Beading Video - Making a Wrapped Loop

I blame my son - he's the one who's always checking out stuff at YouTube! Anyway, here's another beading video that I came across and thought you might find helpful. Enjoy!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Sewing With Beads

Hello everyone
Maureen sent me this useful idea a little while ago, and I thought I'd share it here. I did some sewing recently and got all tangled up, so I should have remembered this tip sooner!!

Thanks for all your great tips. Here's one that saves me no end of time. I stick a darning needle (standing up vertically) into my pin cushion. Slip my Nymo bobbin onto the needle and pull off as much thread as I need. The bobbin turns easily on the needle, no tangles and no chasing after escaping bobbins.

Keep smiling and thanks Maureen!
Felicity 8-)

Susannah's been at it again!

Hello again
I just got this email from Susannah, showing another of her lovely pieces of beaded jewelry. And even better, it's in my favorite color - green!
I love the way she's mixed up different beads and links, and yet it all works together really well.
Great work Susannah! I hope this inspires some others to try something similar.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Stunningly Elegant Bead Necklace

Hello everyone
Bonnie sent me this picture of a necklace she made. The clasp and the loops of beads hang down your back.
This would look stunning with the right dress - quite simple, but very elegant.
Hope you like it!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Opals - Great In Jewelry

Hi everyone!
With an October birthday, I've always been interested in opals, as it's generally recognised as the birthstone for October. So I thought the following information might be interesting to any of you considering using opals in your jewelry.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

An opal bracelet is a beautiful accessory and can be reasonably priced as well. Opal which ranges in color from a light blue to a dark blue, orange, red, and violet is a beautiful stone. The opal is a nice smooth stone which can make for great jewelry.

Approximately ninety-five percent of fine opal comes from the Australian Outback. This means that there’s a very strong chance that your opal bracelet will come from there.

An opal bracelet can be worn with anything whether it be a formal occasion or wearing it for everyday use. It can look dazzling with any color dress as the stone stands out for its beauty and color. The price ranges for an opal bracelet can range from affordable to very expensive depending on the type of opal it is.

If you are looking for an opal bracelet the popular choices are the fire opal and the precious opal. A bracelet with a fire opal is generally red or orange, comes from Mexico, and has more clarity than other types of opals. This type of bracelet will be more expensive because of the rarity of the stone or stones.

An opal bracelet having the precious opal will be from Australia and can be red, orange, blue, and black, which is the most precious. No matter what bracelet you have they can range from precious to common and come in many shades of red and blue.

The opal is the traditional Hindu birthstone for March. However in modern birthstone listings, October is more likely to be associated with opal. Either way, a bracelet set with an opal can be a great gift for someone special with a birthday or occasion in the right month.

An opal bracelet does not just look great as the opal also has different powers. Opal, which is a silicate, contains water which correlates with our emotions and brings out emotions such as love and passion. Wearing a piece of jewelry with an opal set in it can be said to lessen inhibition and bring about spontaneity.

The opal also spurns on imagination, visualization, and dreams. The opal in an opal bracelet can change color with intense people who have fiery personalities. Different colors of the stones have different powers so depending on the color of the opal bracelet it can have different effects.

A white opal bracelet will balance the right and left side of the brain. A black opal bracelet, which is really dark blue, is the most potent type of opal. And a fire opal bracelet can bring about passion, anger, intense emotions, and stimulate energy.

An opal bracelet looks great, has different powers, and can come in common or precious types. It makes a perfect gift for someone special for any occasion.

Beginner at Beading Does a Great Job

Hi everyone!
I just had to share this gorgeous necklace that Susannah made - and it's her first finished piece as a beginner. Wow! Great effort Susannah.
Hopefully this will inspire you to go and create some great beading pieces!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Gorgeous Jewelry Designs

Hi everyone
Want to get your creative juices flowing? Then take a look at this video from Montreal jewelry designer Renelde Napoli. It showcases the 2007 collection, and I think it's impossible to watch the whole video from start to finish without having a whole bunch of creative ideas pop into your head! I particularly like the interesting twist on fasteners - very few boring metal ones!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Get creative with your beading!

Hi everyone!
Jasvir sent me these photos of some of her work, and I thought they were so gorgeous I had to share them.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Bead Store

Hope you like this information! Felicity 8-)

Whether you already enjoy making jewelry, or just want to learn how, your first stop should be at a bead store. You can visit a local bead store or find one online. Just make sure you have plenty of time to browse.

Beads come in hundreds of shapes, sizes and colors. Beads can be made of glass, metal, bone, plastic and even paper. Some beads are made from expensive gemstones, while others are common wood. Seeds, shells and found objects are also items that bead store might make into beads. Glass and acrylic beads mix with Swarovski crystal and Czech crystal.

