Christmas is Coming...

Bead Flowers wrote

on Nov 14, 2012 1:03 PM

I feel like I've been warming up for Christmas for a while now, so it's a bit of a shock to realise how fast it's creeping up! I've been teaching some classes with Christmas decorations since October and with all the samples I've made up for the classes, my friends are going to get a lot of beady Christmas decorations this year, but I might keep a few back for my house as well

Valbeads wrote

on Nov 14, 2012 10:34 PM

Groan!  Please don't say that!  It's not even Thanksgiving yet!

That being said, I think the misteltoe ornanent is my favorite, just because to me it's such a pretty plant. 

Batman: "Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it."     Catwoman: "A kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it." (Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfieffer, from Batman Returns, WB, 1991)

Val

Niwas wrote

on Nov 15, 2012 6:59 AM

Really nice christmas ornaments, looks really difficult.

megabgirl wrote

on Nov 15, 2012 10:45 AM

I love the candy canes!

Gopika Chaddha wrote

on Nov 15, 2012 12:24 PM

I like the star :) 

xXfantasyXx wrote

on Nov 15, 2012 1:35 PM

Those are so neat! I really like the candy/candy canes:)

   xXFantasyXx

Bead Flowers wrote

on Nov 16, 2012 3:50 PM

Love the quote Val

They're all actually really, really easy - I've just added kits and patterns for download from my website if anyone is interested (beadflowers.co.uk). The Christmas stars take a little while, but they're not hard. I've just been teaching the candy canes to a complete beading beginner and I also taught the mistletoe as a beginner's French beading class a few weeks ago. I think that's the best thing though, when things look impressive, but are easy to make

I think I like making the candy canes best - it's really repetitive and therapeutic, so I can just lose myself for hours!

Thanks for all the nice comments xx

Valbeads wrote

on Nov 16, 2012 4:37 PM

Trivia Queen at your service!

Well.....if my doctor decides to go with a third surgery to cut the tendons in my thumb, I might actually be able to learn to sew again.

Val

oilnwine wrote

on Nov 18, 2012 7:39 PM

These are all so gorgeous!  Love it"

Aunty Akoya wrote

on Nov 25, 2012 8:27 AM

Simply great and its getting me in mood for Christmas too. I keep thinking that sooner or later after i moved to in England it would be possible to make a trip to London and join one of your classes. Who knows :)), fingers crossed.

Cya

Bead Flowers wrote

on Dec 3, 2012 12:59 PM

I'd love to see you at one of my classes...hope you can make it over here some time! It'd be great to meet in person

D.M.Z wrote

on Dec 3, 2012 1:13 PM

Katies I love them all, however..........the colors you picked for the six sided bead flower just knock my socks off. Maybe not colors one would usually put together, but just almost edible looking. I think it is the pinkish cylinders almost at the center (just before the tiniest ones) ..........and just what number is that? I think I needs me to make one of those even though we don't "do" holidays, it looks like an item that I can just glance over and look at regularly. It cheers me. P.S.: I get to show off your new book on sweets this Wednesday and next Thursday...........hopefully you could anticipate a few orders from the U.S. from my giddy attitude. Donna

Bead Flowers wrote

on Dec 3, 2012 2:26 PM

Hi Donna! Lovely to hear from you and thank you so much for the compliments - you'll make me blush!

The pattern for the stars is available from my website. I'm just trying to remember which beads I used...! I think the very central beads (size 15 delicas) were a colour called matte opaque maroon AB. My little tube seems to have a colour code of 0874, but I don't know if that's universal or just from the shop I used. Hope it helps anyway. They are a stunning colour! The main red beads are DB295.

I'm so glad you're enjoying the Sweet Treats book. It's been selling well and it should be reviewed in a few magazines over the next few months, so I'm hoping even more people will get to enjoy it. I had soooo much fun putting it together

Well, thanks again and Happy Christmas...even if you don't celebrate as much as we do here in the UK. I always forget that Thanksgiving is the big family event for you all, so I hope you had a good holiday then.

Katie x 

D.M.Z wrote

on Dec 3, 2012 5:20 PM

Katie, well the 295 is spot on, a bit lighter in the pic, so I am assuming you are using a very good light source and correct in color. The pinkish ones are very likely 874 and just lightened up a bit more than I usually see. 874 is an opaque matte red with an ab finish. That combo always makes the color show up lighter when it is worked, but in the tube they do appear more toward the dark pink range.

I went and looked at the patten.............seems I am sending my money to UK currently....LOL. I'm also looking at a years worth of Bead Mag since they seem to do more looming than the US mags do. Thanks for the reply..............Donna

Bead Flowers wrote

on Dec 5, 2012 2:25 AM

Hi Donna,

I know what you mean about the 874! No matter how many years I spend beading, I don't think I'll ever stop being surprised by how much beads change when you put them with other beads! Just shows there's no substitute for playing with the actual beads - you never quite know what's going to happen until you try it out...I always take my photos under a daylight lamp, so it's good to know it's working and managing to produce the colours accurately.

Bead Mag is GREAT!! They cover a lot more different styles than the US Mags...and I've got some good news for you...Bead Mag is about to launch a US e-zine. I'm not sure on the timing, but I know it's going to be soon and you may be able to keep some of your money in the States (although we love having it sent over here..LOL)....Katie x