know what it was? Head on over to HoopFlow to get the rest of the story.

Top Droppers for February

Please check out my top entrecard droppers for February:



Thank you all for your continued support!

Congratulations to the winner!

The winner of our ArtFire Artisan Jewelers Guild challenge "First Sign of Spring" is

From Popnicute:

Isn't it beautiful??!!

Thanks to all who voted.