Along with beads, one of these stores usually carries findings, clasps, watch faces and other components for creating beautiful jewelry. If you are lucky, your bead store will also offer classes in jewelry making, beading on a loom, and beading on cloth. You may learn to bead for fun or even profit.

You should look through your supplies and make a list of items that you need, or want before visiting a bead store. If you are looking for a particular bead, take a sample of it with you to the bead store. Think about what projects you have planned. Add any special beads or findings that you will need to your list. Carry a backpack purse so that both of your hands are free to look through beads.

Ask the sales clerk if there are any specials or sales going on. Also ask if they give discounts to members of bead societies. It may be worth joining if you enjoy beads. If you bead, or make jewelry for profit, and have a tax id number let the salesperson know before they ring up your sale. Remember to bring a copy of your tax certificate if you have one. This allows you to purchase beads and other supplies from a bead store at wholesale instead of retail cost.

After you get home sort your beads. A good desk lamp will help you identify patterns and colors more easily. Most people sort by color, shape and size. Uniformity may also be a factor to consider. If you are like most people that visit a bead store, you have more beads than you need, just because they caught your eye. Part of the fun is coming up with new projects to use up the beads that you find at the bead store.

Follow designs in books, online, or that you have previously made. Come up with new designs of your own. Use up the beads that you bought. Then it is time for another visit to the bead store.

Making Glass Beads

Hi everyone
This is an interesting look at how glass beads are handmade.



Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!
Welcome to 2007, and I hope it's a happy and healthy year for you and all your loved ones.
I've been a bit slack updating the blog in the last month or so, sorry about that.
First I lost my hard drive, and then discovered my backups had failed (grrrr!!) so I've lost an enormous amount of hard work which I can't replace.
Then there was Christmas, and New Year, and going to the beach with my kids, and...
Now I'm trying to transfer servers because I've run out of space, and after 11 days we're still working on it!
As you can imagine, all of this has taken my focus away from beading. 8-)
Still, the end is in sight, so I hope to get back here and add lots more interesting beading information very soon.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Christmas Holiday Beading

Some really great project ideas here, hope you enjoy it!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Beading Video - Using Crimp Tubes

I regularly get asked how to use a crimp tube, so I thought this video might be handy!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Beading With Wire

Hi everyone!
Megan sent me some photos of her latest creations, so I thought I'd share them here. Hope those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a great time.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Beading - Finishing Your Piece

Hi everyone
Hope you find this information about finishing your piece helpful!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)


When you're planning a piece of jewelry, it's loads of fun to choose the right beads and work out how you're going to put them all together for the final result. But there's another element you need to consider - how are you going to finish off your piece?

The bits and pieces that are used to finish off pieces of jewelry are commonly known as findings. This general term covers all sorts of fasteners, connectors and spacers that you can use to give your jewelry the finishing touch. There are an enormous variety of findings available, so I will just cover the main types that are reasonably common in shops.

Findings are generally available in either gold or silver colors; sometimes as pure metals, sometimes as gold or silver plating. If you're making earrings, it's a good idea to use either sterling silver or gold for earwires. Also, if you choose a magnetic clasp, remember that this can cause issues for someone with a pacemaker.

Fasteners

Unless you're using some sort of stretchy cord or making a very long piece, you will need a fastener to put on or remove bracelets and necklaces. There are plenty of fasteners available, including:

- Trigger
- Screw
- Hook and Eye
- Magnetic
- T-bar

Shop around until you find one you like. These are just generic categories, and the range available in each category can be quite varied and interesting.

Spacer and End Bars

These are used for multistrand necklaces or bracelets. The spacer bar helps to keep the strands separate in the middle of the piece, and the end bar is used to finish off the ends of the rows. You can also buy fasteners that are specifically designed for multirow jewelry. If you don't want to keep the strands separate at the end of the row, you can pass them all into an end cap or cone to finish off the strands.

Earrings

Depending on the design of your earrings, you might need earwires or ear studs for pierced ears, or screw or clip ear findings for non-pierced ears. You can also buy ear posts and a matching scroll or butterfly and use them to hold earrings in pierced ears. To make drop earrings you will need eyepins or headpins to support the beads, and you can also buy chandelier earring findings for more complicated designs.

Crimps

Crimps can be used for a couple of different purposes, including attaching fasteners to beading wire or thread, and also to help keep beads in place in the design. You buy metal crimps for use with wire and tiger tail, and you can buy leather crimps or spring ends to use with leather and cotton. You can use metal crimps with thread or elastic, but you must be very careful that when you squash the crimp you don't cut the thread.

