These earrings are a snap to make using several shades and diameters of pink and purple o-rings. Start with a large jump ring and thread the O-rings on and then attach a small silver O-ring to attach the earwire. The result has a messy charm and adds a pop of color to your outfit.

This necklace is a combination of wire wrapping and bead stringing techniques.

You can create the three strands of purple beads by stringing them onto either soft-flex wire or thread and finish with bead tips. The ends of the strands are connected with jump rings to the large hammered metal rings. On the other side of the rings, attach three wire wrapped beads in sequence, and then attach a chain of your desired length. Add a clasp to finish the necklace.

Simple wire-wrapped earrings with gunmetal-black wire and ear wires. The beads are tourmalinated quartz with just a hint of purple amethyst.

These look fancy but are pretty simple to make for beginning beaders. You start with two metal beading hoops. Next, take thin 24 or 26 gauge copper wire-wrapping wire and loop it around the hoop tightly 10 times. Next, add a bead to the wire, and pull the wire snug back to the hoop, making sure the bead stays on the outside of the hoop. Then just repeat that all the way around until you are done!

These earrings are made of blue shell disc beads with a cluster of dangles attached on the end of silver chain. Each dangle consists of two faceted crystal beads on either side of a larger sparkly blue disco ball bead, thread onto a head pin. The dangles are attached to different parts of the chain with jump rings.

The beads in this necklace are purple jade and turquoise. The pendant is a carved purple jade rose. It is 26 inches and finished with a sterling silver lobster claw clasp.

Antiqued brass donut / disc beads are the main feature of these earrings.  Wire-wrapped dangles with green Czech fire-polished glass beads provide movement and contrast. It’s a simple design but striking, and the oxidation gives them an vintage look.

When it comes to jewelry, not all donuts are round…this yellow jade pendant is combined with amazonite and ceramic beads on waxed linen cord. The cord is loosely braided and knotted and finished with cord tips and a sterling silver toggle clasp.

These necklaces consists of a metal pendant strung on leather cord with a flattened metal tube bead. The leather is long enough that you can either wear it as a long necklace, or wrap it around your neck another loop and wear it as a choker. The metal is oxidized in a way reminiscent of charred bones.

Cord length is 56 cm.

This bronze chainmail necklace is finished with a hand-made spiral hook and loop clasp.

Easy memory wire bracelet with hematite chip beads.

Supplies needed:

• gemstone chip beads – half a strand is probably sufficent
• bracelet memory wire – 2-4 coils depending on how many times you want the bracelet to wrap around your wrist
• wire cutters
• round-nose jewelry pliers

Be sure to get chips with holes large enough to fit on the wire–this is usually fine but sometimes gemstone holes are very small. Just make a loop in the wire to start, string on your beads, and make a loop at the end to keep the beads on the wire. The memory wire does the rest, as it holds it shape so no clasp is needed.

Gorgeous African opal makes this piece interesting, with multicolored beads of blue, red, and green but all in muted tones.

Is there anything more sophisticated than black on black? This leather wrap bracelet is made of onyx and a few silver bali beads for visual contrast, with a metal toggle clasp.

Black leather cord wonderfully frames these pink rhodochrosite and rhodonite gemstone beads. The clasp is a special pink ribbon lampwork bead in honor of breast cancer survivors. A few silver bali beads add visual interest.

A simple leather wrap bracelet with stone tube beads. It’s a fairly simple design, but the gemstone beads are unique enough to make it interesting and give it a boho chic look. The stones look like they are probably agate or jasper.

Classic leather wrap bracelet with brown and turquoise beads with real vintage train and subway tokens for flair.

I wanted to design something fun and flirty for summer. These are a simple strung design bracelet set. They have been made with white quartz chip beads and larger pink oval glass beads, interspersed with silver spacers and fastened with silver toggle clasps. Each bracelet is different, yet made with the same materials, thus giving some variation to the set. Each can be worn on its own, but look even better as a set grouped on the wrist.

I started off with some Lacey’s Stiff Stuff as the bead embroidery foundation. I dyed it to a suitable shade of black.

I had a beautiful African turquoise cabochon which I had stashed away, waiting for the right moment of creativity to spark.  I sewed different semi precious stones around the cabochon, choosing muted tones that would not take away from the cabochon.

