Beadmixer Style

Friday, 4 April 2014

Spring garden necklace

This week a very elaborate tutorial in which I will demonstrate how to make these colorful Spring Garden necklaces. The design of the necklace is based on flower beads fitted into small settings. I have made two different varieties, so you see it's easy to give the necklace your own personal twist.

What do you need for one necklace?

13 flower beads. We have two different series of flower beads which are flat at the back and which can be fitted into small 12 mm settings. These are the flower beads (the code of this series always starts with KSK-BL086) and these are the rose beads (the code of this series always starts with KSK-BL088). Both types of beads are available in a wide array of colors.
13 round lace edge settings size 12 mm.
Jump rings in a golden color, size 6 mm. You will need 16 rings in total for this necklace.
Rolo chain in gold tone. You will need 25 cm at most, perhaps less, depending on the length you want your necklace to be.
A clasp in a golden color.
E6000 glue.

How do you proceed?
1. Fold down two eyelets of each of the 13 lace edge settings. Make sure there are three eyelets in between the ones that are folded down to get the best result.

2. Connect the 13 lace edge settings to each other by using the jump rings. Make sure you close up the rings properly. Now you have the basis for your Spring Garden necklace.

3. Cut off two pieces of the rolo chain. I have used two sections of 12 cm, but perhaps you want to make the necklace a bit shorter, in which case 10 cm will suffice. Connect the sections of chain to both sides of the necklace and attach the clasp.

4. Select the colors of the flowers!

5. Apply a dollop of glue in each setting. Also apply a bit of extra glue onto the back of the bead, and place the beads into the settings one by one.
You will notice that it will appear as if the beads are situated too close to each other, but I assure you this won't be the case once the necklace is finished and you are wearing it.

6. Gently apply a bit of pressure onto the beads to make sure they are indeed firmly attached to the settings. Allow the necklace to dry for a couple of hours before wearing it.

7. Your Spring Garden necklace is finished. Have fun with this design!

These flower beads were used: KSK-BL088E, KSK-BL088C, KSK-BL088F, KSK-BL088B, KSK-BL088G

These flower beads were used: KSK-BL086H, KSK-BL086M, KSK-BL086L, KSK-BL086K, KSK-BL086A, KSK-BL086C, KSK-BL086E

Combinaties

Hook clasp antique gold 24x11 mm SL010C

Jump rings gold 6 mm OR-G005

Acrylic bead rose peach orange 19 mm KSK-BL088B

Acrylic flower bead ocre yellow 20 mm KSK-BL086A

Chain gold link of 3,5 mm K015

Lace edge setting raw brass round for cabochon 12 mm Z043

Friday, 7 February 2014

Spring flower earrings

Have you noticed? The seasons are changing! The days are becoming longer, the birds are returning, and although we had snow here no less than a week ago, there's a very fresh feeling in the air ... Spring!
I came up with these Spring Flower earrings quite coincidentally. The majority of these beads we've had for a while now, but I had a few new colour varieties which I wanted to sort out. Lying on the table next to these beads was a 12 mm setting. These flower beads are flat-backed, so I tried fitting one into the setting, and it was a perfect fit! Thus, I combined the beads with these antique copper-coloured earrings as if they were a cabochon.

What do you need for one pair of earrings?

1 pair of copper-coloured earhooks with a round 12 mm setting. We also carry these earhooks in the colours bronze, silver, and gold, so the combinations are endless.
2 flower beads. We have two series of flower beads which can be used for these particular earrings. These are the beads beginning with the code KSK-BL086 (A, B, C etc) and KSK-BL088 (A, B, C etc).
Glue. I have used regular Hasulith for these earrings.

How do you proceed?

1. Apply a drop of glue to the setting of the earhook. Leave it for a minute, I have noticed that it makes the glue stick even better.

2. Apply a little drop of glue onto the back of the bead and place it into the setting. The drill hole of the bead won't be hidden by the setting. I placed the hole vertically since people probably will be looking at the earring from the front and the side as you're wearing it.
In a few cases the back of the bead can be slightly larger than the setting, but you can use a piece of sanding paper to make them fit.
3. Wait a while and allow the glue to dry. I tested the earrings after roughly an hour; I dropped them onto the table and the bead didn't separate from the setting.
If the bead won't stick to the earhook, you can either try cleaning the surface of the bead with ammonia, or you can gently sand the surface of the bead to make sure the glue will stick even better.