Beading Discount Codes

10% discount at The Bead Cellar using the code:

BEAD 

(end date wasn't advertised)

Beads Direct : Use code

SUNSHINE 

for £5 off when you spend £35

They are also offering 20% off all seed beads 

 Both offers end midnight tonight!  

Whilst not technically a discount code Totally Beads

are having a summer sale with savings of up to 90% 

Yes, 90% Woo! 

Boxes and Busts presently have an offer to

buy any 10 packs of: Organza bags, findings, glass pearls,

 Chinese crystals, Swarovski, display pieces,

or semi precious beads and get 10% off.

Inspire Me: Pre-Raphaelite Art Work

I always think that this type of art work is so beautiful. 

The skills of the artists were just amazing. 

With it being summer time and seeing the roses out in bloom I think 

it's the right time for a little Pre-Raphaelite inspiration! 

All these goodies are available from Big Bead Little Bead

and if that wasn't enough they actually sell a

 'Create your own Pre-Raphaelite' 

selection bead box!

*Dalliance with knight in shining armour optional! 

Operation Tackle That Bead Stash - June Challenge

I recently stumbled across 

operation tackle that bead stash

A marvellous blog with the ideology 

 to encourage you to 

work with and use up some of your 

ever growing bead stash.

If you are anything like me, that sounds like a good plan! 

Along with free tutorials and bountiful give aways 

they also hold a monthly themed challenge

where all entries are put into a random draw to win a prize. 

The June challenge was to use Turquoise and Pink beads

and you can see my entry in the photo above. 

The next challenge is open so why not hop across and 

join in! 

Bead Hoarders Blog Hop

If you fancy having a reason to use up those beads 

you've been clinging onto 

and making excuses not to use 

why not sign up for

 Lori Anderson's Bead Hoarders Blog Hop.

The idea is to use up beads from your own stash that 

you've been squirrelling away for whatever reason. 

I've signed up
 and am using it as an opportunity  to use up

the freebie beads I've been accumulating for some time. 

You know the little complementary bags you sometimes get 

from lovely companies to thank you for your order. 

  The pretty mini bead soup mix , as you can see, is from 

Jilly Beads as are the headpins.

(What a useful freebie!)

The rest of the bags are from Little Crafty Beaders  

as a gift when I subscribed to Bead Magazine

some time ago. 

This blog hop is just the impetus I need to 

use up some of these hoarded freebies. 

Check back on July 20th to see what I made,

and what everybody else has created with their secret hoarded 

stash! 

Fimo Butterfly Pendant

So I decided to have a go at making a Fimo pendant. 

I took the childish approach of just grabbing a blob of it.

Rolling it roughly into a ball, smushing it down with my 

palm and pushing a butterfly clasp 

onto it to give the pattern. 

Paying so little care to the process I don't know why I 

expected to have it popped in the oven, pulled out and 

have it hatch 

into a perfectly formed  'beautiful butterfly' pendant.....

........It didn't! 

However, once I strung it from a crinkle chiffon ribbon 

it looked a bit more rustic than rushed. So it wasn't a total 

failure. (Hopefully!) 

Swarovski Innovations Introduce New Crystal Shades

Swarovski Innovations are proud to present their new effect

'Crystal Rose Gold'.

The Swarovski Elements mega trend 

for Spring/Summer 2014

has been titled as ' The Female Shift' 

A tribute to today's modern and multifaceted women. 

Bringing us not only the gorgeous Crystal Rose Gold shade

but a co-ordinating pearl, 

and if that wasn't enough 

there is also another new comer to the Swarovski range 

in the form of Light Silk. 

A subtle and delicate parchment toned crystal. 

Pretty lovely, I think you'll agree... 

Light Silk Swarovski Bicone.

* Crystal images from The Bead Shop Manchester *

History Hop Reveal - Art Nouveau

I am very excited to be joining in with Leah Curtis'
History Hop. 

The idea is participants choose an historical era 
and make a piece of jewellery inspired by that time 
then reveal their creations 
on the same date and 'hop around' to see 
what everybody made.    

I chose Art Nouveau for my historical era. 

So what is Art Nouveau? 

Literally French for 'new art' it is , roughly speaking, 
 the creative artwork from the 

early 1890's up until the first world war. 

 Heavily influenced by nature the Art Nouveau style showcases 

lots of curves and flowing lines, flowers, plants and pretty women
with long flowing hair. 

Beautiful natural subject matter. 

' Its influence can be found in painting, sculpture, jewellery, metalwork, glass and ceramics. 

The drawings of Aubrey Beardsley, the architecture of Victor Horta and Paul Hankar and the poster designs of Alphonse Mucha are some of the most familiar examples of the Art Nouveau Style.' 

- Quote from the Victoria and Albert Museum website. 

  

I have to admit that when I think 'Art Nouveau'

 the very first thing that springs to mind is the art work by Mucha. 

Mucha art work advertising Job cigarettes.
-When did smoking look this beautiful! 

So for my design I choose a porcelain cabochon

 featuring his art work as my focal. I beaded a flower design 

above the cabochon to keep in with the era's theme of nature. 

A quick Google search of the jewellery from that period 

showed me that it was mainly precious metal work and 

enamelling that were popular, but I wanted to make a beaded piece. 

So my inspiration, as you can see, 

is taken from the aesthetics of the era

 rather than the materials!

I'm pretty new to this bead embroidery thing 
but I really enjoyed making it. 


Thank you to Leah Curtis for the inspiration and 
for organising this fun blog hop :-) 

Participants list 

Leah Curtis - Indus Valley - beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk
Laney Mead - Māori - laney-izzybeads.blogspot.co.uk
Becca - Art Nouveau - godsartistinresidence.blogspot.com
Melissa - English Romanticism and Mourning Jewelry - beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Tracy Stillman - Native American - tracystillmandesigns.com
Gerda - English Romanticism and Mourning Jewelry - gerdascraftsblog.blogspot.com
Liz E - Native North American - beadcontagion.blogspot.com
Ahowin - Māori (New Zealand)  - blog.ahowinjewelry.com 
Jasvanti - Indus Valley - jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com
 Lizzie - Art Nouveau - theneedtobead.blogspot.co.uk 

Julia Hay - Merovingian - pandanimal.blogspot.co.uk

Dini - Celtic - angazabychanges.blogspot.nl

Caroline - Art Nouveau - blueberribeads.co.uk 
Charlie - Moche of Peru - clay-space.com/blog 
Karin - China - maverickbeads.blogspot.com
Niky Sayers - Rome - silverniknats.blogspot.com 
Marcia Dunne - Celctic and Mourning Jewelry - thealternativefoundry.blogspot.co.uk
anafiassa - Mesopotamia - anafiassa.blogspot.com
Kokopelli - Native American - kokopellidesign.blogspot.com
Christa - Native American - adventuresofwonebeadywoman.blogspot.com
Clair - Roman - obstinatepursuit.blogspot.co.uk
Susan Bowie - Native American - susanbowie.wordpress.com
Gloria Allen - English Romanticism - gloriaallendesigns.blogspot.com
Sheila Garrett - Early Russia - 4brownowl.blogspot.co.uk