Update

I'm sorry for not posting anything in a while. I haven't had much time for beading lately so I don't have anything to blog about. I wanted to let you know that it will be at least a couple more weeks before I have anything to post. I will be traveling to Michigan next week. My dad is turning 80 and my siblings are planning a surprise birthday party for him. All six of us kids will be there and of course he has no idea. Two of my brothers live in Michigan and the rest of us live in Texas.
 

Bracelet of the Day: Bisaneta - Luster Iris Red

• 15/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
• 8/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
• 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Bronze Luster Iris Opaque Red"
• SuperDuo beads "Metallic Antique Copper"
• O-Beads "Rose Gold Topaz"

This is another bracelet made using Bisaneta's design with 2-hole cabochons and O-Beads instead of DiamonDuos. This is an unusual colorway for me but I like it a lot. This is a hefty bracelet because the CzechMates cabs are quite heavy.

Bisaneta doesn't have a pattern for her bracelet but there is a YouTube video tutorial HERE that makes one that's very similar.

PEYOTE TRIANGLE EARRING SAMPLES

LEFT SAMPLE:

• 11/0 Delica beads "Duracoat Galvanized Pewter" (DB1852)
• 11/0 Delica beads "Duracoat Opaque Jujube" (DB2119)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)

RIGHT SAMPLE:

• 11/0 Delica beads "Opaque Luster Newsprint" (DB261)
• 11/0 Delica beads "Opaque Black" (DB10)
• 8/0 seed beads "Matte Black" (no info available)

I also made a couple of earring samples on Monday. I've had a request for earrings in combinations of red and black. I made the black and beige sample first to refresh my memory of how the pattern is made. I blogged about Peyote triangle earrings before HERE and HERE. Read those posts for information about the instructions for making them.

 

Bracelet of the Day: Bisaneta - Etched Blue

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Blue Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Ivory Nebula"
• O-Beads "Opaque Purple Bronze Picasso"

I used this same colorway to make one of the "Ivy Bracelet" samples that I blogged about HERE. In fact, that's what gave me the idea to try this pattern with O-Beads.

Bisaneta doesn't have a pattern for her bracelet but there is a YouTube video tutorial HERE that makes one that's very similar.

 

Playing with my beads...more Bisaneta samples with cabochons

Now that I know that 6mm 2-hole cabochons and 8mm Candy beads both work well with the Bisaneta bracelet design, I figured I might as well try the 7mm CzechMates cabochons too. They work just as well as the others and they're a nice medium size.

While making these samples, I decided to see how it would look if I added some O-Beads to change things up a bit and I really like them with this pattern. I used them on two of the samples but I didn't have a matching color for the third sample so I left them off. I included the Candy bead sample in the photo at the top of this post for comparison with the other two cabochon sizes.

Bisaneta doesn't have a pattern for her bracelet but there is a YouTube video tutorial HERE that makes one that's very similar.

• 15/0 seed beads Toho "Matte Cabernet" (703)
• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Matte Cabernet" (703)
• 8/0 seed beads Toho "Matte Cabernet" (703)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Lila Vega Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Polychrome Copper Rose"
• O-Beads "Oxidized Bronze Berry"

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Metallic Suede Gold"
• SuperDuo beads "Metallic Suede Gold"
• O-Beads "Metallic Suede Gold"

Note that although the cabochons, SuperDuos and O-Beads are all called "Metallic Suede Gold", they are each a different shade of the color. The O-Beads are the darkest and the cabs are the lightest of the three. This makes the colorway a bit more interesting than if they were all identical.

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Pacifica Poppy Seed"
• SuperDuo beads "Bronze Gold" (Beads Parade)

These SuperDuo beads are only available from Beads Parade on Etsy HERE. I haven't seen this color anywhere else.

I have three more colorways to show you but I'm going to make them into bracelets because they were my three favorites. I've already made one of the bracelets and will blog about it tomorrow. I will make the other two as soon as I can. I think you'll love them too.

I'M NOW A TANGLER

I have a new hobby, once again thanks to Teejay. She recently introduced me to Zentangle. I'm still in the learning stage because it's been many, many years since I've done any serious kind of drawing. I've been practicing in a sketch pad and also on "tiles" that I've cut from card stock. Below are a few examples of my practice tangles.

