One of the first tutorials I wrote was "White Lilac". And at the time, I thought I would make kits for the project. As it turned out, making those kits was a substantial task. Twenty bags (and this by consolidated several groups of products into more eco-friendly single bags) and 27 different items were required! At the time, I simply lacked the organizational experience to do this. But now, older, wiser, and more experienced, I MET THAT GOAL.
I HAVE LISTED THESE KITS IN MY SHOP, AND THE TUTORIAL SALE IS LIVE AND LASTS THROUGH THE END OF THIS MONTH.
The most common feedback I get for this tutorial is about how hard it is to find all the beads. So given that I had bought many of the beads for the white colorway in 2016, (and more since, as I have run into them at what I consider to be kitting prices) I have decided it is time to remedy that situation.
The White Lilac is built from two different white Czech rounds and their organic shapes and subtle color shifts are so beautiful in these flowers! They have a sharper, deeper matte green leaf, and are high contrast, with a subtly sparkly gilt-lined Ceylon pearl Toho bead in the yoke. I wear mine with several different colors and always have people stopping me to look at the necklace.
Love the way this upper leaf pulls away from the neck, and how the attachment allows for a V or a choker!
The Lavender uses Opal Silver Lined Toho beads, and a softer, rainbow finish bead for the leaves, for a generally springy and lovely look. I did the gradation as it is done in the tutorial, but I am planning to do this one more time using a different idea. I just LOVE the varigated lilacs that I recently discovered. Here's a link! Now, my flower pattern cannot really be used to create this edge detail. BUT I think something magical could be done by using the kit beads in a slightly different way.
You would likely need the tutorial to be able to fully understand this, but I think if you were to use the A and B PALE beads at the tips of the all or most flowers, varying them slightly, sometimes just the A, or just some of the A, and sometimes 1 or 2 or 3 or even 4 of the PALE B, it might just be spectacular. Like that one little flower above! I put an insert with info about that idea in the Lavender kits. So if any of you decide to give that a try, PLEASE SHOW ME! I'd love to share it here on my blog!
If it seems like a good time to take on a BIG project, (these take me about 25-30 hours) and you feel like celebrating the return of warm, sunny days, and sweet-smelling flowers, stop on by MY ETSY SHOP!
