Lighthouse by the sea

When I was a young girl, my Nana and Grandfather would spend a week in Cape Cod, in a small cottage by the ocean and I was lucky enough to go along with them. Some of my fondest memories stem from those carefree days on the beach. I would spend all day splaying in the sand and surf, coming back to the cottage only for a quick bite to eat before rushing back out to play.
Lighthouses always bring me back to that time and make me smile.

I've created three versions of this lighthouse bracelet pattern, available in super wide, wide, and thin.

Eye of the Tiger

I've been working on some lovely peyote stitch and loom bracelet patterns lately, but this one has got to be a favorite of mine. It is not really for the "beginner beader", as it has a whopping 35 different colors of Delica beads to give it a realistic look. You can bead up a tiger bracelet of your very own with the help of this pattern, which includes a full color pattern, a large easy to print black and white symbol graph with key, manufacturer bead color # and exact bead count needed. Also, I will send you a large, hi res pattern photo that you can zoom WAY in on. Make sure to send me pictures of your finished bracelet, I love seeing my patterns made by fellow beaders!

Take a look around my shop...if you buy 2 patterns, you get a 3rd at no cost!

Getting ready for the holiday season?

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I've been getting prepared for Christmas early this year! Not only have I been beading up jewelry to give away as gifts, but I've also been embellishing LOTS of shatterproof bulb ornaments with a netting technique. It works up fairly quickly, and makes the ornament so pretty!

If you are interesting in making these pretty ornaments for yourself, or to give away as gifts for the holiday season, you can download my easy to follow step by step tutorial with full color photos for each step, available here: Netted Ornament Tutorial

Try using an out of the box color combination for added fun!

Happy beading,
Joanna

Army Men Bracelet

Remember when you were young, and the long summer day seemed to last an eternity? Ya know, when kids used to bring their toys outside to play instead of sitting in front of the tv for hours? I've brought the nostalgia to your wrist with wearable art that will bring you back to the simper days!

I wove this bracelet bead by tiny bead using peyote stitch and the incredibly uniform Delica beads. A sterling silver slide clasp adds value and a touch of class to the piece. Woven on a 6lb test quality beading thread, this bracelet should outlive you when treated properly!

The bracelet is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.



For the crafty folks out there who prefer to bead up their own bracelets, I also have a pattern available for purchase HERE. Purchase of my original patterns entitles you to make AND sell your wares. Please give credit to the designer though! Happy beading!

Speaking of animal print...

...how about some zebra print fun?! I recently finished weaving up this super wide peyote stitched cuff using Delica beads and my favorite beading thread. It measures 7-1/2" long and a whopping 2" wide.

Want to make one for yourself? You can! I have detailed zebra print patterns available in 3 different widths AND different color combinations. Check em out in my Etsy Shop.

All of my patterns come with a full color image, delica bead number and bead count needed, a large easy to print black and white symbol graph, and a word chart. I also email you a hi res photo that you can zoom WAY in on.

Get WILD!

Leopard Peyote Stitch Bracelet

Animal print, when you over do it, can be just awful. Gaudy, I guess is the right word. When done right, though, it's downright classy. The RIGHT way to wear animal print (and I know this because I have seen at least 20 episodes of "What Not to Wear" lol) is to accessorize with it. You know, animal print shoes, animal print purse...
Animal print jewelry!


This bracelet was woven using Delica beads using peyote stitch. If you'd like to add a little touch of "wild" to your wardrobe, it is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

If you are a bead weaver yourself and would like to make this bracelet, I have patterns available in three different widths: 2" wide, 1-1/2" wide, and 1" wide.
All of my patterns available for purchase are my own designs, and come as a PDF with an easy to print symbol graph, full color picture, and word chart. You may also sell bracelets that are made with the pattern!

Holy beading Batman!

For a good portion of the summer I didn't do ANY beading - I was too busy being outside and working on my hoopdancing to be stuck inside.

Now that the leaves are all on the ground and a little bit of snow has fallen, I'm back to hibernating and beading like a madman. Recently I finished this Batman cuff bracelet. It's woven with delica beads in matte black, yellow, and steel. The steel makes it super shimmery when it moves, yet it's not exactly feminine either. It measures 7-1/2" long, and 2" wide at the widest part of the cuff and is finished with a sterling silver slide clasp. Elegant indeed!

