Bracelets - 2 new and 2 somewhat older

Bracelet 1 - ClippityClop

• Horse in polymer clay - TreeWingsStudio
• Red Agate Facetted Tube
• Bright red matte surface lucite rounds
• Tiger ebony flat wood circle ring
• Vintaj brass leaf toggle bar
• Newsprint Jaspis Heishi beads
• Clear glass nuggets
• Metallic Galvanized Berry 8/0 seed beads
• Orange-Red waxed linen cord
• Brass wire and head pin

Bracelet 2 - Earth & Fire

• Dotted lampwork glass bead - Gardanne
• Dimpled brown ceramic bead - ChelleV2
• Round beige ceramic bead - Elaine Ray
• Bone bead
• Brass heishi rings
• Red Agate Facetted Rondelle
• Brass magnetic ball clasp
• Red Agate Facetted Tubes, (they are so beautiful, shifting in color and pattern and translucent)
• Natural color waxed linen cord

Bracelet 3 - Over There

• Polymer clay disc in greens, gold, white and black - Pam Wynn
• Green glass rounds
• Matte black vintage facetted lucite beads
• Pyrite facetted small rondelles
• Pointing hand box clasp - Amanda Davie
• Brass chain circular links
• Beading wire
• Brass findings

Bracelet 4 - In Black Luxury

• Polymer clay discs in greens, gold, white and black - Pam Wynn
• Hyperstene AAA coins, (absolutely high class and so beautifully shimmering)
• Black Diamond 6/0 seed beads
• Green lined 6/0 seed beads
• Matte galvanized golden 11/0 seed beads
• Grey mother of pearl shimmering button for clasp 
• Black facetted glass rice beads
• Beading wire
• Brass findings

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All my jewelry pieces are available for purchasing, even though I might not yet have listed them in my Etsy Shop. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them. Contact me at: malindekoning[at]hotmail.com

All my best,

Malin

New bracelets

I've had a couple of deliveries of waxed linen cord over the last week. New and fresh colors for me. I love to put them into work in knotted bracelets.

1. Bracelet Zesty

• Colorful tin link/clasp - Lorelei Eurto
• Brass toggle from Vintaj, loaded with orange metallic seed beads
• Clear facetted nuggety glass beads
• Orange/red facetted round glass bead
• Round glass beads
• Mermeid round ceramic bead - Gaea
• Clear seed beads
• Lemon yellow waxed linen cord

2. Bracelet Smokey

• Dark raku ceramic beads - BHClaySmith
• Champagne colored facetted oval glass beads
• Swirly clasp in brass from Vintaj
• Enameled head pins by PaintingWithFire
• Green waxed linen cord

3. Bracelet Flesh 'N Bones

• Pink round ceramic bead - Elaine Ray
• Buri nut beads
• Scull carved bone bead
• Heavily oxidized brass hook and eye clasp
• Magenta and brown waxed linen cord

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All my jewelry is available for purchasing, even though I might not yet have listed them in my Etsy Shop. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them. Contact me at: malindekoning[at]hotmail.com

All my best,

Malin

Oakidoki ;-)

I am involuntarily spending the weekend on my own. I was supposed to go with my family to Solvesborg in the south of Sweden. But I couldn't come along, due to a small stupid cold which totally has knocked me out. Spent yesterday mostly in bed sleeping. Envious of them who got away to a nice place, meeting lots of nice people. In the evening I took a pill for the fever, and could sit up for a couple of hours. I made these earrings, and laid out the ideas for a few more that I hopefully will get around to assemble over the coming days. 

Anyway, later in the evening I got a question from a lovely lady in the international beading community: "Do you have or use any rules for how you combine colors in you jewelry, or do you go by what you think look good?" (possibly not totally correctly quoted). The answer is simple. I go only by gut feeling. If I have any rule, it is that it musn't be boring, or expected. I try to go against the obvious choices a lot of the times. It is almost like a compulsory need for me to be opposing conventions. And so I came to think that these earrings I had just completed, very well illustrate that. Or what do you think? At least they were great fun to make.

