Blog for Beaders

Whether you want to decorate your shoes for a breast cancer awareness walk or create an embellishment to wear on your favorite pair of tennis shoes, these shoe charms are a great way to show support for those fighting breast cancer. These charms could also be used as zipper pulls or keychain dangles.

For other jewelry ideas and products to help you raise awareness for important causes, be sure to check out the newly updated awareness items page at Artbeads.com.

[Read more →]

The words wrapped loop sound like a simple two-step process. Step one: form a loop with some wire. Step two: wrap the end of the wire around the bottom of that loop. Piece of cake.

Piece of cake. That’s what I thought just before I started my first jewelry project. After all, I’d already tried embroidery, cross stitch, quilting and crochet. Making a wrapped loop should be simple. Well, after attempting to create a pair of earrings, I came to realize that this skill was not as easy as it sounded.

To create my first wrapped loop, I started shaping a wire head pin around the tip of a pen using a pair of needle nose pliers I found in our garage. They looked similar to chain nose pliers, and I decided they would work just as well. After I formed the loop, I removed it from the pen and started wrapping the wire around the loop’s base. The loop bent out of shape as I wrapped. It served the correct purpose, but it looked unprofessional. The bead attached to it didn’t hang straight, let alone match its mate on the other earring. “How do the jewelry designers at work get the loop to look so perfect?” I wondered.

Perhaps it was my lack of tools? I still thought the needle nose pliers from my garage would work, but I definitely needed something to replace that pen! My next purchase of jewelry-making supplies included a round nose pliers.

While I was practicing the wrapped loop, I decided to design a pair of earrings for my sister. She loves bright colors and had just purchased a pink shirt, so I made her some earrings with a pair of pink dichroic beads. The beads looked terrific, and the round nose pliers gave the wrapped loops a more rounded look, but even my beginner’s eye noticed that they looked far from perfect. How was I going to master this important jewelry-making skill? I wasn’t sure, and for a while my wrapped loops stayed the same.

I finally got some help from Amy, one of the designers at Artbeads.com. She showed me step by step how to create a wrapped loop. I found out what I was doing wrong, along with tips for preventing future mistakes. It seems that when you’re shaping wrapped loops, you need to pay attention to details like the position that you hold the round nose pliers and the amount of room that you leave between the bead and the loop. And when you’re paying attention to details, it helps to have a tool the right size. Those needle nose pliers I was using are just too large to work well. With Amy’s help (and her chain nose pliers), I’ve become much better at creating wrapped loops, although they’re still not as perfect as hers!

Artbeads.com just came out with a new wrapped loop handy tip, where Amy demonstrates the exact same steps that she showed me. If you’re interested, check out the video or read through the step by step instructions below it.

[Read more →]

For one week only, shop the Talk Like a Pirate Sale and save on more than 1,000 items, all at a dollar or less. The hoard of treasures awaiting you ranges from silver beads and gold-plated charms to sparkling Swarovski crystals and Venetian glass beads. Talk Like a Pirate Day is Sunday, September 19. Be sure to take advantage of this sale before it ends at 9am (PT) on Thursday, September 23, 2010.

Along with the sale, Artbeads.com is having a treasure hunt. Put your skills to the test and dig through our product pages to uncover 170 hidden treasures. These products, some originally priced at $26, have been discounted to only a penny! The video above tells a little about the hunt. For detailed instructions on how to participate in this fun event, be sure to visit the treasure hunt page.

[Read more →]

Talk Like a Pirate Day is an internationally celebrated holiday invented purely for fun. Each year on September 19th, people around the world can great their friends by saying “Ahoy, matey” and “Argh” with a legitimate excuse for their pirate accents and gestures. To celebrate this unique event, several Artbeads.com employees have gathered together for a brief demonstration of their pirate-speaking abilities. Be sure to watch the video to see them do their very best pirate impressions. This video is also in preparation for an exciting sale starting on September 16th, 2010. Keep your eyes open for more information.

[Read more →]

Bailey Beader is ready to answer your jewelry or craft making questions. You can direct any questions you have to artbeadsblog@gmail.com. Describe your problem and Bailey will do her best to give you a solution. If it’s a general question that others can benefit from, it may even be posted on the blog.

