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Yes, I'm one of those people who sees a seed bead pattern in a magazine and just has to make it right away. No, there's no waiting around to place a bead order or head up to my local bead shop to see if they have the exact beads that are called for in the pattern. When I gotta bead, I gotta bead...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 29, 2012
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Filed under: Gemstones, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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Almost every state here in the U.S. has a state flower, state bird, or some other symbol that represents the natural beauty found in that particular part of the country. Did you know that most states also have official, designated state gemstones? I did a little research and came up with five of my favorite...
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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...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 3, 2012
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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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Spring in my part of upstate New York means warmer days, open windows, laundry drying in the sunshine, working in the gardens, and lots and lots of outdoor activities. It also brings graduations, weddings, proms, and other special events. And of course, as a jewelry maker, my first thought for marking...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 24, 2012
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Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Bead Making, How To Bead, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Since ancient times, gemstones have been prized for their colors and for their perceived healing abilities. The first humans who discovered colorful gemstones in the gravels of a riverbed or embedded in an otherwise ordinary rock must have been struck with awe and wonder. It is not surprising that gemstones...
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When I was in Tucson back in February, some of my favorite purchases were the gorgeous cabochons that I saw popping up everywhere. Cabochons have always fascinated me as a beader, and I love figuring out new ways to incorporate them into my finished beaded jewelry. I have a huge collection of gemstone...
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Beading Supplies We Love
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 16, 2012
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Filed under: Crystals, Gemstones, How to Bead, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Necklace Making, Jewelry Making
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While I was in Tucson, I had the pleasure of meeting Becky Nunn of Nunn Design and after I got home, she sent me a little sample of some of their newest products, including these awesome channel beads. The channel beads were meant to be used with resin and some of their beautiful collage sheets, but...
Posted to
Beading Supplies We Love
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 11, 2012
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Filed under: Peyote Stitch, Crystals, Beading Tools, Bead-weaving, Gemstones, How to Bead, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads
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I think pretty much everyone who learns peyote stitch makes one of "those" bracelets. You know the ones I'm talking about: a wide (or narrow) strip of peyote stitch, usually even-count, with a button clasp on one end. It's probably the one most unattractive piece of peyote stitch jewelry...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 10, 2012
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Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Brick Stitch, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bracelet Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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I've always joked with my friends that if this whole beading thing doesn't work out, I'm going to pursue my other passion and open a gourmet vegetarian restaurant. At home, if I'm not playing with my beads, I'm in the kitchen cooking up something yummy for my family. So naturally...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 29, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Brick Stitch, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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It's almost spring, when a young beader's thoughts turn lightly to those of...new gemstone beads, of course! Spring is a time of renewal and fresh starts, so take a look through your bead stash and see if you have any of my top picks for the gemstones of spring. The bright colors of these beautiful...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 25, 2012
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Filed under: Gemstones, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Lapidary, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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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...
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Beading Instructions
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 5, 2012
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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
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Hello, my name is Jennifer VanBenschoten, and I am a cabochon addict. I admitted that fact years ago, although I'm not sure how much it's helped me. My cabochon collection seems to be growing exponentially every year with no end in sight. As long as I keep coming across gorgeous hand-cut gemstone...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 4, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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So, I have to admit it: I can't get enough of Downton Abbey. I'd seen a couple of blurbs about it, so when it popped up on my Netflix recommendations, I thought, why not? I was hooked after watching the first episode. Set at the turn of the last century in an English country manor, I found myself...
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Growing up, two of my best friends were Chinese girls who had spent several years living in India before coming to the United States. Through them, I learned so much about Chinese culture (and cooking - yum!) that I fell in love with everything about China. I've read many books about Chinese history...
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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