Mariposa earrings with Mini Gemduo

Lots of new colors and shapes landed in our shopping basket!

It’s time to put those new beads (and more that we recently ordered) to a good use, so we had another exciting ‘live design’ session during last week’s #CoffeeTimeWithErika: a beader could volunteer and join me on screen to select the beads that I should play with, and afterward I improvised a new little motif.

Nitti selected the new Mini Gemduo beads, StormDuo, and some seed beads. Later Britt-Marie recommended using a sew-on rhinestone and Ginny asked me to cover the sides of the Stormies. It was so fun to put together everything, while you could watch and comment on what I was doing!

You can bead the result, the cute Mariposa earrings with me by following this tutorial!

For one pair of earrings you need:

BIC3 – 8x 3 mm Preciosa bicone bead

DR – 2x 6×10 mm Preciosa pendant drop

RS4 – 2x 4 mm / ss16 Preciosa sew-on rhinestone

MGD – 4x Mini Gemduo beads

StD – 8x StormDuo beads

R15 – 15/0 Miyuki round seed beads

R11A and R11B – 11/0 Miyuki round seed beads – 1-2 colors

earring hooks

crystal connectors

Pick up (1) R11A + StD + MGD + StD.

Pick up the same combination one more time.

Make sure that the StD beads are turned exactly in the same way as on the illustration.

Bead through all the beads again to join them into a circle.

Bead through the first R11A for a third time.

Bead through StD + MGD.

Pick up (1) RS4.

Bead through the MGD on the opposite side.

Bead through the open hole of RS4.

Bead through the same hole of the first MGD one more time.

Bead through both holes of the next StD.

Pick up (1) BIC3. Bead through the second hole of MGD.

Pick up (1) BIC3. Bead through the open hole of StD.

Bead through the first hole of the same StD you are exiting + MGD + first hole of StD + R11A + StD + MGD + both holes of StD.

Fill in BIC3 beads on this side, too.

Finish by exiting the second hole of StD on the right.

*Pick up (4) R15 and bead through R11A.

Pick up (4) R15 and bead through StD + BIC3.

Pick up R15 + R11B + R15.

Bead through BIC3 + StD.

Repeat one more time from *.

Bead down through (4) R15 + R11A + (4) R15 + BIC3 + R15 + R11B.

Pick up (3) R15 + DR + (3) R15.

Bead through R11B.

Bead through (3) R15 + DR + (3) R15.

Skip the R11B, and bead through (3) R15 + DR + (3) R15. This will make the loop around the DR pointier and more elegant.

Bead through R11B.

Bead up to the R11B at the very top of the motif: bead through R15 + BIC3 + StD + (4) R15 + R11A + (4) R15 + StD + BIC3 + R15 + R11B.

Pick up (3) R15 + loop of your metal component (crystal connector or earring) + (3) R15.

Bead through R11B.

Bead through (3) R15 + loop of metal component + (3) R15.

Skip the R11B and bead through the same beads one more time.

Bead through R11B.

Secure and trim all thread ends.

Bead another earring to complete the pair!