Free Demo Sunday! How to Create Cute Beaded Starfish!

Here is a FREE demo on how to create these adorable beaded starfish!  There was a pretty simplistic pattern for a beaded starfish in a bead magazine a couple years ago that Chou and I fell in love with, so we decided to re-do it and jazz things up a little.
(By the way,  this is a great way to use up extra seed beads that you just have small amounts of left over from bigger projects!)

Materials needed:
Approx. 2 yards of 8lb Fireline.
(35) size 6 seed beads
(30) size 8 seed beads
(1) flexible beading needle (Big Eyes work!)

String (5) 6's onto your threaded needle.  Bring them down towards the end of your Fireline.

Tie the seed beads into a circle using a square knot (right over left, left over right) or two.  Make sure that it is secure by pulling on the beads.  If your knot slips, tie another one on top of it!

Add an 8 to your needle.  Take the needle through the 6 that is next to your knot.

Pull the Fireline so that the 8 snugs down in between two 6's.  Continue to add 8's in this manner until you've put them in between all of the 6's.

When you are adding the last 8 in the circle, take your needle through the next 6 in the row, AND go up through the very first 8 that you added.

Add two 6's to your needle and pass through the next 8 in the row.  (This step should remind you of peyote stitch, but we are actually setting up for some herringbone.)

Pull the Fireline tight so that your newly added 6's lay against your work like this.  If they aren't laying like the picture, you might need to nudge them into place with your finger.

Continue to add two 6's in between each 8 all the way around the circle.

 When you are passing through the last 8, also pass through the first 6 that you added in this last step.

Add two 6's and take the needle down through the next 6 in the row.  Also pass down through the 8.

Pass up through the next 6 in the row.  Add two 6's and continue down through the next 6 and 8, then back up the 6.  Continue this until you have completed the circle.

Once you've completed the circle go up through the first 6 that you added in the last row.

Add two 6's and go down through the next 6 like you did in the last step.  Continue down through the next 6, the 8, then back up the two 6's.

Continue this until you have completed the circle.

Once you have completed the circle and your Fireline is coming out of the 8 at the bottom, take your needle up through the three 6's.  Add two 8's.

Take the needle down through the three 6's and the 8.  Continue this until you have completed the circle.

When you've completed the last step ending with your Fireline exiting the 8 in the middle of the starfish, take the needle up through the next three 6's and the 8 added in the last step.

Add one 8 and take your needle down through the next 8 in the row and down through the next three 6's and then the 8.

 Double check your work against the picture.  The 8's that you are adding in this step should make the point of the starfish arm.  Continue like this until you have completed all five of the arms.

Make sure that your Fireline is exiting the 8 in the middle of the starfish.  Add one 8 and take the needle through the next 8 in the middle of the starfish.

Pull the Fireline tight so that your newly added 8 sits in the middle of the two 8's.  It will actually be resting in the middle of three 6's that were added at the beginning of the project.

Add another 8 and go through the next 8 in the row.  Continue this all the way around the circle until you have five 8's added on top of the starfish.

When you have taken the needle through the last 8 on the starfish, go up through the next 6 in the row.

Add one 8 then take the needle through the next 6 in the row.  Then go down the 8 in the middle of the starfish.

Take the needle up through the next 6 in the row.

Add one 8 then go down towards the middle of the starfish through the next 6 and 8 in the row.

Continue this step until you have added all five of the 8's around the circle.  Reinforce if you feel the need and then knot the tail end onto the starfish next to one of the 8's in the middle.

The last step is... make more!  They make great charms, pendants, or better yet, RINGS!  Cocktail rings are HUGE this summer and the more HUGE, the better!  Make a tubular peyote ring and stitch one of your cute starfish onto the band.  How adorable!

"What do you call this stuff?" "Junk." "Well, it's great junk."

My Sunday afternoon was pretty fun.

The Sears next to our house is closing, so we go up there every now and then to see how discounted everything is getting.  I got a blue flame micro torch for super cheap.  It's a WL Lenk Pro-torch that heats to 2400F.

Wahhooo.  That'll be fun.  I'll have to remember to only use that on high heat projects and to use my baby micro torch for low heat projects.  I wonder how long until I forget which one is which.

After Sears, we went to El Indio, an independent Mexican restaurant out by us.  They're pretty good.  It's a fun atmosphere.  There's always a goofy guy in a sombrero or somebody singing outrageously loud from the kitchen.

I got the "Vegetarian Combination E" which has a cheese enchilada, a bean burrito, and a quesadilla.  I really like their enchiladas because their red sauce isn't really heavy like a lot of other places' sauces.

It was super tasty.  I didn't finish all of it, but I usually never do.  I always load up on chips, salsa, and cheese dip before the food comes.  That's the way to do it though.  That stuff's complimentary and you can take your meal home.  It's the money smart way to navigate a Mexican restaurant, ha.

Mike got the carnitas.  He enjoys his food too much somtimes.

He's a strange one.

 We then went to Whole Foods.  I've been on the search for Morningstar Hot Dogs.  Can't find them anywhere anymore.  Does anyone know if they're discontinued?

No luck finding the hot dogs.  I settled for Smart dogs.  I've never tried them.  Oh well.  We got some good stuff.  We tried to stick to things on sale, but it's hard to not walk out of that place $75 poorer than when you walked in.

I thought this sign was awesome.

I love how goofy everything is there, too.  I love the tattoo-clad 60 year old women working there and how every worker is wearing a different hat.  I also love the different colored umbrellas hanging from the ceiling all over the store.

This was my reward for not spending $100 in that temptation zoo of a grocery store!

I think this will be the dessert at the wedding.  Caribbean fruit flavored popsicles. Ohhh yeah, tasty tasty.


...And then we came home.  I'm going to upload this Beaded Starfish Demo and then join this on the couch:

Works in progress...

This is what I've got sitting, waiting to be finished...
I'll take suggestions!

Just needs to be hammered, stamped, textured, and liver of sulphur-ed.

I don't know how much more I'm going to add to this one.  Probably just a few more layers of fringe.









Just a simple St. Pete's chain, but I think it's the perfect necklace to match.  Just gotta get the will-power to sit down and finish the rest of the length.

Two Great Things Tonight!

                               BRAND SPANKIN' NEW DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING!

                                                                               ...and

                                                          "Midwesterner's Fried Ice Cream"!
Basically, it's fudge and caramel swirl ice cream covered in corn flakes and almonds with honey drizzled on top.  Talk about delicious.  Even more delicious with this on my finger: