Monday, April 25, 2011

Katie's Beading Blog: Announcing: Katiedids™ Design Contest!!

Katie's Beading Blog: Announcing: Katiedids™ Design Contest!!: "During the month of April, I'm partnering with Beadalon to launch the first-ever Katiedids Design Contest. Showcase your creativity usin..."

Monday, April 4, 2011

1st "Modern Expressions" giveaway winner

Here it is KH the winner of "Modern expressions" first giveaway winner. K answered a trivia questions posted on Artbeads.com blog about one of my designs made with components by Artbeads.

She gratuitously sent us a picture of her wearing my t-shirt made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS,and holding a copy of the book and a gift certificate donated by Artbeads.com (within the bak..myyyyy bag) lol).
Thanks, Artbeads.com and than you to KH.




Katie is wearing a "Modern Expressions" t-shirt  and she took it to the next level accessorizing it  with a multi-strand necklace and a sleek pair of earrings....I"m not sure but seems to be aquamarine and fresh-water white pearls. Fantabulous!

Thanks Artbeads.com.
Thank you very much, K!

Bacione,

Fernando.

Friday, April 1, 2011

FREE FRIDAY PROJECT

Today is "April's fool" but this post is not a prank. lol
I am bringing back to you "free instructions" of one of my favorite necklaces designed awhile back for Beadalon.









It is casual, fun, colorful, easy to make it and it highlights the 19 Strands Beadalon colored stringing wire and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. The coolest thing about this design is that you can easily create your own version with the latest new colors by SE . Also, you can make it more trendy replacing the stringing wire colors and add SE crystal butterfly beads (10mm) to each of the strands of wire or alternated with some of your favorite metal charms.

Here are 2 different ways of make it more current and trendy:

To celebrate an early Spring season.
Replace the color of Beadalon "black" velour tubing with "tan".

For a soft blueish pallete:
Use only 19 Strands .018' green stringing wire, replace bead caps and crimp tubes with silver antique metal finishing and mix the following SE crystal beads: Caribbean Blue opal, Pacific Opal, Erinite, Light Azore and Sand Opal.

For a pinkish palette go with:
Use only 19 Strands Beadalon pink stringing wire, replace bead caps and crimping tubes with any antique green metal finishing and mix the following SE crystal colors: Vintage Rose, Rosa Water Opal, Violet Opal, Cyclamen Opal and Light Grey opal.


Please, read the instructions before you start assembling your pierce. I usually do not have a "pattern" of writing instructions. I like to start assembling necklaces from the middle towards to the back and I know for sure that is not the way most magazine and book editors like to do it. 

Here it is:

 SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Article 5000:
 5 4mm  fuchsia crystal
 5 4mm amethyst crystal
 1 6mm fuchsia crystal
 1 8mm amethyst
 2 8mm amethysts AB
 1 8mm amethyst
 2 8mm amethysts AB
 1 8mm tanzanite
 1 8mm padparadscha
 1 8mm rose AB
 1 8mm light rose
 1 8mm fuchsia

Article 5328
 2 8mm black diamond
 5 3mm amethyst
 9 3mm lt amethyst AB
 3 3mm rose
 3 3mm lt rose
 6 3mm fuchsia
 8 3mm padparadscha
 5 6mm light amethyst
 5 6mm tanzanite
 5 6mm padparadscha
 1 6mm rose
 1 6mm amethyst 



Beadalon Items:

 10 silver plated 10mm bead caps – 329B-012
 150 silver plated crimp tubes #1 – JFCT1S-1.5G
 16” black velour tubing – 142U-031
 1 stainless steel claw end squeeze – 315S-121
 40” Clear Colors 19 Str Beadalon wire .018” red – JW15RD-0
 40” Clear Colors 19 Str Beadalon wire .018” purple – JW15PU-0

1 Sbeady™ needle for .018' wire -  704M-100
16 3mm silver-plated crimp covers - 349B-008
 Tools: Beadalon Designer Flush Cutter
               Beadalon Designer Chain-nose pliers 





Instructions:


1. Cut 8 10 inches lenghts each of red and purple wires. Set them aside. Slip a piece of red wire all the way into the end  of the Sbeady™ needle using the open portion to guide the wire into the hole.

2. Find the center of the velour tubing and pierce the tubing with the Sbeady wire needle. Use chain-nose pliers to pull the needle though the tube, leaving aproximately 4 inches of wire below the tubing.

3. Use crimp tube #2 to crimp the short side of the red wire against the velour tubing, string a 6mm bicone padparadscha onto the short wire + crimp tube #2 and crimp it. Cover the crimp with a 3mm round crimp cover so the crimp doesn't scratch your neck. trim excess wire.

4. Randomly start feeding 4 or 5 bicone crystal beads to bottom wire alternated by a single crimp tube onto the red wire. Beads are held in place with #2 crimp tubes on down side. Eyeball the space between the beads according to your peference. The exposed sctions of the stringing wire will look more dramatic if you choose beads with colors that contrast with wire color.

5. Eye ball the next place to pierce the next wire using Sbeady needle. Do not leave more than  1/4 inch betwen the strands. Alternate red and purple wires to make it more interesting. (of course, if you decied to use a single color of wire skeep that! lol) 

String each strand separately using a random pattern. To achieve a similar look follow graduation pattern from small to large size beads. You will have 10 strands ending with 8mm beads and 8 others with 6mm beads.

6. Attach stainless steel claw end clasp to both sides of tubing using flat nose pliers or mighty crimper to close claws around velour tubing. 
Enjoy it!




If you make your own version, please let me know. I would love to see it.


Design by Fernando Dasilva for Beadalon.
Photo by John Fritzinger for Beadalon © 2008.