Artbeads "Colors of Fall" Design Partners Project

 Back in August I blogged about some of my favorite beads, including the bead sites I borrowed the pictures from.  I contacted the companies to let them know I had used them in my blog.  I received wonderful comments and emails back from all concerned thanking me for the publicity for their sites.  I was also invited to join the Artbeads Design Partner program.  My first round of products to review arrived toward the end of September, and I contemplated my ideas for them.  I had an necklace design idea when I picked out the products, and my project did come pretty close to that original idea.  We were asked to use the Pantone Fall Fashion Color Report to chose our color palate for our design. 

I love the changing of the seasons, and I am always inspired by nature.  Whether it is Czech leaves, Lucite Flowers, or pendants that join together nature and the beauty of beads, I love to make jewelry for all the seasons.  For this project I chose to use:
Toho seed beads in
Matte Wasabi (size 8), Frosted Transparent Teal (size 15), Opaque Red Brown (size 15), and Marbled Opaque Avocado/Pink (size 11)
Hand-Dyed Silk Ribbon in  Brown/Moss Green
Clay River Designs Round Tan Maple Leaf Pendant
Czech Glass Maple Leaf Beads in Wasabi/Picasso, and Olivine/Bronze
We were instructed that we could use all or some of the products chosen, and I used most of what I had received.  I have seed beads left and a few of the Czech glass leaves (I see earrings in their future).  One of the projects at Julie's Xpressions (where I work part time) in October was the Russian Spiral seed bead stitch.  I had never done this stitch before, and aside from fighting with the step up in the stitch, it worked well for my idea.  I originally started stitching the base tube around a skewer and then tried to feed the ribbon into the tube.  I was partially successful, until I hit a section suffering the step up syndrome, and that section decided to leave the project.  I restitched it around the ribbon, once I found a spot to start from.  I would say about two inches of the tube disintegrated before I found that spot!  Once I got going again, it worked well and the bail on the pendant was also stitched with Russian Spiral.  When the base tube was long enough (basically I had stopped and didn't know where to start from, so it was long enough), I added the Czech leaves with the size 15 seed beads in the Red Brown doing a small picot on the end of each leaf.  As I added the leaves, I followed the size 11 seed bead trail around the tube and added a leaf fringe at about the same point along the tube.  I couldn't decide on a clasp style, so at this point it is just a tie-on necklace.  I like it very much, hope you do too!  All of the products from Artbeads worked great, and I thank them for the opportunity!

Disclosure...As a reviewer of products at Artbeads.com, I received the Japanese Toho seed beads, hand dyed silk ribbon, Czech glass leaves, and Clay River Designs pendant above free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.