Brick Stitch Bumble Bee!!

SO I got a request on one of my videos a while ago, asking for a tutorial for a brick stitch bumble bee! I just knew that I could refuse because as horrible and as scary as wasps are, bumble bees are adorable! They're so fluffy and cute, and they don't want to hurt you at all.

With that being said, I knew that I had to make these bees to be small. Honestly, they're probably smaller than an actual bumble bee, because they are surprisingly large!!

Image source

After a bit of trial and error, I worked out how to make these little guys, with two options of adding a jump ring. The first method just uses an extra bead at the top of the wing, whereas the second option creates a little loop out of beads. I think I prefer the loop, especially now I have found my clear seed beads! (Better late than never, I guess?)

Option 1

Option 2

Which method to you prefer? Let me know!

Brick Stitch Dolphin Pattern

I was asked way back in January to make a dolphin charm using brick stitch bead weaving techniques. I  made the charm way back then and even posted a photo in Instagram, promising to make a tutorial "soon". Clearly to me, "soon", means 10 months later (or 44 weeks, according to Instagram.)

I know, I know... I'm clearly the worst kind of person. It's not my fault. I receive quite a few video requests, and I like to keep everyone happy. Also I don't want to just be a bead weaving channel, so I try to mix it up where I can. That is just an excuse... I just forgot to make the tutorial :D But hey, I'm only human

Enough waffling around... Here is the pattern:

As always, I used size 11 delica beads by the Japanese brand Miyuki. I also used beading thread by the company Nymo and a size 10 beading needle.

All items were purchased from http;//mailorder-beads.co.uk who were generous enough to give me a 10% discount code on full-items on orders over £5! It's valid until 31st Dec 2015 and the company do ship internationally! Just type TCOC10 in the promo code box at the checkout :D

Candy Corn Peyote Bracelet

This is the first of my Halloween tutorials! Although candy corn isn't easily accessible in Europe, as far as I'm aware anyway, I remember trying some when I was 17. It tasted a lot like honey and I thought it was delicious :) I made a peyote bracelet with a similar pattern to this when I was into making my peyote name bracelets, but I decided it would be fun to turn the geometric shapes into cute candy corns! The pattern isn't too tricky to do so and it's made using odd count peyote, which is my new favourite stitch for making bracelets!

Anyway... You don't come to this page to read my waffly descriptions. Here's the pattern:

Colours I used:

All Miyuki Delica size 11 beads.

DB010 - Black
DB200 - White
DB-1132 - Canary Yellow
DB-651 - Opaque Squash (Orange)

Loom Band Butterfly: How To!

So I am late at hopping on the bandwagon, I know! Children are going absolutely mad for these small elastic bands, and I should know: I work in a shop that sells them. We can't get them in stock quick enough, it's ridiculous! And it doesn't look like the trend is slowing down any time soon.

Because I am a serious novice, I won't be making many YouTube videos on how to make "Rainbow Loom" or stretch band (or whatever you call it...) bracelets and charms. There are so many other YouTubers out there who have a lot more skill and talent than me in that area of craft!

We got a new book in at work, called Rubber Band Bracelets by Lucy Hopping and I was having a flick through it and saw something that took my fancy: loom band butterflies! The best part is, you don't even need a loom to make them!

I don't have any sort of "official" hook, so I just used my crochet hook, because I have plenty of them lying around my house... I picked up some bands and went for it.

I can't believe how easy it is to make these little butterflies. I had 4 made in no time at all. You can use these butterflies as charms to enhance the bracelets you're making, but I glued mine onto a hairclip and brooch back so I can wear them that way instead.

Delicious Strawberry Yoghurt Ice Lollies!

The boyfriend and I "treated ourselves" to some ice lolly moulds from ASDA a couple of weeks ago. I mean, they were only £2.50 so we were hardly breaking the bank! That evening, we decided to whiz up some strawberries, add some yoghurt and a touch of sugar then freeze them to see what happened. Turns out we'd made delicious lollies!

