Daily Blogs : Stringing

Who's Afraid of Big, Bad Resin? Not Me!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:00:00 GMT

It seems that among jewelry-makers and beaders, nothing strikes fear into the heart as quickly as the suggestion of using resin for making mixed media jewelry. I'm a little perplexed by this -- I've seen people who are completely fearless when seated in front of a flaming hot glass torch burning at around 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit, but who shrink away when I suggest that maybe we get some bezels and make a few pieces of resin jewelry.

After a few of my own experiments with resin, I've found that resin really isn't scary at all! In fact, I love how easy it is to create heirloom-style mixed media jewelry using resin and copies of old family photographs. And resin-filled bezels make great focal points for both stringing and bead-weaving projects! It's affordable, and most of the resin supplies you need to get started are available at your local craft store. Are you ready to start working with resin? Check out these fifteen fabulous tips from Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones!

I have a confession to make: I get nervous when I'm going to make jewelry with resin. My fears are totally unfounded--I was taught by experts, use the best materials, and follow instructions exactly--but I still inexplicably hold my breath when I'm using resin. Yesterday, I realized why. I hate to waste.

Waste? What does that have to do with resin, right? When I'm drawn to work with resin, it's because I have something special to encase in it, a prized memento or souvenir . . . which, of course, there's only one of, so if something goes wrong, the bezel is wasted and my treasure is ruined.

But not always. In addition to tips that help scaredy-cats like me avoid common resin pitfalls (such as bubbles, cloudiness, and tackiness) and ensure that resin sets properly and clearly, there are ways to fix some resin mishaps, too.

Resin Tips
1. Work in a dust-free area with good ventilation and turn off fans in the area that could blow dust, etc., into your resin.

2. Wear gloves that fit well and snugly. You don't need saggy glove tips dragging resin around and messing up your work!

3. Mix resins very carefully. If the ratios are off even a little, you risk resin that will not cure and set up properly.

4. Work in good lighting. I've found that good overall, all-around light as well as a small lamp with direct light are best for me. The all-around light helps me make resin jewelry without making sloppy mistakes, of course, and the direct light really highlights tiny bubbles in resin, like inclusions in a gemstone. The lamp's warmth will come in handy for curing, too.

5. Scrape the sides and bottom of the cup when you're mixing resin, mixing for about two minutes, but avoid working it too much--no need to create extra bubbles to deal with. Mix until there are no streaks or cloudiness.

6. Pour resin into your mold or bezel slowly to avoid spillover and prevent trapping air around your encapsulated treasures, which causes those pesky bubbles.

7. For deep bezels or layered designs, work in layers to create the look of floating. Items will likely sink to the bottom and appear all on one layer if you don't work in steps, adding a base layer of resin and putting items in place one layer at a time, allowing layers to almost completely set in between.

8. Cover your resin masterpiece with an overturned cup or similar and place it under your lamp. The warmth from the light will help the resin cure. Resist touching or moving it until morning!

Resin Fixes
1. Ideally, gravity will work the bubbles to the top and out of your resin. If it needs some help, you have a few options. For deep bubbles (in wet resin), pop with a pin or fine toothpick. (Do this before the resin starts to set or you'll ruin it.)

2. For bubbles closer to the surface, a little hot breath can sometimes give them the last bit of encouragement they need to rise. You can also apply heat with a torch, passing it VERY briefly over the surface. Don't linger or you'll burn it! Heat guns and hair dryers aren't recommended as they can blow dust and who-knows-what into your work.

3. If your resin doesn't set up in the bezel, even after giving it a couple of days to be sure, you can use Attack! to remove the resin from the bezel. Anything you put in the resin is most likely gone, however, so consider this a last resort.

4. If your resin doesn't set up in a mold, just clean it out as best you can and then use rubbing alcohol to clean the mold before trying again.

5. If your resin looks foamy after setting, unfortunately there's nothing that you can do. This foaminess is caused when moisture gets trapped in the resin, usually from plants that aren't completely dry or sealed. Make sure organic matter is dry and that porous materials are well sealed with gel medium before encasing them in resin.

6. If your papers and artwork look blurry after the resin has cured, it's heartbreaking. Avoid blurred inks by sealing papers well with gel medium.

7. Ideally, resin dries to a glossy, perfect glass-like finish. To create a satin or matte finish--or to hide imperfections--buff the surface with fine- and gradually finer-grit sandpapers.

So now, whenever I sit down to work with resin, I have a new strategy. I make something using slightly less precious materials first and get out my jitters--then let my second piece be the more precious piece . . . and I reread these tips to remind myself that it's not rocket science, it's way more fun!

Of course, a great resin resource is always handy to have, and Susan Lenart Kazmer's new book, Resin Alchemy, is one of the best I've seen. Susan takes your mixed media jewelry projects from drab to fab with comprehensive and fully illustrated techniques, including detailed basics for newbies. Learn how to incorporate just about anything into spectacular resin jewelry with your copy of Resin Alchemy.

Already have your resin supplies and can't wait to get started? You can download the digital version of Resin Alchemy onto your favorite desktop or laptop computer and be ready to create in just minutes!

Have you tried resin for mixed media jewelry making projects yet? Do you incorporate resin jewelry-making components into your bead-weaving projects? What other great tips and hints do you have for someone (like me) who's just getting started? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your expertise with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Options for Finishing Your Kumihimo Braids

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:00:00 GMT

I blame it all on Beadwork magazine Designer of the Year Jill Wiseman. Jill is infamous for getting hundreds of beaders hooked on doing kumihimo with beads through her amazing and easy-to-follow classes at big bead shows like Bead Fest Philadelphia.

Above: Jill Wiseman gets me hooked on kumihimo.

Below: My five-year-old son gets in on the action and helps me load a set of beads for a kumihimo braid.

Last summer, I decided to see what all the fuss was about, and signed up for one of Jill's kumihimo classes. The name sounded innocent enough: Basic Kumihimo With Beads. Harmless, right? Just another fun beading class with a bunch of fun ladies?

Well, after that one class, I was hooked. And not just hooked, like having a summer crush on the cute lifeguard at the pool. We're talking maniacal, borderline obsessive-compulsive disorder, here. I can't go for a long ride in the car without bringing along a couple of foam kumihimo discs, loaded with beads and threads. Even my five-year-old son has gotten into kumihimo, learning from his momma how to string beads onto the threads using a big-hole needle!

