Friday, April 14, 2017

Free Beading Pattern - Princess Earrings


Although today is my birthday, it is a very sad day. Beadoholique, one of my favorite local bead shops, is officially closing forever today because the owner is retiring. It was the largest bead store in this area and it was only about a mile from my house. She tried to sell the store but nobody was interested in buying it.

Almost four years ago, I took a class at Beadoholique that was taught by Robin Smith. In the class, I learned how to make her "Princess" earrings. With the store closing, Robin will no longer be teaching her classes and she has graciously given me permission to share her pattern with my blog readers.

So, in honor of Beadoholique, my friend Robin and my birthday, you can download Robin's beautiful "Princess Earrings" pattern for free. I've blogged about these earrings a few times before and you can read the details about the blue earrings at the top of this post HERE. Read my first post about the "Princess Earrings" HERE.


Click HERE to download the free "Princess Earrings" pattern.

NOTE: You may sell the projects that you make with this pattern, but please credit Robin Smith as the designer and mention that you got the pattern from Linda's Crafty Inspirations. Please do not distribute or sell this pattern.

Below are some of the Princess earrings that I've made. Two of the pairs have no dangle at the bottom, just a little seed bead picot. The pattern includes instructions for making the picot. Robin's earrings had a large drop bead dangle and the pattern has instructions for adding one. The last pair of earrings below have a drop bead dangle but I added it using a different method than the one in the pattern.

Robin makes her earrings with 4mm crystals and 4mm pearls but all of my earrings in this post were made with 3mm beads. Both bead sizes work equally well with this design.


  • 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
  • 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
  • 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
  • 3mm fire polished beads "Light Sapphire Gold Marbled"
  • 3mm druks "Bronze"
  • 7x5mm drop bead "Black Diamond AB"



  • 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
  • 3mm fire polished beads "Ruby"
  • 3mm druks "Bronze"



  • 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
  • 3mm bicones "Purple Red AB" (Chinese)
  • 3mm druks "Bronze"
  • 6x12mm drop bead "Amethyst AB" (Chinese)



39 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! Thank you, and Happy Birthday!
    perhaps you should buy Beadaholique.....
    ;)

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    1. Thanks, Cally. I'd rather be beading than selling beads.

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    2. They are very pretty. Thank you very much for the pattern.

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  2. Happy birthday!

    Sorry about the bead shop closing. There is a small bead shop near me but I have a 9-5 job so the shop's open hours don't fit well with my schedule and I have never been there. Back when I was in college in the 1990s, there was a cute little bead shop near Harvard Square that I spent entirely too much time (and money) in.

    Also, thanks for the pattern. I review bead subscription boxes for a subscription box website and needed to come up with a project that uses 3 mm or 4 mm firepolished beads. I feel like I am often making the same types of pieces over and over again when I review that particular subscription, but those earrings are new and different and look like they will work up quickly. I will be sure to provide credit/links.

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    1. Hi there. Lisa Kirkeby here. Owner of Beadoholique Bead Shop in Houston. I've looked at your blog so many times I can't count but just this morning ran across this post while I was looking for Robin's pattern (she still works for me). Needless to say, I was blown away when I saw you mention the store in Spring that was closed. I just wanted to say that the bead shop in northwest Houston is still alive and well! I suppose it's possible that you've been by and I just didn't realize. Have a great day!

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    2. Hi Lisa. It's very nice to meet you here and I'm so glad to hear that Robin is working in your store. The last time that I saw her she wasn't sure what she was going to do when the other store closed. I was aware of your store but it's a bit of a drive from where I live. Google Maps says that it's about 21 miles from here. The store that closed was only about a mile from my house. I'm happy that you are open for business during this time and I wish you well.

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    3. Mostly I just wanted everyone to know that the store hasn't closed. Any chance you could list the shop with the others you have listed? Thanks!

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    4. I added a gadget for your shop on the right just below 1960 Beads. I hope that Adam's shop is doing well. By the way, feel free to teach any of my free patterns in your classes. All I ask is that you mention my blog in the class.

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  3. Hi Linda
    Happy Birthday! I'm slowly back into beading. Little at a time. I hope you enjoy your birthday.Sorry to hear about your friend and her store. It's difficult for a small business these days and I'm sure your friend put her heart into her business so she will be sad

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    1. Hi Marge. Thanks for the birthday wishes. Just to clarify, Robin didn't own the store. She worked there and taught beading classes there as well.

