Statement Heart Bracelet

This is another bracelet that I made using supplies that a friend of mine purchased and asked me to make something out of.  A lot of the pieces that I have made lately have been for her utilizing things that she has asked me to be creative with.  I started with the blue porcelain hearts and green porcelain rounds.  I decided that some silver stardust would be a nice touch with them, so I started laying out my beads.  

While I sometimes like to use bead boards, I've also been known to just lay out my beads on a board or my desk to see what they would look like.  Sometimes using a bead board won't show me what the completed piece will really look like, while laying out the pattern in the correct shape will better help me.  I definitely recommend bead boards, but sometimes they just aren't the best tool for me.  

Due to the weight of these beads, as well as the fact that they could have sharper edges, I used two strands of Powercord.  These beads are hollow, so getting the cord to cooperate and go strand through the middle can be a challenge to say the least! While you don't need to use a needle with Powercord, it can really help when using these types of beads.  I chose to use a wide eye needle so that I didn't have any difficulties using it with the Powercord. 

I wanted to use a single heart in the design and thought that it would be a piece that would lay over the top of your wrist well.  I then spaced the green porcelain beads with silver stardust beads, which provide a nice sparkle and contrast (in both colors and size) to the bracelet. Using a bead stopper to hold the end of the Powercord is a lifesaver as it keeps your beads from falling off the cord as well as leaves your hands free.  Can you imagine holding onto that end while stringing on the other?  I would probably drop it multiple times and have to start over.  If you don't have bead stoppers, don't worry! You can use a piece of scotch tape on the ends of the cord for the same effect. 

As planned, the heart bead lays really nicely on the top of the wrist.  After testing it for a while I discovered that it did not turn and stayed in place pretty well.  I have enough beads leftover that I am thinking of making a necklace to go with this bracelet, as I really like the combination of beads and colors.  I just hope the person I made it for feels the same!