So now that I've been bitten by the kumihimo bug (thanks a lot, Jill), I'm looking for different ways to finish those pesky ends of my beaded kumihimo braids. So far, here's what I've come up with:

1. Glue, beading wire, and end caps. The easiest way to finish your kumihimo braids is the way I learned in Jill's class, using a glue like E6000 and a pair of end caps. Tie off your braid using beading thread and snip it, then coat the plain braid with a generous amount of glue. Slip a piece of beading wire through the space between the plain braid and the beaded braid, and through the end cap. Slip on a bead, a crimp, and your clasp, squash the crimp, and then thread the ends of the beading wire back down into the end cap.

2. Use the ends for button and loop closures. Of course, because I have these trust issues with glue, I thought about using the braided ends to create a button and loop closure on a simple bracelet. It worked!

Make one end of the plain braid long enough that you can tie it into a small loop, and sew your button to that small loop. Make the other end long enough to wrap around that button, and then tie off the long thread ends. (And, yes, a little bit of glue would help to keep those loops secure.)

When you're working this technique for making a button and loop closure on your kumihimo braids, just take care to leave extra-long thread tails so that you can work them into the braid with a needle without too much difficulty.

3. Add a piece of wire to one end. I haven't quite mastered it, yet, but there's a way to insert a small piece of craft wire or beading wire at the very beginning of your kumihimo braid for use in attaching a clasp to the finished project. This could also be used to attach a button for finishing, and then making a loop with the other unbeaded end of the braid as suggested previously.

Again, since I have trust issues with glue, the other way to finish your beaded kumihimo ropes is to make a shorter braid at the beginning and end of each piece, and then insert a piece of craft wire, making a wrapped loop around the plain braid. Leave enough wire to accommodate your end cap, slip on the end cap, and then make another wrapped loop where you can attach your clasp. Look, ma, no glue!

4. Make Your Own Endcaps. I'll be exploring this last one in greater depth over the coming weeks: the idea of making your own beautiful, custom beaded endcaps to finish your beaded kumihimo braids. I mean, why not? Sometimes, I think life is too short to use pre-made jewelry findings. Why not tap into all your bead-weaving skills and use your favorite beading stitches like peyote, herringbone, or even tubular right-angle weave to create your own custom kumihimo endcaps?

Have you been bit by the kumihimo bug? Make sure you check out all the fabulous ideas for making and using kumihimo braids in Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines! Find inspiration with product reviews, bead news, basic and advanced techniques, and innovative beading projects from your favorite designers. Right now, as part of the Summer Sidewalk Sale, subscriptions to both Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing are on sale! Make sure you subscribe to one (or both) of these comprehensive beading resources, and check out all the great deals through June 23, 2013 in the Beading Daily Shop!

Do you have a great idea for finishing your beaded kumihimo ropes? Do you have trust issues with your glue, like me? Do you prefer the wrapped loop method? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your tips and techniques with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Step Into the World of Bead Substitutions With a Live Webinar

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 07:00:00 GMT

When it comes to substituting one type of bead for another, you'll quickly find out that not all seed beads have been created equal. This is especially true with the dozens of new shapes and types of seed beads available to beaders around the world, including Tilas, Czechmates, Twins, SuperDuos, Rizos, and now the new Solos from Preciosa.

With bead artists designing technically challenging and innovative seed bead patterns using these new beads, you may find that you want to start working on a pattern right away, but don't necessarily have the exact type of beads required to complete the project. What's a beader to do? Make a substitution, of course!

But because not all of these beads are interchangeable, it's important to know what you can and can't do when it comes to making seed bead substitutions. That's why we've put together this great live webinar with Beadwork magazine editor Melinda Barta, so she can guide you through all the Dos and Don'ts of Seed Bead Substitutions! Join us live on June 21, 2013 at 2 p.m. EDT to listen in and ask questions about all your favorite new seed bead shapes.

After the presentation, you'll have access to a recording of the webinar so that you can refer back to it anytime you want to review the material presented. If you can't make it to the live presentation, your registration will give you access to the recording so that you can watch it any time that's convenient for you, so you won't miss out on Melinda's expert advice. Don't miss out on this LIVE and INTERACTIVE event with Beadwork magazine's Melinda Barta!

But there are only 1,000 spots available for this fantastic webinar, and they're sure to fill up fast. Your registration guarantees your "seat" for this event, and we also recommend that you have a high-speed internet connection for the best viewing experience. Make sure to allow yourself plenty of time to log in early to troubleshoot any technical glitches.

About Melinda Barta: Melinda Barta is editor of Beadwork magazine, associate editor of Stringing magazine, and author of three books, including Hip to Stitch and best-selling Custom Cool Jewelry. Her third book, Mixed Metals: Creating Contemporary Jewelry with Silver, Gold, Copper, Brass & More, is coauthored with Danielle Fox. Melinda's department, Custom Cool, appears in each issue of Beadwork. She teaches workshops at schools across the country, including Interweave's Bead Fest shows, Penland School of Crafts, and John C. Campbell Folk School and has assisted fiber artist Renie Breskin Adams at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. She has made appearances on PBS, Style, and DIY networks, including the shows Scrapbooking, Uncommon Threads, and Craft Corner Death Match. A true lover of all crafts, Melinda is known to have sewing, embroidery, knitting, beadweaving, stringing, collage, scrapbooking, home improvement, and gardening projects in the works all at the same time. When she's not creating something with her hands, Melinda loves to spend her summers hiking and camping in the mountains with her husband and their dog. In the winter, she skis every chance she gets.

Five Fantastic Pearl Shapes For Your Beaded Jewelry Designs

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

It's true -- pearls never go out of style. Whether you like to do bead stringing or bead stitching, freshwater pearls are an elegant and classic addition to any beaded jewelry design. Pearls come in so many different shapes these days that it's easy to find just the right style to compliment your beading projects.

If you're just starting to add to your collection of freshwater pearl beads, I can recommend looking for these five popular shapes to get started. Most of them come in a wide array of colors to suit any of your beaded jewelry design ideas!

		Potato Pearls What they look like: Potato pearls are oval-shaped, with a hole drilled through the center vertically, as opposed to lengthwise. They usually have some striations as natural variations on them. What they're good for: Potato pearls are fabulous for adding a little bit of earthy elegance to strung jewelry designs or fringe. They can be found in a huge array of colors and sizes, making them perfect for almost any beading project.

