Flower Bracelet

We are well into the school summer holidays so crafting is a little slower than normal but I have been itching to use the new pip beads I bought in my local bead shop. They are lovely and unlike anything I have used before. Think squashed apple pips with a hole in the pointy end! I soon discovered that because there was only one hole in the beads and this was down one end that once threaded they had a habit of folding in on themselves and needed a support to hold the pattern in place.

Much practice was had accompanied by lots of frustration.

I decided they were impossible to use.

But then……….

You know the feeling when it all fall into place.

I am now in love with pip beads. I accidentally bought some more but in my defence I was suffering from shock after school shoe shopping plus a pair of trainers for my son who it seems is storing all his food in his feet (the total shoe cost could have fed us all for a week or more). £1.75 (x3!) for a pack of pip beads didn’t seem so bad.

I also have some new props from a recent trip to Derbyshire – a little trip down memory lane for my husband and I and an exciting trip for my kids who have recently become fascinated with semi-precious stones. We visited Bakewell and Castleton (known for it’s Blue John Stone). My daughter took delight at the sight of all the Bakewell tarts and my son took his time carefully choosing some special gems to decorate his bedroom. He is playing at a friends house tomorrow – He has already selected which gems he is taking to show off!

A few more shots to give the new props a test run.

The thing that pleases me the most about this bracelet is that the underneath is as pretty at the top. There is a careful pattern of seed beads under the pip beads to give them much needed support.

Along with the pip beads and size 11 seed beads are some lovey two tone super duo beads.

Thanks for reading.

Hannah x