New Blog

Dear Readers

Our blog has now been moved to cynthiapoh.blogspot.com.

See you there!

Sincerely

Cynthia

Mother's Day Promotion

Promotion Period : 28 Apr - 7 May 2011

PDF Manual - Green Opal Necklace

The PDF manual on Green Opal Necklace is now available on sale at our Etsy shop.

If you reside in Singapore, the full materials kits will be available at Beads Cage, #02-24A Centrepoint in early June.

Thank you.

My New Project

If you ever ask my good friend, Lis (simpleartsplanet.com) what presents to get me, she will most probably suggest bags! Yes, I love bags; big, medium, small, any size, any makes, you name it and I will have a use for it. My husband even suggested I should make bags instead of jewellery! Having said that, I don't really own many bags (seriously, I don't!).

Anyway, after 4 years of waiting, I bought my second sewing machine recently. I used to make small card /cheque book holders to sell at the Farmers Market in US and had fun sewing them. This time round, I am more ambitious and want to make bigger bags. I scouted through Etsy and came across a talented seller selling patterns.

Here is my finished clutch, using pattern from sewingwithme3. I modified the specifications a little and added my own touch of beads! I bead embroidered on the flower print and added a beaded ring. The finished clutch is very roomy and can hold my long wallet, phone, keys, etc.

With the success of this clutch, I bought more designer fabrics to embark on more clutches and other projects!

Beady Girl @ Sometimes

Beady Girl's jewellery is now selling at Sometimes, A Pop-Up Shop (Floreat Forum, Perth). Sometimes carries products designed and handcrafted by Australian artists. It is truly "An Australian Designer and Artists Affair".

My New Project

Sawing the plank

Two "tables"

My New Jewellery Stand

Display at Sometimes, A Pop-up Shop.

Turquoise Long Necklace

By now, you would have guessed I simply LOVE turquoise and would work with anything turquoise. This long necklace is another of my creations using Turquoise Picasso seed beads, Turquoise glass rondelles, combined with metal beads and Butterscotch (sounds yummy, and the beads do look fantastic) rondelles. It was stitched in a combination of Herringbone and Spiral Rope techniques.

Due to the natural look of these seed beads, the necklace looks very organic and is a fun accessory to wear with casual outfits.

Hope you like it too!

Bollywood Cuff

This is the new colourway for Bollywood Cuff, in Antique Metallic Bronze. The dark tone complements beautifully with earth tone outfits.

New stocks of Bollywood project kits (in Supra Gold, Supra Silver & Antique Bronze) will be available at Beads Cage, Centrepoint after 1 April.

For those who have completed this project before may notice that the clasp used in this bracelet is different from previous (Swarovski button). I have made two peyote stitched tubes and on the other end, two columns of squares are left blank for the clasp to go through. This gives the wearer the flexibility to choose a suitable length.

You may email me at info@beadygirl.com if you have any questions.

Green Opal Necklace

This necklace was done with Tubular Netting, and luxuriously embellished with Green Opal glass beads and seed beads. I mixed up the topaz beige and supra gold seed beads in the stitches which in turn give a unique look to the piece. A twist in this project was making a double clasp for the necklace.

Beading Book - 'The Beader's Guide to Color'

I recently borrowed and renewed twice on Margie Deeb's 'The Beader's Guide to Color' from the library. I thought it is an awesome book and would like to share with fellow beaders if you have not come across. Here's an excerpt from Amazon on the book description.

Product Description

Demonstrating how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork designs, this guide will interest beaders at all skill levels. Color is discussed in depth, including the basics of the color wheel, the psychological and symbolic associations of all the colors of the spectrum, plus whites, blacks, grays, metallics, and neutrals. Other essentials covered include blending techniques, how a bead's surface finish affects its color, and how color can be used to create and accentuate pattern, rhythm, and movement within a beadwork design. The more than 20 projects-each of which represents a specific color scheme or palette-include a discussion of the palette, multiple color illustrations, a beadwork pattern, and a listing of the beads required to complete that design.

Margie Deeb has a second book on 'The Beader's Color Palette' and I hope to get a chance to read this book as well. Product description from Amazon.