My First Zentangle

Playing with my beads...More 2-hole cabochon samples

Here are a few more samples with the 6mm 2-hole cabochons that I blogged about HERE. Besides the Bisaneta design, I also tried them with four other patterns - Camille Variation, Linda's Tweaked Jolie Band, Bubble Bands and Ivy. I got the 2-hole cabochons from Red Panda. They're on THIS page. 

BISANETA WITH CABOCHONS

• 15/0 seed beads Czech/Miyuki "Black Bronze" (CZ55030)
• 11/0 seed beads Czech/Miyuki "Black Bronze" (CZ55030)
• 8/0 seed beads Czech/Miyuki "Black Bronze" (CZ55030)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Blue Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Polychrome Copper Rose"

Bisaneta doesn't have a pattern for her bracelet but I found a YouTube video tutorial HERE that makes one that's very similar. I got these seed beads from Red Panda and I don't know of any other source for this color. They are Miyuki beads with a Czech coating on them and the color is a very dark copper. You'll find the 15/0 seed beads HERE, the 11/0 beads HERE and the 8/0 beads HERE.

CAMILLE VARIATION

Left Sample:

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Lila Vega Luster"
• Kheops par Puca beads "Opaque Violet Gold Luster"
• 4mm fire polished beads "Light Purple Opalite" (Supply Emporium)

Right Sample:

• 15/0 seed beads Czech/Miyuki "Black Bronze" (CZ55030)
• 11/0 seed beads Czech/Miyuki "Black Bronze" (CZ55030)
• 8/0 seed beads Czech/Miyuki "Black Bronze" (CZ55030)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Blue Luster"
• Kheops par Puca beads "Metallic Matte Dark Plum"
• 4mm fire polished beads "Rosaline Moon Dust"

You can read about my adaptation of Puca's "Camille Bracelet" pattern HERE.

LINDA'S TWEAKED JOLIE BAND

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Turquoise Picasso"
• MiniDuo beads "Gold Matte"
• Arcos par Puca beads "Gold Matte"
• iOS par Puca beads "Gold Matte"

Instead of using Minos par Puca beads between the motifs, I used some of Puca's 2-hole iOS beads for a slightly different look. You can get this free bracelet pattern at Around the Beading Table HERE.

BUBBLE BANDS

Left Sample:

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Lila Vega Luster"
• 3mm druks "Bronze"
• 4mm druks "Matte Dusty Lilac" (The Bead Obsession)

Right Sample:

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Blue Luster"
• 3mm druks "Bronze"
• 4mm druks "Pacifica Poppy Seed"
• 4mm fire polished beads "Pink Coral Moon Dust" (discontinued color)

You can buy Deb Roberti's "Bubble Bands" pattern HERE. The top sample came out very nice but I had a little trouble framing the cabs in the bottom sample with seed beads. I guess when they etch the beads they can end up a little shrunken and misshaped. That cab on the far left appears to be a little too small so the seed beads aren't forming a smooth arch like they are on the other cabochons. I had a slight problem with the cab on the far right as well.

I found the pretty Matte Dusty Lilac druks at The Bead Obsession HERE. I've never seen this color anywhere else. Aura Crystals has one bag of the Pink Coral Moon Dust fire polished beads left HERE.

IVY BRACELET

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Blue Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Ivory Nebula"
• O-Beads "Opaque Purple Bronze Picasso"

This sample and the one below were both made with the free "Ivy Bracelet" pattern which you can download HERE. I goofed a little on this sample. When I started the second side, I forgot that I was making "Ivy" and started doing "Bluebell" instead. That's why one end droops a bit.

IVY BRACELET

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Turquoise Picasso"
• SuperDuo beads "Bronze Pale Gold"
• O-Beads "Metallic Flax/Gold Matte"

Playing with my beads...Bisaneta's Bracelet with Candy Beads

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 8mm 2-hole Candy beads "Violet White Terracotta"
• SuperDuo beads "Bronze Gold" (Beads Parade Etsy)

Yesterday I blogged about making the "Bisaneta" bracelet design using 6mm cabochons instead of DiamonDuos. Someone asked me in the comments below that post if the pattern would work with 8mm Candy beads. I didn't think they would but I thought I'd better give them a try before I replied to the question. They do work but they make a wider and chunkier bracelet. I like how they look in my little sample but I really need to try making a whole bracelet to see if I'll like having that many Candy beads in a row down the center.

