Last night was beading night, one of the last before our sale, so I needed to be productive. I started by pouring out some supplies on my work area (an old square of white flannel). This is what I decided to work with:

• Rose quartz — five 8mm rounds and a baggie full of chips
• Freshwater pearls — top-drilled buttons in white and small potato pearls in iridescent silver.
• Tiny glass seed beads, silver-lined for sparkle

I wanted something longer, like the gold necklace I made a couple of weeks ago, and I was trying for random. Almost every time I start a random necklace it veers off into a pattern. I can’t help myself. Last night was no exception. However, the chips are of varying sizes so it gives a random-ish feel to the necklace. 

 

 

 

Here’s a prettier shot. Tulips and a back garden full of bikes — it doesn’t get much more Dutch than that.

 

 

 

Cost of this Thing: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €88.61

Last night was beading night again. I wasn’t quite as productive as last week, but I still finished something.

I pulled out some fuchsia quartz that I’ve had for years. They’re shaped like Chiclets. Yummy!

I’ve never quite known what to do with them. Every time I add them to a design I end up removing them again. I can’t seem to do them justice.

This time I decided not to combine them with anything else except seed beads, and I also decided that no matter what, I was using them up.

 

 

I went with a three-strand box clasp, and divided the chiclets unevenly over the strands. I had planned to do six on each strand, but when stringing the first strand it was long enough after five and I did not feel like starting over. Hence the crowded middle strand. Let’s call it a design feature.

 

 

It’s okay. I love the colours but I think I should have added some silver touches in there. At least the fit is right.

 

 

Another one for the jewelry sale. Hopefully it will be exactly what somebody was looking for.

 

 

Cost of this Thing: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €78.96

 

Last night was beading night and I did some Thing catch-up, getting four done in one night. I’m sewing a Minoru jacket, and it’s messing up my one-Thing-per-day schedule. Beading gives me buffer.

I started with a pair of earrings, using silver ear wires from my overstuffed supplies box. I paired the big white glass beads I bought in Prague last summer with Swarovski pearls for some shine and dangled a Czech glass bead from the end for a shot of colour.

 

 

A bracelet to match makes a bright set for spring.

 

 

Next I ransacked my Swarovoski crystals for necklace inspiration. I have handfuls of random leftovers from previous projects so a necklace like this is good housecleaning. All the pearls and crystals are Swarovski, and the clasp is a sterling silver magnetic clasp.

 

 

Finally, I wanted to make something a bit longer, fun for the summer, and maybe just a bit flashy 🙂

I pulled together all the gold Swarovski and some shiny bead caps and kept stringing until I ran out. That happened a little sooner than I hoped, but it’s still nice and drapey. And flashy.

 

 

We have a beading sale in a couple of weeks (part of a craft fair) and these will be added to the table.

When I put them together like this, they kind of all look the same. All those Swarovski pearls…

 

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79

 

 

The school where my youngest daughter, Esther, goes organized a creamiddag (creative afternoon) a couple of weeks ago, where teachers and parents led groups of students in learning various crafts.

I volunteered to lead a group in making wrap bracelets (like the children’s bracelets, but bigger) and pompoms. I prepared enough supplies for eight kids, the maximum group size. And then no one picked my craft. Humph.

I was still asked to come and bring the supplies, and the teacher would be able to use me. She led me to a table with a group of 12-year-old boys who had not chosen anything. Apparently they would be making bracelets, whether they wanted to or not. Oh, joy.

I clipped a few rounds of memory wire for each boy, and opened the boxes of beads. I prepared for apathy.

“Can we use these?” They were excited. For real!

One got started on an early Mother’s Day gift. Another made a present for his little sister. (I have two older brothers and I can testify that neither of them, at the age of 12, ever thought of making anything for me. Just saying.)

I loved their creativity and enthusiasm. When they finished the first one, they asked if they could make more. They made three each before I ran out of memory wire. I wish I’d had my phone with me to take pictures.

These are the two bracelets I made to demonstrate and to work along with them:

 

 

The purple one stretched out (I have no idea why — maybe the memory wire was poor quality? Beads strung too tight?) so that is going to become part of a doll’s outfit that I’m putting together for a birthday next month.

 

 

I gave the green and black one to Esther’s teacher as a thank you for putting together the creative program. The kids loved it and so did I.

 

 

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79

 

For many years I’ve been getting together every Wednesday for beading with a couple of friends. My bead collection is overwhelming. So. many. beads. I can see them with my waking eyes…

In the spirit of the 365 project I’m trying to spend nothing on beading this year.  

I found a package of child-size bracelet wire wrap (to make bracelets shaped like Slinkies, that you wrap on). I bought this by mistake years ago and never planned to use it. Plans change. I snipped a section of three or four full rounds and twisted a small loop on one end to keep the beads from falling off.

I have boxes (and boxes) of glass beads in random shapes, sizes and colours. I sorted by colour and strung the beads in a rainbow pattern, and attached a heart charm to the end loop. Cute, no?

 

 

And if one is cute, nine must be cuter.

 

 

I may have gotten a little carried away. I’m all out of wire now.

 

 

If I ever host a party for a bunch of preschool girls I’m prepared. We can play Oprah: You get a bracelet! Everybody gets a bracelet!

And a toque…

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79