Monika Wiklund

Here is another example of a necklace that started as a small experiment and then grew into something bigger. It started when I was trying out a snowflake pattern I had found, and after a while I realized that the hole in the middle of the snowflake that I had just completed was just the right size for a 10 mm round onyx bead. The combination made a pretty nice pendant, so I decided to make a necklace for it. I settled for a simple spiral rope necklace in the same colors as the snowflake pendant, and this necklace is the result.

Both the pendant and the necklace is made of 15/0 seed beads with two shades of white to create depth to the pattern and hematite for contrast. The necklace is very light and delicate but the semi-precious stone in the pendant adds a little bit of weight to balance the metal hook clasp in the back which is not visible in the picture. It might be a bit colorless, but nonetheless this necklace is amongst my favorites and I have used it a lot.

Photography by Kristian.

This bracelet is the result of one of my recent kumihimo experiments where I tried a combinations of different materials in the braid. In this case I used blue rat-tail, dark blue suede, and blue organza for the braid, which resulted in this rather nice but discrete pattern.

It is not that obvious in this picture, but the bracelet is made of two lengths of round kumihimo braids that have been bound together by the metal slider and links. I think that it turned out very well, but I have to confess that I only got the idea since the finished braid was too short to make a necklace and too long for a normal bracelet but I realized that it was just the right length for a double braid bracelet. The bracelet is kind of big and heavy, but I have used it several times and I really like it.

Photography by Kristian.

The pattern for this necklace is also coming from the book “Beading Beautiful Costume Jewelry – Patterns for Every Festive Occasion”, although  as usual, I made my own choice of beads and colors. In this case I selected a combination of matte dark grey seed beads, golden brown seed beads, dark brown faceted glass beads, and copper-lined faceted crystal glas beads.

It is a fairly simple pattern of crossing circles, and I am pretty happy with the result and I especially like this picture which makes me think about old photographs in sepia tones.

Photography by Kristian.

It seems that kumihimo has become very popular, and I guess I kind of got stuck in the hype or something. I find it quite relaxing to braid kumihimo while for example watching tv, and of course it is very fascinating to try out new combinations and patterns and see how they turn out.

This necklace consists of a flat kumihimo braid in black and green, and the braid is started around the hematite heart which also serves as a kind of lock together with the raw emerald pendant hanging from a thin chain. It is a very simple necklace but quite catching, and I like it a lot so far.

Photography by Kristian.

I bought these cute little black leaf-shaped beads with two holes quite some time ago and have looked at them many times and wondered what to make of them before I finally came up with this idea. Even after I got the basic idea I made several false starts and had to start over from the beginning until I settled for this design.

It is a simple two string “ladder” with a combination of purple faceted glass beads, purple 8/0 seed beads, 4 mm round hematite beads, and of course the small black leaf-shaped beads that give an illusion that the strings are crossed through them. See the picture below for a close-up of the design and the beads.

I really like the combination of colors, and I am very happy with the result and have worn the necklace on several occasions.

Photography by Kristian.

Here is a very simple braided bracelet that I made a while back when I started to experiment with braiding different materials. In this case, I used leather and silk cord for the braid, and the charms were added while I braided.

An interesting thing is that I have received all of the charms that I used in this bracelet as gifts when I have bought other beads or beading materials, but still they fit very well together like this and this is one of my favorite bracelets.

Photography by Kristian.

As for several of my recent posts, the pattern for this necklace comes from the book “Beading Beautiful Costume Jewelry – Patterns for Every Festive Occasion”.  This pattern is called bridesmaid’s necklace in the book, but I think it can be used for other occasions as well.

It is a very cute pattern, and I think that the light blue details adds depth to the pattern and makes the flowers more visible (This was one of the changes I made compared to the original pattern which was all in one color).

Photography by Kristian.

Here is another bracelet that I have made based on a pattern from “Beading Beautiful Costume Jewelry – Patterns for Every Festive Occasion”, but as usual I have made some changes to the original pattern. Apart from the colors and the combination of the larger beads, the main difference is that  used these pink rose beads  instead of a second color of faceted glass beads.

Even though I am not really a big fan of pink, I think that the bracelet is very cute and I have used it several times myself.

Photography by Kristian.

This bracelet looks much more complicated than it is to make. It consists of two separate zig-zag RAW bracelets that have been twisted around each other before connecting the ends of the second bracelet. The pattern comes from the book “Beading Beautiful Costume Jewelry – Patterns for Every Festive Occasion” but I have used other colors for the beads than what is suggested in the book.

One of the bracelets is made of frosted silver-lined dark plum seed beads and crystal faceted glass beads while the other bracelet is made of frosted crystal seed beads and garnet faceted glass beads. I think that the combination works very well and it also goes very well together with a necklace that I have not yet posted about but I will link to this post when I do.

Photography by Kristian.

I have posted about two other necklaces that are very similar to this one earlier, but I think that they are all different enough to post one more version. The main difference between this one and the earlier necklaces is that the pendant is detachable so that you can choose one of three different pendants or none at all.

As you can see, the pendant in the picture is a sodalite heart which is attached to the necklace by a string of pearls, the second pendant is a sodalite calla flower which is also attached by a string of pearls, and the last one consists of a round sodalite bead in a bead cage and a large fresh water pearl on a hat pin which is attached to the necklace with a small lobster clasp.

I really like the combination of colors in this necklace and I have used it a few times, both at work and at a wedding. Above is a picture of me and Kristian at the wedding, and as you can see the necklace matches the dark blue dress perfectly.

Pictures by Kristian.