Wintery Blueberry Blues

The last kit of the season will release today!  The missing bead arrived yesterday afternoon and I am busy filling the final bags and assembling the many, many components.   These Teakwood beads smell DELICIOUS, and it's sad stuffing them into their baggies, but I promise they will still smell awesome when you open the packages.

This is the final kit for Caramel's Claws Necklace that I have planned.  There are quite a few of these kits, and I cannot reserve any this time.  I have too much work left to do, but I believe there are MANY great choices, and I hope you'll find one perfect for you.  I will post them for sale at noon CST on Saturday, December 9th.

Aa always, each focal bead is unique, and this blog post will serve as an introduction to each one.  There just is not room in the Etsy listing to let you see them all.  So without further ado...

FOCAL A is SOLD OUT

FOCAL B IS SOLD OUT.

FOCAL C IS SOLD OUT

FOCAL D is SOLD OUT

FOCAL F IS SOLD OUT

FOCAL G IS SOLD OUT

FOCAL H IS SOLD OUT

FOCAL J IS SOLD OUT

FOCAL M IS SOLD OUT

FOCAL O is SOLD OUT.

FOCAL Q IS SOLD OUT.

 Most of these focal beads are similar front and back, but two of them are dramatically different on each side, and either side could be chosen as the front.  I have shown you both sides of these focals.

FOCAL S IS SOLD OUT

 Caramel is fat and fluffy in the icy temperatures here in Minnesota.  She shows up every morning for her peanuts, and never misses a chance to hop up into my beading window and entertain me.  I hope you have enjoyed the necklaces inspired by her clever claws!  She, and I, wish you a happy holiday season!

A Grape for Caramel!

I am not usually a big purple fan, but I have to admit I bought a purple t-shirt, AND a new sweater to go with this version of my Caramel's Claws necklace.  Caramel herself is turning quite silvery gray in honor of the cold weather, and although she prefers nuts over fruit, I think she would like this one too!

Kits for this colorway will be listed Saturday, November 25th in the Haute Ice Beadwork Etsy Shop at 9am, as usual.  The kits are $40 each, and there are 15 different beads in sizes 15/0 to 6/0, plus the focal bead, findings and stringing material.  The tutorial is purchased separately.  If you already own the tutorial for the Caramel's Acorn Earrings, then just purchase instructions for the Bezel and Yoke at this link.  If you need both the Necklace and Acorn instructions, purchase both tutorials at this link.  And if you already own both tutorials, you are on my "VERY NICE" list!

Each buyer will be able to choose their own focal.  I chose one of what I thought were the "worst" focals of the bunch for my sample, saving the best for you!  But despite the few pits, I think it's still lovely.

The oval focal beads range in color and markings quite a bit.  Some are lighter, some darker, some have more pattern and some almost none.  Some are more cool indigo, some warmer violet, and some have a bronzy glow or veining. The stone is Crazy Lace Agate, dyed to this yummy grape.  Photos of the available focals follow, and if you convo me with your choice on Etsy, I can make you a custom listing.  But move fast, as I never know how quickly they will sell, and once a stone is gone, it's gone.   They have two sides, and I have shown you the one I liked best, but either could be used.  Focal I has two beautiful sides and I have shown you both!

FOCAL A is SOLD!

Focal C is SOLD OUT.

FOCAL C is SOLD!

FOCAL D is SOLD!

FOCAL E is SOLD!

FOCAL F is SOLD!

FOCAL G is SOLD!

Focal H is SOLD OUT.

FOCAL I is SOLD!

FOCAL J is SOLD!

FOCAL K is SOLD!

FOCAL L is SOLD!

FOCAL M is SOLD!

FOCAL N is SOLD!

FOCAL P is SOLD!

Focal Q is SOLD OUT. 

FOCAL R is SOLD!

In this season of THANKFULNESS, I an so thankful to be able to do this Tutorial and Kit thing!

THANK YOU ALL, so much.  I am so pleased to be able to share my designs with you.

To Tell the Truth...

... I was not really planning to kit a new color of my vertical ombre dragon necklace right now.  BUT... Dreamscape Dragon has a shiny new, wintery friend. Meet Paradise Dragon.

How does one end up with a new set of kits without planning to do this?  One of my buyers found mistakes in my text.  Again.  This was the last tutorial I released before the advent of Marie Weakland,  beader extraordinaire, who agreed to help me test my tutorials in early 2017.  I admired her complex projects and lovely technique, and asked her if she would be interested, and she has kindly, (and dramatically!), improved my tutorials with her intelligent suggestions, and wonderful editing.

So I set aside my new colorways for Caramel's Claws and instead worked my way through this tutorial in a new colorway I had been thinking about for long enough to already have scales.

A Paradise Shine Swarovski Fancy Stone provided all the color inspiration for this pretty gal, and while Dreamscape is vibrant and bright, I tried to give this version depth and darkness.  It's still an attention-getting neckpiece, but a little more subtle and rich.

In the photo above, you can see the vertical gradation in the rope, with teal outside edges that fade through turquoise to sapphire to violet at the inside edge against the neck.  I have kept the bezel simple in these dragons, to feature the pretty shapes in the dragons wings and tail, and the hand-painted color.  It also gives you a simple and workable bezel for this Swarovski jewel, which you could play with and embellish as you choose.

I believe I have sent every buyer of this tutorial a corrected copy via e-mail.  But if I missed anyone, please let me know, and I will send you a fresh copy right away, that also includes the materials list for Paradise Dragon.   I want my instructions to be right for you, and I am so sorry for mistakes!

I will post a set of kits for this Paradise Dragon Necklace on this Saturday, November 4th at 9am in my Etsy shop, and I will come back here and add a link.

NOTE:  If you own the Springtime Dragon tutorial, it is correct.  

But it is a 4 color gradation.  

It is light, warm green to dark, cool green in three steps, with a pink belly.  It looks like this in text: AA, BB, CC, DD.  Dreamscape and Paradise color shift much further.  Dreamscape moves from light yellow-orange to purple and Paradise moves from a green-blue to purple, and so I added a FIFTH color to the top side of the rope.  The text chart for these dragons is: AA, BC, DD, EE.

 If you have purchased the Springtime Dragon tutorial,

and want an upgrade to this new tutorial, 
I offer you a deal!

Convo me, from the receipt for your purchase of Springtime Dragon, and I will make you a Custom Listing for this new FIVE COLOR dragon tutorial at $5.00.  That is the only way I can do this quickly and expediently, so the deal is only good via that process.

Now, back to painting dragons!  I promise to get to work on the new colors for Caramel's Claws the second these kits are done.