I am continuing with my plan of periodically releasing limited edition kits. I am always exploring new ideas and materials and I enjoy being able to post the designs on social media. When I do I always get requests for kits. I am not keen to get involved in large scale kit production because that would take me away from what I love best – designing and making. However, sometimes I find that I have enough beads and cords to make up a few kits, so it makes sense to offer them. Not only is it a practical way to keep my stash under control, but it is also an opportunity for me to learn what is most popular and gain a better understanding of the kit market. Each kit I develop builds on what I have learnt from previous kits.
I also enjoy the chance to work with more unusual materials. When I write tutorials or books I need to stick to materials which are widely available, but I am able to be a bit more creative with kits because I supply everything. This Heart Charm Necklace kit is a good example of this because I have added a lovely varigated yarn to the braid to add colour and texture to the satin cord. I am also able to use some very cute spotty heart charms, which are now discontinued. I tried several different colour combinations and settled on the pink and grey for the first kit, but I have more of the heart charms, so I hope to put together a different combination at a later stage.
I try to include as much as possible in my kits and like to go beyond the basic minimum. For instance, the design requires 10 heart charms, but I have added in 2 extra charms to give the opportunity to make matching earrings, using your own findings. They could be used in other ways as well, such as key rings, bag dangles or on a lariat, as in this video. I also include some cord for practise and as I hate waste I make sure that there is enough cord to make a bracelet. In my kits you may also find stop beads, threading loops, needles and anything else which I think would be useful. I am always open to suggestion, so if you think there is something else I should consider including I would love to hear about it.
A new development for this kit is a link to large images of the design from different angles. I believe this will be useful backup for the tutorial. Sometimes when you are making something it is good to be able to get a closer look at a particular part, so these images can be zoomed in on to inspect every part of the design. This link will be provided in an email from me after the kit has been purchased.
If you would like to buy the kit please click here.
