Pumpkin Mandala Necklace (Halloween)

This is the other version of the Mandala tutorial I made from i-Beads by purplefiona at FionaFiona.  This is the orange and black colourway using my free gift from i-Beads - which were the transparent orange superduos.

 I used those along with some opaque black superduos for contrast as well as the black seed beads.

Instead of using crystal bicones that decorate the outside, this time I used half black, half silver crystal rondelles, which add a little extra sparkle.  I haven't made earrings to go with these.  I may do eventually, I just haven't had time lately.  Side note: I was originally going to call this Orange is the New Black, but I didn't think I'd get away with it!

BTW - I hope you're liking the new setup.  I got my mannequin reupholstered in a lovely aubergine velvet from Corset Laced Mannequins over on Etsy.  It's so much easier to show off my necklaces and see how they hang than the display models I was using.  So if you're looking for a mannequin or you'd like to spruce up one you already have, I highly recommend you check out her shop!
For the close ups I've been using one of our granite placemats.  So if you see any weird reflections, it's just the various posters I have hanging in my room - lol!  I would use a less reflective surface, but I like the effect it gives.  I do try to minimise the reflections on the post edits.

Well, that's the end of my Halloween jewellery.  This weekend I'll be getting the shop ready by photographing, uploading and editing all the jewellery I'll be selling up to Christmas.  I hope you'll stop by, as I'm hoping to donate a portion of my profits to the mental health charity that got me started on this craze in the first place.

Here's wishing you a safe and happy Halloween!
x Kym x
=;x

Witches Brew Mandala Set (Halloween)

So I've already caught my mom trying to sneak this into her own jewellery box, even though I made it for myself from this awesome tutorial from i-Beads.

 I changed the colours to my own personal taste - pastel bordeaux and black matte superduos, mixed with purple iris seed beads and chinese crystals.

Obviously as this is someone elses design (purplefiona at FionaFiona) I can't sell it - this was made for me personally - and my mom when she decides to steal it!  I also made another one, which I'll post about shortly.  In the meantime here are some extra photos.

=:x

Pumpkin Spiked Latte Necklace

I just knocked this up quickly last night, inspired by this Jenna Marbles video:

This is the Pumkin SPIKED Latte Necklace!

It features alternating Pumpkin and Gunmetal coloured acrylic spike pendants hanging from gradually reduced lengths of gold-plated trace chain.  These hang from a chunkier gold-plated round link chain.

It's finished with a gold-plated toggle clasp.
Thanks to Jenna & MOQ (Julien) for inspiring this necklace!
=:x

Anansi Set (Halloween)

Sorry it took me longer than I intended to get these photos taken. First I'd like to share the very first idea I had for my Halloween jewellery.  Don't forget to click on the photos for a better view! ;)

 I had these triple stud bridge beads from Beads Direct which I love using.  My idea was to mix them with some Swarovski neon pearls that I'd bought on sale.  As I discovered when making the focal, I had to tinker with the sizes of the pearls on the top and bottom to get the gentle curve I wanted.  I had also failed to take into account how I was going to keep the bottom beads from falling off.  As you can see in the finished necklace below, adding a jump ring and a couple of spike pendants not only solved my problem, but also adds a little something extra to the unusual design.

I attatched a chunky silver curb chain to either side of the focal and also added these cute little spiderweb charms from Jilly Beads.  Taking a step back, the finished design kind of looks like a grinning face with fangs?
For some reason I couldn't leave it there, and quickly created these earring to go with the necklace.

I'll leave you with some closeups, but please let me know what you think - would you like them to be available to buy?

=:x

Hades Necklace

Today is a necklace that I've had pictured in mind for a while, but I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to create it.

It's a collar - almost tribal-style necklace using silver-plated connectors, 6mm & 8mm turquoise/blue glass beads and 6mm & 8mm magnetic hematite.

It's brought together with gunmetal-plated cable chain and a gunmetal-plated lobster clasp.

Looking at the finished article, I'm thinking I may have enough materials to do away with the chain and make it into a full collar, or at least make the chain shorter. It might be very heavy though.

