Ruby’s Jewelry Design and Beadwork
I met Ruby on the About.com forum where she gives great jewelry making advice to many fellow beading addicts. She also has her own website where she shows her jewelry and offers a book and CD with information to help new beaders and 30 projects using offloom weaves and stitches. Ruby also made a beautiful medallion pattern for a Christmas ornament and I made a video class showing how to create it. You can find that in my Video Library.

Here is Ruby’s website: Ruby’s Jewelry Design and Beadwork

It’s Easter time. It’s springtime. It’s a wonderful time of year!

So if you’re feeling in the mood for some fun beading, I created a free beading pattern video which shows you how to make a cute bunny face.

I haven’t figured out yet what I will do with mine… try to make it into a necklace pendant? a bead ring? I don’t know!

It’s kind of cute all by itself, but I’ll have to figure out some way to wear it and show it off.

If you come up with some ideas please post them in the comments section, and better yet, if you create something you want to share with others, provide links to your creative work for all to see!

Here is the video.

Bunny Face Beading Video

To create the bunny face you need these materials:

4mm 5301 Swarovski crystal bicone beads, pink color x 45

4mm 5301 Swarovski crystal bicone beads, white color x 4

4mm Swarovski pearl, black color x 2

3mm Swarovski pearl, black color x 1

Size 11 Seed Beads, pink color x 2

0.24mm Monofilament String x 28 inches

Flush Cutter

I hope you enjoy making the bunny face, and please get back with me to let me know how it turned out for you.

Also, if the shape of the cross is an important image for you at this time of year I have a beautiful beaded cross pattern that I think you will like.

Here’s a picture of the finished piece: Crystal Bead Cross Pendant

Here’s a preview of the beading video: Crystal Bead Cross Preview Video

Happy beading and Happy Easter!

Easter is rapidly approaching so as I’m surfing different jewelry making sites I have my “ears up” for bunny beads.

I came across a site that I thought had the cutest lampwork bunny beads I think I’ve ever seen.

The beads are made by jewelry artist Lara Lutrick.

Look at these and tell me how cute these are.

Here’s Bunny #1

As you can see in the picture this focal bead has a raised bunny decoration with a bunny on each side of the bead.
 

The bead is fairly small measuring about 20 mm tall x 17 mm wide (hole to hole) x 11.5 mm thick with a bead hole that is 3 mm.

Here’s Bunny #2

I love the organge color of this one! It so reminds me of carrots!

The beads in this arrangement are made of Bullseye glass and notice there is a little hint of pink on the bunny’s ears. Nice touch!

In this photo there are also two beads with raised dots and two beads with scrollwork.

If you are looking to create some original easter jewelry these beads can become the focal point for some very cute ideas.

Lara has many other beautiful glass bead creations on her site that I recommend you have a look at.

I could spend hours just looking at lampwork bead creations, and Lara’s are some of the best I have seen.

Here’s a link to her blog: Lara Lutrick Lampwork Beads

You’ll be inspired by the beautiful beads she creates!

I love the challenge of the Puffy Heart pattern.

Being able to create this heart seems to me kind of a “right of passage” for bead weaving.

Once you’ve mastered this bead pattern, you feel like you can take on most anything.

Now there is a new beading pattern which gives the puffy heart even more special meaning.

I created a video that shows how to use pink Swarovski crystal beads to weave the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon right into the heart.

By doing this not only can you create the beautiful crystal puffy heart, you can also show solidarity with women and men who have been affected by breast cancer.

As a breast cancer survivor, it means so much to me when I can combine my love of jewelry making with support for such an important cause.

On the video I show two different ways to turn your beaded heart into a necklace.

One way uses a bail and chain, the other uses beading chain that feeds right through the heart itself.

Here is a preview of the video class: Pink Ribbon Puffy Heart Preview Video

Enjoy!