#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--BEADING WITH GUEST AUTHOR ELLEN BYRON

Ellen Byron’s TV credits include Wings and Just Shoot Me. She’s written over 200 magazine articles, and her published plays include the award-winning Graceland. Today she joins us to talk about her passion for beading. Learn more about Ellen and her book at her website. 

Make a Necklace with Ellen Byron

Branding is the buzzword of the decade. With that in mind, I decided to create a signature color palette themed to my Cajun Country series that I’d wear to book signings and conferences. Since the series is set in Louisiana, I went with the Mardi Gras scheme of purple, green, and gold. Amassing a wardrobe in those hues hasn’t been a problem. But coming up with accessories has. So I decided to make necklaces that would compliment my outfits.

I got into making jewelry a few years ago, so I already had the basic tools: jewelry pliers, wire cutters, and wire. I bought crimping beads at Michael’s.

I have a collection of glass and crystal beads, but I expanded it through shopping at local bead shops, online stores, and craft shops. I also found old necklaces that I took apart so I could repurpose the beads.

Step one: I searched Ebay for “vintage pins purple gold green” or “mardi gras pins.” I ended up buying about five in several necklaces I assembled styles. Here are four, but I’ll guide you through my process using another pin.

 

Step two: I cut a length of wire about six inches longer than I’d need for the length of the necklace. That leaves about three inches on each end to attach a clasp. (NOTE: For this example, I only used one long wire because the brooch’s clasp I attached it to was vertical. If the clasp is horizontal, I cut two pieces of wire and attach one to each end of the clasp. NOTE #2: If the brooch is heavy, go with a heavier gauge of wire.)

Step three: I loop the wire around the top of the brooch clasp, making sure it’s even on both sides. I then slip on one or two crimping beads, push them down as close to the brooch clasp as possible, and squeeze the beads with the pliers to secure the wire in place. NOTE: This vintage alligator brooch had a loose clasp, so I also placed a dollop of strong craft glue over the clasp’s opening.

 

Step four: The fun part! I play with different bead combinations to see which best compliments the brooch I’m working with. Since this brooch is a bit heavy, I primarily used smaller crystal beads. If your necklace is too heavy, it won’t be comfortable and you increase the chance of it breaking. NOTE: I picked up the bead tray for fifty cents at a thrift store. I don’t use the measurements, but it’s a great surface to work on. But it’s totally optional.

If my combination is complicated, I write it down on a “cheat sheet.” You want both sides to match up. So if you make a mistake and don’t want to re-string your wire, just make sure you match the other side to the pattern. If you look closely at my finished necklace, you’ll see that I messed up once and instead of two green beads, I did one. When I realized this, rather than re-string an entire side, I simply copied the “mistake” on the opposite wire. That way, the patterns on both sides still match up.

Step five: Time to attach the two halves of the clasp to finish the necklace. First, I string two crimping beads onto one end of a wire, and then I add the clasp. (I prefer a lobster claw clasp, which I’ll always attach to the left wire because I’m a lefty.) I loop the wire through the crimping beads, leaving enough of a loop to allow the clasp to hang loose, but not so much that the loop is huge. (I also leave about a half inch of wire below the clasp so that the beads have a bit of room, although you can’t tell from the pictures below.) I repeat the process with the other half of the clasp on the opposite wire. I twist the excess wire around the wire below the crimping beads once or twice for extra hold, and then trim off whatever’s left.

 

The finished product is the photo at the beginning of this post.

I’ve laid out very detailed instructions, but making one of these necklaces is a lot of fun and really not that hard. My biggest dilemma now is how to stop myself from making more of them!

P.S. See if you can spot where I goofed up the pattern of purple/gold/green/gold/green/gold. Instead, I beaded purple/gold/green/gold/purple, missing a green bead. Hint: it’s about a third of the way up from the alligator.

Plantation Shudders

Maggie Crozat, a feisty artist in her early thirties, moves back to eccentric Pelican, Louisiana, after a decade in New York to work at her family’s historic plantation-turned-B&B.  The family business is in peril after an obnoxious eighty-something couple staying at the B&B on their honeymoon – yes, their honeymoon – mysteriously drops dead within minutes of each other.  The Pelican Chief of Police carries a longstanding grudge against the Crozats, and Maggie can’t trust the sexy new detective in town because he happens to be the Chief’s cousin. So Maggie is forced to become an amateur sleuth, aided by her accordion-playing best friend Gaynell, her cross-dressing pal JJ, and her cocktail-loving Grandmere.

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST CRAFTER AND ROMANCE AUTHOR CHERI ALLAN

Cheri Allan is the Amazon Romantic Comedy bestselling author of hopeful, humorous contemporary romances. She's a firm believer in do-it-yourself, new beginnings and happily-ever-afters, so after years of wearing suits, she's grateful to finally put her English degree to good use writing romance. Learn more about Cheri and her books at her website. 