		Button Pearls What they look like: Button pearls have one flat side and one rounded side, with the hole drilled top-to-bottom. What they're good for: Use these almost like end caps up against glass or ceramic beads in stringing projects (flat sides against either end of the focal bead), or stitch them flat-side down for use in your favorite bead embroidery projects.

		Rice Pearls What they look like: Like their name suggests, these pearls look like tiny grains of rice. They are not consistent in shape and size, although most of them are usually smaller than 4mm. What they're good for: Mix them with precious metal beads like tiny gold seamless rounds and smaller gemstone beads like garnets and peridot for simple, classic beaded jewelry designs.

		Stick Pearls What they look like: These are long, rectangle-shaped pearls with lots of bumps and grooves. Usually flat, there are some that are round in shape. These pearls can be drilled horizontally through the center or close to one end, or they can be drilled vertically, from end to end. What they're good for: These are the pearls to use for your best tribal-inspired beaded jewelry designs. In pairs, they also make great drops for earrings.

		Keishi Pearls What they look like: Usually flat, with the hole drilled through the center, these pearls resemble wavy discs, with some natural variations (bumps and lumps and striations). What they're good for: When strung in small clusters, these pearls always look "fluffy" to me, and they give a wonderful, organic feel to more refined jewelry designs. They also work well as spacers between gemstones or your favorite Czech glass beads, too.

My new favorite way to use pearls in my jewelry stringing designs is to mix them up with the big, bold colors of stones like turquoise, carnelian, and even some of my favorite dark agates. And if you want to stay on-trend, try mixing your favorite freshwater pearls with some of the fabulous new neon crystal pearls and beads popping up all over!

Ready for more fashion-forward jewelry stringing designs? Make sure you don't miss out on a single issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine! You'll find dozens of gorgeous beaded jewelry design ideas using gemstones, pearls, and all of the latest and greatest glass beads coming from the Czech Republic. Subscribe to Jewelry Stringing for the best in today's beaded jewelry design ideas.

When it comes to freshwater pearls, do you have a favorite shape? Why? How do you use your freshwater pearls in your jewelry design projects? Leave a comment and share your thoughts and ideas with us here on the Beading Daily blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Gemstones and Fashion Inspiration for Spring!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

From Jennifer: Spring is in full swing here in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, and that means it's time to freshen up my jewelry-making projects with some new gemstones! Whether you love to use gemstones as beads for jewelry stringing projects, or you're like me and prefer to use glorious gemstone cabochons in your bead embroidery and bead-weaving projects, here's some great inspiration and information from Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones and our friends at Pantone with suggestions for gemstones that you can use to match the Spring 2013 Pantone color forecast! Enjoy!


	Tammy Jones is the online editor for Jewelry Making Daily

Each year Pantone identifies the top ten fashionable colors of the year, as shown in clothing, fabrics, home décor, purses and other accessories, including our favorite, jewelry. Even if fashion and trends aren't your thing, if you're a jewelry maker or jewelry designer, you need to know these colors. Why? Because they're the colors that almost everyone else will be using when they design their clothing and accessories--or wearing when they buy their clothing and accessories--so you'll want your jewelry designs to play along.

Naturally, you should design to your heart's vision, but whether you add color to your jewelry through gemstones, enamels, fibers, or some other way, these are the colors to watch for Spring 2013 and the gems that match them. (Photos courtesy of Pantone.com.)

		Grayed Jade: This one is easy, it does look like jade--but shades of chalcedony and larimar could also work, along with faceted apatite and fluorite. Aquamarine in this slightly greenish shade is my favorite color for that gem.

		Tender Shoots: For this springy green, peridot comes to mind right away, along with grossular, tsavorite, and demantoid garnets.

		Emerald: Even though it's called emerald, this color looks a little more blue-green than emerald-green to me. Chrome diopside is another rich green option, but apatite and tourmaline will give you that hint of blue.

		Dusk Blue: Lovely sapphire and spinel as well as topaz and aquamarine could serve as this color in your gemstone creations, along with certain shades of chalcedony and larimar.

		Monaco Blue: This blue could also be served with sapphire and spinel, as well as lapis lazuli, iolite, sodalite, and possibly even very fine tanzanite.

		African Violet: Kunzite, fluorite, and amethyst have just the lovely shades of purple to match this color.

		Nectarine: Fire opals, as well as spessartite, mandarin, and hessonite garnets, match up with this juicy color, along with citrine.

		Lemon Zest: Lemon quartz is a good match for this one, along with yellow sapphire, tourmaline, chrysoberyl, yellow beryl, and topaz. Also look for Mali garnet, some citrine, and some members of the grossular garnet family.

		Poppy Red: Even though rubies are a little more blue-red than this red, rubies certain fall in this area, as do spinel. Pyrope and other garnets can be this color, as can dark fire opals.

		Linen: This pretty color immediately makes me think of pearls (surprised? ha!), but rose quartz and morganite might be a better match.

Want to stay up-to-date on what's new in the world of gemstones and lapidary? Check out Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine! Each issue is full of the latest and greatest in gemstones, from gemstone beads to gemstone cabochons, mineral specimens and everything in between. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and don't miss out on what the art jewelry world is doing with gemstones now!

What's your favorite gemstone for spring? Have you made any great new gemstone bead discoveries lately, or found a great new source for gemstone beads? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog with your gemstone bead and cabochon picks!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead Lovers Meet, Swedish-Style!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT


Swedish bead artist Anna Lindell

From Jennifer: One of the awesome things about learning how to bead is being able to connect with other beaders around the world. When I was a competitor in last summer's Battle Of the Beadsmith, I "met" several lovely (and very talented) beaders from around the world, including today's guest blogger, Anna Lindell of Sweden. Even though we live with an ocean between us, we both speak the same language: the love of beads!

Anna recently traveled to a big Bead Lovers Meet, complete with beading challenges, good friends, good food, and bead shopping! Here's Anna's report on this year's adventures at the Swedish Bead Lovers Meet:

For the last six years, Swedish beaders have been gathering a couple of times a year for a weekend of beading, learning how to bead, teaching and shopping. Over the years we have grown to be quite an extensive family!

A dozen hard working enthusiasts spend months preparing the big bead events for us beaders. They work tirelessly to book a hotel, find sponsors for goodie bag gifts and contest prizes, make sure that beadshops bring their stocking supplies, and get tutors to exciting workshops. When the registration opens for the 150 spots in the Bead Lovers Meet, they fill up fast. Last fall, they sold out in less than four hours!

