March Challenge

Hello again and welcome back to Beading Friends Forever. It is officially Spring and so we have a couple of really lovely challenges for you this month. I am sorry again about not getting the post properly organised last month - sometimes life gets in the way.

Anyway, onto this month. We have a £15 voucher for one entry that will be chose at random to spend online at Beads Direct. I am so grateful to them for their continued sponsorship of our challenge blog. Make sure you visit their website and Facebook page for lots of offers and inspiration.

The usual rules apply for our challenge. If you are not sure what they are please take a moment to check them - they are on the side bar to the left. There are not many but it helps keeps things as fair as possible.

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Theme

Photo inspiration - let your imagination run wild using the colours/flowers from the photograph

DT Inspiration

Marcea

Rachel

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Tutorial - Double Hugs & Kisses bracelet

Video by Potomac Bead Company

DT Inspiration

Bev

Marcea

Patricia

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I hope you enjoy the challenges this month. remember to come and visit us at our Facebook group for lots more inspiration and friendly chat. 

Add your entries to the link tool below or on our Facebook group challenge page

The challenge is open until 9pm on 31st March.

Good luck and have fun xxx

An InLinkz Link-up

February Challenge

Please accept my apologies for not getting the challenge up on the blog for February. Thankfully lots of you are members of our Facebook group and managed to enter. This month I will be far more organised ... I hope.

I still wanted to share the fabulous work by the design team and of course say a massive thankyou to our monthly sponsors Beads Direct. They very kindly give one lucky winner a £15 voucher to spend with them online.

The challenge for February was to try some chain maille following the given tutorial. The theme was red/hearts etc to tie in with Valentines Day .... here are the great examples by the DT

Rachel

Bev

Gail

Yvonne

Patricia

Thankyou to Beadaholique for allowing us to use their tutorial

The winner will be selected using random org. See you all later with the new challenge for March xx

An InLinkz Link-up

December winner

Hello and welcome back to Beading Friends Forever. Thankyou for all your entries last month. Sadly there can be only winner each month. The winner this month is .................

AC Beads - Congratulations

You are the winner of a £15 voucher to spend at Beads Direct. Please contact me for details on how to claim your prize.

A huge thankyou to Beads Direct for their continued support each month. 

Don't forget to join in this month with our challenges and maybe you could be the lucky winner for January xx

January Challenge

Welcome to Beading Friends Forever challenge blog and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

We are kicking off the new year with another challenge. As usual it is broken into 2 sections - a tutorial and a theme. You can enter each part 3 times making a total of 6 entries.

We are fortunate to be able to offer a £15 voucher to spend with our sponsors Beads Direct. They have so many gorgeous products plus they have a massive sale at the moment so pop over and grab yourself some bargains.

So onto the challenge .......

THEME - NEW/UNUSED STASH

Use any of your new stash or unused items

Bev

Gail

Patricia

Marcea

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Tutorial - Netted bracelet with Swarovski crystals

Many thanks to Gianna from Beading 4 Perfectionists for allowing us to use her lovely tutorial. Follow her on her Youtube channel or facebook page.

Patricia

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I hope you have fun joining in this month. Thanks to everyone who entered last month, I know how busy December is. The winner will be announced tomorrow.

To play along this month either add your link to the linky below or post on our challenge page on our Facebook Group.

Please follow the rules (on the sidebar to your left)

Winner will be selected using random.org

This challenge closes at 9pm on 31st January

Have fun!!!!

December Challenge

sorry for not getting the post done this month. Lovely to see you all playing along on our Facebook group. I have added this today so that I can add all the entries ready for the draw tomorrow.

I would just like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Also a huge thankyou to our sponsors Beads Direct

Make sure you come back tomorrow to join in our new challenge for January xxx

November winner

Hi everyone, wow lifve is so hectic in December isn't it. I completely forgot to post the winner for last month.

Congratulations Julie - you have won £15 to spend at Beads Direct. Please contact me for details on how to claim your prize.

Thankyou to Beads Direct for sponsoring our challenge.

I shall get the blog post up at the weekend for this month. As many of you know the theme is Anything Goes - pop over to our facebook group to join in the chat and share ideas and creations

xxx

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