Third Free Jewelry Making Project from New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry

Magnoliophyta Copyright 2011 by Margot Potter from New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry

Hey Boys and Girls!

I am unpacking and exhaling from my trip...but I will announce the winners in this blog next Friday, for both posts, so add another comment here if you want to double your chances of winning a signed copy of my new book! Two winners from each post will be selected!

Here is this weeks FREE project from my new book New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry! This is the last one, hopefully you've enjoyed. The vintage plastic beads are from Beadin' Path, I have a small dragon hoard of them. These are the beads I use on my personal, oversized, plastic jewelry I wear at shows. Fabulous! This is (IMHO) a fun book filled with great new techniques and creative inspiration. If you'd like a free copy, leave a comment below. I will announce two winners from this post and two from last week's this Saturday! Don't forget to comment on both to maximize your chances of winning!

xoxo
Madge

Magnoliophyta
New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry
Margot Potter

I love flowers, but they don’t love me. I’m highly allergic to pollen. I brave the outdoors and when I can’t do it further, I drape myself with floral themed accessories and clothing. These lovely Lucite flowers came to life with the addition of brown Artistic wire stamens and tendrils. I love the unexpected combination of frosted plastic, sparkling crystals and shiny wire. Making the tendrils is so much fun you might even find it a bit addicting. I can’t stop looking for ways to integrate them into projects.

Finished length (from top of ear wire to bottom stem): 3”

Materials
2 45mm wide frosted Lucite green 3-petal flowers
2 20mm orange Lucite flowers
2 15mm golden yellow Lucite flowers
2 burnt red Lucite floers
6 6mm light topaz SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS rounds
20 gauge brown Artistic Wire

Tools
Jump ring maker tool w/4mm mandrel
12mm oval bead to form ear wires (or a 12mm dowel)
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Wire rounder tool

1. Wrap the wire tightly around the jump ring maker tool mandrel working up to the top of the mandrel.

2. Cut wire coil from mandrel and gently pull apart.

3. Cut 1.5” segments from wire. Use round nose pliers to form a large loop in one end and a small loop in the other.

4. Wrap the wire tightly around the jump ring maker tool mandrel again, working up about halfway to the center of the mandrel. Remove coil.

5. Use wire cutters to create jump rings, go back and make a flush cut on every ring.

6. Cut a 2 2.5” sections of wire and create a large loop in one end of each segment.

7. Cut 2 1”, 2 1.25” and 2 1.5” segments of wire. Thread a 1” segment into the top of a red flower bead and add a crystal. Use round nose pliers to gently turn a small loop at the end of the wire and a larger loop at the top of the wire. Repeat.

8. Thread an orange flower followed by a crystal on the 1.25” wire segment. Loop ends as before and repeat for second orange flower.

9. Thread a golden yellow flower followed by a crystal on the 1.5” wire segment. Loop both ends and repeat for second golden yellow flower.

10. Thread the orange flower wire segment and a coil on a jump ring. Secure jump ring.

11. Thread a second jump ring with the red flower wire segment and a coil into the first jump ring and secure. Keep coils on the outside.

12. Repeat for the golden hello flower segment and a coil on a third jump ring threaded into the second and secured.

13. Thread the top jump ring into the large loop on the end of your 2.5” wire segment and thread this into the large green flower bead.

14. Use round nose pliers to coil the wire flush to the top of the green flower bead.

15 .Repeat process for second earring.

16. Create earwires using a large oval bead as your form upon which you will wrap a 1.5” segment of wire.

17. Use round nose pliers to form a loop in one end of the wire while it’s still wrapped around the oval bead.

18. Gently bend end of wire and use tool to remove any sharp edges on exposed end.

19. Attach ear wire to top of each green flower earring using chain nose pliers.