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In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I'm addicted to cabochons. If you take a look through my bead stash, you'll find drawers and drawers full of them -- gemstone cabochons, handmade ceramic and porcelain cabochons, even vintage Lucite cabochons and cabochons made from things like resin...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 22, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Brick Stitch, Glass Beads, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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My two favorite fashion trends right now (it changes often) are the raw gemstone and druzy components showing up in jewelry! Last weekend I decided to bezel an agate druzy bead with gold to create a new pendant for myself--and I've received a shower of compliments! I used 1.5mm gold cubes for 5 rows...
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Aside from having really cool and gently used clothing, my local thrift shop is a great place to find craft supplies for my beading projects! I love to dig through the bins of sewing notions and craft supplies, looking for unusual items that I can use. My three best finds so far include a large package...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 8, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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A few years ago, I landed a teaching gig at a large gem and mineral show in western New York. As I walked the floor after my classes, I marveled at how many different gemstone beads were available. It seemed like there were gemstones for every color, every price range, and every shape that a beader could...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 1, 2013
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Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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Though not technically a "beading tool," my photocopier has quickly become my new best friend. Who would have ever thought that this dusty old thing would be able to save me hours of design time and up to weeks of beading? When working up the initial sketches for my Happy-Go-Lucky Links necklace...
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My least favorite part of bead crochet has always been stringing all those seed beads on the thread before I start to crochet. There's just no getting around it -- no matter what I try, it always feels like a chore to me. Thankfully, bead crochet expert Judith Bertoglio-Giffin understands my pain...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jan 18, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Bead Crochet, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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There's nothing like 650 grams of free Twin beads to get your creativity going, right? Well, last week, I was notified that I was one of four winners of the Preciosa Ornela Beads for Blog Post promotion, and they sent me a box containing 1,000 grams of Czech beads, including thirteen colors of Twin...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jan 16, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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If you're looking to branch out into mixed media jewelry in 2013, bead embroidery is one of the easiest ways to get there! Because bead embroidery is such a versatile and fluid beading technique, it's perfect for anyone who wants to experiment with some new mixed media jewelry-making techniques...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jan 4, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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A few years back I treated myself to a "beadcation." If you haven't done this for yourself yet, I highly recommend it! For my beadcation, I choose a trip to breathtaking San Luis Obispo, California to attend classes at Beads on the Vine with top teachers Melanie Potter, Cynthia Rutledge...
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It all happens to us from time to time. Even the best beaders find themselves stuck in a "beading rut". No matter what you do, no matter what you try, you just feel like there's nothing new and exciting to be done with your seed beads, right? When I get stuck in a rut, one of the things...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jan 2, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Crystals, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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Melissa Grakowsky Shippee is the author of I Can Herringbone Herringbone stitch is one of those bead-weaving stitches that can be made to look completely different in the hands of two different bead artists. It's probably one of the reasons I keep going back to it over and over again. Herringbone...
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My first attempts at beaded beads weren't exactly pretty. I took some beautifully finished wood beads and proceeded to cover them with some of the ugliest peyote stitch I had ever done! But after making a few of those monstrosities, I started to think about making beaded beads there used fabric or...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Dec 24, 2012
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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Sometimes, when I can't sleep at night, I try to relax by dreaming up new beaded jewelry design ideas. (I'm not the only one who does that, right?) A couple of weeks ago, as I was trying to fall asleep, I thought about what I was going to do with a hank of beautiful striped seed beads from York...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Dec 14, 2012
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Necklace Making, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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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,...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Dec 12, 2012
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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
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I've really been getting into beading with my glass spike beads from York Beads lately. Now that they come in three sizes, there's a whole new range of options out there for anyone who wants to make their bead-weaving a little more fierce! A few months ago, Melinda Barta posted this great tutorial...
Posted to
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by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Dec 12, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Chain Maille, Peyote stitch, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bead Crafts, Beads, Beading Daily