Okay, fess up. Who here has a ‘crafts closet?’ <raises hand>  I knew when I found Lois’ blog, that I’d found kindred spirits, because I’ve been a crafter my whole life (ever since those macaroni Christmas ornaments, you know what I’m talking about.) Today, I’m sharing with you a craft that I started with my very first novel: book cover necklaces! These have been a great way to celebrate the impending release of each novel as well as to motivate me to write the next one. If you’re not an author, never fear. These would work equally well with a favorite photo.

First, I purchase photo frame charms (I get mine on eBay) which come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, then I take images of my book covers to Staples and have them printed on photo paper. Then the fun begins! After cutting and gluing the image into the frame, I start collecting beads that complement the colors in the image and play around with design. You’ll note that most of mine have either a dropped center portion (formed by putting both ends of the same wire through a few beads before splitting them up for each side of the necklace) or a double-stranded center (I use two wires strung in parallel--beaded separately and then together--for that style). This is because the photo frames can be heavier than a standard charm or focal bead, and I found that without doing that, the necklaces hung in a sharp vee which wasn’t as pleasing to the eye.

I tend to wing it when beading, letting the image and the beads tell me how long the necklace should be and whether it all works. And, just like in writing, there are times I get to ‘the end’ and realize it’s NOT working… and tear it all out to start over. Ultimately, I’ve got a little wearable keepsake that’s a great conversation starter!

My newest release, All or Nothing, is about the aftermath of a reality dating show… because I’m a crafter AND a reality dating show junkie. But you’d never catch me on a reality show.  Then the world would see the sorry state of my crafts closet. ;)

All or Nothing, Betting on Romance Book 3

When finding Mrs. Right goes, oh, so wrong…

Self-made tech millionaire Ian McIntyre has suffered through a reality dating show only to return home to idyllic Sugar Falls, New Hampshire, empty-handed, swarmed by paparazzi, and hounded by a Hollywood producer determined to deliver a Happily Ever After. But then his home is invaded by a sexy, snarky local staging it for the season finale, and Ian finds himself more interested in the cute and scrappy hometown girl dusting off his action figures than the audience’s favorite southern belle.

Auto mechanic Bailey Adams grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and is struggling to patch together enough odd jobs to buy a garage of her own. When the Golden Boy of Sugar Falls entangles her in his disastrous season of Happily Ever After, they both discover that some long-held dreams are only as ‘real’ as ‘reality’ TV.  Now, with the deal on her dream garage in jeopardy and her unlikely love affair with America’s favorite geeky hunk playing out on national TV, Bailey must decide if she’s willing to risk it all for love… or be left with nothing.

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CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA - GUEST CRAFTER AND AUTHOR LYNN FRANKLIN

Today we have a guest crafter who is also an author. Lynn Franklin's debut mystery, The Blue Diamond, her first Jeweler’s Granddaughter Mystery, shot to the top of Amazon's jewelry books category and into the top 100 mystery series category. Since then, the book has attracted world-wide attention, earning a 4.9 star rating. If you like gemstones, dogs and cozy mysteries set in small beach towns, check out Lynn's website and blog. -- AP

Like my protagonist in The Blue Diamond, I'm a jeweler's granddaughter. You'd think that would mean I have a wardrobe full of diamonds, emeralds and rubies, wouldn't you? Unfortunately I own no diamonds or emeralds and you need a magnifying glass to see the rubies in the earrings I purchased from Grandpa when I was in college.

Thing is, even if I could afford what were once called "precious gemstones" (the phrase has been abandoned by the jewelry community), I wouldn't buy them. Not when there are so many other interesting – and sometimes rarer – gemstones available.

Take, for example, anthill garnets. Not only are these sparkly gemstones as red as rubies, but they are found only in one place in the world: on the Navaho Nation in Arizona.

It's not the rarity of these stones, however, that makes them so darn interesting. Garnets in general come in purple-red, green, orange, pinkish orange and the ruby-like red known as pyrope garnets. Anthill garnets are a form of pyrope with one special difference: They are brought to the surface by ants.

That's right, ants. The nasty little critters that ruin picnics worldwide.

This is one instance in which the insects' industry benefits humans. Ants, of course, have no use for garnets. For them, the lumps of red just get in the way. So they haul the garnets to the surface, where industrious Native Americans can find them. Back in the 1800s, in fact, the Navahos used anthill garnets as bullets. Thank goodness someone eventually recognized the beauty of the stones and began faceting them.

Most people have difficulty distinguishing a ruby from anthill/pyrope garnet or, for that matter, from red spinel, another natural gemstone.

