Tassels and Lampwork

Tags

A Beaded Gift, Candie Cooper, Kay Goss, Star's Beads, Stitch Whimsy Market, Tennessa McLean, The Great Bead Extravaganza

I made a necklace with a large lampwork focal and a fiber tassel based on a tutorial Kay Goss of Star’s Beads did for The Great Bead Extravaganza. I loved it so much, I wanted to make more. I bought some great chain, tassel caps and Tennessa McLean lampwork focals from Star’s Beads, and made another! I also caught the fiber bug and can neither confirm nor deny that I’ve place multiple orders to Stitch Whimsy Market on etsy.

I chose copper metals to go with this bead. In addition to the focal, I added a little raku bead I got as one of the 25 Beads of Christmas from Candie Cooper’s fun bead advent calendar that really brightened my December last year.

I felt like I’d made the tassel a bit too floofy, but it was hard to pare down the fibers since I have so many good ones. It doesn’t help that the flattened bead cap makes the tassel flare out into an “A” shape. I ended up trimming a few so they weren’t all the same length, cutting a couple of wider ones in half and trying to pare it down.

It’s still floofy, but I just love all the colors and textures so much, I think I’ll leave it. Nothing wrong with having a real showstopper tassel once in a while. These necklaces are so fun to make. I’m so glad I saw Kay’s tutorial!

Presenters from The Great Bead Extravaganza gave some great tips on a variety of things this past week for what has traditionally been Small Business Week. You can see the replay of videos about creating a customer persona, branding your business with great packaging, using social media to promote your business, pricing your items and more! There will also be a Midsummer Extravaganza coming up June 12th – 13th with a preview night on June 11th. All you have to do is join The Great Bead Extravaganza page to access all the free content.

The Great Bead Extravaganza – March

Tags

Genea, Star's Beads, The Great Bead Extravaganza, Third Eye Gypsys

I’ve written about The Great Bead Extravaganza before. It’s a fun group with all different kinds of presentations, sales and giveaways. They have had three events so far. This weekend is the third. Another is planned for June. It is all online, so you can join from anywhere. Some of my favorite artists are there, and I’ve come to love some new ones I’ve been introduced to. They all have many other outlets – shops, Insta, YouTube, their own Facebook pages and VIP groups. Lots to share!

Today the project that took my fancy was a necklace that Kay from Star’s Beads made. She did it “choose your own adventure” style, where she offered choices and let the majority choose in the comments. She gave some fabulous tips, all about using chain. I really loved the easy, boho necklace she made. She is selling chain bundles and bead cone bundles in her group, Star’s Beads Special Stash Group. She also does lives Monday – Thursday on Facebook, and Friday Night Live in the group. I know where I’ll be on Fridays! The Special Stash group is where you can get the bundles and this Friday she will have some fabulous, large lampwork beads like she used in her GBE necklace project.

I loved the project so much, I just couldn’t wait. I knew I had materials that were close enough to what she used that I could go ahead and make a necklace now. (Though this won’t be my last one.) It’s not unlike things I’ve made before, but she had some excellent tips, and the way she did it allowed me to be a little more free. Sometime I get too worried about little things in design.

This necklace features a beautiful lampwork bead by Genea of Third Eye Gypsys. The patina bead cone is from this shop. As Kay did, I used some bits of fiber and chain in the tassel, bits of chain above and below the bead, one link from a chain for a bail and then chain for the rest of the necklace. I have a dress this looks perfect on. I had to try it on right away!

You can watch the video of Kay and the group making this necklace and join The Great Bead Extravaganza if you want to see all the great stuff there, including videos from previous events.