Final Rose Hips Kits

You bought me out twice, so I have pulled together one last set of 10 kits for Rose Hips Necklace. 

I am NOT complaining about sales!  But I believe I may have purchased all of the Czech drop beads in the neck strap that exist.  So, this is likely the last chance, if you want the kit.  

I have considered replacing the hips with buds and an opening rose flower for a springtime version...  but my next year is a little in limbo just now.  More on that later.  But if you are one of the many who have the tutorial in their shipping cart, and were waiting for kits, here they are!  

I will be vending at the Upper Midwest Bead Society tomorrow, December 2nd, in the evening and hope I might see some of you there.  

Happy holidays to all!

Rose Hips Redux

Bead & Button contacted me a couple months ago to ask if they might publish my Rose Hips necklace in their "Your Work" section.  I explained it was a few years old, but they were still interested, since it has not been seen in their magazine.  

The big up-side for me has proved to be an interest in kit and tutorial sales. :)  I really do love this necklace.  And re-kitting it proved not to be too challenging, since almost every bead was still in my stock. Some of them were discontinued, and so I had stocked up the last time I made the kits. Sadly, I can no longer get the pretty coral beads I used originally, but I have found a nice red Czech rice bead of the same size that works well in the project.  The gradation in the leaf beads means that there were many colors to keep track of, but thanks to decent storage, they were where they were supposed to be,  Yippee!

So if you are interested, here is a link to the tutorial.   It's a big, juicy, advanced 50 page tutorial, and I promise you will do things you have not done before, and learn about how to use a new structural material in beading. You will also have patterns for these little leaves (derived from Russian Leaf techniques)  in many sizes, and understand how to make them larger and smaller.

And then, here's the bead list.

It really is cheaper to buy the kit than to buy the beads individually.  I did a whole blog post on that, if you want to check it out.  The kit is a great deal at $65, with free shipping.  There are still a few left, but don't wait too long.  Here's a link to the kits.

If you decide you want to use your own beads and colors, you will still need to purchase the structural Stren fishing line in 50# test.  Also available in my Etsy shop at this link.  If you have done my White Lilac necklace, you will already know the material, but this is a new structural use.  I hope it opens doors in your creative process and thinking.  

The necklace is challenging, and you have to read the instructions to be able to do it.  But I wear mine frequently, both casually and for dressy occasions.  I hope you will too!

When Beaders Use My Patterns in Unexpected and Interesting Ways

I checked in at my Etsy shop yesterday to fill an order, and found a new review with a picture!  I just love it when you leave me pictures!

This photo is from Misty of The Wicked Queen Jewelry and More on Etsy.  The shop name is a link, but her shop name is mistythewickedqueen, just in case you want to Google or look her up on your own.

She purchased my Fall Flame Leaf tutorial, and had a great time playing with it.

It makes me so happy to see people exploring my designs with their own aesthetic and colors.  Stretches my own brain to see through other artist's eyes, and makes me feel like a contributing member of Planet Bead.

She generously allowed me to post her image and awesome work, plus left me a very kind review, and I am so very thankful!

Dreamscape Dragon Kits Re-Stocked

This is my favorite October necklace.  I love to wear it on matte black.  I have this one great chiffon blouse... and a few matte black sweaters.

It just seems to me to be all the beautiful colors of the leaves and Halloween images and sunsets.  That Crystal Astral Pink crystal really sings.  Yum!

I had 6 of the crystals in my stash, and these kits have been out of stock for ages, so I made up what I had.

Find the Tutorial here:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/555566974/tutorial-only-for-dreamscape-and

Find the Kit here:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/482993419/kit-only-for-dreamscape-dragon-necklace

I am still recovering from my push to get out my Summer Fruit series and will probably do a little more re-kitting for this year, before I make decisions about 2020.

Hoping you all are having a glorious, and colorful Autumn!

