Kristal Wick
is the editor of
Beading Daily. |
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These last days of summer may be in the 90s and 100s, but it’s time to chill out and start your holiday jewelry making. I actually play a few of my fave holiday tunes, make an ice cold drink, and spend some time thinking about my upcoming holiday gift giving and shows. Every jewelry maker I know struggles with jewelry presentation. Boxes or bags? Professionally printed cards or resealable envelopes? It’s never too early to make these vital decisions, so you’re not scurrying at the last minute slapping together a makeshift gift card to accompany your jewelry (folks can always tell). |
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Start now!
Earrings are the most popular jewelry-making gift for the season, with bracelets a close second. I launch at least a few new earring designs every holiday (keeps all my friends happy). Seems like we all forget the holidays come at the same time every year and we never start early enough to make jewelry for our fave folks—friends, coworkers, hairdresser, teachers, and everyone else who helps make our lives a little bit sweeter. As I dove into Beadwork Creates Earrings for some inspiration, I chose a few picks to share with you.
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Party time with Crystal Tassels
I know I’ll need to make at least a couple pairs for my holiday parties. One pair for me, one for my BFF, so be prepared and whip these babies out while watching the new season of Glee. These earrings use RAW (right-angle weave), which I haven’t learned yet, so wish me luck!
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Dipsy Doodle Orphans
These earrings are a super-slick way to use up your orphan or bead-soup beads. The finished earrings don’t have to match, and you can fashion them for every age and color palette. I love their sense of whimsy, guaranteed to make everyone smile.
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Stardust Earrings
This design would make lovely winter snowflake earrings you could give and wear all winter. I think I’ll surprise my coworkers with a brown-bag snowflake session during one of our lunch hours. We can make earrings and explore ladder and herringbone stitches together.
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And since all you beady peeps know presentation is responsible for a huge percentage of impulse gift buying (you DO know that, don’t you?), let’s look at earrings presentation. Whether you’re preparing for your community craft sales, trunk shows, galleries, or simply giving gifts to family and friends this coming season, here are some great ways to display your earrings.
Recently at BeadFest Philly, I fell in love with Dee and her Easy Earring Cards. I was playing in her booth (seemed like hours) making earring cards. She has two punches for regular earring holes and leverback earring holes, and loads of papers, cards, ribbons, and folding templates with step-by-step instructions to make your own gift packages that enfold your earrings gift cards. It’s great when the gift recipient thinks your packaging is too pretty to throw away! Here are a few of my Batik Beauty fabric bead earrings on gift cards.
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Ready, set, GO…. Grab some inspiration from the Beadwork Creates series and join me in getting a headstart on making holiday jewelry!
P.S. Be sure to check out Packasmile for their www.easyearringcards.com.
Filed under: Crystals, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Earring Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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This how-to guidenow in a handy eBook and print book bundlefeatures beginner to advanced projects including drops, hoops, and chandeliers, made with a variety of popular beads and a potpourri of beading methods.
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This how-to guide—now in a handy eBook and print book bundle—features beginner to advanced projects including drops, hoops, and chandeliers, made with a variety of popular beads and a potpourri of beading methods.
Jean is a freelance craft editor and author. She is the founding editor of Interweaves Beadwork magazine and has written and edited more than 40 books, most recently including CPis Beadwork Inspired by Art: Impressionist Jewelry and Accessories and Beadwork Inspired by Art: Art Nouveau Jewelry and Accessories. Other recent books include The New Beader's Companion, Getting Started Stringing Beads, Beaded Weddings, The Art of Beaded Beads, Beadwork Creates Jewelry, and Beading with Crystals. Jean is the senior editor of Interweaves Beading Daily, and has appeared on the DIY Jewelry Making show, The Shay Pendray Show, and PBS' Beads, Baubles, and Jewels where she gives how-to instructions, provides inspiration, and offers crafting advice.