Product Description

Capture the colors of the world with 220 distinctive palettes

* Priceless source of color inspiration

* Create 20 step-by-step projects

* Gallery of finished jewelry by the author and other artists

Confused by color? Don’t be. Get The Beader’s Color Palette, a priceless resource for beaders seeking inspiration for their jewelry designs. Author Margie Deeb presents 220 palettes inspired by five diverse themes, along with examples of finished jewelry and 20 step-by-step projects that interpret those themes. From the four elements (air, fire, water, and earth), to artists’ palettes (from ancient Egyptian through modern art), from world cultures (including Latin America, India and Tibet, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East) to environments (rainforests, the Southwest, the Mediterranean), to the natural world (marine life, birds, insects)--these palettes capture the essence of countless human experiences and dreams. Beginners will love the basics section on off-loom stitches, loom weaving, and stringing; more advanced beaders will be inspired to take on the wide world of beautiful color.

My "First" Jewellery

This is the first piece of jewellery I have completed since arriving in Perth. It is created with Peyote stitched rings with Swarovski crystal cosmic rings. I bought these cosmic rings on impulse and didn't know what to do with them afterwards. Since I am a "chunky jewellery" fanatic, I decided to turn it into a chained bracelet.

Here's wishing all my Chinese beaders a Happy Lunar New Year!

My "Last" Jewellery

Happy New Year Everyone!

My beads are finally categorised and packed nicely into boxes, and ready for the movers come next week. Before I bid my goodbye, I would like to present my "last" piece of jewellery completed recently.

The design concept for this bracelet is not my original idea. There was a slight modification from one of Rachel Nelson's Seed Bead Fusion (book) projects. The technique used is similar but I changed the configuration of the pattern and turned it into a bracelet. I had also used a snap button for the closure so that when the two ends meet, the slinky bracelet looks seamless.

I really like the chunkiness of the bracelet and already thought of a few variations that can be applied to change its look. But this shall wait.

With this piece, I would like to thank you for the support and appreciation of Beady Girl. I look forward to my new beading adventure in Australia.

Adios!

Coffee Table Book - Beady Girl

'Beaded Jewellery by Beady Girl Volume 1' showcases Beady Girl's beaded jewellery of all categories. It is a collection of projects she has taught during the 4 years in Singapore. The photo journal is now available for viewing at Beads Cage (#02-24A Centrepoint) or you may visit our site for online viewing.

Here's wishing all a very Happy New Year!

"Closer" Necklace

In 2004 'Closer' film, Julia Roberts wore a necklace at the gallery scene. My husband pointed it out to me that I should make a similar necklace to sell. While it was easy to imitate, it was not exactly easy to find the right materials. I created an inspired one using red horn beads with black-lip shell leaves, and sold it at the Redwood City Farmers' Market then.

Recently (6 years later), while clearing up my stuff, I came across the poster with the photo of Julia Roberts wearing the necklace. I started to have thoughts of recreating the necklace. I looked through my pile of beads and came up with Swarovski Coral pearls with some bronze metallic leaves. The completed necklace has almost similar colourways as JR's necklace but still doesn't look close. I am not completely satisfied with it and shall continue my quest to look for the perfect beads!

3-tier Necklaces

I love to wear long necklaces whenever I can. I like the way it dresses up my outfit instantly while my baby used to hold on to it like a "lifeline"! I was at The Shophouse Fair last November and saw a vendor selling beaded jewellery from Indonesia. I spotted this 3-tier black pearls necklace strung with metallic silver string. It is very simply made but makes a huge statement. Costing only S$15, I bought the necklace.

With the inspiration from this necklace, I used Spiral Rope technique to create the bone of the necklace and attached 3 layers (6 strings in total) of seed beads and 4mm, 6mm beads. The Turquoise Silver was created with opaque turquoise and picasso turquoise rondelles while the Golden Emerald was a luxurious spread of Swarovski round crystals. The formulations of the two necklaces are slightly different.

The variations to the design are endless and different beads give you different looks. The Turquoise Silver is more for smart casual because of its picasso finish while the Swarovski crystals give a more glamourous effect on the outfit. I will be trying other beads/colour combinations when I get a chance!

Seasons Greetings!

The idea to create this "Tiffany" inspired bracelet came after I watched the Tiffany & Co's romantic holiday commercial. It was stitched with the Right Angle Weave, using 6x4mm Opaque Turquoise rondelles, Swarovski crystal chatons in 4-hole setting, Size 15 seed beads and a rectangular Swarovski crystal button.