I used 11/0 seed beads in the netting instead of 15/0 beads simply because I was too lazy to get out the 15/0 beads. I kind of like the larger seed beads with the larger cabochons. I had to add an extra 11/0 on each side of the clasp loop to make it fit around the Candy bead.

Bisaneta doesn't have a pattern for her bracelet but I found a YouTube video tutorial HERE that makes one that's very similar.

Read THIS post for the bead color information about the sample at the top. Read yesterday's post HERE for information about the sample in the middle. The only place that I've seen SuperDuos in this gold color is at Beads Parade on Etsy HERE.

ALMOST 5 MILLION!

My blog is just about to reach another milestone. I'm expecting that sometime tomorrow it will hit 5 million pageviews since I started my blog back in January of 2014. Also, next month is my beading anniversary. I will have been beading for five years.
 

Bethany Earrings - Ivory & Aqua

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Gold" (4202)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Gold" (4202)
• SuperDuo beads "Pastel Light Cream (25110)"
• SuperDuo beads "Turquoise Green White Luster"

I made these "Bethany" earrings to go with the "Claudia" bracelet that I blogged about HERE. You can download my free earring pattern HERE and the bracelet pattern HERE.

 

Playing with my beads...Bisaneta's Bracelet with 2-hole cabochons

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 6mm 2-hole cabochons "Etched Lila Vega Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "White Terracotta" (Supply Emporium)

It's not much to blog about but I thought I'd show you a little sample that I made the other day when I should have been doing birthday present beading. I recently got some 6mm 2-hole cabochons in three interesting new colors. I used one of the colors in today's sample. I've blogged before about Bisaneta's bracelet design which is usually made with DiamonDuo beads. I wondered if the cabochons would work with this design and I was very pleased to find that they work perfectly. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to use the cabochons.

Bisaneta doesn't have a pattern for her bracelet but I found a YouTube video tutorial HERE that makes one that's very similar. I should warn you that I haven't tried the video method with cabochons but I don't see why they shouldn't work.

This is one of the Bisaneta bracelets that I blogged about HERE.

For the colorway in this sample, I paired the "Etched Lila Vega Luster" cabochons with some gorgeous SuperDuos that I got from Supply Emporium. I haven't seen this color anywhere else online and they go very well with the mauve color of the cabs. You can find the SuperDuos HERE on Etsy. In case you don't know this, Claire has a coupon code for my blog readers. Use the code "15BLOG" for 15% off orders over $30. Believe me when I say that it won't be difficult to find $30 worth of irresistible beads in her shop. She carries lots unique beads and colors that you might not see elsewhere.

White Terracotta SuperDuo Beads

I got the 2-hole cabochons from Red Panda. You'll find the color that I used in today's sample as well as the other two colors that I just got on THIS page. Below are the three new colors. I also made a Bisaneta sample with the blue cabs but I haven't had a chance to take a photo of it yet.

Etched Lila Vega Luster

Etched Blue Luster

Turquoise Picasso

Presa Linda Bracelet & Corundum Earrings - Terracotta & Chocolate

I originally blogged about this bracelet about a year ago HERE. I wanted to make some earrings to go with the bracelet but I couldn't come up with a pattern that used 2-hole cabochons. Although these copper SuperDuos aren't exactly the same color as the cabs, they are a lighter shade of that color. The dark brown SuperDuos are the same color as the Pinch beads in the bracelet.

PRESA LINDA BRACELET

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 6mm 2-Hole Cabochons "Chalk White Gold Luster"
• Pinch beads "Matte Dark Bronze"

CORUNDUM EARRINGS

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• SuperDuo beads "Matte Dark Bronze"
• SuperDuo beads "Bronze Copper" (Hobby Lobby)

This bracelet is a variation of Carole Ohl's "Presa Bracelet" pattern, which you can buy HERE. "Presa Linda Bracelet" is a free pattern and you can download it from THIS post. The "Corundum Earrings" pattern is by Kelly Dale. You can watch her free YouTube tutorial HERE or buy the pattern in her Etsy shop HERE.