Military Memories Charm Bracelet Free Tutorial

Do you have someone special in the military? If so here is an idea for a wonderful and meaningful gift and one they can add to throughout their military career. You will need:
A variety of charms,
6 inches or so of chain
oval jumprings (20 gauge open/unsoldered)
pearls, gems, beads of your choosing
headpins
The first thing I did was think of my daughter, her passions, and funny or meaningful times in her life. She took ballet, she loves horseback riding and so on. The main focus though was on her military career.
Where did it start? Where has she been?
First let me say that most of the charms are sterling silver as is the base chain. I found everything I needed at Artbeads.com; the selection of charms is astounding and the prices are great. I will highlight each item with a link for you. They also have a learning center.
The first charm I selected was the USN charm and I chose this one because she has a tattoo on her back with the anchor and of course, the daughter charm. They have other, more delicate military charms as well. She began with Boot Camp so I got the Illinois State charm, then A school was in Florida so I had to have that one. I live in Maine so I got that one and so on for every place she has been so far. I also chose an opal because it is her birthstone. She loves the leaves in the Fall so I got her some vintage Lucite leaves. They are pink but I wanted to stay with a theme. What woman does not love pearls? Right, so I put those in as well.
When I do charm bracelets I really like the oval jump rings because the stress is not on the opening.
You have gathered the items for your bracelet, now what?
If you need to put any beads on headpins now is the time. I prefer a wire wrap as opposed to a loop because it makes it so much more secure. You will want to do this if you use sterling or gold for certain! Video tutorials are available.
Cut your chain…make sure you subtract the clasp from the total. For instance if you are making a 6 inch bracelet and your clasp is an inch you only want the chain to be 5 inches. Lay out your chain and begin putting the charms on the table where you want them to go, don’t attach them just yet. After you get that all sorted out begin by putting on the clasp. I put 2 jumprings on here just for added strength. When you open your jump rings make sure you do so by twisting and not pulling apart. If you pull it you will never get a clean join again! Hold your jumprings with 2 pair of pliers. Twist one towards you and one away from you just enough to allow the chain to fit There are great tutorials all over the Internet so I won’t go into all that. Attach it to your bracelet and twist back. Put all your charms on leaving space for new charms that she will acquire later. Not only is this a lovely and meaningful gift but you can send charms to have put on later. There are a couple of fun charms, a cowboy boot (she learned line dancing recently) a high heel shoe for my little shoe queen. The guys that did her home of record move even made comments on the amount of shoes!
Please send me photos!

Free Beading Instructions

As some of you know I was invited to participate in the "Blog for Beads" segment that Artbeads.com has been doing for several months now.
The way it works is I get to pick out a specified dollar amount in materials and create jewelry according to a theme chosen by Artbeads.com. Following that I have to give my honest opinion about the materials I have chosen. In addition the fabulous materials they carry the shipping is free which makes the next part of my scheme easy for all of you! Beginning with the next segment when I post the photo of the design I create for Blog for Beads, I will also give you a materials list and easy to follow instructions. All you have to do is sign up on my e-mail list and I will e-mail you the info FREE!
Here is the feedback I received from Artbeads.com about my latest creation. pictured here.
"Wow, what a beautiful ‘Mermaids Choker’ you’ve created! The pendant is breathtaking against your luscious mix of seed beads, crystals and amber. Your choice of colors for your beads is outstanding and the two gold satin rounds add a lovely touch framed up against the side of the gorgeous lampwork pendant. I’m delighted to see your beadwoven clasp too! This is the kind of design, that if I saw it in person, I would want to pick up and touch as it has a wonderful warmth and vibrancy to it. An absolutely gorgeous piece and I thank you for all of your hard work creating it. I also appreciate your work on your blog, photos and links as well."
Be sure and check out the feedback from my customers on my Guestbook page!

Mermaid Choker

"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each." T.S. Elliott

Artbeads and I have done it again! This time the theme was summer and I had a hard time choosing my items with so many wonderful beads to choose from. When I saw this artisan created lampwork it took me right back to the years I spent in Hawaii...those beautiful beaches and luscious blue water.

