Tag Archives: jewellery

A gem of a crystal – Emerald Cut

The Emerald Cut first appeared as a bead and pendant in 2016, the flat back version in 2017 and this year we’ve got the sew-on stone. Sew-on stones have 1.5mm holes at each end making them perfect for threading cords and adding jump rings. Heart shaped sew-on stones were ideal for bracelets but the beauty […]

Tilted dice – the perfect focal for cuffs

It may be raining today but there is still plenty of summer to go and lots of time to make this beautiful cuff bracelet. The focal crystal is new this year and part of the Swarovski Designer Edition from the S/S 2018 Innovations. These amazing crystals were designed by Chris Bangle, the legendary former chief […]

Ways to use Deer hide leather lacing

Deer Hide Leather Deer Hide leather is a fabulous new lacing material that is just so versatile for jewellery making. The lace is ethically sourced and available in a wide range of colours. I’m getting ready for summer, inspired by the beach and seashore, making two pretty bracelets using sand and stone blue shades available from I-Beads. You […]

Win tickets for the Knitting and Stitching Show in Edinburgh

The Knitting and Stitching Show is coming to Edinburgh for the second year at the end of April. It is a fantastic event, so if you have never been, do come along as there is so much to see and do. As well as the usual sales stalls there are fascinating things to see including the Textile Galleries,  Craft […]

What crystals are heart shaped? Your guide to Swarovski Hearts.

Let your heart shine Every Valentine’s Day hearts become the motif of the moment but it is a incredibly beautiful shape to design with any time of the year.  How many different heart shaped crystals do you know about?  I’ve had a look see and decided to show you some of the different heart crystals available from Swarovski to help in […]

Checking for errors…

It is perhaps inevitable that mistakes creep in to beading books as there are so many diagrams to check and double check. One error (see below) in a diagram flagged up when my Knotting and Braiding Bible was translated into French recently but over the Festive season I got a lovely message from a lady […]

Perlen Poesie Starlight

It seems such a long time since I made this pretty necklace for I-Beads to feature in this month’s issue of Perlen Poesie but it has just been published. Inspired by I-Beads Celestial Skies Competition I chose beautiful dark blue seed beads to create the stars in Right Angle Weave that surround the bezelled Swarovski Rivolis.  I also amended […]

Macramé meets Gender crystals

Swarovski gender symbols These new crystals from Swarovski seem to be a bit like marmite – you either love them or hate them. I personally love the shape of the crystals and find them very inspiring to work with. The macramé designs were commissioned by Swarovski to showcase innovative ways to attach the crystals. On the […]