Inspirational bracelet tutorial

I am often asked how I started beading.
As most people, my first approch to beads was a handmade loom, made by my mom with a shoe box.
When I grew a little older, I learnt with a 70's book how to do flat and round peyote stitch.

For about 15 years and more I haven't been doing anything else. I wasn't aware of the huge beading community existing online. I guess faster internet and websites like Flickr and Pinterest have made it all so much easier.

I have lernt so many techniques and stitches, but in the end I always come back to peyote stitch for one reason or another: I need to make a beaded toggle, or some tubular beaded beads to cover something, or I just need to relax and "switch off" my brain doing something simple.

Lately I have been making these cute bracelets

they are so versatile and easy but give great satisfaction.
So I made a tutorial.
Because many people ask me how I started to understand if they are still on time to start, so I just want to tell you: sure! There is always plenty of time to start!

People who don't know about beadweaving also don't know that some of the most talented beadweavers are not exactly young girls (they surely are at heart) and just started a few years ago.
Excellence is a habit!

You can find my tutorial here.

New sushi tutorial

Just listed a beaded sushi tutorial :)

If you want to try and make some salmon-avocado maki yourself...you also have the tuna version!

Beaded beads with Twin Beads

I'm using all the beaded beads tutorials I'm finding on internet using Twin™ seed beads and having a lot of fun with them

The bigger beads are from a pattern offered by Preciosa Ornela on its website, so clever and easy. I also made some toggle clasps, always beaded - one is made with transparent seed beads and pink/lilac Twin™ seed beads, to match the beaded beads in the same colors

So there will be a necklace pretty soon...in the meanwhile, try one of the many projects on Preciosa Ornela website and have fun!

Peacock earrings with twin beads

Yesterday I made these amazing earrings with the new Twin Beads that Preciosa Ornela sent me:

The tutorial is from Cr3azioni di Cr3stina and is really easy and quick.
Now I need to go on with my Japan piece and also need to restock my can tab earrings, since tonight I sold the white ones to a return customer.
And maybe I'll finally get to make some photos in the sunlight!

Chestnut bracelet

I just finished this bracelet, called Chestnut, after a very long hiatus:

Its pattern is from Monica and is really simple and beautiful, but pretty long to make.
I had received some triangular beads in one of the swaps and accidentaly found this pattern almost at the same time (I have quite a perfect timing with beads/pattern finding).

I also had some size 15 seed beads in exactly the same color of the triangle beads. It was destiny.
Unfortunately it's a very difficult color to photograph (a Matte Iris Brown, which looks like green to me) and also the rondelle color, an AB lilac, is pretty hard to catch.
But together they look amazing and that's the only thing that matters!

Beaded dolls - the tutorial

I finally made a tutorial for my beaded dolls.
Just listed it on Etsy...my eyes are tired, but I'm so happy!

Been wanting to make one for a long time, but there wasn't enough time to draw all the graphs (all those tiny beads! argh!) so I kept on procrastinating.
My first doll was a copy of one my grandmother brought from one of her trips to Spain when I was about 10.
It was the classic Indian doll (don't know why it came from Spain!) and was attached to a beaded necklace which started tearing apart very soon.
Fortunately this gave me a chance to look at the "anatomy" of both necklace and doll, and -being already handy with tubular peyote- I decided to give it a try. And then they came...

Possibilities are huge, I hope people will have fun as I'm having!