This blog has moved


Dear readers, we have moved our blog to:

www.beadmixer.co.uk




Wednesday 29 January 2014

Art Nouveau cone earrings


Art Nouveau pegel oorbellen

Have any of you ever watched the series Boardwalk Empire? It's an exciting tale set in the American prohibition era, starring gangsters like Al Capone. Stylewise, the period is set shortly after World War I, the last days of the Art Nouveau movement. The costume styling is beautifully done, and I always marvel at the gorgeous earrings the ladies are wearing.
So I was greatly inpired to make these Art Nouveau cone earrings. They are long earrings with large glass pendants, and they have a wonderful antique feeling to them.
The pendants are horizontally drilled through the top, that's why I fitted an eyepin throught the drill hole, and covered it all up with a filligree beadcap.


Benodigdheden Art Nouveau pegel oorbellen
What do you need?
How do you proceed?
1. Use a flat nose plier to bend the beadcap into shape, allowing them to slide over the cone perfectly.
Plaats kettelstift
2. Slide an eyepin throught the drillhole of the cone. You will need about 1 cm at the rounded side of the pin, which is bent upwards.
Buig kettelstift
3. Bend the eyelet upwards placing it at the top centre of the cone. I used a flat nose plier for bending the pin.
Buig kettelstift verder
4. Bend the latter side of the eyepin upwards, and then sideways towards the eyelet, so as to wrap around the eyelet. Don't worry about appearance at this stage, for you will cover it all up with the beadcap. The main goal is to make sure that both pendants will have the same length, for you will want symmetrical earrings.
Het oogje is klaar
5. Cut the eyepin at the eyelet, thus creating a pendant loop.
Plaats de tweede kettelstift
6. Open up the eyelet of the second eyepin, attach it to the pendant and close the eye up again.
Plaats de kralenkap
7. Slide the filigree beadcap over the cone. The eyepin should come out on top.
Maak weer een oogje voor de oorbel
8. Create a loop for hanging, and again keep in mind that the earrings should be equally long.
Plaats het Art Nouveau oorhaakje
9. All that's left now is to attach the Art Nouveau earring findings. These hooks are convenient because the eye is nog fully closed - it may be opened with pliers to attach the pendant.
De Art Nouveau oorbellen zijn klaar


Items

Saturday 18 January 2014

Drop earstuds with rhinestones



Turquoise drop earrings with rhinestones
This tutorial will show you how to make your very own earrings in trendy colours with faux turquoise drop beads and luxurious rhinestones.
Last year I made a set of faux turquoise drop bead earrings, and these earrings are a sequel to that series.
The base for each pair is the same, namely a faux turquoise drop, an oval rhinestone connector and an earstud to which you can attach a rhinestone. I will show you 6 different colours, but you can easily adapt the design to your own liking. For example, use a different earhook, a different beadcap, or use contrasting colours for a fresh and completely different effect.
Required items for turquoise drop earstuds with rhinestones
What do you need

How do you proceed?
1. Make the drop pendant by placing the bead onto the headpin, finishing with a beadcap. I have cut off half a millimetre of the pin, because for me that is the ideal length to make an eyelet.
Make the drop pendant
2. Place the rhinestone into the setting. It might feel a bit uncomfortable if you have not yet worked with rhinestones, so make sure you take your time. I prefer to hold down the stone at the sides while gently, one by one, pressing the little prongs down over the stone by using a set of pliers. Bear in mind, practice makes perfect!
Make the connector and fit the rhinestone
3. Glue the rhinestone into the earstud. A small drop really is enough to do the trick – the rhinestone glue is quite liquid, which means you easily end up using too much of it!
Glue the rhinestone in the earstud
4. Connect the separate parts with the rings.
Connect the parts with the rings
5. Your earstuds are finished!
Your drop earrings are finished!
Here are some examples of earrings in different colours:


Green drop earstuds with rhinestones
Purple drop earstuds with rhinestones
Red drop earstuds with rhinestones
Orange drop earstuds with rhinestones
Pink drop earstuds with rhinestones


Items

Friday 3 January 2014

Agate Lantern earrings






Agate lantern earrings set A
In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: MK-SP006A, AG-R001, MK-SP004A, KK022A, AG-FR010, KK022A, MK-SP004A, MK-RD003A, MK-SP004A, MK-SP006A
How to make agate lantern earrings
This is a collection of earrings inspired by beautiful lanterns, such as the Moroccan hennalamp. I really wanted to work with agates and bronze-coloured metal, the large filigree beads in particular.
Consequently, I pulled about 30 boxes of beads from the shelves and started making combinations until I assembled this set of earrings. The agates always come in a natural variety of colours, which means that every item will always be unique. For example, the small 5 mm beads are India agate and all came from the same strand of beads. You can see in the picture they come in many different colours and I myself was quite surprised about the versatility of such a small bead.
Indian agate beads
What do you need?
  • Bronze-coloured headpins, size 70 mm. This length of headpin will allow you to make every type of earring displayed on the page.
  • Bronze-coloured earhooks. I have opted for a simple style, but you can choose any type of hook to your liking.
  • Agate beads in different sizes.
  • Bronze-coloured metal beads in different shapes and sizes.
  • Beadcaps in different shapes and sizes.
How do you proceed? You can use the designs on the page as a base for your own earrings. The colours of the agate beads are interchangeable, which means you can vary the colours to suit your own preferences.
If you want to design your own earrings, make sure to bear in mind the balance of the different sizes. I always prefer to fit the agate beads with a beadcap. You can experiment with different metal beads and beadcaps; you will be surprised by the difference even a small spacer can accomplish!
Agate lantern earrings set B
In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: MK-LT001, MK-SP006A, AG-R001, MK-R008A, KK022A, AG-FR007, KK022A, KK021, AG-FR010, KK021
Agate lantern earrings set C
In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: AG-R001, KK022A, AG-FR009, KK022A, MK-R007, AG-R001
Agate lantern earrings set D
In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: AG-R001, MK-SP004A, AG-R005, MK-SP004A, KK027, AG-FR005, KK027, AG-R001
Agate lantern earrings set E
In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: KK022A, AG-FR004, KK022A, KK022A, AG-FR008, KK022A, KK022A, AG-R003, KK022A
Agate lantern earrings set F
In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: AG-R001, MK-SP004, MK-R007, MK-SP004, AG-R004, MK-SP004, AG-R001
Agate lantern earrings set G
In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: MK-TN001A, KK021, AG-R002, KK021, MK-R008B, AG-R001