Blog for Beaders

Congratulations to Stacy S., the winner of the Mother’s Day Gift Card Giveaway! She won a $100 Artbeads.com Gift Card that she says she’ll share with her Mom. What a nice present!

With a total of 166 entries, I used True Random Number Service and number 109 was chosen. Thank you to everyone that participated!

There were some wonderful comments and some of the items you loved were the Porcelain Pendants, Sterling Silver Frames (same with our winner, Stacy!), Charms and Gift Cards. All of your design and gift ideas sound so good, your Mothers (or your Aunts or Friends) will surely love it too!

Starting from the top left: 20-21×30-31mm Oval Mother of Pearl Dragonfly, Sterling/Resin 16mm Pendant – Blue with Blossom Tree, 30x40mm Rectangle Black Onyx Peacock, Sterling Silver Wish Box Angel

Be sure to get your Mother’s Day designs together – we have a fun challenge coming up next week that you’ll want to be a part of! Stay tuned for details.

-Reyna

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Photo Source: Stylehive.com

Photo Source: About.com

Looking for a Mother’s Day gift that quick and simple? Make a lovely brooch out of nothing more than a bottle cap and your favorite beads! This unique idea is from About.com. Follow the general guidelines but put your own special twist on it to make your gift to your mom special. The first picture above is another person’s interpretation of the idea. A brooch is a timeless jewelry piece and will compliment anyone’s outfit. For a special homemade gift that won’t thin your wallet, try this environmentally friendly idea. Get inspired to create other types of jewelry out of bottle caps, too. Make dangle earrings, pendants, or an elaborate bracelet. Use your favorite artbeads.com products to make it your own! We recommend Swarovski crystals to give your design a touch of elegance.

-Marissa

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Photo Source: bbc, hookingupsmart.com, bloggingfordotinfo

Looking for a bit of inspiration? Abizas.com has compiled a fun list of famous jewels from generations of movies. If you’re in need of a fun theme for a night out, make a replica of any of these famed jewels. Most of these pieces can be made from artbeads products, so be sure to shop around our website to save big and create incredible designs! You could probably get away with just wearing a big colorful pendant, but try to put your own twist on them! From the heart of the ocean from “Titanic” to Superman’s kryptonite, check out the most famous jewels in Hollywood history!

-Marissa

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Photo Source: Martha Stewart.

Gift baskets allow you to make a thoughtful gift without knowing specifically what someone wants. Your mother deserves something special and homemade, and a gift basket to reflect her favorite pastime or hobby is a great idea. Martha Stewart has a nice collection of gift basket ideas for your mom. If she likes gardening, craft making, or if just deserves a relaxing spa experience, you can show her how much you care. Try one of these ideas or get inspired and create your own theme. Make it your own by adorning the basket with sparkling Swarovski crystals for decor. An Artbeads.com gift card is always a nice thing to throw into a gift basket too!

-Marissa

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Mother’s Day is less than a month away so now is the perfect time to create something heartfelt for your mom. Make a special gift that will show your love and appreciation that she’ll cherish forever. We have picked out some beautiful beads, charms, and pendants that will get you started as well as other great gifts. We added our Mother’s Day jewelry and craft ideas for more inspiration. All of these are in our Mother’s Day section!

Here are some of my favorite Mother’s Day Products. They’re all so pretty! Starting from the left: Rectangle Black Onyx – Evening Star, by Mucha, Sterling Silver Heart Picture Frame, Sterling Silver World’s Greatest Mom Charm, Sterling/Resin 16mm Pendant – Magenta Love in Bloom and 1.5 Inch Flowery Heart Pendant – Walnut Wood.

We’re giving away a $100 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate to one lucky person so start thinking about a design for mom! To enter, leave a comment (with your name and email address so we can contact you) to this blog post telling us what your favorite Mother’s Day product is from our Mother’s Day section and what you would do with it (example: make a piece of jewelry, craft project or give it as a gift). The giveaway ends on Friday, April 15, 2011 at 9AM Pacific Time. One entry per person. The winner will be selected at random, notified via email and announced on the blog. Good luck!

