LAUGHINGBIRD BEADS
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DESIGNING AROUND A LARGE BEAD

  Recently,I have been playing around with some larger focal beads and wondering how I could use these beads to really show them off. This piece is worked around a wonderful fimo bead (that looks like a jade frog) made by fimo artist Karen Murphy. The first photo shows the basic bead "nest" that I built up using size8 czech beads.  I am in the process of adding surface embellishment with smaller seed beads and an assortment of pressed glass leaves, fruit, and flowers. As the piece progresses, I will include new pictures, and eventually, a complete tutorial on this process.

beginning embellishment
frog11.gif
Frog-In-The-Garden, part 1

I have stitched a free-form "nest" for my large bead in Czech size 8 seed beads, and added neckpieces in Right-Angle-Weave. Three rows of Flat Peyote would work well here, also.

frog21.jpg

Frog-In-The-Garden, part 2.  Here, I've added more leaves, giving them a brown beaded stem, I've added some fringe and I am incorporating more friut beads into the piece.
  As I progress, I will work layer upon layer, with my smallest beads  being added last. My plan is to kind of "vine" the stems up the neckpieces, with a few tiny flower beads added last, along with the clasp.

frog31a.jpg

  Frog-In-The-Garden,part 3.  I've added quite a few more beads, and begun to embellish the straps. Pardon the scan, I have noticed that the more beads and height gets built up, the more difficult the scan is becoming. The loose beads are some that MAY end up in Froggie's garden, but who can tell? At this point, the beads are leading the way.  A surprise benefit of using a fimo piece in something with this many beads, is the light weight of the fimo. The piece is surprisingly heavy.
  Well, on to the finish!

I've been waiting for just the right project to use those little Czech "fruit beads".I used an apple, 2 oranges, a lemon, and numerous grapes. Makes a luscious garden for Froggie.

  I started this project by using a wire that ran all the way through my large bead. I made a wrapped loop at each end. Then I had a place to anchor my beadwork, and to begin my bead "nest".

Frog-In-The-Garden
frog_in_the_garden.jpg
This is just one way to use a large focal bead, in this case, a 'figural'