Blog for Beaders

Shop the Sweetheart Sale to save 15% on all orders of $60 or more storewide. With this fantastic discount, there is no better time to stock up on everything you will need for Valentine’s Day! To receive these savings, enter coupon code SCW15P-SHS at checkout. The Sweetheart Sale ends at 9am (PST) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.

Our email newsletter subscribers will receive a coupon code for a 20% discount, so sign up for our email newsletters now to receive this great discount!

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Awards season is officially in full swing, with another red carpet event taking place this weekend. Don’t let the celebrities be the only ones with red carpet looks. Host an awards show watching party and make sure everyone looks their best. You can create your own looks with some designs from Artbeads.com. Whether you’re looking for a purse that oozes old Hollywood glamor, a bold pair of heels that are bound to be show stoppers or a few simple hair accessories, Artbeads.com has some great ideas to get you started.

The shoes featured above use Swarovski rhinestones in all shapes and sizes to create a bold, elegant look.

This design is reminiscent of 1920s Hollywood, creating a vintage feeling with an antique brass link and a spattering of bright crystals.

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Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win a mystery treasure chest full of stunning beads and jewelry supplies from Artbeads.com. Items contained in the chest have been announced every week on the Artbeads.com Facebook page. To enter for your chance to win, visit the Artbeads.com Facebook page, click on the sweepstakes tab and enter your contact information before 11:59 PM (PST) Wednesday, January 27, 2010. This sweepstakes is open to United States and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) over the age of 18. Good luck!

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Accent a stark white gown with this beautiful jewelry set. Full of bright raspberry and green colors and flower motifs, this set of matching earrings and necklace is the perfect accessory on your special day. Both pieces feature stunning Venetian glass and bold base metal components.

This set is a wonderful example of the trend towards bright colors for wedding jewelry this upcoming wedding season. In the current global economy the days of the Cinderella weddings are disappearing. But if you are a 2010 bride, don’t fret! Amazing things come in small packages! Many brides are going to backyard or park setting venues, smaller bridal parties and handmade favors and invitations. Color is everywhere and matching is out. Brides are allowing their bridesmaids to choose their dresses based on the wedding colors. This is a win for all. Everyone’s body types are different, so why not let your best friends choose a style they will look the best and be most comfortable in?

For colors, nothing is hotter than lime green which is taking the wedding scene by storm. We love the raspberry and lime combination for spring with accents of lavender and soft or bright yellow. More brides are going strapless, which is great news for beaders. Opening up a neckline provides ample opportunity for freedom in design. If you want to go traditional with a twist, mix a couple of colored crystals into your simple pearl necklace. If you are feeling bold, make a multi-strand, playful piece that is sure to steal the show! Bare arms mean more room for bracelets. Don’t be afraid to go bold! Simple necklaces and earrings may make for more timeless photographs, but bracelets can be as big and bold as you like.

For other jewelry designs or jewelry components perfect for a bride, visit the Artbeads.com wedding section.

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The wrapped loop is a staple of wire working. It is useful to finish earrings, make links for a chain, or dangle a pendant from a necklace. With this handy tip video, we’ll show you the simple techniques used in creating a wrapped loop.

If you wish to subscribe to our video updates, click here, to go to our YouTube channel.

For other Handy Tip Videos please visit our Learning Center.

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While modern mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards generally offer little more than a standard greeting and a few words of affection, the first Valentine’s were ornate, handmade treasures filled with verses of poetry and sentimental notions. The road from romance to commercialization has been a long one.

The oldest known Valentine in existence was written by Charles, Duke Orleans to his wife in 1415. At the time he was locked in the Tower of London, after being captured at the Battle of Agincourt. A few years later King Henry V hired a writer to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valios, his future wife.

A few hundred years later, around the mid-18th century, it became common for friends and lovers in Great Britain, no matter their social class, to exchange notes and small tokens of affection on Valentine’s Day. The 14th of February had been established as St. Valentine’s Day a few centuries earlier by the church in order to detract from a pagan festival that took place from February 13-15. Exchanged cards were incredibly elaborate, often featuring lace, a sacred heart and an angel, today’s Valentine heart and Cupid. For those who couldn’t write their own poetry, Valentine’s Day writers were sold. These books included preformed verses that were to be written onto decorative paper. With the improvements in the technology of printing and the lessening of postage rates, ready-made cards became more popular, as did the tradition of sending anonymous Valentine cards.

The first mass-produced Valentine’s Day card in America was made in 1850 by Esther A. Howland. Her cards were made from lace paper, following the same techniques being used in Europe at the time. These cards were blank on the inside, allowing for a personalized message from the sender. Larger companies quickly followed Howland’s lead after realizing there was money to be made; Howland made an astonishing $5,000 during her first year of card production. And the rest is history, as they say.

So this year, instead of sending your loved ones a mass-produced Valentine, consider taking a page from the old romantics and creating your own card. We’ve got a template you can follow, or you can use it as inspiration for your own design. For added inspiration, Valentine’s Day items are currently 15% off. This sale runs until 9am (PST) on Thursday, January 28, 2010.

The historical information in this post was found at:
History.com
History of the Card

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Save 15% on all Valentine’s Day items during the Love Is in the Air Sale. This sale includes everything you need to make your sweetheart feel special, from heart-shaped beads and charms to pink pearls and red rhinestones. To take advantage of these savings enter coupon code SCW15P-VDT at checkout. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so shop today! This sale ends at 9am (PST) on Thursday, January 28, 2010.

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For one week only save 15% on all TierraCast® pewter, including the brand new line of Viva Mexicana beads and charms. This sale includes pendants, charms, alphabet beads, bead frames and much more. All TierraCast® items are made from 100% lead-free pewter and are come in a variety of coatings, including copper, gold and silver. Simply enter coupon code SCW15P-VDT at checkout to receive these savings. Hurry! This sale ends at 9am (PST) on Thursday, January 28, 2010.

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The filigree butterfly pendant was an instant inspiration for this elegant steampunk necklace.

To make the central piece, I used an antique brass butterfly filigree, attached it to a polymer clay background, combined with watch parts and hardware parts, and enhanced with clear resin. The necklace is created using antique brass chain, hardware, emerald Swarovski crystals, and antique brass jump-rings.

Find detailed instructions for this project at my web site.

By, Artbeads.com Customer, Eugena
www.eugenascreations.com

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January is the month to make, and break, resolutions. Don’t let that happen to you! If one of your resolutions includes cleaning up your design space and using some of those scraps you’ve had sitting around for a while, we’ve got a great idea for you.

We all have bits of chain lying around from times when we bought a foot, but only used five inches. Those end up stuffed in drawers or sitting around our craft spaces. Instead of hiding it away, or throwing it away, why not create a set of earrings, a beautiful necklace or a bracelet out of those pieces. For longer scraps, the necklace design is a perfect way to recycle those mismatched pieces of chain, while the earring design can accommodate smaller pieces and the bracelet is the perfect way to use up those midsized pieces. Combine different textures, colors and sizes for a truly unique piece.

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