Earrings - Oakidoki.

Anne, Elaine and Me together in a happy, summery and mismatched combo. These earrings put me in such a good mood when I wear them. They are very light weight.

Handmade beads:

Green enameled oak leaves - Anne Gardanne

Ceramic macaroni shaped beads - Elaine Ray

Beaded Bead - Me, Malin de Koning

Copper earring hooks - JNicLoft

Waxed linen cording

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All my jewelry is available for purchasing, even though I might not yet have listed them in my Etsy Shop. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them. Contact me at: malindekoning[at]hotmail.com

All my best,

Malin

Bracelets

Can there be too many bracelets in the world? I believe not. Or if it can, I don't care, because I so much enjoy making them. Here are three new ones I have made recently.

• Red facetted ceramic bead by Gaea
• Golden speckled round lampwork bead by Gardanne
• Lemony-lime large rice shaped lucite beads with golden stripes
• Golden swirly hook clasp
• Brass heishi rings
• Waxed linen cord

• Golden filigree beads
• Lime green lucite beads with a golden heart pattern
• Golden toggle clasp
• Waxed cotton cord
  

• Rombic heirloom colored cubes by Elaine Ray
• Pale blue semiprecious stone smooth nuggets (chalcedon or lace agate? I can't find my records on these stones right now ...)
• Vintaj brass clasp
• Brass findings

Coming up soon, now on Friday, is the musical challenge reveal. With 80 signed up participants!!!! So much looking forward to do the blog hop and see what everyone has done. It is a great theme this time. Instrumental music!



For myself I am slightly stressed about it to be honest. I have my idea ready since a good while, but I haven't even started putting my piece together. And it is an ambitious project to pull off (it's not a bracelet he he). Or at least that is what I believe, before I even started. So I better get going then, don't I.  See you on Friday hopefully, or maybe even before.

All my best,
Malin

Love, passion and thrill (and a necklace and a bracelet)

It feels to me like I haven't been all that productive with my jewelry making over the last couple of months. That is not all true, I know, because I HAVE made pieces here and there, but I haven't been at all as productive as I would have been if I hadn't had a few distractions going on around me in my life. I have missed my jewelry making. Big time actually. I have still had my hands occupied with making beaded beads, tons of them actually ... but more about that in another post coming up soon(-ish).

I have missed my beads, I have missed to just be looking at them, fondling them, combining them and so on. Communicating with them, and via them. You know what I mean, don't you. I realize what an extraordinary strong love affair I have with my beads. Serious serious love. And an addiction. Now again I feel so content, so stimulated and so lustful. Passionate. And still lusting for more.

Over the last few days I have been finding myself spending more and more time in my beading studio again. I mean not just popping in there every now and then, but sessions going on for many hours. I made a smaller clean up of my messy work area, and I sorted a lot of the beads just laying around in different piles previously created as a result of how my ideas processes work.

I have so many wonderful wonderful beads in my stash. And I guess it in a way sometimes might be good to not hang with them for a while, because when you meet up again, you sort of re-discover them with a clean mind. That is how I feel now at least.

Look at those large shell beads in the necklace below! They are about 22 mm across, but not heavy at all. I bought them about 6 months ago. From HappyMangoBeads. I thought they were a bit on the expensive side for me to be honest, I mean for what you get. And I hesitated for more than a week before I finally made up my mind. Oh, how glad I am that they ended up with me. They are simply absolutely gorgeous, worth every penny. My idea at the time was that they would end up in a chunky and summery bracelet. But look at that necklace I made the other day instead. It was one of those you know, that sort of designs itself and your hands seem to be simply just a tool for some higher power. May I say myself that I adore it? It looks absolutely fantastic on (sorry I don't have a good picture of that yet.) And it is also packed with a bunch of art beads and components from some of my favorite bead artisans. I think it has a strong wintery holiday feel to it. What do you think?

It will be for sale in my Etsy shop in a not too far future. (Or you are very welcome to contact me already now if you are interested in buying it.)

