Travel Beading

I'm in Fayetteville, NC until the end of the week. Arrived late on the 23rd and went out yesterday to A.C. Moore and Michael's (There's a JoAnne's nearby, too, might check that out today) to grab some beading stuff. For long visits I have a really full check-in bag and don't want to add more weight (and pay overages on top of bag fees) to my suitcase, so I don't bring beading supplies. So once in town I'm usually Google-ing for local bead/crafts stores.

I picked up some faux turquoise, carved bone beads, shell heishis and miscellaneous findings/tools and this cool BeadBuddy Design Save 'n Go. I will need to get a small duffel or backpack to haul stuff home in. Next time I'll pack an empty one to bring along!

I've posted some of my travel beading on Facebook and Google+ but here they are (plus one that's exclusive to this blog!) for those of you who don't follow me elsewhere. ( I'm Dawno on Google+ if you'd like to add me to a circle. If you want to follow me on Google + and need a G+ invite, I have some - just email me).

Ok, travel bead design #1, Faux turquoise and shell heshi necklace. I'm doing a make and take at Renovation, World Science Fiction convention and this was a trial-run idea. (Please excuse the wrinkly background, photographed these on the hotel bed)

This will get some re-work at home when I have my round-nose pliers to re-do the eye & headpins on the pendant. It was low-cost, fast to make and looks pretty good on.

Design #2 - this is the blog only exclusive - two hole faux turquoise spacerbars with faux turquoise roundells and carved bone beads. Didn't find the right clasp for it at either store, so if I don't find it at another shop while I'm here, I'll finish it at home. The carving on the bone looks like little flowers.

Design #3 - I found some interesting looped metal beads and got an idea to use them with a three hole spacer bar by beading in-between the outside beads with the loops turned inward (instead of hanging some dangles off them on the outside) to anchor the middle strand. I used metal daisy spacers and shell heishis between the loops. Another one that will be finished at home if I don't see the right clasp here somewhere.

Design #4 - the last of the designs - the spacer bars came in packs with a set of 2 or 3 hole spacers and the package with the bars for the above design also came with some rhinestone 2-hole bars. I wandered around looking for what I wanted to pair up with them and found some big (about 1/2" diameter) glass pearls. I'm not sure about the placement of the different colors - so it may change a little before I add the clasp.

These were all a lot of fun to make and it's cool how limiting oneself to what's on hand and trying to use the same supplies for different looks work out. I've got more of the faux turquoise spacers left, enough for another bracelet, so I'll probably fiddle around with that today.

I'm enjoying my time here - cool thunderstorm yesterday that really brought down the temperature, which has been in the upper 90s. It's hot again today, though there's a chance of another thunderstorm later on.

'Til next time!