-
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...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 25, 2013
Filed under:
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
-
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
Filed under:
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
-
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...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Oct 26, 2012
Filed under:
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
-
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...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Oct 3, 2012
Filed under:
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
-
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
Filed under:
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
-
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
Filed under:
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
-
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
-
I have trust issues with the cabochons I use in my bead embroidery. The first time I tried to use cabochons in my bead embroidery, I just glued them to the bead embroidery backing and started stitching around them. To my surprise and dismay, those cabochons started to peel right off the bead embroidery...
Posted to
Beading Instructions
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 5, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Peyote Stitch, Bead Making, How to Bead, Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Stringing, Beads, Beaded Jewelry, Mixed Media Jewelry
-
Beautiful, artistic freeform peyote stitch! It seems that when it comes to freeform peyote stitch , there are two main schools of thought. The first is that this beadweaving technique is a fabulous, artistic and creative use of peyote stitch on a whole new artistic level. The other school of thought...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jan 8, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
-
I got to go bead shopping with the fabulous Lisa Peters Russ of Lisa Peters Art! How much fun is THAT? On the second day of my recent trip to New York City, my friends and I went into Manhattan to do some bead shopping between Fifth and Seventh Avenues. If you've ever been to Manhattan's fashion...
-
Me, my two friends, and all those beads at Beads on Fifth in Manhattan! Some of you may remember that a couple of weekends ago, I decided to take a little break and do some bead shopping in New York City with my friends. Each bead shop that I went to had its own unique selection of beads, findings and...
-
These easy wire wrapped beads make great spacers with more antique trade beads or more organic gemstone beads. Being sort of a newcomer to wire work and wire jewelry-making, I have always admired those folks who can take a piece of wire and bend it (like magic!) to transform it into a bead or jewelry...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 27, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bead Crafts, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
-
Don't get me wrong - I love technology. I love being able to subscribe to my favorite beading magazine and have my issues delivered to my iPad, and I love being able to download movies, music and books without having to wait for the mailman to deliver them. But when it comes to certain things, I...
Posted to
Beading Supplies We Love
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 21, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Crystals, Beading Tools, Bead-weaving, Seed Bead Patterns, Gemstones, Stringing, How to Bead, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads
-
Necklace making is something that has always come easy for me. Even now, I find that my sketchbooks are full of more necklace designs than anything else, and I'm always finding inspiration for new designs everywhere. My process for designing and making a beaded necklace depends on where I get my...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 8, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Bead Crochet, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry, Cabochon
-
When I first started learning how to bead and was learning basic jewelry-making, I loved earring making. I didn't realize it at the time, but making earrings a great way to learn new beadweaving stitches and jewelry-making techniques. Handmade earring projects are (usually) small and not terribly...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 3, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Brick Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Earring Making, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry