Vintage Rose

Time to learn something new...and beaded beads took my fancy this week. Easy peasy and oh-so-quick, I think I'm fast becoming addicted. Instant gratification seems to be my thing lately! :-)

These beads are made with a very simple RAW cube base which is then embellished. I wondered what I could do with the sample principles learned, but in the flat rather than in the round, and this pendant was the result.

I made up the pendant as I went along (the story of my beady life, eh!) I'm not sure what stitches I used, perhaps netting? Never having done netting before, I can't say for sure. Feel free to inform this clueless beader!

The large round beads are unakite (a difficult colour to match...but opaque olive and rose-lined clear seed beads seemed to look ok). Throw in a few large etched glass rondelles, a sprinkling of olive crystal bicones, and you have my 'Vintage Rose'.

I may actually wear this piece myself, instead of giving it away or throwing it in a box under my beading desk... *gasp*

Evergreen Unfurling

This necklace began with a tube of size 6 Czech seed beads. My lovely Mum picked the tube, drawn to the earthy hues which ranged from emerald green to milky cream to mottled amber. And I promised to make something for her with them.

Six months later, and they are finally at home in my 'Evergreen Unfurling'...

The size 6 seed beads were woven into a twisted tubular herringbone rope along with some green delicas. Using beads with such a size difference results in an obvious 'corkscrew':

The unfurling fronds were made with two-drop square stitch, and the golden flowers with two-drop ladder stitch and simple fringing:

And a flower bud yet to bloom, a Czech fire polished bead encased in seed beads:

Lately I've enjoyed combining bead-weaving with chain. The lazy part of me likes this form of instant gratification. This necklace, had it all been beadwoven, would have taken me three times as long to make. With my beading time so limited these days, I'm all for a shortcut here and there ;-)