Last weekend, I went to the Bead Lovers Meet held in Lund, the first big event held away from Stockholm. People travel from all over Sweden to participate. We meet up outside the bead hall hours before it opens, making new acquaintances and resuming old ones. Everyone is in good spirits and the jewelry worn by the attendees is always great!

When the doors open we receive our goodie bags with beads and findings from the sponsors, and an important pamphlet with various information and the contest themes. It's always like Christmas morning, beading style! Within the hour, the tables are filled with tools, beading trays, patterns and supplies. The "bead hall" empties a bit when the workshops start and the room with the beadshops opens.

The "bead hall" is a bubble of creativity, a place away from problems and non-bead-related topics. Everything else is set aside as our minds are all on beading. The room quickly fills with laughter and friendly jibes, and some people stay up almost all night! In the early mornings, you can also find some beaders up before the sun, busily beading away, so the bead hall is almost never empty throughout the course of the weekend.

Meals can be pre-ordered, which is good because it's easy to lose track of time. Even though we consume lots of coffee, candy, water, and fruit between meals, once we get to the restaurant, we find that we're starving! Usually there is a midnight snack late in the evening, a most welcome extra meal for those of us that like to stay up late and continue beading.

The hourly "taster" workshops are held by beaders in all kinds of techniques, and offer lots of new opportunities to learn how to bead. It's great fun both attending and teaching a class, and you learn a lot from both experiencces. For those who like to compete, there are a dozen contests with different rules and time-frames. Prizes are awarded during the gatherings where everybody gets a chance to see the winning entries. At Bead Lovers Meet, we also got a chance to see all entries before the winners were announced, and I greatly enjoyed seeing how all the other beaders interpreted the contest themes.

When the weekend draws to a close, everybody packs up and leave for home. We've all become on big beading family through these big bead events. We know that we'll meet again, but it's still bittersweet to say goodbye and head home. The event continues for days on Facebook, where we share photos and remember fun times. People who can't be at the event are usually a bit envious, but for this Bead Lovers Meet, there was a spontaneous cyber beading event, complete with a contest and sponsored prizes! The Swedish beading family is so wonderful in every way!

No matter what language you speak, beads will always bring us together. If you're looking for a steady supply of great bead stringing projects, artistic inspiration, and all the latest beads and beading tools, you'll want to make sure you subscribe to Jewelry Stringing magazine.

What's your favorite beady gathering? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and let us know!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Why Bother With Bead Embroidery? Guest Blog By Cyndi Lavin

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT


	Bead artist, blogger, and really good cook Cyndi Lavin

There are many reasons why I love bead embroidery, but the Zen-like qualities of the process are probably why I return to it over and over again.

On the surface, bead embroidery really is very simple -- just a couple of easy bead stitching techniques. But once you've mastered the basics, you can use bead embroidery to create astoundingly complex pieces of beaded jewelry! Today's guest blogger, Cyndi Lavin, is no stranger to astoundingly complex -- and beautiful -- bead embroidery. Read on to find out what inspires her to create, and how she wants to inspire creativity in others who share her passion for beads.


Ancient Waves by Cyndi Lavin

We all know that beadwork can be a ridiculously painstaking medium for self-expression, and it could be argued that bead embroidery is the most painstaking of all. It can also become ridiculously expensive, since once you get started, you have to have seed beads in every color, shape, size and finish!

Not all artists have the obsession with attention to detail that's required on the beaded path, but those who do are rewarded beyond measure. Not only by the work itself, but also by the inclusiveness of the amazing community of beaders. There will always be room for more members!

So, looking at bead embroidery another way, what could be easier or more appealing than stitching beads onto fabrics to create a world of color, texture, and and emotion? Bead embroidery is an art form that is easy to learn and accessible to everyone, but it also has unlimited capacity for increased complexity...or even for weirdness. As time goes on, you find yourself wanting to add a whole bunch of other things besides just beads, like found objects, and sometimes you also find yourself stitching on materials other than fabrics...and so it goes. Now you're working with mixed media bead embroidery, with no boundaries at all.

My goal as a bead artist and writer is to help you find your way into this fabulous art form. Did you know that you really only need to know how to do five bead embroidery stitches to get started? If you already know bead-weaving, I'll bet you already know how to do peyote stitch. Four more stitches are all you need to learn: back stitch, stack stitch, edging brick stitch, and picot stitch. That's it! I wanted to make it really easy for you to see if this is a journey you'd like to take, so that's why I offer the first chapter of my e-book Every Bead Has a Story, for free. It covers my favorite materials, tools, and stitches (including the four stitches listed above), plus it has a beginner project. The additional chapters of my book focus on altered surfaces, dimensional beading, found objects and unusual materials, and integrating bead embroidery with other fiber arts.


	Arctic Frost by Cyndi Lavin

Everybody's beading journey is different, and there are an unlimited number of other beading techniques and bead-weaving stitches that you can add to your repertoire once you've decided you're hooked. And you probably will get hooked, so maybe I should throw in the warning right now: run away before it's too late!

When I first began making bead embroidered necklaces, I tended to favor the familiar collar style. They were fun to make, but I felt that I had worked too long and hard to master all the off-loom bead-weaving stitches to simply throw away those skills. Eventually my style morphed into one that combined all the techniques that I love: embroidery, off-loom bead-weaving, stringing, and wire work. That's where I am now, and my newest e-book, Some Assembly Required, focuses on working with smaller components that are then attached together to form the final necklace.

Where to next? Only the beaded path ahead knows for sure! Enjoy the journey!

Follow your own beaded path and see what lies ahead. Looking for more great inspiration for mixed media bead-weaving and bead embroidery? Take a look at The Art of Forgotten Things by Melanie Doerman. You'll find page after page of inspiration, ideas, and techniques for taking everyday objects and using them to tell your own unique stories through beaded jewelry. Get your copy of The Art of Forgotten Things and see how you can make memories that will last a lifetime with your beads.

How do you tell stories with your bead-weaving and bead embroidery? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your thoughts with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Cyndi Lavin is a writer, bead artist, bead blogger, and a really good cook. You can find out more about her through her website, Beading Arts.

Are You a Bead Star?

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Have you ever thought about entering a jewelry-making competition? Whether your new to jewelry-making, or you've been creating your own beaded jewelry designs for several years, taking that leap and entering your work in a competition can be a fulfilling and eye-opening experience. Entering a jewelry-making competition is really a chance to let your creative voice sing. Don't hold back when designing for a jewelry-making contest -- you want to show the world what you can do with those beads!