The inspiration for this piece began with the beautiful lampwork bead in the center. It has the colors of a sandy beach and deep blue ocean waters. On either side you will find a satin 14K gold filled bead. On the multi strand neck there are treasures to be found. Among the size 11 and size 8 seed beads you will find genuine Swarovski crystals in 2 colors, and handsome genuine Amber chips; some opaque and some transparent. The “clasp” is a woven peyote stitch medallion and loop closure, a perfect detail for those hot summer days you want to wear your hair up. The length is 17 inches.

Blog for Beads by Artbeads.com contributed a large part of my materials in exchange for my honest evaluation of their merchandise in my blog. I am not paid to endorse them in any way.

Celebrating Spring with Artbeads

In springtime, love is carried on the breeze. Watch out for flying passion or kisses whizzing by your head. ~Terri Guillemets

Artbeads and I are celebrating Spring together!

That's right, it is time for Blog for Beads again and look at what I have for you this time!

I began this necklace with this stunning Venetian Glass 20mm Zanfirico Millefiori Disc as the focal point. I really wanted to bring out the beautiful gold tones in the glass so next I chose these 8mm Gold-Filled Round Matte Bead and placed them on the sides of the Venetian Glass and along the neckline. The balance of the neck was created with Swarovski Bicones and Amazonite beads. I used seed beads in 3 colors some of which are woven in and some I did in leaf shapes.

Artbeads has a wonderful selection of Venetian glass, Murano Glass and Lampwork beads in beautiful colors and a variety of shapes.

Sometimes when I have a hard time getting the creative juices flowing I just choose a large focal bead and go from there. It is a wonderful way to get beyond any creative block...give it a try!

I have another piece coming soon with more wonderful materials from Artbeads.com

Blog for Beads by Artbeads.com contributed a large part of my materials in exchange for my honest evaluation of their merchandise in my blog. I am not paid to endorse them in any way.

Charmed Affections

My youngest daughter, now 23 lies enlisted in the US Navy. She left for Boot Camp in Great Lakes, Illinois November of 2008. When she got out of Boot Camp it was off To Pensacola for school and now she is stationed in Hawaii and will be deployed sometime this year for 7 months.
I wanted to do something special for her before she left and Artbeads.com came to the rescue. It was time for the Valentine’s Day Blog for Beads!
I have wanted to do a charm bracelet for some time now but never really had a theme I could decide on. This was it! They have an amazing selection of charms and some beautiful sterling chains, they even have a stunning US Navy charm, which I quickly added to my chopping cart. I cannot tell you how fast the wheels began to spin after I spotted that. I decided to get some state charms for every state she has been in since enlisting; Illinois for Boot Camp, Florida of "A" School, Connecticut where she was living when she enlisted, Maine because that is home, and Hawaii because that is where she is now. I also chose a beautiful daughter charm in the shape of a heart and a flower toggle clasp in sterling. I was very pleased with the charms I received. They have a very nice weight to them unlike charms I have seen elsewhere.
Now I wanted a little color so I added Swarovski crystals in pink, and then added a couple of pink opals and pink pearls that I placed on sterling headpins. I found another really cool item while shopping, sterling oval jump rings, which are better than round. This was the first time I have used them and I love them! I will probably never use the round again. You can read the how and why here.
I have also invited her friends and family members to stop by Artbeads.com and take a look, choose something and have it sent to me so I can add it to the bracelet. Artbeads.com has free shipping with every order no matter how small or large so it makes it easy for others to contribute (I love that when I only need a couple of items). As difficult as it was I left space for more to be added during her Navy career.

Blog for Beads by Artbeads.com contributed a large part of my materials in exchange for my honest evaluation of their merchandise in my blog. I am not paid to endorse them in any way.

