Showing posts with label free beading project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free beading project. Show all posts

Thursday, March 17, 2011

New Free Project for JTV's Jewel School: In the Pink Necklace

I am quite pleased with how this simple but striking design turned out. In fact, I wish I could keep it and wear it out! Alas it must live in my cubicle at JTV. Ah well, you can make one for yourself and wear it and I shall live vicariously through you.

There's a softer, more feminine feel to some of the looks on the runway for spring. I can picture this necklace with either of these outfits. It's so very Zelda Fitzgerald 2011.

Donna Karan Spring 2011

Nina Ricci Spring 2011

Feel pretty in pink with this rose quartz, bloodstone, copper and aged brass wire design. It's kicky, swingy, fresh and fabulous!

Follow this link for step by step instructions.

Cheers,
Madge

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

New Video on Demand for Jewel School!


Why look, can it be? Yes it is! Teeny tiny Madge has a new video project!

We are trying to march bravely forward at Casa de Potter. Here's my latest Video on Demand for JTV's Jewel School and it's just in time for Spring. I make a fun fringy wire necklace featuring Beadalon silver plated wire, smoky quartz and pretty striated cherry glass beads.

xoxo
Madge

Friday, March 11, 2011

And the winner is...plus a new free project for JTV's Jewel School!



And the winner of Crafty Chica's new novel is...Penny! Congratulations! Just email me at margot@margotpotter.com with your snail mail address and I'll forward that to the publisher!

Here's my latest project for Jewel School! For step by step instructions follow this link!

Cheers,
Madge

Friday, February 25, 2011

New Free Jewelry Making Project for Jewel School!



Here is this week's project for Jewel School, which I created many months ago on air. I like this one, it's simple but pretty and it's delightful on. You can get the instructions for this at the JTV blog. This is a great way to learn how to use the three channel bead board. It's one of those oft overlooked tools. You just build all three strands on both sides up to the same number and they will nestle into one another perfectly. No math required! It's terrific for Mad Men inspired triple strand graduated necklaces.

I'm off to the bead mines...tune in tomorrow when I reveal my project for the Bead Soup Blog Party!

Cheers,
Madge

Monday, August 16, 2010

Free Mixed Media Jewelry Project: Shakespeare's Garden for Art Beads


Shakespeare's Garden Necklace by Margot Potter for Art Beads ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

View Two Shakespeare's Garden by Margot Potter for Art Beads ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I received an email while I was in Cincy from the fine folks at Art Beads that a tutorial I'd created for them a while back is live on their site! The necklace above is called Shakespeare's Garden and it features beaded wire circles and stamped resin pendants in a whimsical and sculptural design. What I love most about this is that these circles have dimension, but also fluidity because the wire underneath is not stiff.

I've been playing with these beaded circles for several years and every time I think, we'll that's about all you can do with those, another idea pops into my head. I do love to explore a theme and the circle is such a powerful, archetypal and cross culturally relevant symbol. Endings and beginnings and the journeys we take come around and around and around. Each of us a point on the sacred hoop making our own unique way to the center of higher understanding and universal love. Even Einstein once postulated that if we stood staring into space and could see to the farthest reaches, we'd eventually see the back of our own heads. Round and round and round she goes...

Powerful stuff, that circle. And as for Shakespeare, I've had the pleasure and the privilege of playing some of his greatest female characters...including Viola from Twelfth Night.

If you follow this link, you can get the full tutorial with step by step photos for this design. Enjoy!

"O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O, stay and hear; your true love's coming,
That can sing both high and low:
Trip no further, pretty sweeting;
Journeys end in lovers meeting,
Every wise man's son doth know.
What is love? 'Tis not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter;
What's to come is still unsure:
In delay there lies not plenty;
Then, come kiss me, sweet and twenty,
Youth's a stuff will not endure.
"
William Shakespeare-Twelfth Night

Love
Madge

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Free Halloween Craft Project: Vintage Plastic Hooty Owl Necklace

Hooty Owl Necklace Set Copyright 2009 Margot Potter


Hoot, hoot! I gave you a sneak peek of this necklace a while back. It's so seasonally apropos, I thought this would be the perfect time to share the instructions. This is another easy to whip up in a flash idea and you can sport this puppy all year long. These adorable owl beads come in a variety of colors. I'm a HUGE fan of vintage plastic beads and Beadin' Path has a phenomenal selection. I think plastic is a highly underrated material. It's lightweight, it comes in fantastic colors and effects and often you find far more whimsical ideas done in plastic than would ever be done in gemstone or crystal. I'm not a materials snob...I'll make jewelry from anything! Heck even trash if it's clean! (Designer note: I ended up going back and taking off the last two black beads after I photographed this, so the instructions reflect the updated version. You can add more beads if you want it to be longer.)

Free Halloween Craft Project
Vintage Plastic Hooty Owl Necklace
Copyright 2009 Margot Potter

Materials
6 15x30mm "
limey" vintage plastic owl beads
5 18mm
white with black polka dot vintage German plastic rounds
12 10mm
_Plastic&search=yes&page=search.html">filigree white vintage plastic rounds (these are available in bulk only on Wolf Myrow)
2 15mm
frosted black Plaid Fresh rounds
2 3.5" segments Beadalon
polyester chain
Frosted black
Blue Moon Beads Noir toggle clasp
2 sterling silver
EZ-Crimp ends
11 5mm
silver plated jump rings
6 2" silver plated
head pins
4 1.5" silver plated or sterling
head pins
2 silver plated or sterling
French ear wires

Tools
Round nose pliers
2 pairs chain nose pliers
Mighty or EZ Crimp Tool
Scissors

1. Cut off 2 3.5" segments of Beadalon polyester chain.

2. Create 6 coiled owl dangles, 2 coiled polka dot dangles and 2 filigree double loop dangles.

3. Attach an EZ-Crimp end to a 12" segment of .018 19 strand Beadalon wire
.
4. Slide beads on in the following order: filigree, owl, filigree, polka dot, filigree, owl, filigree, frosted black, filigree, owl, filigree, polka dot...continuing this pattern until you reach the final (12th) filigree bead.

5. Thread wire into EZ-Crimp, use chain nose pliers to pull it through. Keep piece rounded to prevent it from being too stiff. Attach EZ-Crimp. Cut off excess wire.

6. Use jump rings to attach EZ-Crimp ends to your two poly chain segments.

7. Use jump rings to attach the clasp to each open end of poly chain.

8. To create earrings, attach ear wire to one end of double looped filigree, attach open bottom of filigree to coiled polka dot and repeat for second earring.

Designer Note: All materials used in this design were donated by the manufacturers and website owners for use in my work.