The first 'Bead, Blog & Bounce' is for Bead Romantique, by Lisa Kan. This wasn't a book I owned, but I was so taken by pictures of things fellow beaders had made, that I decided to buy it... but to mix things up, I bought the 'e-book' version.
There was one piece in the book that really caught my eye, but there was no way I could afford to make it... for a start, it required 500 3mm Swarovski crystals!! But the triple spiral lariat was just so beautiful! I decided to mix things up a little, and combine part of the design from the lariat, with something a little less flamboyant (and expensive), so I took the rope design from the Deco Collar, and made a bangle, and embellished it with the leaves and flowers from the Triple Spiral Lariat. This is what I managed to come up with:
So, the other part of the challenge was to do a mini-review of the book. Let me just say, I loved this book! I think the reason I didn't already have it in my stash was the name... I'm never convinced by things professing to be 'romantic'!
It does however have lots of beautiful pieces in it, all very feminine and wearable, which is not something you always find. The instructions are all very clear, and very well written, with excellent diagrams. There is a real variety of pieces in the book too - something for every level.
I am very glad to have added this book to my stash, and there are many more designs that I will be adding to my to do list in the future!
Links to the OTTBS blog, and the blogs of other beaders taking part in the Bead, Blog and Bounce...
Operation Tackle That Bead Stash
(I will add other blog links here shortly)
I'm a huge fan of Lisa's designs, and love how you've combined 2 of them in your bangle.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful. Really nice, that you try to learn something new in beadwork (I also try to do it. I like every month tpo get the beading challenge tackle that stash- great, one can try to ake soething out of the box.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous bangle Becs. Love the way you've combined the 2 projects. I too was not sure about this book but having got it I do like it
ReplyDeleteGemxxx
I love the way you have made yours into a bangle, I too would love to make the necklace but funds will stop that. Your blog is fantastic and I enjoyed reading it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for joining in with the first Bead, Book & Bounce. I'm really pleased that you discovered a new book and tried something new. I love that you've altered the patterns to suit you and your budget. I knew that the book (and it's costly materials) might be a bit of a challenge, but I also knew that you OTTBS ladies are ingenious sorts!
ReplyDeleteEspecially love the sweet dangle of leaves and berries - so perfect for this time of year!