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Bookmark / Necklace / Earrings
How-to: Bookmark
Supplies Needed:
- Scissors
- Ruler or tape measure
- 18 inches of hemp cord
- Various beads with large holes (to fit over cord)
Steps:
- Place the first knot about 1 inch up from one of the ends
- Bead the end of the cord for about 1-1/2 inches.
- Place a knot at the end of the beads
- Going from the top of your beads to the other side of the cord, make a knot ten inches away.
- Bead about 2 to 3 inches of beads on this end (it will be considered the "bottom" of the bookmark.
- Knot off when you are done beading.
- Trim the ends of the cord to 1/4 of an inch away from the end knot on both sides.
- Enjoy!
Advice:
Shaped beads like animals and flowers are great for this project. If you don't have shaped beads, large, brightly colored, wooden ones are a great alternative.
These bookmarks make fantastic gifts for the book-lovers you know!
Bookmark / Necklace / Earrings
How-to: Necklace
Supplies Needed:
- Wire-cutters
- Flat nose pliars
- Small binder clip
- Beading board
- .015 inch Beadalon bead-stringing wire (use .018 inch for heavy beads)
- Crimp beads
- Wide variety of decorative beads and spacers
- 1 end-cap set
Steps:
- Measure out and cut (using the wire-cutters) approximately 20 inches of the bead-stringing wire.
- Attach binder clip to one side of your wire, about an inch from the end.
- Lay the wire down in the bead board so that the middle of the wire is approximately at the "0" marking on the board.
- Working from the middle out towards the edges, create your design -- alternating the binder clip from side to side as necessary (to prevent accidents!) -- until you have about 7 1/2 inches beaded up each side of the bead board.
- Once your design is complete, take one side of your wire and run the end of it up and through a crimp bead.
- Then run the wire up and through the loop of one side of the end-cap, then back down on itself back through the crimp bead.
- Use your flat nose pliars to squeeze the crimp bead closed as tightly as you can make it, and trim off the excess wire with your wire-cutters.
- Hold up the string of beads so that the closed side is down (of course!), then repeat the crimp/end-cap procedure for the other side -- taking care to place the crimp bead as close as possible to the last bead so you don't have a lot of empty wire showing.
- Screw the end-cap closed, and marvel at your creation!
Advice:
Crimp beads are sometimes finicky. Different styles and brands work better or worse depending on the type of project you're working on. I've personally found that simple, cheap, stainless steel ones work best -- the smaller the better.
Don't underestimate the power of spacer beads. Sometimes they pack more of a punch and are more visually appealing than fancy, expensive beads. A good quality spacer bead does its best when it compliments and helps to set-off a gorgeous bead (or grouping of them). Invest in lots of different styles and types of spacer beads to allow for a great variety of final designs.
When your necklace is all done, use your flat nose pliars to gently make sure the loops on the end-caps are touching/closed. Your beading wires are very thin and can easily slip off the loops if they're not closed properly!
You can make bracelets essentially the same way as these instructions for necklaces, however I would suggest using stretch cord instead of wire. All other steps are virtually the same except of course the "middle" of the design isn't as important, and of course you want to start with maybe 10 inches of cord instead of 20. For bracelets, sizes vary greatly depending on wrist diameter. It may take some trial and error before you find what length works best for you. Also, instead of using end-caps, use decorative toggle clasps.
Bookmark / Necklace / Earrings
How-to: Earrings
Supplies Needed:
- Wire-cutters
- Flat nose pliars
- Round nose pliars
- Ruler
- Two 3 inch headpins
- Two French hook earwires
- Variety of decorative beads and spacers
Steps:
- Hold the headpin with the "head" down and the open wire up.
- Drop your beads down the wire so they rest on the headpin (make sure your headpin head is large enough to stop the beads from falling off!).
- Make sure to leave enough free space at the end to allow to connect it to the ear wire.
- When your design is complete, measure approximately 1cm past the top bead and use your wire-cutters to cut off the excess headpin wire.
- With your round nose pliars, grab the headpin wire at the very end but placed approximately 1/3rd or 1/4th in on the pliars.
- Roll the pliars back towards you, to create a loop -- which can then be hooked onto the ear wire loop and gently closed with your flat nose pliars.
- Do the same for the other earring and then you're all done!
Advice:
Getting used to rolling the headpin wires to make the loops can take a LOT of practice. Don't get too frustrated if it doesn't turn out perfect the first time. Just keep practicing and you will get it right in no time.
There are lots of different types of earrings besides French hooks! Go online or to your local craft supply store to see all the different possibilities for your earrings.
If you do decide to use earring wires, you may want to invest in some little rubber "stoppers" so you don't have to worry about the earrings falling out. They are generally sold as very small, white or clear stoppers and are very comfortable to wear and are not noticeable.
You can also use chain to create your earrings, instead of headpins. By using chain, you can use lots of beads (attached via headpins) to decorate the chain and add more movement to your designs.
Bookmark / Necklace / Earrings
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