The OTTBS September Challenge: Whatever The Weather

I fell asleep in August (with the windows wide open to let in a little breeze) and woke up in September (with the blinds banging in the wind that carried the thunderstorms and pouring rain.) I absolutely adore the changeability of autumn. It makes me feel as though anything is possible.

So, it seems fated that this month's challenge over at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash is 'Whatever The Weather'. And, if anything is possible, I might even find the time to join in this month!?

This month the prize is sponsored by the lovely Celia, who is offering one lucky winner £15 to spend in her store, Jencel.

Please head on over to Operation Tackle That Bead Stash for more information about the challenge and how to enter.

The OTTBS August Challenge: Spike Beads

So, it's the first day of a new month (um ... how quickly is time flying by?) and that means that it's time for a new challenge over at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash. The challenge this month is to include beads in Purple, Green, Blue and Black (with an optional twist of adding spike beads.)

Image by Cath in Dorset

Valentina from Beads & More By Yashma is sponsoring the challenge this month, so a wonderful prize package is guaranteed!

Read more about the challenge - including how to enter - over on the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Blog.

The OTTBS July Challenge: On The Beach

The weather here is truly miserable - it's hard to believe that it's July - but at least it's time for a new challenge over at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash and, hopefully, the theme 'On The Beach' will lift my spirit a little!

Davida from The Old Bicycle Shop is sponsoring the challenge this month, so I'm sure that whoever wins will be in for a treat later in the month. Davida's little store is a treasure trove of loveliness!

You can read more about the challenge - including how to enter - over on the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Blog.

The OTTBS June Challenge: Earth Tones

We're celebrating all things natural with this month's 'Earth Tones' challenge at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash and, the optional twist of adding something that's 'not a bead', should mean that we have some really interesting entries this month!

The Rocks, Magic Light in Forest, Moss on Path

This challenge this month is sponsored by Rachel who is offering £15 to spend at RB Beads.Check out Operation Tackle That Bead Stash for more information.

The OTTBS May Challenge: Inspired By Fabric

This month's challenge at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash is 'Inspired By Fabric' - which means that we should see some beautiful entries full of colour, pattern and texture.

All beaders, bead makers and jewellery designers are welcome to enter the challenge, so check out Operation Tackle That Bead Stash for more information about entering the challenge - and details of this month's sponsored prize from Celia at Jencel!

The OTTBS April Challenge: Bollywood

The latest challenge colours at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash is a beautiful combination of Pink, Orange, Purple, Blue and Metallic Gold. And, with the extra optional 'twist' of adding a fringe, could it be any more Bollywood?

Photos by (clockwise from left) A Guy Taking Pictures, Darwin Bell. Moyan Brenn, Deborah Cardinal & Rachael Towne.

This month's challenge is sponsored by Valentina from Beads & More By Yashma who is offering a £25 voucher for her beautiful store. Swoon.

Read more about the challenge - including how to enter - over on the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Blog.

The OTTBS March Challenge: Grimm's Fairy Tales

This month's challenge at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash is to create something inspired by one of Grimm's Fairy Tales. With a collection of over 200 stories collected by 'The Brothers Grimm' the challenge will be deciding on a story.

Davida from The Old Bicycle Shop is sponsoring this month's challenge with a £15 voucher to spend in her lovely, little online store. How can you beat that?

Visit Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Blog to read more about the challenge and how to enter.

The OTTBS February Challenge: Red, Blue & Gold

Well, the February Challenge has been revealed over Operation Tackle That Bead Stash and, for me at least, it would be a real challenge. Red, Blue & Gold. With an extra twist that means including some free-form beading!

You can read more about the challenge - and find some additional links to free-form tips and techniques over on the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Blog.

The OTTBS January Challenge: Inspired By A Song

The lovely lasses at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have revealed their first beading challenge of 2015. The challenge is to create using a song as inspiration and, although that *sounds* easy, I think that I'm going to have some difficulty choosing from the ideas currently floating around my head!