• Verdigris Loop 'T' Loop by Staci Louise of SLArtisanAccents
• Kiwi green ceramic round by Elaine Ray
• Dark green erudite facetted polymer clay nuggets by Barbara Bechtel of SecondSurf
• White cylindrical ceramic bead from EarthButterStudio
• Aqua blue green crackle glaze large ceramic round from EarthButterStudio
• Green ceramic wheel disc by Round Rabbit
• Shell beads from Happy Mango Beads
• Round rosey copper link by E2SSupplies
• Orange waxed linen cord
• Chocolate brown silk ribbon

And a humble(-ish) bracelet with facetted oval glass beads with some sort of coating that make them sparkle a bit more and look a little milky too, and a copper leaf link by Joanne Tinley of DaisyChains. It also has a winter holiday feel to it, don't you think. This one will also turn up in my Etsy shop very soon.

• Oxidized copper leaf link from DaisyChainExtra
• Facetted oval glass bead crystal clear with a coating
• Round pearl coated white bead
• Green enameled bead caps
• Red round small glass bead
• Copper hook
• Pale cellery green waxed linen cord

All my best,Malin de Koning

Necklace

Loooooong necklace (over 1 meter) packed with art beads and other goodies. It is telling the story about my house with its immediate surroundings. Our garden, the tiny little wood next to it, and then the field with horses beyond it. It is MY necklace about a place on earth that I really love and that means so much to me. And with loads of gorgeous beads that I love so much. I want to be able to carry it with me when I am away somewhere. 

Cord is a thin nylon cord (Superlon). See photo below for the bead artists. The macramé gives a wonderful casual feel, and softness. Sort of an intimate feel kind of, like friendship bracelets. I have worked on it a little here and there, for about two months, when I haven't had anything else going on. BTW, I do free hand macramé á la this Ornamentea tutorial. No tools or attachements needed. Perfect for in-front-of-the-TV crafting.

Art beads by: ChelleV2, Elaine Ray, Floridity, Gaea, Humblebeads, Jubilee, Mary Harding, Sue Beads, Susan K Nestor and TreeWingStudio.

And now ... 
... here's one of the reveals I promised you the other day: the necklace is one of the projects in the gallery section of Joanne Tinley's, of Daisy Chain Designs, new E-Book about using macramé in jewelry. 

Seriously, this book is absolutely fantastic! And I am not saying that just because I am in it ;-). So packed with information, ideas and inspiration. I know I will come back to it many many times, and use what Joanne teaches in the projects. Many ways are new to me, so I am all excited and eager to try them out. I can truly recommend it to everyone!

The book is available through Joanne's website, or her DaisyChainExtra Etsy shop.


All my best,
Malin

Bead Soup Blog Party 4 - What I sent o Susie

Seems like everyone thought I would send a color fiest to Susie Hibdon, for the Bead Soup Blog Party #4. And you were all completely right actually! That is exactly what I had planned. :-)

However, as I started to roam around my stash this is what I came up with. There IS a little color there, but a bit more subtle than I had first thought.

I like the round/circular theme which goes through quite a few of the bits, and would hold a design together I believe. And I added a few other shapes that will make possibility for less stiffness. Susie does not come across as one who is stiff, or repetitive in her design style.

I made that Peyote ring myself, and left the thread there so Susie can use it however she wish to, IF she wish to.

The nepal wool bits to the furthest left I have cut myself, and then I also included a bigger bit which Susie can form however she wants to. IF she wants to.

The chunky button from recycled wood is from Meluna (awesome shop). Other special links: Elaine Ray and RoundRabbit. In fact I believe Nancy of Round Rabbit is planning a shop update today/tonight, the 1st of september. I'd go there if I were you. I would like to get a lot of the things I know she will put up, but I've reached my budget roof for this month :-(

I hope that the rusticy- and chunky-ness in my soup will be what challenges Susie a little bit. That was my idea anyway.

