Blog for Beaders

In three days spring is officially here, so this is my last opportunity to show you some beautiful winter designs created by our Design Partners! Take some time to see what everyone has been working on these winter months. And who knows? Perhaps one of the designs will inspire you as your thoughts turn to spring. I’ve posted some of my favorites on the blog, but there are many more amazing pieces that you can view in the Artbeads Facebook Galleries!

New designs are up in the Winter Enchantment Gallery II, and you can view the rest in Winter Enchantment Gallery I.

Winter Necklace created by Lisa of AlteRity

Lisa designed this necklace with glistening ice in mind and added touches of pastel color to hint at the beauty that comes with the thaw. I love her color choices and the vintage style of the clasp at the front of the necklace.

Hill Tribe Bracelet created by Genea of Genea Beads

This beautiful design by Genea uses a Hill Tribe silver bead frame and deep blue beads to complement a soldered charm that she made herself. All the elements in this design work well together to create a solid piece.

Fairy Necklace created by Amy of Sprite Creations

Amy tried something unique with this design and painted the clasp and fairy’s wings with colored resin. I love the way this necklace looks as a result. Those elements add just the right touch of color.

Enchantment Wedding Necklace created by Linda of BeadsForever

Linda created this intricate design as a wedding necklace, and the result of her efforts is definitely something a bride would love. The combination of seed beads and pearls is stunning!

Indigo Glacier Bracelet created by Kassie of The Beading Butterfly

This bracelet design is Kassie’s first foray into using Tila beads. The zig-zag pattern she created with them is beautiful and fun. It has good contrast, as the white Tila beads allow the vibrant blue beads to stand out!

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Reyna has been sharing all of the exciting things she was able to do in Tucson this year, and we’re very excited to be able to offer that same experience next year to the winner of the Road to Tucson Sweepstakes! If you’ve been thinking about entering this sweepstakes but haven’t gotten around to it, this is your last opportunity! The sweepstakes ends tonight at midnight. To enter, go to this link: Road to Tucson Sweepstakes.

Here’s some more information about the sweepstakes:

Enter to win a trip for two to Tucson, Arizona to attend the Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase! The prize package includes round-trip airfare to Tucson, Arizona and 3 nights accommodation. You will attend classes with well-known beading instructors and have access to the biggest shows! Spend 3 days in Tucson surrounded by gems, minerals, fossils, beads and other bead lovers just like you.

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Modern Expressions: Creating Fabulous and Fashionable Jewelry with Easy-to-Find Elements is truly a fashion forward book that endlessly inspires jewelry makers. The book is by Fernando Dasilva and features 25 stunning necklace, bracelet and earring designs. All are very unique and modern and include step-by-step instructions, how-to wear styling ideas and designer tips. There is a complete list of materials and tools on each design, many include SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, Beadalon and findings. With Modern Expressions, you will be creating your own fabulous jewelry!

I was lucky to meet Fernando in Tucson this year and enjoyed talking to him. He showed me this wonderful book and I saw that he is very passionate about the jewelry he designs, beautiful products and teaching others how to make jewelry. He’s deeply inspired by Brazil, the culture, fashion and art. You can see the passion in everything he does!

I’m excited to say that we’re giving away an autographed copy of Modern Expressions, a Modern Expressions T-Shirt embellished with Swarovski Elements crystals AND a $25 Artbeads.com Gift Card to buy supplies to start a design.

Trivia Question:

1. What’s the name of the design Fernando created using Artbeads.com components that was inspired by Brazil’s most famous beach?

Visit Fernando’s blog, Modern Expressions, to find the answer! Hint: you will have to search a little through the blog.

To enter this giveaway, send an email to reynab@artbeads.com with your name and answer to the trivia question. I will randomly select a winner on Friday, March 18, 2011 from the entries to win the grand prize! Good luck!

