Esmeralda Earrings - More samples

I was going to post another "Eclipse Bracelet" today but instead I'm squeezing in these earrings. I promise that tomorrow I will post the next bracelet.

I really love the design and shape of these earrings, especially in the smaller size. The regular size earrings are just a little too over-the-top for me because they're so huge. The small version is dainty enough that they don't give the appearance of being really big. Although I do like the colors that I used for my original samples, I've decided that I prefer how the earrings look when I use round beads (druks or pearls) all the same color and omit the bicones completely.

Read my original article about the YouTube video tutorial HERE. You can watch the video HERE. You can buy the pattern for these earrings HERE on Etsy.

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 3mm druks "Pink Luster Turquoise"

The above sample is the large size earring. I made one just to see how I'd like it. It sure looks pretty but it's much too large for me.

• 15/0 seed beads Toho "Bronze" (221)
• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Bronze" (221)  
• 3mm round Howlite stone beads "Turquoise" (Beads One)

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 3mm druks "Rose Pink" (Nirvana Beads)

These last two samples are my favorites:

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 3mm druks "Bronze"
• 3mm druks "Opaque Gold & Smoky Topaz Luster"

I made one small tweak in the above sample. I used bronze druks in the three "points". It's not all that obvious in this particular sample, but I think I might try it sometime with the pearls that I used in the sample below. I'm curious to see how that would look. However, I'm thinking that using all pearls probably looks better because the bronze points would become sort of invisible and detract from the pretty shape created by the pearls. This tweak is probably a better option when using two coordinating druk colors where there isn't as much contrast between the main color and the points.

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 3mm druks "Ivory Pearl Coat"

SMALL EARRING

LARGE EARRING

Bracelet of the Day: Eclipse Bracelet - Chalk Rembrandt

ECLIPSE BRACELET

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• SuperDuo beads "Chalk Rembrandt"
• 4mm fire polished beads "Smoky Topaz Luster"
• 3mm druks "Bronze"
• 4mm druks "Bronze"

This is Deborah Roberti's latest bracelet pattern and I love it. In fact, I like it so well that I made five bracelets in an assortment of colors and I will post the other four over the next few days. You can buy Deb's pattern at Around the Beading Table HERE. The pattern also comes with the instructions for making matching earrings. You can't really tell in her photos but the four beads in the center of each motif puff up and that adds to the charm of the design.

The "Chalk Rembrandt" SuperDuo beads that I used in today's bracelet are a very unusual color. I've only seen them at Aria Design Studio on Etsy and Lisa no longer has them in stock. They have an antique ivory luster base color with rusty Picasso spots and metallic silvery/bronze accents.

UPDATE: I've learned of two more sources for the "Chalk Rembrandt" SuperDuo beads:

Bead Bistro
Bead Corp 

I've got good news regarding my bead color quest that I blogged about HERE. Charlene from Charlene's Beads looked through her stash of beads for me to see if she had anything close to the color of the "Crystal Amber Gold Full" SuperDuos. I know that she sells Matubo beads in that color so I knew that she had something on hand to compare them with. The bead samples arrived on Saturday and they're a very close match. The color is "Olivine Bronze Iris - 460K". They're an "iris" color so some of the beads are a little more copper and some are a little more olive greenish but the rest are a bright yellow gold. I'm sure that they'll work together nicely with the SuperDuos and that color will be handy for other things as well.

Crystal Amber Gold Full

Olivine Bronze Iris

Video Tutorial - Esmeralda Earrings

I just saw a link to this YouTube video tutorial this morning on Pinterest and decided to try it right away. There are a lot of steps but the tutorial is easy to follow because you just repeat the same steps over and over pretty much. I watched it through once to see what was involved and then took notes the second time through so that I could make my samples while sitting on the couch rather than in front of my computer. You can watch the video HERE.

You can buy the pattern for these earrings HERE on Etsy.

The earrings come out very large but not at all heavy. I've never worn any earrings this big before but my husband said he likes them. With the right outfit, I think I could get used to wearing them.

Next, I wanted to try scaling down the sizes of the beads and see how a smaller earring would look. Smaller beads work just as well, but not with rondelles, which she offers as alternative to round beads. At first I tried rondelles but the earring came out too wonky so I used druks instead. They work great. Even the smaller earring is larger than anything I've worn before but it's very pretty. I just wish that I had more bead color options for making the smaller ones. None of my 3mm bicones go with any of my other 3mm round beads. I do like the bit of sparkle from the bicones but maybe I'll try making a sample with 3mm druks in two coordinating colors.

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Galvanized Mink Bronze" (D4213)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Galvanized Mink Bronze" (D4213)
• 4mm druks "Matte Apollo Milky Pink"
• 4mm bicones "Rose Topaz AB" (Chinavoski)

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 3mm druks "Opaque Amethyst Luster"
• 4mm bicones "Dark Purple AB" (from China)

Free Pattern -Silky Deco Chain

SILKY DECO CHAIN

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• Silky beads "Alabaster Blue Luster"

Here is another pattern made with Silky beads. My inspiration for this design came from Sidonia's "Losange Bracelet". You can watch her YouTube video tutorial HERE. I replaced the center part of her motif with a Silky bead and it fits perfectly. I eliminated the druks and also changed the number of seed beads in each motif to make them smaller and more rounded. If you like the wider, more ornate motifs of Sidonia's version, you can still use my technique for inserting the Silky beads and simply change the outer ring of seed beads and add  the druks back in.

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Antique Silver-Nickel" (464A)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Antique Silver-Nickel" (464A)
• Silky beads "Alabaster Lila Vega"

I had exactly two purple Silky beads left after making my silver and purple bracelet, so I made a matching earring pattern. The motif is the same shape as in the bracelet but I rotated the Silky bead so that the center bump is vertical instead of horizontal. I also made a sample earring in another color and I've posted the bead information below.

SILKY DECO EARRINGS

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Antique Silver-Nickel" (464A)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Antique Silver-Nickel" (464A)
• Silky beads "Alabaster Lila Vega"

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• Silky beads "Alabaster Senegal"

Click HERE to download the bracelet pattern
Click HERE to download the earring pattern

If you like these patterns, please consider making a voluntary donation through PayPal using the DONATE button on the right.

NOTE: I don't mind if you sell the projects that you make with our patterns, but please mention that you got the pattern from Linda's Crafty Inspirations. Please contact me for information about teaching this or any of our patterns in a class.
 

Hopefully I've inspired everyone to give the Silky beads a try. Below is a list of sources that I've found that sell Silky beads. I bought mine from Aria Design Studio and GC Supplies Texas. Those two Etsy shops seem to have the best color selections.

WHERE TO BUY SILKY BEADS:

Beadaholique
GC Supplies Texas Etsy
Aria Design Studio Etsy
Auntie's Beads
Red Panda
Beadstuff
Glambitious Creations (GC Supplies on eBay)
Potomac Bead Company
HauteHobby Etsy
BeadsToWeave Etsy
Off the Beaded Path Etsy
Beadoholique (local shop)
Beads DirectUSA
GoodyBeads 

Desert Flowers Earrings

I have Tauriel's "Desert Flowers Bracelet" tutorial, which you can buy HERE, but I decided that I didn't care for it as a bracelet, especially with CzechMates beads. It just seemed too bulky on my skinny wrist or something. But, I came up with another way to use the basic motif and made it a little smaller and more delicate at the same time. I used Tila beads instead of CzechMates. I found that Tila beads actually work better than CzechMates. It has been quite a while since I made these sample earrings so I don't remember if I changed anything about the pattern. I don't think that I did except that I had to come up with some way to attach the earring wires.

UPDATE 4/22/2022: This pattern is no longer available.

If you do try this yourself with Tila beads, I don't recommend using FireLine or Nymo B thread. They're too thin to give the earring enough structure to hold its shape so I suggest using Nymo D. I also had to weave around the motif quite a few times until it became good and stable and didn't fold up on itself.

I used the same "Golden Shadow AB" bicones for all of my samples. After trying various colors, I decided that a neutral color looked the best. In fact, I tried to be careful not to use any color combinations where there was a lot of contrast between the beads. When I did that, it caused the darker beads to stand out too much and everything else became invisible. I also liked the effect of the AB finish on the bicones. They give the earrings just a hint of sparkle, which keeps them from looking a little bland. Even with the bit of "bling" from the bicones, I think these make cute casual earrings that would go very well with blue jeans.

I've only made one complete pair of these earrings so far and I sent them to Teejay. I like all of these sample colors so I just need to find the time to make them all.

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• Tila beads "Matte Metallic Bronze" (TL-2006)
• 3mm fire polished beads "Smoky Topaz Luster"
• 4mm bicones "Golden Shadow AB - #C25 AB" (Beads One)

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• Tila beads "Light Amethyst Gold Luster" (TL-316)
• 3mm fire polished beads "Bronze Illusion"
• 4mm bicones "Golden Shadow AB - #C25 AB" (Beads One)

• 15/0 seed beads Matsuno "Copper" (457A)
• 8/0 seed beads Matsuno "Copper" (457A)
• Tila beads "Antique Bronze" (TL-457C) *
• 3mm fire polished beads "Bronze Olivine"
• 4mm bicones "Golden Shadow AB - #C25 AB" (Beads One)

* Also called "Metallic Dark Raspberry Iris" (TL-457B)

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457D)
• Tila beads "Matte Metallic Steel Gray" (TL-2064)
• 3mm fire polished beads "Light Sapphire Gold Marbled"
• 4mm bicones "Golden Shadow AB - #C25 AB" (Beads One)

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Galvanized Mink Bronze" (D4213)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Galvanized Mink Bronze" (D4213)
• Tila beads "Matte Olive Rose" (TL-2035) *
• 3mm fire polished beads "Transparent Topaz Pink Luster"
• 4mm bicones "Golden Shadow AB - #C25 AB" (Beads One)

* This color also goes by other names so go by the number.

Color Quest

Crystal Amber Gold Full

I just received a package of beads and beading supplies from Aura Crystals yesterday. I ordered a new SuperDuo color called "Crystal Amber Gold Full". You can view the color HERE on their site but the photo above has been edited to look more the way they look in real life. They're a pretty bright gold. I would love to buy some seed beads that match the color because they don't go at all well with any of my bronze seed beads. They're a lot brighter and a lot more yellow than any of my bronze seed beads.

So, does anyone know of a seed bead color that looks like shiny yellow gold rather than bronze? It would be really great if you know of a gold color that definitely matches these SuperDuos and have seen them side by side. The only metallic gold seed beads that I've seen online are Miyuki's Duracoat Galvanized and Toho's Permanent Galvanized. I have Miyuki's "Dark Gold (4203)" and "Light Golden Bronze (4204)" but they're more peachy gold than yellow gold. I haven't tried Miyuki's "Gold (4202)" and I wonder if that's what I want. Toho also has a Galvanized "Gold (P421)". I found the photo below of the Miyuki "Duracoat Galvanized Gold" on the Aura site but it seems to have a peachy look to me too.

Can anyone help me find some shiny metallic gold beads to go with my new SuperDuos?