A Song and a Smile

All beaders, bead makers and jewellery designers are welcome to enter the challenge. Check out the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Blog for more information about entering the challenge - and details of this month's sponsored prize!

The OTTBS July Challenge

The Operation Tackle That Bead Stash July Challenge has been revealed - and I think that I'm going to have some difficulty choosing from the million and one ideas currently floating around my head! 

This month's challenge is being sponsored by Chantal Hanna from Snoochy who has offered up a beautiful inspiration kit full of Czech Glass, Pearls and Findings for the (very lucky) July Winner! 

All beaders, jewellers and bead makers are welcome to enter the challenge. Check out the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Blog for more information about entering the challenge - including the all important theme for this month. It's truly inspiring!

I Can Herringbone {Bead, Book & Bounce Reveal}

Bead, Book & Bounce is a regular feature, organised by Operation Tackle That Bead Stash, in an effort to make busy beaders dust off the beautiful beading and jewellery making books that are sitting, unloved and under-utilised on their bookshelves. Members are encouraged to bead, review the book and then 'bounce' around other participants blogs. Hence the name - Bead, Book & Bounce.

Over the past couple of months, members have been beading away, busily making projects from Melissa Grakowsky's 'I Can Herringbone'. Melissa's book is part of a wonderful (and growing) set of books in the 'I Can' Series by Lark Crafts.

Now, although I own a lot of the beading books that we choose for the Bead, Book & Bounce feature, I don't own all of them! So, I had popped this one onto my wishlist, thinking that I would buy it in time to create one of the projects for the big reveal. Only, well, someone bought it! I can only assume that I will find the book nestled amongst the gifts at the bottom of the Christmas Tree come the 25th December! 

Luckily, there were some free projects - Braided Braid and The Athena Necklace - from the book, available to download via the Lark Crafts Website. And luckier still, I am looking forward to finding that gift under the tree!

So, wanting to work on something from the book, but knowing that it might be on it's way, I chose to work on one of the free projects - The Braided Braid. Classified as an 'Experienced Beginner' pattern, the bracelet utilises Two-Ladder Tubular Herringbone to create three, long strips of tubular herringbone which are then braided into a cuff style bracelet. 

Whilst the project is simple enough for an experienced beginner, the free download doesn't include the instructions for Two-Ladder Tubular Herringbone, as these appear earlier on the book. So, if you are completely new to herringbone or tubular herringbone, you might need to purchase the full book (or look up the basic instructions elsewhere.) 

Once the project is underway, I suggest some seriously uplifting music (or your favourite film) for company, as the stitch becomes more than a little tedious - especially by the time you reach the third strip! But, if you're the type of beader who enjoys a repetitive, methodical braid or beaded rope, then maybe this will be your kind of project! 

The instructions though are clear and simple to follow, so even exhausted from all that tubular herringbone, you should find it easy to join the strips together and create the loops which attach them to the clasp. And, I must admit that the result was worth the effort! (Not that you can tell, because the light was terrible while I was taking photographs - and this is the best of the bunch!)

I'm looking forward to trying additional projects from the book over the holiday period (how exciting!) but in the meantime, I'm going to visit Operation Tackle That Bead Stash where I hope the other participants will be sharing their makes. Why not join me? 

Creating Crystal Jewelry {Bead, Book & Bounce Reveal}

Over the past few months, members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have been working on projects from Creating Crystal Jewelry by Laura McCabe. First published in 2008, Creating Crystal Jewelry was one of the first books to concentrate solely on working with Swarovski Crystal. and includes sixty-six amazing designs - that's a lot of sparkle!

The book has a lot to offer, to both beginners and more advanced beaders - with a useful (and regularly referenced) table of 'Guidelines For Bezelling', versatile techniques for bezelling stones and crystals and some truly beautiful projects.

I was a little limited in my choice of projects because of other time commitments over the last couple of months so, although some of the larger, more intricate projects really appealed, I chose to create a Crystal Burst Ring. 

