Supplies for French beaded earrings

About one year ago I got a gift from my husband.  He got me a set of handmade French beaded earrings and a matching necklace.  On one of our dates we went to a MOA (Museum of Art)  while there we stopped by the gift shop. I had him take photos of them in the gift shop of the museum so I could make them when I got home.  Yes we asked first if it was OK to take the photos so I could make some and do this tutorial.  To my surprise four days latter he gave them to me as a gift great guy there.  I still wanted to make some and figured as I did it I could also make a tutorial so others could make them too.  As you can see from resent posts I have made lots of French wire bead work as have my children.  But it was real special to have a set I did not make.

Sorry noticed after I posted I have a piece of hair tangled in it might have to retake this photo.

So if you would like to make a set for yourself below are the supplies and instructions and tutorial will follow in a few days.

supplies for the earrings

1. 10 oval fresh water pearls with hole going length size 4-5 mm
2. 2 Swarovski crystals for the center of the flower  size 4 mm bi-cone 
3. 4 rock chip beads about the same size as the other beads
4. 2 French wire earrings
5. size 22-24 gauge wire just small wire smaller is better match color to your French wire

and of course usual wire tools

Watch for tutorial in the next few days this way you have time to hit the after Christmas / New Years sales and get the supplies.

Blue and silver necklace

This was for a very kind lady.  I am always grateful for her friendship.  She is a very kindred spirit to me.  Quite often we like the exact same thing.  We both love ren-fairs, antiques. costuming, Shakespeare plays... the list goes on and on.  She was cute when she got it she said she would have to go and buy something nice to go with it.  Funny as all I ever see her in is nice things she was just being sweet.
 

The beads in this came from both mine and my middle daughters beads and some we bought for this project.  The little tiny blue flowers came from my middle daughters beads.  The swarsky crystals came from by collection of beads from years ago.  The silver leaves, silver drops, and the big blue flowers are new for this project. 

Pearls and Swarovski crystals bracelet

This is the item I made for my mother in law for Christmas.  It is made from real pearls and Swarovski crystals in two colors gold wire.  The clasp is a magnetic closure.Which I have never used before and may not use again.  Because after I gave it to her it fell off easy because when ever it would hook on something the magnets would let go.  So I brought it home to put a safety chain on it.  If anyone has used magnetic clasps please let me know which ones are good and where to get them.  I like the idea of them but did not like the experience with this one.

My middle daughter is pretending to me my mannequin in these photos to help me.   I had originally started to make this for myself but before I was done I had decided it was perfect for my mother in law.  I really think this one is sort of simple and elegant.

pink black

supplies:  rocaille beads, snowflake obsidian,, quarts, and leaves purchased for this project.   This was made for an amazing friend of mine who seems to be happy all the time no matter what which is a quality I wish I had.

Yes this what the necklaces look like while I am making them if I can sit down and spread it out.

 If I can not then it is just four or five little containers sitting in my lap.

turquoise blue necklace

In my husbands family we rotate who we give gifts to through his siblings.  this is the necklace that I made for my youngest sister in law.  Which is who we have had year.

supplies:  the flowers, leaves and the silver drops where all purchased for this project the clear seed beads I had for years.

Candy Cane necklace

This is the necklace that was made before the candy cane comb.

supplies: two sizes of white stone brads, red rocalle beads, green sequin leaves and peppermint buttons.  off course I keep leaving out the wire and clasp and the tools but those are sort of givens to me.

Candy cane hair comb

This is the hair comb I made to match the necklace I made for my middle daughter for Christmas.  She has this habit of wearing jingle bells in her hair at Christmas time so I thought having some other holiday stuff for her hair and neck might be fun for her.

The peppermint looking pieces are actually some scrap booking supplies that I found thrift shopping about 10 years back but had no idea what to do with them.  decided to make them into beads and punch holes in them so they could math the peppermint buttons I found at the same time.  Now they are all used up and my daughter gets to have fun wearing them.  Funny part the daughter I gave this too punched the holes to make the mints into beads and did not even know she was helping with her own gift.
 