-Reyna

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It has already been over a month since we were in Tucson and it feels like it was just a week ago! The end of the Road to Tucson Sweepstakes is fast approaching and all entries MUST be in by Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. The Grand Prize winner will win a trip for two to the 2012 Gem and Mineral Show that includes airfare, hotel accommodations, transportation and a beading class! I think Tucson experience is something you will never forget.

Here are some more pictures I took this year as well as some of the things you will see and do.

1. Take classes with famous and talented instructors.

2. See amazing jewelry designs from the world’s best jewelry artists.

3. See endless gemstones and fossils. Most are bigger than you would imagine!

4. SHOPPING!

5. Find the latest and hottest new products and trends in beads and jewelry.

6. You never know who you’re going to meet!

I met up with Libbey from Fire Designs about what inspires her.  She said fashion trends, color and her customers inspire her! She has a great eye for color with fun bright colors that add a little more to your designs.

We want to share the experience with you! Get your entry in to the Road to Tucson Sweepstakes by 11:59PM Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Tell all of your friends and family to enter, maybe they will bring you! We will choose the winner on March 17, be sure to check your email to see if you won.

-Reyna

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We have been receiving a lot of questions about why the prices on our silver products are going up. Tawny, our customer service manager, has the answers! Here’s her explanation for what’s happening with silver right now:

Silver prices rise and fall with the market value similar to gasoline prices, and they are currently on the rise.

When I first started working here in the fall of 2003, silver was around $5.00 dollars an ounce. Since then it has risen to $35.00 an ounce! In the last six months alone, silver has risen $13.00.

Because of this, it costs more for our vendors to manufacture the products and for us to purchase them. We have worked very hard to keep our prices low, but as you can see silver has continued to rise steadily over the last several years.

Tawny
Customer Service Manager
Artbead.com

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Well, I had time this morning to take a few quick photos of my St. Patrick’s Day earrings! I made these one afternoon while I was playing around with some supplies I had on hand. The design idea came to my mind as I debated what to do with some Swarovski Erinite faceted rounds. I’ve wanted to create a design with them for awhile, but when I first purchased them they turned out a bit large for the project I had planned. I think they worked well in these earrings!

I wanted these earrings to be chandelier earrings, but I didn’t have a chandelier form, so I looked at what I had and decided to try some memory wire because it likes to hold its shape. I also used 6mm Erinite faceted rounds accented with silver-lined crystal delicas and some silver-plated round beads.

I created dangles with the Erinite rounds and seed beads, and threaded them onto the memory wire with the silver-plated round beads.

At the top of the earrings, I fashioned simple loops and connected the ends of the memory wire together. Then, I threaded a jump ring through the loops. The tension of the memory wire kept the loops tight against the jump ring.

These earrings turned out light enough that I can wear them comfortably all day, and I’m looking forward to wearing them on March 17th!

-Katie

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Irish Fleury Cross Necklace Design Idea

St. Patrick’s Day is coming (March 17), and this is an early reminder that soon many people will be wearing green! I remember how much fun it was in elementary school to see who remembered the day, and I loved the outrageous combinations my friends and classmates decided to wear. It’s the one holiday where a kid can don three clashing shades of green without a problem. I had an especially favorite pair of lime green pants that I wore several years in a row until they mysteriously disappeared (My mother had just gone through my clothes. Hmm, was that just a coincidence?).

Now that I’m older, I don’t wear quite as much green on St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve even forgotten to wear it a couple of times (Shhh! Don’t tell my Irish friends). When I do remember, I like to wear a touch of green to join in the fun of the holiday. This year I made some silver and green earrings that I’m planning to wear, and hopefully I’ll be able to show you some pictures. They were fun and quick to make.

At Artbeads.com, we’re starting the celebration a bit early. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to check out our Facebook page for a special surprise themed around the Luck of the Irish!

If you’d like to get into the spirit of the holiday as well, you can check out our St. Patrick’s Day Page to see fun jewelry ideas and components with a decidedly green theme.

-Katie

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Congratulations to Julia, she won a copy of Beading Across America autographed by author Amy Katz! We randomly selected her comment using the True Random Number Service – numbers 1 through 64 (we received 64 comments over the weekend!) and it generated number 37. Julia, we will contact you with more information.

Don’t forget to check out the Beading Across America’s Facebook page for all of the book signing dates and pick up a copy for yourself! Check back on the Artbeads Blog for Beaders for more exclusive giveaways!

-Reyna

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Beading Across America is a book full of beautiful jewelry designs from 30 bead artists in the United States, including authors Paulette Baron, Amy Katz and Sherry Serafini. It is sorted by 5 regions: the Northeast, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest and the Northwest. The bead artists showcase their love of seed beads through their original designs and its fun to see the different styles from across the country.

With each design, you’ll find detailed instructions on how to create the piece yourself. If you want to learn beadweaving or bead embroidery, or even if you’re already an expert, this book has something for all skill levels starting from beginner to advanced. The supplies and materials are listed too; you’ll find most of them in our Seed Bead category! There is also a very helpful stitch tutorial guide to show you how to do stitches such as Herringbone, Peyote and Beaded backstitch. You can learn how to make bezels around cabochons and crystal rivolis too!

Visit the Beading Across America Facebook page for more pictures, information and book signing dates. At the book signing dates you can meet the artist, see the piece in person, get your book autographed and other fun things!

Potomac Jewel Earrings

Here is your chance to win a copy of “Beading Across America” autographed by one of the authors, Amy Katz! Amy designed the Potomac Jewel Earrings that are stunning! To enter, leave a comment to this blog post with the title and author of your favorite jewelry-making book. And don’t forget to include you name and email address (so we can contact you if you win)! One entry per person – we will randomly select a winner on Monday, March 7, 2011.

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These beautiful designs are created by our talented and inspirational Artbeads Design Partners. Using a winter theme as inspiration, the Design Partners beautifully brought forth the beauty and spirit of the winter season in their designs. I’ve posted a few of my favorites on the blog, but there are many more amazing pieces that I just didn’t have room for. Feel free to visit the Artbeads Facebook Gallery to see many more!

Beadwork by Amanda

This aqua design comes to us from a blogger well used to the cold and snow. She lives in New York! I love her color choice and the graduating look of the glass beads on the earrings.

Empress of Ice by Yuliya of Yuliyart

Yuliya was inspired to create a design that featured the feminine side of winter, and this detailed masterpiece is the result! The Swarovski crystals and dangling drops combined with the intricate design work well to create the impression of an ice queen.

Midnight Winter Moon by Brenda of Brenda’s Jewelry Box

Brenda’s bracelet uses deep blue pearl beads and a Swarovski moon pendant to give the impression of a crisp winter night. She did a great job incorporating many elements, while still keeping the design unified and uncluttered.

Helouise of Farrielle Design and Fashionista

This lovely design captures the sparkle of a snowy day. Helouise used warm-toned pearls that nevertheless provide a winter feel to these earrings, and they look great!

Lisa of Lucid Moon Studio

Lisa lives in Florida, so she doesn’t get the winter snow and ice that many of us see every year. Instead of focusing on ice and snow, her design features what she sees in the winter months: a cheerful bird with bare branches. Having lived in Florida for several years, I think she captured the winter there perfectly.

Snowflowers by Andrew Thornton

Andrew Thornton used filigree flowers, crystals and Keshi pearls to create a design fit for a playful winter nymph. This photograph just shows off the focal points. Go to his blog to see the whole thing and find out more about what inspired him.

Winter Illuminations by Cynthia of Bead Origami

Cynthia got her inspiration for this design from winter in Japan. They light up parks and shrines at night, producing a vibrancy that you wouldn’t normally see in a winter scene. This design shows off that vibrant color!

Valentine on Ice by Kelley of Kell’s Creative Musings

Kelley was inspired by both winter and Valentine’s Day for this design. Resin and clear druk beads add an icy feel to the heart pendant.

The Three Fates by Jennie of The Bead Doodler

This elegantly beaded design nicely emphasizes the blue and white cameo at its center. This design looks like a picture window into a winter story.

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