A One Day Only Birthday Celebration Sale

July 24th is my 66th birthday.  Yesterday, I went in for my every-two-year Bone Density Scan to find all my T-scores no worse than 2 years ago, and my lumbar spine density improved!  In my almost 20 years of scans, this is exceptionally good news.  I believe I can credit my exercise and weight lifting program, begun in January.

SO in celebration of my birthday, and improved health, I am offering 15% off everything in my shop, and free shipping on all orders over $35, in a real way, not in the I'll-just-mark-up-the-prices-to-cover-shipping way.  I do not have anything to new to offer, but there are many things in carts, and if one of them belongs to you, take this opportunity to help me celebrate and get yourself a little deal on what you want!

Find me at Haute Ice Beadwork, and thank you for all your support and purchases in the past!  You all mean so much to me.

Sale begins my time at midnight and runs 24 hours only.  

Summer Fruit Accessories

Have you begun your Summer Fruit?  Have you realized that assembling kits that allow you to make any version of the necklace you want leaves you with some leftover beads?  Here are some suggestions as to what to do with those extra beads.

Make Accessories!

I put photos of a few pairs of earrings in the tutorial, and because you are clever advanced beaders, I even included fishhooks and headpins for simple earrings, because I know you know how to use the information you have to create what I showed you.

This week I am putting together a final set of kits and have knocked together three bracelets that offer ideas as to how you might use up some of those extra beads, if you have them.  It all depends on how long you made your necklace, and which variation you weave, but even these examples have possible variations.

This first bracelet is a simple combination of two sets of Curled Squares.  But if you do not have the beads for two sets of squares, one set would also be nice.  You could join them tip to tip, or end to end and string either a single or double strand, depending on your join.

I do love that the internal 6mm rounds are visible because of the tight circle around your wrist and the pretty curled edges come into view.

Next, I have a simple strung bracelet, that echos the yoke stringing on the necklace.

You may not have as many 8mm rounds as I used, but feel free to use any and all of the accent beads, and any and all remaining rounds of any size. Or ANY of the leftovers, although I am not a big fan of strung cylinders, but hey, it's YOUR bracelet!  I liked the double strand, but it could just as easily be single, thereby stretching the available beads.

 And here is a reminder that the earring could contain a Curled Square, facing either downward, as shown below, or upward, as shown above with the Pineapple set.

One final possibility involves buying an extra focal bead.  

 My hubby is an Antiques Roadshow junkie and I recently sat with him for an episode taped in California and featuring lots of very expensive jewelry.  I was shocked to hear the expert state clearly that although one lovely item was certainly a Van Cleef and Arpels antique, it had been "Messed With" when a bracelet was created from a pendant and "Ruined" when the focal was placed the "Wrong Way".  By that he meant that the oval focal was placed with its length running around the wrist, instead of lengthwise up and down the arm. Humph!  Let me assure you, the right way is the way you prefer to align the focal.  The way your wrist and hand look great, and are comfortable when the bracelet is worn.  I let the nice man get in my head, and aligned it the "right way" (elongated extension, running up and down the arm) just for him, I guess.  But believe me when I tell you that you may use your focal with either bezel extension, and you may align it whatever way you prefer.

I also chose to make up two Curled Squares to bracket the focal.  Notice that I made my connection to the connector row in the bezel, instead of the tips of the extension.  I preferred how it felt a bit less floppy on my wrist when supported from the base near my skin, but this is again, a decision for you to make, and you may certainly do whatever floats your personal boat.  I have teensy wrists, and rarely wear or enjoy bracelets, but this one feels nice to me.

If you want to make this version of the bracelet, I suggest shopping for your focal at either Fusion Beads https://www.fusionbeads.com/30mm-crystal-lime-swarovski-crystal-oval-fancy-stone-4127 or Art Beads https://www.artbeads.com/search/?keyword=swarovski%204127 .  At this point, neither has all the colors available, but each has some.  