If you're thinking that this is the year for you to take the leap and enter your original beaded jewelry designs in a jewelry-making competition, you'll be thrilled to hear that Bead Star is back!

Sharpen and straighten those beading needles, because entries are now being accepted for the 2013 Bead Star competition, and if you're a designer of beaded jewelry, take note: this year, entries made with seed beads and bead-weaving techniques are not only being accepted in all of the categories, they are being encouraged!

What are your favorite jewelry-making materials? Chances are, you'll find a category for them in the 2013 Bead Star competition. Entries will be accepted in the categories of Crystals, Glass, Pearls, Gemstones, and Metals & Wireworking. Imagine all the possibilities for fabulous jewelry-making designs when you mix those with your favorite seed beads!

Aside from the self-satisfaction you'll get from knowing that your work is good enough to enter in a beading contest, you just might win one of the fabulous prizes in the Bead Star competition: the grand prize is an all-expense paid trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia!

Don't worry if you've never been published in a magazine or book before -- there's even an Emerging Artists category, just for bead artists like you! And all the winners of the 2013 Bead Star competition will be published in both Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines.

If you've entered Bead Star before, a few changes have been made to the competition for 2013, so make sure you check out the full list of Bead Star rules and prizes.

So, what do you think: are you the next Bead Star?

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Love Those Vintage Pearls!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

As a kid, I spent a lot of time playing in my mother's and grandmother's jewelry boxes. When it was time to play dress-up at my grandmother's house, I always gravitated towards a triple-strand vintage pearl necklace that I eventually wore to my eighth grade dinner-dance and my high school graduation. Yes, I've always had a thing for vintage pearls, and when my dear friend sent me a wonderful collection of some cherished family heirloom jewelry last year, I was thrilled beyond words to discover that there were several necklaces made with vintage glass pearls included in my new stash of vintage jewelry.

These three imitation pearl necklaces obviously needed a little bit of TLC -- a couple of the strands had broken off of the clasps, and the findings themselves were in need of some cleaning and restoration.

How Were Faux Pearls Made?

	*Check out the pearl clasps on each of these vintage pearl necklaces in my collection! Some of them really need a little love.*

The vintage pearl beads that made up the four-strand necklace were obviously glass, since they were heavier than the other two pearl necklaces. And the pearl beads themselves were in pretty good shape, with just one or two minor blemishes that I could see.

Vintage imitation glass pearls were made by either filling the inside of a bead or coating the outside of a bead with pearl powder. After filling or coating, the glass pearl bead was dipped into different solutions of pearl film. Multiple layers of pearl coating and film resulted in a more valuable and more durable piece of pearl jewelry.

Cleaning and Storing Your Vintage Faux Pearls

Cleaning your vintage pearls is a tricky business. You don't want to use any kind of ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, nor do you want to use anything harsh with ammonia or other abrasive cleaners. The best way to clean your vintage imitation pearls is just to give them a gentle spray with some very mild detergent diluted with water in a spray bottle, then a light rinse under cool water. Don't rub them dry, or you might find the coating is flaking off -- instead, lay your pearls flat to dry on a soft, absorbent cloth.

Storing your imitation pearls is the same as storing your natural, cultured, or freshwater pearls. instead of using a plastic bag, tuck your treasured pearls into a soft, dry, cloth bag, and store them lying flat so that the thread on which they're strung doesn't stretch or break.

Coating your imitation glass pearls? Make sure you do it in a well-ventilated area, preferably outside, and use just a light coating of spray-on acrylic sealer. Allow them to dry completely before re-stringing or knotting them.

Using Vintage Pearls in a New Jewelry Design?

Now, there's nothing that says that just because you have a vintage pearl necklace, it has to stay a vintage pearl necklace. While you're giving your pearls a little loving care, why not think about ways to use them in new jewelry designs? Check out all the amazing pearl jewelry making projects in our 10 Wire and Pearl Jewelry Designs eBook. You'll find pearl necklace projects, earring projects, and bracelet projects that use your favorite wire jewelry making techniques, including chain maille and wire wrapping.

Give some new life to your favorite old pearl jewelry! Download your copy of 10 Wire and Pearl Jewelry Designs and make something fabulous today!

Do you have any vintage pearl necklaces in your stash? What are you thinking about doing with them? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your ideas with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Spool Beaded Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Aside from having really cool and gently used clothing, my local thrift shop is a great place to find craft supplies for my beading projects! I love to dig through the bins of sewing notions and craft supplies, looking for unusual items that I can use. My three best finds so far include a large package of bone rings for beading around, a tiny sewing kit tucked into a red floral silk pouch, and a bag of old wood spools for making beaded beads.

These wooden spools make great beaded beads because they're so easy to bead around -- all you need is a quick strip of peyote stitch to wrap around the spool, or you can work tubular peyote stitch around the spool itself. I was too lazy to come up with a great charted peyote stitch pattern, but I did want to play with color a little bit and make something bright and cheery to fend off the winter doldrums.

Painting the Spools

Before I started beading around the spools, I used some acrylic paint to give them some color. The gold spools required at least three coats of paint to cover the wood. I didn't use a clear acrylic sealer on the painted spools, but if you do use something like Krylon, make sure it's in a well-ventilated area!

My five-year-old son had a blast helping me paint these spools, so this makes a great activity for snow days when your crafty kids are home from school, too.

Choosing the Beads

Like I said earlier, I wanted to do something cheerful and warm with these beaded beads, so I chose some bright marigold-colored seed beads and some matte silver-lined blue seed beads for the spools themselves. I don't usually use this color palette, but it just felt right when I saw all the beads on my bead board, along with a strand of oval dyed quartz and some vintage gold rounds from A Grain of Sand.

I worked tubular peyote stitch right around the spools themselves, and each one only took me about twenty minutes to bead. It was the perfect evening project to do while I got caught up on episodes of Downton Abbey, and the next day, I had my spool beaded beads all ready for stringing!

Stringing the necklace together was the best part of the project. I finished it with a gold s-clasp and made it just a bit longer than 17" so that I can wear it with my favorite t-shirts in the summer, too. Sometimes, the best beaded beads are the simplest, right?

Once you master the art of easy beaded beads like these, check out the February/March 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine where you'll find the winners of the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest!