Duracoat Galvanized Gold

Crafty Inspiration - Dollhouse Miniatures

I was reminded recently that I used to collect and make dollhouse miniatures many years ago so I thought I'd blog about it while I take a short break to get some more beading articles ready to post. The really scary thing is that it was over 40 years ago that I was involved with that hobby. It's hard to believe that I'm old enough to have done anything that long ago! It seems like yesterday and so many other hobbies have come and gone in the meantime. Sewing, cross-stitch, embroidery and needlepoint all come to mind. And, does anyone remember "paper tole"? We used to take multiple copies of pictures and cut out bits and pieces from them and raise some bits up on pieces of balsa wood to make the scene 3D. That was a lot of fun during my "Holly Hobbie" days. Remember her??? You could buy gift wrap with Holly Hobbie designs on it which provided many copies of each picture to work with. This was one of my all-time favorite Holly Hobbie pictures:

Artwork by Holly Hobbie

Google "paper tole" to see what I'm talking about. I just did and got lots of hits.

Anyway, I still have all of the miniature furniture and accessories that I collected and made but they're stashed away in boxes in the closet. I also have a dollhouse kit partially assembled in a big box in the garage but it's not completed enough to bother taking pictures of. I did take the small stuff out a few years ago and took photos of a few things. I'm not sure why I never thought to blog about them before but here they are just for the fun of it. Bear in mind that I acquired or made these things way too long ago to be able to list sources for any of the items or the materials used to make them.

When I first started my collection, my idea was to stick with Early American/Colonial period furnishings. I did accumulate quite a few nice things that fit that period but eventually decided to just collect anything that I fancied and have fun with my hobby rather than limiting myself to one historical period. My inspiration in the beginning was Greenfield Village near Detroit, Michigan. I lived in the area and that was one of my favorite places to visit. I thought it would be great fun to try and recreate one of my favorite houses there. Even though I never completed a house, I still enjoyed the collecting and creating of all kinds of tiny objects.

Some of the items in the photo below are among the first things I acquired. They definitely fit into the Colonial era. All items were purchased except for the flour sack, which I made.

Here are two views of more kitchen items, also Colonial inspired and all purchased items:

Here are some bedroom miniatures:

I used found objects to make a lot of my projects and the bedspread on the bed was made with some kind of textile thing that I found around the house. I don't remember anymore what it was originally (a dinner napkin perhaps) but I loved the woven texture of it. One thing that I didn't take any photos of, because I didn't want to un-make the bed, is the mattress that I made for the bed. I did take pictures of some of the bedding that I made:

I worked in the fabric department of a department store back at the time I made these things so I had access to lots of fabrics and notions that I could use for these projects.

Below is the dresser for the bedroom. The drawer is open to show some of the extra linens that I made for the bed. As you can see, I've added a few non-colonial objects to the display. I couldn't resist the pretty Victorian sewing machine and I made the lamp out of beads and findings. Who knew that making stuff out of beads would later come back into my life?

Here is a Victorian/Colonial combo display of a few more things from my collection. I did begrudgingly make a couple of those plastic miniature kits only because they were so beautiful and real-looking and my husband bought them for me for Christmas. The rocking chair was made from one of those kits.

I also made the stove below from the same kind of kit:

The rest of the items below are things that I made myself, with the exception of the metal objects:

I made the leather book covers out of an old leather glove that I found around the house. Although most of it has tarnished over the years, the details were originally painted on with gold paint.

Believe it or not, the food items that I made were made out of a concoction made from sandwich bread and glue. At the time I wasn't familiar with Fimo and products like that so I used what I had on hand. I painted them with acrylic paint and used glue for the shiny bits and even used some real spices for the "seeds" on the bread.

I used real Christmas gift wrap and ribbon to wrap these tiny presents. The scale just happened to be about right.

I even tried my hand at making a couple of pieces of furniture:

I found the directions for weaving the chair seat in a book of miniature projects. I don't recall if the chair was also a pattern from a book or my own creation inspired by something I saw at Greenfield Village.

I made the wash stand for my cousin who has a Victorian dollhouse and a wonderful collection of miniatures. She's the one who got me started with my collection. We used to visit miniature shops and exhibits together. She took the photo for me so you're seeing a view of one of the rooms in her dollhouse. Isn't her doll exquisite?