[Read more →]

During the Japanese Seed Bead Sale at Artbeads.com, all seed beads on the website are 20% off. The sale includes 31 new limited edition TOHO™ beads. Japanese seed beads are well known for their consistency in size, shape and color. You’ll find a variety of shapes, ranging from round TOHO™ beads to hexagon cut Miyuki beads. The popular Miyuki Delicas are also on sale. Whether you’re creating a project that needs a seed bead with a matte finish or looking for a bead with a shiny silver core, you’ll find it in this widespread collection. To take advantage of the 20% discount, be sure to use coupon code ZZW20P-SBB at checkout. The sale ends at 9am (PT) on Tuesday, September 21, 2010.

[Read more →]

My grandmother and aunt are always wearing something fun and unique when they show up at our house for Thanksgiving dinner. I love asking them about where they found their newest piece of jewelry, and if there is a story behind it’s creation.

Since all of us like jewelry so much, last year the women in our family decided to have a jewelry making party after the Thanksgiving meal. The pieces that we made were simple, so that even beginners could participate, and it was nice to have something to do with our hands while we chatted about the family news.

If you’d like to plan a similar activity, or if you want to wear something special to a Thanksgiving gathering, now is the time to plan. You’ll need to decide exactly what you want to create, whether it’s a simple bracelet that features colorful fire-polished beads or a showcase piece that will complete the look of a favorite outfit.

For some traditional charms and shapes that represent fall, be sure to check out Artbeads.com’s Thanksgiving section. You can also browse the wide variety of Fall Learning Center Ideas available to get in the mood for creating a fall-themed design.

[Read more →]

If you’ve been thinking about selling some of your jewelry and craft projects online, but you’re not sure about it, now is a good time to explore ShopHandmade.com. Artbeads.com is sponsoring store owners, meaning that posting products on ShopHandmade.com is free! ShopHandmade.com is an online marketplace that currently hosts more than 1,000 artisan jewelry designers and lists more than 10,000 handmade jewelry creations. Sponsorship by Artbeads.com lets you sell your jewelry without paying the $0.25 fee for every item listed in your store. Artbeads.com will also be promoting ShopHandmade.com products and artisans to their customers. If you’re interested in more information, check out the ShopHandmade.com website.

[Read more →]

For a limited time only, save up to 43% on more than 1,000 items during our Swarovski Spectacular Sale! You’ll find a sparkling selection of Swarovski crystal items, ranging from colorful rhinestones and XILION settings to brilliant pendants and beads. Shop now to take advantage of this exciting sale before it ends at 9am (PT) on Thursday, September 16, 2010.

[Read more →]

Layering to create pendants can be fun for both beginners and advance jewelry designers, and the results look fabulous!

To create a layered pendant, the first thing to do is brainstorm. What do you want the pendant to look like? Is it going to be bright and colorful or monochromatic? How much detail do you want? Should it be large and round, wedge shaped or wide? Once you’ve answered a few of these questions, you can begin looking for pieces to create your design.

Begin by looking for your focal piece, as everything else you choose will need to complement it. Sterling silver charms are always a good choice because of their high quality, detail and fun themes. They look nice resting against both simple and complex backgrounds.

And, of course, when it comes to color, glass and crystal beads are an excellent option. Small Swarovski bicone beads work wonderfully for creating clusters or dangles, and other glass beads have gorgeous designs.

Once you’ve decided on your focal piece, check its size and shape. This will help you determine what to place behind it. Long pieces can look elegant with an oval or rectangular shape behind them, while large, broad pieces will benefit with a square or circle.

There are a variety of components that work good as backgrounds, and sometimes they can be unconventional. Don’t feel stuck using something you’ve already seen. For simple backgrounds, try a resin pendant or a metal tag. For a complex pattern, use a Lillypilly pendant or a laser cut wood pendant. Sometimes, the look you’re going for can’t be achieved with just two pieces. You may need a smaller middle piece to set off your focal piece or to blend the background and the focal together.

If you’d like to see some examples of layering, be sure to check out some of these ideas at the Artbeads.com Learning Center. They have step by step instructions to help you see exactly how they were created.

This Enlightened Spirit Necklace shows how a silver charm can stand out against a dark, yet complex background.

This Anemone Necklace shows how a background can add color, and how two detailed pieces can work together.

The Heart of Gold Necklace shows how layering similar shapes can create a beautiful effect.

Here, the brass tones of the background pendant in the Chi Necklace are drawn out by the focal piece.

[Read more →]