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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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Even though I'm no wire expert (at least, not yet!), just like any other craft, before you get started with wire wrapping, it's good to have a firm foundation on which you can build your wire wrapping skills. As I've worked my way through scads of wire jewelry projects in the last couple...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 7, 2013
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Beading Tools, Earring Making, Bead Crafts, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Just in time for this blog, what should land in my mailbox but a brand-new set of ergonomic jewelry-making tools from Cousin Corporation? It got me wondering, would using ergonomic tools for my wire jewelry-making projects really make that much of a difference? What Makes Ergonomic Jewelry-making Pliers...
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If you're fairly new to jewelry making, it might be difficult at first to determine what type of clasp you should use when designing your bracelet or necklace. Below are seven of the most common. (Photos courtesy of FusionBeads.com) Box clasps are shaped like a box on one end and have a bent metal...
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Welcome to Wonderful Wire Week here on Beading Daily ! This week, I'm going to explore just a few of the ways in which wire jewelry has woven its way into my beading and jewelry-making projects, and I hope you'll enjoy the ride. Not so long ago, I was a wire wimp. I was a great admirer of folks...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 3, 2013
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Beading Tools, 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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Daily Blogs
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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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I recently made a necklace for the Fall issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine using 24-gauge gunmetal wire. As I was sifting through my box of wires deciding which to use for this project, I realized it might be useful to discuss wires...especially the wires I couldn't bead without. If you're a...
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I love a good challenge, don't you? How about the challenge of using a cabochon, without a hole, in a piece of beaded jewelry? When I was learning how to bead, I was thrilled to find out that I didn't need to know metal smithing techniques to include my favorite gemstone cabochons in my beaded...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 10, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry, Cabochon, Cabachon
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Whenever I teach a beadweaving class, my students always want to know: what was the first beadweaving stitch you learned? (Followed closely by: which beadweaving stitch is the easiest and best stitch to learn?) It only took me a few hours to make my very first peyote stitch amulet bag, but it took me...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 3, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Brick Stitch, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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After my last couple of experiments with chain maille, I was feeling brave, so I decided to attempt my most difficult chain maille project yet: a Japanese chain maille ball, otherwise known as a dodecahedron. Pretty little dodecahedron balls, all in a row! I first saw this style of chain maille when...
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We all know that beading is great for relieving stress, but I got to thinking the other day about how beading can "cure" so many other unpleasant things. Now, I'm no medical expert, but I've noticed that my seed bead patterns can cure just about anything that ails me. Feeling blue?...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 22, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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I've been beading for almost ten years now--ever since I joined the staff of Jewelry Stringing . And over those ten years, I've made lots of beading mistakes. Thing is, those mistakes turn into lessons. Hard-earned lessions sometimes, yes, but lessons nonetheless. When learning to bead, it's...
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Sometimes, the simplest designs are the most powerful. Wire jewelry made with clean lines and bold colors can make just as big a statement as a piece of wire jewelry made with intricate bends and wraps. In fact, it can actually be more difficult to create a simple piece of beautiful wire jewelry -- when...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 10, 2013
Filed under:
Filed under: Chain Maille, Crystals, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily