Blog for Beaders

I’m pretty lucky to be located in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by incredible displays of beauty both natural and man-made. Recently I visited the Tacoma Museum of Glass to get a better understanding of how glass making works. I would highly recommend taking a trip to Tacoma, Washington if you live in the area, and stopping by this museum. We appreciate the dedication our artisans take to create glass beads like lampwork and hand-blown glass, so I thought I would share the beauty found in other works of glass art.

The most interesting stop in my trip was visiting the Hot Shop inside the museum. This is where you can watch artists make glass products as they move through each process. I watched a dirty piece of scrap glass melt, mold and form into a colorful piece of art full of detail in just minutes. The artists used a process similar to how your favorite furnace glass beads like Fire Designs are made. It takes a lot of discipline to constantly blow and twirl a piece of glass to make it into something beautiful.

The outside of the museum features cool glass displays as well. I couldn’t wait to share these pictures with all of you!

By far the Chihuly Bridge, named after famous glass artist Dale Chihuly, was the most decorative display outside. You walk under a ceiling of glass with nothing but natural light illuminating your path, glowing through each colorful piece.

Further on are enormous glass towers that stand beside an overpass, guiding you to the Washington State History Museum.

I will leave you with some extra pictures I snapped outside. For more information on the Tacoma Museum of Glass, visit their website and plan a trip! Get inspired to create your own hand-crafted jewelry with some of our colorful glass beads for a small work of art!

-Marissa

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Make a cool look for summer with these stylish earrings! Made from pewter elements and dark red crystals, these earrings are perfect for any occasion. Pewter is an economically-smart alternative to sterling silver or gold, and you can feel safe shopping our pewter since it’s all lead-free! We offer pewter jewelry components in different finishes like silver, copper or black for whatever theme you’re designing. Make pretty pewter earrings by purchasing the jewelry kit, or check out other cool and free jewelry-making ideas at our Learning Center. Our Lucky in Love earrings are a great choice to make jewelry that’s inexpensive and imaginative.

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Photo Source: thefashionoutlier.com.

The sun’s out and it’s time to start pulling up your hair and showing off your fabulous earring creations! Keep up to date on what’s new and design your new styles to match. Feathers are really hot, but so are other large dangling pieces. Try experimenting with bright colors and various elements because this year is all about exploring new possibilities. Play with wood beads or shell components and mix them with Swarovski crystals for a design that’s all you! Here’s what we’re seeing celebrities sporting on their ears lately.

Photo Source: celebsalon.sheknows.com.

Loud gold earrings make great statement pieces and will make your eyes sparkle! These styles are elegant enough to wear on an evening date but can just as easily be worn with jeans for a laid-back barbecue.

Photo Source: whimsyworldwide.com.

Another cool trend is emerald drop earrings. The luscious green tone is very elegant and timeless.

Photo Source: myjewelrytrends.com.

And, of course, chandelier earrings are still in style! Sport your favorite trend wherever you go.

Now it’s your turn to play! Find help making earrings by visiting our Learning Center for free ideas and instructions on how to create your own earrings you can wear all year long.

-Marissa

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Play the Celebrity Jewelry Trivia Game III and you could win a $100 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate! Go to our Artbeads.com Facebook page to play the game! Carefully browse the 18 photos of celebrities wearing jewelry and see if you can guess who’s behind the fabulous styles! Once you have your answers, email them to Duchess at duchess@artbeads.com and we will enter you into a random drawing for your chance to win a $100 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate. Must be 18 or over to enter and only one entry per person. This challenge is open to our fans worldwide. We must receive your entry by Sunday, 17, 2011 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. We will pick the winner randomly on Monday, July 18, 2011. Good Luck!

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Congratulations to our 25 lucky winners of the crazy seed bead giveaway! The winners have been announced and have been notified by e-mail, so check yours now to see if you’re a winner. Stay tuned for our next contest coming soon.

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Here’s another fun summer necklace idea from the Learning Center. This Plum Blossom necklace is full of fun, feminine colors and shapes, with just the right amount of sparkle and shine. The focal pendant is appropriate for any age, and you can mix and match it with other plum blossom pieces made from handmade porcelain for a whole jewelry set! Learn how to make a necklace by following the instructions for this free jewelry idea at the Learning Center. Discover other jewelry and craft ideas that you can do all year round, too!

-Marissa

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We’re proud to support one of our Artbeads employees on his challenge to bike ride from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon in the annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. Todd Christiaens, our web content administrator, is riding to raise support for Alzheimer’s Foundation of America—a cause close to his heart. Todd will participate in a 200-mile trek across the Pacific Northwest states in two days along with thousands of other riders raising money for their causes. Watch for his white and purple Artbeads jersey if you catch the race happening this weekend July 9th and 10th! Read Todd’s story of support for AFA and information about the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, and let’s help raise money for Todd!

Keep an eye on the blog for an update coming soon!

-Marissa

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Be sure you check out some of our newest products: Unicorne Beads! These handmade glass beads are produced using a lampworking process, so each one is slightly different in appearance—making your collection truly unique. Some of our Unicorne Beads feature glittery dichroic components to give your jewelry extra sparkle, too. From coin beads to seahorses, you’re sure to find one that catches your eye. We’re excited to now bring you Unicorne Beads and will be adding to our selection soon. Continue to check our New Products section to always be up to date on the latest beading trends!

-Marissa

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All right, seed beaders, here’s your chance to win big! We’re giving away seed bead gift bags to 25 lucky winners. We’ll be picking contestants at random for the prizes, and each will receive a lovely organza gift bag full of various collections of seed beads. You won’t find any of these cool beads on our site so your collection is sure to be unique! To enter send an e-mail to duchess@artbeads.com by Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time. One entry per person.

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Congratulations to Liz for winning the Deserted Island Challenge! Her inventive use of steel stamps was creative and fun. We hope you enjoy your prize and would like to see what you create with your goodies! Here’s Liz’s comment below:

“Choices, choices! I would have the 1/8 alphabet steel stamp set in its plastic storage case with me. I’d use the container to drink water from; there must be a fresh stream on the island somewhere. From the metal stamps I’d make a hole in a coconut or use them as rock climbing spikes. Maybe I’d create a spark from the steel to make a fire or make a spear to catch a fish or use it as a lure. I might even ward away predators with my spear that I made from the steel. After all that, if I didn’t think I was going to make it then I would find a palm sized rock and sit down beside a dead tree then pound out a message with my alphabet stamps for my loved ones to see who might find it some day.”

Thank you to all of our entries for your creative comments! We loved reading all of the suggestions you left. It’s good to know our Artbeaders know how to be prepared! Stay tuned for our next contest coming soon!

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