If you REALLY want me to buy it for you and leather back it, my price per stone would be $15.  You can send me a convo asking for exactly what you need and I will assemble it for you.  Obviously, you can spend much less on the Swarovski Fancy Stone if you do it yourself, but you must also consider the cost of shipping, plus the leather and adhesive you will need for the backing.  I am just offering.  

I also have some extras of every bead, and if you want more than what you have, I will help you figure out what you need and sell it to you by the gram or half gram, or for the larger beads, by the piece.  I'll do a bit of calculating and be prepared to give you a price before you buy, but you would need to convo me for a quote and private listing.

I do not expect the rush of the last two releases, so I am just going to post this final set of kits today, Friday noonish, July 12th.  

I am not sure where I will go from here, beading wise.  I know I need a break. I know that I am prioritizing a more active life than is allowed by bead illustrating and tutorial writing.  But I also really enjoy it.  So... we shall see.  Whatever happens, thank you all for your kind support of my design work, tutorials and kits.  

My birthday arrives soon, and I am planning a one day birthday sale.  Details posted here in a week or so!  

More Summer Fruit Kits TODAY!

I have two things to communicate today.  

Thing One  -  I have another 12 kits for Summer Fruit available today in my Haute Ice Beadwork Etsy shop.  I will post them at noon, Central Standard Time to be as fair as possible to all interested.

Thing Two  -  If you want a kit, and do not manage to get it (they sold VERY fast last weekend) I can solve that problem.  Just send me an Etsy Convo and let me know what color (or colors) you want and I will order supplies and have another set of kits made up hopefully by next weekend.  I will make your request into a Custom Order, available only to you, and you can purchase at your leisure.  

I don't always do this, but this time, I can and will, but you have to let me know, so I order the right colors of the Swarovski focal.  The kits are $75, due to the Swarovski element (and the leather backing) and many different parts, some of which are a challenge to locate.

SUMMER IS HERE!  Get outside and enjoy it.  And when you get too hot, or have had plenty of vitamin D producing sunshine, go on in and BEAD AWHILE!

Summer Fruit in the Haute Ice Beadwork Etsy Shop

This project has been a monumental one.  I had no idea how much time and energy it would take to write a tutorial that could create five different variations using the same components.  And then how hard it would be to assemble the unique and beautiful beads needed for them.

My dad worked on Ellis Island during WW2, in supply chain logistics.  If soldiers did not have tents, or food, or ammunition, where and when they needed them, he was responsible.  He was super smart.

In the ordinary world, things just do not always arrive when planned.  I HATE to disappoint, but one of the beads I needed to complete this set of kits did not arrive yesterday, despite my paying an arm, leg, and newborn squirrel to have them speedily delivered.

So I have just 10 kits, five of each color, to sell today. And thanks to Rochelle Jay, INCREDIBLE SAVER OF BEAD DESIGNER BACKSIDES who works at the fantastic Bobby Bead, more supplies are on the way that will allow me to add three more of each color before next weekend.

And then, if there is still interest, I will kit up another 25, so please do not fret!  If you want one, I will do my best to make it available to you, but immediate gratification is not an option.  You may have to wait a week or two.  But I promise, I will get you what you want while it is still summer and the perfect time to wear these beauties.

I do want to explain that I have created each kit to allow the making of ANY of the five different variations.  You may have to do a little tweaking, and use a 6mm instead of an 8mm in some cases, because the exact same colored accent beads are just not available in every color I used.  So I found the best choices possible, and gave you plenty to work with.  I hope you'll enjoy that play and planning.  You may also have enough beads leftover to make earrings or even a bracelet.  Watch my blog for a sample of that in the next week or two.

The tutorial and limited kits will go up in my shop at noon, Central Standard Time today, Sunday the 23rd.  Thanks so much for your patience!

