Helen O'Donnell Designs

08/16/2026

I've written the tutorial for my 2026 Christmas ornament and sent it off to its tester. Just have to pull some kits for her so she can make some prototypes and trouble-shoot any errors I may have made. Stay tuned!

08/16/2026

Everyone gets stuck now and again, including me. I have been struggling with a big project that is a challenge from my art guild and that is also going to be entered into an online competition. I had to take a break and work on something simple and mindless. Thus became "unstuckedness" earrings. Very simple in design, using new-to-me beads of mini chevrons and mini GemDuos, but just enough to "unstick" me so that I could move on with my project.

What do you do to get unstuck?

06/07/2026

Working in greens and blues for my Empress bracelet. I love these color combinations. What about you? What are your favorite color combos? Do you have trouble working outside of your treasured faves?

06/07/2026

I just realized how long it's been since I last posted anything on my business page! These are new herringbone necklaces with cute pendants that I have delivered to Art at 43023 gallery in Granville, OH. The bee one has already sold! A fun idea for a youthful look.

03/29/2026

Three more Pomona bracelets, this time with Czech glass half-tile two-hole beads and 4mm bipyramids. Just goes to show how you can mix and match these shaped beads with little to no alteration to the rest of the pattern. Go experiment!

02/18/2026

These are some photos from my latest creation, Desert Museum. This is a piece done with Toho Beads and their 2025 mini kit for the Sonoran Desert challenge. I will be a featured designer for the 2026 challenge!

01/04/2026

The Suiko Earring tutorial is live! Find it here for just $5. If it doesn't download automatically, message me.

These cute earrings, with a slight Asian style, are easy to make for advanced beginner and intermediate beaders. They work up quickly and are lightweight.

01/04/2026

This is my newest design, the Trypillia Pendant, named after the Greek goddess of pottery. These remind me of the wonderful painted ceramic work of the town of Deruta, in Italy. It'll be the next tutorial I'll write. The Suiko Earrings tutorial has been written, tested, and is ready for the website. I'll get it posted soon and let you know when it's available.

12/31/2025

My newest design, the Suiko Earring! Tutorial is written and will be tested soon, after which I hope to get kits ready for sale.

UPDATE: Tutorial has been tested and will be up on the website soon! Kits to follow shortly.