Blog for Beaders

The beautiful blue and brown palette in this necklace is a great way to get in the mood for summer! Its delicate shell pendant accented with sparkling Swarovski crystals creates a lovely image ideal for a summer wedding. In fact, this was a gift from bride Carrie to her bridesmaid Jessica. You can learn how to make a brown and blue summer necklace now and be ready to hit the beach when the sun starts to shine a little brighter in the months to come.

-Marissa

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Here at Artbeads we sell chain by the foot. If you’re designing a bracelet, you often wind up with two to four inches of chain left over. The same thing happens with necklaces—you are more apt to have remnants after your project is done. With a few other basic supplies and very little time, you can turn these scraps into something that will make you so happy to wear! Their various styles will add cool dimension and you can create whatever feeling you wish to provoke from your imagination. We’ll teach you how to connect them together, but the end result is up to you. We made our bracelets using jump rings and a simple wire wrapping technique.

Multi-Stranded Silver Chain Bracelet
Arrange your scrap pieces in the order you like before connecting them together. Find two larger open jump rings that will fit three chains together and two smaller jump rings that will connect to the larger ones. We used 1.27 x 8.0mm sterling silver open jump rings for our smaller choice. Attach one end from each chain to a single large open jump ring and close. Attach this jump ring to a smaller jump ring, and connect the smaller one to one portion of your desired clasp. Repeat this process for the other end. We used a sterling silver heart and arrow toggle clasp.

Industrial Chain Bracelet
Connect one heavy gauge open jump ring to each end of your chain. Attach one large lobster claw clasp to one jump ring and close. For our bracelet, we attached one 10mm sterling silver 13 gauge open jump ring to one end and one 12mm sterling silver 13 gauge open jump ring to the end that would connect to the clasp. Make sure the jump ring you use to connect the clasp is durable enough to hold it.

Leather and Links Bracelet
For this bracelet, we used a scrap piece of chain as well as some small pieces of leather cord. Thread one piece of leather through each open end of your chain. Connect both ends of the leather together and wrap the ends with sterling silver wire to hold them in place. Attach an open jump ring to each loop you created with the leather strands, and then connect these jump rings to a second smaller jump ring. Our larger jump rings are size 20 gauge. Connect the smaller jump ring to your desired jewelry clasp. Follow this same technique for a bracelet with multiple chain strands in the center. Learn how to finish fibers with wire wraps by reading our Handy Tip in the Learning Center.

Take a new twist on fashion by turning your leftover chain scraps into jewelry you’ll want to wear. Get scrap happy with your favorite pieces!Recycling your old pieces of chain is a perfect project for Earth Day this Sunday, April 22.

-Marissa

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Hi! My name is Sparkplug and my owner wants me to tell you that today is Pet Owner’s Day. Today we should take time to thank all of the pet owners out there who make our lives great! My owner Marissa rescued me when I was just 4 weeks old and has taken very good care of me. She is the copywriter for Artbeads and has let me write a guest blog for her today. I just want to say that she is a good owner and deserves her own holiday. If you know a pet owner that should be appreciated today, make them a special gift like a unique jewelry design! Check out Artbeads’ collection of dog and cat jewelry supplies so you can design unique pieces for your favorite pet owners.

Do you know a good pet owner?

-Sparkplug

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Still in search of what to get your mom for Mother’s Day? Why not make her a lovely pair of pearl earrings! These Pearl Drop Earrings are perfect for any occasion and your mom will want to wear them every day. Their dangling display makes them ideal for elegant evenings or for dressing up a casual outfit. Learn how to make pearl drop earrings that your mom is sure to love and think they were made by a professional by reading the FREE instructions in the Learning Center.

Don’t forget to visit our Mother’s Day page for all things creative for Mom!

-Marissa

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Learn how to make a love knot bracelet in no time! This simple yet stylish jewelry design has long been regarded as a symbol of love, representing the everlasting and constant bond between two people. You can make a love knot bracelet for a friend or family member as a thoughtful gift. We’ll show you how to make this bracelet using SilverSilk knitted wire in two different colors.