Sweet Dreams

I have had this vision locked away in my head for quite some time. With the Holiday madness and working 2 jobs I didn’t have any time to be creative. Now that things have quieted down a little and thanks to the generous team at Artbeads today is the day. They contacted me and asked if I would be willing to review some of their inventory free of charge. Well, what designer can pass that up?
I love lampwork and have used a lot of it my work. I really had a hard time choosing between the bamboo lampwork pieces and the one I finally chose. I also use a lot of seed beads and Artbeads has an extensive assortment of colors and finishes making it easy to get those ideas in my head into reality.
I am very left brained and I have wanted to branch out a bit and try something asymmetrical.
To create this 20 inch necklace I used #8 beads in a light green then made a weave with #11 seed beads in Opal Topaz and Green Picasso along with Smoky Quartz gemstones and genuine pearls . Oops, I nearly forgot the 4mm Swarovski crystals

It was really hard for me to do the two sides different but I think it turned out beautifully...what do you think?

You can see more photos of this piece and get more information on my website at Divella Delights.
Disclosure...As a reviewer of products at Artbeads, I receive the elements in this necklace above free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products. I am not being compensated by Artbeads for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed

This necklace features a faceted Swarovski Teardrop in Topaz wire wrapped tornado style with 14K gold filled wire. Genuine Red Aventurine, Turquoise and more Swarovski crystals surround it to a length of 16 inches. The clasp is one of my wire wrapped ( again in 14K gold filled wire) and has a turquoise and a Swarovski. I cannot take credit for the photo...when I put the necklace in the box it just did this!

Beading Studio on a Shoestring

I have found a great use for some bulletin boards that were headed for the garbage by a local company. Hardly used but not too pretty they were going to throw them away and replace them with some more modern and attractive models.
I was always digging through bins and drawers to find my pearls and gems and I never really knew what I had or needed. I put the bulletin boards up in my studio and started pinning my treasures in small plastic bags, many of which are the bags they came in. I also have a box for retired bags so I always have plenty on hand. Now in addition to being able to see what I have, I feel much more inspired and I can just go around the room and pick what I want off the board. In addition to that now that those are on the walls I have more space on the shelves.
My seed beads are on shelves by size and color so they are also in plain site.
I use the large plastic salad containers to organize my thread and lightweight stringing material and tin cans to hold tubes of beads, again organized by size and color.
The drawers that used to hold my beads now hold fibers and other stringing materials (mostly for macramé) keeping them safe from the sun and lighting that can fade them.
I hope someday to be able to get some sort of sliding wall to put them on so I can close them when I am not using them to keep them from the light and be a little more attractive but for now this works very well!

Caught in the Net

I showed you the earrings earlier and I have at last completed the necklace.

Having a stunning drape of 18 inches, this necklace contains over 4500 seed beads each one applied by hand one bead at a time. On the surface of this lovely creation you will find Bamboo Leaf Jasper, genuine pearls and Swarovski crystals. It has a smooth base so it lies beautifully and comfortably on the skin. The closure is a beaded loop and golden button.
More than a necklace, this is a stunning one of a kind work of art. Make sure and drop by Divella Delights, there are more photos of this lovely piece as well as the earrings that match!

Swarovski Golden Shadow

Art Beads and I have teamed up again to bring you a truly beautiful pair of earrings. They are actually made to match a necklace I am working on that will be available soon but I could not wait to post these jeweled beauties.

They were created using Swarovski Golden Shadow Briolettes , 4mm round Swarovski , genuine pearls and14K gold filled wire. Each pearl and crystal were wrapped (not looped) by hand and placed on a pair of my handmade ear wires, also in 14K gold filled wire. The wire I use is not plated so will not tarnish, crack or chip. To learn more about this wire you can visit my Care page.

Watch for the necklace coming soon!

Swarovski Beaded Bracelet

Happy September! I am so happy to Autumn approaching for it is my favorite time of year. It is also what inspired these 2 Swarovski Beaded Bracelet bracelets. The bracelets are crochet ropes using high quality seed beads and the dazzling center is an 18-mm Swarovski large hole, bead that really makes these bracelets sparkle and come to life. This bead used in both bracelets is the Swarovski 18 mm Faceted Roundelle Large Hole. It looks really spectacular against the creamy beads. You can get the completed bracelets at Divella Delights or you can go to Art Beads make your own Swarovski Beaded Bracelet.
Go to and get these and many other gorgeous colors. The beautiful copper/topaz color can be found here