Beadin Path Design Partner - Epic Fail!

This entry is difficult to write. I have been working on this necklace since Wednesday, and it has nearly beaten me. No, I may succumb to the will of this necklace and say, Yes, I am beaten.

It all started with this. A great picture of a rambling rose. I have these awesome German vintage flower beads from Beadin Path and they have been taunting me. I did not have any inspiration to work with them and had no idea what to do.

I saw this picture and the idea began to form. I wanted a bulky piece, a multi strand piece, something random and tangled.

And so the building began.





I started with a triple strand, made it simple. Gold stone and the vintage flowers. Make it as a base. Easy enough.

Wrong.

I got started on the necklace. As I pulled the third strand thru so I could anchor it to a copper link, this happened.


Right in the middle of the design. AAAARRRRGGGG!!!!!! *sigh* The plastic coating on the wire had been stripped. More than likely from a burr on the inside of the bead. Begin again Finnegan. I pulled the strand back out, replaced it and began on the design again. At this point, I was mad and decided to put it down and take a breather.

Thurs.

Picked up the design, less frustrated and started again. This is where it gets ugly. I am gonna warn you now, the following pictures are disturbing. I had the necklace laid out on the kitchen table, one side anchored to the copper link, the other ends of the strands still loose. The dogs are dancing at the front door (it has been raining and they only go out when they have to - sissies) I leave the necklace on the table and let the dogs out. They do their business and when I come back to the kitchen I find this.....


My floor is filthy from the Four Hellhounds and the coupious amounts of debris they track in from the yard. My necklace is on that floor. My cat, had decided the loose strands were his toy, and flung it off the table.

*CENSORED* *beats head against table*

My room mate scensed my frustration and helped me pick up as many of the beads as we could from the floor -


And the re stringing began. This had me hot - HOT. Working with these little 2 - 3mm beads is a pain. I don't have the patience to string them one at a time. I have a system where I pull them off in groups from the hank and thread them all at the same time. That way I am stringing them in 3/4" to 1 " groups.

Let me show you. This makes stringing tiny pre-strung beads a breeze.
Grip several of the beads between your index finger and thumb.


Gently pull the thread from the beads, keeping the 'pinched' beads firmly held.



Now you have a group of bead, held in place and the holes are lined up.


Push your beading wire thru


And now Wha-La!

Look they are all strung. It makes is go by so much faster.


Now you see where my frustration was stemming from, lets move on to the next disaster. The middle flower is upside down. By this time I am dangerously quiet. I put the design down and James takes me out for my birthday. Beer is good.

This morning, despite the upside down flower smack dab in the MIDDLE of the design, I continue on with the building. I have 5 strands, I want it to represent the flowers in the middle of a bramle/rambling rose type wandering flowering brush. I wanted the flowers to peak out, and the green and brown lucite to be the branches and the clumps of leaves. I weave the strands thru each other to give it a tangled look and it finally comes together.

Until......


The final strand, the last anchor, before the necklace is complete - this happens.
THE PLASTIC COATING PULLS AWAY FROM THE BEADING WIRE A SECOND TIME!!!!!!
IS THERE NO MERCY???? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO ANGER THE BEADING GODS!!!!
WHY!!!!!!


At this point I have lost it. It is all I can do not to throw the necklace along with my new nippers into the trash. Oh, the nippers??? Yes my new nippers. I am SO disappointed. They cut the silver and copper wire, like butter, but the bead a lon, they mash, that is all they do, mash. I looked at the edges of the nipper and from cutting wire, they are all mar'd and chew'd up. *sigh* I threw them away. I am sure they are in a cozy trash truck as I write this heading for the landfil playground.

This necklace is going into a bag and onto a shelf where it can rot for all I care. It has to be completely re done, from scratch to change the upside down flower back upright. I don't have it in me.

I will show you the end product and maybe one day in the future it will be a completed design.




Tomorrow I am going to the Intergalactic Bead Show and buy myself a new pair of nippers and try to find Ms. Suzzanne of A Grain of Sand and see her wonderful wares in person.