At Artbeads.com we’ve add three new Christmas inspirations to our growing list of Create Your Style Instructional Guides. In these guides you’ll find the steps you’ll need to create a fun Christmas card, a decorative paper box and even a glamorous bejeweled manicure for holiday get-togethers.

This Handy Tip video will show you how to use Glue-In Bails and Caps to create a fun Christmas tree ornament and a beautiful necklace with a Murano glass bead. Creating beautiful jewelry has never been so easy and fun!

For more Handy Tip Videos visit our Learning Center.

Watch this informative video to learn how to use ICE Resin® to create layered pieces that display your unique personality. Whether you are creating a necklace or embellishing a scrapbook page, ICE Resin® will help you add strength and color to your designs.

We know alot of our readers have questions about selling their jewelry online. How will you describe your designs? What photos should you take? How will you stand out? In answer to this Artbeads.com has created “Seller’s Secrets.” Take a look at Ruby Lane’s Top 10 Tips for Selling Jewelry Online to find out what they have learned from over 11 years of helping artisan jewelry designers sell online.

Learn more about some of your favorite authors in the Featured Author section of the Artbeads.com website.

The newest featured author is beadmaker Kristal Wick, who creates our Sassy Silkies scroll beads. Her latest book, Fabulous Fabric Beads, has become one of the most popular beading and craft books. Wick has appeared on the PBS series Beads, Baubles & Jewels and on the HGTV show Crafters Coast to Coast. She was recently invited by Swarovski Crystal to design a new jewelry line and has even created jewelry for the Jimmy Buffett band.

Watch this excerpt from our upcoming All in One Handy Tip where we show you how to build a simple necklace from start to finish! In this video you will learn the best way to open and close your jump rings with chain nose pliers as you incorporate them into your designs. Keep your eyes open for the full All in One video still to come!

For more Handy Tip Videos visit our Learning Center.

Swarovski Guides

These instruction and inspiration guides will help you create unique, gorgeous designs with CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements. Simply download these FREE guides to receive valuable assistance as you develop your beading skills and seek inspiration. Whether you need help applying Swarovski rhinestones or just want some creative inspiration, these guides will help you take your designs to the next level.

Would you like to? It seems that more and more of our customers are doing just that and many in fact have been doing it for years.

The beginning of a new year is always a great time to think about starting a business or generate some fresh ideas on how to grow the jewelry making business you have. If this has been on your mind, you may want to plan a last minute trip to Tucson.

For the first time ever at this year’s Tucson Gem & Jewelry Show, two of the most respected jewelry marketing pros have created a jewelry designers marketing academy.

Cindy Edelstein of Jeweler’s Resource — the designer business source and Marlene Richey — author of Profiting by Design will be bringing a series of jewelry designer business workshops to Tucson. This event includes a variety of classes held from Feb. 4-6 that will help designers gain valuable insights and skills for making their jewelry business a success.

You can join Cindy and Marlene for one, two or all seven classes — your choice — at the historic Manning House downtown near the Convention Center. The Manning House show is bead-centric but her classes are not. They’re business advice for every design entrepreneur.

Each class is $95 or $80 each for two or best of all, $70 each for three or more. Registration is going on now on the Manning House website.

To read more about these jewelry marketing classes, visit the Jeweler’s Resource website at www.jewelersresource.com

The complete class schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
1. How to Make a Living at Your Art w/ Marlene Richey
9:00am – 11:20am

2. Defining Your Brand Identity w/ Cindy Edelstein
12:00pm – 2:20pm

Thursday, February 5, 2009
3. Building Your Marketing Toolkit w/ Cindy Edelstein
9:00am – 11:20am

4. Craft Fairs, Trade Shows and Personal Appearances: How to “Show Up” for Success w/ Marlene Richey
12:00pm – 2:20pm

Friday, February 6, 2009
5. How to do Your Own PR w/ Cindy Edelstein
9:00am – 11:20am

6. The Art of Selling w/ Marlene Richey
12:00pm – 2:20pm

7. Profiting from an Online Presence w/ Cindy Edelstein and Larry Chasin, Ideal Diamond Solutions
3:00pm – 4:30pm

Cindy and Marlene are also offering one-on-one speed coaching in the afternoons to help you put your plans into action. They invite you to bring your designs, plans, marketing materials — whatever you need input on — and they’ll consult right there on the spot for the special rate of $2 per minute. Consultations can be booked via email to cindy@jewelersresource.com.

There’s also fun to be had in Tucson so we hope to see lots of designers at:
Contemporary Deign Group’s Annual Awards Dinner – Wed. 2/4
GemJammin’ – our industry’s own ad-hoc garage band playing at The Hut – Thurs. 2/5

You can read all about the JRB Marketing Academy at: www.jewelersresource.com