These beads are made with the Cattwalk button press, so I will write the directions for this press, which is very similar to the tab, lentil and pastille press.

1st Start out with a base color of your choice.   For these beads I am using Bullseye glass.  It is a mix of opaque and transparent pink. 

2nd Make the footprint of your bead on the mandrel. Check to be sure that the glass is slightly shorter than the opening of the base of your press. If you add too much glass length wise you will end up with sharp ends on your beads. Keep adding and checking until the length of the footprint is just a bit smaller width of the base of the press. Add more glass until it is the right size for your press. Usually I add enough glass that it fills about 3/4 of the base.

3th Round out your bead. At this point it should be a lemon drop shape.

4th Now you add your stringer for the vines. I have used a striped cane stringer.  It is an opaque green with black stripes, encased in a transparent green and pulled out into stringer.  To apply the stringer, I use a basic pattern, with four vines.  But the vines are just background, so place them where ever you want.  After you apply your stringer, melt it all the way in evenly, by turning the whole bead in the flame. 

5th  Add dots in a circle for the flowers, leaving an open space in the middle of the dots. I use five dots. Just personal preference. Use as many dots as you like.   I usually put four circles of five dots for the flowers on these beads.  These beads have two layers of flowers.  The bottom layer is a pale pink.  In this step, just add the bottom layer of dots.

6th  Melt the dots all the way in evenly, slowly rotating the whole bead in the flame.

 

7th  Add the second layer of dots on the petals.  For these beads I used a transparent amber.

 

8th  Again melt in the flower dots and round out the bead so that it is all smooth, by rotating the entire bead evenly in the flame. 

9th  Spot heat the center of each floral pattern individually and poke with a stringer of the color of your choice. Make sure each dot has been pulled into the middle of the flower (if not you can repeat this step).  Melt the stringer off by slowly lowering the bead into the flame from the top, keeping tension on  the stringer (almost as if you are pulling on it), so that is doesn't flop onto the bead when you melt it off. As soon as your bead and stringer hit the flame it should melt off.  If you are keeping tension on your stringer and pulling you should not have a problem with unwanted stringer flopping on your bead.

10th Now heat your bead until it is round and smooth.

11th At this point you are ready to press your bead. Be sure it isn't so hot that it is droopy. If the glass is droopy the design will distort. It should be a warm glow.  I rarely get the press perfect on the first press. So I reheat it enough to press again. But don't reheat too much that the design distorts. I keep repeating this until the bead is the shape I am looking for.

12th Be sure to flame polish your bead, to get out the chill marks of the press, by flashing your bead in the flame.  If you are using Bullseye glass it is important your bead goes in the kiln nice and glowing hot, otherwise it is easy for Bullseye beads to thermal crack.