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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Snowflake Decorations


Snowflake ornament on my tree

"Snowflakes", TBS 2011 Calendar, December

It's hard to believe it's time to decorate the tree again.... Luckily, I have some of my snowflakes handy from last year. Glass bugles, seed beads and Swarovski crystals never spoil... Since they're specially interlocked in like a fan around a circle of beads, they keep their shape forever.

This extraordinary snowflake can be made quickly once you get the knack after you've made your first one. A very fine beading wire, .010 SoftTouch by Softflex, is the secret to holding the crystal-tipped long bugle V's in place around the circle of seed beads.

Several ways to get the instructions: See page 90-91 of Beaded Ornament for the holidays and Beyond from Bead and Button and BeadStyle Magazines by Kalmach Publishing Co., 2009.

Order an all-inclusive Snowflake kit with a choice of 15mm, 20mm or 30mm bugles and crystal pearl or silver-shade vitrial finish from Rypan Designs. Or get patterns for use with your own bugles and crystals. The instructions are available in printed pattern with a Supply List or a downloadable .pdf. Shortly it will be available in a Ukrainian .pdf version soon as I get the illustrations matched up to my translations.

5 comments:

  1. It's beautiful, Maria! Wasn't this in one of the Beadwork or Bead and Button a couple years back?? I made one, but only had craft wire to use and it was a bear, but worth it!
    So looking forward to meeting you in April, in North Carolina!

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  2. I need to make a few to give as a gift this season!

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  3. Maria, this is a beautiful design. May I share it on the Soft Flex blog?

    Jo-Ann, thanks for pointing this out to me.

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  4. Of course you can share it! I think your followers would enjoy seeing how a very fine .010 beading wire can be used to create a plethora of snowflakes in different bugle lengths.

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