I used my usual 6lb test Berkley Fireline in smoke colour and a 12/0 size beading needle.  I also added fresh water pearls in a refreshing cool colour; once again in keeping with the muted tones. I added aged Picasso seed beads and tiny Czech seed beads to finish off the design.

I added the brooch backing to the back of the cut out embroidery. When the glue had dried and set for a day, I added a matching piece of soft black Ultrasuede to finish it.  I then embroidered a finishing line of brick stitch which is my favourite border for my bead embroidery.  The end result is Woodland Brooch; a lovely softer colour palette to remind me of the softer light to be enjoyed during autumn in the Australian bush.

Kaleidescope Cuff is a celebration of colour, form and texture.

I started off with a brass blank interior and covered this with pink Ultrasuede.  I try to avoid using dressed leather as some people are allergic to the dressing.  The Ultrasuede has been glued down with industrial strength glue and cut slightly larger than the cuff blank all the way around to allow for the final brick stitch edging.  Then I dyed some Lacey’s Stiff Stuff with permanent black dye until I reached the tone I was happy with.  Black is a good background as it makes my colour selections stand out.

I measured up the design perimeter to ensure it finished slighly larger than the brass blank and matched the dimensions of the Ultrasuede backing.

I stuck down the central magnesite cabochon with industrial glue and permitted the glue to fully set over a 24 hour period.  The cabochon is then embellished with decorative lines of free form peyote stitch using 6lb test Fireline beading thread and my usual 12/0 sized nedle.

I glued down a variety of vintage German acrylic cabochons.  All cabochons were then stitched down in my signature free form style. Other “matching” beads in terms of colourways, sizes and shapes are added in between to create a unique piece.  This part of the design is always time consuming and requires concentration and careful planning to achieve the artistic compilation I am seeking to achieve.  A lot of negotiation occurs during this phase of construction as the beads must both compliment and accentuate the larger cabochons and not take away from the core of the design.  Whilst Kaleidescope Cuff appears a pleasant “random” selection, nothing could be further from the truth, design wise.

The cuff edging finished off in brick stitch. All intermediary beads and fresh water pearls have been selected for their shape, colour and texture. The pink/purple colourway of Kaleidescope Cuff has been permitted to dominate whilst the secondary colours are the “support act”, colour and texturally speaking.

Careful attention is also always paid to the colour/textural aspect of all my designs. Construction time:  approximately 5 days in total.  Kaleidescope Cuff is a labour intensive cuff to produce but the end results are well worth it.

Dragonfly Billabong is a representation of the centrality of water in Australia, a country where droughts feature often with a few “good” years thrown in between in order to make us forget.

I used Lacy’s Stiff Stuff as the foundation. I dyed the white foundation with permanent black dye powder mixed into water and let that dry off.  I used Berkley Fireline 6lb strength for this design.  I then started with the design on the central cabochon; a beautiful Brazilian agate slice. My design work always starts off with the placement of the largest pieces.  Once the slice was adhered, the rough outline of the outer border was put into place with chalk.

I then made my carefully considered selection of beads for this piece as I wanted to keep the design full of form, texture and selected colour; much like I approach my pastel and acrylic paintings – same recipe, different medium.  I do this by putting out different beads onto a towel I use underneath my embroidery projects.  Little piles of different beads that I am easily able to pick up with a needle to see how each bead shape and colour sits next to another shape and colour.

The larger magnesite slabs were placed and glued and sewn down and then the huge agate slice was embellished with peyote stitch border.  Smaller beads were placed here and there until each and every bead was in its “right” position before sewing down.  The dragonfly charms were popped into position and these helped with the positioning of minor beads.  Four necklace arm segments were made in a similar fashion.

All the pieces were cut away and adhered to Ultrasuede, that lovely soft synthetic leather.  I purposely avoid dressed leather for my jewellery as some people are allergic to the dressing.  Ultrasuede answers very well in this regard.  All the components were then finished off with the brick stitch edging which I so adore.  I then lay out the necklace onto my work table and placed the pieces together where they should lie.  I measured the distance between the necklace arm segments and then started the beading in between, making sure the segments were situated correctly, measurement wise.

There are never any formal patterns to my work.  I work with the beads to allow them to speak to me and the design. Dragonfly Billabong recently won first prize in an art show.