Blog for Beaders

Take advantage of the Limited Edition Pearl and Pendant Sale to stock up on fabulous pearls and gemstone pendants. From new donut pendants to Biwa pearls, these items will give your designs a touch of natural elegance. These items are only available in extremely limited quantities, so shop now before they sell out!

I was driving in downtown Seattle to do some Christmas shopping. At a stop signal, I saw a woman with her daughter moving toward a homeless woman and giving her a scarf along with a pair of socks. This very simple gesture was so touching! Knitting is a passion, especially scarves because they are easy and fast, so I thought to do the same. Back at home I remember having a box of leftover yarn mixed with some balls of yarn that I purchased a long time ago when my kids were small. So I came up with a summer project: making as many scarves as I can for adults and children. Then in winter I plan to give them away to people in need. I’ve been asking some of my friends if they would like to participate in this project, adding that crochet is also welcome! I was really happy to see that one of my friend’s daughters, who is twelve, wanted to knit some scarves, too. To add a touch of fun on the scarves, I used some of my leftover beads for adornment. It doesn’t matter which ones; beads are always beautiful to look at. I hope that this project will inspire some of you, just as I was inspired in Seattle by a mom and her daughter.

- Cynthia Kimura, Co-owner and President

Shop the Artbeads.com CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski sale to save 15% on our collection of CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements. From pendants and rhinestones to buttons and spacers, these components illustrate why Swarovski has been the leader in precision-cut crystal for more than 100 years. Save now by entering coupon code SCW15P-SWA at checkout. This sale ends at 9am (PDT) on Tuesday, July 14, 2009.

Sterling Silver Mosaic Triangle Pendant
This looks so pretty with a Swarovski crystal pendant hanging from it. It’s very delicate and will bend if it’s not handled gently but it looks fabulous in the necklace I made and we receive lots of complements on what a pretty show piece it is.

- Anonymous

Sterling Silver Twist Link
I’ve used these SS tubes many times to make complete jewelry sets and they are exceptionally nice. You must buy 2mm round SS beads because the tubes go through the bead hole. They look nice with FW Pearls and round swarovski crystals.

- Olie

For more reviews of this product click here.

Shop the Artbeads.com Summer Silver Sale to save 15% on our entire selection of sterling, Hill Tribe and Bali silver! From picture pendants and bead frames to cones and clasps, our wide variety of silver beads and components will give your designs a gorgeous touch of elegance. To enjoy these great savings, enter coupon code SCW15P-SSS at checkout. This sale ends at 9am (PDT) on Thursday, July 9, 2009.

Today we are launching the first Mommy and Me project for 2009. This section is always about finding ideas for keeping kids busy and having fun with them. This year we have a theme : Crafting with Heart. Because of these difficult times, I wanted to focus on projects for others. So I planned a bead party with kids that don’t have opportunities to play with beads and to make something different than jewelry. We decorated visors that I found on sale in our local craft store. I also bought some cheap sunglasses and the kids made eyeglass holders. We used some of my leftovers beads and I added some charms. They had so much fun! Please, have a look at the pictures above. Kids can be so creative!

Cynthia Kimura,
President and co-owner of Artbeads.com

Shop the Artbeads.com Summer Spectacular clearance sale to enjoy enormous savings on more than 500 products! From gemstones and horn to Czech glass and shell beads, our collection of clearance products will provide you with gorgeous results at amazing prices. This sale ends at 9am (PDT) on Wednesday, July 1, 2009.

Take a look at the redesigned Artbeads.com to view the sleek new design and features! In addition to its updated look, the website now features a wide range of functional tools to improve your shopping experience, including a login feature, enhanced navigation and a completely revamped site search. One thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to offer the best selection, prices and service that you’ve come to expect from Artbeads.com.

• New log-in
• Multi-tier tabbed navigation
• New search tool
• New sections and categories
• Expanded site width
• Revamped Learning Center
• Beaders’ Loft resources

Mrs. Kensington is my son’s cat. Her favorite things are watching the sparrows fly back and forth to their new nest on the back porch, eating, hiding under the bed waiting to strike at the unsuspecting dog, eating, nipping at the heals of our other two cats and did I say eating? Her collar was worn out, so I purchased a cute orange cat collar at our local pet store. The collar has a daisy pattern on it so I highlighted the centers of the daisies with CRYSTALLIZED™ hotfix flatbacks in sun and light topaz and covered the clasp for some real sparkle. I added a cute lady bug bell, so now the birds, dog and other cats will have a heads up when she is feeling mischievous.

We recently had some of our favorite animals come in for a photo shoot to model some new pet-themed designs. We filmed all the exciting action as the dogs Moki and Nina posed in front of the camera showing off their embellished apparel. Check out the video, and watch as we struggle to keep their attention!