Beads & Beading

I am still working on the Ndebele bead weaving.  It is fiddly, and slow, but I enjoy the finished product.  I thought I might share a few more pieces of jewellery I've made in the last few years.  The necklace in the photograph above has been made using Kiwi Jasper, Black Onyx, and Freshwater Pearls.  It is a fairly long piece, as I wear lots of blouses with collars.  This was a design I saw in an Australian Beading magazine, and purchased the necessary requirements.  No doubt by now you will have worked out I have a fondness for Jasper!!

This is another piece I fell in love with in one of our beading magazines.  I did purchase the kit for it, and was VERY surprised [and concerned] at the weight of the parcel.  However, it really does not feel heavy when worn.  I love the soft peachy to sandy pinks in this one.  It has lots of stitched beading in it.  I have never worn it without having a favourable comment.

I've always been interested in chainmaille, and when I saw this design, I thought I would try to make it.  Again, a kit was purchased as it seemed the easiest and simplest way to do it.  It is quite chunky [all sterling silver rings and findings], but not awkward, and I do wear it, but not a lot.  I'm not really a bracelet/bangle person.  I just wanted to do the chainmaille!!

While I'm on the jewellery bandwagon, I thought it was time I shared a photograph of my bead collection.  Sadly, I just couldn't get everything in one frame, and I really wasn't about to start taking shots of 'everything'.  There are still more bottles with bits and pieces, and the odd [??] plastic packet in places I can't remember [I need an embarrassed face here].

Each time I look through the box for beads, I usually remember where I bought something, and why -  like these beautiful square Swarovski crystals that I bought to make a green outfit for my son's wedding, only to be told by hubby that he really didn't like 'that colour'.  These were $77/gross, and yes, you guessed it, I bought a gross!!  I also bought 4 metres of silk fabric, and 6 metres of silk organza, a sort of green/shot magenta.  It is still in the cupboard..........

Not only do I have a passion for gemstones and crystals, freshwater pearls always seem to find their way into my stash too when a bead store is visited.  I seem to have them in almost every colour - yes, there are some yellow and orange ones 'somewhere'.

I've been having quite a lot of difficulty with this post today - Blogger has been slow, and I seem to have had some interruptions from 'outside'.  However, I wanted to add something else to this post, so here it is.  This is a lovely bead board that was gifted to me by a friend and fellow blogger.  The beads were an added bonus.  Thank you so much for this Shirley  I will use this happily.  In case it isn't noticeable, this is a shallow, tray-type rounded board, covered with velvet, neatened with braid, very swisho.  It is so much more pleasing to the eye than my el cheapo beadmats!  I feel very lucky to receive this, as I always get into a mess with seed beads. 

Bead board designed by Shirley