Taking the art of beaded beads to a whole new level, there were five beautiful beaded beads designed by some of today's most talented bead artists, and each entry in the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest had to use at least one of each bead in their finished design. The range of designs and colors will astound and delight you!

If you can't wait to see who the winners were, you can also download the February/March 2013 Beadwork magazine instantly onto your favorite desktop or laptop computer.

And if you need another reason to get the latest issue of Beadwork Magazine, how about four great beading projects from the brand-new Designers of the Year, new beading tools and book reviews, and twenty more beading projects?

What's your favorite way to make beaded beads, easy or intricate? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your thoughts with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Glass Beads to Look Out For in Tucson

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT


	*My new stash of two-hole Twin beads has me pretty smitten with their shape and all their design possibilities!*

In just a few days, bead lovers from all over the world will be descending on the city of Tucson, Arizona for some of the world's best gem, mineral, and bead shows! From my little corner of the world, it looks like the big trend at this year's bead shows will be Czech glass beads.

Ever since the first two-hole Twin seed beads came out two years ago, we've seen an explosion in new Czech glass bead shapes and styles. For seed beaders and jewelry stringers alike, this is great news: more variety means more possibilities to play with your glass beads and jewelry design ideas!

If you're going to the Tucson bead shows this year, I've got the scoop on what two of my favorite bead pushers, er, bead sellers will have available. "Czech" it out!

Two-Hole Czech Bead System from Czechmates


If you're looking for a full range of two-hole glass beads, Whimbeads will have you covered in Tucson!

Beki Haley of Whimbeads has announced that they'll be launching a new series of two-hole glass beads from CzechMates that includes lentil, brick, dagger, and tile shapes. Why is she so excited by these new glass beads? Beki answers:

"I love them mostly because they are new, and what beader doesn't love new beads? There is always a level of excitement around a new bead, both my own excitement and that generated by the beading community. For me excitement fuels creativity, so I welcome it with open arms.

"In addition, the two-hole glass beads create so many opportunities for new design ideas. When the SuperDuos hit the bead scene it was only a matter of weeks before beaders were posting innovative beaded projects using them. The ease of turning corners and creating concentric elements allowed for some really beautiful items. I think these new two-hole beads in the CzechMate system will inspire even more creativity among beaders.

"What I like best about these glass beads is that regardless of their size or shape, the distance between the holes remains consistent so that they can be used together in one piece. I've found myself daydreaming about design ideas with them -- now to make some time to actually play with them!"

Decadent Glass Dagger Beads


	Animal print Czech glass dagger beads from York Beads? Yes, please!

My other favorite bead nut, Perry Bookstein, the owner of York Beads in New York City, will have a fabulous selection of my favorite decadent dagger beads! While glass dagger beads have been around for years, Perry has the best selection of fun and innovative colors, finishes, and coatings anywhere.

What's awesome about these glass beads? First of all, Perry was inspired to work with the Czech bead makers to create new coatings and colors after the peacock craze hit the fashion world. Everywhere you looked, there were men's neckties with bright, colorful, and wild designs. Perry thought those patterns and colors would translate well to glass dagger beads, and thankfully for all of us who love to bead, he was right.

The colors of these glass dagger beads come from different kinds of coatings applied after the bead is made, or even through the use of several different colors of glass rods during the process of pressing them in a mold. Chances are, you'll find a glass dagger bead in a color and size to meet your bead need! (And, yes, some of these beads even come in two-hole shapes, too!)

How Do You Use Your Czech Beads?

When it comes to versatility, there's no better bead for your money than Czech glass beads. Bead weavers can use them in all kinds of beaded jewelry designs using their favorite off-loom bead-weaving stitches, and stringers can use them to add a splash of unexpected color and shape to their designs.

If you're looking for new ideas for using your Czech glass beads, take a look at Jewelry Stringing magazine. Each issue is full of gorgeous beaded jewelry design ideas, complete with all the basic techniques you'll need to make each project. You'll find great beading projects for those of us on a budget, product and book reviews, and all the news on the latest and greatest in glass beads and tools from your favorite bead supply companies. Fulfill your need to bead and subscribe to Jewelry Stringing magazine today!

Are you excited by the new Czech glass beads available these days? What's your favorite type of Czech glass bead, and how do you use them? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and let's get inspired to dream up some new designs with these fantastic glass beads!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

P.S. If you'll be in Tucson this year, you can find Beki Haley and all of her fun friends at Whimbeads at the following shows: February 3 - 8, 2013 at To Bead True Blue, Booth GP 305; February 6 - 10, 2013 at The Best Bead Show, in the front patio; and February 9 - 11, 2013 at The Tucson Bead Show, Booth GP 305.

You can find Perry Bookstein and all his fantastic glass beads (including glass spikes and gumdrops) from February 3 - 8, 2013 at To Bead True Blue, Booths GP 239 and 240.

Fuzzy, Fun, Felted Beads!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, my family piled into the van and we made a road trip down to the Old Forge Hardware Store in Old Forge, N.Y. Now, if you're not familiar with this hardware store, it's more like a department store -- there are three floors filled with craft supplies, kitchen tools and cookware, kitschy stuff for your house like candles and sun catchers, sporting goods, clothing, kids' toys, books, and even home furnishings! (And, yes, they do sell some hardware, too.)

The first department I wanted to check out, naturally, was the yarn and craft department, so my son and I headed over there. There were a few baskets filled with tiny felt beads and some fishing line for stringing them, but I was more interested in making my own felt beads. After all, I've done bead making using glass, seed beads, polymer clay, and precious metal clay (PMC), and I thought making felt beads would be fun!

To get started, I purchased six colors of alpaca wool in little bags. I could barely contain my excitement as I used my smartphone (I love technology sometimes) to look up felted bead instructions on the web as we made the two-and-a-half hour drive back home. I found lots of different methods for making felt beads or felt balls, but they all involved the use of hot water and a little bit of dish soap. It couldn't be too hard, right?

The next night, my son and I cleared off the kitchen counter and filled a couple of old plastic food storage containers with hot water, then added a drop or two of liquid dish soap to the hot water. We were ready to make our own felted beads!

Materials:

Wool roving, dyed or natural
Dish soap
Hot water
Beads for embellishing (optional)

Step 1: Roll Your Wool Into a Ball

I saw a couple of tutorials online that instructed me to roll my wool into a loose ball before dunking it in the hot water. I have to say, a loose ball of wool held together in that hot soapy water about as well as a piece of limp spaghetti! Winding that wool into a tight ball made all the difference in my finished beads.

