Greetings From Dockside
Previously on Bead Dynasty… there were beads. There were bracelets. There were questionable purchases. There was still that one green bead lurking somewhere in the studio.
And now, apparently, Bead Dynasty has gone on vacation.
I am writing this week from the cottage, where I fully intended to relax, read a book, take some photos and spend entirely unreasonable amounts of time sitting on the dock staring at the water.
Naturally, I brought beads.
Just a few beads.
Before anyone starts judging my definition of a few, I'd like to point out that I showed remarkable restraint. I did, however, bring the Keurig machine because there are some things I am willing to compromise on while roughing it at the cottage, and coffee is absolutely not one of them.
Priorities.
From a Pile of Purple to Something Pretty
Before heading off on vacation, this little pile of purple beads landed on my desk.
There wasn't really a grand plan. I had a mixture of frosted purple beads, shiny ones, faceted crystals, a few pearly white spacers and those ridiculously cute little cherry charms. I started moving things around until the colours and textures looked like they belonged together.
And that's actually one of my favourite ways to design a bracelet.
You don't always need to start with a pattern. Start with a colour.
Pick one colour you love and gather several different beads in that colour family. Mix matte with shiny. Add something faceted to catch the light. Throw in a tiny contrasting spacer every so often. Then choose one little focal element that gives the whole thing some personality.
Keeping the palette fairly tight means you can mix several bead styles without the bracelet looking like you emptied the bead drawer directly onto your wrist.
Although, to be fair, sometimes that's a look too.
A Little Stretch-Bracelet Tip
Since we're going to provide something useful around here between coffee reports and Bead Dynasty drama, here's one simple step worth adding to your bracelet-making routine: pre-stretch your elastic cord before you string your beads.
Give the cord a few gentle, firm stretches along its length before you begin. It helps remove some of that initial give in the elastic, which can help prevent those annoying little gaps from appearing between your beads after the bracelet has been worn. It's also a commonly recommended step when making stretch bracelets that hold their shape better over time.
I use Stretch Magic for my bracelets, and it's one of those tiny extra steps that takes practically no time but is worth doing.
Another little trick: when I'm planning a mixed-bead bracelet like this one, I lay everything out first and move the beads around before committing to the cord. It makes it much easier to balance different bead sizes, finishes and colours—and it prevents discovering at bead number 23 that all the sparkly ones somehow migrated to one side.
We Need to Discuss These Cherries
Now for the stars of this particular bracelet.
THE CHERRIES.
I ordered a package containing 27 sets of these little cherry charms for about $4.
For four bucks and 27 sets, my expectations were not exactly soaring. I was prepared for something somewhere between mildly disappointing and what the hell did I order?
Instead?
Too. Damn. Cute.
The tiny translucent flowers, little green leaves and sparkly cherries are adorable, and they turned out to be the perfect finishing touch for this purple bracelet.
Cherries also seem to be having a moment with the kids right now, so I'm predicting these little things are going to appear on more than one bracelet around here.
I'll add the link to the cherry charms because at roughly four dollars for that many sets, they're a fun little addition to have tucked into the bead stash.
Not that anyone here needs encouragement to add anything else to the bead stash.
This Week, We're Crafting Dockside
Since I'm officially on vacation this week, I'm giving myself permission to loosen the reins a little around here.
So consider this your warning:
This week's posts are coming direct from dockside.
There may be beads.
There may be a bracelet made while drinking coffee beside the lake.
There may be a book I'm reading.
There will almost certainly be sunrise and sunset photos because putting a camera in my hand when the light hits the water is basically unavoidable.
And there may simply be a report on how much better the morning coffee tastes when you're sitting on a dock listening to the water instead of staring at a pile of unfinished projects in the craft room.
Creativity doesn't always have to produce something.
Sometimes stepping away, changing the scenery, reading something completely unrelated to your craft, taking photographs or simply sitting somewhere beautiful gives your brain enough room to start making connections again. And usually, when you stop demanding that you come up with an idea, one wanders in all by itself.
Which is precisely why I brought a few beads.
Just. A. Few.
And the Keurig.
Obviously the Keurig.
Some of the links sprinkled throughout this post are affiliate links. That simply means if you click one and decide you absolutely need that crafty little something in your life, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
Think of it as helping to keep this little corner of the internet supplied with paper, ink, beads… and, most importantly, coffee. Because apparently creativity requires caffeine and an alarming number of craft supplies.
So click away guilt-free. You get the crafty goodies, I might get enough commission to fund my next questionable craft-room purchase. Everybody wins ~Thank you!
