Playing with my beads...Tara Bracelet Motif Earrings

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• Rulla beads "Jet Copper"
• MiniDuo beads "Turquoise Bronze Picasso"

I really like this motif which is from a free pattern called "Tara Bracelet" by Nela Kábelová. This is not to be confused with Ellad2's "Tara Earrings" pattern. The "Tara Bracelet" pattern is available free from The BeadSmith site HERE. This is the photo of the bracelet from that site:

"Tara Bracelet" by Nela Kábelová

When I looked at the photos on the BeadSmith site, I assumed it was a large, chunky bracelet. Actually, the motifs are very tiny. They're only about half an inch square. I would like to use the motifs to make a bracelet sometime but first I need to come up with some kind of filler motif that I can use to connect the motifs together. I don't want to use wire like the pattern instructs. I like the large 2-hole square tile beads that were used by the designer but I've never seen them anywhere. CzechMates tiles are quite a bit smaller.

Until I come up with a way to make a bracelet, I thought I might as well turn the motif into some adorable little earrings. Because the motifs are double, and have a front and a back, they are kind of thick and make nice sturdy earrings even though they're very small.

Although I do have quite a few Rulla bead colors I had a hard time coming up with color combinations that go well with the MiniDuos that I have. I haven't been able to find Rulla beads in all that many nice colors and I've got most of the ones that I do like. I looked them up on the BeadSmith site and they make quite a few nice colors that I've never seen for sale anywhere. I might use them more often if I could get some of those pretty colors. You can view a PDF file of all of the available colors HERE.

These are some of the elusive the colors that I wouldn't mind having:

Gold Luster
Chalk Light Green Luster
Chalk Blue Luster
Chalk Red Luster
Chalk Ruby Luster
Opaque Violet
Opaque Violet White Luster
Opaque Violet Picasso
Opaque Green White Luster
Pastel Light Brown Cocoa
Pastel Burgundy
Pastel Bordeaux
Pastel Petrol
Pastel Montana Blue
Turquoise Blue Picasso
Turquoise Green Dark Travertine

I do have some called "Chalk Green Luster" but I don't know if they're the ones called "Chalk Light Green Luster" or the ones called "Opaque Green White Luster". I've never seen any of the other colors on my list for sale anywhere.

I do have some of the same colors in both Rullas and MiniDuos but I'm not all that wild about the motifs being all one color. I did make two sample earrings like that but they're not my favorites. It's the contrasting Rulla color that highlights the design created by the MiniDuos. The motif reminds me of a tiny patchwork quilt square.

I experimented with a couple of different kinds of loops at the top and settled on the one that I used in all but one of the sample earrings (it's the one at the top of this post). It starts by picking up seven 15/0 seed beads and going back around through the center two 15/0 beads on one corner of the earring. Then, I go back through the first 15/0 of the loop, pick up a 15/0 and go through the next 15/0. I weave through the next five beads and add another 15/0 then go back around to reinforce the loop.

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• Rulla beads "Aztec Gold"
• MiniDuo beads "Opaque Rose Gold Topaz Luster"

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• Rulla beads "Opaque Amethyst Luster"
• MiniDuo beads "Pastel Bordeaux"

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• Rulla beads "Opaque Gold Smoky Topaz Luster"
• MiniDuo beads "White Senegal Brown Purple"

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• Rulla beads "Jet Copper"
• MiniDuo beads "Polychrome Indigo Orchid"

• 15/0 seed beads Toho "Metallic Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Metallic Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
• Rulla beads "Chalk Lazure Blue"
• MiniDuo beads "Opaque Green Luster"

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• Rulla beads "Jet Copper"
• MiniDuo beads "Chalk Blue Luster"

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• Rulla beads "Turquoise Blue Senegal Violet"
• MiniDuo beads "Blue Turquoise Bronze Picasso"

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• Rulla beads "Aztec Gold"
• MiniDuo beads "Blue Turquoise Silver Picasso"