Unroll your wool into a long strand. The longer the strand, the bigger your finished felted bead will be. (A few of the tutorials said that the beads would shrink by 50% when they were finished, but I didn't find that to be the case with my felted beads.) Begin rolling it into a ball the same way you would wrap a strand of yarn into a ball. Wrap tightly as you go until you have a ball of the desired size for your bead.

Step 2: Dunk and Roll

This was my son's favorite part of the whole process, the dunk and roll! With your water steamy hot and a couple of drops of dish soap added, dunk your wool ball into the hot water. I used a tablespoon to help me with this process, since I had my water very hot, and the ball sort of floated for a bit before it sank and started absorbing water.

After you get your wool ball nice and wet, gently lift it out and roll it between your palms, using a very light pressure. Don't squeeze it too hard, or it will come apart or become distorted. Just like when you're making beads out of polymer clay, precious metal clay, or hot glass, if you have a perfectly shaped base, you'll end up with a perfectly shaped bead!

Roll the ball for a few seconds, then dunk it back in the water and get it good and wet again. Continue to roll and dunk until you see the fibers start to "melt" together -- this is the magic part of making felted wool balls for beads!

Step 3: Dry Your Felted Beads

I continued to dunk and roll my felted wool beads until I felt like the center of my beads was good and sturdy. Then I gently squeezed out any excess liquid, gave them one more gentle shaping between my palms, and put them on a clean kitchen towel to dry overnight. My son and I were delighted in the morning to see our finished felted beads!

You'll notice in the photo of our finished felted beads that there's one wonky bead. That was my learning experience for wrapping your wool into a tight ball! I have no idea how to fix that one, or what I'll do with it (it's too small to make a very good cat toy), but if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Once the felted beads were finished, the real fun began: I went through my stash of sequins and beads and found an assortment of goodies with which to embellish my little felt balls. These fun, felted beads make a great addition to any strand of beaded beads or handmade glass beads.

For me, there's nothing quite like bead making to add something special to my finished beaded jewelry projects. Whether I'm stringing or bead-weaving, using beads that I've made myself is a real treat!

Are you ready to branch out and explore more jewelry-making projects that use fibers and felt? Check out Elements of Style: Knit + Crochet Jewelry with Wire + Fiber Felt + Beads by Rosemary Hill. I'm always inspired by the colorful, mixed media jewelry-making projects in this book, and the way they're put together make fiber and felt jewelry not only easy to make but easy to wear!

Grab your copy of Elements of Style and save 70% on this classic jewelry-making resource during the Interweave Resolve to Save sale, going on now in the Beading Daily Shop!

Have you ever tried making your own felted beads? Do you have any tips for me? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and help me out!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Boring Bead Crochet?

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

My least favorite part of bead crochet has always been stringing all those seed beads on the thread before I start to crochet. There's just no getting around it -- no matter what I try, it always feels like a chore to me.

Thankfully, bead crochet expert Judith Bertoglio-Giffin understands my pain. I asked her if she had any tips for getting my seed beads strung on my crochet thread for bead crochet, and she had some great advice, which I am happy to pass on to anyone getting started with bead crochet!

For me, stringing beads is the most boring job in bead crochet! But there are ways to make it easier, or at least, to take the pain out of stringing beads before you start your bead crochet project.

Stringing Beads for Bead Crochet

If you aren't doing a pattern in your bead crochet, a bead spinner is the only way to go. It will work with different size seed beads, like you'd find in a nice cup of bead soup, and it'll do the job quickly. It's great for bead crochet with wire, as well.

For any pattern work in bead crochet where you have to count the beads, a short big eye needle or a twisted wire needle works well with seed beads in size 11^o and larger. If you're using smaller beads, like size 15^o seed beads, Tulip now offers large-eye, twisted wire needles that are perfect for the job of stringing beads onto your crochet thread.

Check Your Pattern Before Starting to Crochet

When I'm stringing patterns for my bead crochet, I string little bits of paper between repeats to tell where I am. This works well when I need to count multiples of a repeat, and it's a godsend when I have a stringing error because I can go back to a known point to fix it.

To check my patterns, the best idea I've come across is to write down the stringing table, string a complete repeat, and attach it to an index card. Then you can hold your strung work up to the card and quickly check it for accuracy. and attaches it to an index card. File the pattern and strung section on the index card for future work with that pattern.

Yes, You CAN Add More Thread to Your Bead Crochet Project

Contrary to what many bead crocheters are told, there is no reason in the world to string more than 36" to 40" of beads at one time. Pushing them down the thread frays your crochet thread and is a nuisance. String your longer ropes in sections and just add in thread. (I have a great free tutorial available on my website that shows you how to securely add new thread to your bead crochet projects so that you don't have to struggle with long sections of seed beads and worn out crochet thread!)

I love these tips from Judith! No longer will I be intimidated by long, unwieldy lengths of seed beads on my bead crochet thread. This will be the year I learn how to add new thread to my bead crochet projects so that I can spend more time enjoying the technique of bead crochet and less time untangling my crochet thread.

If you're looking to do something a little different with your bead crochet in 2013, you can't miss out on this special bundle of The Beaded Edge and The Beaded Edge 2. Each volume is full of beautiful, inspiring bead crochet designs that can be used for beaded jewelry, home decor projects, or just to add some beads to your favorite outfits and accessories. Get your bundle of The Beaded Edge and The Beaded Edge 2 at a special price and start stringing those beads for bead crochet!

Is bead crochet one of the things that you want to learn in 2013? After reading these inspiring tips from Judith, I'm certainly ready to break out the crochet hooks again!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

After 35 years of raising a family and working in corporate America, bead artist Judith Bertoglio-Giffin now splits her time between Arizona and rural New Hampshire. She fell in love with bead crochet back in 1999, and writes, designs, and teaches extensively throughout the year. When she's not cooking up brilliant bead crochet designs, Judith indulges in a little freeform peyote stitch. You can find great bead crochet resources on her website, Bead Line Studios; her blog; and find great bead crochet supplies for sale in her Etsy shop, BeadLine.

The Great Necklace Making Makeover: Updating Vintage Jewelry

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT


Yep. I love vintage jewelry.

As a kid, my parents would take me and my sister antique hunting on weekends. We'd drive all over western New Jersey in search of antique radios, clocks, watches, and even antique needlework like crochet and knitting. My parents had quite a beautiful collection, and my sister and I grew up with an appreciation for the past.

