2011 Christmas Ornaments

Almost finished with ornaments for my grand children and great grand children. Only 6 more of the little ones to go and I'll be finished. They are so simple to make I can't believe how long it's taking me to finish. Co-ordination and focus seem to be a problem, but hopefully I'll have them finished and ready to mail in plenty of time to miss the big Christmas rush.

Patterns for all of these are available at BeadPatternsBoutique.  From left to right they are Lacy Snowflake, Triple Picot Spiked Snowflake, and the blue and gold on the right are Twinkle Star. Some of those in the twinkle star stack have an extra round added and the pattern doesn't show how to do that.  I also have an e book of snowflakes available with four different snowflake patterns, as well as the On Angel Wings  ornament cover that I showed you last month.  That's all my ornament patterns for this year.

On another note, many of you will be doing craft shows this month taking advantage of the holiday season. Before you start pricing your goodies for sale, read Beading Daily's article on pricing your hand made goods for sale.  The common misconception seems to be that NO one will pay that much for an item.  My great aunt taught me many many years ago that you charge more for your time and what you know than you do for the materials.  Don't sell yourself short when pricing your items. You are an artist.  You should not work for free!

Now back to the bead table to finish those snowflakes so I can get on with a design that's spinning around in my head.

Nov. 19 2011 Share Saturday

Jaycee has done it again with two versions of her new Moana Pearl Bracelet. Check out her blog for full discription and where you can buy this beautiful pattern.

Inspirational Beading is featuring a bead give-away. Check out the faux gems featured.

Check out Art Bead Scene for Holiday inspired jewelry. Ceramic bead maker, Gaea has partnered with Vintaj for some remarkably inspiring pieces.

Ex Post Facto Jewelry shows us her new hand made display plus some of her newest jewelry items.

Bluetina has some lovely stone and chain jewelry to show.

And of course don't forget to check out all the new patterns at BeadPatternsBoutique
and The Bead Coop.

Czech TWIN Seed Bead Pattern

I have finally found a limited supply of the new Czech TWIN seed beads. Well the supply isn't so limited, but the color selection is. Sparkle Spot carries black and crystal, so I got some of each. I've just finished my first pattern with these beads.
Working with them takes a bit of getting used to. The holes are large so they'll accept multiple passes of thread easily, but they tend to flip around and show the "wrong" end until you get the pattern going. I've got designs spinning in my head, but when I try to figure a thread path, I'm finding you just "can't get there from here" in some situations. I'm loving the challenge! I don't know how many years I've said "If only there were small beads with two holes!"  Now there are and I'm having a blast.

The pattern is available at BeadPatternsBoutique and The Bead Coop.

On Angel Wings Ornament

I have finally finished the first ornament cover I've made in over five years and the first one I've made a pattern for. Four Angels with hearts between them circle this 2 inch globe ornament. The 2 inch luxurious fringe is capped with sparkling 4mm Swarovski bicones.

The angel wings are pulled into slight scallops which give them the feel of motion. All in all I think this ornament cover will add eye catching sparkle to your holiday decorations, whether you hang it on a tree or on an ornament stand.

The pattern is now available at BeadPatternsBoutique, and I hope to have it posted to The Bead Coop And Zibbet by the end of the day, so whatever your shopping preference there's an option.

Now on to the next challenge.  Happy Beading All!

Share Saturday - News of other bead designers

Well, so much for a blogging schedule. Life etc. got in the way last week, but here's this weeks Share Saturday.

jayceepatterns.com: FEATHERS NECKLACE

Lori has finished a beautiful beaded business card sleeve and shares pictures of it.  You can find Lori's bead patterns at
Out Of The Flames: Feather Star Business Card Sleeve

Wendy reflects on a day at a bead show and shows the beads she bought there
Bohemian Heart: Focused Shopper

Iliana shows some of her new ceramic pieces.  She's getting ready for Christmas!
Iliana's Unique Beaded and Painted Jewelry

Lori has also deviated from her usual loomed designs and created this beautiful, sparkling Winter Ice necklace with rivolis and crystals.

Gail Devoid of Need for Beads has joined the design team at BeadPatternsBoutique.com. She's still learning how to post her designs, but keep checking back. She'll have some up soon. Welcome to the BPB Design Team, Gail.

Preciosa Twin Seed Beads

Have you seen the new TWIN seed beads from Preciosa? They come in 80 different colors.  I'm drooling over the design possibilities of these two hole beads in combination with seed beads and crystals.

I contacted the representative for the continental United States and Canada about availability.  I found out that they should be available from distributors around the end of this month. I was very pleased to learn that Shipwreck Beads and Fire Mountain Gems will be distributing them, as those are two of my favorite online bead sources.

OK, now it's time to get back to pattern making.  I'm almost finished with the Christmas ornament cover pattern I mentioned.  I'll post as soon as I've finished and published it for sale.