The lolly mould we've bought (image from ASDA)

We were clever and didn't note down quantities but that day we had enough mixture to make 6 lollies. I decided to film a video for The C of C on YouTube on how I made these, as I'd had a request via my Facebook page so here we go!

To make 5 lollies, you will need:

20 Strawberries (The strawbs I used were pretty small!)
5 tbsp Low Fat Natural Yoghurt
2 tsp Granulated Sugar

Utensils:

Lolly Mould (or yoghurt pots that have been washed out and lolly sticks)
Stick Blender
Spatula
Spoon
Teaspoon
Jug
Chopping Board
Sharp Knife.

Start by hulling the strawberries (this just means taking off the leaves and stalk" and place 15 of them in the jug. Slice the other 5 strawberries thinly and place to one side as these will line our moulds.

Whiz up the strawbs in the jug using the stick blender until there are no lumps left. Scrape excess juice off the blender using the spatula.

Spoon in 5 spoonfuls of the yoghurt and give it a mix. Taste and if it isn't sweet enough for you, add the sugar. I find that 2 tsp is enough, but you can add more if you like.

Line the lolly moulds with the thinly sliced strawberry, just adding slices sporadically. Pour in the strawb-yoghurt mixture.

Gently bang the mould on the counter a couple of times to pop any air bubbles, add your sticks and pop the lollies into the freezer for at least 3 hours.

If you can't get the lollies out of the moulds once frozen, run the mould under some cold tap water for around 10-15 secs and you should find that the lolly comes right out!

Enjoy!

How to Make Bead Loom Bracelets!

Creating beadwork on a loom is something that has been done for centuries by the Native Americans, along with others. It is a quick and easy way to create intricate designs to use for bracelets, necklaces and even headbands!

You can use any size bead you like on a loom; the larger the bead, the quicker it will grow! Here is a video tutorial on how to make your very own beaded bracelet on a loom!

In this video. I use size 10 glass seed beads, thin crochet cotton and Nymo beading thread. Of course I use a loom too! The loom I have is the Jewel Loom by Beadalon.

Let me know if you enjoyed this tutorial and don't forget that you can show me pictures of your own bead looming creations on Instagram, using #TheCornerofCraft!!

Crochet for Beginners: UK Treble Crochet TR (US Double Crochet DC)

Are you starting to see where the US and UK terminology cross over? It gets very confusing when you first start, but try to just stick to just UK or US patterns when you first start so you don't have to try and "translate" them at all :)

So here is my next video, the UK treble crochet or US double crochet! I have had some lovely feedback on my videos and already have some subscribers so thank you so much for your support! Don't forget that you can subscribe too so you don't miss out on any future videos.

Crochet for Beginners: UK Double Crochet DC (or US Single Crochet!)

So the second video that I uploaded to my YouTube channel demonstrates how to do the basic double crochet stitch! For those of you who aren't aware, US and UK crochet terms are different, annoyingly, so where I can, I will try to list the alternative term :)

Crochet for beginners: Chain Stitch Ch (and my venture into YouTube...)

So I have set up a YouTube channel... I don't know if this is going to be a success or useful to anyone, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway! My first videos are a series of how to do basic crochet stitches! There's going to be 3 videos posted a week, although that may severely cut down in the future. I sound really awkward on camera at the moment, but I'm hoping that the more I do it, the more used to it I'll become and the more relaxed I'll be :)

If you'd like to check out my channel, visit http://youtube.com/thecornerofcraft

Here's the first video! How to do the basic chain stitch: 

Caring For Silver Plated Jewellery

I thought I would write a post on this because a lot of things I have learnt about caring for silver plated jewellery, I have learnt since starting my job at The Bead Shop! Many things are probably obvious to some people, but I hadn't even thought of them before I was told.