Fast forward to 1995, and the first time my husband brought me up to Lake Placid, New York for a vacation during the February Winter Carnival in nearby Saranac Lake. As we walked along Lake Placid's Main Street, I wanted to go into every single antique store I saw -- and there were a lot of them. It wasn't a deciding factor, but one of the great things about living near Lake Placid is that there are plenty of curio shops full of antiques, including vintage and antique beaded necklaces.

Once in a while, I score a fabulous find from one of these stores. Usually a strand of vintage glass beads made into a necklace that looks like it's about thirty seconds away from falling apart. That's when I start thinking that I need those beads for a new necklace making project!

Earlier this year, my dear friend sent me a huge box of vintage and antique jewelry that belonged to her stepfather's first wife. Her stepfather and his wife traveled all over the world while he was in the United States Army, and when they traveled, she collected beautiful jewelry from every corner of the world. After he passed away last year, the jewelry went to my friend, who thoughtfully sent me a huge box of it with some truly beautiful and unique vintage pieces.

One of the first pieces that caught my attention was this great beaded necklace, made with white glass tube beads, plastic rounds, and seed beads. A couple of the strands had broken, and instead of just restringing it, I decided to use it to make a brand-new beaded necklace with some vintage flair.

I loved the long, white tube beads in this necklace, and my first thought was that I wanted to turn this piece into something with a lot of fringe. I'd seen a whole lot of glass bead necklaces in my local Target store over the weekend, and I wanted to use these vintage beads to make a fashionable, modern necklace.

Using the plastic rounds and seed beads, I stitched a quick base using right-angle weave. Then I started stringing the fringe between units of right-angle weave, graduating the strands from one side to the other.

Finally, I found the perfect vintage button in my stash for the clasp, and there it was! Everything old is new again, or so they say, and that holds true even for my necklace making projects when I reuse vintage jewelry and vintage beads to create brand-new designs.

I'll bet if you took a look through your jewelry box, you'd find some great vintage jewelry that you can re-use in brand new necklace making projects! Maybe you've got some jewelry with a story behind it -- did it belong to your mother, your grandmother, or a beloved aunt? Maybe it's a piece that you found on a weekend trip with your significant other. Whatever it is, you can incorporate a piece of the past into a new piece of beaded jewelry.

If you need some inspiration for making new jewelry out of old beads, you'll want to subscribe to Jewelry Stringing Magazine. Each issue is packed with fabulous beaded necklace designs that you can use as inspiration for using your favorite vintage beads and jewelry-making supplies! Plus you'll get helpful techniques and tutorials, and all the news on the latest and greatest beads and jewelry making tools.

Have you ever taken a piece of vintage jewelry and turned it into something new? If you have before and after photos, post them in the Reader Photo Gallery to inspire us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

The Top 12 Beading Daily Blogs of 2012 - And a Giveaway!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Today is 12.12.12! We're almost halfway through December, and there are less than three weeks left in 2012. I always get a little nostalgic in December, and I usually take some time to meditate and reflect on all the wonderful things that have happened during the year.

This year is no different, but it's a little more special because of that date -- 12.12.12. So, to celebrate, I've put together the Top 12 Beading Daily blogs from 2012! Read on to see if any of your favorite blogs made it into the list:

		January: Find Your Steampunk Style with Jean Campbell Steampunk always seemed so intimidating to me, but this post from Jean Campbell took all the mystery out of making amazing, easy steampunk jewelry.

		February: Your First Seed Bead Stash Stocking your stash of seed beads can be a huge task if you're just getting started with bead-weaving! Here are some great tips for starting your seed bead stash.

		March: Readers Share a Bounty of Brick Stitch Projects I love brick stitch -- it will always be special to me, as it was the first beading stitch I ever taught myself. I asked for our readers to submit their best brick stitch projects, and the resulting eye candy is just amazing!

		April: Start With...A Simple Strip of Peyote Stitch Ever feel stuck in your beading? You can create some really spectacular beaded jewelry just by whipping up a simple strip of peyote stitch!

		May: Readers Share Beautiful Bead Embroidery Once again, I asked, and our readers delivered. This time, they shared some truly breathtaking bead embroidery pieces with us. Enjoy the beautiful beading!

		June: 5 Common Jewelry Findings That You Can Make Yourself Save time and money when you learn how easy it is to make these five common jewelry findings with your basic wire wrapping skills!

		July: Why Necklace Length Matters Understanding the different lengths of necklaces is important to be able to match them with your favorite necklines.

		August: Use Wire to Bezel a Cabochon This isn't so much a "how-to" blog as a "how-NOT-to-do" blog. Read about my adventures using Viking knit to make a bezel for one of my favorite gemstone cabochons!

		September: Getting Started With Flat Peyote Stitch Peyote stitch was one of the last bead-weaving stitches that I taught myself. However, had I known some of these tips or had some of these tools, it probably would have been a lot easier!

		October: Meet a Chain Maille Genius At Bead Fest Philadelphia in August, I met a lampwork glass artist who takes the ancient art and craft of chain maille to a whole new level! Read about her and see some of her absolutely marvelous creations.

		November: Four Beading How-Tos You Need to Know You might be surprised at some of these four beading how-tos that every beader needs to know!

		December: Make This Free Embossed Leather Earring Project December isn't even half over yet, but so far, this free embossed leather earring project is our most popular December blog!

Did any of your favorites appear in this list? If not, now's your chance to nominate them, and win a little something, too! Simply leave a comment on this blog before midnight, CST on December 16, 2012 with your favorite Beading Daily blog from 2012. You don't have to choose from just this list, either -- take a look through all the blogs that were written by our friends over at Inside Beadwork Magazine and Inside Jewelry Stringing Magazine, as well as the blogs we posted in Beading Instructions and Beading Supplies We Love, too. You can post a link in your comment so everyone else can see it, too!

On Monday, December 17, 2012, check your email, because we'll notify three winners: two lucky people will win a five-pack of assorted back issues of both Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines. One lucky winner will get to choose a prize from four of our favorite digital beading products! (Please note: we can only ship magazines to U.S. addresses only due to customs regulations.)

One lucky winner will get to choose one prize from the following great digital beading products:

You can also find links to all twelve of our Top 12 Blogs of 2012 on Pinterest for your pinning pleasure!

Good luck, and Happy Holidays from all of us at Beading Daily!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer