If you are ready to join the heavy hitter beaders out there and ramp up your beaded ornament covers a notch or two, then you must go over to Creative Beadwork Books. Laura Jansen is the “it girl” when it comes to designing elaborate and knockout beaded ornament covers. She also sells relates supplies I believe like little hangers so you can show these off all year long (unless you have cats who would find it a fabulous cat toy).

Carol Duvall, craft guru of television-land, is now available via on demand videos at HGTV.com. The Carol Duvall Show was one of the first craft show to feature a fairly good amount of jewelry making projects, mainly beads and polymer clay, but now and then there was some wire and metal.
I went over and watched the Beaded Wind Chime, and it has kind of weird because they show Carol, but there is a voice over of someone else explaining the project as Carol guest does it. After that I watched the next video, Easy Luminaries, and with that video, Carol …read more

For awhile now I’ve been thinking of putting together a beaded badge project. With security issues they way they are these days, more people than ever have to wear badges at work. At my crappy library job, they require you to wear one if you work with the public, which I think is sort of backwards. I think you should wear one if you work in the back where the public isn’t supposed to be because that way it shows that you belong there. Plus, I don’t like the crazies knowing my last name, so I’m a bad library employee …read more

 Leisure Arts is a book publisher, but along with lots of books, you’ll find some free projects on their site including this beaded anklet. When you go to their web site, look up at the top for a link to Free Downloads and click on that. You’ll find a link there for instructions to make this anklet as well as a number of other craft projects.

I have a major soft spot for hand bags, so when I saw this leather purse by Swarovski, complete with crystal sparklies, I have to admit to a few drops of drool. But, at $400, well, let’s just say it will be on my wish list for a good long while!
They have some gorgeous beaded crystal bags on their site if you want to dream a little today.

I love me some Project Runway and it’s back, Baby! Yippy! I plan to cover it here on this blog, and yes, I know they are making clothing versus jewelry, but I feel like this show covers designing in general and that’s why, as a jewelry designer, I enjoy watching it. Normally, I am very anti-reality TV, but these people actually have to craft something. So, I’m on board and have even created a Project Runway category for this blog.
Of course, due to my nasty cold, I had to tape most of it last night and couldn’t watch until this …read more

 
Now here is some beadwork! Man! They have a few more of these beaded flag bags at Be-Decked.

This is similar to a beaded flower I have posted on my About.com Jewelry Making site, but this is from Craftbits. It’s called a Vintage Beaded Flower, and as with my flower project, they used brick stitch to make the petals of the flower. But they also hadded extra greenery and have a cluster of beads in the center. The green areas are made using a combination of very thin wire and more seed beads.

Cute dragonfly earrings! Thes are easy to make too. Just take a look at this beaded earring project from the About.com Beadwork site: Dragonfly Earrings

I made this ribbon amulet necklace a few years ago and sold it through a gallery. I always wondered if the person who bought it enjoyed wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it.
Before I became a jewelry designer, I sewed a lot, thanks to a college roommate who showed me the ropes, so I still have a soft spot for fibers, especially ribbon.
The flowers on this wide ribbon were the inspiration for the strap, which has little flowers sprinkled here and there on it. The beads on this are sometimes called “fringe beads,” and they have a teardrop …read more