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One of the many things that I love about my job is when I get to see new beading products before they're available to the general public. My friend Sunyoung Park of Ezel Findings made my day last week when she sent me their latest innovative beading and jewelry-making product, the Beading Pal. The...
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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...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 20, 2013
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Filed under: Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to in the New Year, but at the top of my list is the return of Downton Abbey (here in the U.S. it's on PBS). I'd almost be willing to bypass the rest of the holidays altogether for the first day of season 3 to be here (almost). I must admit I'm...
Posted to
Inside Beadwork Magazine
by
Kate Wilson
on
Nov 22, 2012
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Filed under: Crystals, Bead-weaving, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools, Pearls, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Chain Maille, Earring Making, Beads, Beading Daily, How to Bead
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No matter how much time and care you put into your bracelet making projects, choosing the right clasp can make all the difference in the world. Choosing a clasp that's easy to work, comfortable, and secure for your bracelet making projects might seem simple on the surface, but putting a little bit...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 2, 2012
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bracelet Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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What is it about peyote stitch that keeps us beaders coming back for more? I struggled with peyote stitch when I was learning how to bead -- there was just something about the thread path that I couldn't keep straight in my mind. But once I found a wonderful teacher who showed me why she loved peyote...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Oct 31, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, 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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Do you love working with right-angle weave ? This superhero of bead-weaving stitches can do just about anything with any kind of beads that you have handy. When I want to bead just for beading's sake, I'll grab two or three colors of seed beads and start working in right-angle weave. For those...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Oct 12, 2012
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Filed under: Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bracelet Making, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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I can still remember what inspired me to create my first original beaded jewelry design . I was flipping through a book about antique jewelry, and one of the photographs caught my attention. It was an antique seed pearl necklace made up of three components that were linked together with strands of faceted...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 27, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Earring Making, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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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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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 I'm working on a necklace making project for myself, I have to pay attention to the length of the finished necklace. I recently realized that I have quite a long neck for someone who is so short, so when I wear very long necklaces (like lariats or opera-length pearls), I sort of look like a...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jul 20, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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An important part of learning how to bead is learning which jewelry making findings will be most useful to you when it comes to making beaded jewelry that will last. I am always amazed at how the selection of jewelry findings at my local craft store has grown exponentially over the years, and I'm...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 13, 2012
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Filed under: Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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Triangulations by Kathie Khaladkar Crystal beads are everywhere these days! When I was at the Tucson bead shows earlier this year, you couldn't turn around without seeing some glitz and glam, and walls and walls of sparkling crystal beads. Truthfully, I was not a huge fan of crystal beads when I...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 3, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Learning how to swim is like learning a new jewelry making skill. You dip your toes in the water, then your foot, then you wade in until you're knee-deep. By the time the water is up to your shoulders, you realize you might just be in over your head! And while my own wire jewelry making skills have...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 29, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Earring Making, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Making an open-backed bezel for a cabochon has certain advantages over making one using bead embroidery techniques. If you're using a transparent or translucent cabochon, stitching an open-backed bezel for it will allow light to pass through it and make it brighter. Or when using a transparent cabochon...
Posted to
Beading Instructions
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 16, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Brick Stitch, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Crystals, Beading Tools, Peyote Stitch, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How to Bead, Bead Embroidery, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beaded Jewelry, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Bracelet Making