Rings

Jump rings and split rings can be used as links, and for joining other items, such as fasteners, onto a piece of jewelry. Jump rings are a single circle of metal, and split rings are a double circle to provide extra strength and security.

Fiber and Bead Necklace

Redge Designs: Fiber and Bead Necklace: "I basically used some cross-stitch thread I had from cross-stitch projects I haven't finished (or haven't started) and some beads. The technique includes weaving, beading and braiding. This is the first time I've tried to do weaving, and I think the result's pretty good :)."


This is an unusual way to combine beads with other materials - hope you like it!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Beaded Watches

Hi everyone!
Mimi1831 posted some really gorgeous watches she'd created over on the forum, so I asked if I could post them here. They certainly got my creative juices stirring.... after all, my current watch is getting a bit long in the tooth! Now, if I get some green beads....
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Working With Wire

Chasing Contentment: "I've signed up to sell my jewelry at a craft fair in early November, and I'm trying to begin working on pieces to show.

I'm looking at fall colors, holiday stuff, things I hope will be interesting. I'm also trying new techniques, which isn't always easy for me.

I'm trying to work with some wire these days, and these are some of my first attempts. In this one, I used red wire with red and white beads. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and it's really easy to wear because the wire is super light."


This is an interesting design, so I thought I'd share it with you. I also liked the comments about working with fall colors in preparation for that season. Do you do the same thing?
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Types of Beads

Hi everyone
I just wrote this article and thought you might enjoy it.
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)

Walking into a bead shop can be a wonderful experience - so many colors, shapes and designs. It's almost impossible not to get incredibly inspired, and it's just as hard to walk out without having spent more than you intended! But when you're confronted with so many beads, it can be helpful to have some idea of what the different types of beads are, and how they're used. That way you can choose the right sort for your project.

Seed Beads

Probably the most widely used beads, seed beads are small, round or shaped, and can be made from almost anything. The most common seed beads are made of glass or plastic, but you can also get them in wood, pearl, jet, metal and so on. There are a huge variety of sizes and shapes available, which is very confusing. The smallest seed beads are often referred to a size 10 or 12, and slightly chunkier ones are size 8. Because they're so small, they're great for decorating garments, using in almost any type of jewelry design and in most types of sewing and embroidery.

Bugle Beads

A bugle bead is a long tube shaped bead, made from plastic, glass or metal. They can be anything from 2mm (1/16") to 5cm (2") long. The most popular is a size 2 bugle bead, which is around 5 to 6mm (1/4") long. These are also great for sewing projects, and can be very effective in certain types of jewelry as well. They're often used as flower stems in sewing projects, or can be used to lengthen a fringe.

Sequins

Although not exactly a bead, sequins are often used together with beads in sewing projects. They are round pieces of plastic or metal, and either have a hole in the center or to one side. They can also be either flat or cupped. The most common sequin style is a 6mm (1/4") cup sequin. Generally sequins are used as decorations for garments and sewn items. The ones with center holes are sewn in rows or individually for the right effect, and the sequins with a hole on the side can be used to form clusters that hang or in fringe work.

Center Beads

A center bead is used as a feature bead in the middle of a jewelry piece, a sewing design (such as a flower), the end of a dangle, or to complete a row of beads. Basically almost any bead that doesn't fit into another category and is larger than standard beads can be loosely classified as a center bead. They come in plastic as well as glass and metal, but if you're using one as a feature, it may be better to go with glass or even crystal, because they last longer and are more beautiful to look at then plastic.

Oval or Rice Beads

Named because of their oval shape, these beads are generally used as a spacer in dangles or as a feature in sewing. They can produce some interesting effects when used in jewelry. The most common size is 1cm (1/2") long, and they come in all sorts of colors and materials.

This is only a quick look at the main categories of beads. Once you start exploring a bead shop you'll realize there's far too many types of beads available to fit them into a few categories. Still, this guide should at least help you get an idea for what types of beads are available, particularly if you have a project you're planning to make which asks for a specific type of bead. Have a great time beading!

Cherry Blossom

Needle Lil More Time To Sew: 100 Details For 100 Days - Day 19: "This tree is part of a small pictorial quilt I made while living in Japan. The first cherry blossoms in all of Japan appear in January on the island of Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture. I guess you could say spring comes early!

My cherry blossoms are 4 mm hand-dyed ribbon with French knots and are anchored with seed beads. The trunk has various colors of cotton floss and perle cotton using chain stitches and stem stitches. The appliqued background pieces are hand done in very close buttonhole stitches."


This is such a pretty use of beads, I had to put it on the blog!
Keep smiling
Felicity 8-)