Blog for Beaders

Handmade Holiday Card

Angelag — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:13:31 +0000

Here at Artbeads.com we understand that keeping in touch with friends and family is an important part of the holiday season. So this year, instead of sending a store-bought holiday card, we suggest creating a handmade treasure using supplies from Artbeads.com. Imagine the smile on your loved ones faces when they open up the mailbox and see the card you created especially for them. Our talented designers created this beautiful card to send to vendors and other special friends of our website. In addition to a fun paper background, the card features beautiful Swarovski flatback rhinestones, Venetian glass beads, cubic zirconia and even a charming bird link. Feel free to use our design for inspiration, or get really creative and come up with a design of your own. No matter the inspiration, Artbeads.com has a wide selection of holiday beads and craft supplies to help you create a card your loved ones are sure to treasure.

I’ll remember Summer charm bracelet

Angelag — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:29:06 +0000

Hi! My name is Teri, I work in the shipping department of Artbeads.com.
We never like to see Summer come to an end. That was the inspiration for my “I’ll remember Summer” charm bracelet. The warmth of antiqued copper in symbols of plants and trees growing my garden along with some animal visitors. From the four foot Ginkgo Biloba tree, I planted for future generations, the giant maple, to the grape arbors. The gemstone dangles are Moonstone and Sunstone with hammered bead caps and 3mm copper beads. Chain by the foot for the bracelet, a simple toggle and a handful of jump rings. The TierraCast pewter charms make it so much fun to put a bracelet together…the hard part is deciding which ones to use!

I hope you’ll be inspired to express yourself with a new charm bracelet!
Thanks for your interest,
- By Artbeads.com employee Teri McCamish

Artbeads.com Treasure Hunt Winner

Angelag — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:39:01 +0000

Artbeads.com recently sponsored a treasure hunt from Beader’s Showcase, an online jewelry community. Participants searched both websites to find two hidden images for a chance to win a $100 Artbeads.com gift certificate. The contest has now ended, and the winner has been chosen!

Janel Dudley is our winner. She won the draw after correctly providing the words ‘Gold’ and ‘Glitz’.

“Yeah! How exciting! Whoo-hoo! I feel very lucky to be the winner! When I was looking for the Treasure Hunt, I thought, aw there’s no way I’ll win, but I thought, well…someones gonna win, why not me?”Thank you so much Ann and Jeff and Artbeads! I really feel super lucky to have won this!!”

Janel is planning on stocking up on some sterling silver spacers, a few other essentials and then doing some more Treasure Hunting on Artbeads.com for extra booty.Our congratulations, Janel. We hope you really enjoy yourself.

- Beader’s Showcase
http://www.beadersshowcase.com/

“Quality of Mercy” necklace

Angelag — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:16:21 +0000

Inspired by a Michelle Shocked song as well as being a Shakespeare quote from “The Merchant of Venice”, the “Quality of Mercy” necklace was created with turquoise nuggets, Bali silver beads and a gorgeous Bali silver clasp, all from Artbeads. The focal piece cross is my own creation handcrafted of polymer clay embellished with a found angel charm. See it at www.LonesomeRoadStudio.com

- By Artbeads.com customer LonesomeRoadStudio

New Screensaver & Wallpapers

Angelag — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:07:51 +0000

We’ve added 11 new inspirational wallpapers and a screensaver! Check out all of our new additions and download your favorites for free!

A Bit of Summer

Angelag — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:51:36 +0000

Just like in the background of the picture I wanted a lush green background to the necklace. To achieve this look, I braided three strands of the Green Spider Jasper Cubes. I attached the druk beads to the filigree to represent the unopened blooms peeking out from the leaves. With a blast of big bold color, the double strands lead you eye to that beautiful ripple pendant, just like the pedals lead your eye to the center of the flower. That is my inspiration and my bit of summer to take with me into winter.

Here are the ArtBeads products I used:
Donut Rust Ripple – Product Code: SBRB4
Green Spider Jasper Cubes – Product Code: 48760
Rainbow Carnelian Squares – Product Code: LTD-1447
Glass Druk Bead Topaz 8mm (25 Pack) – Product Code: DRUK-TOPA8

- By Artbeads.com customer Tish McDermott
http://www.justatish.com

Bronze Quote Pendants

Angelag — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:31:27 +0000

Artbeads.com is the exclusive reseller of these fantastic individual pendants from Sentiment Redesigned.

“Amelia…The most difficult thing…”
Amelia was my inspiration for so many things while growing up. She achieved greatness in a field that was dominated by men. Although Earhart’s convictions were strong, challenging prejudicial and financial obstacles awaited her. Earhart felt the flight proved that men and women were equal in “jobs requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness and willpower.” I created this piece to honor her spirit, and inspire others to believe in what they can achieve.

“Don’t ask for the moon…”
This particular quotation reminds me to be grateful. I find that I sometimes forget to cherish that which lies right in front of me. When I think of this quote, I want to slow down, smile to myself, and then think about some of the things that I take for granted sometimes.

“Believe”
Sometimes a single word is enough to convey meaning to the present moment. I am fascinated by Angels, and have found that the wing, in particular, symbolizes many things for different people. Freedom, hope, peace, warmth, and inspiration are just a few of the words I’ve heard associated with the image of an Angel wing.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”
Leonardo da Vinci tried to understand the world and phenomenon by observing and describing every detail. He did not emphasize experiments or theoretical explanations. In doing so, I think his real gift was not drawing a line between science and art. I find that is the sophistication he speaks about. This pendant keeps it simple.

“Winter is on my head…”
I loved being able to make a snowman, and it always made the winter seem a little bit magical. This quote by Victor Hugo also reminded me that the winter would not last forever, so enjoy it while you can.

“Write it on your heart…”
As the tiny cherub writes on the romantic heart, Emerson reminds us to be grateful on a daily basis. “Every day is the best day…” We have the power to make it a great day.

“Roses in December…”
I created this design because I was reminded of the beautiful table centerpieces that I made for our Christmas Eve dinners. One year, I grew so tired of pointsettias, so I began using red roses in a large vase, with bare tree branches that I sprayed white. I adore “roses in December”.

“Every star is heaven’s…”
The tiny inscription on the star reads, “land softly”. On the coldest nights in Northern Michigan, the stars were unbelievably bright. The colder the night, the clearer the sky, and bright, shiny stars to enjoy.

“Winter passes…”
The beauty of the winter season is sometimes overshadowed by its length. This is beautiful thought to suggest having a determined spirit in all of our endeavors.

Beader’s Showcase Treasure Hunt!

Angelag — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:33:50 +0000

Take part in our new treasure hunt to win a $100 Artbeads.com gift card! We are proud to sponsor this treasure hunt for Beader’s Showcase, an online jewelry design community. One special image containing a compass and a secret word is hidden on Artbeads.com and another is placed on the Beader’s Showcase website! For a chance to win, visit Beader’s Showcase!

Japanese Lanterns

Angelag — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:36:02 +0000

The necklace is titled “Japanese Lanterns” and also features a polymer clay pendant created by me using an image transfer technique. The image depicted is of a vintage Japanese woodcut. I was drawn to the colorful graphics, but it sat on my worktable for weeks while I searched for the perfect gemstones to complete the necklace design. Beads I picked up had too much cherry red in them, and I felt it needed something in the Chinese red family of orange-reds, or possibly a chameleon bead that would adapt to more than one color palette. I knew I found that when I saw the Salmon/Peridot Czech glass rondelles! They are perfect accents and bring out the reds in the pendant.

Thank you so much!

- By Artbeads.com customer Lynda
www.scdiva.etsy.com

Swarovski Innovations Are Here!

Angelag — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:44:15 +0000

We are proud to introduce over 150 new styles of Swarovski Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 Innovations! We have two new crystal colors – cyclamen opal and greige – along with the new crystal coral pearl color, the crystal metallic light gold finish and loads of unique new styles. Keep checking back as we will be adding dozens of additional styles that are sure to make your designs sparkle!