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Native American beadwork has a rich heritage of symbolism through the use of colors, gemstones, and animal totems to tell stories and convey meaning. If you're looking to infuse your beadwork with a few special and meaningful symbols, check out some of these suggestions for including symbolic beads...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 22, 2013
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Filed under: Gemstones, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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A small, flat peyote strip doesn't have to be uninteresting -- there are so many different ways that a strip of peyote stitch can be used! Try this free beading project for an easy peyote stitch bail for use with a crystal pendant or a gemstone donut. String it on your favorite ribbon for a fast...
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Beading Instructions
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 29, 2013
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Filed under: Bead-weaving, Crystals, Beading Tools, Peyote Stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How to Bead, Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Bead Crafts, Jewelry Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Necklace Making
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Although lately I've been incorporating more and more glass beads into my bead-weaving projects, when I first started learning how to bead, I used lots and lots of gemstone beads in my designs. There's something about the look of gemstones in bead-weaving designs that still appeals to me. Maybe...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 25, 2013
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Filed under: Gemstones, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools, Lapidary, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Continuing with your beaded jewelry design project, now that you've made herringbone stitch bezels for the beads, we're going to make the base to which they'll all be attached using right-angle weave. The base I like to use when making these beaded necklaces is a "v" shape that...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 27, 2013
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Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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I can't imagine a better way to learn about making wire jewelry than with a few fast and fabulous earring making projects. The best part about making earrings with wire is that you don't need a lot of beads, and you don't need to be a wire expert to create fun, flirty little earrings! Earring...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 4, 2013
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Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Earring Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Are you ready to put your wire wrapping skills to the test? This fantastic Gypsy Wire Bangle by Janice Berkebile is just the thing for you! It takes a little bit of practice to get your wire coils perfectly even, but it's worth it if the result is a striking bracelet like this one. If you don't...
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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,...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Dec 12, 2012
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Brick Stitch, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, Steampunk Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Jewelry Stringing Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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Little did I know when I first sat down to learn how to bead how many skills I would learn in the coming years! It makes you realize that there's a lot more to making beautiful beaded jewelry than just sitting down and stringing some beads on wire and attaching a clasp. It seems like there's...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 5, 2012
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Filed under: Gemstones, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Silly me. All through high school and college, I thought that jewelry making with materials like fiber, clay, fabric, and paper was just a fun way to make jewelry. Little did I know that it's actually mixed media jewelry, and when I need to stretch my creative muscles a little bit, it's the perfect...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Oct 26, 2012
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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I get some great inspirations for my beading and wire jewelry making projects from the things my son does in preschool. Just the other day, we made weavings using popsicle sticks and yarn -- do you remember making those as a kid? You glue the popsicle sticks together to form a cross, then start weaving...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Oct 3, 2012
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Filed under: Gemstones, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools, Jewelry Business, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Lillypilly now offers a large selection of fine gauge copper sheets, perfect for mixed media jewelry making projects! The fine gauge copper sheets are available with both patina and embossed patterns on them. It's easy to stitch through the copper sheets using wire or traditional quilting threads...
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Beading Supplies We Love
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 31, 2012
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Filed under: Beading Tools, Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Stringing, How to Bead, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Bead Crafts, mixed media jewelry, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Necklace Making, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Bracelet Making, Beaded Jewelry
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On my recent trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia, I made a trip across the river to southern New Jersey, where I got to meet up with the fabulous Amy Blevins and see her gorgeous bead shop, Bead & Glass Boutique . When I travel, I like to seek out small, independent bead shops and do a little shopping...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 27, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Polymer Clay Beads, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm addicted to cabochons. I don't know why I'm fascinated by them, but I am. The idea that you can take a jewelry making component without any holes, like a cabochon, and turn it into a piece of jewelry using bead-weaving and wire wrapping is still amazing...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 20, 2012
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Gemstones, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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I've really been getting into working with easy wire wrapping projects lately, and these two blank metal cuff bracelets from this month's A Grain of Sand Bead Hoard Curiosities Club just spoke to me as soon as I saw them. They wanted me to wrap them with wire and beads to make a couple of fun...
Posted to
Beading Instructions
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 8, 2012
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Filed under: Wire Jewelry, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How to Bead, Gemstones, Bead Crafts, Wire Wrapping, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads
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When it's a pearl, amber, or coral! Beads, cabochons and jewelry-making components made of these materials are generally classified as gemstones, but there are some important differences between a true gemstone and a pearl, amber, or coral. Pearls, amber, and coral are all natural materials, but...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 18, 2012
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Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Bead Making, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Gemstone Jewelry