I'd love to tell you that I had no difficulties with the pattern, but I can't. I should say though, that those difficulties were all mine. I found that I have incredibly tight tension while using Peyote Stitch and my first few attempts at creating my bezel were all too small for my 14mm rivoli. Laura offers some advice in the book, suggesting that beaders with tight tension leave a little 'wiggle room' in their initial circle of delicas. Let's just say that I left rather a lot of room!

The remainder of the pattern was so simple in comparison - though it might be a little fiddly for complete beginners, the diagrams are easy to follow and can be adapted by more advanced beaders. Rather than finish my ring with a band of flat peyote (which I think I would find uncomfortable) I attached an adjustable sieve style ring base, stitching through the holes in the base and into the peyote bezel to secure the attachment. It works extremely well - and I'm so proud of my little self for thinking of it!

Beautiful Bronzes

I'll admit it, I'm a little bit obsessed with earrings! It all started at the beginning of 2012, when I challenged the members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash to a challenge - create a pair of earrings, every week, for the year. I thought it really would be a challenge, but I loved it so much, that I re-issued the challenge for 2013. 

I really thought that having already created fifty-two pairs of earrings, that another fifty-two pairs might stretch my creativity along with my stash. Thankfully, Blue Moon Beads are overly generous with their design team - and there's nothing more inspiring than a regular influx of fantastic products. 

Materials: Blue Moon Beads - Bronze Rounds (ZC-001-0040) Bronze Drops (ZC-001-0041) Bronze Eyepins (BM13230-PE-054) and Bronze Earwires (ZF-001-00019)

I've made these bronze drop earrings using several products from the Urban Warrior Collection, which is a deliciously up to date collection of metallic teardrops, spikes, rounds, chain and, um, handcuffs! 

Using just one collection makes it ridiculously easy to make jewellery that 'works'. There's no second guessing about whether each of the products in front of you work well together, because someone else has done all of that hard work for you. Making this challenge just a little bit less challenging!

Beaded Allure: The Reveal {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Over the past few months, members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have been working on projects from Beaded Allure by Kelly Wiese. The book contains twenty-five projects, with detailed step-by-step instructions for ten beadweaving techniques - including bezelling and bead embroidery. 

I cannot say enough good things about Beaded Allure. Though each of the patterns has been given a difficulty rating, the clear and detailed written instructions, accompanied by excellent photographs of each and every step needed to create each project, make each of the patterns incredibly easy to follow and this is a book that is more than suitable for beginners. It should be an essential! 

I haven't had a lot of time to dedicate to beading over the last couple of months so all I have to show is a teeny, tiny pair of earrings - but they are ridiculously romantic! The motifs are an adaptation of the Charming Choker Necklace. Instead of working with 4mm Firepolished Beads and Czech Drops, I had a little rummage around in my bead stash and found some 4mm Round Pearls with matching Pearl Drops. Thankfully, the seed bead count works just as well with a 4mm Round!

I have 'bookmarked' several projects and cannot wait to start on The Cosmic Crystal Necklace as soon as I have gathered all of the components and I am eagerly anticipating Kelly's next book - A Beaded Romance.

Creative Leftovers - Something From (Almost) Nothing

Is it just me that gets a ridiculous amount of satisfaction from using little leftovers? I love to stretch my stash, especially when I consider how much money I've invested in it! Fireline Thread is fairly expensive - and, amongst beaders at least, it's considered to be a precious commodity. So, it is with much shame that I must confess that I never, ever measure how much thread I'm using when I start a new project. I just reel out about a 'wingspan and a half' for pretty much every project that I start. Inevitably, I'm often left with about a foot of beading thread at the end of some projects - and that's really not enough to start another major project. 

But, I do hate wasting anything. So a little while back, I started to combine those little bits of leftover thread with seed beads leftover from larger beading projects to make these dinky, little star motifs. And, eventually, I ended up with a little pot full of them! 

Materials: Blue Moon Beads - 4mm Champagne Glass Pearls & Silver Plated Chain; Miyuki Size 11 Seed Beads - Fancy-Frosted Pale Seafoam Green & Matte Opaque Cream.

