New Beaded Flowers

Beaded Flowers
As usual I am on to something new. This is a photo of what I think will be the center of a necklace. I plan to do a combination beaded and micro-macramé neck for this one with a total length of around 18 inches.
Each petal, rose and each leaf was individually beaded then fastened to a piece of felt. I have since attached the C-Lon cord to the ultra suede and fastened that to the felt to begin the macramé portion.
It will be free form and I am thinking asymmetrical so balancing will be a bit tricky, as I do not want it sliding around once it is on the neck.
Although I enjoy doing these quite a bit, I can’t seem many being made as they are very time consuming.
Let me know your thoughts!

Hand Beaded Flapper Hat

Although this went pretty slow I think this is going to be my new feature hat this year. I am hoping to get faster at the beaded flowers because as it is now it took me an entire day to get this one done.
I crocheted the hat in my usual style this time around but I think I am going to try a felted design cloche style. I am also thinking about making the flowers a bit larger, more dramatic although I so the like the subtle style this one has. Not too much but striking all the same.
I am getting ahead of myself. This hat was hand crocheted using a lambswool blend and acrylic. I made the beaded flowers and leaves using high quality seed beads, each petal done individually then assembled. I sewed the arrangement onto a piece of felt then sewed that to the hat to give it more stability. More information and photos are available at www.divelladelights.com

Wool Allergy?

Do you have a wool allergy or just don’t need quite the warmth of wool hats? Perhaps you live in a more temperate climate and don’t really need the wool.
The hats I usually make all have some sort of wool in them. I use mohair, angora, lambswool and a variety of wool blends. A couple of months ago I had a request from a Boutique to make some without the wool as they have quite a clientele who are allergic to wool. I put together some of the same beautiful Flapper hat that was so popular last year only I made them using only acrylic yarns. They still have that same great appearance, just no wool. Here are some photos, some with wool and some without. You can see more at http://www.divelladelights.com/

Gemstone Necklace Sale

OK you want it, you have it! For this weekend I will have all gemstone necklaces on sale at 42% off, just to be a little on the odd side. It was pointed out to me that I don’t run sales on the necklaces as often as the bracelets. Call it Christmas in July although I was going to wait until August just because so many businesses do the July thing. As you can tell by my jewelry I like to be a little different! But since you asked for it now, here you are!
The sale will end around midnight Sunday and will begin now I guess.
Happy shopping!
http://www.divelladelights.com/

Beaded Flowers, Leaves and Bugs

Remember in my last blog I mentioned that I am learning some new techniques? Well, here is my first flower. Now my brain is really racing. I am doing some bugs next; they look like fun too. So I am thinking I should do a bunch of white ones perhaps in a couple different sizes and incorporate it into a free form peyote necklace along with a couple of beetles or butterflies. I also want to put some of those wonderful micro-macramé leaves in there as well. I am going to try to draw out something rough but I want to keep it free form so I can bead as I go.

Crochet, Macrame and Beaded Flowers

Now that all my kids and relatives have come and gone for the summer it is time to get back to work in earnest. I have 24 of my crochet Flapper hats to make for Bonnet Boutique and of course the ones for my website and I am going back to LL Bean again this fall. The hats were such a huge hit last year so I am giving it another go. I should have quite a bundle of new ones finished in August.
As far as jewelry goes, I am learning some new techniques and will be working on perfecting those in time for the gift-giving season coming up fast and furious. I am learning peyote-beaded flowers and leaves as well as micro-macramé and have some wonderful designs rolling around in my head.
I had a lot of fun this summer with my Garden Collection and I will do a few of those for Autumn and perhaps a Poinsettia bracelet.
It is just about time for my monthly give-away where I select an item from my shop and give it someone drawn from a hat of names from my e-mail list. If you are not on it yet, you can go to http://www.divelladelights.com/ and sign up on the bottom of the front page.
My crochet beaded bracelets continue to be 60% off, as I will not be doing those anymore so if you are looking for a nice gift at a very good price you can check them out at http://www.divelladelights.com/
I have ordered new gift boxes so will be using them again this year at no extra charge as soon as they come in.
I guess that about wraps up this month ramble. I hope you are all having a great summer!

