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

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!

Hello again!

Hello beady friends! My sincere apologies for not delighting you with more consistent posts. I have been spending a lot of time designing patterns and creating tutorials so that other can learn how to make pretty things too!
Whether you are a beginning beader or more advanced, you should be able to find a tutorial or pattern to tickle your creative bone in my etsy shop. There are a bunch of funky peyote stitch bracelet patterns too, if you're into that sort of thing.

One tutorial that is not available in my etsy shop but in my jewelrylessons.com teacher page is "Peyote Stitch - Finishing Touches".
That is a free tutorial (you just have to sign up for an account on the website, it's free), that will help you with many of the things beginner beaders struggle with. It shows (with words AND clear, close up pictures) how to weave in new thread, knot, decrease rows, increase rows, add a clasp, and add a loop. Really all the things you need to know to finish a peyote stitch project. Check it out!

Tutorials now available!

I've delved into the world of tutorials and am happy to announce that I will be offering instructions on making some of my creations.
Tutorials will be available via www.jewelrylessons.com.
Right now I have a free tutorial for peyote stitch, as well as tutorials for my beaded ornament cover, and beaded bangle bracelet, with more on the way. Have a look!


Unique You Tutorials

Beading against breast cancer

Fellow bead weaver Kerrie Slade is using her superpowers for good! Kerrie designed this pretty ribbon in collaboration with Beading Daily for the Power of Beading Contest & Charity Fundraiser.

You may purchase the pattern HERE. All funds raised from the sale of the instructions until the end of September 2008 will be donated to The Wellness Community and the American Institute for Cancer Research.
And if you have a "power of beading" story of how beading has helped you through a hard time, be sure to visit the Beading Daily website and enter to win a ribbon beaded by Kerrie herself.

In more beading for breast cancer news, so far, 25 members of the the Etsy Bead Weavers have agreed to get an early start on Jeanette Shanigan's Bead-it-Forward Quilt. Since 2007, beaders have been invited to bead squares to donate to the quilt. Jeanette then stitches the squares together, and the finished quilt is then auctioned off at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, WI. Proceeds are donated to the Medical College of Wisconsin Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Jeanette, together with other beaders, has raised $10,000 total in the past 2 years. Check out the beautiful finished 2007 Butterfly and 2008 Beaded Rose quilts. This years theme is "Hearts".

The Etsy Bead Weavers have set an October deadline for themselves, but Jeanette is accepting donations up until March 15, 2009. If you are a beader interested in being a part of this wonderful project, please see the official rules/form HERE.