Beautifully Beaded
Soft, Natural French Bead Flowers
You might have seen or made French bead flowers that were beautifully made, but didn’t look quite right. Possibly they looked stiff and artificial. Here is some advice to help you make bead flowers that are graceful and charming.
Here are a few ideas that will help your flowers to be their loveliest and most natural-looking. A “fantasy” flower can benefit from these techniques as well – you don’t have to limit yourself only to standard flowers. A flower is a flower, after all, and even if the one you have created doesn’t yet grow in nature, odds are that someday some botanist will develop it.
When making the petals and leaves, reduce the bottom basic wires to two instead of three. It may seem insignificant, but this one improvement will make a big difference in each flower. Flower stems in nature tend to be rather narrow, so strive to keep your stems narrow by using this simple technique.
Be sure to cover all stemwires of each leaf, center, petal and sepal before construction of the flower. Tape tightly and use as little tape as possible. This will reduce “wobble” in your finished flower. Living flowers’ parts don’t move and neither should the parts of bead flowers. Be sure you have used enough wire for the stems of petals and leaves; leaving these wires too short can cause the flower to fall apart.
During construction, wrap the construction wire and tape as tightly as possible. If you are adding many layers of petals, stop after each layer and cover the construction wire wraps with green tape. I have found that, on large flowers that require many rows of flowers, construction wires for early rows tend to show through later rows. The eye will not notice plain green tape; messy wire will pull the eye and ruin the flower’s beauty. Push sepals right up under the base of the flower. Think of sepals as being a warm muffler in the winter: you plump that up right under your chin. A sepal that seems to spring right fron the base of the flower will make the flower look rich and luxurious.
Now that you have the flower built, allow yourself to use some imagination. Take a look at living flowers. Observe two roses or two daisies growing in a garden or at the local nursery. You will see variations among the individual blooms. Examine the way the stems may bend. Do the flower heads tip forward? Do some petals curve or curl more than others? Does a leaf twist rather than unfurl straight?
To copy nature’s variations, you have a few tools at your disposal. The common pencil can help you make your roses breathtaking. Push the tip of your thumb into the bottom third of your rose petal, then curl the top backwards around a pencil. This will create the deeply curved and “belled” appearance that many varieties of roses have. To make a twisted leaf, use two pliers (one at the top and one at the bottom) and twist in opposite directions. This effect can also be achieved by holding the leaf in a hemostat and using one plier to make the twist. For more shape, curl the top of the leaf backward a bit. Alternately, you can make a long and pointed shape by creasing the leaf or petal along its central or basic row, then flaring the sides out to complete the curve of the piece. You can combine these techniques to make infinite variations in the look of your flowers.
When the flowers are arranged in sprays, be sure to bend the tallest stem once to the left and once to the right. The top of the tallest stem should usually take another small bend so that it points straight up. Secondary stems can have one bend in them. This will give the spray motion and flow. To get this shape, you can use a plier in one hand or a plier in each hand; if you like going low-tech, just use your fingers.
Most importantly, relax and enjoy the process. Experience with the flowers will help you develop confidence and an “eye” for how they should look. With patience and practice, your flower-arranging skills will improve and give you great satisfaction with your arrangements.
source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/
Wedding Favors Beautifully Beaded Photo Frame and Placeholder
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Wedding Favors Beautifully Beaded Photo Frame and Placeholder Wedding Favor – Bridal Shower Gift – Baby Shower Keepsake: Itâs all in the details with this sweet subtle silver metal frame and placecard holder. Measuring 4 inches by 3 inches and backed with black velvet, this functional frame adds a dash of reusable elegance. Comes with a pre-printed, ready to personalize table card. The place card inside the frame measures 3 7 8 inches across and 2 7 8 i… |
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Beautifully Beaded Gold Photo Frame/Place Holder … |
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Beautifully Beaded Gold Photo Frame/Place Holder (pack of 40) $79.95 Waiting behind crystal-clear glass surrounded by beads of bright gold is the perfect place for a favorite photo of the happiest couple you know-a thoughtful gift of appreciation your wedding guests will always treasure. This Beautifully Beaded Photo Frame can be used as place holders, letting your guests save their favor for a favorite photo of their own. The finely crafted, versatile, glass-a… |
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Attach Remover Pliers Clamp Tool for Micro Ring Link Tube Beads I Tip Stick Hair Extensions $17.39 Stainless Steel Clamping Tool: This is the deluxe micro ring all-in-one opening and closing tool. Most micro ring tools have a very shape cutting feature with a plastic handles. This clamping tool is curved for a comfortable arm position while working, for less stress on your hand and arm muscles. Micro Ring Pulling Needle: This needle is beautifully ornate and made of stainless steel. Insert pull… |
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EZ Magic Comb Stretchy Beaded Hair Comb In Pink Color Beads $9.99 This beautifully designed beaded hair comb works great with any hair type – thick to thin, long or short. The EZ stretch comb is hand made with lots of high quality beads. The strong and lightweight design holds your hair tightly, and is comfortable to wear. There are several ways to style your hair as shown on the package. It’s a versatile accessory for yourself, or it makes a great gift…. |
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EZ Magic Comb Stretchy Beaded Hair Comb In Small Red, Gold & Black Beads $6.99 This beautifully designed beaded hair comb works great with any hair type – thick to thin, long or short. The EZ stretch comb is hand made with lots of high quality beads. The strong and lightweight design holds your hair tightly, and is comfortable to wear. There are several ways to style your hair as shown on the package. It’s a versatile accessory for yourself, or it makes a great gift…. |
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Beautifully Beaded Gold Photo Frame/Place Holder Waiting behind crystal-clear glass surrounded by beads of bright gold is the perfect place for a favorite photo of the happiest couple you know a thoughtful gift of appreciation your wedding guests will always treasure. Or use Kate Aspen’s Beautifully Beaded Photo Frame as place holders, letting your guests save their favor for a favorite photo of their own. The finely crafted, versatile, glass-an… |
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J. Furmani Beautifully Beaded Flap Clutch Beaded flap clutch… |
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Purple And Lilac Beautifully Beaded Chiffon Halter Top Cocktail Dress $239.00 Gorgeous chiffon top has slight padding at the bust & is held closed with two hook & eye fasteners. Midriff is see-through sheer netting, covered with intricate beadwork. The skirt is full & made from same chiffon material as top portion of the dress. This is finished at the hem with a beautifully scalloped edge. In the back there is a zipper. This dress also comes with a matching wrap that measur… |
February 20, 2012 2:04 pm 
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