Dichroic Glass Donuts.

I had the urge, as you do, to play with glass.

So off to the shed I trotted, glass cutter in hand, and set to work. I wanted to produce Donut Shapes, simply because they can be used in many different ways.

You can, of course, add a simple bail to hang them. You can bead around them like a Cabochon. You can thread a cord through and simply hang them around your neck. You can wire them and make them totally unique....and the list goes on.


I used lots of different coloured Dichroic Glass, layering it up for a very textured look. I cut different sizes and shapes, and I have to say, was quite chuffed with the turn out.

These are just a few, didn't want to bog you all down with images, but if you would like to see the rest, here is the link :)

Opus Moon on Facebook

UFBO - Gone wrong !!!

One of my many UFBO - now finished.

UFBO stands for Un-Finished Beady Object. I am notorious for starting things, and never finishing them.

My bead box is full of half-finished Beaded projects, but the real issue is, when I pick them up again months and months later, I can never find the beads I was working with at the time. This means I have to totally adapt the pattern and find something different to do with it.

This can be quite fun though, it's like having a platform to start from.

Anyway, the middle section of this necklace is a Peyote Spiral stitch, which is in green, cream, gold and brown, was the bit residing in my bead box, waiting to be finished. Of course I couldn't find the original beads - except the brown and cream, so a compromise was rapidly needed.

I attached a brown beaded spiral peyote to each end, but then found I was running out of beads, so had to swap to cream. I finished it off with a real copal amber bead to fasten.

Then I thought I was quite happy with it, until I spotted something........ on one side the brown section was thicker than the other. I had added one to many beads. Now you might not spot it, but now I have noticed it, it is irritating the life out of me !!!

Argghhhhhhhhhh. Oh well, sod it, it will have to stay like that, I aint pulling all that out !

Quirkie Butterfly for Tan

My very good internet friend Tan (Tan of Course!!) came up with the name for these odd little Peyote stitched designs. I needed a collective name, and she came up with QUIRKIES.

http://soozintheshed.blogspot.com/2010/04/introducing-quirkies-chocolate-tie.html

So, as a thank you, I made her her very own Quirkie. She chose a butterfly, and left the colour and the style to me.

So here is it, Tan's very own Quirkie Butterfly. Teamed with a whole host of various glass, metal, plastic beads to make it unique.

Candy Fleur Cuff

The colour challenge for the Bead Buddies forum this month was Candy shades of Mint Green, White, Pale Blue, Lemon, Lilac and Pink.

To incorporate a lot of colours I think you need something bold and fussy, so I set about making this..... which I have named Candy Fleur Cuff.

Each little flower took between 15-60 minutes to make. In total, this piece took around 10 hours to make.

I made them in all different sizes, shapes and colours, then made a plain Peyote Cuff in Lilac for the base and sewed them all on.

For the clasp, I found a fabulous Mother Of Pearl pink button in a flower shape, then sewed a beaded flower on the top. It fastens with a simple loop sewn onto the opposite end.

I like to do "big" projects with no metal parts, therefore removing the risk of tarnish and allergies.

I enjoyed making this cuff, but I don't think I will be doing another for a little while :)

Disketts

I have been thinking about things to do with a disc of beads.

Following on from my "Marshmallow & Chocolate" Disc necklace,

....which was featured in Beads & Beyond Magazine in Aug 2009, I had a few practise discs left in various bright funky colours.

So, last night, I sewed them all together, added a simple white RAW (Right Angle Weave Stitch) chain, and a hand-made Lampwork bead for a clasp, and this was born.....

As yet no name for these piece, but as I have loads and loads of ideas for these little disks, I have collectively named them "The Diskettes Range".

I am starting a new one tonight, in pastel colours - a bracelet I think - but that could change :)

Watch this space....