There is nothing fanciful about the stitch, just the good old RAW technique. The only difference is to incorporate the chatons and Size 15 seed beads as you weave the rondelles together. Rondelles, when stiched in a RAW form tend to show the connecting thread, so stitching with the seed bead helps to conceal the thread. The most challenging part has to be weaving with the chatons because the needle goes through the holes from side to side. If you encounter one (many you will find) with uneven holes, you may either have to forsake the chaton or unravel your work and start again because it could be up to the last hole where it simply refuses to accomodate the bulk of the the threads (Fireline 4lbs)! And yes, prepare lots of needles. I broke countless along the way.

This RAW bracelet probably took me the longest time I have ever worked on a single project! If you like to try the project, do hand-pick the good chatons first and this would cost you less frustration.

Thank you all who have left lovely feedbacks, makes it all worthwhile to create this bracelet!

Back to Basics

When I first took up jewellery making, it was basic stringing that I learnt from Tanja Sadow (of JDMIS). It was also the class that got me hooked onto jewellery making.

So, on this lazy afternoon where my boys are napping and I have "nothing better to do", I decided to string up a necklace!

This necklace measures about 15.5" long when worn and comprises of ceramic beads in turquoise (with raku finish) and red glass rondelles.

I know I am boring, always working with turquoise and red but that's my colour! :) The best part of this project is that it took me only 10 mins to complete!

Bling, Bling, Bling!

I find the most daunting part about beading is to decide the colour palette for my beadwork. I always believe less is more so my palette is usually monochromatic. The chance to experiment with more colours came when Helena (of manek-manek.com) recommended me a specially coated Swarovski crystal rivoli. This dazzling 27mm Peacock rivoli was specially coated (not by Swarovski) with peacock eyes design. With such a charismatic piece, I decided to go all out to complement with “peacock” coloured beads (6 colours in total).

I used Peyote Stitch to create a bezel for the rivoli, alternating with 4 different colours of seed beads. As for the fringes, the technique was taught by Rachel Nelson when I took her class in US. I completed the necklace with a herringbone chain, stitched with Size 15 Metallic Gold Hex (for the sparkle) seed beads. I didn’t want the chain to over-shadow the centrepiece, so having a slim chain is more appropriate. However, stitching an entire chain with Size 15 beads sure took me a long time!

The completed necklace may look glam but it is appropriate for both smart casual and formal wear. If you pair it with a plain white shirt & jeans, it would brighten up your outfit instantly. For a formal look, you can wear it with a little black dress and the accessory just speaks for itself.

New Project Kit - Pearly Intricate Links

There are many ways to create circular rings using Peyote Stitch. Our new Pearly Intricate Links bracelet is my latest addition to my Links fanaticism. While it looks very similar to my previous Intricate Links, the formulation for these circular rings is different. Here is a rundown on the differences.

Pearly Links take lesser time to create and the formulae of beads is less confusing than the Original Links. You can embellish the edges of Pearly Links luxuriously with Swarovski Crystal Pearls or 3mm beads. For an economical alternative, Size 8 seed beads work as well. This new formulation also enables you to create oval rings but yields a different effect from its predecessor.

On the other hand, the structure of Pearly Links’ rings are flatter than the original links’ because they have not been expanded as much.

The photo shown above is the main project inside the manual where the rings are built in gradual sizes, using Toho Gilded Turquoise seed beads and Swarovski Crystal Pearls. Other design variations will also be discussed.

The full project kits will be on sale at Beads Cage from 2 Dec onwards. You may purchase the pdf file of the manual at our new online Etsy shop (from 2 Dec onwards).

Full Kits include:
1. Manual
2. 30gm of Size 11 seed beads
3. 412 units of 3mm Swarovski Crystal Pearls
4. 2 units of #12 Beading needles.


Choices of Materials:
1. Toho Gilded Turquoise with Bronze ($76)
2. Toho Hybrid Jet Black with Mystic Black ($68) as shown above
3. Supra Gold with Bordeaux ($76)

New Project - Green Agate

This was a long overdue cuff which I completed recently. It was meant for my last Embroidered Cuff class but I didn't complete the finishings then.

The focal centerpiece is a Green Agate cabochon, very nicely carved with patterns on it. To be honest, when I first bought the cabochon, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the look of it and kept it in the cupboard for a long while. I found some leftover Aventurine cabochons and thought they complement each other nicely, hence the creation of this cuff.

I like the way it turned out so I am keeping it for myself!