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!

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.

Rings n things

Lately I've been all over the place - beadily speaking. I have a plethora of almost finished pieces. Some are waiting for that special component or clasp to come in, and others I have no excuse for, except that I have a severe case of B.A.D.D. - beaders attention deficit disorder. If I am working on a labor intensive piece, I feel the need to take time off from it to do smaller "tweener" projects.

I wanted to do something similar to the Blue Crystal Fantasy ring I did awhile back, but in different colors, and with a slightly smaller band. It came out just as I was hoping, and is extremely comfortable for what could be considered a "chunky" ring. It's definitely bold, and the silver lined purple beads are eye-catching.
This one is a bit simpler than the rings I usually make. The band is a single string of beads, as opposed to a woven band, like the ring above. Have no fear, however...this ring was woven with PowerPro, a super strong braided cord. I wove the thread through the band several times before weaving it back into the ring for knotting. After it was finished I gave it a real good tug, too, just to be certain. Solid as a rock.
This dainty ring includes swarovski pearls, galvanized toho seed beads, transparent opal toho beads, and opal pink swarovski crystals.

Both rings will be available for purchase through my Artfire shop, with a full description and sizing information shortly.

Copper Sunset Ring

When my copper swarovski crystal met my metallic iris raspberry delicas, I knew it was meant to be. Seriously, these 2 colors together are amazing! The iris rasperry delicas could quite possibly be my favorite color delica, I've been using it a lot lately. How can you not love a color that is gold with flashes of purple?! The color of the beads is best seen in the 2nd and 3rd pics...in the 1st pic the crystal is getting all the attention.

I just get tickled every time I finish one of these. They're just so fun to make, and they're so sparkly!
It kinda has a vintage feel to it...like a flapper in a speakeasy, gold tassel dress, short slicked hair, and her finger shimmers every time she raises her glass to her lips.

Visit my Etsy listing for all the juicy details.

What I've been up to

This past weekend I stitched up a custom goddess dreadlock bead for a very friendly etsy customer. She had ordered one, a purple goddess and it was a little large for her, so she gifted it to a friend (how nice of her). She wanted another for herself - in green, red and orange. I was happy to oblige. Its woven in peyote stitch with size 11 delica seed beads.

I was doing a bit of organizing in the studio, and came across some beads I haven't seen in a while, and immediately thought of doing a stretch bracelet. This one is woven in herringbone with betel nut beads, and wood beads. I love the earthy look of this...I think it would look great on the guys and the gals.

Purple Beaded Pen

I've actually had this one finished for a while, but just haven't been able to take photos that do it justice until recently. This design started with me playing around with my bead-pattern program...beady doodling, if you will. What I came up with is a seamless geometric design that fits perfectly over this Pilot G-2 pen. It is woven in delica seed beads in peyote stitch. The Ink unscrews via the bottom, so you can change the ink and never have to give up the "pretty part".

Complimentary Contradictions

I had been hoping to get my latest done before midnight on September 5th so I could enter it into the Etsy Bead Weavers challenge "Complimentary Contradictions". You can vote for the challenge on our blog from September 9th through 15th. Don't worry, I'll be reminding you again when voting opens!
I actually finished at 10pm, thinking I had plenty of time to take some pics and get it listed. HA! What was I thinking? I DID get the necklace listed before midnight (11:54 EST to be exact), but I struggled with the photo taking. I even tried again yesterday to get some better photos...different light, going outside, but I can't seem to get the camera to see what *I* see.
Nonetheless, it's finished, it's listed, and it's officially entered in the challenge. I call it "Circle Gets the Square".
I used a bunch of different types of beads for this one. Swarovski glass pearls, delica seed beads, toho seed beads, czech firepolished beads, and swarovski crystals squares and one circle for the clasp. I put a lot of energy into making my hands do what I saw in my head, and I'm quite pleased with the result.

First place winner!!

My bridal necklace "Wedding Bells" won first place in the bead-patterns.com wedding themed beading contest! A BIG thanks to everyone who voted!

To celebrate, I'll be hosting a giveaway of some sort in September. I haven't decided WHAT to give away just yet. Feel free to vote for what YOU would want to win in the poll on the left, and stay tuned for details.