Daily Blogs : shopping

Inside Scoop on 3 Hot Bead Trends

Michelle M. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:34:00 GMT

Sometimes I have a hard time keeping secrets. Especially good secrets. In fact, when I was a kid, I remember getting up really early one Christmas morning (as usual) to see what Santa had left me, then promptly waking up my little sister to spill the beads that the Jolly Old Elf had brought us both much-wished-for Cabbage Patch Kids Preemie dolls. I just couldn’t wait for her to wake up and share in my excitement. Plus, I was already prepared to negotiate a baby swap....(read more)

Miracles, Sea Urchins, and Other Unusual Beads

Michelle M. — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:33:00 GMT

Did you have a Sears Wish Book when you were a kid? This was the big Sears catalog packed with toys (and other stuff). I used to spend hours sprawled out on the floor circling all the things I wanted. Even though I rarely received anything on my wish list, it was fun to flip through the pages and dream....(read more)

Getting Started with Metal Jewelry: Your First Tool

Michelle M. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:01:00 GMT

If you’ve been a beader or wire jewelry artist for quite some time and have mastered a repertoire of techniques, chances are high that you might get the urge to go beyond beads to try your hand at some simple metalwork. I made bead and assembled jewelry for more than 20 years before I touched a torch, but once I was “bit by the metal bug,” there was no turning back. ...(read more)

Bargain Basement Beauty: Create This Necklace Under $25

Michelle M. — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:44:00 GMT

Of course you can! The real challenge is to design something for that amount that looks like it came from a pricey boutique--or Stringing magazine. Danielle Fox, Elizabeth Murray, and I all took the challenge for the Spring 2009 issue. I had so much fun, I decided to make a second "under $25" necklace just for Beading Daily. ...(read more)

The Colorful Possibilities of Semiprecious Stones

Michelle M. — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:17:00 GMT

To show the vast possibilities of shape, color, and texture available in stones I made a scramble through my stone bead stash. I’ve arranged these stones in little groups with their color families—red, blue, yellow, green, orange, and purple. Isn’t it amazing to see the wide variety of colors within each family? And when you arrange these color groups in a color wheel situation, pairing each with other primary or secondary colors, you quickly get a sense of the design possibilities....(read more)

5 Shopping Tips for the Tucson Bead Shows

Michelle M. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:16:00 GMT

Usually the weather in Minnesota at this time of year makes people cuss and throw things. But I’m happily whistling away as I pack up beading kits and my Bermuda shorts. You see, I get to join 60,000 of my rock, gem, and beading enthusiast buddies and head down to Tucson, Arizona in a couple weeks! ...(read more)

Michelle's First Trip to the Tucson Bead Shows

Michelle M. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:08:00 GMT

Beading Daily editor Michelle Mach shares photos and news of her first trip to the Tucson Bead Shows, February 2-6, 2009....(read more)

Last-Minute Beading Gift-Making Ideas

Michelle M. — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:15:00 GMT

We both know that a handmade piece of jewelry is one of the nicest gifts you can give someone. People love receiving jewelry that was designed specifically with them in mind, and when the wearer knows the designer personally, she’s afforded another layer of bragging rights. ...(read more)

Dyed or Natural Gemstones? How to Tell the Difference

Michelle M. — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:17:00 GMT

When I first started working with gemstone beads I went online and ordered some stones listed as “Sleeping Beauty turquoise” howlite. I know, I know. I was young and mercurial and didn’t really know what I was reading in that description—I just saw the Sleeping Beauty turquoise part. You might not be surprised to learn that what I received in the mail was “obnoxiously-blue-and-shiny” dyed howlite. Oh, well. I should have at least had the good sense to remember you get what you pay for. Lesson learned....(read more)

Advice on Naming Your Jewelry Business

Michelle M. — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:49:00 GMT

Today I'm sharing some questions and answers from past Bead Biz columns in Beadwork magazine. The author of the column, Viki Lareau, has been in the jewelry-making business for more than 20 years. Viki is the author of Marketing and Selling Your Handmade Jewelry: The Complete Guide to Turning Your Passion into Profit.--Michelle Mach, Beading Daily editor...(read more)

5 Tips on Today’s Affordable Semiprecious Stones

Michelle M. — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:50:00 GMT

There’s magic in stones, and I’m not just talking about some of their mystical properties. (Certain of them are supposed to be good for everything from courage, to protection, love, and foretelling the future.)When Jamie Hogsett and I recently produced our latest book, Create Jewelry: Stones, I was fascinated to research the origins, history, and properties of some of the most beautiful—and affordable—gemstones in the market today. ...(read more)

Learn the Cylinder Bead Numbering System

Michelle M. — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:17:00 GMT

If you’re a cylinder bead fanatic, you probably know about the elaborate numbering system used to identify each bead. Or maybe you don’t? If the latter is the case, read on to find out about this cylinder bead Dewey Decimal System of sorts. Tucking this minutia in your noggin will give your bead shopping savvy a boost. ...(read more)

Beadaholic Confessions: Reader Poll Results

Michelle M. — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:43:00 GMT

I was delighted that almost 80% buy beads without knowing exactly how they'll use them. Me too! Now that my stash is getting out of control, I try to have at least a general idea--"those beads would make cute earrings"--but sometimes that's as specific as I get. I also found it fascinating that a few readers confessed that they hated shopping, except for beads. It is thrilling to rush home, unwrap your beads, and admire them. (If I'm not driving, I'll even unwrap mine in the car on the way home.) Some beaders have done things like choose their house or vacation spots accordinging to "bead proximity." One reader even claimed, "I try to live my life so that I am never less than five miles away from a bead store." (Try explaining that to your real estate or travel agents!) ...(read more)

Bead Spree Winners

Michelle M. — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

When I retire from Beading Daily, I want Ed McMahon's job. You know, the guy who drives around handing out those huge million dollar checks?...(read more)

An Insider Look: Working as a Vendor at a Bead Show

Michelle M. — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:36:00 GMT

I haven’t seen that movie The Bucket List yet, but I like the concept—you know, the one that says a person should create and execute a grand “to do” list before they kick the proverbial pail? My bucket list includes things that I’m sure are on many of your lists . . . visiting the Great Pyramids, going hang-gliding, learning the tango, helping build housing for the homeless, and learning to raise chickens (what, that last one isn’t on your list?). ...(read more)