Of the three red gems in this photo, can you find the ruby? (answer below)

Yet rubies continue to cost a lot more than either the garnets or the spinels simply because people believe rubies are more valuable.

So what does this mean to the savvy crafter?  There are dozens of gorgeous, little-known gemstones available in every imaginable color. Often these gemstones are less expensive than the more popular gemstones. And many of these gems are made into beads, perfect for designing and creating your own jewelry. These one-of-a-kind confections will cost a fraction of what you'd pay to buy ready-made jewelry from a department or jewelry store.

I'm no expert, but I love creating stretch bracelets like this one:

So let's get started. For this simple project you'll need:

1. A selection of gemstone beads. For the bracelet in the photo, I used carnelian and butter yellow freshwater pearls, the latter obtained by taking apart a necklace I found on eBay.

2. A spool of stretch bead & jewelry cord in a size to fit the holes of your beads. I used a product called Stretch Magic, which gets great reviews on Amazon for its strength. Whichever brand you use, they all come in sizes from the thinnest .5 mm to 1 mm and sometimes more. You'll want to use the thickest – which translates into strongest – that will easily slide through the bead holes. My lovely freshwater pearls had such tiny holes that only the .5mm cord fit; so far this hasn't been a problem, though the finer cord was more difficult to work with.

3. Clear craft glue

4. A small pair of needle-nosed pliers

5. A cloth tape measure

6. Optional: A beading needle

To make the bracelet:

1. First measure your wrist with the tape measure. Add about 2 inches to that length. This will be the approximate length of your line of beads. Don't worry about being exact; you'll have the opportunity to try on the bracelet before committing.

2. Lay the tape measure on a flat surface and use it as a guide to lay out your beads in a line. In the photograph, I alternated pearls and carnelians. But feel free to experiment, perhaps placing two pearls to every single carnelian. The whole idea here is to create something unique to you.

3. Once you've created a line of beads that pleases you, pull out your stretch cord and find the loose end. Do not cut the cord from the spool. We'll do that after all of the beads are strung.

4. Now, starting from one end of the line of beads, slip the first bead onto the beading cord. You can do this either by holding the cut end of the cord taut while slipping the bead over the cord (my preferred method) or thread the cord through a beading needle and slip the bead over the needle. Continue down the line until all of the beads are on the cord.

5. Now's the time to correct your size. While leaving the cord still attached to the spool, wrap the cord and beads around your wrist and pinch the cord where the beads end. Is the bracelet too loose? To snug? This is the time to add or remove beads.

6. Once you're satisfied with the size, it's time to cut loose from the spool. Leave at least 6" of cord on each end of two outermost beads. You'll need the extra cord to make your knots. If you're using the thinner cord, you might want to leave a bit more. Cut the cord.

7. Hold both ends of the cord together and make a single overhand knot (don't worry; there are diagrams on the back of the cord package). The trick now is to slide that knot as close to the beads as possible so you don't have extra space between the beads. The easiest way to do this is to slip the noose part of the knot over your needle nose pliers and use those to keep the noose from tightening while you slide it close to the two end beads. When you're satisfied that the noose is as close as you can make it, slip the pliers loose while tightening the knot.

8. Dab clear glue over the knot.

9. Make another single overhand knot as before, lining it up close to the original knot.

10. Another dab of glue, cut the ends close to the knot, and it's time to wear your lovely, one-of-a-kind bracelet.

Before you go, let's take another look at the photo of the three red gems. Left to right, they are: red spinel, ruby, anthill garnet.

Did you guess correctly? If not, don't worry. Few people can tell the difference between ruby, red spinel and anthill garnets. Besides, you know that famous red stone in Britain's crown jewels, the one called the "Prince's Ruby"? It's not a ruby at all; it's a natural red spinel.

Thanks for visiting with us today, Lynn. Readers, any of you ever make your own jewelry? Let’s hear from you. -- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Every go into a panic when you need to buy something, but the choices are so confusing that you stand in front of the shelf, unable to make a choice? Which brand of cereal is best for your kids? Which shoes go better with that outfit? What color paint will look best on the living room walls? Does this brand work better than that brand? 

It's enough to drive anyone to the brink of a panic attack! And guess what? Whether it's cereal or wall paint, we're generally bombarded with too many choices. Often it's a simple matter of taste, but more often than not, other factors come into play. Educating yourself about products helps you make better choices, right? Well, the same thing is true with craft supplies and tools.

Using the proper tools is essential in any craft. Needles are no exception. No matter what the thread or material, there’s a needle to suit the job. However, sometimes the choice can be overwhelming. Many stitchers are confused as to which needle to use for which kind of stitching project. There’s a specially designed needle for each specific type of sewing and needlecraft, and it’s important to use the right needle to obtain the best results.

