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Hands down, my favorite type of seed bead is a shiny, metallic one. I just love the way they resemble hammered metal when they're stitched together, and they provide such a nice contrast to matte seed beads. Back in the day, I bought all kinds of these metallic seed beads, even though I'd been...
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While there is definitely something magical about the look of crystals, my personal style means that I prefer to have crystals play a supporting role, instead of the lead, in most of my beading projects. The good news is that even when crystals take a backseat to other kinds of beads, they can still...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 17, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bracelet Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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I blame it all on Beadwork magazine Designer of the Year Jill Wiseman. Jill is infamous for getting hundreds of beaders hooked on doing kumihimo with beads through her amazing and easy-to-follow classes at big bead shows like Bead Fest Philadelphia. Above: Jill Wiseman gets me hooked on kumihimo. Below...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 14, 2013
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Kumihimo, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Laura McCabe's necklace, 2013 Saul Bell Award competition It's the time of year for you to get your bead on! There are some great bead contests going on, and I love seeing the different styles and techniques used by artists all over the world! Recently, Laura McCabe, a past Beadwork contributor...
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Have you ever made a breathtakingly beautiful piece of beaded jewelry from a set of instructions and been inspired to create your own beaded jewelry designs? It might seem overwhelming at first, but chances are, if you have the skills necessary to make a piece of complex beaded jewelry from a seed bead...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 12, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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When it comes to substituting one type of bead for another, you'll quickly find out that not all seed beads have been created equal. This is especially true with the dozens of new shapes and types of seed beads available to beaders around the world, including Tilas, Czechmates, Twins, SuperDuos,...
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Once upon a time, in the middle of a long Adirondack winter, a lonely beader found that she needed a project to keep her occupied while she searched for a job. On a whim, she opened up her old copy of the "White Russian" beading book, and decided to challenge herself with a double-needle right...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 10, 2013
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bracelet Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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Pinks and purples are among my favorite colors, so when I heard a podcast recently about "sheer rose" being the hot color of 2013, my ears pricked up. The podcast was from Planet Money , a radio program about what's going on in the global economy, so I wasn't expecting to be hearing...
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The key to making successful steampunk jewelry, it seems, is all in the material that you choose. You can really use any kind of jewelry-making technique to create gorgeous steampunk jewelry, if you know what kinds of beads and components work best to evoke that romantic-industrial feeling that so many...
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More and more beaders are keeping some kind of photographic journal to document their work on seed bead patterns and beading projects. Are you one of them? I know lots of professional designers who keep a photographic journal of their seed bead patterns as they design and create them, including photos...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 27, 2013
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Earring Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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If I knew now what I didn't know then...that's how I feel about everything that I've learned about earring making since I started beading over thirteen years ago. While I spent my time doodling beaded necklace and bracelet designs in my notebooks throughout college, ideas for beaded earring...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 24, 2013
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Bracelet Making, Earring Making, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Are you feeling a little beading challenged lately? I was certainly starting to feel sort of sluggish, like my ideas were all stuck in the same rut. Then my next challenge kit from Beadwork magazine landed on my doorstep, and I decided to look around for other challenges to stretch my creative muscles...
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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...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
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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It's that time of year again -- I can't believe that summer is back already! Pretty soon, I'll be packing my bags and hitting the road for places like Bead Fest Philadelphia, a couple of trips down to do some serious bead shopping in New York City, and ending my summer travels with a trip...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 20, 2013
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Why should you learn about beadmaking? Even if you only ever do bead-weaving (or think that you'll only ever do bead-weaving, and nothing else!) knowing a little bit about beadmaking can actually help when you're working on your own beaded jewelry designs, or making a beading project your own...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 17, 2013
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily