November Challenge

Hi there, wow November already and everyone seems to be busy crafting for Christmas. It was great to see so many entries last month - I know you are all ever so busy at this time of year.

So we move onto another brand new challenge here on Beading Friends Forever. Thankyou ever so much to our fabulous sponsor, Beads Direct for their wonderful prize of £15 to spend at their website.

The challenge follows the usual format of a tutorial and a theme. You are allowed to enter each part 3 times making a total of 6 entries. Remember the more times you enter the greater your chance of winning. The winner each month is chosen by random.org so it does not matter if you are a beginner or more advanced. Please take a moment to read the rules on the sidebar.

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Theme - A Bag Charm

DT Inspiration

Gail

 

Marcea

Patricia

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Tutorial - Jeweled Bracelet

A huge thankyou to Around the Beading Table for allowing us to use their tutorial this month. Visit their website for lots more inspiration

The tutorial is different this month because it is a pattern instead of a video. It is a very clear pattern with lots of pictures but if you have any questions please ask on the BFF facebook page and I will do my best to answer them. 

The link to the tutorial is http://www.aroundthebeadingtable.com/Tutorials/LindasJeweled.html

(pattern below DT inspiration)

DT Inspiration

Marcea

Patricia

LINDA'S TWEAKED JEWELED BRACELET

Materials (for a 7.5 inch bracelet):

• 4 yards FireLine
• About 100 size 11/0 seed beads
• About 72 size 4mm bicone crystals
• About 9 size 6mm fire-polished beads
• clasp

code = seed bead, bicone crystal and fire polished bead

Step 1: Thread your needle with 4 yards of Fireline (or start with a length that you are comfortable with and add more later).

String two seed beads, a fire-polished bead, two seed beads, a bicone crystal, a seed bead and a bicone crystal.

Leaving about a 12-inch tail for attaching the clasp, tie the beads in a circle with a double knot:

Step 2: Go back around through the two seed beads and the fire-polished bead that you strung in the last step:

Step 3: String two seed beads, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a bicone crystal and two seed beads.

Go around and back across through the fire-polished bead:

Step 4: Go back up and around through the two seed beads, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead highlighted in RED:

Step 5: String a bicone crystal, a seed bead and a bicone crystal.

Go back across through the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead (all beads highlighted in RED):

Step 6: String a bicone crystal, a seed bead and a bicone crystal.

Go back across through the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead highlighted in RED:

Step 7: String a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a bicone crystal, two seed beads, a fire-polished bead and a seed bead:

Step 8: Circle back around...

and go down through the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead highlighted in RED):

Step 9: Continue back around through the bicone crystal the two seed beads and the fire-polished bead highlighted in RED:

Step 10: String two seed beads, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a bicone crystal and two seed beads. Go around and back across through the fire-polished bead:

Step 11: Go back down and around through the two seed beads, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead highlighted in RED:

Step 12: String a bicone crystal, a seed bead and a bicone crystal. Go around and back across through the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead highlighted in RED:

Step 13: String a bicone crystal. Go back around through the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead highlighted in RED:

Step 14: Go back around through the beads highlighted in RED to give the motif some extra strength:

Step 15: Flip the bracelet over so that you are exiting from the bottom of the right-most seed bead:

Step 16: Repeat Step 7 to Step 15 until your bracelet is the length you want it, minus about a half-inch and the length of your clasp.

Step 17: To attach one side of your clasp, make a loop of seed beads that will circle round through your clasp: String two seed beads, go through your clasp, string two more seed beads and go back down through the seed bead that you exited at the beginning of this step:

Go back around through these seed beads and the clasp several times. Weave back through the bracelet, going around through the outside of each motif to strengthen and tighten up the beads. Knot in several places and cut your thread. Use the tail thread from Step 1 to attach the other side of the clasp.

Many thanks, Linda!

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I really hope you all join in and are not put off by not having a video tutorial. This is a stunning bracelet and it would look gorgeous with so many different types of beads. 

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So there you have it. Happy beading! You can enter either on the linky below or by sharing your entry on our Facebook group - Beading Friends Forever. Make sure you add your entry to the challenge page for November.

Entries to be submitted by 6pm on November 30th.

One winner will be selected using random.org

Happy beading - love Marcea and the BFF Design Team

xxx

September Winner

Apologies for the lateness of this post - I completely forgot about drawing the winner for September ... sorry everyone.

Congratulations Catherine Kirkman .... you are the winner!!

Here is Catherine's gorgeous creation ...

Thankyou so much to Beads Direct for sponsoring us. Please get in touch with me Catherine for details on how to claim your £15 voucher to spend at Beads Direct.

Remember you all still have plenty of time to enter this months challenge xx

October Challenge

Happy October everyone, another month has passed already. I hope you are all enjoying our monthly challenges here on Beading Friends Forever. We had some gorgeous entries last month so make sure you check back later in the week to see if you are the lucky winner of the £15 voucher from our kind sponsors Beads Direct.

Onto our challenge for this month. As usual it is in two parts - a theme and a tutorial. You can enter both parts 3 times making a total of 6 entries .... remember the more times you enter the more of a chance you have of winning the £15 voucher. We are a very relaxed challenge but please do take a moment to read the rules on the side bar to make it fair for everyone taking part.

