National Native American Heritage Month Bead Coloring page

 

Do'inta? Se uzra Shala Kerrigan.

How are you? My name is Shala Kerrigan. 

I only have a handful of words in my language, which is Lower Tanana Athabascan. 

This coloring page is based off the style of bead embroidery done by Athabascans up here in Alaska. 

I hope you enjoy it! 

Click the images below for larger versions to download/print/color. 

Small jpg version of bead work coloring page: 

Large transparent png version of bead work coloring page: 

 

Beaded Flowers Coloring Page

 

Today's coloring page is a bit different. 

I've been entering Spoonflower contests because it's a good challenge, and after I finished the one for this Spoonflower Design Challenge, I decided it would be a good coloring page. I hope you enjoy it!

Download the pages, print and color them! 

Small jpg version Beaded Flowers:

Large tranparent PNG version Beaded Flowers

Rainbow Circles Box and a new bead project

I hope you enjoy this printable geometric rainbow colored circles box. The pattern occurred to me while I was reading a sword and sorcery adventure novel (I love Simon Green, it's one of my secret guilty pleasures) and worked out just right on the first try for the 3 inch repeat with the colors.

Currently (9-19-2013 to 9-25-2013) voting in Spoonflower's geometric contest. I'd love to see this pattern made into shoes if you want to vote for me, but there are a ton of great designs to choose from and you can vote for all of your favorites by signing into your Spoonflower account.

Click on the image for a larger version, print on card stock, cut out, score folds, fold, glue!

You can find instructions for this faux arm candy memory wire bracelet HERE. It's super easy and a great way to use leftover beads from other projects.

Beaded hair clips

You can find instructions for these quick to stitch flower clips on Beadwork at BellaOnline. I made them last night while reminding myself that I really, really need to order reading glasses soon. I'm very near-sighted, and my current prescription is set up for distance. For close work and reading, I was given a weaker prescription. Why reading glasses and not bifocals? Because when I'm reading, beading or crafting, I'm doing it for hours at a time. Reading glasses are more convenient then bifocals for me.

More later. I need to write it all a little more coherently then I did earlier.

Rainbow Printable Box

This box was inspired by my friend Grace's daughter. She's wild for rainbows, and I thought she might like something like this. Click on the box for a larger version, print on card stock, cut out, score, fold, glue! I'm thinking of doing a couple other things to match like circles for cupcake toppers and printable cards.

I also posted a new project to Beadwork at BellaOnline today. A beaded thumb drive.

Still sick, but feeling a lot better now. I've actually gotten a few things done over the last couple of days! TG caught my cold with a vengeance and is not at all pleased about it.
I hope you are all doing well!

Printable quote, sunsets and beadwork

Mt. Susitna at Sunset 7-24-2012 Photo taken by Michael Simbeck

I really recommend clicking on the photo above to see it in all it's splendor. Since I gave my husband one of my old cameras, he usually can't resist zooming in. This photo however shows his talent for composition and it's just so gorgeous. It was a wonderful evening. He's been working nights, and sleeping during the day. He had woken up and I was fidgety. He suggested a drive to one of my favorite places to view sunset. Sunsets here are slow things, during the middle of winter, it seems like day is 2 hours of dawn, 2 hours of day and 2 hours of sunset. In the middle of the summer, it's the other way with 2 hours of night between dusk and dawn. 

Today's printable is a favorite quote by Joss Whedon. 

“Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE.” 

-Joss Whedon

 Click on the image for the larger version. There will be a smaller version for sharing on my main FB page and DETPQuotes in a minute or two! Prints at 8x10 inches.

I realized, I completely forgot to post a link to the newest bead project on BellaOnline!

Basic instructions for creating an adjustable choker. My example was made using stash beads by a favorite local polymer clay artist, Karen Ottenbreit.

Super Easy Chained Bead Friendship Bracelets

These are some of the quickest, easiest friendship bracelets to make, and inexpensive.  Just a beaded chain stitch using elastic cord and mini pony beads. I think they would make a good tween project for groups.

You will need:

• Elastic Beading Cord- I used Dritz Metallic Beading Cord
• Mini Pony Beads in various colors*
• Scissors

*Full size pony beads will work too. I just prefer the appearance of the small ones

Cut 16 inch lengths of the cord. If you're making these with a group i.e. a summer camp project or scouting group, it's easier to have the cord pre-cut.

About 4 inches from one end, make a loop with the cord crossed.

Hold the cord where it crosses, and make a loop with the longer end and put it in the first loop.

Pull to tighten.

Now you'll put on the first bead, just push the loop through it. The holes in the pony beads are big enough for the folded elastic cord.

Make a loop in the long end, and put through the loop coming out of the bead. Pull to tighten the first beaded loop.

Add another bead.

You'll continue adding beads in the same manner, 6-10 beads looks good. Then to the beaded section, make a loop and pull it through the previous loop.

Then instead of adding a bead, pass the end of the cord through the loop. Pull to tighten. Until this step it's easy to pull it all apart by giving the working end a tug, this step locks the beads.

Tie the ends in an overhand or square knot, trim ends. Because it's elastic, it's easy to put on and off. 

My grandmother used to make necklaces in a similar fashion. She would use a metallic elastic thread instead of cord, chain from the beginning and intersperse plain chains with beaded chains using plastic pearls. 

Bead inspired mandala to color

This one is definitely for the very patient! Some of the areas are much smaller than what I usually do.
This was inspired by all the Egyptian broad collars I was looking at over the last week and the broad collar coloring page that I drew based on them.

