New Bracelet Design :)

I was feeling very crafty this weekend and as a consequence I spent a large part of my time sat on the lounge floor surrounded by beads :)

I wanted to make a bracelet using a spiral rope chain but didn't just want to do a basic design. The spiral rope looks like this (right). There are two main parts to the rope, the core and the outer spiral. When making it, each stitch adds one bead onto the core and one 'layer' onto the spiral (I'm planning to do a proper tutorial for this soon).

I decided this time to vary the design slightly by making the outer spiral very big and floppy, adding a lot more beads than I normally would. I finished it off with a sterling silver toggle and fell in love with my pretty purple bracelet. It was so nice that I made a second one in blue the next day (which is in my Folksy shop) but the purple one is all mine!

My Folksy Favourites

It's Tuesday again, and time for more of my favourite items from Folksy. With over 500 sellers on Folksy now, there are a lot of items to choose from!

For those of you out there who like to make your own items Folksy is also a treasure trove of crafty supplies, many of them unique. Abstract Cat Crafts is a lovely shop selling skeins of hand dyed wool in fantastic colours. Just take a look at this one, if ever there were colours to lift you out of the winter blues then these are they!

Another fantastic place to go for your crafting supplies is The Bead Shack. This is a real treasure trove of beads and findings; cute, glamorous, practical and pretty, it's all here. Some of my favourites are these absolutely adorable frogs! They'd be perfect on a bracelet, climbing round your wrist!My final choice for this week comes from Mollimoo, a fantastic first port of call for funky buttons. With buttons in every colour and design imaginable, they're perfect for finishing off that bag, cardigan, or just for sewing all over your jeans :) My current favourites are these stripy ones, the colours are so bright and clear and the stripes are lovely and bold.

I hope you like this week's picks!

Make a necklace with me!

This is the first of my tutorials; how to put findings on a necklace, an essential skill!

Many of my necklaces are made on tigertail, a brilliant wire that's incredibly flexible but makes very strong jewellery. To finish the necklaces I use a number of different clasps, but almost always attach them in the same way.

First off, you need a necklace to put findings on! For the sake of argument, and in true Blue Peter style, here's one I made earlier...

Now you need to gather together the relevant findings. To put a basic clasp on a necklace you need the clasp, two jump rings (I normally use 6mm), two crimp beads (small metal beads that can be crushed flat with pliers) and two wire protectors. You can see in the picture that I've put one of the jump rings on to the clasp - depending on the clasp this may or may not be necessary.

Now you take the crimp beads and put one one each end of the necklace before the final bead. Once you've done that, thread on the wire protector, then slide the clasp into the horse-shoe shape of the protector. Pass the tigertail back through the first bead, the crimp bead and four or five more beads.

Pull the end of the tigertail tight, so that the clasp and protector lie next to the end of the necklace and there are no gaps.

Take your pliers, and squeeze the crimp bead hard (you can't do this too hard) to flatten it around the wire. If you tug the wire now it should be secure. You can cut off the end of the tigertail up close to the necklace using wire cutters.

Now do the same to the other end of the necklace, using the jump ring instead of the clasp this time. And you have a finished necklace!

I hope you find this useful and like the finished product!

Introduction

Hello!

Welcome to Flutterbies!

I have always loved any craft, be it sewing, knitting, glass painting, silk painting... you name it and I've probably tried it somewhere along the way!

Some years ago now though, I fell in love with beads and the endless possibilities for working with them. I primarily make jewellery, and for some time have been using it for birthday and Christmas presents as well as selling it through some local shops.

A few months ago now, I discovered an amazing online community called folksy which enabled me to set up my own online store. With support and encouragement from all the other amazingly talented people there, I'm more passionate about my craft than ever!

So welcome to my blog, where I'll share photos, tutorials, hints and tips, links to some of the best handmade items out there, as well as the odd competition and giveaway. So please add me and keep checking back to see what's new!