I've never had much success in keeping these pretty little pot plants alive, although I've often been seduced into buying them because of the lovely combination of violet, blue and deep green. So I decided to craft some beaded beads inspired by them.
I started off by making some needle felted balls. Using the bright pink merino wool I used a fine barbed needle to poke the fibres together. Then I used Fireline beading thread to embroider the felt bead. Although the background felt is covered with beads, the bright pink still has an important role to play. When you really look hard at an African Violet flower, you notice that the colour really isn't uniform all over. Using the transparent blue glass flowers on the pink background means I get flowers that look purple on the inside, with a halo of bright blue. I found some glass leaves in my collection that are just the right shape.
The photo shows my first bead, threaded onto a needle with a silver lined larger bead on either side. It's hard to convey the depth of colour in a photo. I will bead up a whole garden full of these and then combine them to make a really pretty piece.
In contrast to my beading desk, the garden is still bereft of colour and we will not have a daffodil out on St Davids Day, the buds are still very tightly furled. Having a Welsh husband means I take note of these things.
I'm off to look out a recipe for Bara Brith!
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
Sleeping Beauty Bead Embroidered Necklace

Saturday, 23 February 2013
A new way to make beaded braids
I’ve been meaning to get myself one of these braiding disks
for a while so that I have something portable to make bead braids on. Handy to
take out into the garden, or to use at the kitchen table whilst I’m keeping an
eye on my cooking. I found the kit on ebay, it included bobbins, thread, a kit
for a bracelet, glue and clasps, as well as the braiding disk and instructions.
The whole thing cost just £9.99 and would be a great way to try kumihimo
braiding.
I’ve just finished my Sea Nymph Necklace. I’ve found a nice
way to do little dumbbell endings on the toggle clasp, which makes it extra
secure round the neck. Thank goodness for Fireline beading thread, which was originally
created for fishermen. I love to stitch my toggles with it. I figure that if it
will hold a wriggling fish it will withstand a lot of shimmying and shaking!
Sea Nymph is available to buy on my website at: http://www.beadizzy.com/
Sea Nymph is available to buy on my website at: http://www.beadizzy.com/
Friday, 15 February 2013
A head full of 'What Ifs?'
Sometimes a piece of work comes along and provides an exciting springboard that gets me going in an interesting new direction. Often these first pieces are highly experimental and I know that it's important to give yourself time to play, as it's how you evolve creatively, even if you feel as if you're not producing anything 'finished' for a while. I've been 'messing around' with some gemstone chips this week, trying to find a way to use them around the edge of a pendant when suddenly I had one of those 'aha' moments us beaders get sometimes. I can just imagine that this technique would make the prettiest flower centres - I can just see it working with tigers eye chips to make the centrepiece of a big sunflower bloom.
The photo shows the reverse of the Sea Nymph pendant section with the edging of glass chips. I'm always looking to find new ways of edging my more freeform beadwork. I like to take a more intuitive and organic approach than I do with my more formal embroidered pieces. In this case the piece is very seaweedy in style.
If there's anything that bead obsessed people (who, moi?) love more than things to create with, it's places to store their vast collection of beads.
At last I've found a way to store my bead tubes that works for me. I bought some flat A4 file cases in the local Poundland and they are just perfect! I've grouped the bead tubes into colours and I can now see at a glance what I have without rummaging, as the files are translucent.
My guilty confession is that I had to buy 12 of these boxes and I still need to go back and get a couple more before all my seed beads are stashed away. Good ol' Poundland.
The photo shows the reverse of the Sea Nymph pendant section with the edging of glass chips. I'm always looking to find new ways of edging my more freeform beadwork. I like to take a more intuitive and organic approach than I do with my more formal embroidered pieces. In this case the piece is very seaweedy in style.

At last I've found a way to store my bead tubes that works for me. I bought some flat A4 file cases in the local Poundland and they are just perfect! I've grouped the bead tubes into colours and I can now see at a glance what I have without rummaging, as the files are translucent.
My guilty confession is that I had to buy 12 of these boxes and I still need to go back and get a couple more before all my seed beads are stashed away. Good ol' Poundland.
Friday, 8 February 2013
Stitching up a storm
The sea has always played a big part in my life. As a child
I loved to be taken on day trips to explore rock pools and collect shells,
stones and tiny creatures with a net and plastic bucket. As an adult I find the
sight and sound of the sea soothing and stress busting, whether it’s a grey and
storm tossed day on the coast in Norfolk, or a warm blue one somewhere far
away. My latest necklace is inspired by the sea and will bring together all
kinds of gemstones, glass and textiles into a treasure necklace that will evoke
thoughts of the ocean.
My starting point was to create a wrapped cord. I have a collection of scarves, including some vintage ones and I selected a blue Italian one which I cut into strips and wound tightly with decorative threads. This gave me a lovely knobbly wrapped cord reminiscent of beach string onto which I’ll weave my seaweedy beadwork.
My starting point was to create a wrapped cord. I have a collection of scarves, including some vintage ones and I selected a blue Italian one which I cut into strips and wound tightly with decorative threads. This gave me a lovely knobbly wrapped cord reminiscent of beach string onto which I’ll weave my seaweedy beadwork.
The photographs show my beadwork in the early
stages with some of the beads I’m going to include. Blue topaz, jade, hematite,
aventurine and lots of other goodies are begging to be included. I also found
some glass beads that remind me of tide-washed sea glass so they will be going
in too.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
New embroidery and kumihimo
I'm pleased with the way the ends turned out on this new kumihimo braid, there are some lovely textures and colours in it.
Both items are for sale on my website at: http://www.beadizzy.com/
I've tidied up the chaos and the decks are clear for a completely new piece inspired by our holiday at Christmas. It's based on sea and rocks and will have some blue topaz gemstone chips woven into it. As usual I'll post photos as I progress with it.