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  4. Happy Birthday Linda and a special thanks to you and Robin for sharing the pattern. I wanted so much to be able to make these beautiful earrings when you first shared yours.

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  5. Happy Birthday, Linda!!! Sorry it's a sad day for you although I do hope the Birthday cake will cheer you up!!! I know cake ALWAYS brings a smile to my face!!! Plus you get presents on top of it all!!! I too really enjoyed and subscribed to Beadaholique's You Tube channel - she does beautiful work!! May she be happy i her retirement!! For some reason my name will not show up on my post so I will put it here - Cindy F.

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    1. Thanks, Cindy. The online bead store called BeadAholique isn't going away. It's a local bead shop called BeadOholique that is closing.

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  6. It's always disheartening when a favorite bead store and it's wonderful staff leave. Here's hoping the memories of time spent shopping and sharing will give a bit of brightness to your special day, Linda. Thank you and Robing for generously sharing the delightful earring pattern. L.Stockton

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  7. Thank you and Robin for sharing it with us.
    Wish you all the best and happy birthday 🌼

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  8. Thank you so much for the pattern, Linda and Robin. I am in the process of making my first earring and wonder... Do you find it quite "floppy"? I am retracing my thread path to make it firmer, but so far that is not helping much. I used 4mm druks and 4mm FP beads... Any advice would be much appreciated. :)

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    1. Hi Jean. That is the nature of these earrings. Reinforcing should help a little but they will still be soft.

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    2. Thanks for your response, Linda. They did stiffen up a little after reinforcing.

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  9. Thanks very much and happy birthday, though there is some sadness to it. (I'm catching up on email.)

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  10. Happy Birthday linda, sorry to hear about your LBS, I watch them on you tube, will miss it. Our LBS just closed, now the closest store is 2hrs. no matter which one I choose to go to. BLAH, If I had some solid backing I would open a store myself

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    1. The online bead store called Beadaholique isn't closing and their videos are still online. The local store that closed was called Beadoholique.

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  11. I like this because you don't need to use super duos... which scare me. I don't know how to use some of the fancy newer two hole beads yet. I can't wait to try these. Too bad about the bead store... I love their videos .

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  12. Happy Birthday Linda, Hope your day was great. Thanks for all the tuts & for coming into my home everyday. I look forward to your emails. Again---THANKS
    Kathy

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  13. Happy Birthday, Linda. Birthdays should be happy, but I can certainly understand how sad you feel that your favorite bead store is closing. Maybe the retiring owner will have a SUPER SALE to sell her stock!! THAT should make you happy Thank you for posting these earring patterns in various colors. I look forward to making them.

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    1. Hi Barbara. The leftover stock went to another location that is too far away from me to visit. I did pick up a few deals before the store closed back in April.

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  14. Hi Linda, thanks so much to you and Robin for sharing this pattern! I made a pair of these princess earrings yesterday using 4mm round faceted hematite Chinese crystals instead of pearls. But I think I am having some problem with thread tension... when I hold up the earrings, they're a little "wavy" from the side view instead of being totally flat. It's not very bad, because when I lay them down, they do look flat (as in my picture). Is this normal? This is my first time making these sort of earrings, usually I use CRAW patterns 🙂
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/atx1taifd1xj2xu/IMG_20190226_163217.jpg?dl=0

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    1. Hi Sunflower. I think that it's just the nature of the design for them to be a little wavy when wearing them. That's because the beadwork is soft and loose. Reinforcing them a couple of times helps but doesn't completely eliminate the problem. It would be nice if there was a way to stiffen them but I haven't thought of one. I use clear nail polish on the backs of my Russian Leaf earrings to stiffen them but I'm not sure that would work with these due to the large spaces between the beads.

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  15. I have tried to download the pattern but it didn't download. It says download unsuccessful.

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    1. I just tested the link and it's working for me. Try this link: Princess Earrings

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  16. As I use my kindle fire I can't download anything either , but love looking at your collection of beading designs

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    1. That's a shame. I have no trouble downloading PDF patterns from my Android tablets. Do you have a computer that you can use to download the pattern? As long as your ISP doesn't block downloads, you should be able to download them from a PC.

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  17. I am unable to download the pattern. :( Would you be able to email me?

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    1. Hi Candace. You will have to send me a message using the "Send me an email" form on the right.

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