After working on my Random Snow Bracelet earlier this week, I had a few Champagne 4mm Glass Pearls leftover. Rather than find somewhere to stash them, I had a little rummage through my Pot O' Stars and found some made in a combination of cream and seafoam. A perfect match for the champagne pearls! I wire-wrapped the pearls and attached some tiny little jumprings to each of the stars, then attached them at regular intervals to some chain. And there we have it - something from (almost) nothing!

I'd love to know what you've been busy making this weekend and what you'll be doing with your creative leftovers. Please do tell in the comments! 

Beaded Fantasies: The Reveal {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Over the last two months, members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have been working on projects from Sabine Lippert's Beaded Fantasies. The book was published in May 2012 and I vividly remember looking through the copy that arrived at The Bead Shop Liverpool and thinking that every project in the book looked amazing - but a little too complex for someone like me to tackle. I tried to follow just the first few steps of the Granada Brooch and, confidence lacking, gave in with a crushing sense of defeat!

Just a few months later, with new beadweaving techniques conquered and a growing sense of confidence, I bought my own copy of Beaded Fantasies. Inspired by the words in Sabine's Introduction "Failure is always something to learn from. Be brave and confident." I decided that I would be - and I conquered the Granada Brooch that same afternoon. Since then, my 'brooch turned pendant' has become my favourite piece of jewellery. A little symbol of triumph!

One of the best things about the book is that the majority of the projects utilise a fairly standard selection of beads - crystal bicones, firepolished rounds, chatons and rivolis - so if you've been beading for a little while, you may already have the stash you need to tackle one or two of the projects. 

Though I'm still building my own 'reserves', I did have everthing I needed to work on The 'I Can't Dance Earrings'. The pattern uses different sized beads in the base, to create a curve using Right Angle Weave. Embellished with Size 11 and Size 15 seed beads, the pattern works up fairly quickly, but was a little on the heavy side for me to wear as earrings. I turned mine into a chunky, little pendant instead. 

The one, and only issue, that I have with Beaded Fantasies is that the written instructions, at first glance, seem a little daunting. The long length of many paragraphs made each step a little bit harder for me to follow and, glancing away to look at a diagram, I'd often lose my place. In the end, I broke some of the larger paragraphs down by drawing in pencil lines and that simple fix made it much easier for me to read through, and follow, the written instructions.

Inspiring as each design is, it's the last chapter of the book - where Sabine describes her method of designing - that is the real gem, but I'll let you discover that one for yourselves!

The Stashbusting, Stashdive Challenge

This month sees the founding anniversary of one of my favourite blogs and beading communities - Operation Tackle That Bead Stash - and to mark the occasion, we've been issued with a challenge. The Stashbusting, Stashdive Kit Challenge! (Sarah, who founded Operation Tackle That Bead Stash has the best ideas, but rarely comes up with titles that roll off the tongue easily!)

The aim of the challenge is to reduce our deep stash just a little bit during the month of April. Sarah states "We all have lovely beads that we oohed and aahed over in the shop, brought home, put away and promptly forgot about. Well this is your chance to give purpose to those long forgotten treasures and let them shine! So let's take a dive in those stashes and dig out a kit to work on throughout the month of April. Don't worry about what you will make yet, just what you want to use."

Our directions were to include at least: two tubes of seed beads and/or delicas; one or more focals; and at least twenty accent beads. Everything included in the kit must have been in our stash for at least a month and, although we're allowed to supplement our kits with stash if we run out of beads, we're not allowed to purchase any additional beads for the challenge. 

My kit went through several combinations before I was happy, but here's what I finally chose to include: 200 x 3mm Swarovski Bicones, Padparadscha; 200 x 3mm Swarovski Bicones, Fuschia; 2 x Swarovski Drops, Padparadscha; 14mm Swarovski Rivoli, Rose, 10mm Swarovski Rivoli, Light Rose; 8s - Galvanised Gold and Rose Lined Crystal; 11s - Light Peachy Tan, Pale Rose, S/L Dark Amethyst and S/L Light Amethyst; 15s - Galvanised Gold. Taking pride of place as my focal is a beautiful Rose Quartz Pear Cabochon, gifted to me by the lovely Bonnie Houghton. 