To confuse matters further, many types of needles also come in a selection of sizes. When dealing with size, a good rule of thumb is to choose a needle that does not open the weave of the fabric any more than necessary as the needle passes through it. A needle that is too large will create gaps in your fabric as you work, and a needle that is too small will cause your thread, floss, or yarn to fray as you stitch. This is true whether you’re stitching by hand or machine. Always test your needle, thread, and fabric combination before beginning a project.

Here’s a handy guide that should help in selecting the appropriate needle for your work:

CREWEL/EMBROIDERY NEEDLES
Crewel needles, also known as embroidery needles, are medium-length needles with sharp points for piercing closely woven fabrics. They have long oval eyes for easy threading of multiple strands of yarn or floss. Use these needles for most embroidery projects, including cutwork, pulled thread, stumpwork, candlewicking, and smocking.

CHENILLES
Chenilles are similar to crewel or embroidery needles but are larger in size for stitching with heavier threads and fabrics. They work well when using tapestry wools or multiple plies of Persian wool. Chenilles are also ideal for fastening the ends of couched threads.

TAPESTY NEEDLES
Tapestry needles are heavy needles with blunt ends and large oval eyes. They're used when stitching on evenweave fabrics when you want the needle to slip between the threads of the fabric, rather than piercing the threads. This makes them ideal for counted cross stitch, Hardanger embroidery, blackwork, shadow appliqué, and trapunto. They are also used for stitching on canvas for needlepoint and Bargello and for plastic canvas.

BEADING NEEDLES
Beading needles are very thin needles with small eyes that allow the bead to slide down the needle onto the thread. Use them for doing counted bead embroidery or other beading projects.

SCULPTURE NEEDLES
Sculpture needles are very long needles used for making soft sculpture dolls and stuffed animals. Their length enables you to stitch through stuffed sections.

SHARPS
Sharps are medium-length needles with round eyes and sharp points. They’re used for hand sewing.

MILLINERS
Milliners are similar to sharps, except longer. These needles are useful for basting as well as for pleating and smocking.

BETWEENS
Betweens, also known as quilting needles, are short needles with small round eyes and sharp points. They’re ideal for making short, even quilting stitches.

DARNERS
Darners are long, large-eyed sharp needles used primarily for mending. They’re also ideal for dollmaking.

Do you have a favorite tool you can’t be without? Let’s hear from you. Post a comment this week to be entered in the drawing for a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--BEADED SNOWMAN ORNAMENT

To round out our trio of beaded ornaments, here’s a cute snowman to go with your reindeer and train ornaments. Once again, it’s stitched on cross stitch fabric but with seed beads instead of embroidery floss.

Materials:
6” x 6” 14-ct. red Aida cloth
lt. gold, dk. gold, black, red, white, and dk. green seed beads
beading needle
red sewing thread

Directions:
The beads are stitched onto the fabric with a half-cross stitch. Work across each row using the color bead indicated in the chart. Use white for the snowman’s body, lt. gold for his corncob pipe, dk. gold for his arms, dk. green for his scarf, and black for his eyes, hat, and buttons.



Do you fill your tree with all sorts of ornaments, both handcrafted and store bought? Do you do themed trees? Let's hear from you? Post a comment this week to be entered into the drawing for a free book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--BEADED TRAIN ORNAMENT

Today, a cute beaded snowman ornament to go with your reindeer ornament. Once again, it’s stitched on cross stitch fabric but with seed beads instead of embroidery floss.


Materials:
6” x 6” 14-ct. white Aida cloth
lt. gold, black, red, lt. green and dk. green seed beads
beading needle
white sewing thread


Directions:
The beads are stitched onto the fabric with a half-cross stitch. Work across each row using the color bead indicated in the chart. Use red for the train body and center of large wheel; black for the smokestack, wheels, and cow catcher, lt. green for the roof, lamp, and bottom of bell; dk. green for inside the wheels and vertical stripes on train body; and light gold for the lamplight and bell.


What type of ornaments do you like on your tree? Any special theme? Do you have ornaments passed down from generations? Let's hear from you. Post a comment to be entered in this week's book givaway from our Friday Book Club Author. -- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--BEADED REINDEER ORNAMENT

This cute reindeer ornament is stitched on cross stitch fabric but with seed beads instead of embroidery floss.

Materials:
6” x 6” 14-ct. white Aida cloth
lt. gold, dk. gold, red and green seed beads
beading needle
white sewing thread

Directions:
The beads are stitched onto the fabric with a half-cross stitch. Work across each row using the color bead indicated in the chart. Use lt. gold for the reindeer; dk. gold for the antlers; red for the mouth, nose, and holly berry; and green for the holly, collar, and eye.


Readers, do you have any special holiday traditions you'd like to share? Post a comment to be entered in this week's drawing for a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP