Handmade Monday: Friendship bracelets

This week I've been trying my hand at my own version of the friendship bracelets which are so much on trend at the moment.  I wanted to do something with gemstones and have some really lovely coloured silky cords that I've never really used much.  Not sure I've got the design right yet - here are a couple of prototypes.

What do you think?  I've been wearing them more or less 24-7 to test out how robust they are, and so far (touch wood!) all of the knots and fastenings have survived intact.  That means they've survived both the office, housework and dog walking, so I figure that's a pretty good test.  The ones with the gemstones incorporated - rather than dangling as a charm - are better at staying the right way up on your wrist, so I think they might be the winners.

Hopefully I can decide on the design soon and maybe list them in one of my new shops - on GroovyCart and ToSouk.  Opening two new shops in a week is a record for me!

Here's the link to find out what other Handmade Monday folk have been making this week. 

Folksy Friday: Fruits of the Forest

The woods and forests look pretty abundant at the moment, and I keep having to pick up the fallen apples, so why not a collection of non-edible fruits from Folksy sellers?  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shops.



1. Fruity fridge magnets by Kettle of Fish
2. Fruit wreath by Cranberry Charms
3. Bowl of stained glass fruit by JTs Creative Glass



 1. Apple pendant by Funky Art 2. Berry bookmark by Cinnamon Street 3. Pear door stop by Crabtree Lane

You can find more Folksy goodies on this fruity Pinterest board.
And you might like this treasury on the same theme on Etsy too.

Handmade Monday

Well I've been away and missed a couple of Handmade Mondays, so I thought I'd come back with a tutorial on how to make a beaded bead.  I know at least one person who wants the instructions!  They are very simple when you get the hang of them.

You'll need:
15 beads
A headpin
Some glue
Thread - preferably monofilament

I'm using a thicker beading thread for the demo so you can see it, and different coloured beads to make it easier to follow.

Step 1

Thread 3 beads

Step 2

Thread a fourth bead by crossing both ends of the thread through the bead.  Now you're weaving :-)

Step 3

Pull the ends of the thread right through the last bead until it is sitting on top of the other beads, forming a diamond shape.

Step 4

Thread one more bead onto each of the ends of the thread

Step 5

Thread the next bead by crossing the ends of the thread through the bead again

Step 6

Continue to thread a bead on to each side of the thread, then thread another bead by crossing the ends of the thread through, until you have a 'ladder' of 12 beads.  The beads will start to curl up, but that's not a problem.

Step 7

Instead of adding another bead, thread the two ends of the beading thread through the bead at the bottom of the 'ladder'.

Step 8

Put a loose bead into the centre of the ladder

Step 9

Pull the threads tight and the round shaped beady bead will appear, as if by magic!  To make the beady bead as sturdy as possible, weave the thread back through as many beads as possible then tie the two ends in a knot and apply some jewellery glue.  When the glue is dry, snip the excess threads off.

Step 10

Thread one of the remaining beads on to the headpin and put the headpin through the drill hole in the loose bead that you put into the middle of the beady bead.  Yours will look neater because you've snipped the threads.

Step 11

Put the final bead on the top of the headpin, make a wrapped loop and you're ready to use your beady bead.  Simples!

They look nice as earrings

or in a necklace or bracelet

Happy weaving!

Here's the link to other lovely Handmade Monday posts.

Worldless Wednesday: Such a good holiday

Here I am digging a moat for this great castle!

Bead soup!

Bead soup - sounds a bit indigestible, doesn't it?  But actually it's this Folksy challenge.

A little bit about Bead Soup… all proceeds are going to the Breast Cancer Campaign, as part of the Folksy bead soup party challenge. Shops that are taking part had the challenge of creating some jewellery with 10 beads, including two focal beads sent by another Folksy shop and adding their own beads to it to create a beautiful item or items to sell with all the proceeds going to Breast Cancer campaign.

These were the beads I was sent by the lovely Imogen’s Imagination on Folksy.

And this is what I made:

If you want to see what else has been made for this great Folksy challenge, you can visit the thread here

Have a look and why not treat yourself to something lovely - knowing that your money is going to a good cause.  If you don't want to buy, it would be great if you were able to publicise the thread with a link on your blog, or through Twitter or Facebook, so that the maximum number of people see the jewellery that's been created and are hopefully tempted to buy and we can raise more money for Breast Cancer Campaign.

Aren't they unusual?  And aren't the Folksters talented? 

Wordless Wednesday: The dog blogs again

Just look at the size of this!

Handmade Monday: Autumn colours

Quite a quiet week, but I have been thinking a bit about the approaching change of season and hoping that it won't come too soon as we are off for a late holiday shortly.  These colours seemed to go together quite well, and it was only at the end that I realised I'd forgotten to work in a bail!  So that's one that will have to be redone.  I suppose I could fit an open jump ring on, but I always worry that things like that might come loose. 

It's probably a pendant, although I kind of like the idea of working it into a bracelet too. 

Here's the link to Handmade Monday so you can see all the lovely things people have been creating this week
http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/blog/