Silver plated jewellery means that the bass metal (which can be copper, brass, steel, pewter, among others) has a thin coating of silver on top of this. This coating wears off over time, but there are ways to slow how quickly it's wearing! Also it's important to remember that all metal tarnishes over time. There are ways to prevent the speed that it happens at and also ways to correct it.

Image from my Etsy shop

Preventing Fade and Tarnishing

Firstly try to avoid your jewellery coming in contact with moisturisers or perfumes. The chemicals will react with the plating and will cause it to tarnish quicker. Apply the moisturiser or perfume before putting the jewellery on to limit contact.

Keep the jewellery dry. Don't wear the piece if you're going swimming and definitely don't wear it in the shower!

Store the jewellery in a resealable bag, preferably with an anti-tarnish tab, to significantly slow tarnishing time. The bag will limit contact with air the piece of jewellery has. You can buy anti-tarnish tabs online and they're quite inexpensive!

Image from Mailorder-Beads.co.uk

Try not to sleep in it! The tossing and turning in the night will not only add stress to delicate pieces of jewellery, possibly causing them to break, but it may also cause the plating to wear off quicker. We also tend to sweat at night, which will also cause a reaction.

Cleaning Your Jewellery

If your piece of jewellery is tarnished, be sure not to use harsh chemicals to clean it. It is important to clean them often to keep them looking nice and shiny, but the chemicals are designed for "pure" metals instead of the more-delicate plated metal. The chemicals will cause the item to fade!

Instead of chemicals, use a damp cloth, such as a hand towel, and wipe gently. Use a clean towel to dry off the dampness and this should restore its shine.

If you think I've missed anything off, please let me know in the comments!!

Friendship Bracelets for Beginners pt. 4: Backwards Knot

This knot is the one that some people get a little confused with, but I promise that it's not that hard, especially because you know the forwards knot so well now after making the candy stripe bracelet :)

The backwards knot is a very useful one to know as you'll be able to make all sorts of interesting shapes and patterns within the bracelet once you know this knot!

I'm starting with my threads in the same way as I did for the forwards knot, like so:

This means I will be tying the backwards knot with the green thread.

Holding the yellow thread taut, make a backwards "4" shape with the green thread.
Pull the tail through the loop you've just made and pull tightly.
Repeat the process...

... And that's the mystery behind the backwards knot solved!!

Now you know both forwards and backwards knots, you will be able to make chevron bracelets! I will explain how to make these bracelets in the next post of the "series" :D

Friendship Bracelets for Beginners Pt 2: The Forwards Knot

Now you've gathered all of the equipment you will need, I expect you're itching to get started! Some patterns will say the measurements for the threads you use, but many also don't. For basic bracelets, it's usually best to go for 1m per thread. When you are first starting to make bracelets, it's better to have too much thread than too little!

I usually knot my bracelets at the top and plait the threads together so they are easy to tie. I also make a loop at the top as an alternative joining method. You will have to do this before you start to knot the bracelet.

There are 4 knots that you will need to know to make friendship bracelets:

• Forwards knot
• Backwards knot
• Forwards Backwards knot
• Backwards Forwards knot

I know they may sound very confusing, but they're really not, don't worry!! Most patterns have symbols for these knots which are as follows (order the same as list above!):

(Image from Bracelet Book)

In this post, I will be showing you how to do the forwards knot.. For each of the tutorials, the threads will start with the same set up:

I will be using the yellow thread to tie to forwards knot.

1. Create a loop by laying the yellow thread over the green.

2. Pull the tail of the yellow thread through the loop.

3. Pull the knot tight.

4-6 repeat the first three steps and that's your first knot made!!

See? I said it wasn't too difficult :) If you prefer, I have found a video by the very-talented BeyondBracelets on YouTube, which you can go to if you click here.

Now you have that knot under your belt, you will be able to make a candy stripe bracelet, which I will show you how to make in my next Friendship Bracelets For Beginners post!