Hand Made Candy Beads

These are the latest beads I have been making. They look like candy don't they! They were fun to make. I won't tell you how I made them because you might put me out of business. Some of you clever ones out there could probably work it out yourself, or then again, you may already be making far prettier ones.

I also badly need to improve my photography skills.

How to cut your bead sticks into same size pieces every time.

You can make a simple tool that will help you cut your bead stick into pieces of the same size each time.
First you will need a small scrap of timber about 8 inches long, and another small block of mdf to act as a jam or to rest your bead stick against. If you do not have any MDF handy, you could use a domino, or even a piece of tough cardboard. The diagram shows the jam attached with 2 screws, but you could use nails or thumb tacks.
Once you have the block made, draw lines as shown in the diagram to represent the cuts you may want to make depending on what sizes of beads you like.
Then simply place the bead stick against the jam, and keeping your razor blade vertical cut the bead stick on the line. Sometimes I find it better to stand when doing this so I can view the position of the blade from above to make sure it is positioned at the correct angle before I make my cut.
Using a very sharp blade is important to getting a nice clean cut. When it starts getting difficult to make a clean cut, I switch to a new blade.

Remember, this is just a diagram ... so it looks very neat. Yours does not have to look like this to work. It can be rough and crude ... it will work just as well.

Leather Look Baked Tubular Beads

Some more baked tubular beads. These beads look very much like leather wrapped with gold thread, but they are not. They were made using the same basic technique as the ones before except I painted them with folk art paint techniques using instructions on how to paint something to look like leather. Nothing very exciting about them, they just look like plain leather beads.

Batch 32 - Dark green bead sticks with flex of variegated colors

Dark green bead sticks with flecks of variegated colors from maroon, to dark blue to green and cream. You can cut these 6 inch bead sticks to any length. Mix them with other beads or use them for craft projects. They can easily cut with a sharp razor blade.


This item is for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Batch 31 - Bead Sticks with Large Hole - Can be cut to any size - Dark & Frosty with Varigated Threads

Apple green fiber bead sticks with splashes of dark green in a sort of mottled Zebra stripe style. The beauty with bead sticks is that you can cut them to any length you need. the look lovely mixed with larger round bead as shown in the little diagram. A couple of days ago I posted some instruction on how to easily cut your bead sticks to the same size every time. Click any of the thumbnails to see a larger view.
This item is for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Batch 30 - Rich golden yellow with splashes of maroon in zebra stripe style.

These bead sticks have been listed in with the tiger and zebra stripes. The main color is a rich golden yellow and the stripes or splashes of color are a dark maroon, As always you can find them in my ArtFire shop ... just look under the "Bead Sticks" section. The can be cut to any size you like with a sharp blade ... how easy is that!


This item is for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Batch 29 - Green on green bead sticks with splashes of color in zebra stripe fashion

Green on green fiber bead sticks. Bright green with splashes of light lime green. You can cut these bead sticks to your desired length with a sharp razor blade or scalpel. A scissors also works but your cut will vary depending on how sharp your scissors. Sharp is better. If you must cut with a scissors, always put the bead stick way back between a wide opened scissors to get the best cut.

This item is for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

28 Mustard colored bead sticks for jewelry and other crafts.

Mustard color fiber bead sticks that you can cut to any length. They look gorgeous mixed with round beads and the fiber texture of the beads is rich and are especially nice on winter necklaces worn with jumpers and other wool garments.

This item is for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Batch 27 - Bright candy pink bead sticks now available on ArtFire

Bead sticks just listed - Bright candy pink. only seven pieces available.
Bead sticks look lovely when mixed with round beads or pony beads as shown in the drawing below.

This item is for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Batch 26 - Plain colored bead sticks now available on ArtFire

Cherry pink or magenta bead sticks. Each bead stick is 6 inches long and you can cut them to any size you want.

This item is for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Plain colored bead sticks now available on ArtFire

I have started adding plain color bead sticks to my ArtFire shop. Will post pictures of them here as I get them listed.

These Bead Sticks are for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Bead Sticks are now available on ArtFire

These beads are for sale on ArtFire.
For more details or to purchase this item click the button below

Make a winter necklace with Bead Sticks and Fuzzy Caterpillar Yarn

How to make a necklace for your winter wardrobe.
You will need some fuzzy caterpillar yarn which is available from specialty yarn shops. This is the yarn that has fluffy bits separated or spaced out by plain string.
You will also need three or four bead sticks depending on how long you want to make the necklace.
Lastly, you will need some 8mm pony beads.
INSTRUCTIONS
Measure the gap between the fuzzy caterpillars and then cut your bead sticks accordingly with a sharp blade as shown in the photos. Cut into lengths so that two bead sticks plus three pony beads fill up the space between two fuzzy caterpillars.
String the beads on the yarn following the pattern in the photo. You will need to force the beads over the fuzzy caterpillars. Finally, add a clasp if your necklace is short. If your necklace can fit comfortably over your head you can simply tie the yarn in a knot and conceal it inside one of the beads. A drop of super glue will help keep it secure.

BEAD SET - 0010 - Hand made tubular beads with large holes in emerald green.

Emerald green tubular shaped beads with splashes of apple green and darker green.
These beads are for sale at Etsy.
They are made exactly the same as the ones I use on my journals.
The holes are large enough to string with ribbon, string or leather strips.