Showing posts with label The Knotty Do It All. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Knotty Do It All. Show all posts

Knotty Board Fun!

I'm sure you've all heard me mention how I absolutely LOVE the waxed jewelry cord Sandra over at The Knotty-Do-It-All carries (it's great for knotting gemstones and some of my large hole pearls!) and how I love both my large and small Knotty-Do-It-All boards

So, last year when I saw Sandra was carrying some great 'Tassel Cord', well, of course I had to place an order and try it out. 

Here's a photo of two tassels I completed with the Knotty-Do-It-All board using Sandra's instructions.


I haven't yet completed necklaces to go with these - bad me!!


 The cord feels great and it works up perfectly into tassels which have that 'swing' you want a tassel to have. (yes!)

Tassel Cord from The Knotty-Do-It-All

I got quite a few colors, but I might have to go back for more - they're all so yummy!! 

So, if you're making tassel necklaces (like, who isn't these days?!) and stocking up on supplies you'll need for the 'holiday times' then you're gonna want to grab up some of these spools of tassel cord. 

I use my Knotty-Do-It-All boards quite frequently while making knotted jewelry. It's easy, fun and the quality of these boards and the accessories which accompany them are really great.




Here's some pieces of jewelry I've created with the help of The Knotty-Do-It-All Boards.

Also, most of these designs were created using either the waxed jewelry cord or the nylon cord Sandra has over in her shop.














Oh, and here's my little 'disclaimer'.  
"I did this review of my own free will and spoke completely freely 
about my feelings regarding the product(s) I mentioned here today, because yes, I really use them
and yes, I absolutely love them!



Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and KNOTTY Beads and Pearls, Baby!
~Shel~

Pearl Knotting without Tools - Tutorial

Hello There ~ 

Hope this post finds you all well! 

I've recently had a few people ask me if I could re-show them how to knot pearls (or any beads, really) with out any tools so I wanted to bring out this video again and show everyone.

I have this video up on my 'Tutorials and Fun Stuff' page here on the blog, so anytime you feel like getting a little 'refresher' course, just hop on over to that page and watch it again.

I first posted this video after I hosted The 2nd "Pearls, Pearls, Pearls" Blog Hop I did back in June of 2014. 

During the blog hop, I posted a link to a video by the folks over at Pearl Paradise showing how to knot pearls with out the use of tools.  I mentioned that I did it just slightly different and a little backwards compared to what is shown in the video and so when people asked me what I meant, I thought it would be easier to show you than to tell you.

 

Here's my video above. 

If you have any questions, please shoot me an email over at 

Shel@MiShelDesigns.net
and I'll be happy to help you out!

 
Please join our fun community of jewelry lovers by signing up for our monthly 
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(trust me, we talk about more than just pearls!)

It's packed with all sorts of 'Pearl-Fect' goodies each month, from the latest jewelry news and fashion trends, to exclusive online products, events and promotions.

and, receive Our Free Pearl-Facts Info Sheet when you sign up HERE.

Thanks!! 


Michelle Ludlam-Buettner (Shel) holds a Graduate Pearls Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and is a Certified Pearl Specialist through the Cultured Pearl Association of American (CPAA).  In addition to creating her own jewelry line, she is also a freelance writer specializing in jewelry editorial, copy, line and manuscript editing who can often be found fawning over pearls in her spare time.  Follow Shel’s blog at MiShelDesigns.net or see what she’s snapping over on Instagram @pearlgeek.  

Questions and inquiries welcome at Shel@MiShelDesigns.net

Wholesale Inquiries please list "wholesale" in the subject line.
 
Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Pearls, Baby!!

Cheers,
~Shel~

Waxed Jewelry Cord Love!

Hey all - I just wanted to give a quick shout out. 

I recently got some new colors of the Waxed Jewelry Cord from Sandra, over at The Knotty Do It All.




I just LOVE this waxed cord and here's why:

  • You can twist it so that it separates and use smaller holed beads with it.
  • It's synthetic (not silk, linen or cotton) so you can melt the ends with your thread zapper (or the flame from a lighter if you're that brave and coordinated!) - No Need For Glue!! 
  • The colors are pretty steadfast,....no running, fading, etc. that I've encountered.
  • It doesn't stretch with wear the way waxed linen, silk or waxed cotton seems to stretch.
  • The color choices are awesome!  Check out the link here to Sandra's shop to see for yourself!
  • It's sturdy. I mean really sturdy. (Pile on those heavy, glass designer beads and see!!)
  • It works up wonderfully whether you're knotting it, doing macrame or simply stringing with it - it has this 'drape' to it that is just super!
  • It's not too 'waxy', but enough that it does exactly what you want a waxed cord to do.
  • Did I mention the colors,....and that it's really sturdy?
  • Quality cord. Simple as that!

Here's the colors I have on hand at the moment. 


Vino is my favorite. I use it all the time, but I think that Med. Brown and Java may have a new place in my heart this fall season!! And that Agave - swoon!!


I keep joking with Sandra that I'm eventually going to add some additional 'color' to my life and order some reds or something else!!  

Seriously,...how much more 'neutral-black, gray, brown-ish' could I get? LOL!

I created this knotted, large hole pearl necklace and bracelet set using the Waxed Jewelry Cord I purchased from Sandra's Knotty-Do-It-All shop.  




It's a fun, versatile and excellent quality cord.

If you have any questions about this cord, shoot me an email, leave a comment here on the blog or hop on over to The Knotty-Do-It-All website and ask Sandra herself! 

She's super nice and is just a wealth of information!


Sandra Younger at the Tucson Gem Show




Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Waxed Jewelry Cord Fun!
Cheers, 
~Shel~

Fun Cords!

Hey all, I ran across a couple of great products recently and wanted to do a little shout out today.

I'm always on the search for different types of pearl stringing materials, and although I can't remember exactly how I came upon her shop, Patricia over at Patricia Saab Designs on Etsy had what's called Beader's Secret Thread that's said to be more durable than silk (it's polyester), comes in an array of colors and is perfect for knotting pearls.

Well I just had to try this out, so I messaged Patricia - who happens to be a fellow GIA Pearl Girl!! - and asked some questions in regards to the size of the thread compared to the Griffin silk sizes and she messaged me back quickly. 

I can be rather long winded at times (ya think?!) but she was super sweet at answering all my questions as best she could and even offered to send me a sample of some Beader's Secret Thread along with a color chart showing the variety that she carries in her shop. (how's that for customer service, right?!!)




So, in a flash, there it was in my mail box this week.  
What a sweetie! 

It's a very thin, dainty thread, comparable to a size 1 in Griffin Silk and to the micro-fine size of both C-Lon and SuperLon cords and just a smidge larger than size '0' silk cord by the Bead Smith. It's soft and very supple, just like silk, which is exciting. And, since it's a synthetic, it shouldn't fade or stretch as much as 100% silk either. (that's a plus!)




Patricia even sent me two large-hole beading needles, because she tells me you should knot with it doubled over.

Now, I haven't gotten the chance to get my pearls out and do any knotting yet, hopefully that will happen this weekend, but I'll let you know when I do and how I like it.

I suggest you hop on over to Etsy and check out Patricia's store. You should see the lovely jewelry designs she has - stunning!!  And the pearls she has for sale - WOW!  I'm in love with these,....

Patricia Saab Designs
 
SWOON!

And wait until you see all the lovely colors of Beader's Secret Thread she has available - it'll make you smile!

 _______
 

I'm sure you've all heard me mention how I love the waxed jewelry cord that Sandra over at The Knotty-Do-It-All carries (it's great for knotting gemstones and some of my large hole pearls!) and how I love both my large and smaller Knotty-Do-It-All boards, so when I saw that Sandra was carrying some 'Tassel Cord', well, of course I had to order some and try it out. 

I failed to get a photo of the tassel (duh!) that I completed, but the cord feels great and it works up into tassels that have that 'swing' you want a tassel to have. (yes!)

Tassel Cord from The Knotty-Do-It-All

I got quite a few colors, but I might have to go back for more - they're all so yummy!! 

So, if you're making tassel necklaces (like, who isn't these days?!) and stocking up on things you'll need for the 'holiday times' then you're gonna want to grab up some of these spools so you'll have them. 

Oh, here's my little 'disclaimer'.  
"No one paid me to do these reviews or asked me to do them or anything. I did these reviews of my own free will and spoke completely freely about my feelings regarding the products I mentioned here today, okay?"

Okay folks, that's it for today. 
Everyone have a great weekend. 

Come back over on Saturday and see what everyone who participates in Sally Russick's Focus on Life Weekly Photography Challenge has snapped if you can. 


 There's always awesome shots taken by the people who participate each week!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Creating with Soft, Colorful Cords!

Cheers,