Summer Fruit Available on Sunday June 23

This Tutorial and kit set is a race to the finish for me.  I will post the kits and tutorial in my Etsy shop on Sunday, June 32rd, at noon CST.  Kits will provide beads To make ANY of the 5 variations, so all you need to choose is color.  The tutorial includes components and construction for all 5 variations, plus some earring ideas and a possibly a bracelet for the versions that use less of certain kinds of beads.

I am still awaiting a shipment of some beads, due on Saturday, and I want to be sure I have the right things before I sell anything!  Thanks for your patience!

Summer Fruit -The Raspberry Variation

This time, beading first, and the health stuff after.

Important information up front!

In "Raspberry" I liked framing the collarbone with the upper folded link set.  Those are pretty bones that deserve a spotlight every so often.  I also rotated the focal piece, and framed it with three folded open warped squares, to elaborate on the Y aspect of the form.

This variation is based on "The Sky is Falling" from last fall.  Here's a quick reminder.  It was the oval focal frame that looked so floral (alliteration unintended, lol) that I most appreciated about this work, and I wanted to write a tut for it.  I got carried away by the myriad possibilities!  I loved the Y-shape of "Sky" and it seems pretty trendy too.  Plus I like the variety of tassels I can include in this series.  I've always liked some movement in my work, but suddenly, it seems even more important.

SO... still planning the release of this tutorial, and set of kits, for around the Summer Solstice, June 21st.  Provided nothing too big gets in the way.  I have adjusted my priorities in my retirement.

Now on to the health stuff. 

I write this blog as much for myself as for you, dear readers. I want to remember the decisions I made here and I find writing helps me to understand how my choices and actions work out for me.  If you find it interesting, forge on. We left off near the end of January, with the purchase of my Apple Watch, in the interest of my osteoporosis prevention and reversal.  

In all fitness heart-monitor type gear, there are rings that visually display activity.  I went with Apple because I my electronic environment is all i... iPhone, iPad, Mac Book Pro, and I like how beautifully they all talk to each other.

Here's an image I find really telling. The 23rd was the day my phone was charged in the Apple Store, ready for sale on the next day.  I bought it in the late afternoon on the 24th.  Every single important thing in my life happens on a 24th, but I did not think about it at the time.

On the 25th, I just wore it, in the interest of a baseline.  For those of you who do not know, the Blue Ring in the center tracks sitting time.  If I am moving for at least a minute during any hour, I fill 1 1/12th of the ring. The watch will prompt movement at ten minutes to the hour, so this was the easiest of the rings to fill, but as you can see, I was not perfect right away. It's pretty easy for me to sit for hours beading or illustrating.  Nothing else in my life is quite that sedentary. I started trying to get that ring filled daily.

The Green Ring tracks exercise.  Apple defines that as my heart beat moving into the target exercise range for my age and staying there for at least a minute.  I can report various kinds of exercise, but if my heart does not confirm it, it does not register.  I can also park at the back of the lot and walk to the grocery store briskly and a minute of exercise records without my reporting it to the watch.  It just knows what I did by my heart rate, and the built in GPS.

My watch wanted me to exercise at least 30 minutes a day in my target range.  Sheesh.  SO on the 27th, I put on my coat, hat, mittens, thermal underwear, and boots, and walked at a pace that got my heart rate up, until I filled the exercise ring.  At that point, I realized I needed a better place to walk, preferably with no ice.  But jeepers.  It seemed like a big time commitment, to drive somewhere, in addition to the time spent walking...

So I started hunting for indoor places to walk that were close to me.  I tried a local HUGE BOX hardware store on the 30th, walking up and down aisles as fast as I could without being annoying.  I filled the ring, but still needed a better place.

Next, I became a mall walker.  Ridgedale Mall is quite close to me, but there is nowhere to remove a coat or change shoes.  So I drove to the mall, left my coat, hat, etc. in the car, and dashed through the cold to the nearest door, and walked.  I began to develop some consistency, but still put work deadlines and personal issues ahead of exercise.  Better, but no perfection, although there was the one week...  Here's a peek at my February.