The Garden Collection

Gifts to make you smile!The old days and ways of making jewelry have certainly changed in the past few years. I love the "anything goes" philosophy of creation! The only limit is my imagination and willingness to explore. One thing that really helped me get out the box was the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I was very conservative in my approach for the first several years I was making jewelry. Then slowly I began to branch. Not everything has worked but when one of my customers said to me: "Every time I look at it (bracelet) I smile". I knew at that moment I was on the right track. This series is not to be taken seriously! It is not for an evening at the Opera. They are however, a LOT of fun to wear. Some of my customers have purchased colors they have never worn then went shopping for an outfit to match. What a wonderful applaud that is.The more I learn the more fun I have and the harder it is to come out of my studio. I learned how to do macramé and along with my other techniques I am making these bracelets. They are such an amusement! Even the shopping for these is a lot of fun. I look for anything interesting…different colors of course and different shapes, textures and materials. I love to incorporate genuine gemstones into them when I can and sometimes even pearls! It is such a pleasure watching these evolve. They seem to take on their own direction. Often, in fact more often than not, they take a turn in a way I had not predicted.I will get back to the more conservative soon I suppose with the changing of the seasons. For now though, I am having a blast.

Come by and see my new Garden Collection at http://www.divelladelights.com

On your mark, Get set

GO!
This is the bracelet I am giving away to the person who has the most referrals who sign up on my e-mail list this Saturday, July 11th
In the event of a tie I will draw a name at random from a hat.
The only catch is that the people you refer need to email me with your name so I know who referred them. They can do that at info@divelladelights.com
What?! You are not on the e-mail list yet? Just go to the bottom of the home page and sign up. Then send a note to all your friends. To make it easier you can copy and paste the note below or write your own.

Hi!
I would love to win the bracelet at www.divelladelights.com/blog. Please sign up on the e-mail list this Saturday, July 11th. Sign up is located on the bottom of the front page. Thanks!

GOOD LUCK!

Bead Crochet Instructions

The sale is going very well at Divella Delights and the crochet bracelets are selling fast, thanks to all my wonderful customers. Because I still have some beads left and the gemstone style sells quite well I will be working some of those up until my stash is depleted.
If you know how to do bead crochet and you are interested in making them yourself I am going to tell you how! If you don't want to go through making these yourself, I have a number of these available on my site right now at very good prices. I will also be happy to make you one in your color choice while my bead supplies last. http://www.divelladelights.com/
The first thing you need to do is make the rope leaving long ends, about 12 inches. There are a number of good sites explaining this technique; I have provided a link to those below. Once you figure out how long you need the bracelet to be you need to figure out how much you want in the center and collect gemstones, seed beads (#6, #11 and #15), pearls and the like. Remember the bracelet has to roll over the hand so you want to measure the hand at the widest point with the thumb folded in towards the palm.
So you have your crochet rope. String your first end cap, your #6 seed beads and your other end cap. Fasten that securely by taking it through the center of the rope, knot, glue and then weave it through a couple of times and repeat. As you pull the string through the knot will go into the rope and not show. Finally, weave it through again, do not knot, glue, give it a pull and cut. The string will disappear into the rope.
At this point you are ready to do the center and you should have something that looks like this
Take a beading needle and Nymo thread that has been conditioned with beeswax. Enter at one end leaving enough of a tail to tie off later, about 3 inches being careful not to go through your crochet string. You are now between the first and second bead. Add a gem or pearl and a size 15 bead and push it down to the bracelet. Take your needle and go through the gem and the next #6 bead, repeat to end, turn and repeat back to beginning end. Tie the ends together but do not cut! Repeat this until you have the desired fullness then tie off, add a dab of Hypo cement, let dry and wear! Here is a picture of the bracelet above finished.

Good source for end caps: http://accessoriessusan.com/
Beads: http://www.beadinpath.com/
Crochet Rope Tutorial (Free): http://www.sova-enterprises.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2_5_134_189;products_id=814

Another Freebie: http://www.beadcrochet.com/lessons/basicbeadcrochet-rt.htm

HUGE JEWELRY AND FIBER SALE

Happy 4th of July!!
This weekend to celebrate the 4th most of my shop has been reduced 40% to 60%! Sale ends Sunday.
Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July and remember to thank someone in uniform for their serviceand our freedom!