Beads, Baubles and Jewels and a Beaded Leather Wrap Bracelet Video

Hello!

I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving tomorrow for a week. I'm flying to Cleveland, Ohio to film 2 segments for the television show, Bead, Baubles and Jewels hosted by Katie Hacker. I'm very excited and happy for this opportunity to reach out to the beading community. I'm going to be promoting our book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry, but mostly I'm just going for the experience of it all. You might remember back in February, I revealed that my word for this year is EXPAND. I've been exploring the meaning of that and manifesting it in many ways. I'm open to any and all possibilities. I've said "Yes" to just about every opportunity that has come my way. I'm happy to report there's been a few lately! I'm so thrilled with that fact. I'm contributing some of that to me being open and ready for things to happen.

Anyway, back to Beads, Baubles and Jewels. It's kind of a huge leap for me to appear on this show. I mean, I've never been in front of a camera before. I haven't even taken any videos of myself....that is until now! I decided I better get practicing teaching or demonstrating jewelry on video.

So, here's my very first jewelry video! Gah, try not to laugh too much. Oh, and btw, I've been informed by my husband that it is NOT okay to take videos vertically like I did in this one. Apparently, is a no-no faux pas that I was not aware of since I am such a newbie at this whole taking videos thing. He dislikes it very much. I am posting this video without his consent. Sorry, Honey. See you next week!!!



In this video, I'm demonstrating how I make my Rhinestone Leather Wrap bracelet project I designed for Ornamentea.com. Materials list and instructions are below!

Rhinestone Leather Wrap

Erin Siegel

Ingredients:

24 Swarovski crystal dangles

1 yard of red 3/16” deerskinleather lace

2 brass fold-over ends

33 brass 5mm jump rings

1 brass 9mm spring clasp

Tools:

Scissors

Ruler

Pen

Chain nose pliers

Hole punch

1: Insert the leather lace into one fold over end and close with chain nose pliers. Attach the spring clasp to the fold over end as shown.

2: Lay the leather lace on the ruler. Use the pen to mark the center of the leather ¾” from the end of the fold over end. Mark the remaining leather every 1 ½”. Punch holes through all the marked places in the leather as shown.

3: Use 1 jump ring to string 1 crystal dangle and attach it to one hole in the leather lace as shown. Repeat 22 more times.

4: Trim the leather lace ¾” from the end. Insert the leather into one fold over end and close. Link 9 jump rings together to create a chain extender. Attach one end to the fold over end and attach the last crystal dangle to the other end as shown.

Resources: All materials and supplies from www.ornamentea.com

Happy Father's Day!

I'm so looking forward to a special day with my two sweet loves! Out to brunch, a day by the sea and some yummy homemade treats.

Happy Father's Day to my husband, the best daddy in the world to our little girl.

HIS and HER Embroidered Leather Cuff TUTORIAL

I'm excited to share with you my latest designer project for Ornamentea.com...HIS and HER Embroidered Leather Cuffs. Isn't that just the sweetest thing? You can make one for that special guy in your life, BUT make one for yourself first, of course!

 

HER 

Beaded Embroidered Leather Cuff

Leather cuffs are hot! Maximize your style with a must-have beaded leather cuff bracelet.

Ingredients:

48 Brass filed cubes

24 Silver-plated 12mm buglebeads

18” of waxed linen cord (chose a color that closely matches the wristband you are using)

1 Suede Wristband

Tools:

Hole punch

Scissors

Ruler

Pen

1: Lay the cuff against the ruler, wrong side facing up.  Use the pen to make a mark 1 ½” from the end of the cuff and 3/8” from the bottom edge of the cuff. Then, make a mark that is 1 ¾” from the end and 3/8” from the top edge of the cuff as shown. Make a mark ¼” from each of the previous two marks as shown. Repeat 22 times.

2: Punch holes through all the marked places on the leather cuff as shown.

 3: Tie a double overhand knot at one end of the waxed linen cord. Thread the cord through the first hole in the cuff from back to front as shown.

