Snow Day Crafting

We are closed at the shop today. Our entire town is blanketed in at least one inch of snow/ice. For us, here in NC, this means that we are frozen, literally. We'll thaw out later this week, but for today at least we are all staying home to do whatever we love to do on snowy days.  For my family, that meant getting up super early to go outside and watch our dogs skitter along the surface of the icy back yard. Children who need dragged out of bed on a 'regular' morning are happy to pop up, breakfasted and dressed and ready to go outside on a snow day. Now we are back in, warming up and moving on to crafts and games and books. Maybe a bit more of the first.  Below I've got three great projects you can probably make with beads and materials you have at home...

my three favorite projects to make on a snowed-in day-

Slide Knot Bracelet You can make this! Use some of your favorite beads and (if you have it) waxed linen. No linen? Try leather cording, Conso thread or even rayon gimp. This project is from one of my favorite designers, Erin Siegel, click here to see the instructions and more ideas from Erin.  Dangly Earrings These use jump rings and left-long head pins. You have those parts...mix it up with seed beads and some of your favorite larger beads. Watch a how-to video here.  Wire Wrapped Bangle This just requires beads and wire. 20 gauge, 18 gauge, whatever you have. Full instructions can be downloaded right here, and this looks best with a mix of beads.

Autumn Nights Hemp Bracelet DIY

What's not to love?

I love my job-

Yesterday morning I unpacked a really lovely trunk show of enameled metal components from Anne Gardanne. I got to carefully place each one and admire the shades and tones.  

Anne's work is really quite lovely; the enamel on her components is fired front and back with the same brilliant color and care. There really are not any 'bad sides' to these charms, focals and links. We've put her components in our front case and they'll be here through the 25th, but I think many styles won't last long, stop by soon to see the best selection. There are photos in the previous post of some of her fab goodies.

I've also released a new style of tutorial on our revamped Tutorials Page. Over the years, I've gotten so many requests for more complicated tutorials; and even on-line classes. The time involved kept me from being able to make this possible, but I think we've found a way. This year, we are going to add to our page of basic, fashion-driven tutorials with several more complicated ones featuring multiple techniques and in-depth instructions. These more involved tutorials will require a download fee, but I do hope you find them worth it. You can visit our new Tutorials Page right here. The newest tutorial is the Morocco Statement Necklace (shown below.)  I'd love to know what you think about it!

Glistening Garland by Erin Siegel

This pretty project by designer Erin Siegel is in the Winter issue of Jewelry Stringing, from Interweave. The pretty pink cover of the magazine is a nice segue to this lovely project. Erin uses our Silver Twigs Toggle set to finish this necklace. My favorite part about the necklace? The sweet story Erin tells about when she made it. Read that here.

Check out the full instructions in this issue of Jewelry Stringing.

See some of Erin's Tutorials for Ornamentea right here. 

Let it SNOW!

I just returned from taping Beads, Baubles and Jewels in Cleveland, Ohio. This morning, I stepped through 10 inches of snow to rush into the airport. This afternoon, I was back in Raleigh, NC, disoriented and looking at pansies and green grass.

I don't really miss the snow, but I did think it was absolutely beautiful last night as we headed into our hotel. The flakes were big and falling fast, and my boots were very useful in navigating from the car to the door. The Christmas lights sparkled with a softened, expanded glow through the snow.

Ahh, that's okay. This afternoon I'll walk my dog around on nice, clear sidewalks. The only snow I really like is these wire snowflakes. 

click here to see more snowflakes, plus our favorite beads for making them

How to make a braided leather bracelet - a quick Vine DIY

Do you use Vine? If you have a smart phone it is a fun way to make super-short (30 seconds, max!) videos with a unique, easy stop-action format. We love it here at the Big O, but mostly for cute dog videos and funny tricks. This is our first-ever Vine How-To.

Check it out.

If you like the project join us on First Friday, June 7th, and you can make this project for free from 6-8 pm.

Woven Wire Basket

 

Make this sweet little wire basket.  Get the DIY instructions here.  

Color Pop Necklace tutorial and special offer

The tutorial instructions will show you how to make a felt ball necklace with ribbon ties...and if you take advantage of the special offer you can get a MissMatch packet of ribbons (4, 1-yard lengths) to use when making your own ColorPop necklace. Click the pictures...

Andorra Earrings - How to make beaded stacked hoops

Our newest tutorial uses pre-made hoops, stacked and graduated, to create sparkly metal-bead earrings. These are pretty!

Click the picture to get your copy of these project instructions today.

Knotted Bead Bracelet DIY - The Silver Branches Bracelet

This project from Erin Siegel is so wintery-perfect. Icy silver beads float on waxed linen cording and that branch toggle just completes the forest flavor. This is a perfect addition to your stack!

Click on the above image to download the tutorial right now.

New Tutorial - Bodhi Day Wrapped Linen Necklace

We've just released another free project from contributing designer Erin Siegel and I love it. This wrapped-linen band is graphic and pretty. I can imagine making several really long ones to wear at once over a simple black tee.

Erin's necklace honors Bodhi day, celebrated on December 8th as the day Buddha attained enlightenment while sitting under a bodhi tree. This would make a great gift for the yogini in your life...or for yourself!

Namaste!

New Tutorial - Wooly Wrapped Bangles

Click the picture for a free how-to PDF.

And here's a video how-to:

New Tutorial - The Double Time Tassel Necklace

This tassel necklace tutorial features a double-strand of chains and a green-to-purple color palette that is just yummy. The tassel drop on the front could also be used to create a pair of dramatic earrings.

The dyed-stone skull bead shown in the necklace is one that is currently EVERYWHERE on all the fashion sites. Like here. Or here. Or here. You get the idea. 

Click here for the full DIY instructions.

Click here to get your own skulls in a variety of sizes.

New Tutorial - Easy Day Hoops

Sometimes our tutorials are really, really easy. These hoops are one of those projects. The whole point of this tutorial, and many of the others that are super-simple, is to teach a single idea or technique.


Click here to download this tutorial for free now.

New Tutorial - Wrapped Key Charm Necklace

click here to download the full instructions now

New Tutorial - A Penny for your Thoughts

This project uses our penny chain and breaks up the links to create penny connectors. Get lucky and make it for yourself!

Click the picture for the full project.

New Tutorial - Bird of Paradise Tassel Earrings

Like floating feathers, these tassel earrings will alight above your shoulders. The sparkling, hand-painted fibers make these pretty additions to your wardrobe.

New Tutorial - Eudora Statement Bib Necklace

Oh, this necklace makes me swoon. I really adore it. I know, I'm not supposed to have 'favorite' designs but this one IS a favorite. The ribbony bits at the back are so pretty...and the stacked jump rings on the sides are almost Egyptian. It looks like something a crazy, Egypt-mad flapper would have worn to a luncheon with the local Ladies Art Society.

Hence the name. That Egyptophile Flapper would be called Eudora, wouldn't she?

Click the picture for the full project. The ribbon is bias-cut silk dupioni, the ceramic fans are the work of the talented Elaine Ray.

New Tutorial - Igazu Falls Necklace and Earrings

Poular Bracelet How-To's

I sometimes wonder why certain downloads just go crazy on our site. The projects will be sorta-popular for a bit and then WHAM! These three are suddenly, SUPERSTARS!

See them all, here, just by clicking...