The 8mm blue glass beads that I used were part of a mystery pack of glass bead strands that I had from the U.S.  They're absolutely beautiful up close, with a kind of texturing underlay, almost like foil.

I'll have a go at the full collar and I'll repost it if it works out.

=:x

My First Necklace

As I was going through the jewellery that needed to be re-photographed, I came across the first necklace I made at my therapy class.  This was got me started on this beading obsession.

 

It was just a simple beaded necklace.  I remember they didn't have anything purple in their selection so I chose these small bugle beads.

As you can see, a lot of the colour has worn off by now.  These days I rarely wear it as a necklace, instead I wrap it around several times and wear it as a bracelet.

 It's got me thinking about maybe making some more in different colours.
=:x

Work In Progress - Beaded Chain Necklace

I've been making real progress in moving away from my anxiety and depression.  It still fogs up my mind, but I've been going out and I've even found a bead shop (Beading Amazing) near to where I live, which gives me an excuse to get out.  I'm using beads that I bought from there in my latest project.

I love learning new stitches, and recently I learned how to do CRAW (Cubic Right-Angle Weave) and I'm currently making this beaded chain necklace.  Once I get the length I want, I'm going to tie a ribbon to either end.  It's slow going, but here's what I have so far.

The idea is totally not my own - it came from Sage's Cupboard and her tutorial for Right-Angle Weave on Inspirational Beading - although I didn't end up using that tutorial as I actually found the CRAW easier, once I'd got the hang of it. Plus it seemed cumbersome to bead the length you needed and then zip it up, when you could just stitch the whole thing in one go!

I used Preciosa Czech seed beads in the Honey Butter colour mix as I wanted a gold chain look, with a twist.  They're size 11/0s, which I really don't recommend using if it's your first time doing CRAW.  I'm just stubborn!  I had to make a rough piece using fire-polished crystals first so I could get the hang of how the stitch worked.  I find I can do it without thinking now.  I also have the Pebblestone mix, which I think would look pretty in this stitch too.  So I might try that once I finish this one.

I highly recommend watching this YouTube video if you're interested in learning this stitch.  This was the only tutorial I came across which clearly explained what to do after you've got that little ball of beads in your fingers and you can't figure out which is the top or the bottom or where the hell you're supposed to make the next stitch:



I'll let you know when it's finished!

=:x

I Heart...Water Necklace

A new addition to the I Heart...Collection this week. The I Heart...Water Necklace.

Happy Birth/Mother's Day!

I don't usually post at the weekend, especially when it's my birthday!  However I was silly enough to be born around Mother's Day here in the UK so today I have to share the celebration of my arrival on this Earth with celebrating the amazing woman who gave birth to me. I don't have much to offer, so I thought I'd add to the ever expanding collection of jewellery that I have made for her.
As you may or may not be aware, I adore semi-precious gemstones and they are my favourite to work with.  I love the random beauty of natural stones.  I was excited when one of my favourite sites [Beads Direct] to get gemstones were having a sale as it gave me an opportunity to work with a stone I've wanted to buy for a while - Druzy Agate:

Beaded Cross Necklace

I've spent this weekend designing and making new items for the I Heart...Collection, but I haven't had time to take any photos yet. Due to some chaotic happenings over the weekend, I'm not sure how regularly I'll be posting this week.
Today's item is a gothic necklace (my favourite theme!) based around a tutorial from Ruby's Beadwork for a beaded cross pendant.

I Heart...Bravery Necklace

Today's post features the ...Bravery Necklace from the I Heart...Collection.  This necklace has become my Mom's new favourite.

I Heart...Vintage Necklace

Today's item is probably not only my favourite necklace in the I Heart...Collection, but that I've ever created.  This is the ...Vintage Necklace.

I Heart...Sweetness Necklace

Sorry this is late, I've got a bit behind this weekend thanks to some kind of stomach bug, so the posts this week might be  bit scattered.
Today's item from the I Heart...Collection is the ...Sweetness Necklace.  So-called because it reminds me of strawberries and cream.

I Heart...Language Necklace

So here is the first piece in my new collection - This is the ...Language Necklace.

Molten Metal Necklace

Today I'd like to show you a necklace I've been working on for a while.  The Molten Metal Necklace.

I've had this pendant for a while as I could never figure out what I wanted to do with it.  I came across it again a few months back and after I'd been testing out different beading techniques, I knew I wanted to make a spiral rope chain.  However, matching the colours and creating the pattern proved to be a nightmare.  I never thought silver and copper would be so hard to match!

The black beads were easiest, but it was choosing whether have the silver or copper beads as the core or the accent.  I decided upon these copper-lined crystal beads as a core and accented the black seeds with silver.

As a little something extra, I followed a tutorial on Ruby's to make this beautiful toggle clasp (my first!) and then ruined it by taking the photo before I'd tidied up the excess thread.

 

Oh well, it's still pretty and will be available to buy soon!

=:x

Swarovski Ombre Necklace

This is probably one the ones I've been most excited to share out of the new things I've created over the holidays.  I bought a Swarovski mix containing various shapes in shades of red.  I played around with them on my design board and was inspired to create an ombre necklace.  I instantly began sketching, however the ombre effect on its own didn't seem enough.  I really wanted to catch the eye.  I began adding strands to add to the effect, but there was still something missing.  Going back to my mixed bag, I noticed the the different sizes and the idea of a 3D ombre came to me.

Christmas Cluster Necklace

This is a necklace I designed for Christmas with a red and green glass bead mix.  I added some gold metal beads too and hung them from a gold plated cable chain.

Mintberry Swirl Necklace

I've really got to think of a better name for this necklace before I sell it!

I've had this pack of lampwork beads that I received in a goody bag (I think!) for while and I haven't really known what I wanted to do with them.  So using my new found beadwork skills, I've transformed it into this beautiful necklace.

Grandma's Ring Necklace

Here's my first "make" post of 2015!

This was my first Christmas without my Gran.  Before her dementia got really bad, she gave me her Mother's wedding ring.  She unfortunately lost her own in the care home where she was staying and we've never found it.  This ring is too big for me to wear, and rather than spending unnecessary money getting it refitted, I used my latest love of beadwork to turn it into a necklace.

 

Mn (Manganese) - The Metallics Collection (Part VI)

Part 6 of the Metallics Collection is Manganese...

More photos on Etsy.

This is the first set that I actually sketched down the design that I had in my head instead of just making it straight away. 

Manganese necklace sketch

I'm not going to win any design drawing contests, but as you can see from the photo above, it turned out almost exactly as I designed.

I knew I wanted a statement focal, similar to the stunning metal necklaces that they wear on the catwalks and red carpets.  However there were two issues to be addressed.  First of all I'm not a goldsmith or a silversmith, and I don't have access to the materials or equipment needed to make something like this, and I hardly think my little hobby Dremel would be happy to cut through huge sheets of metal!  Second, metal tends to be heavy, and I prefer to make jewellery that looks like the real thing, but is actually wearable.

I discovered these beautiful rumpled rhomboids when I was looking what to spend the £50 gift voucher I won on.  I combined them with these acrylic metal twisted squares that I had left over from another project.  The silver spacer beads that I usually use didn't have the effect that I was looking for, so after raiding my accent bead box I found some acrylic metal rondelle spacers, which looked more like the lopsided circles I'd drawn in my design.

You'll notice in my design, that I only have two silver squares, which didn't hang right, so I added another with some very frustrating wire-bending techniques.  I didn't want the chain to detract from the focal, so I found the smallest chain I could.

The earrings were another problem.  There weren't any smaller versions of the squares that I'd used in the necklace, and yet just one of either the gold or silver looked wrong.  I measured both together with the earwires, and they didn't seem as long as they looked.  Only problem was, that even my longest headpin wasn't long enough.  Luckily I had left over wire from the necklace and bracelet, which I coiled into a spiral at the bottom to hold the squares in place.

As you can see, a lot of work went into this set, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Necklace: £50.00

Earrings: £32.00

Bracelet: £30.00

or buy the set: £90.00