Cut two pieces of SilverSilk approximately 7 ½ inches. Fold one strand in half and insert both ends into one double strand end cap. Clamp down using nylon jaw pliers for a firm hold. Repeat this process for the other SilverSilk chain. Connect them by threading one loop through the other, folding the top loop over itself and pulling it through. Finish each end with one 1.27×6.3mm open jump ring and connect your clasp to the jump rings.

If you need a little extra help you can watch the video above or visit our SilverSilk resources page for more helpful hints and quick videos. Remember, if you cut the chain to the length as instructed, your bracelet will be approximately 7 inches long. This may fit too snug on your wrist or fit too loosely depending on the style of clasp you use. If you decide to finish with a lobster clasp, you can create an extender chain using jump rings or view our selection of finished extender chains to make your bracelet adjustable.

-Marissa

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You can create a beautiful homemade gift for your mom with the latest design guides from Swarovski. Click on the links below to view the PDF instructions for each project. One of them is sure to be a perfect fit for your mother! You can also browse all of our Swarovski instruction guides in the Resources section of our Swarovski page.

Brilliant Zipper Bag
Embellish an evening clutch or small pouch with a hint of sparkle with this fun design project. The quick decorations will help you sparkle all night long!

Sparkling Moments Lipstick Tube
Remind Mom of how much she sparkles every time she touches up her lips with this fun design idea. Adorn her favorite lipstick tube with luscious Swarovski crystals in a red-hot color palette.

Twinkling Cherries Earrings
These delightful earrings will sweeten anyone’s style! Perfect as a fun Mother’s Day design or to complete a retro outfit, these darling dangle earrings will light up your looks.

-Marissa

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Now that we’re likely to see more April showers, it’s exciting to think about the arrival of beautiful May flowers! Get in the mood for spring with a bright necklace from the Learning Center. Both elegant and vibrant, this necklace is reminiscent of flowers that have been covered with a spring shower. The delicate Swarovski crystals and pearls blend so beautifully that you could even wear this to a bridal shower or formal spring affair. Make a sparkling spring necklace by reading the free instructions in the Learning Center, where you can find hundreds of jewelry design inspirations.

-Marissa

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This contest is now closed. You can view our winner announcement by clicking here.

Get ready for spring with some fresh cleaning. Clear out your tool box and get ready to add some new ones if you win our latest giveaway. Our Tooling Up for Spring Giveaway is your chance to replenish some of your jewelry making essentials, including a 30-ft spool of .019 jewelry wire, 300 2x2mm sterling silver crimp tubes and a handy polishing cloth. This prize package also includes a new pair of ergonomic round nose pliers and the Lindstrom supreme cutter tool. Lindstrom tools are recognized as some of the top tools in the industry for their high quality.

To enter this contest, send an e-mail to giveaways@artbeads.com with your name. One winner will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail.

One entry per person; must be 18 or older to enter. Open to the US and Canada excluding Quebec. Odds of winning depend on number of entries. This contest runs from tonight, April 4, 2012 until Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST. Winner will be announced Wednesday, April 11, 2012. This prize is valued at $118.

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Help raise autism awareness today through the power of jewelry. Advocates for autism awareness have adopted the puzzle piece to signify the complexity and mystery surrounding autism, and with help from our collection of Autism Awareness jewelry components you can aid in the hope for more research. You can wear the A Hope for Autism bracelet in the image above yourself or make a thoughtful gift for a friend or loved one you know has been touched by autism today.

-Marissa

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Want to show off your big, new rock to friends and family? You can play a great April Fool’s Day trick on everyone with this ingenious ring idea. Tell them all you finally got that big rock to wear on your finger! All you will need to pull this off is a ring blank, some E6000 glue and your favorite rock. Simply glue the rock to the ring blank and let it dry. If you want to get more creative, you can decorate the rock with everything from Gilders Paste to Swarovski flatbacks to make it more elaborate. This simple trick will fool everyone, and then they can get in on the fun for next year!

You can even turn drab into fab in a pinch, too! Pretty up your rock with found treasures like sea glass to create a stylish piece that everyone will think is a professional design. It’s up to you on what twist you take on the rock ring!

-Marissa

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