 4: Use the linen cord to string 1 filed cube, 1 bugle bead, and 1 filed cube. Thread the cord through the next hole on the opposite side of the cuff as shown. Repeat 23 times to bead the entire length of the cuff.

 5: Tie a double overhand knot tightly against the back of the leather cuff and trim close to the knot as shown.

Tip: You can create a paper template for the cuff to make the measuring and marking a little easier. Trace the leather wristband on a piece of paper, make all the measurements and marks on the paper, punch all the holes with a paper punch and cut out the template. Then, transfer all the marks onto the cuff. I did not do that for this tutorial, but it's an option, especially if you are not so comfortable measuring and marking on the cuff or if you are making more than one. The measurements are fairly easy, though. I tried to make it as simple as possible.

Okay, now it's time to make one for HIM.

 HIS

Embroidered Leather Cuff 

Leather cuffs are hot for guys, too! Make this bracelet for all the special men in your life. Guys will love the wide suede band and the simple, un-fussy design.

Ingredients:

18” of waxed linen cord (chose a color that contrasts with the wristband you are using)

1 Suede Wristband

Tools:

Hole punch

Scissors

Ruler

Pen

Follow steps #1-4 above for the "HER" leather cuff, except omit the beads, unless your guy is into beads and there is nothing wrong with that!

This project would be...

Perfect for Father's Day!

Sunday, June 16th

Happy leather cuff crafting!

Fortuneteller's Bracelet TUTORIAL

My friend Lori and I share a passion for Irish waxed linen cord. It's one of our favorite materials to work with. She invited me to design a special jewelry project and tutorial to post on her blog highlighting our beloved waxed linen cording. I'm thrilled to share the project with you here. I created a simple bracelet. The materials may be humble, but the design is one I would wear on a daily basis. Those are the kind of pieces I love to make the most. The everyday jewelry. I love the texture and look of the knotted multiple gemstone strands, the joyful colors of the waxed linen cord and the gorgeous, hand-crafted copper button by Barbara Bechtel of Second Surf Studio on Etsy. The techniques are easy. These simple, tried and true knotting techniques I use over and over in my jewelry. This basic bracelet project is a great example of how easy it is to incorporate Lori's color cord mixes featured in her Jewelry Accord Shop in a jewelry design!
 

Fortuneteller’s Bracelet

Erin Siegel

Sodalite is said to be the stone of “insight”. The bright, colorful threads of waxed linen cord remind me of a long, flowing gypsy skirt that a fortuneteller might wear.

Materials:
72 Sodalite 6mm rounds
1 copper 20mm artisan button by Second Surf Studio
4’feet EACH of 4ply Irish waxed linen cord in the following colors: Plum, Fuchsia, Red and Sage

Tools:
Scissors
Ruler

Finished size: 7 ½”

Instructions:

 

1: Hold the four pieces of linen cord together at their centers. Tightly twist the centers of the 4 cords together for 2”. Fold the cords in half and form an overhand knot, leaving a ¾” loop of twisted cord.

 

2: Separate two cords. Use 1 cord to string 1 Sodalite round. Use both cords to form an overhand knot after the bead. Repeat 17 times. Repeat entire step for remaining cords.

3: Use all 8 cords to form an overhand knot. Separate cords in half and form 3 square knots. 

 

4: Use 4 cords to string one buttonhole. Repeat for the other buttonhole. Form a square knot on top of the button. Trim cords to ¼”.

Resources:

Sodalite rounds: FireMountain Gems. Waxed linen cord: Jewelry Accord on Etsy. Copper button: Second SurfStudio on Etsy.

Day Glow Earrings TUTORIAL

Day Glow Earring TUTORIAL

Spring is in full swing now. I'm seeing lots of bright colors popping up outside as well as inside my favorite shops and clothing boutiques. My latest jewelry design for Ornamentea.com is an ode to warm, sunshine days ahead and a nod to the neon fashion trend! Click over to Ornamentea.com to see the full tutorial.