I hope you enjoy it, it's one of my favorite mandala coloring pages to date. Click on the images for larger versions.
Small JPG version:

Large transparent PNG version:

Flower and Lace Printable Boxes

I hope you enjoy this ditsy print floral printable box! I was also thinking of using it on some cookie sized boxes.
Click on the images for larger versions, print, cut, score, fold, glue.

My husband grilled for the first time recently. It was simple, just hamburgers, grilled over birch wood. But they tasted so good! 

Also, I posted instructions for a bracelet made with washers on Beadwork at BellaOnline. 

Coloring Page: Rose Window at Saint Denis- North

This is the North transcept rose window at St. Denis. The photo is from Wikimedia Commons.
One of the things I love about this window is the use of the zodiac in the 5 circle.

Here's my version to color. Click on the images for larger versions.
Small JPG version:

Large transparent PNG version:

There is another window from St. Denis to color here.

Recently I was sent some gorgeous vintage glass and a couple beautiful barrettes. I used some of the glass to make this bracelet.

You can find some details about how it was made here.
This is one of the two barrettes-

The barrette is made out of vegetable tan leather, and the wonderful artist who sent it does have an Etsy store, where you can get lots of different hair toys and leather masks- Beadmask. As far as the feather fall goes, that was made by a friend who I'll be setting up an Etsy shop for soon. Another extraordinary beader and artist named Teri Packel. 

Swirly Egg Coloring Page

A swirly egg Easter coloring page. I hope you enjoy it!
To get this page in high quality transparent PNG, click this image.

For a smaller, JPG (non-transparent) click this image.

I also posted a new bead project at BellaOnline Beadwork. A pretty hexagonal motif bracelet made with Twin beads.

Crochet Beaded Wrap Bracelet Pattern

I used light spring colors, but this would work in other shades, and the basic technique will work with other weights of yarn. Just size the beads up or down to match and the number of stitches.

You will need:

• size 10 thread (bedspread weight)
• size 6 steel crochet hook (1.6 mm)
• tapestry needle
• 5/8th inch button
• size 8 seed beads - a size 8 seed bead is about 3mm
• needle and thread for loading beads

All of the supplies for mine came from my stash, the thread is from a thrift store, the button is from my button box, and the beads are one of my favorite colors, Orange Opal Gold-Lined. 

American terminology

• ch=chain
• sc=single crochet
• repeat ** means repeat the step between the asterisks.

To work a beaded single crochet: Insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull loop through stitch, push up bead, yarn over, finish stitch. 

Loading beads on size 10 thread is easy, if you're using hanked beads, you'll pull a string loose, take off a couple of beads, then tie the thread and string together and slide the beads off the hank onto the thread. For beads that aren't on a hank, thread the small needle with sewing thread, double it and tie in a knot, then put the crochet thread through the loop, and load the beads on the needle and slide them down on to the crochet thread.

String 61 beads on thread (66 for a large wrist, 56 for a smaller wrist, 51 for a child)

Loosely chain 147 (157, 137, 127)

Row 1: Beaded single crochet in 17th chain from hook (button loop formed),* ch 1, skip stitch, beaded single crochet* repeat **, sc in last 10 chains.

Row 2: Ch 1 to turn (does not count as first stitch), sc in last sc of previous row, sc in next 9 stitches, sc in beaded sc,* sc in ch space, sc in beaded sc*, repeat ** to the end of the beaded section, 16 sc in ch 16 space, sc in each stitch down the other side. On the last stitch, cut the thread, leaving a tail to weave in, and pull through last stitch. I secured the last stitch with a half hitch knot, then wove in the ends.

Sew button to center of the 10 stitch single crochet end. 

You can also make this a choker style necklace. 

Facebook Quotes and Beady Things

Since I make quote art to post every so often on Facebook, I decided to create a page for it, so other people could share it if they wanted to. Don't Eat the Paste Quotes

Also! Read my review of Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue. Short version? LOVED the book.

I also posted instructions for a wrap bracelet.

My new chou loom

If you look up the word シュシュ in Google, you'll find out that it means "chou" and that a chou is a scrunchie.
I asked Abigail of Abigail's Craft How To how to pronounce it, she said "shu-shu". There is a loom that's available in Japan for making them. It's a very simple pegged knitting loom. (Japanese site) This weekend, my husband and daughter teamed up to make me one.

The pegs are a little long and there are a couple other modifications that we've talked about making. But the chou on the loom is one that I knitted out of thrifted vintage acrylic yarn. I don't have any fuzzy or furry yarn handy or I've have tried it out of that. The wide open knit has a lot of stretch, and there is elastic in it as well. It's super easy to make scrunchies on the loom. They will probably make a few to sell in my Etsy shop. First there are a couple things that I want to work out.

I'm not a fan of acrylic yarn usually, this is from The Amazing Turnip Girl's stash.

This weekend I also made a pair of ear cuffs, that I'll be posting instructions for on Beadwork at BellaOnline later today. After trying a few ways to photograph them, I finally just put them on the loom.

I also made myself a very large hair bobble using tabletop skulls from Halloween. I'll post instructions for hair bobbles later this week!

Rose Rulers

Because it's absolutely essential that rulers print out exactly, the rulers are in PDF format. Both colorways to be printed on one sheet of cardstock in US letter and A4 format. The rulers are 3 inches wide and 10 inches long marked in both cms and inches. I suggest either laminating or spraying with clear acrylic. 

Right click and save the US Letter format rulers HERE.

Right click to save the A4 format HERE.

I also posted a memory wire charm bracelet project at BellaOnline.