With the next Summer Fruit variation, I'll explain my March, in which the Red Ring is a factor,  I find my gym, re-discover old injuries, and meet Adonis and Weight Training.

HEY, WHAT'S THE HOLDUP???

"WHY THERE HAS BEEN NO NEW TUTORIAL SINCE FEBRUARY?"

I am working on one, which I absolutely will release by the summer solstice.  

To answer the question.  It’s a l-o-n-g story, and mostly about my health.  I’ll tell it for those who are interested or might benefit from it. If you just don't care, skip to the bottom of the post for the first peek at one of the versions of the new project.

Late last summer, my really great doc reminded me that I have osteoporosis, and a high fracture risk.  I have had this diagnosis since my early 50’s, and the last two year progression showed a new 6% loss.  We women all lose about 1% of our bone density each year after menopause, but mine is extraordinarily speedy.   I have all the risk factors.  I have a teensy bone structure to begin with, with a wrist measurement of only 5 3/8”.  My mother fractured her hip and finally her pelvis, from which she was never able to recover. And I have had digestive issues for over 25 years, which means the nutrients I eat do not process correctly to be available for bone repair.  I was not aware of that last bit.  But I knew my bones were not in good shape. 

My doc gave me a referral to an Endocrinologist, to discuss having bone fortifying medication injected, since my Reflux Disease digestive issues prevented my taking the most common of the bisphosphonate bone repair drugs, like Fosamax.  But I had a busy fall.  You know, there were tutorials to write, and gowns to finish, and holidays to prepare for, so I put the Endocrinologist visit on hold.  Right after the first of the year, I decided I needed to educate myself to enable intelligent decision making about this drug.  I thought I'd read a book before I went to the Endo Doc.

So I bought “Dr. Lani’s No-Nonsense Bone Health Guide” and began reading.  I learned about bone biology.  I know osteoclasts from osteoblasts and what they do. And I learned how density drugs affect these processes.  I learned about the development of the density testing machines and how the drug companies who wanted to sell their density improvement drugs made them available to physicians, and how many if not most of the early machine operators were trained by the drug company reps.  If you watch The Big Bang Theory, imagine Penny doing densiometry training.  Fortunately that is generally a much improved situation now, but not flawless.

I learned that the density medications all have risks, some substantial, and about how the risks might be weighed.   I learned about myriad alternative therapies and their mostly false claims.  I learned how hormone changes with my late onset menses and early menopause provided me with yet another risk factor.  

And THEN, I learned how my wonky gut health and the drugs Nexium and Prilosec which I took non-stop for 26 years under various doctors advice (the manufacturer says not to take the drug for more than 3 consecutive weeks) contributed to my Osteoporosis. In my case, as I weaned myself off the drug, (with help from another good book, “The Acid Reflux Solution”) I also realized that it was probably also one of the primary contributing factors in my reflux disease itself. 

That is probably more about my health than you want or need to know, but I will stop for now at the end of the month of January, and the purchase of my Apple Watch.  The last sections of my Osteoporosis book were about fighting fractures with food, and exercise for better bones.  I bought the watch to help me begin an exercise program.  Boy Howdy, did it work!  

I will probably share a few more details from my journey, but for right now, I'll show and tell a bit about the upcoming tutorial.

Here's a sneak peek.  The tutorial uses a number of components, folded open warped squares, an oval bezel with some fold back edge increases, tassels, and dynamic strung gradation sections in the process of creating a variety of necklaces, (and MAYBE a bracelet) plus several pairs of earrings.  I have four necklaces and four earrings so far, and am working either on a final necklace or bracelet.  

This is the simplest configuration of the bunch.  I'm calling the set "Summer Fruit" and this one is Kiwi.

  

My plan is to create kits in 5 colors that would allow you to make any version of the necklace, plus a pair of earrings.  You would also have some freedom in how you orient and yoke the finished focal.  I promise a new post next week to show you version #2.  Thanks for your patience, folks!  I am busy with daily bone work, and have made it a priority, but I know I will always bead.  I don't know if I will always write tutorials, because it involves a HUGE amount of sitting.  My spine requires action.  I am off to give it a bit!  

Icicles for the Neck!

I designed "A Hazy Shade of Winter" originally for an Etsy Beadweavers Challenge, many years ago, and sold the resulting work promptly.  I have always wanted to replicate that piece.  I wanted it for myself!   In the process, I have written a tutorial and assembled kits for you too.

The glorious stick pearls that make this necklace look so lush and wintery are sadly becoming harder to find than they used to be.  Most pearls are grown in China, and according to one supplier, the Chinese government is taking increasing control of the pearl industry, deciding what will be grown, and in what quantity.  I tell you this because I do not know how many more of these kits I will be able to assemble.  I have worked through my own stash, and managed to produce 32 kits.

Let me tell you about the Midnight version first, because the Dusk and Dawn colorways both employ the same design ideas.

 The piece was inspired by the Paul Simon song, but the elegant poetry of the title was most exciting thing in my mind as I worked.  The fact that where I live has experienced a freezing Polar Vortex and set an all-time record for the most snow ever in any Minnesota February has helped and encouraged the imagery along.

I worked to make all components take a supporting visual backseat to the pearls and the focal piece, a button cut from the mussel shell that grows these pearls.  As you can see below, they have fantastic nacre, and beautiful rainbow effects and shine.  Each one is unique and I have really hunted to find the best of what is available.  I have the buttons in two sizes, 7/8" and 1".  I am planning to pack 7/8" buttons with the Dawn and Dusk kits and the 1" buttons in the Midnight kits.

I LOVE the big 6/0 beads in the Midnight yoke.  They are a Miyuki Jet Matte with a rainbow finish that has a HUGE color range.  There are teals, blues, purples, hints of green, and a little bronzy brown too.  I wore this necklace yesterday with a coral sweater, and it worked beautifully,  I think the possibilities are endless.

Partnering with the matte beads in both the yoke and bezel are shiny transparent Black Diamond AB finish beads used as thread covers in the yoke and in the fringe.  The transparency provides a hint of the dripping snowmelt that creates icicles in eaves and branches, along with the drop beads I have hunted down for each color way.  In the Midnight, the drops are Black Diamond AB.  You can either position the AB finish mostly up where it will be a bold part of the whole, or down, so it behaves more subtly.  The tut tells you how to get either result.   I also adore the drops I found for the Dusk version.  The supplier calls them "Moonlight" and although they are Czech pressed glass, I think they have a lovely feel of Moonstone or Opalite. Some are translucent and a few, milky opaque. 

 And then, there are the stick pearls themselves.  I have organized and strung them all into sets for you,  gradated in length, and matched in pairs for drill hole depth.  Each set contains 7 sticks strung together for the focal fringe, and two sets of 6 sticks for each side of the yoke.  I worked hard to make the best possible sets out of the materials in my hands, and I hope you'll love them!

A bit more about the Dusk colorway. I try to design jewelry that can be work by normal people in their daily lives.  I realize that this is a little more statement necklace than I usually design, but for me, Dusk is the demin version of the piece.  Not to say it could not be worn for a dressy occasion!

But it pairs quite nicely with my stone wash jeggings and a soft blue sweater, and looked good earlier on a grey knit dress.  There is lots of this beautiful soft blue in the stores right now.

Which brings me to the Dawn colorway. Because OMG, there is so much of this glorious orchid color in the mall windows that I am having a really hard time walking there without drooling. This sweater was a closeout at Nordstrom a couple weeks ago, but honestly, there is something of this color in every store, including Gap, and menswear shops.  And it truly is the color of many beautiful winter dawns.

