Autumn is, without a doubt, my favorite season. I love the warm days and the
cool nights, the smell of freshly made apple cider and the amazing colors that
we see on the mountains here in upstate New York. And, of course, I can
remember when I first started beading how thrilled I was when I discovered how
to use leaf beads and even make leafy fringe in my beading projects! There's
just something about seeing beaded leaves that brings back wonderful memories:
pressing bright fall leaves and making bookmarks with my sister when we were kids,
time spent walking in the woods with my husband when we first met and watching
my son delight in the crunch of leaves underfoot for the first time last
fall.
Because I love using glass leaf beads and beaded leaves in my beading
projects, I've done some pretty over-the-top beaded jewelry pieces that use
these beads and beading techniques. And I'm always on the lookout for a new
beading project that uses leaves! Check out my favorite leaf projects from the
Beading Daily Shop:
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When I first started beading, Barbara Grainger's
instructions for making beaded leaf fringe totally captured my imagination.
This was back in 1998, when beaded amulet bags were all the rage, and I covered
several of them with beaded leaves and roses. Barbara Grainger's gorgeous Clinging
Vine Earrings are a perfect example of how she captures the essence of
nature in seed beads! These earrings are easy enough for a beginner to make,
but more experienced beaders can jazz them up with freshwater pearls or other
accent beads!
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I'm a sucker for necklace slides. I love the idea of
stitching up a piece of beadwork and then just being able to slip it over a
variety of cords and straps to get different looks! This Loopy
Leaf Slide by Dottie Hoeschen is just dripping with gorgeous leaf beads. Easy enough for a beginner to make, this beaded necklace slide would make a perfect gift for someone special!
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I love beading projects that successfully combine lampwork
glass beads with beadweaving, and Autumn
Bouquet by Lisa Kan certainly does that! Lisa's gorgeous lampwork glass
leaves are accented by intricate beadwoven flowers to create this stunning
necklace. Even better, the beadwoven flower components can be used as earrings!
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Now that I've discovered how much fun beads and wire are,
I've been branching out into knitting and crochet with wire. Appropriately
enough, this beautiful Leaf Cuff
by Nancie Wiseman combines two of my favorite things: crochet with wire and
Czech pressed glass leaf beads! I've got loads of these in my bead stash, but
if you don't, try using dagger beads or even the new long Magatama beads!
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I'm always looking for interesting beaded chains and straps
to use as quick bracelets and as necklace straps for my beaded cabochons. Turning
An Old Leaf by Hazel Furst is a perfect example of how versatile beaded
chains and straps can be! Just by changing a few colors or adding a new size of
seed bead, this traditional Apache Indian design can take on new life to be
used for all sorts of beautiful beaded jewelry projects.
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Are you looking for a few good beading projects to usher in autumn? Check out all the gorgeous beading projects available in the Beading Daily Shop - they're all on sale for a limited time! You'll find loads of gorgeous beading projects that you can download instantly, so there's no waiting and you can get started beading right away! Take advantage of the project sale in the Beading Daily Shop and find new projects to bead your way into autumn!
Do you have a favorite theme or motif that you find works its way into your beading projects again and again? Share your stories here on the blog, or post a picture in the Reader Photo Gallery!
Bead Happy,
Jennifer
Filed under: Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily