Tutorials

La Dolce Vita or the good life, is a celebration of how wonderful beads are during these unprecedented times of global pandemic. The ability to indulge in my passion for beading is so comforting to me, as it must be for a lot of you.

La Dolce Vita uses Cubic Right Angle weave to form graceful arcs which embrace a beautiful Swarovski pearl. These arcs form a gentle curve to sit at the base of your neck. And suspended in the center is a magnificent crystal that glitters and shines brightly.

A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces tilted to each other at an angle. Objects at one end of the mirrors are seen as a regular symmetrical patterns when viewed from the other end due to repeated reflection.

Our Kaleidoscope is not a working kaleidoscope but the reflections of the beautiful sparkling dome crystal from Swarovski reflects light symmetrically just like a kaleidoscope.

A dome crystal is placed at each end of the pendant connected to each other with a beautifully embellished beadwork tube. The tube further sparkles with twinkling little Czech fire polished beads further reflecting light to enhance the sparkle of the crystal.

The pendant is suspended from a simple unadorned herringbone rope to allow the beauty of the pendant take center stage.

A keepsake is a small item kept in memory of the person who gave it or originally owned it. We treasure them as it brings back great memories we had with that person. What is more appropriate than to keep it in something as beautiful as the keepsake itself.

The Keepsake Vessel is an 8 sided self-supporting bead woven container worked exclusive in peyote. The vessel is embellished with surface netting as well as an embedded crystal cup chain. The vessel stand is self-supporting “wings” embellished not only to look beautiful but also to give structure and support. The lid is topped with a beautiful Swarovski pearl.

In all a fitting vessel for your precious keepsake and the beautiful memories it brings.

Amoeba comes from the Greek word amoibe, means change. It’s a tiny, one-celled organism that moves by changing its shape.

Just like these one-celled organism, the Ripple beads shimmer and shine and appear to change its shape and color all on its own.

Woven on a simple base, the Ripple “amoeba” are embellished with glittering Swarovski lachrosen for that added shimmer. The clasps is hidden and making the cuff appear endless, with no beginning or end. 

Cubic Right Angle Weave squares in various sizes are connected to each other to form the pendant. Squares of various height embrace a sparkling crystal at its center to give sophistication to the necklace. A slinky detachable strap is knotted around the distinctive bail.

Cuff Available here

Additional Chaton Montees Available here 

ERRATA

If you have purchased or downloaded the instructions prior to 29 May 2020 please note that Step 50 should read as

"Repeat Steps 1 to 35. Set aside for now."

Cubic Right Angle Weave squares in 2 sizes are connected to each other to form the cuff. Squares of various height embrace a sparkling crystal at its center to give sophistication to the cuff.

Necklace Available here

Additional Chaton Montees Avaiable here 

Sweet charming and just enchanting.

Incanto is a stylized flower woven completely out of Cubic Right Angle weave.

Individual petals are woven then assembled together and embellished with a sparkly crystal to form an enchanting flower. More petals embellished with crystal chatons form part of the centrepiece of the necklace. A unique double toggle is the closure for the necklace allowing the closure to be made from either the right or the left. 

One of the loveliest Chinese festivals in Singapore is the Mid-Autumn Festival, falling on the 15^th day of the eighth lunar month.

Marking the end of the autumn harvest, the Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally a time to give thanks to the gods. The moon is at its brightest at this time of year which is why lunar legends have always been attached to the celebration.

One of the most notable legend is the story of Chang Er, the wife of a merciless king. To save her people from his tyrannical rule, she downed the elixir of immortality that he had intended to drink. As the story goes, she ascended to the moon upon her brave act, and has been worshipped by the Chinese as the Moon Goddess ever since.

When dusk falls, celebrations go into full swing. Lanterns decorate the streets and gardens. Children come out with their lanterns vying each other who has the best lantern. Moon-viewing parties are popular as well. Family and friends sit in gardens lit by the soft glow of paper lanterns, sip tea and nibble on mooncakes.

Chinese lanterns are traditionally made of paper and it symbolizes the wish for a bright future.

Our lantern is not made of paper but of thousands of little seed beads, twinkling in the moonlight. A self-supporting central column supports “wings” that extrude from it. Between the wings are twinkling crystals adding to the glittering moonlight. Although inspired by the Chinese beautiful lanterns, The Lantern is designed as a drapery tassel (tie back) or a Christmas tree ornament.

For more information about this lovely celebration, please visit www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/cultural-festivals/mid-autumn-festival

Additional tassels available here

IMPORTANT

This tutorial file is very big. Please download this file preferably on a desktop or laptop computer not a mobile device. Make sure you have a very stable internet connection. Be patient it will take a long time to download. Do not open the file until it has completed the download.

One of my favourite design houses is the House of Chanel started by Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, more well known as Coco Chanel. She is often credited with liberating women from the constraints of the "corseted silhouette" and popularizing a sporty, casual chic as the feminine standard of style. She is well known for the little black dress, tweed suits, distinctive costume jewellery and the 2.55 bag. Her use of beautiful tweed and always the pearls makes her fashion exudes style, sophistication, class and timelessness.

The Gabrielle Cuff is my homage to Coco Chanel who is very often my personal muse when it comes to beading. Her love of pearls is evident in a bold cuff that is studded with luscious pearls in a grid pattern. The grid is further embellished to resemble the look and texture of the tweed she so loves. Gabrielle may be worn 2 ways – one with a clasp and for those of you who would like to touch of whimsy - a ribbon can be used as closure.

Note :
Ribbon Not Included
Additional clasp available from here 

Born Arjumand Banu Begum, Mumtaz Mahal was the Empress consort of the Mughal Empire’s emperor, Shah Jahan. Poets extolled her beauty, gracefulness and compassion. The emperor even conferred upon her the title of Mumtaz Mahal meaning Exalted One of the Palace. Mumtaz Mahal had a very deep and loving marriage with Shah Jahan and travelled with him throughout the Empire.

She died giving birth to the couple’s 14^th child. In the immediate aftermath of his bereavement, the emperor was inconsolable, and he went into secluded mourning for a year. When he appeared again, his hair had turned white, his back was bent, and his face worn. He began planning the design and construction of a suitable mausoleum and funerary garden in Agra for his wife. A task that would take more than 22 years to complete and Taj Mahal, a monument to love was the result.

Mumtaz Mahal takes its inspiration from the Empress consort herself. An elaborate bezelled crystal pendant is hung from symmetrical spiralling ropes. More ropes hang below the pendant giving the impression of endless spiralling loops.

Sabine is a series of Double Cubic Right Angle Weave (DCRAW) and Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW) units to form a firm self-supporting structure. It can be either a circular or tear drop pendant. The bail is a right angle weave (RAW) strip connected to DCRAW units. A series of CRAW units interspersed with DCRAW units for a pliable, textural rope. Sabine can be worn long or short. A hidden magnetic clasp is used to close the necklace when worn short.

Instructions for both round and tear drop pendant as well as the hidden clasp closure are included. 

A big thank you to Sabine Lippert of trytobead for her Double Cubic Right Angle Weave stitch.

Cubic right angle weave geometric pendants are strung on an embellished chain.

Beautiful sparkling backlit tear drops are interspersed between bezelled chatons around the chain.