These are fun because they don't take a lot of materials and they are easy to make despite the lengthy instructions. My goal is to make these instructions as clear as possible so don't let the length daunt you. If you have any suggestions as to how to improve them please let me know by e-mailing me at emily@exo.com 

I suggest you print out these instructions, it's not easy to bead and look at a computer screen at the same time! If you are using Netscape, just choose file, print. If this doesn't work for you please let me know. 

What you'll need:  

• 2 clear marbles You can get these at a toy store, pet shop (people put them in aquariums) or drug store. Try to avoid the greenish ones that are made from recycled glass. You could also use marbles made of semi-precious stone which you can find in rock shops. 

• A small amount of two complementary colors of size 11 seed beads (around 400 altogether). I will use black and red in the instructions to match the diagram. 

• 2 small crystal beads ( a couple of pony beads will work too) 
• 2 larger crystal beads (or other accent beads) 
• 2 earring wires 
• Size 13 beading needle 
• Nymo 
• Beeswax (optional) 

Thread your needle and wax it to smooth out it's natural curliness and string 10 beads alternating between black and red. Start with a black bead and end with a red one. Take the loose end of your thread and tie it securely just above the last red bead to form a loop.  Be sure to leave enough extra thread on the loose end to weave it back into the piece later. Pass your needle forward through the black bead next to the knot and add 3 beads red, black, red. Next, skip one red bead and pass your needle through the next black bead on the loop.Repeat, picking up beads and going through each black bead on the loop until you arrive at the bead you started with. Pass though this black bead one more time and up through the two beads next to it on the first point. It should look like a little star with 5 points. Pull the thread taut.  Your thread should be coming out of the black bead on the tip of the point. Now pick up 3 red beads, 1 black bead, and three more red beads and pass your needle through the black bead on the next point. 

A pattern should be becoming obvious by now.The black beads in the previous row are always the ones you go through to build the next row.  The next two rows are built the same way with 5 red, 1 black, and 5 red between each point on the third row, and 4 red, one black and 4 red on the fourth row. Keep your thread pulled reasonably tight without stretching it. At the end of the 4th row it should look like this diagram. 

Once you've got the web nice and tight around the marble go around the little circle of black beads you just made again to keep it snug. Then add 3 black beads, one small crystal bead, 9 more black beads and your earring wire. Now go back though the crystal forming a loop around your earring wire, add 3 more black beads and go though the bead on the other side of the circle that's farthest away from the bead you went up from. Pass your thread up through the loop you just made a few times to strenghthen it making a circuit around the circle. when you reach the far side of the loop the final time, pass your thread through the bottom bead several times to secure it. 

Now you need to weave your way down to the bottom of the earring to the first circle of beads you made in order to add the dangle. You want to get your thread positioned on one side or the other corresponding to where you put the earring wire on the top. You will need to add at least three seed beads before you add your large crystal, you may add more if you want it to hang down father. Add your crystal and one more seed bead. Go back up though the crystal and one seed bead or more if you added more than three to start with leaving two beads free, add two more seed beads and go through the bead on the opposite side of the circle. It looks nicest if you then go back through all the beads you just added to the other side and go in the opposite side of the bead you started from. Pass your thread through this bead a few times to secure it, weave your thread through a few sections to hide the end, snip, and your done! 
 

In the last issue of Etcetera, we began a project on creating your own Native American style shield filled with personal symbols.  We also showed you this symbol -   and asked that you think it stands for "war".  Then we asked what this symbol - ?  would mean.  Did you guess "peace" or the "end of war"?  If you did you were right! 

To finish off your shield, you will need to add some color.  Just like you repeated the symbols in your shield, you will be repeating colors.  In the example shown on the right, we began by repeating sea green, deep lavender and bright blue.  As the shield is finished, only these three colors will be used.  Try to think of three colors that also stand for something or could be symbols.  One color should definately be your favorite.   

To create the look of an old or used shield, try using watercolor paints.  Our example shows very watered down watercolor so the paper color still shows through.   

If you don't have watercolors, try using light crayons or colored pencils.  To allow your paper to show through, just color lightly.  You can always go darker if you wish. 

Your shield is now done!  Hang it up on your bedroom door or somewhere that others can see it.