And while I think the piece looks great on white and cream, it is really just perfect on this glorious orchid.  There are some deeper richer blue-pinks around in the stores too, and I think they might be equally delicious. I am having a really hard time taking a good photo of this color because of the drop beads. They are Alexandrite Czech drops.  Their particular magic is color-changing in different lighting situations.  In daylight and incandescent, they are dreamy orchid.  In flourescent light, (and in my light tent, which has new, fancy "balanced fluorescent lighting") they are lavender.  In fact, my camera just does not want to see them another way, no matter how I set my white balance.   They end up looking like this:

The lavender look is not bad, but it's also not what my eye sees, and I want to make that clear. So please, do not judge harshly because of my incompetent camera work.  This color is my personal favorite.  Like the Midnight version and the Dusk version, the yoke and bezel are matte rainbow beads and the fringes are transparent orchid, with the same focus placed on the beauty of the pearls accomplished.  There are enough different soft blue pinks in the necklace to make it wearable with quite a range of those colors.

I hope you'll love this design and these kits.  As I have said, I don't know how many more of these I I'll be able to create.  I do want to mention that I have one strand of bright gold sticks, and I am planning to make a few, maybe 5? kits from those this fall.  They look like honey or amber to me, and I might pair them with some purple for autumn.  I also have just a few pale pink sticks and a pale gold, and MAYBE enough grey sticks for a couple necklaces, but I may have to switch for keshi pearls to make that all work.  But my point here is, don't wait, these may not last very long!

Happy Winter!  It's been a fun one here, with crazy cold and tons of beautiful sparkly snow, and all that really made creating this tutorial and these kits special for me.

An Early Start on the Holidays!

You might think that publishing a new holiday project in January is poor timing on my part.

For the last few years I have been beading ornaments for my son.  This year, I created something I thought might be tutorial and kit worthy.  And I have learned that I rarely return to an idea with as much gusto and joy as I have when it is fresh.  SO I have seized the idea, and written, and kitted, and here is Holly Bauble.  You might choose to think of it as an early start on next year's decorating and gift making.

Because as usual, there are many beads in the project, I have created a set of kits for three different colorways. Each has a white background that helps the bauble stay visible against the green holiday tree and in low light, although each white is different.  The bauble is an upside-down pyramid shape, with a double layer fringe tassel.  If you are not a fringe fan, there are some tips in the tutorial that make working with the long strands a bit easier.

The original tradition Christmas red and green version, I am naming for my own location in Minnesota.  It features a vibrant Christmas red Swarovski round bead (Light Siam) for its berries and two of the greens actually have forest in their name.  The white is a clean snow with a lovely luster.

The second colorway features Indian Pink Swarovski berries, and it feels tropical to me.  The pink calls to mind both coral and flamingos, hence its name.  I like the pastel softness, and all the beads in this version have a rainbow finish.  It has a lovely shimmer, almost like a heat wave.

The final colorway available is done with matte white beads to make the luminous, silver-lined holly graphics pop off the surface.  It has a very contemporary vibe, and seems dramatic to me, so hails from Hollywood. The Swarovski Fuchsia berries and cool emerald greens lift it out of the ordinary.

The tutorial is 11 pages, includes the usual row-by-row, step-by-step illustrations, with photo support and text that moves bead by bead, and also offers layout charts. The weaving is Peyote, with Herringbone corners and an intermediate level project.  If you have made triangles before, the start is a little different, but not terribly challenging.

I have made several kits in each colorway, and will launch these kits on Saturday the 12th of January, 10am, CST, along with the tutorial.  I'll add a link when they go live.

I plan to re-visit this design and try some different graphics, hopefully a poinsettia version and maybe a snowflake too.  But I won't do that until late fall.

Please do not worry, I am still working on the pearl icicle necklace, but sourcing has slowed me down a bit.  It is coming.  I promise.  I personally want one, while winter is still in full swing!

Hoping your holidays were happy, and that the new year brings you all peace, joy, and plentiful opportunities to bead.