Southwestern Style Watch

My second Simply Beads kit came quickly after the first one. This time it was an Abalone Watch and Earrings kit. While I initially liked the picture, when I got the beads out I discovered that I didn't like bright blue bicone crystals with the subtler blue and green of the abalone shell beads. Off I went to the beading store again to pick up some substitute beads.

I brought home some cool bent silver spacer beads and some small turquoise looking round beads. To this I added the heart shaped clasp from the necklace in the last kit and I was ready to go.

My intention was to use these beads as a substitute for the blue bicone crystals and the flower spacers but I quickly discovered that my tiny wrist didn't have enough circumference for all of the beads. I played around with the bead arrangement for awhile and then decided to just keep it simple. The photo at the right is my final revised design for the Abalone Watch. There is no abalone in the watch at all so I had to rename it the Southwestern style watch.

It looks a little too simple in the picture but on my wrist it is nice. Now I have to figure out what I am going to make with the abalone shell beads that I didn't use. It will probably require another trip to the bead store.

Reintroduction into Beading

I have been using beads on my quilts for years and I have even dabbled in the jewelry making realm a decade or more ago but the beads and materials that are available today at your local craft store inspired me to check out the beading world again.

My first trip to the local beading center with the plan to break into the jewelry realm left me overwhelmed with inspiration and clueless where to begin. It just so happens that around the same time I was pondering getting into this new hobby I received a beading kit subscription offer in the mail from Simply Beads. I thought about it for a couple of weeks before I decided, why not. I can always change the designs that I don't really like and it will expose me to materials and techniques that I have never worked with.

My first kit arrived after what seemed like a painfully long time. I was excited to get started but I quickly discovered that the crimp pliers they sent were not the right size for the crimps in the kit. Great! Another trip to the bead store and another $20 later I was ready to go!

When I finally sat down to do some beading I found that I didn't really like the design of the necklace, bracelet or earrings. Typical me. I played around with different stringing options and decided to substitute the purple bugle beads with some dark brown E beads that I had floating around. I didn't like the shell pendant in my new design so I left that out too. I also used a more secure clasp on the necklace. Below is my final redesign for the Seaside Ensemble necklace.

I used three strands like the original design but brought them together on the sides of the necklace instead of in the center with the shell pendant. The color palette is more brown and earthy than the lighter sea colors but I expect either color scheme would look good.

I did learn a couple of tricks while assembling this necklace that wasn't in the instructions.

If you need to put away a wire beading project that you are working on, a good way to secure the beading you have completed is to tie the strands in a loose knot, like the picture on the right.

If you don't have enough free wire to do that, you can loop the end of the wire through the last bead to keep the rest of the beads from falling off during assembly or storage.

I have to make the bracelet and earrings next, although the earrings are not inspiring me at the moment. Stay tuned.