So how is it going for everyone with the soup party? I have not started with mine yet. I have this idea, which I don't know if I will be able to go through with. I wish, but we will see. If I don't manage this time (it is a bit complex), I will save the idea until a later date, and remember to credit Susie who was the source for it springing up at all.

This is my post on what I received from Susie. I LOOOOOOOVE it!

Again, I would like to say how incredably grateful I am to Lori Anderson for all the work she is putting on this thing, the Bead Soup Blog Party. It is an awesome idea in the first place. And now, thanks to Lori's persistent work to make everything work well in the details and for everyone involved, it has grown sooo big. It has become an international phenomenon. Wow! That is big Lori! Don't you ever forget it! That is thanks to you. I think maybe you might need to hear it over and over again though! So I will keep repeating myself as often as I can dear Lori. Be proud of yourself!

All my best,

Malin

A few new items

Earrings - Roses Garden.

Flowery tin bead caps by Lorelei Eurto on Tin Snippets. Rose quartz facetted round beads. Paddle head pins in copper by SpunSugarBeads. Oxidized copper ear hooks by HigherChakra (sorry, I can't link to her shop on Etsy at the moment).

Earrings - Rothko's Gone Circular.

Stoneware clay charms by Kristie Roeder of ArtisanClay. Oxidized Sterling Silver almond shaped ear hooks by E2SSupplies.

Earrings - Kyoto Noodles.

Ceramic beads by Elaine Ray. Oxidized copper ear hooks by E2SSupplies. Paddle head pins in copper by SpunSugarBeads.

Macrame bracelet - Barefoot On The Beach.

Ceramic beads by Gaea. Polymer clay ivory swirl by Floridity. Wood imitating toggle bead by myself. Beautiful facetted Prehnite nugget. Various other beads and thin Superlon cord

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Thank you so much for all the congratulations I got on my birthday the other day.

Two summery bracelets

Summer has arrived with unusually warm temperatures here in Sweden. It's lovely, and all I wanna wear is clothes that keep me cool. Like white cotton or linen clothes. Long skirts and loose sitting tops. Sandals on my feet and a sunhat on my head. So I think some casual macrame bracelets to go with that outfit are needed. I've made two over the last couple of days. I love the casual feel of this style of jewelry.

No 1.

Thin thin nylon cord in a light kaki color.

Brown/goldy sidedrilled cylindrical bead in polymer clay by myself.

Ceramic beads by Elaine Ray. One fern colored and one light blue.

Czech glass beads in various colors and shapes.

Brass beads.

Howlite flat egg shaped bead.

Bone round bead.

No.2

Light grey waxed cotton string.

A green ceramic rose and a tan round bead by Gaea.

Yellow lampwork spacer bead by Genea. I loooove the color on that one.

Tan macaroni bead by Elaine Ray.

Czech glass.

Brassy round beads with an eye/leaf pattern.

Check out this great tutorial from Ornamentea on a really clever and easy way to do macrame. I would like to call it 'free-hand macramé'. No board is needed, no clips, no pins, no extra things apart from the string and the beads. You can sit anywhere doing this.

New jewellery pieces

Pastel Passion - Bracelet. Romantic, girly and casual at the same time. Packed with Art beads. Gaea and Elaine Ray. Please go to the Etsy listing to read more details! I am very happy with this one. It is the second one I'm doing now in what I believe will become a series of bracelets made with beads stung on waxed linen cord just like this one, and wrapped two laps around the wrist. The first one I am just restringing, coz it turned out a bit awkward at the last bit.

Claire - Necklace with polymer clay beads by Claire Maunsell of StillPointWorks. It is loooooong.

Hi there, wearing it makes me so happy!

All my best,
Malin

A new bracelet

Chain by MissFickleMedia

Purple coloured copper wire by MissFickleMedia

Paintbrushes resin bezel clasp by Amanda Davies

Facetted black and ivory polymer bead by Gaea

Small ceramic dark bead by Gaea

Small ceramic blueish bead by Elaine Ray

Green Variscite squares

Ivory Magnesite square

Facetted Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz barrels

Rose glass rounds

Strands of recycled Sari