The Design Gallery
Follow along with step-by-step beading projects and share your designs with beaders around the world—it’s quick & easy!
Chatter
on “Night Owls Lariat”:“So many different kinds of owls, and the branches!!! Fantastic. Lucky daughter:)…” read »
on “Sari Silk Gift Wrap”:“really cute!…” read »
on “Night Owls Lariat”:“Thanks for the great comments. This is a peyote stitch so each row only adds 1/2…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“That is really awesome!…” read »
on “Night Owls Lariat”:“The black background for this piece really makes the vivid owls really pop! Thanks for all…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“Yes, thanks for sharing, Phoenix! They are very protective of their food sources, aren’t they?…” read »
on “Night Owls Lariat”:“Beady--Pure artistry!! This is wonderfully playful & would be so enjoyable to wear! I…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“I watched the video--precious! Adding red glass beads would definitely draw them. Thanks Phoenix…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“Thanks for the info Phoenix. That was fun to watch.…” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“Thank you all so much for your sweet comments. KR - I designed the owls using a…” read »
on “Follow The Directions”:“So pretty! Love the colors.…” read »
on “Hummingbird Swing”:“Check out the bird supply store: Duncraft.com to watch a video of hummers using a…” read »
on “Follow The Directions”:“Thanks so much for all the comments!! I'm happy with this necklace and that I was…” read »
- on “Stranger's Earrings”:
“Such pretty nifty wirework!…” read »
on “Night Owls Lariat”:“How amazing is this. I always wonder how in the world someone puts something like this…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“I've never heard of a hummingbird swing. It's so sweet. Will they use it? Even if…” read »
- on “New year”:
“Your bracelet is wonderful. Yellow and grey. Who knew they could be so beautiful together? I'd…” read »
- on “Follow The Directions”:
“Lovely blue necklace!…” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“Very cute. VERY artistic!! How do you do all this? And is your…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“Fresh Baked, I like the idea of a fairy swing, and if the birdie guys want…” read »
- on “Follow The Directions”:
“When I saw this I guessed it would be yours, Sweetjane, and it was. Very…” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“You made me smile! What wonderful energy in this piece! Are you sure you…” read »
on “Night Owls Lariat”:“This looks so difficult. Did you have a pattern for the owls at least, or were…” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“So adorable! I love the rich colors and different owl types. How creative and fun!…” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“Absolutely darling!! What a fun piece of art to wear!!…” read »
on “Night Owls Lariat”:“This is so cute!…” read »
- on “New year”:
“Lovely work. Love all of the different beads and the colors are wonderful. So fun also.…” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“Close-ups of the upside down owls on either side of the center. …” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“And close-ups. …” read »
- on “Night Owls Lariat”:
“As always - more photos. …” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“Such fun. I tried making a swing for my hens when they were little but it…” read »
- on “Stranger's Earrings”:
“Wow KR - those are long. Beautiful work. Sorry to hear about your problem Bev.…” read »
on “New year”:“The square bead is Lampwork glass. The same as most of the others. Seed beads in…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“Gotta love Pinterest, friends! I saw some hummingbird swings posted on there and thought they…” read »
- on “New year”:
“Ditto! Complete success! So glad you were able to get it posted. I…” read »
- on “New year”:
“It looks great from what I can see...I especially like your touches of sari silk.…” read »
on “Hummingbird Swing”:“This is fabulous and so sweet!!! Thank you for sharing your inspirational swing!…” read »
- on “New year”:
“Successful attempt!!! I like the textures and whimsy in this piece.…” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“Love this!! Our little hummy is still in his leafless tree again this winter. …” read »
- on “Hummingbird Swing”:
“This is too cute! I'll have to make one of these for my little buddies…” read »
Shiney Objects
About this design:
One day while shopping around on LB I found these gorgeous blue quartz shards and I had to have them!
Once I got started working with them I decided they were too heavy to use all of them on one necklace. When I started working on some ideas I was amazed at how many pieces I could make.
At first I tried stringing them on softflex but they were so heavy I didn't like the way they were hanging. So it was on to plan B.
Plan B was to stringing them on sections of memory wire. Seems I always have left over pieces of necklace size memory wire so I decided to give it a try. The results were more to my liking. All I had to do was make a loop on one end of the wire, string the beads on then make another loop and attach the chain.
Since I was only using short sections of the string I was able to make three necklaces including the lariat . The last two pictures that look like an unfinished piece are what was left of the shards. I thought about making ear rings but even the smallest pieces were too heavy.
Components:
metallic blue quartz shards, memory wire, glass lentils, silver beads and crystal for spacers, chainAdditional Images:
Read the comments (or add your own)
Add your thoughts!
On May 19, 2018 at 10:54 pm #
dolllady aka Pam says:Wow! I like the results of your experimenting so so much!
On May 19, 2018 at 11:09 pm #
Maggies Mom says:They all look nice!
On May 20, 2018 at 2:28 am #
ClovisakaLois says:They’re all great designs! The blue pops!
On May 20, 2018 at 11:37 am #
Medieval Momma says:Love them! Do make earrings, they are sure to be super cute!
On May 20, 2018 at 6:07 pm #
Kathryn R says:Thank you for sharing your technique and process creating these amazing pieces. Especially the idea of stringing the beads on a short piece of memory wire, then attaching to chain. Genius!
I never saw those stones on LB. Glad YOU did!
On May 20, 2018 at 8:27 pm #
Fresh Baked says:Memory wire seems like an inspired idea. The heavy beads will stay in this love array without drooping. Beautiful result!
On May 21, 2018 at 12:04 am #
S KatollakaSue says:Wonderful!
On May 21, 2018 at 7:32 pm #
kye says:Oh man is that blue quartz beautiful! What a clever idea to use memory wire. Really gorgeous work!
On May 22, 2018 at 12:37 pm #
jdtt says:The memory wire holds the stones well – great idea!
On May 22, 2018 at 9:37 pm #
Moogie says:Such a pretty splay across the décolletage! I think the use of the memory wire was a perfect solution for the weight of the beads.