Daily Blogs : thrifty beading

How to Use Silver Wire and Findings on Any Budget

Michelle M. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:26:00 GMT

It wasn’t all that long ago that I used nothing but sterling silver in all my jewelry. My ear wires, clasps, jump rings, chain, even crimps, all of it was sterling. Of course, that was back when gas was a dollar, our houses were worth more than we’d ever dreamed , and our 401Ks were making us feel like we were playing with the Big Boys. It was also when silver was going for about $4/ounce. In the past eight years, silver has climbed in price over 200%, from around $4.00/oz in 2001, to over $14.00/oz today. ...(read more)

Brass, Copper & Pewter: Using Low-Cost Metals in Jewelry

Michelle M. — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:32:00 GMT

Probably like you, this crazy economy is making me think differently about the materials I use in my jewelry designs. For example, I used to be a bit of a snob about using only precious metals in my jewelry, but now I’ve embraced copper, brass, and pewter for their color, availability, and lower cost. It’s been freeing to give myself permission to mix these types of metals in with my precious metal beads and findings, allowing me to be even more creative with my materials. Coco Chanel used to do the same thing, you know—she’d create jewelry and accessories that mixed high and low materials (like precious stones with glass) all the time. For her, the price tag wasn’t what made a piece special; it was the look. She once said, “Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.” Well said, Coco!...(read more)

Are You a Bead Snob?

Michelle M. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:30:00 GMT

I met a well-known bead designer last year who confessed that she sometimes enjoyed mixing high- and low-end components together--beads from her local craft store with some high-end silver or handcrafted art beads or findings. I admitted to her that I did this, too. Looking back, it's funny how we furtively looked around as we talked in hushed tones, as if we feared we would be found out by the bead police and dragged away....(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)

Pros and Cons of Using Craft Wire for Jewelry

Michelle M. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:14:00 GMT

Penny-pinchers fear not, because there’s an affordable solution that’s often overlooked, or simply used as scrap metal by wire artists…craft wire. Craft wire usually has a copper core (varieties are available with tin, bronze, or nickel), so it’s totally affordable. But the best part about it is that it comes in a variety of colors. Of course there is silver and gold-coated wire, but the others have a broad range in the color spectrum. ...(read more)

5 Ways to Stretch Your Beading Budget

Michelle M. — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:40:00 GMT

Beading and saving money are two topics near and dear to my heart. My Celestial Sparkle necklace was inspired when I could only afford a single strand of borosilicate beads. I wanted to showcase them in a necklace, but everyone who saw the tiny strand said I should just give up and make a bracelet. Luckily, I didn't listen! I found some relatively inexpensive clear teardrops to space out my more expensive treasures and ended up creating one of my favorite necklaces....(read more)

Photograph Your Jewelry with a Do-It-Yourself Light Box

Michelle M. — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:53:00 GMT

Quick Dash, Low Cash Photo Studio

It may be that I'm the result of Depression-era parents or that I'm just plain cheap. I rely on elbow grease and baking soda to clean the bathroom; we use clothespins to keep our chip bags shut; plastic bags work great the second time around; you won't find that many pieces of clothing in my closet that cost more than $20; and my workout "club" doubles as the laundry room.

This frugality spills over into all parts of my life, including my creative world. Not to say that I'm not sitting on a small fortune of beads, buttons, metal, yarn, and tools! But if there's a cheap way to get something done, I do it.

I struggled for a long time to find a way to get good indoor lighting for photography without having to invest in special lights and a photo dome. Before, I'd wait for a nice day and shoot as much as I could outside. But that's not always feasible, especially in Minnesota, where it's cloudy half the year and raining a good portion of the rest.

I played around with different scenarios quite a bit and found that the setup that gave me the most flexibility and least headache was pretty low-tech: two 60W task lights pointed at each other over a white paper "corner" I made with sheets of white card stock. This configuration reduces the amount of shadow coming off the pieces when I shoot them. It works well for me, too, in that I can instantly set it up on my messy worktable and break it down just as quickly--no storage.

When shooting with this light box, I make sure to set the white balance menu in my camera to "tungsten" to compensate for the yellowy light. I also up the exposure to +1 so the piece doesn't go dark.

Do you have some quick dash/low cash in-house photo studio tips you’d like to share? Post them on the website!

Jean Campbell writes about beading and life every Wednesday on Beading Daily. If you have comments or questions for Jean, please post them on the website. Thanks!

Top Organization Tips from Readers

Editor — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Organization Tips Large and Small

Sometimes a small organizational tip can make a huge difference. My headpins are stored in tiny plastic bags and as a result, they are bent every which way. When contest finalist Susan Jacob mentioned that she kept her headpins straight by storing them in vials that was a light bulb moment for me!

Other tips made me rethink my whole notion of the creative process. Many beaders, for example, mentioned the importance of using containers like glass jars that let you see your collection. I never realized it before, but I do get more ideas when my beads are spread around me than when they are tidily tucked out of sight. No wonder I've been resisting the typical opaque storage containers!

Small Spaces = Organized Living?

