New Kits!

I have been dutifully designing and making new kits for a new season.  I want to share three of the bead weaving kits (one more to go which I will share later on in the week, I hope!).  On Wednesday I will share the new tapestry kit:  kit in a  basket.  It is full of color and inspiration plus a gorgeous basket.

The first bracelet kit is a very simple piece with not so very simple beads.  Using a combination of my all time favorite size 11/0 Delica beads including:  24 karat gold, rhodium (no longer available anywhere but I bought a half of a kilo before they stopped being made), copper and gold iris.  We call this kit Precious Metals.  It requires a no warps kit so you don’t have to sew in any of those ends or hide them in some other way.  Included is a very pretty mother-of-pearl button to make the closure.  Sneak preview:

The second of the three beaded bracelets borrows from Navajo tradition.  This one is made exclusively from size 8/0 beads.  Fun to weave and fun to give away or wear.  I have had a couple of people come into my studio and try to leave with it.  This one includes the 8/0 Japanese seed beads, a dyed mother-of-pearl button and a silk wrapped O-ring.  Hey, who doesn’t like borrowing ideas from the hardware store.  The nifty O-ring holds the button really well because it is stretchy.  But black O-rings are not so adorable.  I got this great idea while on a plane recently (what else can you do on a plane after you’ve played backgammon on your ipad, checked your email obsessively (yes I fall for buying internet access when I fly) and discovering that without noise reducing earphones you can’t hear one word of that movie you so diligently downloaded before departure).  I had brought along some O-rings and some silk but it wasn’t until I was hit with deadly boredom that I realized how I could marry the two.  Now you get to use the results in this lovely bracelet.  Here is the cute little covered O-ring:

And here is the bracelet in all her glory. Note how we’ve covered the knotted ends with ultra-suede. Makes for a nice finishing plus you don’t have to deal with all those pesky warp ends:

Stayed tuned for Wednesday when I reveal the crystal and bead bracelet and the tapestry kit in a basket!