We now have the rest of the month to use as much of our kits as possible and, thankfully, I have a few ideas. However, those ideas do include learning how to bezel a pear-shaped cabochon, so expect a few moments of panic during the next month! What would you do with this little lot if it were yours? Do tell, I'm going to need all the inspiration you can give me!

The Mist Drops Hung On The Fragrant Trees

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with a little creativity inspired by The Wonderings Of Oisin, by W.B. Yeats? What's that you say? With a Guiness? Well then, at least wear a little green!

"We rode in sorrow, with strong hounds three,

Bran, Sgeolan, and Lomair,

On a morning misty and mild and fair.

The mist-drops hung on the fragrant trees,

And in the blossoms hung the bees.

We rode in sadness above Lough Lean,

For our best were dead on Gavra's green."

Materials: Blue Moon Beads - Green Glass Rondelles (ZB-002-00053) Bronze Earwires (ZF-001-00019), Bronze Headpins (ZF-001-00019).

The Art & Elegance Of Beadweaving {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Over the past few months, members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have been working on projects from The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells. The book seems to be well loved - and there are plenty of beaders in the OTTBS Facebook Group who recommend the book highly - so I was thrilled when I found that a copy was available through my local library. 

However, flicking through for the first time, I realised that the vast majority of the projects were beaded ropes, choker style necklaces or heavily fringed. So, I have to admit that this isn't a book that excited me as a beader, they really aren't my usual style.

I hoped that starting on a simple project would help to change my opinion, but when I started working on the Lace Net Beads I found it difficult to follow the written instructions and,  as halfway through the instructions, beads previously denoted by letters were suddenly being referred to by numbers, I became increasingly frustrated beading what should have been a simple, embellished netting pattern. Considering that netting is one of my favourite bead stitches, I was a little disappointed!

Maybe that first flick through coloured my perceptions, because every time I sat down to work on something from the book I just felt entirely underwhelmed; maybe the dull, gloomy weather influenced my mood; maybe I should have tried a little bit harder; or maybe this just wasn't the right beading book for me!

As much as I would love to have a finished, or even partially completed project, to show you, I didn't pick up The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving again - I don't like the idea of trying to force something that should be fun and creative! So, the book went straight back to the library where it was, I hope, picked up by one of the many beaders who adore the projects within it's pages and love it dearly!

If you fancy finding out what everyone else thought of the book - I have a feeling I'll be in the minority - head over to Operation Tackle That Bead Stash where you'll find links to other reveals and reviews. 

The End Of An Earring Era

I never, ever thought that I would manage to keep up with a year-long jewellery making project - even if it was to make 'just one pair of earrings each week'. But, I did! And I have loved every minute of the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash Earring Along so much that I have encouraged everyone in the OTTBS Facebook Group to sign up for another challenge in 2013. 

In the meantime though, let me share my last three pairs of earrings from 2013, all made with some of the amazing beads, findings and stringing materials from Blue Moon Beads. 

I must admit that I'm a little bit in love with this first pair - they remind me of pink champagne and I feel happy every time that I see them! The majority of the components for these little lovelies actually came from a pre-made pendant (but we all know I can't leave anything in one piece, right?) All I added into the mix was a couple of luscious pink round beads and ear-wires, both from Blue Moon Basics.

This second set of earrings came together really quickly with a combination of elements from the Feather Jewellery Collection, the Mud Pie Bead Mix and some amazing tassel chain earring components. They make little swishy-tinkly noises as I walk. Great fun!

And finally, proving that sometimes less can be more, these cute earrings are made up of simple ear-wires, oval jump rings and some of the most amazing metal charms - loving the tiny touch of central bling in all that metal. The charms are from Blue Moon Beads' new collection, Urban Warrior, which is a little bit swoonsome! I guarantee that you'll be seeing more of that very soon!