Another surprise for me was the number of contest entrants live in studio apartments, motor homes, or other small spaces. By necessity, these folks are masters at organization.

Frequent travelers also made up a large portion of the entrants. It's hard to think of a beading space that's smaller than an airplane seat nowadays, especially one in coach!

At right: Betty Neve and her daughter's solution to beading on airplanes--handmade twisted needles and a floss container cutter.

Popular Containers for Beads

Beaders love containers for other crafts like embroidery floss boxes and scrapbooking carts. They also are terrific recyclers with all sorts of containers from lunchmeat trays to an old wooden television case finding new life in the bead world. Tackle boxes were hugely popular, so make sure to check out the hardware and sporting goods stores in addition to craft stores when looking for suitable storage. No matter what kind of container you select, labeling is key--not just for you, but also for everyone in your household who might otherwise claim that container for their own. A few ideas for containers:

Tic-Tac boxes
Cigar boxes
Spice racks
Pasta racks
Tie racks

Food containers
Pill boxes
Egg cartons
Muffin tins
Watchmaker cases

Recipe card boxes
Cosmetic bags
Ice cube trays
Shoe boxes
Jars (baby food, jam)

And the winners are . . .

Author Laura Levaas and I had a very challenging time selecting the winners from the 500+ entries in the Beader's Stash contest. Be sure to also check out the list of 30 finalists for more organization tips and ideas.

Beyond the Bead
Marjorie Oxman
To keep my tools organized and easily accessible, I hung magnet knife blocks (from IKEA) on the wall, next to where I work. They hold quite a few beading tools within easy reach, and they cost only $14.99!

On the Cheap
Elizabeth Gorman
I sticky-tape a freezer bag to the side of my beading desk to put all the rubbish ends of threads, broken pieces of wire, etc. I only empty it when it is full. This saves time—you don’t have to look for ends of threads on the floorand it means no more stepping on broken bits of wire/metal! It is also very cheapyou can purchase a bag of 100 or more freezer bags for only $0.40 (AU)!

Your Beading Place
Susan Nelson
Since I’ve just recently become a “professional” myself, measuring the length of pieces has become important. I decoupaged one of those sewing tape measures to the front edge of my beading table, so it’s easy to know how much wire used and the finished length.

On the Road
Betty Neve
Current restrictions on what you can take on a plane have presented the beadaholic with the challenge of what you can use to bead with on a long flight. Tip: Make your own safe needles out of 28 gauge twisted copper wire. Make a safe thread cutter by pulling the top off a dental floss packet, round and smooth the edges, drill a hole in it and attach it to your key ring along with some beads.

Bead Stash
Christine DeLio
To store my crystals, I purchased 100 10ml clear plastic lip balm jars with lids and small rare earth disc magnets. I used E6000 to glue a magnet to the bottom of each jar. I then purchased a large dry erase magnet board. I mounted the board on the wall and arranged the jars of crystals by size, shape, and color. You can label your sections on the board using a dry erase market. It’s easy to see your inventory and pick colors since the jars are clear, plus it uses vertical space.

Congratulations to our five winners, each of whom will receive an autographed copy of Beader's Stash by Laura Levaas. This is a fun beading book with 40 projects of all types (stringing, wireworking, loomwork, felting, bead embroidery, weaving, soldering) from the top bead shops in the United States and Canada. Learn more about the book.

Glass Bead Design Challenge - One Week Left

Have you submitted your challenge entry yet? Design a necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings with any type of glass beads and you could win a cool new beading book or a beautiful starfish lampwork pendant by Stephanie Sersich. Deadline is Sunday, March 2, 2008. Enter the Glass Bead Challenge.

Michelle Mach shares beading news, contests, reader galleries, and other beady stuff every Monday on Beading Daily. If you have comments or questions for Michelle (or organization tips to share), please post them on the website.

A Handful of Beads

Editor — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 09:00:00 GMT

I bought these beautiful borosilicate (boro) teardrop beads from Sonoran Beads at a bead show last fall. I loved the way the beads snuggled up next to one another on the elastic strand and the springtime blue/green color combination.

I wanted to make a lush necklace with them—something that would require at least four strands. Unfortunately, that was completely out of the question, budget-wise. So rather than simply walk away, I bought the one strand I could afford and tucked them into my stash.

Every once in awhile, I'd pull out the beads and study them. Everyone knows that a small amount of beads = a small project. The logical thing to do would
have been to make something small like a bracelet or a pair of earrings.

I'm not a big fan of logic.

Determined to make a necklace, I looked through my stash and found the the crystal teardrops, blue crystals, and clasp—all originally purchased for other projects. The design quickly came together. In fact, the most difficult part was naming it. (Unfortunately, the only name that immediately came to mind was "Blue Light Special"!) I wore the necklace to work, hoping that someone would have a better idea for a name. Kat, our graphic designer, suggested "celestial" and Sandi, Beading Daily's contributing editor, added "sparkle." The instructions for the "Celestial Sparkle Necklace" are below—exclusively for Beading Daily subscribers. Enjoy!