These sunny earring will brighten any day whether the sun is out or not. I love the look of the turquoise crystal chain adorned ear wires, the texture of the bright orange waxed linen cord and the cheery yellow ceramic beads by artist, Elaine Ray.

A special thanks to Debbie Blair, editor over at Jewelry Stringing magazine for featuring my earring tutorial for Ornamentea on the Beading Daily Blog! Check out her blog post to see Debbie's unique version of these earrings!

Ingredients

- 2 12mm Elaine Ray ceramic rounds
- 2 large kidney ear wires
- 2 3" headpins
- 3" of 2.5mm crystal chain
- 36" of Irish waxed linen cord

Tools

- Chain nose
- Round nose
- Cutters
- Scissors

1. Use 18" of waxed linen to tie an overhand knot onto 1 headpin, leaving a 3" tail as shown.

 

2. String 1 ceramic round onto both cord ends and the headpin as shown.

3. Using the long end of cord, wrap around the headpin and the short tail above the bead as shown. Tie the two ends of cord together with a square knot, trim and make a wrapped loop above the linen wraps as shown.

4. Hold a 1 ½" piece of crystal chain on top of 1 kidney ear wire. Place the middle of the remaining waxed linen cord under the first crystal in the chain and wrap the cord around the chain and the ear wire in a criss-cross fashion as shown. Tightly wrap until all the chain is securely attached to the ear wire. Tie the two ends of cord together with a square knot and trim close to the knot.

5. Attach the beaded dangle to the ear wire and repeat steps for the second earring.

My Jewelry Studio

I realized I've never ever shared my current studio space! Frankly, that's because it is usually in such a disastrous state that I wouldn't wish to show anyone on a good day. Last weekend, I received a much needed reprieve when the grandparents took Nora for two whole days. What did I do with my rare freedom from motherly duties? I cleaned out my whole studio from top to bottom. Obviously, you can clearly see where my priorities lie. As soon as I get a moment to myself, I go straight to fixing up my studio! Oh, and deciding to take on that task was not that fun, mind you. There were huge boxes upon boxes of stuff piled up under the desk, items and paperwork that I had been avoiding dealing with for over a year and a mish-mash of beads and findings in every corner that had been thrown every which way. In my defense, I did have some help with the beads going everywhere part. There's a 2 year old around here that loves to play with Mama's beads. ;) Even with all that work, there is plenty more I would love to do with my space, but at least it is clean, the top of the desk is clear and I can work in there once again! It was well worth the effort.

This is the top of my main work surface where I keep some of my jewelry and favorite displays, a few bead storage units, my essential jewelry-making tools and some bead bowls and baskets. I love the art piece on my wall. I need to hang more pictures and art!

My materials wall. This wall is directly behind the desk and chair. The pegboard expands across almost the entire length of the wall. Over the years of making jewelry, I've learned I work most efficiently when I have my supplies out where I can see them all the time and can get to them quickly and easily. 

My pegboard wall holds materials and tools I use on a regular basis: metal gauge wire and beading wires, rulers and measuring tapes, scissors, hammer, metal and leather punches, bead stops and misc. tools, silk knotting cords, leather cords, suede lace, hemp, cotton and Irish waxed linen cord, silk cords, dupioni ribbon, sari ribbon and fibers, glass beads, gemstones and wood beads. 

Studios and organization is such an interesting topic for jewelry makers because anyone who works with beads knows the dilemma of bead storage and setting up a space that works. It is the bane of our existence! There seems to be no easy answer or solution for most of us. Ideally, I'd love to have absolutely every bead and finding visible at a glance. Just like when you walk into a bead shop, everything is out where you can see it!  

How about you? How do you like to organize your work space? Have you shared photos of your studio? It's always fun to get a glimpse inside any creative space! Please share with me by leaving me a link to your photos in the comments! Even if you don't have photos, I'd love to hear your thoughts on studios and organization.