As I have already mentioned we are sponsored every month by Beads Direct. They very kindly offer a £15 voucher to be spent online. You should all nip over and have a look at their website. They have gorgeous products and also an excellent project section. Lots there to keep you busy and inspired.

Theme - Christmas Beaded Ornament

any christmas themed ornament can be entered

DT Inspiration

Gail

Patricia

Tutorial - Lady Luck Bracelet

Thankyou to HoneyBeads for allowing us to use their tutorial this month. Make sure you check out all their other tutorials on Youtube.

DT Inspiration

Marcea 

Rachel

Yvonne

Bev

Patricia

Additional details about the DT's creations can be found on their blogs - click on their name for a direct link.

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I hope you all enjoy the themes this month. Hopefully we have lots of entries to drool over and get inspiration from. Remember to check out our Facebook group - it is a lovely place to make friends and share ideas and our creations. You can add your entries either using the linky tool below or on the October challenge page on our Facebook group.

Remember your entries must be new creations - check out our other rules

All entries must be submitted by 6pm on 31st October

One winner will be selected using random.org

Finally - have fun!!! Happy Beading

Marcea and the BFF Design Team

September Challenge

A very warm welcome to everyone from us all here at Beading Friends Forever. I can hardly believe we are on our September Challenge already - the year is certainly flying by. Before I continue with this months challenge can I just say what incredible creations were made last month .... you all really excelled so thankyou so much for taking part and making this such a wonderful challenge group.

We continue as always with a two part challenge - a theme and a tutorial. You can enter 3 times for each part making a total of 6 entries. Please take a moment to have a look at the rules posted on the left hand side bar .... thanks :)

We are very lucky to have the continued support from Beads Direct and they very kindly provide us with a monthly prize of a £15 voucher. Please make sure you visit their website. They have just updated their website and the project page is really brilliant. Whilst you are there make sure you check out their amazing range of products including their brand new items which have been added.

Theme - Anything Goes

Any jewellery item can be entered

DT Inspiration

Yvonne

Rachel

Gail

Patricia

Marcea

Tutorial - Beaded Cocktail Ring

A huge thankyou to Aleshia from Beadifulnights for allowing us to use her tutorial. Follow her on Facebook or Youtube for more inspiration.

Hint - colour the ends of your thread like Aleshia has in her tutorial.

DT Inspiration

Pascale

Patricia

Marcea

Further details about the DT creations can be found on their individual blogs - please click their names to be taken to their blogs.

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We are all looking forward to seeing your entries this month. I hope you enjoy the ring tutorial, they really are very pretty once made up. To add your entries either add your link to the linky tool below or add a photo to the BFF September Challenge page on our Facebook Group. 

Remember to follow the rules - new makes only please.

All entries to be submitted by 6pm on 30th September.

One winner will be selected using random.org

Good luck and happy beading from Marcea & the BFF design team

xxx

August winner

Hi everyone. Well I am back home from my holiday and so I can finally announce the winner for last months challenge .... drum roll please..................

Congratulations to Traci Dorman for her beautiful earrings. The winner was chosen by random.org

If you can contact me Traci I will let you know how to contact your £15 voucher for Beads Direct. A huge thankyou to Beads Direct for their kind sponsorship of our challenge. 

The next challenge will be posted later today but if you are already a part of our Facebook group you can see it there right now x

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July winner

Hello there, huge apologies for not posting the winner sooner. I completely forgot .... oops. Anyway better late than never!! 

Congratulations to Gail Price for her entry. Her beautiful poppy was chosen by random.org

If you can contact me Gail I will let you know how to claim your £15 voucher to spend at Beads Direct. Thankyou to Beads Direct for their continued sponsorship of our blog.

Don't forget you still have plenty of time to enter this months challenge - just see the post below.

August Challenge

Hello and welcome to the August challenge here on Beading Friends Forever. Apologies for being a day late with the start of the challenge but I have been stuck on night shifts. Better late than never though so I hope you are all raring to join in. 

Thankyou for all the beautiful entries last month. The winner will be announced tomorrow so make sure you pop back to see if you are the lucky person to get a £15 voucher for Beads Direct.

We have 2 different challenges for you - a tutorial and a theme. You are allowed 3 entries for each part making a total of 6 entries. Please have a quick look at the rules posted on the side bar.

A huge thankyou to Beads Direct for their continued support and sponsorship. One entry this month will be chosen at random to win a £15 voucher to spend online at Beads Direct.

Theme - Native American Earrings

Make a pair of earrings which reflect the native American style

DT Inspiration

Wendy

Pascale

Yvonne

Patricia

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Tutorial - Peyote Stitch Bracelet

Tutorial is for odd count peyote however you may use even count if you wish.

Thankyou so much to Beadaholique for allowing us to use their video tutorial for this month.

DT Inspiration

Patricia

(odd count)

Pascale

(odd count)

Yvonne

(even count)

Please check each DT members blogs for additional details about their projects.

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We hope you like the challenges for this month and hope you have fun making your entries. To add your entry either add it to the linky below or post it on our Facebook group on the challenge page for August.

Please follow the rules

All entries must be submitted by 6pm on the 31st August

The winner will be selected using random.org

Good luck and have fun

Marcea and the BFF Design Team