Beaded Watch Fob

Here's a tasselly beaded watch fob that I presented on series 500 of Beads, Baubles & Jewels. (I know tasselly isn't a word, but you get the idea.)

The loopy thing at the top can be used like it's shown in the photo to attach the watch to something, or it can be stretched out and connected to your belt loops or purse straps.

I like making watches because they're so functional. Whether it's a bracelet, a necklace, or a fobby-type thing like this one, a person can always use one more timepiece.

Click here for the instructions.

Design & Redesign

I'm working on a multiple strand necklace and, man, is it taking forever. I should have photographed it each time I made a change. You would be shocked.

Normally I use a bead board to decide how I want the design to look before I string it but this design uses different techniques, not just stringing so it seemed like it would be "easier" to just dive in. I'll post a photo when I'm done and next time I will take photos of the process to show you.

I'm happy with how it's going now that I've gotten the basic idea together. It's three strands. One strand is a linked chain of beads, one strand is strung on beading wire and one strand is made of pieces of chain that are connected with bead links.

The biggest challenge was making the dimensions work out because I really wanted to use this particular pendant and bead caps. The pendant is very flat and the bead caps are not flat so I had to figure out how to make them work together. I ended up making the center strand with larger beads so it looks chunkier and the pendant strand with smaller beads so it looks more delicate. The different strands work together because the colors and overall feeling of the strands are complementary.

Hip to Bead is Nominated for an Award!

I just found out that Hip to Bead is a finalist for the 2006 Craftrends' Awards of Creative Excellence (ACE). Winners will be revealed at the Craft & Hobby Association Winter Show in Anaheim, California, in January 2007. Hip to Bead is nominated for best book in the General Craft category.

Entries were judged on overall quality, originality, attractiveness, clarity of instructions, retail support, advertising/marketing support, and whether the products and books met consumer needs.

It's a big honor for the book to be nominated and it would be even more awesome to win. Keep your fingers crossed!

On the Road

I've taken this blog on the road! I'm in Cleveland today for the AC Moore Crafter's Video taping. I finished my demonstrations (see last post) and now I'm checking out the other demonstrator's projects. It's so fun to see all of the new products and techniques. Even though they aren't necessarily related to jewelry making, I thought you might like a sneak peek. There's a woman here with chocolate-covered pretzels, fruit and oreos! On second thought, maybe that IS related to jewelry making...a beader must have snacks. The Chocomaker looks easy to use, and tasty! I also got some cool ideas for papercrafting from the Cricut people and Gartner Studios. Now if I can just get my hands on some chocolate...