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KRISTAL: Kristal Wick here with Artbeads Café, where we have all things beady, caffeinated,
delicious, dreamy with Cynthia's new creation. Oh my gosh, Cynthia. This is to die for.
CYNTHIA: Oh, thank you.
KRISTAL: Oh, love it. I can't help but know the story about this dreamy piece called Tourmaline
Dreams.
CYNTHIA: Tourmaline Dreams, yes.
KRISTAL: So fill us in.
CYNTHIA: Okay. I had to make an ad for the Beadwork Magazine, and it was about spring.
For me, spring is all about nature. It's all about the flowers coming out, the leaves coming
out, and everything is so beautiful and you're so happy. So I chose a combination of colors
that really make me feel like it's spring outside. The colors are very soft and very
beautiful, too. As you can see, I kind of mixed some green, have a little blue in there,
with some peach and pink, and of course I love purple colors. To do the bracelet, I
wanted also a piece of leather that kind of has an earthy tone. I love this one because
it looks very natural, and it's not only one color, but you have different colors with
it.
KRISTAL: That's nice. It kind of grounds the piece.
CYNTHIA: Yes, exactly. And of course, to finish it, you have to have a button that says "Happy
spring!" So I found this really beautiful little flower button.
KRISTAL: Oh, I love that.
CYNTHIA: It really put everything together.
KRISTAL: That's gorgeous. And I noticed a lot of the crystals you use have the AB Coating,
so you get that nice sparkle. And then one of the things I know you're really good at,
which I love, is the color palette, putting colors together. This, a lot of times -- now,
that's tricky for everybody out there; a lot of people have trouble with that. That's something
that we like to focus on because if you picked each color out, you would not necessarily
think they would go together. But because you know what you're doing, you put these
all together, and look at the piece. So I love that about this piece. That is just stunning.
Stunning. And I think this would look really great as a double or a triple wrap.
CYNTHIA: Yes. Yeah, that would be beautiful.
KRISTAL: Yes. Lovely. Oh, that's gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
CYNTHIA: You're welcome.
KRISTAL: Cynthia, it's time for Kristal Wick's Picks. I get to share my favorite things with
you and everybody out there. Oh my goodness. Coin pearls. Swarovski coin pearls. Goodness.
Fabulous shape, elegant look, the colors they come in. Oh, I love them. Okay, so first of
all, these are not M&Ms. No, these are actual coin pearls, so please don't eat them at home.
Keep them away from your pets and small children.
But I couldn't help, with these colors, to make this lovely, lovely watch here, with
a few little seed beads thrown in there, lovely watch face. You know watches are so hot right
now, just the fashion watches. But you could always use a pendant. You can use anything
with these coin pearls, so you don't have to use a watch. But I just thought it would
be kind of fun to throw it in there, and the different colors, of course, fun, fun, fun.
This guy over here, too, another much more elegant look for a watch that you can wear.
Comes with this beautiful -- the antique rose pink. I love that color.
CYNTHIA: It's beautiful.
KRISTAL: Isn't it fun? Now, here's the tricky part about wearing a watch. When you wear
it as a necklace, you have to put it on upside down if you want to read it. Or if you want
everyone else to read it, then put it right side up. So it's your choice. Again, customize
it according to what your preference is. You have some fun earrings here. Tell me about
those.
CYNTHIA: Yes. Well, like you said, the coins are so beautiful, and it's a very easy shape
actually for earrings, because you don't have to do much. Just add a couple of beads, like
on this one. I really love this one. It's very simple. It's just some spacers, the coin,
and the drop.
KRISTAL: It goes with everything. Lovely.
CYNTHIA: The same is in here, too; there's not much technique because the pearl is really
beautiful. And here, I really like this one. It's really funny. I just put a bead cap and
it looks like a little snowman.
KRISTAL: It does. It's perfect for winter. Also, with these earrings, they're great last-minute
gifts for people for their birthdays and things, because everyone loves pearls.
CYNTHIA: Yes.
KRISTAL: Oh, I love it. Okay, well, this is our love affair with beautiful coin pearls.
Hope you enjoy.
KRISTAL: Okay, Cynthia, it's time for our Q&A, and we have a question from Natalie in
Davenport. She wants to know if there are any tips on wrap bracelets. You're our expert
on wrap bracelets, so you're the one to answer Natalie. So go.
CYNTHIA: Well, the first tip is for beginners. If this is your first time to do it, I recommend
to not use round beads.
KRISTAL: Oh, interesting.
CYNTHIA: Yes. Use like a fire-polished that have different facets, because the beads won't
slide too much, so you have a good handle on it.
KRISTAL: Good to know.
CYNTHIA: And then use also a silk cord that is thick enough, because also it will hold
it and it won't slide too much.
KRISTAL: That's a really good tip.
CYNTHIA: Yeah, because you can be frustrated at the beginning. So start with that. Then
the tension also is very important. If you make it too loose, this is what's going to
happen.
KRISTAL: Oh, look, that's a great example to show people.
CYNTHIA: That was one of my first ones. I didn't pay attention on the tension, and my
bead kind of falling apart after awhile.
KRISTAL: And of course, you could always re-do that if you start finding that's happening,
right?
CYNTHIA: Yes. This is a really good one. The tension is perfect; it's not too tight, because
when it's too tight, then your bracelet tends to curl a little.
KRISTAL: Oh, it buckles?
CYNTHIA: Yes. And look how nicely it's done.
KRISTAL: Oh, nice.
CYNTHIA: So this is what you want to have when you do a wrap bracelet.
KRISTAL: Great.
CYNTHIA: Then what is difficult also is on what can you do your wrap bracelet, especially
when you have a long one like that. I find something that I've been working with -- and
this is just a clipboard, and it's plastic. What I like in this one is you have the measurement,
so you can measure right there how much cord you need. I just put a bead mat on it, and
it's better to have a clipboard that has this type of clip here because you can slide your
button, and your button just sits right there.
KRISTAL: Isn't that clever? That makes it so easy. Also, it seems really portable like
this.
CYNTHIA: It is, it is. And then because it's a bead mat, then you can just put your needle
when you're done, you just put your needle on the mat. And to hold everything together,
I put a clip here. At the beginning, I thought maybe that will damage the leather, but not
really. I took it apart and I rubbed the leather and it came back. It was not too flat. So
I really like this system. It's very practical and very easy.
KRISTAL: That's great.
CYNTHIA: Then the last tip is I've been using this type of thread, the KO, and I use it
-- I double it, and I just love it. It is so perfect to use with the wrap bracelet.
KRISTAL: Great, that's good to know. Does it come in other colors?
CYNTHIA: Plenty of colors.
KRISTAL: Great. Well, thank you, Cynthia.
CYNTHIA: You're welcome.
KRISTAL: And thank you for joining us at Artbeads Café, and be sure to sign up for all of our
lovely episodes by signing up for our newsletter. If you have any questions or you have anything
you want us to talk about on Artbeads Café, let us know at Artbeads.com. Meanwhile, happy
beading.