Be sure to get your mom inspired jewelry and pieces together for a fun challenge coming next week.

-Reyna

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Made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Xilion Bicones in Light Rose, this cute little bunny will add a splash of spring color and sparkle to your Easter dinner table. It would also be a great addition in a friend or family member’s Easter basket. The bunny design is by Eri Attebery may look hard to do, but don’t worry, we have step-by-step instructions and pictures to help you!

Find all of the materials and instructions you need to make the Peter Cottontail Napkin Ring in our Learning Center. Be creative! You can make this bunny in any size or color, using the same amount of beads.

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We’ve just launched new products this week, so check them out now! If you’re looking for a new material to try out, browse the new additions to Sassy Silkies. The hand-painted beads are shaped like scrolls and are made out of silk. The material may look fragile, but it’s actually quite durable! Each bead has hand-painted writing, giving it detail you can only get from silk! We’ve also just received a new collection from TierraCast® if you’re in need of pewter products. TierraCast® pewter is nice because it’s 100% lead free and comes in many different finishes! From antique gold to black, you can create different looks by incorporating TierraCast® pewter components. We’ve recently added new gemstones, too! Create new spring ideas or plan ahead for summer and get inspired. The New Products Section of our site is constantly changing, so be sure to check back often.

-Marissa

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It’s true that we often associate certain feelings and emotions with different colors, and this can sometimes determine what clothes we decide to wear that day. I know when it’s cold outside I don’t always feel like wearing bright colors, even though maybe I should since it would probably make me feel better! When picking jewelry or craft designs, we may not realize that whatever we’re feeling or wanting to feel could affect the colors we choose to use. The next time you’re trying to decide on a color scheme, think of what feeling you want to evoke. Maybe you need some new job interview jewelry, or want to make a gift for a good friend. Changingminds.org has come up with a chart explaining the different meanings behind colors. As their site explains, there are many different interpretations of color, and this stems from cultural implications. For example, red can evoke a warm feeling because we associate it with fire, or anger because a person’s face often turns red when they get upset. Below are just a few emotional connections that we make with certain colors. I’ve tried to only mention ones that would apply to jewelry making.

Red: Warmth, love, boldness, excitement, strength, determination, courage
Orange: Cheerfulness, enthusiasm, creativity
Yellow: Comfort, liveliness, optimism, happiness, energy
Green: Durability, reliability, calm, harmony, freshness
Blue: Peace, professionalism, loyalty, depth, trust
Purple: Power, royalty, elegance, sophistication, luxury, mystery
Grey: Traditionalism, conservatism, intelligence
Brown: Relaxing, confident, casual, solid, genuine
Black: Sophistication, formality, power, strength
White: Cleanliness, purity, peace, simplicity, innocence

Margie Deeb has written books about working with colors in jewelry making. Learn more about her ideas on our link.

-Marissa

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Show your love for your furry friend with this fun idea from the learning center! This is a great new look for spring when you’ll be outside more with your pet, and also makes a great gift idea for a friend (furry or otherwise). As complicated as this design looks, it’s actually quite easy! You’ll have tons of fun making this charm bracelet. Even if you don’t own a dog, follow this basic design to make it your own and show off the love you hold for your pet! Be sure to check out more free jewelry ideas from the Learning Center.

-Marissa

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Believe it or not, Mother’s Day is only a month away! As you begin planning a pleasant surprise for the mothers in your life (or deciding what you want for yourself), you might want to take a look at these instruction guides from Swarovski. These guides offer step by step instructions showing how to use some of Swarovski’s new designer heart pendants! They are beautiful and easy to make. View the Swarovski Create Your Style Instructional Guides to see all the projects Swarovski has created or click below for one of the guides shown in the picture above.

Dazzling Hearts Bracelet
Swinging Hearts Earrings
Vibrant Hearts Necklace

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