The leaves are actually sequins.   The beads that are white are made out of stone.  The translucent flowers are actually plastic.  Last but not least red rocalle beads about a size 6 glass beads. 

Poinsetta beaded hair comb

 

This was made by my middle daughter for my youngest daughter for Christmas.

It was to match the necklace in color only not beads.  So they could be worn together if my youngest wanted to but did not have to be worn together.  As the necklace can be worn easier throughout the year as it is not so holiday oriented.

This one is made with glass leaves, plastic sequins for the poinsettias, little white plastic pearls and a plastic button and wire and metal comb of course. 

red and green necklace

This necklace was made by my middle daughter for my youngest daughter.  She also made a hair comb to match this piece.

Supplies  just glass rocalle beads that we have had for years and glass leaves that we bought specifically for this purpose.   I know this is posting on Sunday which I usually do not do but this was pre posted so actually I posed this on Christmas eve.  Have  a lovely day and hope you are enjoying the holiday season.  Watch for a give away at New Years time there will be special post to comment in around new years this is to kick off me working activley on my blog again and here is to a New Years full of hope.

Black and White Beaded necklace

This is the necklace I made it was made to match the black beaded rose comb my daughter made. 
I figured it was ok to add a little bit of white to the piece.  This way she can wear it with formals too.

supplies use din this necklace  the glass square beads are just as old as the amber glass square beads on the necklace made for the family friend who's kids played soccer with my kids.  The center beads are made of stone.  The outer beads on the flowers are rocalle beads and the leaves are new to make this.  The white and black disks are only about 1 year old.  I do not ever think I have ever gone out and just purposely bought all the supplies to make a piece of jewlrey they just sort of evolve into being.

Black beaded rose comb

This was made my middle daughter for my oldest daughter.  My oldest daughter is crew chief of her school technical theater department  so she has to wear black quiet often.  So my middle daughter wanted to make something she could wear at the shows when she is in charge that will still make her feel and look more girl like.  Usually the clothes she wears is sort of boy like for shows as she gets dirty and such working the scissor lift and hanging lights and striking set and so on.  It is sort of a dirty job but she loves doing it and she is good at it too.
The rose is made out of seed beads. The little buds are made out of rocalle beads and the snow flakes are actually scrape booking supplies that we put wire around to make them work for this.

Black pansy Hair comb

This was made by my daughter for the daughter of the lady that helps run the choir my kids are in.  The colors we are told are some of her favorite by her mother.  the snow flakes are sequins, the flowers are made out of seed beads and a gold bead for the center. 

The little white snow flakes we actually punched to make them beads.  Originally they were scrap booking supplies that were supposed to be glued to things.  My daughter punched the holes in them.

purple necklace

This was made for a good friend who helps run the choir all my children are a part of.  She is an amazing lady who has a great big heart who I love dearly. The pink stones are rose quartz at least 15 years in my possession.  The seed beads are size 6 in green and purple which I have had for many years.  the flowers and the leaves are new as of December for these projects.  Most of my projects are a little bit of this and a little bit of that even if I make something similar because the supplies come from so many places they are hard to make two that are identical.
 
She really liked this according to my daughter who received the thank you for me.

Handmade chess set

This was a chess set made for my oldest daughter that my littlest daughter and my husband made together in some of these photos the set is still under construction.  This was how they (my husband and daughter)  spent the first week of Christmas break making the chess pieces from little bits of this and that.

 I hope my oldest daughter loves this since they have put so much work into this piece.  I do not know how many families still make gifts for each other we still love to that is not to say we do not buy gift as we do but we still  like to make things too.

One set of the pieces was left as how the parts looked in their natural state. The second set is painted with red enamel paint.  So in this chess game we have the White Queen and the Red Queen like in Alice in Wonderland.

This was a fun project for them to work on together.  They got to go to different hardware stores looking for the parts and trying to figure out what would give them the look they wanted.  One set of the pieces is going to be painted with enamel paint.  They wanted to anodize one half of the pieces but ran out of time.