This crazy weather! A few days ago it was 60 degrees, my neighbors were mowing their grass - and this morning I woke up to snow on the ground... what the??? Ugghhhh... oh well, might as well make some beads and heat up the oven. I saw these beautiful bracelets online made with beads and knew I just had to make some for myself.
So I started gathering my supplies. I already had the right jewelry making tools, wire, some beads, etc. but I did not have connector beads for the middle focal point of the bracelets and I did not have the stones I wanted in 6mm size. I did have the leather cord but only in a few colors and I want a white bracelet. So I had to order some supplies AND as if that was not enough delay, I decided to make a display holder and organize my beads... all of my beads. My mind felt cluttered until I got them all organized and it was a long and tedious task.
I had a big container filled with trays that some had spilled into the bottom over the years so I had to sort through thousands... I mean thousands of beads in every size from seed beads to 12mm or more and put them back into their containers. I also threw away a treasure trove of cheap plastic beads that I know I would never use and nobody would want. It took me several hours, almost half a day.
I had some stone beads but wanted to get more. Have you seen the prices on these beads? I decided to make my own faux stones out of polymer clay. I did not have any beading string or know enough about it to get the right kind so I had to do some research. I used what I had, Egyptian cotton size 10 crochet string on the first bracelet because I couldn't wait for my bead string to arrive. I should have run it through some bees wax and then brown paper to wipe off the excess, but I didn't know that until after I got it done. I'm sure it will be fine.
A few days later and finally I got my supplies so I doubled some C-Lon beading string, size D to use on my bracelets. I also got a few little sample sizes of the lightly waxed Nymo brand, size D which is shinier and a little thinner than the C-Lon.. I could also have gotten the C-Lon .5mm string or a 1mm size and only used a single strand too. It only has to fit through your needle and through all your bead holes. You have to try everything to find what works best for you.
Apparently 1.5mm or 2mm is the kind of leather cord to get. I guess you can use any size beads you want but if you do a wrap with 3 to 5 times around your wrist, you will not want a bracelet that weighs a ton. So I decided to use 6mm beads and 1.5mm cord. 8mm beads are good too but I don't think they look right unless you go up a size to 2mm leather cord with them. That's JMO.
When I make beads, I like to mix the colors to look like stone. I also use gold leaf sheets to accent them sometimes. If you use gold leaf or mica powders then you have to seal them to keep it from wearing off over time.
I did not have a display for my stone bracelets so I made one out of paper towel tubes, foam core board and faux leather fabric. It's taken me about a week to make the things I needed, get organized and gather all my supplies to get started. It really doesn't take that long to make a bracelet. I could easily get two or three done in a day if I had to. So far I've made two tri-wrap/ boho/ yoga bracelets. Whatever you want to call them, they are gorgeous. But I wouldn't make a five wrap style. It is just too long and heavy for my taste. I will be making some single and double wrap ones though when I get a few more stones and beads made so I'll have more options to choose from in future designs.
I am making beads now so I can make more bracelets. All I really have to buy are a few strong buttons and some glass beads for variety and sparkle. I like to make the beads but I really like the natural stones too. And I'm always all about the sparkle!
