Something New

Actually, all I wanted to do is organize and clean my studio! But then some of my souvenir journals sold and I had to make new journals for the shop. Then a friend called me to say that her friends wanted to buy shawls from me , so I had to weave. And then my dog had some health problems, which as usual made me go insane with worry, so to calm my self down, I made beads. Lots of beads. That way I could be in the same room with him, and it kept my hands busy and my mind occupied. It helped.

Luckily, he feels better now.

So here are the shawls:

Variegated yarn with a touch of sparkling mohair,  very warm and soft.

The next one looks completely different than in this photo, but my camera didn’t want to cooperate. It’s a shame it looks so ugly here when in real life it’s lovely and sparkly and violet…

Shades of green:

This shawl was finished about a month  ago, but I forgot to photograph it, so here it is now.

I hope ladies will like them. 🙂

Masculine journal:

Coptic binding, mixed media journal.

And a feminine one:

Altered book. Handmade paper, coffee stained paper, lace, paint.

And beads, of course!

Beaded beads

Yarn beads

Sequin beads

Painted beads

Denim beads

Suede beads

Leather beads

Paper beads

Crazy giant bead

And now I want to make even more beads! They are SO addictive! I’ll have to buy more storage containers because I have no idea where to put them. 🙂 But it is so relaxing and fun to take all those fabric scraps, bits of yarn, all kinds of paper, and while watching (well, actually listening to) TV, make these beauties. And yes, my living room is a mess again, but who cares. I have gorgeous beads now! 🙂

Oh, and I almost finished organizing and cleaning my studio, although it will soon be a complete chaos there, as it usually is, but never mind. 🙂

My beads

After seeing the photo of my fabric necklace

some of my friends asked me to show them how I make these fabric beads. So, here we go! 🙂

First you’ll need some cotton wool, rolled into a small ball.

Then take a stripe of fabric, about one inch wide (maybe a bit less) and 5-6 inches long. Wrap it around the ball in different directions, and secure with stitches.

As you can see, I like the “not neat” look. 🙂

After adding a stitch here and a stitch there, it will look like this:

Then wrap it a few times with the thread that’s already on your needle, and secure it with a little knot:

Then add more thread in different colors, just for fun. 🙂

All this bead needs now are beads!

And a friend! 🙂

And that’s how I make them. I hope this tutorial was helpful. Have a great time making beads, and remember, once you start, it’s hard to stop! 🙂

Weekend Fun

I’ve been so inspired by photos of gorgeous fabric beads I found on Pinterest that I just had to try making them my self. And to tell you the truth, they are so addictive I’m gonna make some more. A lot more!

Here is my first batch already made into a necklace, and I love it!

It’s fun, it’s bright, and it’s just the thing I need!

I know my beads are not perfect, but I like them anyway, and for my first try, I think they turned out pretty good. I enjoyed making them while sitting with my hubby, watching TV. It was very relaxing. So now I plan to make more in different colors because I need more necklaces, and why not having something unique and made by me! 🙂

Have a great day! 🙂